New stadium update...

[Graybach]

Top info again Rs4, and some great posts. Cheers, keep it up

[Dhav]

I don't think that anyone here want the owners to fail.

I do think that a lot of people are fed up of all the talk that has happened and if you look at what has been delivered so far it is not a lot.

It is all about expectation management, if they had not come out and said that we would be competing with the big clubs in transfer market, added to that the stadium debacle people would be happy about what has been done so far. Not to mention the isolation of a lot of fans with Rafagate.

We have a phrase for our American equivalents in the armed forces "All the gear and no idea", which I think is relevant here. There main problem is added to their lack of knowledge of the field they have now entered they are being advised by Rick Parry on how things should be done.

In my opinion when they should wait until the financing is signed and sealed before they announce which stadium they have chosen and make a statement of intent about the future of how things will be done acknowledging the mistakes they have made.

I would expect the fans to give them the benefit of the doubt and we can all move forward with one objective, of returning this club to where it belongs at the top of the league.

Great post mate

[Roboklopp]

Cheers RS4, that's some great news.

70k is about right of us now, but the question is whether that will be the case in 50 years time. We have to be adaptable for the future to some extent & that is why I still think the possibility for expansion is paramount even if it is 50 years down the line.

As far as immediate revenue is concerned tho, you can go a long way by emphasising the profile & number of the corporate boxes & I am sure that is a route the Septics will know of already.

As far as the design is concerned, well if we can still get an ace one that helps preserve atmosphere & acoustics as well as hopefully being individual & recognisable & saving £100m, well I am slowly coming round to that- so long as we get to invest a proportion of that saving into the team. £50m could solve our world-class wide midfielder & striker/playmaker dilemma pretty sharpish I imagine.

Good choice of drink by the way- we didn’t get out till about 10 but I was drinking the same as you were.

[Roboklopp]

Am also wondering how this affects the possibility/need for having our own train station. That idea appealed to me a lot.

[Kloppster]

Am also wondering how this affects the possibility/need for having our own train station. That idea appealed to me a lot.

Trainspotter

[Marshy]

I think 70,000 is just right for us - we've got the sea to one side of us and haven't got the same population within say a 15-20 mile radius around our ground like Utd have got - little details like that are important in my opinion.

BUT are both these 70,000 AFL/HKS designed grounds unexpandable or are they designed to allow us to expand in say 10/20/30 or more years if we ever need to?

[rushscored4]

I think 70,000 is just right for us - we've got the sea to one side of us and haven't got the same population within say a 15-20 mile radius around our ground like Utd have got - little details like that are important in my opinion.

BUT are both these 70,000 AFL/HKS designed grounds unexpandable or are they designed to allow us to expand in say 10/20/30 or more years if we ever need to?

If our fans are anything like 'V', DJS and a few others then 7,000 will be more than ample...

[thekop]

First of all I much preferred the HKS design to the original AFL plans but let's get it into perspective. When AFL were first engaged in the late 90s to do the new stadium one of the main considerations was cost and I seem to recall a total budget of around £70-80m was quoted back then. That original design was 'state of the art' and the best you could expect for that sort of money. The Reebok had just been built (and I thought it looked ****ing brilliant back in 1997), the City of Manchester was under construction and Ashburton Grove was still an artist's impression.

Roll forward six or seven years and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ride into town with a big fanfare. One of the first things they look at is the new stadium design which by then was well past it's sell by date. Rather than haul the architects (AFL) in and demand they give it a face-lift they pay them off (over £1m I heard) and bring in Butch Cassidy's mates at HKS who, fair play, come up with a stunning design. However, even last summer when steel prices had fallen, the bold new Texan design was estimated at costing around £400m. With steel prices rocketing, the dollar weakening and the cost of borrowing spiralling it would probably cost our friends in the South the best part of a million bucks to build the 'spaceship' now.

So... they hold a beauty contest with the local girl whose looks have faded being asked to put some slap on (AFL) and the Texan beauty being asked to drop her drawers for less bucks (HKS). Now it's down to Butch and the Kid to decide which girl they're going to dance with...

...unless this is Brokeback Mountain and they ride off into the sunset together!

A fantastic post rushie mate

[Imy]

RS4

[Dero]

as long as they don't get Multiplex in to build it

[dom9]

as long as they don't get Multiplex in to build it

Until the Wembley fiasco, Multiplex were regarded as one of, in the the leading stadium builders in the world.

The FA stitched them up.

[rushscored4]

as long as they don't get Multiplex in to build it

I presume that's a joke? Laing O'Rourke had already won the construction contract but I'm not sure whether they'll all have to tender again for whichever design the Yanks choose...

Laing O'Rourke

[redblood]

First of all I much preferred the HKS design to the original AFL plans but let's get it into perspective. When AFL were first engaged in the late 90s to do the new stadium one of the main considerations was cost and I seem to recall a total budget of around £70-80m was quoted back then. That original design was 'state of the art' and the best you could expect for that sort of money. The Reebok had just been built (and I thought it looked ****ing brilliant back in 1997), the City of Manchester was under construction and Ashburton Grove was still an artist's impression.

Roll forward six or seven years and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ride into town with a big fanfare. One of the first things they look at is the new stadium design which by then was well past it's sell by date. Rather than haul the architects (AFL) in and demand they give it a face-lift they pay them off (over £1m I heard) and bring in Butch Cassidy's mates at HKS who, fair play, come up with a stunning design. However, even last summer when steel prices had fallen, the bold new Texan design was estimated at costing around £400m. With steel prices rocketing, the dollar weakening and the cost of borrowing spiralling it would probably cost our friends in the South the best part of a million bucks to build the 'spaceship' now.

So... they hold a beauty contest with the local girl whose looks have faded being asked to put some slap on (AFL) and the Texan beauty being asked to drop her drawers for less bucks (HKS). Now it's down to Butch and the Kid to decide which girl they're going to dance with...

...unless this is Brokeback Mountain and they ride off into the sunset together!

[Dero]

I presume that's a joke? Yes, poor though it was. Laing O'Rourke had already won the construction contract but I'm not sure whether they'll all have to tender again for whichever design the Yanks choose... I was going to ask about that

Laing O'Rourke

[The Erectile Banana]

Just been reading through some of the info on this thread.

Makes for some interesting reading.

Thanks to RS4 for the updates.