Second tier on ponty

Poor analogy and Arsenal are the highest earning club ( in matchday cash terms) in the premier league and that’s due entirely to the move to the emirates . Not that I’m comparing us with a club of Arsenal’s stature and history . Surely folk would welcome watching football in a brand new state of the art stadium ? , one where you don’t get piss wet through every time it rains , one where you can get served decent offerings in the food outlets , one where bars are welcoming and cost effective , one where you can watch TV’s in warmth and a level of comfort . People who still want to piss up a brick wall with no roof on probably wouldn’t understand !

 

Why can't we spend money on modernising the ground - they said in their press conference they were looking to improve the stand. Surely modernising the facilities would be part of engaging with the fans.
I'd expect the clubs owners with a combined wealth of 20 billion to be able to put something in to improve the marketing etc.

 

Why is it a poor analogy? Where has them being the highest earners got them the last few years in terms of being able to compete. Wenger has said it held back when it came to competing. LOL - you pay a minimum of 1200 for a season ticket as well of course you are going to be the highest earners!!!!

Better one would be Bolton with a debt of 180 million?

Why do you need a new ground to improve the facilities - why can't you modernise? Anfield has been improved but not moved sites - excellent catering, WIFI , you can order food to your seat but ground still where it was the last time I looked .

 

And it’s cost an absolute fortune ! I think with these new owners we’ll end up with a new stadium ( but still on the Oakwell complex and a state of the art academy . Hopefully the academy will then bear fruit and in the long run these things pay for themselves either in our success on the pitch or player sales for bigger fees !

 

They did say they had no plans to develop the ground at that presser. Of course they could spend £5-10m replacing that with a basic stand. Would you rather they spend money on ground improvements that could be channelled into team improvement, or is ground improvement a must do?

Its a much more sensible strategy to leverage up and improve on the pitch, attract a few more fans and then look at a next phase (though we've still no idea what they want to do with us), rather than build a new stand, upgrade everything and be stuck in League one with ever dwindling crowds and a swankier looking vanity ground.

 

New stand at Anfield 112 million - Emirates 350 million. Bit of a difference

 

Doubt we would be able to spend 10 million on transfers under FFP

 

Ah the old Escort red herring again but still no explanation of why you have a photo of the West Stand .

 

I've got a feeling you're going to be bitterly disappointed.

A club the size of Barnsley in terms of population is never going to be getting 20 odd thousand gates again until it reaches the premier league. They are wealthy people but they are also business people and if I can see no financial benefit to a new stadium right now, im sure they can too.

Look at the likes of Bournemouth, QPR, Fulham etc... they're all in or have been in the prem more recent than us and are still in old grounds some of which limit attendances.

I can't see ours being a priority whilst we are in the second tier- let alone third. I can't even see them knocking down the west stand.

 

Indeed.... so why burn it on an empty folly? Just because it looks pretty? If you want something better to look at, shut it and put up a Barnsley version of the Highbury Mural

 

I’m sentimental about things from my past and that’s exactly where the west stand should be , in the past . Hope this makes it clear enough for you to understand !

 

Money spent on stadium is exempt under FFP

 

Insular sentiment to quote you .
Fairy snuff .

 

So? What's the point spending significant money for no reason? If the reason is to generate more revenue, house more capacity that we are able to fill, or create some building that has additional purposes for events (if there was demand) then fine.

To build something we don't need is just plain daft. That's not a lack of ambition, that's just common sense.

 

Bournemouth ( the smallest club to ever grace the premier league ) have a planning app for new stadium and training ground QPR have also looked into moving but London has its limitations which is why Tottenham built their new ground on the same site . Didn’t Fayed also look at selling off the cottage to move to a new stadium ? Success on and off the pitch go together and investment is badly needed in both areas .

 

Yes but they're in the premier league with the potential to increase bums on seats. The London teams I mentioned have a bigger potential catchment and one is also now in premier league.

We are in the third tier and likely to be 10k under capacity next season... it'd be crazy to build a new stadium and the owners have not given any hints to suggest that. It's not going to happen for the foreseeable.

 

Notice Bournemouths plan to move to a new ground is at the stage where they've been in the top flight a couple of years, and their current ground is tiny and not really fit for the premiership. QPR is one of the worst grounds going and is far far worse than ours, and Fulham are still where they are and the ground is probably smaller than ours.

Success on and off the pitch are very important, but you typically see investment in a stand after some success on the pitch, and if failure, development plans are often put on hold.

 

A fair few teams build new stadia and then progress up the leagues , it’s not an exact science . There’s also the novelty of a new ground which encourages folk to attend . I suppose we’ll see soon enough . As I said the owners spoke of having six months to decide what to do and that time must be about up now !

 

People still stand up now

 

The 6 months of deciding what to do was in relation to negotiating the ownership of the ground and negotiating with the council. Not to build a new ground or not.

Has there been a case of a club building a completely new ground where their existing ground was well below full, still pretty modern and opportunity to extend and improve over time as and when needed?

Most new builds have been because an existing ground was too enclosed to develop or value was better elsewhere.