stadium delayed

[Easy 10]

I disagree we have the maneger and the squad to get automatic promotion this season and then consolidate in the lower end of the champiosnhip next season ready for 2010/2011 that will add 4000 to season tickets at Falmer. I know Dick Knight is hugely ambitious and will be thinking the same way as me.

A few years to establish ourselves as a championship club ?, pah.

I hope you're right Uncle S.
But there are clubs with squads, resources and stadiums far greater than our own who have struggled to get out of this league and consolidate in the Championship.

Falmer will HELP us towards achieving our aims, but its not necessarily going to be the catalyst that guarantees instant success. There are many other factors that come into play apart from having four big posh stands around the green bit.

 

[Uter]

Also, everyone says look at Reading and Hull, but for every club like them there are more Huddersfield's, Leicester's, Darlington's, and Southampton's who have all gone BACKWARDS in new stadiums.

Nothing can absolutely guarantee success on the pitch, but a new stadium almost always leads to a large increase in revenue because of higher attendances, better corporate entertainment, stadium naming rights etc.

On the pitch things aren't so clear cut, but if I were a betting man I reckon most clubs will have a higher average league position in the seasons after a stadium move, compared to those before. This could easily be proven/disproved by anyone with enough time on their hands. Of course there will be the odd exception, but of the examples you gave I wouldn't say Huddersfield have gone backwards as I think they are in the same division as they were when they first moved grounds.

 

[Storer68]

Another massive blow to Liverpool FC new stadium hopes
Aug 29 2008 by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo


LIVERPOOL Football Club today announced a major delay in its plans for a new stadium in Stanley Park.
The ECHO understands it will be another year before construction will start.
Club owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett had hired London based PR firm Freuds to make a formal announcement confirming the delay on September 1.

But with speculation surfacing over the past 24 hours they have been forced to admit the Reds’ stadium dreams have suffered another massive blow.

Basic preparatory work began in Stanley Park several weeks ago, but fears that construction would not get under way this year because Hicks and Gillett do not have the necessary finance in place have now been realised.

The club released a statement to the ECHO today saying the delay had been caused by “global market conditions” and insisting that their commitment is “undiminished”.

But this does not wash with fans groups who believe it is just another sign that Hicks and Gillett are not the men to take Liverpool forward.

It is now 18 months since Gillett declared that work would start within 60 days.

Spirit of Shankly spokesman Jay McKenna said: “SOS has been expecting this news for over a week.

“It is our firm belief that the owners have neither the resources nor the intention to deliver this project, and are using the current economic climate as a subterfuge while they attempt to drive the potential sale value of the football club up.

“As SOS has maintained throughout this debacle, the owners have no money, no credibility and no dignity, and are not fit custodians of the club.

“We demand their immediate resignation and the sale of the club to fit and proper owners.”

City sources have told the ECHO that Hicks and Gillett have been in talks with the Royal Bank of Scotland in a bid to borrow around £300m to build the stadium.

But the duo baulked at the proposed deal when informed they would need to provide £200m in equity to fund such a massive loan

In April, Hicks staged a TV press interview, saying the credit crunch would have no effect on the stadium plans, a line he stuck to the month after the collapse

Then, when plans to build a Glorypark development in Arlington, Dallas, were abandoned the following month because of the credit crunch, Hicks again denied there was any possibility market conditions would force any delay to Liverpool’s Stanley Park project.

But the club have now admitted they have no choice but to delay the plans with a revised completion date in time for the 2012/13 season.

During the delay, they say they will be revisiting the plans again in a bid to ensure that if and when the stadium finally does open it will have a capacity of 73,000 rather than the 60,000 capacity it currently has planning permission for.

The club statement said: “Our commitment to building a new world class Liverpool Football Club stadium is undiminished.

“Like many other major development projects in the UK and overseas we are affected by global market conditions and as such work on the project will be delayed in the short term.

“We will use this period productively and revisit the plans for the stadium to increase its capacity to 73,000 seats.”

Timeline
June 2000: Liverpool FC announces its ambition of developing a new Anfield 60,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park.
May 2002: The ECHO reveals plans and images of a proposed new £70m 55,000-seater Park stadium.
Nov 2006: North-west Development Agency refuses to hand over £9m funding over fears that there was no “clear evidence of the club’s ability to commence with the stadium project”.
March 2007: Fears of a delay to the new ground over plans to increase capacity to 70,000 which could result in a planning inquiry.
Sept 2007: The final slice of public funding for the new ground was agreed when the board of the Northwest Regional Development Agency voted an award of £9.3m to add to the £9m already given from the European Objective 1 fund.
Dec 2007: Liverpool owners Hicks and Gillett call for architects to revise stadium plans.
Jan 2008: Tom Hicks reveals new 71,000-seat stadium plans by architects HKS due to open in August 2011.
May 2008: Third stadium plan is approved.
June 2008: Preparatory works start on new stadium.
July 2008: The Northwest Development Agency refuses to hand over a £9m grant until the club proves it has got the money for the £350m scheme.
July 2008: Images of new stadium revealed in ECHO.
tonybarrett@liverpoolecho.co.uk

 

[Storer68]

Also, everyone says look at Reading and Hull, but for every club like them there are more Huddersfield's, Leicester's, Darlington's, and Southampton's who have all gone BACKWARDS in new stadiums.

well we are going NOWHERE at Withdean

 

[Uter]

Yes, I agree it will lead to more revenue etc. In our case, I would expect that rise to be quite dramatic. However, I still think the stadium is a distant second in terms of importance to having a quality manager in place. We've achieved great success at Withdean by choosing the right people to run the team, ie Adams, Taylor, McGhee. Having Falmer will mean we can offer the manager more money to work with, but if we have some clueless dick in charge we won't go anywhere.

As for Huddersfield, well I'm not sure exactly what division they were in when they moved in to their ground, but they definitely had a spell at the top end of the championship (under Steve Bruce I think) in their early years there. Look at them now....

Fair point. A decent manager always helps. And even if we've not successful at Falmer, at least I can console myself that I may be watching shit football, but I'm watching it from a comfortable seat with a roof over my head.

 

[wehatepalace]

Can we now get back to ripping the piss out of Martin "The Steward" Perry !

 

[Dullard433]

Can we now get back to ripping the piss out of Martin "The Steward" Perry !

Leave him alone.

 

[wehatepalace]

Leave him alone.

 

[Storer68]

Fair point. A decent manager always helps. And even if we've not successful at Falmer, at least I can console myself that I may be watching shit football, but I'm watching it from a comfortable seat with a roof over my head.

compared to what we have now and have had for the last 11 years......... that will do me just fine

 

[wehatepalace]

I think the bottom line is, we do have have to trust MP he is the one who has experience in this field and everyone on here is just speculating !

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Listen,Dick Knight and Perry winkle have been battling for Falmer for years.when the stadium has been delayed in the past Knight was on tv going mad about the nimbys and how the delay is costing the club millions etc etc.
Now surely Knight and Perry couldn't turn round and say there is going to be a delay can they??.How embarrassing would that be for them.

 

[Brovion]

Also, everyone says look at Reading and Hull, but for every club like them there are more Huddersfield's, Leicester's, Darlington's, and Southampton's who have all gone BACKWARDS in new stadiums.

That is a very good point, however they all at least HAD proper grounds before they built new ones. We cannot be worse off in Falmer than we are at Withdean, but if we were still at the Goldstone I'd imagine there might be a few who'd say "we don't need a new ground, let's stay here and just tart it up a bit"

 

[John Bumlick]

Can we now get back to ripping the piss out of Martin "The Steward" Perry !

you know who i feel sorry for?

aids. he'd kill his nan for some attention like this...

 

[Screaming J]

The problems at Bristol Rovers and Liverpool are quite different from any that will face the Albion.

Bristol Rovers planned a massive housing development to finance their scheme. The collapse of the housing market has thwarted their plans.

Liverpool's project includes the redevelopment of the area around the existing Anfield stadium. It's that aspect of the project that is proving troublesome - and it's enough to delay the whole scheme.

Albion's project isn't tied in with any housing scheme. The big partners are the educational institutions. Funding for education investment is much more secure. Unlike the Bristol Rovers and Liverpool projects, there are no private sector commercial partners who are in a position to pull out.

I am reassured by this, Lord B, but the next time you see Martin Perry advise him to get any agreement he has with the Learning & Skills Council (LSC) signed in blood. Speaking from personal experience around educational support for my disabled son they are on a par with Bellotti and Archer. They are also being abolished in the next 18 months (cheers,cheers) so make sure anything not currently signed is signed QUICK

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I am reassured by this, Lord B, but the next time you see Martin Perry advise him to get any agreement he has with the Learning & Skills Council (LSC) signed in blood. Speaking from personal experience around educational support for my disabled son they are on a par with Bellotti and Archer. They are also being abolished in the next 18 months (cheers,cheers) so make sure anything not currently signed is signed QUICK

Don't worry. The organisation that I work for has a project that we run with LSC funding. The expectation is that it resumes again NEXT WEEK. We are all geared up and are committing staff to the job. But - as of today - the LSC have yet to advise anyone of exactly how much funding they are providing.

 

[Gary Leeds]

Also, everyone says look at Reading and Hull, but for every club like them there are more Huddersfield's, Leicester's, Darlington's, and Southampton's who have all gone BACKWARDS in new stadiums.

I am certain in Leicester and Southamptons case the stadium over stretched their finances and this affected their on field perfomances. There are more success stories than failiers from clubs who moved to a new ground, Doncaster being another good example, if you had offered Doncaster fans championship football 4 seasons ago they would have ripped your hand off. Hull got to the Premiership on a shoe string budget, so did Stoke and Wigan. As long as the finances dont cripple the club (and im sure DK wont allow that to happen again) I can see us being a mid to play off position championship team within 4 seasons, and having our highest position since 1990 within 3 seasons.

And if we were still at the Goldstone we would not be having this debate, we would just be looking at buying the commercial buildings over the other side of the road and doing a Bornemouth and rotating the pitch 90 degrees if we could not get the ruling over the east terrace overruled

 

[1066gull]

Unlike Brighton though, Liverpool aren't losing money hand over fist while they are still playing at their current stadium!

they are with rafa's spending policy

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Unlike the Bristol Rovers and Liverpool projects, there are no private sector commercial partners who are in a position to pull out.

..this is because no privtae sector commercial partners (i.e. lenders) have come on board yet. Whilst I want to agree with you about the housing scheme arguement you present ....there is still the need to borrow money............which we all know is very difficult at the moment whether it is tied in with housing or not.