West Hoathly Seagull
Honorary Ruffian
Built by the builders of Falmer, the Buckingham Group (fixtures I know).
World cup bid - the stadiums
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Built by the builders of Falmer, the Buckingham Group (fixtures I know).
Milton Keynes Seagull
Active member
While I think MK has the facilities and is a right choice to host world cup games, I have to agree with you on the place overrall. Certainly central Milton Keynes has no soul, history or character. It is functional and modern, but its shops are all the same boring chains you see everywhere and the shopping building itself is a monstrosity. There are numerous night clubs and bars but they all cater for the 18-30 group. No cosy little hostelries for old farts like me to enjoy traditional ale or heaven forbid listen to live music as opposed to monotonous noise.
However MK "absorbed" a number of traditional towns and this is where you will find community, choice and history as well as decent pubs. Stony Stratford, Fenny Stratford (which is quite close to the Stadium MK) and a number of small villages as well.
I'll do a pub guide for Albion fans coming up next year as I understand most of you were crammed into the Enigma Tavern , which hardly features as one of the better hostelries in MK.
aviaviavioioioi
New member
Liverpool not the most patriotic of city's so no surprise there. I think MK is a good choice new stadium new city (in english terms anyway). I dont care about Wimbledon they were always a horrid club. Milton K is a fast growing city it was always going to have a club. I dont like the way they did it but MK and Wimbeldon were talking about moving Wim'don FC since the 60's.
The new Yid stadium looks horrendous!
The new Yid stadium looks horrendous!
Jamon Jamon
********** ****
that's ok then, hope i live long enough to see 'The Bill Archer' stand at Falmer in 2050
Austrian Gull
Well-known member
What a f**k-up that list is!
Sorry to all the apologists but to have Milton Keynes and, to a lesser extent, Plymouth makes me livid.
I thought England was "the home" of football yet we're desperate enough to have to include a stadium of a club who bought their place in the league and have never played in the top two divisions.
And Plymouth? What the hell are they going to do with a 46,000 stadium after the World Cup? They can barely get 10,000 for home games - it would be an even bigger white elephant than Darlington's new ground.
And as for whoever said they'd rather MK got a place than another London club, I'd prefer Orient, Millwall or whoever to get a place over a soulless, shitty place that didn't even exist when England last held the World Cup. Why not give the games to Telford, Crawley or Hemel Hempstead while we're at it?
Unless these two get left off the final list, an absolutely scandalous decision - yet should we have expected any better from the FA?
Sorry to all the apologists but to have Milton Keynes and, to a lesser extent, Plymouth makes me livid.
I thought England was "the home" of football yet we're desperate enough to have to include a stadium of a club who bought their place in the league and have never played in the top two divisions.
And Plymouth? What the hell are they going to do with a 46,000 stadium after the World Cup? They can barely get 10,000 for home games - it would be an even bigger white elephant than Darlington's new ground.
And as for whoever said they'd rather MK got a place than another London club, I'd prefer Orient, Millwall or whoever to get a place over a soulless, shitty place that didn't even exist when England last held the World Cup. Why not give the games to Telford, Crawley or Hemel Hempstead while we're at it?
Unless these two get left off the final list, an absolutely scandalous decision - yet should we have expected any better from the FA?
West Hoathly Seagull
Honorary Ruffian
Repeat post (not intended)
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Jamon Jamon
********** ****
Can I just point out one VITAL piece of information that some on this thread seem to have forgotten:
We still need to win the right to host the World Cup (which we won't know whether we've got until next December) for any of this to matter.
Right, carry on....
We still need to win the right to host the World Cup (which we won't know whether we've got until next December) for any of this to matter.
Right, carry on....
Austrian Gull
Well-known member
Can I just point out one VITAL piece of information that some on this thread seem to have forgotten:
We still need to win the right to host the World Cup (which we won't know whether we've got until next December) for any of this to matter.
Right, carry on....
Sorry to hark on but the principle of Milton Keynes potentially hosting World Cup games does matter. I've just seen that vile chairman of theirs pontificating on about how wonderful it is - it's not, it's an absolute travesty of an embarrassment for English football.
Did Germany give fixtures in 2006 to any tinpot clubs/places? No, all the cities had football tradition - something our FA wouldn't know if it kicked them in the balls.
Barnham Seagull
Yapton Actually
What he said.
South Yarra Seagull
Member
Bid compliant WC Stadia have to have capacity of over 40k for group games, then increasing to 80k for semi's and finals.
this is an interesting thread. makes me proud and slightly sick to compare the scramble of stadiums WANTING to be part of the England 2018 / 2022 bid, as opposed to the horrific bunfight that has broken out in Oz over stadium usage...
For example;
AFL rules out Etihad Stadium for any World Cup games | Herald Sun
Sometimes i really wish i lived in a country in whihc football wasnt the number 3 or 4 sport...
this is an interesting thread. makes me proud and slightly sick to compare the scramble of stadiums WANTING to be part of the England 2018 / 2022 bid, as opposed to the horrific bunfight that has broken out in Oz over stadium usage...
For example;
AFL rules out Etihad Stadium for any World Cup games | Herald Sun
Sometimes i really wish i lived in a country in whihc football wasnt the number 3 or 4 sport...
Same here!
Yes, yes they did. There can't be more soul destroying towns than Gelsenkirchen across Western Europe. They completely rebuilt the Schalke Arena for the World Cup, but while Schalke were well supported, it must be noted that:
a) Gelsenkirchen is less attractive and smaller than Croydon. What a shit place to have tourists coming through!
b) Gelsenkirchen is in that massive Rhine conurbation, which was already being served by 3 other stadiums, including Cologne and Dortmund.
c) Schalke football club were shithouse for 2 decades until the noughties, so the link with a successful storied club is tenuous.
You're right about MK's lack of football history, but it's a fast growing population centre, it's easy to get in and out of, and the facilities are top drawer. A tourist could be based in the Midlands or London and get to MK for the day with ease. Good location IMO.
Austrian Gull
Well-known member
Schalke were shithouse until the noughties? It must have been another Schalke who won the UEFA Cup in 1997.
Gelsenkirchen may be an ugly place but the German FA chose it because of the love for the game there. The Ruhrgebiet is such a massive area that having two stadia there was quite understandable. Cologne is outside that area.
Milton Keynes' location between the Midlands and London? You're reminding me of Alan Partridge singing the praises of The Linton Travel Tavern's location equidistant between Norwich and London. If that's the best anyone can do, it's laughable.
OK, maybe they were resurgent in the late 90s, but what about the many many barren years? And Cologne is outside the area, but it really isn't far away, geographically speaking - which is why so many fans of all nationalities were based in that city.
I agree with you that Gelsenkirchen is not exactly the same situation as MK but I'm simply pointing out that sometimes you have to make compromises. The German FA were compromising the fact that Gelsenkirchen was a god awful place to visit with the fact that Schalke is a club steeped in support down the years. Equally, MK has some good things going for it (geography, facilities) but is still building a sense of community. It is a place where migrant workers have flocked to from all over the country. Consequently, the population doesn't support MK Dons, but that doesn't mean there are no football fans there.
In that case you're missing the point of why the Alan Partridge comment was funny. The West Midlands and London are two absolutely massive population conurbations, and MK is easily accessible from both. In the context of watching a football match, I'd say that was highly relevant. Alan Partridge on the other hand was talking up Norwich's importance, unaware that it was only important specifically to him because he was turning into a provincial nobody, while clinging onto the forlorn belief that the national media in London was still relevant to his life.
Garry Nelson's Left Foot
Well-known member
Regardless of the merits of Milton Keynes's location I can't help but feel dissapointed that they'll be getting a W.C game if England wins its bid. To me it's the final seal of approval for the franchising of football clubs. I just find it sad.
Jamon Jamon
********** ****
An understandable feeling, but I'm not sure it's the reality. I don't think we'll ever see franchising again because of the ill feeling.
But in the meantime, MK is now a reality and IMO it would be churlish not to consider it solely on the grounds of there being no football culture in the city. It has too many other good points to offer.
Garry Nelson's Left Foot
Well-known member
I hope you're right but I'm not so sure. The F.A did nothing to stop it and don't appear to give two shits what the fans think. The only reason that franchising might not happen again is that I'm not sure there's any other large sized towns without a team or without easy access to one. If there was I reckon it'd only be a matter of time before it happened again.