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Would the south stand be like the north and have fewer rows then the concourse? So annoying how many rows short and why was it planned like that?
 

cowan86 said:
Would the south stand be like the north and have fewer rows then the concourse? So annoying how many rows short and why was it planned like that?
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The North Stand was constrained by the distance between the back of the stand and the Aquatic Centre. Dependent on what happens in the Sheepfolds, it's possible that any South development will be similarly affected. I'm pretty sure a Dortmund style "red wall" would be a non-starter.
 
Dredd said:
Yeah that's a good point actually if we're removing chunks of seats for posh seats you're gonna have a lot of pissed off fans being shifted for thst
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And they would need to build corporate lounges, kitchens, welfare facilities, plant rooms etc on the back of the stand.
cowan86 said:
Would the south stand be like the north and have fewer rows then the concourse? So annoying how many rows short and why was it planned like that?
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It will be the same height as Premier Concourse all the way round but plans show 23 rows instead of 27 with a change in dimensions of the seating decks. the seating will have more leg room hence the reduction in seats from 7,232 to circa. 5,300.
 
Grumpy Old Man said:
The North Stand was constrained by the distance between the back of the stand and the Aquatic Centre. Dependent on what happens in the Sheepfolds, it's possible that any South development will be similarly affected. I'm pretty sure a Dortmund style "red wall" would be a non-starter.
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I’m fairly certain the Aquatic centre didn’t arrive until years after the north stand extension. Or am I missing the point?
 
Sea to Shining Sea said:
I’m fairly certain the Aquatic centre didn’t arrive until years after the north stand extension. Or am I missing the point?
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It had outline planning permission, so had to be factored in. Bob put the extension in ahead of it being built to forestall any potential future issues. That's the current argument for doing South before East, whereas commercially, the other way round makes more sense.
 
Just to add an additional spanner in the works. IF anything were to happen with the east stand, does the proximity of the hotel on the corner not potentially cause any issues?
 
Grumpy Old Man said:
It had outline planning permission, so had to be factored in. Bob put the extension in ahead of it being built to forestall any potential future issues. That's the current argument for doing South before East, whereas commercially, the other way round makes more sense.
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Was the expansion of the north stand not more constrained by finances rather than anything to do with the aquatic centre? I was always of the belief that the sky windfall of £6-7m was essentially put towards that expansion and it left little wriggle room for it either being high quality to match the west stand or leaving much change for squad improvement
 
Sea to Shining Sea said:
Was the expansion of the north stand not more constrained by finances rather than anything to do with the aquatic centre? I was always of the belief that the sky windfall of £6-7m was essentially put towards that expansion and it left little wriggle room for it either being high quality to match the west stand or leaving much change for squad improvement
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I've always heard it was down to the width needed for access, avoiding bottlenecks, etc. It was all paid for via loans anyway.
 
Grumpy Old Man said:
I've always heard it was down to the width needed for access, avoiding bottlenecks, etc. It was all paid for via loans anyway.
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You may be right. But in my mind planning for the aquatic centre was mid 2000s and it opened late 2000s. I think it was a case of striking while the iron was hot for demand and knocking it up as quickly and cheaply as possible to get bums on seats
Pussfella said:
Just seen a bloke walking in towards the stadium carrying a shovel. Seems the extension could be starting
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Doug?
 
Blyth said:
Because for how ever long we’ve never taken the cups seriously. Either battling relegation or going for promotion or 4 years in league one.

It’s not that hard to work out.

Same as the mags.

What changed for them is scarcity and the takeover. Got sub 20k crowds, then when they started going for it and there was a big chance you couldn’t get a ticket for a final they locked in fans to effectively a season tickets for cup games.

They’ve created a monopoly on tickets.

We’re already seeing it happen here. Keep the trajectory going and actually having a chance of progressing and being established then crowds will increase.
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This. It hardly whets the appetite when we're putting out 2nd strings against uninspiring opposition, knowing that progression would be little more than a hindrance.

However, it's no longer completely unrealistic that we could be somewhere between 30-40 points by mid-Feb when the fourth round of the FA Cup takes place. Of course, we still focus on the league, but I'd expect us to have a really good go at the cup as well. Couple that with the difficulty non-season ticket holders currently have of getting league game tickets, I'd expect a much greater level of demand.
 
TexasMackem said:
This. It hardly whets the appetite when we're putting out 2nd strings against uninspiring opposition, knowing that progression would be little more than a hindrance.

However, it's no longer completely unrealistic that we could be somewhere between 30-40 points by mid-Feb when the fourth round of the FA Cup takes place. Of course, we still focus on the league, but I'd expect us to have a really good go at the cup as well. Couple that with the difficulty non-season ticket holders currently have of getting league game tickets, I'd expect a much greater level of demand.
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Also add in a BCP whether it’s home or away and the fixture is even more attractive for those struggling to get away tickets. Expect a lot more demand for tickets than we’ve seen in recent years
 
burgerboy90 said:
Just to add an additional spanner in the works. IF anything were to happen with the east stand, does the proximity of the hotel on the corner not potentially cause any issues?
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No, but the road behind the east stand will need moved further into the car park as the depth would come right out so they would lose some spaces. Not a problem as its just tarmac with road markings.
 
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Grumpy Old Man said:
It had outline planning permission, so had to be factored in. Bob put the extension in ahead of it being built to forestall any potential future issues. That's the current argument for doing South before East, whereas commercially, the other way round makes more sense.
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Do we know why the Aquatic Centre was built so close to the stadium when, if I'm remembering correctly, there was loads of empty space behind it?

Edit: just popped into my head, was it something to so with the mine vents? As the road couldn't be moved further back because of them?
 
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