Ground extentions/Renovations

[Sheffsteel]

Maybe but the kop needs rebuilding completely after being done on the cheap first time round. It's already usually the last stand to sellout because it's a relatively poor stand now.

It’s the Kop wing near the South stand that’s the last to sell out because it’s furthest away from the pitch/ action.
Even if we make those seats bigger with cushions and double the leg room, they would still be the last to sell out.

Also on that wing near the South stand many of the seats have a semi restricted view because of the thick posts, once they are removed at least those seats will get a much better view.

Some people seem to think stadium designs are about making the best stadium and I agree with many of the suggestions, they would improve the ground in many ways. However stadium expansion/ design is all about finding the biggest financial and hidden financial benefit for the least cost. McCabe is in the business of property development, so no doubt he’ll have a team of experts who have come up with the most cost effective all round beneficial design.

 

[Jon Bon II]

It’s amusing to read some of the fantasy stuff on here regarding knocking down stands only to re-build them. Where have some of you been over the last 5 years? Plans have already been submitted and approved to extend the kop and south stand, as well as to build residential units on the corners of Shoreham Street & John Street/Cherry Street.

If the ground improvements happen, THAT is what will take place. No knocking down to rebuild or moving to a soulless bowl somewhere else. If you want to see the plans, they are easily searchable on the planning pages of the council’s website but here is a start for the hard of thinking for themselves…

https://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/new-view-of-lane-re-development.57657/

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Costing money is never a problem, depends what the benefit is and the return on investment.
Moving to temporary seating shouldn’t be a problem, although I’m sure some would complain if they they are moved from their seat they’ve sat in for many years.

However if the Kop site is flattened then I can only think the temporary seating would be 3,000 seats in the BLUT.
There’s currently 9,000 season tickets holders on the Kop, the South stand and corners stand are currently sold out.
So how do you decide which 6,000 of the season tickets holders are to face a ban from the ground for 1 year.
Also what about casual fans, there will be no tickets available for sale for at least 1 year.
Surely such restrictions would have a really negative affect on our fanbase.
If I had my season ticket taken off me, then i’d find something else to do and once capacity is increased again I might not return,

A team of experts have studied the ground expansion conundrum and will have proposed several business cases for several options.
The current Kop design addresses almost every issue on the current Kop, yes it’s the cheap option but it still massively improves the experience for our fans. There are rumours that safe standing might be introduced in a year or two, so we might be better off waiting until we know what happening regards safe standing.

One solution to the where-to-put-everyone issue would be to do the South Stand extra tier first, and then move the Kop users to there and the rest of the stadium, do the Kop properly, then move them back. Not ideal, but the end result for the stadium might not need any further development in most of our lifetimes tbh.

 

[Sheffsteel]

One solution to the where-to-put-everyone issue would be to do the South Stand extra tier first, and then move the Kop users to there and the rest of the stadium, do the Kop properly, then move them back. Not ideal, but the end result for the stadium might not need any further development in most of our lifetimes tbh.

Agree that’s a better idea, although McCabe did say something about it being much more cost effective to build both stands at the same time. He said building costs are greatly reduced when 2 projects are being done on the same site at the same time.

Jon Bon has hit the nail on the head. Although part of me would prefer us to build a totally new Kop stand, if it proven to be financial madness, then it’s NOT going to be done. Some have even suggested putting corporate facilities in a new Kop stand to increase income but surely we would be reaching saturation point by tripling the current corporate facilities, the corporate facilities inside the South stand will be so impressive taking us into the new century, also an underground undercover car park to further impress VIP’s who bring in the money.

The Kop design has been called “the cheap option” as though it’s something to be ashamed of but if we choose a cheap option and it manages to address every issue apart from rake and leg room, then that’s pretty impressive. Remember the pillars will be removed (no more restricted views), much bigger, better, modern toilets. kiosks and bars, ALL under cover protected from the wind and rain.
Also an extra 3,200 seats increasing capacity and potential future revenue over many years.

 

[Pedro's Winger]

It’s amusing to read some of the fantasy stuff on here regarding knocking down stands only to re-build them. Where have some of you been over the last 5 years? Plans have already been submitted and approved to extend the kop and south stand, as well as to build residential units on the corners of Shoreham Street & John Street/Cherry Street.

If the ground improvements happen, THAT is what will take place. No knocking down to rebuild or moving to a soulless bowl somewhere else. If you want to see the plans, they are easily searchable on the planning pages of the council’s website but here is a start for the hard of thinking for themselves…

https://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/new-view-of-lane-re-development.57657/

Well aware of them.
Doesn't alter the fact that the kop needs rebuilding.

 

[Chali 2na]

If we spend a penny on the stadium that could have otherwise be used to strengthen the squad, I'll be extremely disappointed.

The stadium is perfectly adequate. A bigger/better stadium will only be any use to us if we're an established PL club.

Let's establish ourselves 1st by giving Wilder any money available to continue building his squad, then consider spending on the facilities after.

 

[JohnDenver]

With regard to rebuilding the kop and relocating fans...

If we follow the existing design, I expect most of the stand will remain open during the work. The roof will probably come off in a very short time, much of the building work carried out during the season, and the thing completed in close season.

JD - your construction non-expert.

 

[Boxer Blade]

It’s the Kop wing near the South stand that’s the last to sell out because it’s furthest away from the pitch/ action.
Even if we make those seats bigger with cushions and double the leg room, they would still be the last to sell out.

Also on that wing near the South stand many of the seats have a semi restricted view because of the thick posts, once they are removed at least those seats will get a much better view.

Some people seem to think stadium designs are about making the best stadium and I agree with many of the suggestions, they would improve the ground in many ways. However stadium expansion/ design is all about finding the biggest financial and hidden financial benefit for the least cost. McCabe is in the business of property development, so no doubt he’ll have a team of experts who have come up with the most cost effective all round beneficial design.

The best thing I have read and the most sensible - put cushions on the seats, reminds me of watching cricket at the lane and sat on hard wooden benches, you could rent a cushion to sit on, towards the end of play, as a kid you would go and get discarded ones and pile them up to sit on

 

[grafikhaus]

Also I think putting another tier on the south stand would make the ground look stupid. Like elland road just having one big fuck off stand

Completely true, but we’ve got to be planning for success, not failure. Otherwise what’s the point?

Part of me agrees with you but there’s that saying “speculate to accumulate”.’
For we know we could become a permanent fixture in the PL for 10+ years.’
Some might say we have a fantastic opportunity to build up the fanbase so we’re averaging 35-40K every season.

I’m sat on the fence regards the double tier South stand. It’s what they have at Leeds and Cardiff. They also had that look at Old Trafford too. In the perfect world we should do something with the small John Street stand to give it some symmetry
But the new expansion plans still look superb.

I was doing an exhibition at Old Trafford around 90/91. The exhibition was being held in the Stretford End and, when I had a break, I wandered into a corporate box. Their vertiginous North Stand was being built/expanded and dwarfed the other three sides. Some Man. U. 'official' joined me and I asked him 'Is the plan to eventually bring the other three sides up to that level?' He said 'Don't be daft. We'd have to get crowds of around 75k.'

Not saying we'd ever need anything like 75k capacity (40k sounds about right), but ground expansions require very careful thought. They're going to be there for many years and if you get it wrong, you can't go back. Like the 'Pukka Pies Abortion Of A Corner'.

 

[Jon Bon II]

The plans for the Pukka Pies abortion of a corner are to turn it into executive/corporate boxes when the kop is done.

 

[super_pig]

We have a huge amount of land but a pitch whose length is trapped by BL at one end and a crap Kop at the other.
We can't turn the ground through 90 degrees , so the obvious thing to do is extend the BL end backwards across the road or chope the first 20 rows off the Kop and shift the pitch towards Shoreham St.

why not? Spurs did a similar thing ..

 

[joeshaw123]

why not? Spurs did a similar thing ..

Because it cost them £850M and they had to play elsewhere for just shy of 2 years!

 

[Martino]

We could play at Hillsborough while it was being done

 

[BushBlade]

If we spend a penny on the stadium that could have otherwise be used to strengthen the squad, I'll be extremely disappointed.

The stadium is perfectly adequate. A bigger/better stadium will only be any use to us if we're an established PL club.

Let's establish ourselves 1st by giving Wilder any money available to continue building his squad, then consider spending on the facilities after.

Which is exactly what we’re doing. Hence the futility of this thread.

 

[Chali 2na]

Which is exactly what we’re doing. Hence the futility of this thread.

You would have thought more people would understand that.

Yet, somehow, we find ourselves (before the season is even over I might add) creating a 9 page thread about something that isn't going to happen...

What we reckon? 50 pages by August?

 

[BrinsworthBlade]

You would have thought more people would understand that.

Yet, somehow, we find ourselves (before the season is even over I might add) creating a 9 page thread about something that isn't going to happen...

What we reckon? 50 pages by August?

Tits will get involved by page 11

 

[Sheffsteel]

You would have thought more people would understand that.

Yet, somehow, we find ourselves (before the season is even over I might add) creating a 9 page thread about something that isn't going to happen...

What we reckon? 50 pages by August?

According to our owner McCabe, work will start a Summer 2020, but only if we stay up.
Can you advise what’s changed? Or are you suspecting (like me) that the plan has changed due to the recent court battle.
Don’t think he’s provided any recent updates regards his plans.
Wonder if anyone has spoke to him (in the bar at the Copthorn) about whether his intentions have changed.

 

[Sean Thornton]

According to our owner McCabe, work will start a Summer 2020, but only if we stay up.
Can you advise what’s changed? Or are you suspecting (like me) that the plan has changed due to the recent court battle.
Don’t think he’s provided any recent updates regards his plans.
Wonder if anyone has spoke to him (in the bar at the Copthorn) about whether his intentions have changed.

Wasn't that just about the Kop, not SS?

 

[Chali 2na]

According to our owner McCabe work will start a Summer 2020, but only if we stay up.
Can you advise what’s changed? Or are you suspecting (like me) that the plan has changed due to the recent court battle.
Don’t think he’s provided any recent updates regards his plans.
Wonder if anyone has spoke to him (in the bar at the Copthorn) about whether his intentions have changed.

I haven't spoken to McCabe, but yes, I'm assuming the court case has halted/ended any plan to modify the ground.

I'm also assuming that any resolution from the court case will be met with an appeal by the losing party, meaning that the saga will likely drag on into next season. That being the case, it's unlikely we'll see any renovations next summer - I think it would have been an overly ambitious target anyway.

My point is though that putting any money into the ground before we have assembled an established PL team would be foolish.

 

[guancheblade]

Fuckin ell we've only just got promoted to the premier league and you're suggesting we start to support spurs? Tell your sis to do one, mind you if we go down.......

Give over, the user I quoted had wondered what Spurs fans thought of their new gaff. I duly obliged.

 

[BushBlade]

According to our owner McCabe, work will start a Summer 2020, but only if we stay up.
Can you advise what’s changed? Or are you suspecting (like me) that the plan has changed due to the recent court battle.
Don’t think he’s provided any recent updates regards his plans.
Wonder if anyone has spoke to him (in the bar at the Copthorn) about whether his intentions have changed.

Until the court case is done, KM doesn’t know if he owns the club, the Lane, both or neither. It’s that simple. He can say what he wants.

 

[Boxer Blade]

Give over, the user I quoted had wondered what Spurs fans thought of their new gaff. I duly obliged.

I know

 

[Fuzzybear]

Tits will get involved by page 11

There are plenty of tits already involved in the thread, mostly those talking about 'doing a Spurs'

 

[Akinbiyi]

First thing we should do is sort the fucking kop out. It's a disgrace. But it's my disgrace so it's ok

And ffs bring back card payments, it's 2019.

 

[nicksufc]

Don't understand the obsession people seem to have with immediately banging in another 10,000 seats on the Lane almost immediately after promotion. It's a very risky tactic given we almost never sell out in the Championship.

The priority should be making more money from the commercial side of things - now we're the only Premiership team in Yorkshire there are going to be plenty of businesses wanting to buy boxes. Those South Stand plans were heavily centered on an expanded commercial offering if I remember right.

 

[Maidenhead]

Anybody remember 1973 - 1976 and the knock on effect for years after?

 

[bromtom]

I think a few cosmetic upgrades would be nice though.

Clean/paint the brown concrete.

Get a sign that goes across the pillars on the South, rather than have

T h e B l a d e s

Which has always sort of annoyed me.

New low profile lights in the BLUT, because the massive hanging lamp shades get in the way of the Kop goal.

Maybe get The Tony Currie Stand proud of the top of the stand and backlight it, make it properly permanent.

Any improvements to concourse facilities would be greatly received. Bogs, pies, pints, better trained staff, better bevs.

And this is maybe because I'm easily impressed, but I like that coloured astroturf that they have around grounds nowadays, although it does get filthy.

And we need another permanent score board, like the one on the BL stand, that you can see from the BLUT, you can see the screen but it's always got supertram adverts on it.

If we're not putting anything between the Kop and South anytime soon I'd suggest putting another screen there, for VAR decisions and such.

All of that lot will be expensive, but not new stand expensive.

 

[Chali 2na]

The priority should be making more money from the commercial side of things - now we're the only Premiership team in Yorkshire there are going to be plenty of businesses wanting to buy boxes. Those South Stand plans were heavily centered on an expanded commercial offering if I remember right.

The priority should be on the pitch.

 

[Sean Thornton]

The priority should be on the pitch.

I took it as he meant to provide additional funds for that.

 

[Chali 2na]

I took it as he meant to provide additional funds for that.

Sorry? I don't follow