Kop redevelopment back on?

[finlaytheblade]

I wonder how soon ASAP is.

The company who built the Westfield stand are quoted in that article so I would assume it would start fairly quickly for a builder to be named?.

 

[Bladeloyal]

It could be as g.m.i are doing the new development in pond street that while they are there they put a spade in the ground at the lane to activate the planning . Or has Kevin secured some more Chinese investment ?

 

[Bladeloyal]

And the owner of g.m.I is a big pal of maccabes .they do most of his UK work .

 

[Berkshire Blade]

I'm sure its a coincidence there is a story on the O/S with McCabe and a Chinese businessman.

 

[Treeton Blade]

I'm sure its a coincidence there is a story on the O/S with McCabe and a Chinese businessman.

Hope we aint using chinese steel!

 

[itsinyerblood]

Before anyone frowns or takes offence.....I'm excited, seriously so. At our current rate we could have the most impressive ground in Div 2 if we're not careful . By all means let's see ongoing improvement, it's healthy and good for the spirit, but at the heart of corporate sensibility should always be a football team, at least that's my understanding. Two or three players please, push the boat out asap, let's show a level of commitment commensurate with a so-called 'big' club, isn't that what we've been lead to believe we are?

 

[metalblade]

I guess no one is prepared to say how student flats or another enterprise centre will benefit the team on the pitch and not McCabe's bank balance, it will be great a 35,000 seat stadium for a shit league one team as long as it looks good eh ...........

 

[Berkshire Blade]

I guess no one is prepared to say how student flats or another enterprise centre will benefit the team on the pitch and not McCabe's bank balance, it will be great a 35,000 seat stadium for a shit league one team as long as it looks good eh ...........

the richer he is the more likely he's to spend money that could go on a yacht or his family on us! I don't see you putting millions into the club no mater how badly its been used!

 

[yorkshirecoast]

Whilst I agree the team should of course be the top priority - and I have & will continue to criticise the Board for it's lack of investment and ambition - I would still welcome the Kop development. Our ground is generally good but the Kop is terrible - and looks embarrassing from the outside. Filling the final corner in would also be a big improvement - and would help the "what the fucking hell was that", "you're not fit to wear the shirt" and "sack the board" chants carry much further.

 

[DiggerBlade]

Rebuilding and developing the kop can only be a good thing. It`s certainly not a bad thing. With a new Desso playing surface and now a new kop on the horizon I can only say about time. Had we been running away with the league this season then I`m sure we`d be laughing little toffee apples. Still, there`s time for improvement on the Desso field to turn things around first.

UTB

 

[TJB.]

Can we get rail seats in so that we can all stand when the powers that be have some common sense to allow it?

Good idea, and if common sense isn't used, nobody can say a thing if the seats are kept down. Be acres more room and far safer for those who do stand at the back. No more shin bruises

I don't like the plans much, myself. The whole thing needs knocking down and starting from scratch. It's simply not steep enough.

 

[DiggerBlade]

I agree the kop would be better with a steeper angle. Not too steep though that mountain rescue would be needed.

Good idea, and if common sense isn't used, nobody can say a thing if the seats are kept down. Be acres more room and far safer for those who do stand at the back. No more shin bruises

I don't like the plans much, myself. The whole thing needs knocking down and starting from scratch. It's simply not steep enough.

 

[Ben_1982]

Are you for real ? your last sentence should put you on the right track other clubs have their hotels etc behind the stands not in the stands. Are the pigs so backward ? their function rooms are just as good as the ones at the lane, yes they don't have a hotel or offices added on to the sty but just ask yourself do the offices and the hotel at the lane put money into the team like the 7000 extra seats at the sty could or into McCabe's pockets ? don't forget he owns the ground Sheffield United are just tenants.

The facilities at Hillsborough, restaurants and boxes etc are piss poor. Over the 18months every restaurant and box at the lane have been upgraded

 

[Ben_1982]

What a relief there is money to spend on this project. How fine this stadium will look in league one.

If there is money to be spent, it should go on the team.

This project would come from McCabe.
Team investment is HRH

 

[Jon Bon]

I wonder how soon ASAP is.

Well, seeing as the club recently put in a planning application for over 900 solar panels on the existing kop roof, I wouldn't hold your breath.

Actually, that's a bit sensationalist. It was a prior approval app and it wasn't required as the panels were deemed PD. You would think that if they are PD on the existing roof, they'd still be PD on a new roof wouldn't you.

Go ahead and hold your breath after all Berks - but let it out if you start turning blue.

 

[Large Mendonca]

I'm sure its a coincidence there is a story on the O/S with McCabe and a Chinese businessman.

They were there for the Millwall game - i did wonder at the time what KM was up to, but now it's clear. I know we're shit on the pitch but any improvement to the kop has to be a good thing ?

As i understand it, KM will fund the ground, with the Prince & Co funding the team.

 

[metalblade]

I'm a firm believer of if a job is worth doing then it is worth doing right. This plan is not a rebuild but an extention at the back the only new bits will be student flats and some offices we will still have the same poor view of the goal at the kop end. The kop needs knocking down and start again from the ground up, have the same rake as the JSS & South stand and fill the corners with seats which could make money to put into the team. Our co owner seems to be forgetting this is a football club first and foremost not a student village or a business park, anything built on that site should be for the benefit of the football club rather than to be a nice little earner for super blade.

 

[jt64]

I wonder how soon ASAP is.

As soon as promoted, so never

 

[LoughboroBlade]

The kop needs knocking down and start again from the ground up, have the same rake as the JSS & South stand

Don't agree with your criticism of additional facilities that would bring the club extra cash, but I agree that a full rebuild would be the preferred option. I'd be very interested to see what the difference in cost would be between a full rebuild vs this extension (which presumably wouldn't be too cheap in itself). Perhaps worth spending a bit more to make this a fit-for-purpose stand for the foreseeable future than to go for an option that accepts the limitations of the current stand.

 

[jt64]

As an aside, I'd tend to agree with the people that say that it'd be better to raze the thing and rebuild from scratch, to give better sightlines from the existing capacity for a start (although getting rid of the bloody pillars would be a huge plus), although it's a question of whether there's funds there to do that - the Kop's crap, but the biggest issue I have with it is the lack of facilities which a redevelopment would hopefully address.

Also going to take issue with people saying it's all about raising money through non-football streams, while I think we all want every penny that we can get put into the first team, football's a business now and if we can use the real estate we have to generate income from other means than it's not a bad thing. Heck, if the only thing it does is break even on the development at least we, the fans, have got a better stand to use

 

[Rodley]

Don't agree with your criticism of additional facilities that would bring the club extra cash, but I agree that a full rebuild would be the preferred option. I'd be very interested to see what the difference in cost would be between a full rebuild vs this extension (which presumably wouldn't be too cheap in itself). Perhaps worth spending a bit more to make this a fit-for-purpose stand for the foreseeable future than to go for an option that accepts the limitations of the current stand.

Refurb projects can and do often cost more than new build. To me the design is informed by the requirement to keep the Kop open whilst the works are largely being undertaken - don't forget that the stand capacity is circa 10,000 so it's a disproportionately large in the context of the ground. This is sensible and, shock horror, beneficial to the income of the club. Not McCabes pocket.

The Kop is also wider than the pitch and overlaps the front of the south stand. This makes the corner stand very difficult and I genuinely think it would be problematic to deliver more seats without a compromised view. I would have thought your abnormal costs for delivering any corner stand would be significant as well. I suspect it just isn't worth it.

It's a fair way off anyway if it happens and the 2009 (?) design may well change.

 

[derryblade]

I might be old fashioned but I actually go to the Lane to watch the players performing on the pitch to an acceptable level, not admiring the furnishings I'm sitting in.

 

[PeteBlade]

We'll have the most modern and largest ground available to a club that struggles to hang on to a play off spot in the third division.

Game changing.

 

[Wards]

I might be old fashioned but I actually go to the Lane to watch the players performing on the pitch to an acceptable level, not admiring the furnishings I'm sitting in.

Helps if you can actually see the players from the seat you're in though, right?

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I think we'd get 'well over' for Weekend games against the 'big' sides. Not so convinced about Swansea on a Tuesday night.
But I can say anything because by the time we get back in the PL the internet will no longer exist and football will be played by robots on a metal track and will be watched by aliens with their space telescopes. Despite the painful probings from the aliens, barnyblade's main concern remains the need to sack the manager at once. .

Fixed it for you mate.

 

[derryblade]

Helps if you can actually see the players from the seat you're in though, right?

Never had any problem with seeing the players on the pitch at the Lane, maybe against Cardiff back in the day, but there was a fair crowd that night

 

[blade too long]

we should start a baseball team

 

[Wards]

Never had any problem with seeing the players on the pitch at the Lane, maybe against Cardiff back in the day, but there was a fair crowd that night

Ha! As has been mentioned though it's not the best viewing angle at all, especially if you're a young un or an older un with creaky knees.

It's a shithole of a stand being totally honest and I haven't sat on there for a good few years now.

 

[Leonardo Green]

If they want to increase ticket prices, they will need to flatten it and start again.

No one will pay south stand prices for the shocking view and leg room you get on the kop.

 

[finlaytheblade]

Why all the hassle the kop development tells me we are ambitious, yes we maybe wallowing in the 3rd division at present but no one in there right mind would spend the millions required to upgrade the kop and surrounding area if the ambition and drive was,not there to acheave
our goal.It will take a lot of investment in the squad apart from the brass required to upgrade the stadium to get all this done and no business will put that kind of money into infrastructure without a plan to bring it to fruition.So all you negative blades get real ,investment has to be there to carry out the plan.
I await the negative response to my post (any blade can see where we want to be as a club)as there seems to be quite a few pigs getting on this site just now not just barnyblade as the negativity is alarming.