The Footie Thread

[Tashyboy]

But the difference is that at that point (2013) City were already established...they'd had success, they had stable finances, they had good revenue stream and commercial partnerships....they'd had their billionaire owners in place for 5 years by then...they had a base to build from. You had won the FA Cup in 2011 and the had the Aguerooooo moment in 2012 - there were foundations upon which Pep could build.

This is incomparable to the situation at Newcastle in 2021 where there were no foundations in place at Newcastle....our revenue generating lines were virtually none existent, the team had no style or structure, our scouting networks were threadbare, our training facilties were of a League One standard, and obviously the financial restrictions that have played a part in the ongoing commercial development at Newcastle were something that City never faced.

So yes...you can be ruthless when there are solid foundations underneath you....but when they don't exist then solidity has to come from the pitch and consistent performances, whilst the business side of things catches up....and that means not chopping and changing managers every ten minutes.

Oh yeah....it is well known that your owners actually expressed an interest in Newcastle first, but never pursued it, because Mike Ashley dismissed them as not serious prospective purchasers of the club and couldnt be bothered to attend meetings with them or respond to communication. A real potential "sliding doors" moment eh?

I am led to believe they also showed an interest in arsenal but with the boardroom split it was an impossible job to buy all of the club.

 

[Beezerk]

@nickjdavis have you ever heard a decent suggestion for where a new stadium could be built? I haven't .

The current location is massive for the city, fans love it. It brings in massive amounts of money for the pubs, restaurants, cafes, takeaways in the centre. No way would the council want to lose that. Nor would the fans. It's part of the match day experience. Nowhere else could touch it (I'm expecting the council to never, rightly, agree to the town moor as an option)

They'll develop the current location, it's the best solution. Even with the difficulties it brings.

Ouseburn, loads of bars down there now

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Ouseburn, loads of bars down there now

Where the heck are you squeezing it in there?

We like a walk around Ouseburn, interesting place. And yes, some good bars . Not enough to satisfy the Toon army though

 

[nickjdavis]

@nickjdavis have you ever heard a decent suggestion for where a new stadium could be built? I haven't .

The current location is massive for the city, fans love it. It brings in massive amounts of money for the pubs, restaurants, cafes, takeaways in the centre. No way would the council want to lose that. Nor would the fans. It's part of the match day experience. Nowhere else could touch it (I'm expecting the council to never, rightly, agree to the town moor as an option)

They'll develop the current location, it's the best solution. Even with the difficulties it brings.

No not really.

Its not just "emotion" that makes me want to remain at SJP (there is no finer sight than approaching from the south of the city and seeing the stadium towering over the skyline....the Cathedral on the Hill is a truly fitting description)...the city center location is truly unique and, the matchday experience for both home AND visiting fans would be significantly diminished if the club moved to an "out of town" location. It is the sort of experience that is disappearing from that footballing calendar.

No matter our differences, whenever I talk to fans who have visited SJP, they all, to a man, woman and child, wax lyrical about the friendliness of the locals in and amongst the pubs, bars and restaurants on a matchday....and as you say...its a huge source of revenue for local businesses.

I don't however see that a simple expansion taking the current stadium to 60k (as seems to be mooted) is going far enough.

If a totally new stadium of around 70k seats was required, in the current location, then the only way i can see of achieving it would be to shift the stadium location 100 yards north-west and rotating it 45 degrees anticlockwise to allow some sort of partial building, whilst still allowing play at SJP and then the club would have to find a new home (though where the hell that might be is another subject!!) for a while whilst the rest of the new stadium is completed.....however I understand that even encroaching partially on to Castle Leazes Park has its own difficulties and plenty of scope for objection.

Ultimately though, I think experience shows that money does talk and, as such, whatever objections are, they will be eventually overcome...and as you say, the council does have a vested interest in the outcome.