Summer Rebuild

[wingnut]

Don't understand why do many are so keen to see the back of players who've done little wrong for us. Sure, Pearce isn't the best defender in the country, or the league. Or maybe not even at the club (although I think he is). But that isn't the point.
Every first team regular that leaves has to be replaced. How do we know that someone equally as good can be found for the same or less money (which is undoubtedly the starting point for our search)? Any signing is a risk, and given the club's dreadful record in the market in the recent past I'd say it's a sizeable risk.
So yeah, cheer at the thought of Pearce leaving but just be careful over what you wish for.

I've been begging it to happen since the most recent title winning side. The bloke isn't a footballer - end of.

What, the title winning side that he was an ever present member of?

[Coppelled_Streets]

And it DEFINITELY needs a pub.

Two; for both home and away fans?

It just needs something like at Tranmere, a pub outside the ground that is half for home fans and half away. The play-off semi there in 95 was superb!

[wingnut]

It's all about the financing. If someone else wants to match his current terms then good luck to them and him. If we can find an equal or better replacement for less money, which I believe is a strong possiblity, then so be it.

Well, as I said, those are some big "ifs" there and I don't share your optimism that such prospects can be signed - particularly by us.

[Broxroyal]

It's all about the financing. If someone else wants to match his current terms then good luck to them and him. If we can find an equal or better replacement for less money, which I believe is a strong possiblity, then so be it.

Well, as I said, those are some big "ifs" there and I don't share your optimism that such prospects can be signed - particularly by us.

This. I would love to see an improvement on Pearce in the team but if it is McShane (as rumoured) that weakens us.
McShane is dreadful.

[maffff]

And it DEFINITELY needs a pub.

Two; for both home and away fans?

It just needs something like at Tranmere, a pub outside the ground that is half for home fans and half away. The play-off semi there in 95 was superb!

That was my first thought tbh, partitioning

[Pepe the Horseman]

That was my first thought tbh, partitioning

Didn't know you felt that strongly about it. Change.org?

[3points]

I think what has happened at the Ricoh Arena is likely to be quite close to the Thais intentions at Reading. I have good knowledge of the Wasps deal at the Ricoh. Fundamentally, Wasps wanted to buy the operations of the stadium to help fund the rugby club (contrary to most press releases Wasps only have a long leasehold on the stadium, and did not buy the freehold which still sits with Coventry City Council). In addition to having all the operating revenue to help subsidise the running of the rugby club, there are also several tracts of development land in the vicinity of the Ricoh, which Wasps' owners will redevelop alongside the council. This makes it a win-win for both the council, who want to regenerate the area (they have a new railway station being built too for what is an out of town / remote stadium complex) and Wasps' owners who make a packet out of developing the neighbouring land. Plus the owner can help balance the books of the rugby club, rather than keep funding losses of £4m a year.

Perhaps the Thais want to develop the stadium further by building some retail and leisure experiences adjoined to the stadium, build an indoor arena and expand the conferencing facilities. In addition, build a new or expand the existing hotel. I'm thinking we could be seeing Nandos, Frankie & Bennys, Pizza Express, etc etc together with a few bars and perhaps a bowling / ice rink complex.

it all seems pretty similar to me to the Wasps situation in Coventry. Wasps, so far, have been delighted with their move and are well ahead of the business plans relating to both match day income plus all the other revenue being derived from the hotel, conferencing facility, indoor arena and casino.

[Norfolk Royal]

What is indoor skydiving?

[WoodleyRoyal]

What is indoor skydiving?

skydiving indoors http://www.flyawayindoorskydiving.com/

[melonhead]

I think what has happened at the Ricoh Arena is likely to be quite close to the Thais intentions at Reading. I have good knowledge of the Wasps deal at the Ricoh. Fundamentally, Wasps wanted to buy the operations of the stadium to help fund the rugby club (contrary to most press releases Wasps only have a long leasehold on the stadium, and did not buy the freehold which still sits with Coventry City Council). In addition to having all the operating revenue to help subsidise the running of the rugby club, there are also several tracts of development land in the vicinity of the Ricoh, which Wasps' owners will redevelop alongside the council. This makes it a win-win for both the council, who want to regenerate the area (they have a new railway station being built too for what is an out of town / remote stadium complex) and Wasps' owners who make a packet out of developing the neighbouring land. Plus the owner can help balance the books of the rugby club, rather than keep funding losses of £4m a year.

Perhaps the Thais want to develop the stadium further by building some retail and leisure experiences adjoined to the stadium, build an indoor arena and expand the conferencing facilities. In addition, build a new or expand the existing hotel. I'm thinking we could be seeing Nandos, Frankie & Bennys, Pizza Express, etc etc together with a few bars and perhaps a bowling / ice rink complex.

it all seems pretty similar to me to the Wasps situation in Coventry. Wasps, so far, have been delighted with their move and are well ahead of the business plans relating to both match day income plus all the other revenue being derived from the hotel, conferencing facility, indoor arena and casino.

kes may even get his long awaited bowling alley/icerink and pub near the stadium

good news all round

[Norfolk Royal]

Don't see how this is similar to the Wasps situation. It's not even the same game.

[Forbury Lion]

What is indoor skydiving?

skydiving indoors http://www.flyawayindoorskydiving.com/

without a parachute

[Extended-Phenotype]

Don't see how this is similar to the Wasps situation. It's not even the same game.

You know the saying: football is a game played by gentlemen, watched by thugs and Rugby is game played by gays, watched by gays.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Didn't know you were a rugby fan E-P LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[West Stand Man]

Don't understand why do many are so keen to see the back of players who've done little wrong for us. Sure, Pearce isn't the best defender in the country, or the league. Or maybe not even at the club (although I think he is). But that isn't the point.
Every first team regular that leaves has to be replaced. How do we know that someone equally as good can be found for the same or less money (which is undoubtedly the starting point for our search)? Any signing is a risk, and given the club's dreadful record in the market in the recent past I'd say it's a sizeable risk.
So yeah, cheer at the thought of Pearce leaving but just be careful over what you wish for.

I've been begging it to happen since the most recent title winning side. The bloke isn't a footballer - end of.

Go home. Your village is short of its idiot.

[West Stand Man]

What is indoor skydiving?

skydiving indoors http://www.flyawayindoorskydiving.com/

without a parachute

Yes, because the sky diving part only needs you to have a parachute to give a reasonable chance of a safe landing! Once the chute opens you aren't sky diving any more you are flying a parachute.

[strap]

Strap's scenario is improbable and a bit apocalyptic and the truth about the Thai owners probably lies further towards the side of being beneficial to the club than destroying it.

The new owners are property developers essentially as that seems to be where the majority of their money comes from.

The lady owner is on record I think as saying she wants to turn the M4 corridor town into a 'little London.'

So how do they achieve that? Buy a football club in a part of the town which has excellent transport links, a new station planned, and plenty of room for development. Those boxes ticked.

But how do they achieve the partnership with local councils and decision makers that could make their dream a reality.

They make contacts, and the biggest player here is SJM obviously, who can open doors for them, as they are new to the area and its foibles politically and socially.

So far so good, all boxes ticked. But, and it's a big but, to do this their PR and continued acquiescence of both SJM and the local council would depend to a large extent on whether their plans were good for the area and the town.

Asset stripping the local football club would not win them friends, it would make them enemies and make their Little London dream a nightmare.

If they are cute business people they will know this. They will also know that there are vast financial rewards now for promotion to the Premiership, and more doors opening with new contacts.

I don't think it's true that they have not put money into the club so far. They have bought it for a pretty penny for a start, and secured the debts I think.

My guess is that the club will continue to be run on the frugal side but there will be money available to ensure a team that has at least a chance of getting into the Premiership. Time will tell of course.

Sure, but if they relocate us into a modern "community statdium with good rail links, they could argue it was a stadium fit for our size and ambition, and would create a better atmosphere/fan experience with 5000 crowds in an 8000 capacity stadium, rather than 5000 lonely souls rattling around the MadStad. Build the new stadium, (which at the size I am suggestsing would cost no more than a few million tops), in advance of an outline planning permission for the area, with the MadSatd still being used by a successful PL rugby team as tenant on a yearly rolling basis, and it will be very easy to say they are doing the best for the football club. As soon as the new stadium is in use, don;t renew the rugby tenancy, and in a year the bulldozers will move in.

They wouldn't make any planning apllpication for the area whilst this chnageover was taking place, but use the tranition year to put together their property plans and submit the application once we were into the second year of our new stadium.

RBC would simply love the application, redeveloping a relatively underdeveloped area, removing football traffic from the A33, and of course don;t forget the tens of millions they could extort from the develpoer via Section 106 "agreements" - or Community Infrastructure Levy as it is known.

Sadly, the more I let my deranged mind go down this route, the more perturbed I am at just how simple such a plan becomes.

Fingers crossed I am totally deluded and that sanity will return to Chez Strap in the not too distant future!

I see the Swansea pre-seaosn game is at Wycombe's Adams Park - allegedly so we can build links with Wycombe! Or is this the first tentative try-out of my scenario above? Modern stadium, capacity 10,000, just off the A40, (although a bus/cab ride from Wycombe station). Interesting - in a bad way.

[3points]

Don't see how this is similar to the Wasps situation. It's not even the same game.

It's not about the shape of the ball. It's about owners trying to make money and there's a sport franchise being used as part of the equation. Sports stadia sit on large tracts of land (with some older city centre grounds like Loftus Road, Craven Cottage, etc excepted) and make the prospect of owning a sports franchise more appealing by diversifying the income streams. Sports teams do not make money, and there are very few true benefactors out there these days prepared to fund losses being made year after year.

The owners of Coventry City are livid at the Wasps transaction as they wanted to do the same deal but weren't as savvy as Derek Richardson, the Wasps owner. Why else does a US hedge fund by a football club?

Fair play to the Thais if they can stabilise the football club and make a few baht out of it as well. We would all do the same thing if we had their financial resources available.

[maffff]

Any chance it's at Wycombe because we're laying a new pitch?

[Norfolk Royal]

Don't see how this is similar to the Wasps situation. It's not even the same game.

It's not about the shape of the ball. It's about owners trying to make money and there's a sport franchise being used as part of the equation. Sports stadia sit on large tracts of land (with some older city centre grounds like Loftus Road, Craven Cottage, etc excepted) and make the prospect of owning a sports franchise more appealing by diversifying the income streams. Sports teams do not make money, and there are very few true benefactors out there these days prepared to fund losses being made year after year.

The owners of Coventry City are livid at the Wasps transaction as they wanted to do the same deal but weren't as savvy as Derek Richardson, the Wasps owner. Why else does a US hedge fund by a football club?

Fair play to the Thais if they can stabilise the football club and make a few baht out of it as well. We would all do the same thing if we had their financial resources available.

All very well, but there are material differences as well. For instance, we own our stadium whereas Coventry/Wasps, do not. That makes them a sort of franchise, but we are not.