The Future

[Stitch_KTF]

In my opinion building a 12k seater stadium in Failsworth pretty much consigns us to a future of being lower division stalwarts, or more likely one of the country's biggest non-league clubs when the inevitable happens and four professional divisions are no more.

 

Now I'm not of the "at least we will have a club to support" school. That's not good enough for me, I'd sooner go for broke because I believe the option of safeguarding a sustainable future will fail and eventually break us anyway. I'm 25 and relatively fanatical yet I don't intend on watching us at the level we are settling to exist at over the next 25/50 years.

 

So, here's my proposal.....

 

It's clear that the only way to significantly progress Latics is through outside investement. It's also clear that TTA can't afford this so I think it's time to be selfish, say our thankyou's and seek new, wealthier owners to bankroll us. It's the only way to compete in football these days, so what the are we doing messing about with trying to become self sufficient?!?!

 

In a nut shell I think the best way to do this would be to encourage TTA to take back what money they are taking and leave us with our share as opposed to spending the £14M on a 12k seater stadium and leaving us to be 'self-sufficient' at a level which holds interest to fewer and fewer. Let's position ourselves as a club actively seeking significant investment. Let's be a club not with debt (like most seeking new investment) but a club with £14M ready to put towards a new stadium at a realistic proposed site.

 

I think this sceanario is much more likely to attract a Mr Moneybags thanks to the opportunity to work with a totally clean slate at a club which has had decent success not too long ago. Sure, it might mean a groundshare for some time but we'd have the security of money in the bank and so should investment not be found within a year or two we could revet back to building a 12k seater and have our non-league club to support. I'd even be happy to tout ourselves as Manchester's third club around the Middle East or wherever....Manchester's status within football has held us back for long enough so maybe it's time to use it to our advantage for once. We could be a bit cute and treat Failsworth as being in both Oldham and Manchester depending on whichever suits what we are tying to achieve....

 

What's to lose?

[Haribo_man]

Are you the Corp in disguise? If only i could bin my missus which would leave me with a clean slate and find a hot sexy millionaire girl so i could enjoy some good times!!??

[beag_teeets]

Are you the Corp in disguise? If only i could bin my missus which would leave me with a clean slate and find a hot sexy millionaire girl so i could enjoy some good times!!??

 

 

Don't forget your flying car and space trousers now will you.

[Lookers_Carl]

In my opinion building a 12k seater stadium in Failsworth pretty much consigns us to a future of being lower division stalwarts, or more likely one of the country's biggest non-league clubs when the inevitable happens and four professional divisions are no more.

 

Now I'm not of the "at least we will have a club to support" school. That's not good enough for me, I'd sooner go for broke because I believe the option of safeguarding a sustainable future will fail and eventually break us anyway. I'm 25 and relatively fanatical yet I don't intend on watching us at the level we are settling to exist at over the next 25/50 years.

 

So, here's my proposal.....

 

It's clear that the only way to significantly progress Latics is through outside investement. It's also clear that TTA can't afford this so I think it's time to be selfish, say our thankyou's and seek new, wealthier owners to bankroll us. It's the only way to compete in football these days, so what the are we doing messing about with trying to become self sufficient?!?!

 

In a nut shell I think the best way to do this would be to encourage TTA to take back what money they are taking and leave us with our share as opposed to spending the £14M on a 12k seater stadium and leaving us to be 'self-sufficient' at a level which holds interest to fewer and fewer. Let's position ourselves as a club actively seeking significant investment. Let's be a club not with debt (like most seeking new investment) but a club with £14M ready to put towards a new stadium at a realistic proposed site.

 

I think this sceanario is much more likely to attract a Mr Moneybags thanks to the opportunity to work with a totally clean slate at a club which has had decent success not too long ago. Sure, it might mean a groundshare for some time but we'd have the security of money in the bank and so should investment not be found within a year or two we could revet back to building a 12k seater and have our non-league club to support. I'd even be happy to tout ourselves as Manchester's third club around the Middle East or wherever....Manchester's status within football has held us back for long enough so maybe it's time to use it to our advantage for once. We could be a bit cute and treat Failsworth as being in both Oldham and Manchester depending on whichever suits what we are tying to achieve....

 

What's to lose?

 

Er, quite alot......

 

The club for one

 

And as was said last night there arent many sites in Oldham that can accommodate a stadium. Only two are ferney fields and failsworth, of which failsworth is the only financially viable option at the moment

 

And if we groundshare as you put it, sell boundary park, and these two sites are also sold (SC stated last night that BA are desperate to get rid of the Lancaster club and were in negotiations with other parties before Latics came in), chances are by the time we find someone we will have to move outside the borough if we want our own stadium due to lack of sites available.

 

Give me the failsworth option anyday.

[Stitch_KTF]

Are you the Corp in disguise? If only i could bin my missus which would leave me with a clean slate and find a hot sexy millionaire girl so i could enjoy some good times!!??

 

Good analogy.

 

You could get yourself into the best shape you can, bin your missus and set about actively looking for a new one with something more to offer. Or you could just fantasise about it whilst settling for life-long mediocrity.

 

 

 

Incidentally, I did see the Corp as nothing but a mine of dry humour up until these ground proposals came out. However, now that his predictions are on the verge of becoming reality I share his deepest concerns.

 

Here I've tried to spark a discussion of how to attract the only thing that can better us - outside investment. Bollocks to income from office space and astrorturf pitches. I haven't even been met with any constructive criticism, let alone support. This makes me conclude that the sheep of Sheepfoot Lane will just continue to eat the grass they are led too whilst staring longingly at the likes of Notts County and Peterborough from their familiar hillside.

 

Meanwhile more and more 'hardcore' fans like myself will find better things to do with their Saturday afternoons whilst the much vaunted level of 'self-sustainabilty' will dwindle even further.

[Stitch_KTF]

Er, quite alot......

 

The club for one

 

 

How?

[melia]

Why do you think were destined for non-league if we move??

[melia]

"Meanwhile more and more 'hardcore' fans like myself will find better things to do with their Saturday afternoons "

 

 

Can't be that hardcore then.

Edited August 11, 2009 by melia

[Lookers_Carl]

How?

 

Just let me make sure I get what your saying

 

Your proposal is

 

- Sell BP for 14 mill

- Let TTA recoup from this sum what they have lost (quoted last night to be about 12.5 mill)

- Leave the club with whatever is left

- Groundshare until a wealthy benefactor can be found then take it from there?

[Stitch_KTF]

Why do you think were destined for non-league if we move??

 

Subtle difference. I think we would cement our place as a 3rd/4th tier club, which will probably be non-league before too long.

 

 

 

Can't be that hardcore then.

 

Maybe not, but then this is only my second season without a season-ticket since 1991/92 (the first being Wadsworths season after spitting my dummy out at Ritchie's sacking). Doubt there's too many more 'hardcore'.

[razza699]

And theres me thinking Garlic bread was the future

[Stitch_KTF]

Just let me make sure I get what your saying

 

Your proposal is

 

- Sell BP for 14 mill

- Let TTA recoup from this sum what they have lost (quoted last night to be about 12.5 mill)

- Leave the club with whatever is left

- Groundshare until a wealthy benefactor can be found then take it from there?

 

No. Seeing as SC stated we would own the £14M ground ourselves my above proposal is based on the fair assumption that we could have the cash instead.

 

Therefore either SC is a liar or you have misunderstood my proposal.

[Lookers_Carl]

In a nut shell I think the best way to do this would be to encourage TTA to take back what money they are taking and leave us with our share as opposed to spending the £14M on a 12k seater stadium and leaving us to be 'self-sufficient' at a level which holds interest to fewer and fewer. Let's position ourselves as a club actively seeking significant investment. Let's be a club not with debt (like most seeking new investment) but a club with £14M ready to put towards a new stadium at a realistic proposed site.

 

Did you attend the forum?

 

There aint many 30 acre sites in oldham, which is what AH said was needed for this project. To quote him directly "If anyone else knows of any 30 acre sites closer to oldham, then let us know"

 

We sell boundary park we are left with two, Failsworth and Ferney Field.

 

If BA do not sell Lancaster club to us they will sell it to someone else, so thats that site gone.

 

And whilst waiting for this wealthy benefactor to arrive, ferney field could also be sold, leaving the club with no option but to move out of the borough.

 

TTA also stated last night that if this did not go through the club would have to be brought within its means, relying solely on gate money (this would be the same at boundary park or groundsharing), which would ultimately lead to relegation with the size of such a budget.

 

Then relegation further reduces income, knock on effect of that is further reduced support-downward spiral continues.

Edited August 11, 2009 by Lookers_Carl

[wozz_oafc]

In my opinion building a 12k seater stadium in Failsworth pretty much consigns us to a future of being lower division stalwarts, or more likely one of the country's biggest non-league clubs when the inevitable happens and four professional divisions are no more.

 

Now I'm not of the "at least we will have a club to support" school. That's not good enough for me, I'd sooner go for broke because I believe the option of safeguarding a sustainable future will fail and eventually break us anyway. I'm 25 and relatively fanatical yet I don't intend on watching us at the level we are settling to exist at over the next 25/50 years.

 

So, here's my proposal.....

 

It's clear that the only way to significantly progress Latics is through outside investement. It's also clear that TTA can't afford this so I think it's time to be selfish, say our thankyou's and seek new, wealthier owners to bankroll us. It's the only way to compete in football these days, so what the are we doing messing about with trying to become self sufficient?!?!

 

In a nut shell I think the best way to do this would be to encourage TTA to take back what money they are taking and leave us with our share as opposed to spending the £14M on a 12k seater stadium and leaving us to be 'self-sufficient' at a level which holds interest to fewer and fewer. Let's position ourselves as a club actively seeking significant investment. Let's be a club not with debt (like most seeking new investment) but a club with £14M ready to put towards a new stadium at a realistic proposed site.

 

I think this sceanario is much more likely to attract a Mr Moneybags thanks to the opportunity to work with a totally clean slate at a club which has had decent success not too long ago. Sure, it might mean a groundshare for some time but we'd have the security of money in the bank and so should investment not be found within a year or two we could revet back to building a 12k seater and have our non-league club to support. I'd even be happy to tout ourselves as Manchester's third club around the Middle East or wherever....Manchester's status within football has held us back for long enough so maybe it's time to use it to our advantage for once. We could be a bit cute and treat Failsworth as being in both Oldham and Manchester depending on whichever suits what we are tying to achieve....

 

What's to lose?

 

 

It would be great to get a sugar daddy in. But to be honest I cannot see this happening in Oldham. I very much doubt it is the most attractive place for an outside investor. Nottingham is a big city with 2 teams. You can see quite clearly how you could build a club up there. Plus they have the tag of being the oldest professional club in the world. Maybe the rich businessmen see this as a great challenge, building up the worlds oldest pro club back to the top?

 

Peterboro is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. It is getting a lot of investment, I am guessing a lot could be down to its proximity to London, while offering cheaper land, rents etc. As the city continues to grow, no doubt the support will for a successful club.

 

I also expect Brighton will go from strength to strength when they move into their new ground.

 

I have always thought like you say that if the club sold itself as a Manchester club it could at least attract a better calibre of player. I can imagine that Manchester is a great city to live in as a young carfree footballer with wads of cash to spend on women and booze:)

 

If I was a big investor, I really think I would be more inclined to throw my money at Oldham if they were in this new development rather than at BP. Over the past few years it has become obvious that the council do not like things getting done (at least quickly) and the residents do not like change. If it was me I would rather someone else had to go through the hassle of building the new ground, especially if all the available land disapears before I got my money in.

 

Maybe we could try and sell ourselves as a real challenge to some stupidly rich Russian or Middle Eastern football manager fan.

[EASTLEY]

In my opinion building a 12k seater stadium in Failsworth pretty much consigns us to a future of being lower division stalwarts, or more likely one of the country's biggest non-league clubs when the inevitable happens and four professional divisions are no more.

 

Now I'm not of the "at least we will have a club to support" school. That's not good enough for me, I'd sooner go for broke because I believe the option of safeguarding a sustainable future will fail and eventually break us anyway. I'm 25 and relatively fanatical yet I don't intend on watching us at the level we are settling to exist at over the next 25/50 years.

 

So, here's my proposal.....

 

It's clear that the only way to significantly progress Latics is through outside investement. It's also clear that TTA can't afford this so I think it's time to be selfish, say our thankyou's and seek new, wealthier owners to bankroll us. It's the only way to compete in football these days, so what the are we doing messing about with trying to become self sufficient?!?!

 

In a nut shell I think the best way to do this would be to encourage TTA to take back what money they are taking and leave us with our share as opposed to spending the £14M on a 12k seater stadium and leaving us to be 'self-sufficient' at a level which holds interest to fewer and fewer. Let's position ourselves as a club actively seeking significant investment. Let's be a club not with debt (like most seeking new investment) but a club with £14M ready to put towards a new stadium at a realistic proposed site.

 

I think this sceanario is much more likely to attract a Mr Moneybags thanks to the opportunity to work with a totally clean slate at a club which has had decent success not too long ago. Sure, it might mean a groundshare for some time but we'd have the security of money in the bank and so should investment not be found within a year or two we could revet back to building a 12k seater and have our non-league club to support. I'd even be happy to tout ourselves as Manchester's third club around the Middle East or wherever....Manchester's status within football has held us back for long enough so maybe it's time to use it to our advantage for once. We could be a bit cute and treat Failsworth as being in both Oldham and Manchester depending on whichever suits what we are tying to achieve....

 

What's to lose?

 

 

Can you just clarify a couple of points for me, because I may have missed them skimming the forum?

 

Where do we play once we have sold Boundary Park and don't have a proposed home(I am presuming that this is the £14m)?

 

Who do you feel is lining to purchase the club bearing in mind the false starts that we had last time? I have heard John wardle's name mentioned a few times but have not heard of any interest from other would be parties?

 

The TTA have said that they will make money out of the development, is this believed to be up front or out of the new facilities?

 

How we will attract the calibre of player we want to see at Oldham without some sort of ground ownership, I strongly believe infrastructure and facilities make a difference here?

 

How will Latics survive during the next recession when yet again the town doesn't back them and stay when the new wealthy owners don't seem interested in the fan base and make decisions that switch the new breed of fan off?

 

Cheers Stitch

 

[Stitch_KTF]

Did you attend the forum?

 

There aint many 30 acre sites in oldham, which is what AH said was needed for this project. To quote him directly "If anyone else knows of any 30 acre sites closer to oldham, then let us know"

 

We sell boundary park we are left with two, Failsworth and Ferney Field.

 

If BA do not sell Lancaster club to us they will sell it to someone else, so thats that site gone.

 

And whilst waiting for this wealthy benefactor to arrive, ferney field could also be sold, leaving the club with no option but to move out of the borough.

 

No I didn't....although I don't really see your point. You should notice that my proposal relucantly embraced the Failsworth site for about the only positive it offers. The "but a club with £14M ready to put towards a new stadium at a realistic proposed site" meant that we would have the carrot of an already approved site on which to build alongside the funds to make a start. It didn't mean a different site. I would have said at a site already with planning, but of course it hasn't got that and, under my proposals, couldn't have until the new bigger ground was designed with the new backer on board.

 

Does the £14M development cost include the purchase of the Lancaster Club? If not then why can't we have that land and the £14M in the bank, thus allieviating your concern that there would be absolutely nowhere else to build the ground. Wouldn't TTA be happy with this seeing as they would be pretty much where they were......just maybe better off a couple of seasons running costs.....and leaving the club with a greater chance of making a worthwhile future for itself.

[Haribo_man]

I normally just observe the debate as opposed to getting involved but the matter of the capacity and us being forever confined to the mediocrity of lower league football is one which has fascinated me greatly. the corp inparticular has been particularly voiciferous about this being the beginning of the end blah blah blah.

 

 

 

Now we have the fantastic idea of sexing ourselves up and touting the product to the highest bidder who happens to have a couple of billion spare.

 

Lets try and be realistic about this, we are lucky to have in place some owners which have already invested and placed us on a stable footing with the prospect of a shiny new stadium in the pipeline. To some this is not adequate as 12,000 seats will simply not accomodate the huge crowds which we are expecting. I am a but nonplussed as to where this 150% increase in attendence is going to come from and I certainly see no correlation between that and how we are condemmed to 3rd tier football for the rest of existence.

 

Corp quite rightly wants a return to the glory days when we enjoyed 3 seasons in the top tier of English football, who in their right mind doesn't? Not for one minute can i see TTA wishing to stagnate and aettle for the lower leagues - does building a ground to cater for our needs whilst in thi league and the one above mean that? Of course not.

 

It was on only a few occasions that we ever exceeded that capacity whilst in the prem.

 

If you used football grounds and capacity for a marker of success then you will be way off the mark. I mean, boundary park was hardly the biggest draw when we had our greatest recent success was it, for Christs sake the RRE didn't even have seats or a roof! Granted we may have missed opportunities and could have perhaps consolidated but we are under a different regime now. If they were happy to settle for lower league football why go to the trouble of bringing in a new gaffer? Surely we would have sat comfortably at the same level for years under Shez?

 

The comparisons to teams like Burnley and Bolton are also non-starters. By and large these are both better supported and traditionally more successful clubs than ours and for the most part have either been in the same division or above barring our purple patch late 1980's early 90's.

 

In fact if we were to use that as a yardstick take Bury, historically more seasons in the top flight than us and FA cup winners - crazy!

 

I could go on but I imagine that I have bored people with my ramblings enough. Basically 12,000 is more than adequate for our needs now and we can expand if required, where is the issue there? We managed to have a great period whilst trading out a dive of a ground so where is the relevance to that. Have we been left behind by other clubs? That is debateable but I think for the most part we are probably at our level as depressing as that may seem to some.

 

We will always have a chance for promotion and have come close twice so why does that mean we won't succeeed. To date I have not seen the Corp put forward any suggestions as to how we will break the cycle. I have previousley seen a quote stating that it isn't his job - why isn't it corp? if you want to see success then surely it is.

 

Lets get behind the people which are clearly trying to attempt something positive at our club an extra 4000 seats will not make a jot of difference at this stage!

 

As for the middle eastern oil baron coming in and making us the most successful team around, well I probably have got more chance of getting myself into the best shape and bagging me princess Stephanie of Monaco!

 

 

[Stitch_KTF]

Can you just clarify a couple of points for me, because I may have missed them skimming the forum?

 

Where do we play once we have sold Boundary Park and don't have a proposed home(I am presuming that this is the £14m)?

 

Who do you feel is lining to purchase the club bearing in mind the false starts that we had last time? I have heard John wardle's name mentioned a few times but have not heard of any interest from other would be parties?

 

The TTA have said that they will make money out of the development, is this believed to be up front or out of the new facilities?

 

How we will attract the calibre of player we want to see at Oldham without some sort of ground ownership, I strongly believe infrastructure and facilities make a difference here?

 

How will Latics survive during the next recession when yet again the town doesn't back them and stay when the new wealthy owners don't seem interested in the fan base and make decisions that switch the new breed of fan off?

 

Cheers Stitch

 

I can try....

 

 

Spotland - we would have the 'insurance' of money in the bank to revert back to todays plans incase of failure to attract investement.

 

No idea who may want to purchase the club but there are lots of rich men with big ego's around the world, economic problems or not. You only have to look around the leagues to see that.....

 

I imagine upfront seeing as the proposed new facilities are seemingly pretty basic.

 

Hopefully we would only be homeless without proposition for a year plus 2/3 years whilst the new build goes on. If we fail to find new investement in 12 months then revert to this plan. Maybe interest on £14M in the bank (420k @ 3% ) could help sustain todays wage bill without TTA. Money matters most in this world of 1/2 year deals.

 

Don't understand the last question sorry pal.

[Lookers_Carl]

No I didn't....although I don't really see your point. You should notice that my proposal relucantly embraced the Failsworth site for about the only positive it offers. The "but a club with £14M ready to put towards a new stadium at a realistic proposed site" meant that we would have the carrot of an already approved site on which to build alongside the funds to make a start. It didn't mean a different site. I would have said at a site already with planning, but of course it hasn't got that and, under my proposals, couldn't have until the new bigger ground was designed with the new backer on board.

 

Does the £14M development cost include the purchase of the Lancaster Club? If not then why can't we have that land and the £14M in the bank, thus allieviating your concern that there would be absolutely nowhere else to build the ground. Wouldn't TTA be happy with this seeing as they would be pretty much where they were......just maybe better off a couple of seasons running costs.....and leaving the club with a greater chance of making a worthwhile future for itself.

 

No the 14 mill does not include this purchase, that is just the cost of building the stadium.

 

Im obviously a bit confused by your proposal

 

In your proposal, do you expect TTA to simply walk away empty handed, 12.5 million down?

 

 

 

 

[lookers87]

So, here's my proposal.....

 

would be to encourage TTA to take back what money they are taking and leave us with our share as opposed to spending the £14M on a 12k seater stadium and leaving us to be 'self-sufficient' at a level which holds interest to fewer and fewer. Let's position ourselves as a club actively seeking significant investment. Let's be a club not with debt (like most seeking new investment) but a club with £14M ready to put towards a new stadium at a realistic proposed site.

 

Can you just clarify what you mean by this...it makes no sense whatsoever??

 

I have a feeling you've confused a lot of information together.

[downender2]

I normally just observe the debate as opposed to getting involved but the matter of the capacity and us being forever confined to the mediocrity of lower league football is one which has fascinated me greatly. the corp inparticular has been particularly voiciferous about this being the beginning of the end blah blah blah.

 

 

 

Now we have the fantastic idea of sexing ourselves up and touting the product to the highest bidder who happens to have a couple of billion spare.

 

Lets try and be realistic about this, we are lucky to have in place some owners which have already invested and placed us on a stable footing with the prospect of a shiny new stadium in the pipeline. To some this is not adequate as 12,000 seats will simply not accomodate the huge crowds which we are expecting. I am a but nonplussed as to where this 150% increase in attendence is going to come from and I certainly see no correlation between that and how we are condemmed to 3rd tier football for the rest of existence.

 

Corp quite rightly wants a return to the glory days when we enjoyed 3 seasons in the top tier of English football, who in their right mind doesn't? Not for one minute can i see TTA wishing to stagnate and aettle for the lower leagues - does building a ground to cater for our needs whilst in thi league and the one above mean that? Of course not.

 

It was on only a few occasions that we ever exceeded that capacity whilst in the prem.

 

If you used football grounds and capacity for a marker of success then you will be way off the mark. I mean, boundary park was hardly the biggest draw when we had our greatest recent success was it, for Christs sake the RRE didn't even have seats or a roof! Granted we may have missed opportunities and could have perhaps consolidated but we are under a different regime now. If they were happy to settle for lower league football why go to the trouble of bringing in a new gaffer? Surely we would have sat comfortably at the same level for years under Shez?

 

The comparisons to teams like Burnley and Bolton are also non-starters. By and large these are both better supported and traditionally more successful clubs than ours and for the most part have either been in the same division or above barring our purple patch late 1980's early 90's.

 

In fact if we were to use that as a yardstick take Bury, historically more seasons in the top flight than us and FA cup winners - crazy!

 

I could go on but I imagine that I have bored people with my ramblings enough. Basically 12,000 is more than adequate for our needs now and we can expand if required, where is the issue there? We managed to have a great period whilst trading out a dive of a ground so where is the relevance to that. Have we been left behind by other clubs? That is debateable but I think for the most part we are probably at our level as depressing as that may seem to some.

 

We will always have a chance for promotion and have come close twice so why does that mean we won't succeeed. To date I have not seen the Corp put forward any suggestions as to how we will break the cycle. I have previousley seen a quote stating that it isn't his job - why isn't it corp? if you want to see success then surely it is.

 

Lets get behind the people which are clearly trying to attempt something positive at our club an extra 4000 seats will not make a jot of difference at this stage!

 

As for the middle eastern oil baron coming in and making us the most successful team around, well I probably have got more chance of getting myself into the best shape and bagging me princess Stephanie of Monaco!

 

Princess Stephanie....she the younger of the 2...

 

btw...bang on the money H..

[Killens_physio]

Granted we may have missed opportunities and could have perhaps consolidated but we are under a different regime now.

 

I have always wondered what we should have done during our Prem days and subsequent relegation to the Championship (or whatever it was back then), with the use of hindsight, what we could as a club have done differently. Obviously selling our best players would be one, but then due to the financial impact of relegation this was somewhat unavoidable. I think once we dropped out of the Prem and didnt get back the following year, the spiral to where we are today was inevitable. We have never been lucky enough to have a sugar daddy like Wigan and Blackburn have had in the past. Neither are exactly massive clubs who were steeped in history, but yet had the luck of having rich local investors.

 

Do you think there is anything we could have done once we were relegated to have stopped the rot before it really set in?

[wozz_oafc]

I normally just observe the debate as opposed to getting involved but the matter of the capacity and us being forever confined to the mediocrity of lower league football is one which has fascinated me greatly. the corp inparticular has been particularly voiciferous about this being the beginning of the end blah blah blah.

 

 

 

Now we have the fantastic idea of sexing ourselves up and touting the product to the highest bidder who happens to have a couple of billion spare.

 

Lets try and be realistic about this, we are lucky to have in place some owners which have already invested and placed us on a stable footing with the prospect of a shiny new stadium in the pipeline. To some this is not adequate as 12,000 seats will simply not accomodate the huge crowds which we are expecting. I am a but nonplussed as to where this 150% increase in attendence is going to come from and I certainly see no correlation between that and how we are condemmed to 3rd tier football for the rest of existence.

 

Corp quite rightly wants a return to the glory days when we enjoyed 3 seasons in the top tier of English football, who in their right mind doesn't? Not for one minute can i see TTA wishing to stagnate and aettle for the lower leagues - does building a ground to cater for our needs whilst in thi league and the one above mean that? Of course not.

 

It was on only a few occasions that we ever exceeded that capacity whilst in the prem.

 

If you used football grounds and capacity for a marker of success then you will be way off the mark. I mean, boundary park was hardly the biggest draw when we had our greatest recent success was it, for Christs sake the RRE didn't even have seats or a roof! Granted we may have missed opportunities and could have perhaps consolidated but we are under a different regime now. If they were happy to settle for lower league football why go to the trouble of bringing in a new gaffer? Surely we would have sat comfortably at the same level for years under Shez?

 

The comparisons to teams like Burnley and Bolton are also non-starters. By and large these are both better supported and traditionally more successful clubs than ours and for the most part have either been in the same division or above barring our purple patch late 1980's early 90's.

 

In fact if we were to use that as a yardstick take Bury, historically more seasons in the top flight than us and FA cup winners - crazy!

 

I could go on but I imagine that I have bored people with my ramblings enough. Basically 12,000 is more than adequate for our needs now and we can expand if required, where is the issue there? We managed to have a great period whilst trading out a dive of a ground so where is the relevance to that. Have we been left behind by other clubs? That is debateable but I think for the most part we are probably at our level as depressing as that may seem to some.

 

We will always have a chance for promotion and have come close twice so why does that mean we won't succeeed. To date I have not seen the Corp put forward any suggestions as to how we will break the cycle. I have previousley seen a quote stating that it isn't his job - why isn't it corp? if you want to see success then surely it is.

 

Lets get behind the people which are clearly trying to attempt something positive at our club an extra 4000 seats will not make a jot of difference at this stage!

 

As for the middle eastern oil baron coming in and making us the most successful team around, well I probably have got more chance of getting myself into the best shape and bagging me princess Stephanie of Monaco!

 

Im with you on this! I really dont see 12,000 or 16,000 seats as an issue at all. Im suprised at how this seems to have become the major issue on here for the new development.

 

Im more interested in what the stadium is going to be like, what things they are proposing to get us extra income, and what money they are going to be spending on the squad when or if we move!

[Haribo_man]

I have always wondered what we should have done during our Prem days and subsequent relegation to the Championship (or whatever it was back then), with the use of hindsight, what we could as a club have done differently. Obviously selling our best players would be one, but then due to the financial impact of relegation this was somewhat unavoidable. I think once we dropped out of the Prem and didnt get back the following year, the spiral to where we are today was inevitable. We have never been lucky enough to have a sugar daddy like Wigan and Blackburn have had in the past. Neither are exactly massive clubs who were steeped in history, but yet had the luck of having rich local investors.

 

Do you think there is anything we could have done once we were relegated to have stopped the rot before it really set in?

 

 

That's a great question and one which I will never be able to answer!

 

It looked like we were on an immediate bounce back after that great opening day at home to Charlton but sadly it wasn't to be.

 

Success generally comes on the back of holding onto your best assests, remaining solvent and attracting the best money can buy. At the time we were a selling club, i'd say more so than now as we seemed to have a much more valuable playing squad in comparison to today and players which we wanted by other teams around. If I was to single one thing out it would be the key to any team and that is goals. We had no reliable strike force. McCarthy did ok but was never really going to fire us back into the prem which I feel at the time we were the best candidates to go back up. Subsequent failed forwards Banger, Barlow etc. I never understood why we didn't use the bear more?

[Lookers_Carl]

Im with you on this! I really dont see 12,000 or 16,000 seats as an issue at all. Im suprised at how this seems to have become the major issue on here for the new development.

 

Im more interested in what the stadium is going to be like, what things they are proposing to get us extra income, and what money they are going to be spending on the squad when or if we move!

 

And how much extra income will it provide compared to what we are getting now?