Swindon advertiser article

[pauld]

Nearly ten years ago. Jeez, how time flies.
Hmmm. Not quite Mr Davies.

At least spell my bloody name right, Heywood

[Talk Talk]

At least spell my bloody name right, Heywood

Sorry Paolo

[pauld]

Sorry Paolo

Thanks, Alain

[derbystfc]

I feel this ios going to be an issue that just going to go on and on and on. I bet we still be in the same old piss stained town end with weeds in the stratton bank, The rust in the arkells the only think holding up in 20 years time.

Still, at leade we have trees behind the DRS to make it look a bit nice

[Samdy Gray]

Oh, I was waiting for Alan to turn up...

[Talk Talk]

Oh, I was waiting for Alan to turn up...

 

Councillor Nick Martin promised to lay down in front of the bulldozers if Swindon Town were given permission to build at Shaw Tip, although he never seemed to raise any objections or concerns with Fiat, Vauxhall and Nissan filling the place out with endless car showrooms.

Indeed, Mayor Martin is a tool. http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/10722928.Mayor_is_accused_of__mongol_sex_remark/

However, the car showrooms are not actually on the forest are they? The land they are built on was always allocated as business/industrial. So I can't see any problem with that.

[Honkytonk]

Council are all probably Reading or Oxford fans.

[Ardiles]

As we argued at the time, and subsequently, by far the best location for the club is right where it is now. At the County Ground, just off the edge of the town centre, excellent transport links and facilities, if redeveloped right can act as a gateway to the town centre and the Club and the community can both benefit each other. The way it's supposed to be.

This, a million times.

One of the gratifying things about the relocation/redevelopment debate (despite the complete lack of actual progress to date) has been the consensus that has taken hold among the fans about the benefits of staying on the current site.  If I remember correctly, it hasn't always been that way...but maybe we've all now seen enough Colchesters, Shrewsburys (Shrewsburies?) and Oxford to appreciate what we already have in terms of the location.  I agree with Paul D.  The site cannot be bettered, in my view.

[Ardiles]

I feel this ios going to be an issue that just going to go on and on and on. I bet we still be in the same old piss stained town end with weeds in the stratton bank, The rust in the arkells the only think holding up in 20 years time.

Still, at leade we have trees behind the DRS to make it look a bit nice

Sooner or later, we are going to be forced to do something because, as you say, there are parts of the County Ground that have already reached the end of their useful economic lives.  You can only go on sweating a decrepit asset for so long before it starts to fall apart completely, and we can't be far off that point now.  I still think of the Don Rogers as the 'new' stand, and even that is going to be 20 years old next summer.  Something is going to give soon.  It has to.

[thepeoplesgame]

Sooner or later, we are going to be forced to do something because, as you say, there are parts of the County Ground that have already reached the end of their useful economic lives.  You can only go on sweating a decrepit asset for so long before it starts to fall apart completely, and we can't be far off that point now.  I still think of the Don Rogers as the 'new' stand, and even that is going to be 20 years old next summer.  Something is going to give soon.  It has to.

Can't shake the feeling that a redeveloped ground is just another missed opportunity to add to the list that sailed out of the window when Black walked away. At least until the club changes hands again. Did we need a new ground to become a sustainable Championship club? Absolutely. Do we need one to continue ticking over at our current level? I don't know.

[Ardiles]

I think that there are going to be works necessary soon regardless of which level we're playing at.  Take the Town End, for example.  Let's say, for the sake or argument, that the concrete there starts to deteriorate to a point where safety becomes an issue...simply by virtue of its age.  At that point, the Club will need to decide whether

(a) to replace like for like; or
(b) to do something more ambitious in terms of redevelopment.

The second option would win every time, because of the additional revenue streams that a more modern set up would enable.  So I think the Club's hand is going to be forced sooner or later.

[derbystfc]

'Do we need one to continue ticking over at our current level? I don't know.'

You stand still you only get left behind, as what has already happened in ref to us and Reading, 20 years ago we went up into the premier league the same time as Newcastle and West Ham! West Brom was below us, and Reading, Swansea and Hull were nowhere near.

The point is, we carry on not making progress with the ground, either in development or a relocation, our current level wont be where we are now

[Reg Smeeton]

I think that there are going to be works necessary soon regardless of which level we're playing at.  Take the Town End, for example.  Let's say, for the sake or argument, that the concrete there starts to deteriorate to a point where safety becomes an issue...simply by virtue of its age.  At that point, the Club will need to decide whether

(a) to replace like for like; or
(b) to do something more ambitious in terms of redevelopment.

The second option would win every time, because of the additional revenue streams that a more modern set up would enable.  So I think the Club's hand is going to be forced sooner or later.

If the TE is condemned, then we will just use the sides.  It's that simple.

[Ardiles]

I don't think it is that simple though.  I'm still not completely sure of the present Board's ambitions for the Club, but the scenario you outline is consistent with wanting to run the Club down - and I can't really think why it would be in their interests to do that.  I do think that redevelopment will take place, but I also accept that it will probably take place over an extended period in piecemeal fashion, stand by stand.  As it happens, the Town End could well be first in line for replacement given the clear benefits that could arise from it.

[4D]

Rotate the ground 90 degrees, build a main stand where the TE is. Then the arkells, replace with an away end stand, then put a new side stand in front of the bank, then reduce the DRS width from the bank to become the home end stand.