Reasons Not To Leave The County Ground Site

[reeves4england]

It would be silly to want major redevelopment or a move for the sake of it. In fairness, redevelopment isn't numero one on the list nowadays when once it seemed essential for our future.

I wonder how many more would turn up if we had a new stadium? Seems a weird reason to watch football. We would need a few consistantly good seasons before we could ever spend money on stadia.

Exactly. People who don't want to sit in the DRS now surely won't be drawn in by a new stadium?

[Spencer_White]

Playing in the Premier League with a capacity of 16k lost Southampton a fortune over the years. They never had any choice, redeveloping The Dell just wasn't an option so they had to move. Plus their new ground isn't much further away from the town centre than the old one.

St Marys is in a great location for the fans.

As for the rest of it, where is your proof? The Dell never landed them £25 million in debt? They owned it. They might have been too big for the Dell, but the couldnt afford St Marys. Would they be in Administration today without the £30 million they spent on St Marys? No.

[jonny72]

St Marys is in a great location for the fans.

As for the rest of it, where is your proof? The Dell never landed them £25 million in debt? They owned it. They might have been too big for the Dell, but the couldnt afford St Marys. Would they be in Administration today without the £30 million they spent on St Marys? No.

They would still be in the same position, possibly worse if they had stayed at The Dell. The cause of their problems was relegation from the Premier League, their failure to reduce expenditure to match their lower level of income and gambling on getting promotion. Whilst they were in the Premier League the extra income from the bigger stadium would have more than covered the repayments on it.

[Rich Pullen]

Southampton are in a mess because of mismanagement of the highest order.

The stadium comes into it but when they were in the Premiership is was mostly full.

They lost Le Tissier, the Cup Final, Gordon Strachan, then didn't given Paul Sturrock adequate time and replaced him with Steve Wigley.

They've spent a decade poaching kids from across the Westcountry for their academy and only started taking major advantage of it after they couldn't afford to bring in players from afar. By then it was too late and any money they make from the likes of Surman, McGoldrick et al will go to debts that won't come close to covering them.

Then pretty much everything since relegation has been operated poorly.

The Saints won't go under but they have alot to do.

[Spencer_White]

They would still be in the same position, possibly worse if they had stayed at The Dell. The cause of their problems was relegation from the Premier League, their failure to reduce expenditure to match their lower level of income and gambling on getting promotion. Whilst they were in the Premier League the extra income from the bigger stadium would have more than covered the repayments on it.

Me and you are just going to have to agree to disagree.

What it comes down to is that debt is real and you should buy things you cant afford. Like new stadiums. Im sure those chinless wonders in suits were telling old rupert he couldnt go wrong, and the new ground would have them in the Champions League in no time. To be fair they did well for a couple of seasons.

But debt is real, and it can come back to ruin you.

Why were they so desperate for promotion? Couldnt have been that £30m lurking in the background for a stadium they hadnt paid for?

[jonny72]

What it comes down to is that debt is real and you should buy things you cant afford. Like new stadiums. Im sure those chinless wonders in suits were telling old rupert he couldnt go wrong, and the new ground would have them in the Champions League in no time. To be fair they did well for a couple of seasons.

If you do the sums you'll see that St Mary's has already paid for itself - the money from extra ticket sales alone more than surpasses the cost of the stadium (and the interest on the loan). So its not the cost of St Mary's that caused the problem, its them pissing away all the money.

[Batch]

A new stadium is essential for progression, but it has to be done right. It's no good being the next Southampton, Darlington, Oxford or, to some extent Bradford or Huddersfield.

But would the like of Swansea, Reading and, though I hate to say it, the MK fucking Dons have progressed without the new facilities? In my opinion no.

[reeves4england]

A new stadium is essential for progression, but it has to be done right. It's no good being the next Southampton, Darlington, Oxford or, to some extent Bradford or Huddersfield.

But would the like of Swansea, Reading and, though I hate to say it, the MK fucking Dons have progressed without the new facilities? In my opinion no.

I'm not sure what the new stadium will have done for MK. They have played one season in a half-finished stadium with crowds which are average at best - I don't think it's contributed at all. That's not to say it won't in the future, especially if they go up (I really hope they don't!)

[Batch]

I don't think the finances have directly helped them yet, but no stadium and Winklewankerman wouldn't have bothered. That's all I meant.

Their average crowd is 10K this season. 2.5k higher than ours, must help. And if god forbid they go up they have the capacity to take more shit head plastic wankers.

[Spencer_White]

And Reading have had the lower league Abramovich in John Majeski.

Fitton has said he's not prepared to do that for us.

[Batch]

Right, so if we were left with a £30M debt, or had to sign away ownership a-la-Oxford I'd say we shouldn't do it. I would say that would fall into the 'not being done right' category.

[Simon Pieman]

The negotiations with the council will largely decide whether we relocate. Unless there is no plan to redevelop in the long term.