Match Day Thread Official stadium name change; Sports Direct Arena

Two articles in The Times this morning were sympathetic to us.

 

The times is one of the few good papers though. This is more about Louise Taylor for the Guardian and the Daily Mail who have always had it in for us.

 

Perhaps there are some Chelsea supporters that might want to try to forstall a change of name at Stanford Bridge ?

Perhaps Sky could be lobbied to continue to refer to it as St James Park ?

Does anyone have anything to put forward except further reasons to do nothing ?

 

MOTD will have to call it SJP due to advertising wont they?

 

Don't get me wrong, the media will take advantage of this, but it's not the only reason.

 

I'm a bit sad about it but you can't have everything in life. We're financially stable at the moment but we're not yet a profitable club. So if this renaming can bring us some bucks then I won't complain. As for the timing of the announcement, think it has something to do with the media attention we're getting from our league position and the rather good mood of us fans ...

 

Podcast

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/nufc

Mick Lowes interview Lamearse

 

Yeah I know it's not the only reason, it wasn't worded to well. All I meant was that they would be rubbing there hands at the chance to stick there foot in it. Even if there wasn't the southern bias in the National Media it would obviously still have been reported.

 

Noone is suggesting we do nothing chap.

It's been just over 12 hours since the news was broken to us.

 

Give up fella. There's nothing we can do that will work. And we're not saying that because we're not bothered or that we don't care.

 

There is nothing we can do that would cause Ashley to not change the name, therefore there is no point trying. Unless he was to unexpectedly die in the foreseeable future.

 

Personally i dont think there will be a buyer for the rights. It will remain the sports direct arena and Ashley will pay the club 50k a year for it.

If they wanted to generate reveniew through advertising why not use the ample space they've filled with Sports Direct logos inside the ground. Ashleys company pay the club a token amount of money for this where a proper sponsor would have to pay magabucks.

Its not about generating money for the club, its about generating money for SD.

You heard it here first they (not us) will still be calling it SDA a year today.

 

The only option I see as potentially viable is asking the club to ensure that Sports Direct contributes to the club whilst this 'sponsor' demonstration is underway. That way, we as fans can see the benefits of this initiative whilst Sports Direct benefit from the demonstration.

It's not a demand but more a proof of concept to show potential sponsors and the fans how their money is utilised within the club. We can't stop it but we can try to at least make the change bearable.

 

I'm not religious, but on the off chance there is a 'Lord' then perhaps St James himself can have word and voice his disgust by sending a couple of thunderbolts up ashleys backside (lets face it, it would be hard to miss).

 

"I need to find a new shirt sponsor by the end of December - and that's the latest," added Llambias.
"Puma need to put the shirt sponsor on, they're manufacturing, and they would like it last month.
"I've got a very small window to sell the shirt and naming rights and, if I have to sell them separately, then I have to sell them separately.
"But we must give ourselves the opportunity, this is inviting people to come in."

I was under the impression Puma had a 2 year kit deal which expired in the summer. I may be wrong, they may have extended it, or Lambias may be lying... again.
It suggests to me their decision needed by December will lead to a tale of difficult financial times and the only option was showcasing sports direct for when the economy recovers.

 

I'm a bit worried about the shirt sponsor thing ... Shouldn't we already have a next deal ready in the line with only 2 months left on the NR deal ?

 

Yeah 2 years this and next years shirts

 

For the good of your season, and your long term prospects I suggest you do nothing at all.

The way I see it is that Mike Ashley can do whatever he wants to his football club because he owns it. If he does something detrimental to the club then you should kick up a fuss, like some of our lot do with the our owners. If he installs new initiatives to bring financial investment into the club (not his own pocket) then you have to back him, because the more money that can be brought into your club, the better.

Why care so much about a name, especially if you're going to continue to call it St James' Park? If it was just you guys I'd feel sorry for you but it's not, loads of teams are doing it now so I think you should let this happen without a fuss because your players obviously thrive off your support.

I'd quite happily have Old Trafford renamed to The United States Stadium if it meant more money coming in. It's not like they're renaming your stadium The Mackem Stadium is it so forget it and move on, especially because there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.

 

Your spot on IMO. Sir John Hall had said a good few months ago that Ashley had bought the club to use as a marketing tool for SD in the far east. It's clear where Ashley's loyalties and main business interests lie! What better way to advertise his main company than through the Premierleague and a club sitting in third place!

I don't expect any company at all to take up the naming rights and I'm sure that SD will be our shirt sponsor next season! Will the club benefit money wise through this? Of course not, will actually be millions in lost revenue so SD can get cheap or probably free advertising on a global scale!

Sick to death of both Ashley and Lamearse TBH

 

I thought that was the name