http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Bris...Rovers-Colin/story-16143126-detail/story.html Reading this article on Colin Sexstones opinion (a completely unwanted and ridiculous one I might add) and hearing David Gold's (West Ham Chairman) opinion on their bid for the olympic stadium it made me realise just how unqualified these people are to run a football club. Colin Sexstone is a moron as we all know, and he is quite possibly the worst thing to have happened to the club in decades. Someone from the BBC in one article practically gave him the credit for GJ's and SL's achievements of getting us into the Championship and narrowly missing out on promotion to the prem, something I found farcical. But that's another story. This latest stuff on Bristol Rovers possibly being the next big thing in the world of Sport in the area if their supposed new stadium in frenchay goes ahead is utterly absurd. A new stadium is NOT what makes a team better, it doesn't improve a managers tactics, it does not bring in a flurry of youth talent, and it doesn't get you promoted from fifteen hundred new fans taking a brief interest in a new shiny building still housing the same results of poor football. I mean no disrespect to Bristol Rovers, this isn't aimed at them, it's aimed at all football clubs. David Gold's completely moronic "survey" apparently indicates that "well over 50% of West Hams fans are all for the move to the new olympic stadium" according to his comments on TalkSport this morning. He, like Colin Sexstone, for some reason credits a new stadium to a whole new infrastructure at a football club, saying "from what we see in football all over the country a new, bigger, better football stadium drives a club forward in terms of growth". I have to strongly disagree with BOTH the opinions of Colin Sexstone and David Gold. I see no link whatsoever. I don't credit Brightons upturn in fortune down to their new stadium, I credit it to having a good manager. If we look at the likes of the clubs I've listed below, can we honestly say their clubs have grown in stature because of their new stadium, or has it worsened? *Darlington *Southampton (After St Marys was built they slipped from the top tier of English football to mid table of the THIRD through financial strife) *Middleborough *Cardiff (Crippled with debt) *Plymouth These are just the few examples I can come up with at the top of my head. I'm not saying I am against a new stadium, I am saying to claim a new stadium is the answer to gaining a bigger fan base and progressing is financially irresponsible and it makes me thank our lucky stars he has gone.
No really, really. really ****in ****.. Like mid table 4th division ****.. theres not much ****ter is there?
Truth hurts, clearly. 14th in the basement division of the football league.. let it just sink in for a few minutes.
Tue 27 19:45 A Aldershot Town.. FL2 L 0-1 2,870 Sat 31 15:00 A Swindon Town... FL2 D 0-0 9,645 April Mon 9 15:00 A Crewe............... FL2 L 0-3 4,139 Sat 21 15:00 A Port Vale........... FL2 L 0-1 4,066 May Sat 5 15:00 A Dagenham & R.... FL2 L 0-4 2,377 Last 5 away games L4...D1...W0....GF...0...GA...9...Points..Won...1...Points...Lost...14... You were ****ing battered.....Do-nut.....
Chris - when you play football you always want to play in the best possible standard you can. Would you rather play West Ham, Birmingham, Leeds etc .............. or (with respect) Barnet, Hereford etc??
So, getting back to the topic.... Even before team started getting brand new whole stadiums, even having a new stand built in the 1970's nearly saw Chelsea go out of business such were their debts, and they got relegated too. There have been lots of new stadiums built in the last 15 or so years and it's done wonders for some clubs(Southampton, Reading, Swansea, Bolton, Wigan Sunderland, Brighton to name but a few) and has brought others to their knees and the bring of going bust (Darlington, Chester, Coventry) It's long been accepted that having a football stadium which sits unused and idle for 12 or 13 days every fortnight during the season, and which is totally unused for 14 days out of 14 for 3 months in Summer is a complete waste of time. To make proper money a football club, whether it's Man U or little old us, needs to look at every aspect of their set up, which even at the most basic level is a hotel, conference facilities, shops, bars and restaurants that help bring revenue in 12 months of the year. Then there are the corporate boxes, club shops, and other events that can be staged to help pay for the upkeep of the stadium
