i think nicola will look at as a banker- after 2 years of sell outs, he will see it as 2 years of lost income and then push for increased seating. do you think there is enough parking at st marys and problems with public transport
The train line would be open on the Northam branch , so not too much of an issue Network rail would not have a problem as there is hardly any traffic on there ?
"I wouldn't exclude the possibility we would build a complete new stadium somewhere else" - words of Nicola Cortese Interview on 13th March 2010, from 36:00 Cortese is asked about the stadium... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/8565914.stm
It makes me excited too, and then sad that I'll have to wait so long. Still, we have a lot to be excited about in the near future too
Great find, MLG. I can always find the well known video interview that came a few months later, after Markus died, but this one has eluded me. In some respects, this one's even better. Listening so far, around 25 minutes, Nicola talks about helping to steward Wembley [for the JPT Final] and then saying that Saints could fill the place up with our own fans. We don't need Carlisle to help fill the place. How about that for faith..?
"there would be no need to move as this site can be expanded and improved. The whole area can be developed and we would look to do that. I wasn't here then, but the current stadium looks like they ran out of money while building it and there are improvements we can make during expansion" Said by Mr Cortese at fans dinner 26/01/2012 Or words to that effect
Wasn't there rumours about redeveloping some of the industrial area opposite the Itchen stand, to build a casino, restaurant etc.
Not sure what, but he talked about wanting to redevelop alot of the area around, though there maybe a couple of issues with land owners I think. Certainly suggested that type of retail topic.
I thought I had, but maybe I missed it. It wasn't a definitive "we stay", but it was certainly a heavy lean to staying and expanding. The railway line was mentioned and he said he would need to talk to the railway people... Ooh Jenny Agutter!!
When they first built St Mary's....which if you all remember was an after thought after the fiasco of Stoneham!! It is true that Lowe was limited as to what he could build because of top amount that Norwich union were prepared to loan. In his mental plans for St Mary's, he set out to build a 35000 all seater stadium. However during the process it became clear that he was not going to get the capacity he hoped for. I could be wrong about this but I think the stadium is actually built slightly lower that the original plans. Roughly the size of two rows of seats (or they were left out) according to one of the architects. Part of this was because of some alterations that Lowe wanted to the original design. The changes cost extra money which had to be found within the original budget, although not all of it was. What these changes were I do not know and the architect was not forth coming in telling me. As for the future I am sure in one of his statements Lowe said the the Stadium was structured so it could be expanded if needed in the future. As for the timing....I think planning permission was granted already for an extension up to a certain size. As Channon said it would not take long (providing there wasn't any objections) for planning permission to be acquired for further expansion. However what takes the time is putting into place the contractors, the timings, collection of materials, etc, etc. That side of things is likely to take a twelve months on its own. The reality is as there has been no hint of any of this in my opinion you are likely not to see any start for at least two years possibly, if then. So I don't think it worth getting your high hopes up for a while at least!!
Say that again. Go on, say it again. A top 4 side? Could we have ever dreamed we might even rationally think that? Anything is possible with this management.
Cortese has to realise that anything he says tongue in cheek or with a wry smile becomes engraved by fans onto tablets of stone. I suspect stadium extension has been considered and the possibilities explored, but time scale will depend on a lot of factors. Cortese will take no financial risks with our future...if done, it will be at the right time.
please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Today from a PA journalist attending the Leaders in Football 2012 summit at Stamford Bridge... Simon Peach ‏@SimonPeach Remember those images of a new-look St Mary's that came in the DVD sent to season ticket holders? Well, I've done a bit of digging... Simon Peach ‏@SimonPeach Just spoken to AFL Architects, who designed #SaintsFC's new training ground. Confirmed they produced images on new-look St Mary's Simon Peach ‏@SimonPeach AFL Architects told me #SaintsFC were "very serious" about plans to develop St Mary's, but depends on growth of the club. Sounds interesting
Well that isn't far fetched, if you include ticket sales for the Spurs game we are averaging over 30,000 this season. Plus all four seasons from St Mary's opening in 2001 to relegation on 2005 averaged over 30,000.
We are averaging circa 30,000 in a 32,000 stadium whilst towards the bottom of the league. Cortese clearly has ambition and wants a larger stadium to go hand in hand with a top half team. Better team = bigger attendances Bigger attendances = more money for a better team St Mary's at the moment is restricting the growth of the club.
