Mornings, what's actually happened with the saudi stadium plans, could someone give me an update,thanks in advance.
Anyone not that interested should look away now.
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Hello, sadly I know a lot more about SJP than the ongoing SOL plans because of Mag family connections on the Council and with the Freemen of Newcastle. A poster from here knows about the SOL plans so he’ll hopefully post when he’s able.
I was looking at Google Maps last evening and trying to figure out the NUFC/PIF sub-plot because what’s been ‘ announced’ doesn’t tally with reality … so there’s clearly a degree of subterfuge.
To keep it brief PIF have realised they can’t bully or bribe their way out of the problem so they’ve brought in this new CEO to find ways of putting pressure on the government, council, Mayor, etc. In the smallest nutshell possible it currently boils down to the following in my opinion …
… Saudi were allowed to buy NUFC after Boris Johnson intervened and the PL were given ‘legally binding assurances’ which are actually fake. So the owners are actually the Saudi state fronted by PIF who act for, and are financed by, Saudi. Unfortunately, for PIF, Labour ousted Johnson so they can no longer rely on his greed and support.
So PIF have started courting the NE mayor, Kim McGuinness, who’s Labour but, in my opinion, primarily concerned with Newcastle and not sufficiently the whole of the NE. She’s involved with various ‘initiatives’ including the regeneration of the NE
’for the benefit of the whole region’ … now where have we heard that before.
She’s been talking to the Labour Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, who’s involved with plans to shift Old Trafford which would ‘
be a world class stadium for Manchester, regenerate the area and provide sports & leisure facilities, jobs, business opportunities, etc.’ Government money would be provided and help given to push the project forward at speed’ … all this sounds eerily familiar doesn’t it.
But there are also big differences which is causing major problems for the Saudi plans. Unlike United they don’t own the land the current stadium occupies and don’t own the land for the new one. United can easily continue to play at Old Trafford while ‘Mark 2’ is built, ground sharing for NUFC would be disaster unless Boro oblige.
The plans put forward by PIF, for Leazes Park, are a massive red herring. It’s a Grade Two listed park, in a protected conservation area, and the locals easily and quickly produced a 30,000 name petition when it was so much as mentioned. Apart from the park, wildlife habitat, sports facilities, etc, it has listed buildings to consider.
They’d need the whole of Leazes Park that dwarfs the current SJP and is about four times the size. Using the park would mean ‘moving’ the lake, hundreds of trees, wildlife habitats, etc. That’s a legal requirement and would be a massive undertaking if it was allowed … I don’t believe it’s possible tbh.
Nevertheless we know the Newcastle mayor and Lisa Nandy are talking to the Saudis and somewhere, behind the scenes, are the sly and shady Rueben brothers who aren’t involved for their love of football.
I haven’t figured out what the real plan is but none of what's been proposed is the reality. What’s clear is that it’s totally impossible to turn SJP into a top class, let alone world class, stadium. The confines of the land, and surrounding area, make it totally impossible.
My guess, and other people’s, is that they're playing a protracted blame game that will end up with the Mags claiming they never wanted to leave SJP and love the bodge and tarting up they’ve been left with.
