New Wael interview on 'Having a Gas' today

Twentyman will be interviewing Wael this afternoon and playing the recorded interview on his 6pm show on Radio Bristol.

Maybe worth a listen in case anything new on stadium, training ground or selling up etc.

Probably nothing new though and will get the 'confidential agreement' line.

 

Still none the wiser !

Cannot re - develop the Memorial 'Stadium' as it is located in a too densly populated area although we are looking at other sites which is costing us a lot but cannot currently say where these sites may be ? The training ground is on hold until the site for the new stadium is finalised and have consequently signed up for another twelve months at Cribbs.

Does this mean that the training ground will be with the new stadium or will it remain at Hortham Lane ? anyone's guess I suppose !

Also, can we ascertain from the ' too densly populated' statement that any new ground is going to be out-a-town ?

In all honesty I don't think that we shall be giving up our Saturday lunch time drinking holes any time soon.

 

Here is the interview if you haven't heard it yet... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0719zb5

Part 1: starts 8 mins 20 secs and ends 24 mins 26 secs

Part 2: starts 36 mins 57 secs and ends 48 mins 45 secs

Main highlights....

• Looking to purchase a site for a new stadium in either Bristol or South Gloucestershire.

• Have identified some sites that are looking good but more investigations are needed on them.

• They will not buy any land and then seek planning permission for the new stadium. Instead they will seek planning permission on a piece of land and then buy it - if planning permission is accepted. As a result of that, it will take time before anything concrete can be announced for obvious reasons. Its a huge risk to buy land before knowing if you can get planning for it. So its time consuming to find a site, seek planning for it, buy the site and then go down the proper channels.

• Redeveloping the Mem is not an option any more as too many complications.

• The land already acquired for the training ground at Almondsbury is on hold because of the stadium. Apparently the 2 projects are linked however wont be at the same site! (Twentyman tried pushing for more detail on this as putting training ground on hold when its a separate project didnt make sense. Wael said its not a funding issue, they just need to know where the stadium will be first!)

• The sale of the Mem has nothing to do with the new stadium. They wont sell the Mem until the new stadium is ready. So selling the Mem wont effect any time scales with the new stadium.

• We have a new agreement with the current training facilities at Cribbs to carry on there for another 12 months and the development team and youth teams will continue to use facilities in Lockleaze.

• The news back in December that another stadium plans falling through was UWE again but done through a different party. UWE pulled out as they rather now use the site for something else.

• On a daily basis the club take calls from interested parties who want to take over the club or invest in the club. But the club is not actually for sale. But will always listen to interested parties.

• If someone comes along who can give the club bigger and better things and are able to do it quicker than what Wael, then he will step aside. However, no one has come forward to do this. But they are talking everyday but nothing concrete.

• Its not an option to fail to get a site for a new stadium. Its basically do or die for the club if they cant get a new stadium. But Wael is positive he will succeed.

• Wael and his whole family are fully totally committed to Rovers. "All you have to do is look at the accounts and companies house to see how committed we all are."

• Its very frustrating when you come so close to completing projects and it falls through but we go again and will continue to succeed. We are trying and its not as if we don't care or are not committed.

• Hopefully in 12 months time, there will be clarity!

• The club felt let down by UWE. The club had a great deal that would very much benefit the club. The club would have had the freehold but they decided they had better use for the land in the end. "We thought we had it."

• There was always a risk forgiving GC the managers job because of his lack of experience. But his leadership qualities made the club take that risk. He is a winner and has been getting the results. He's a born winner.

• DC and Wael are close friends and still meet up and communicate. It was a football decision not a personal one and DC knows this. "He is a legend of the club"

• Clarke-Harris has been given the opportunity to be the main striker at the club and that he is taking it. He needed that.

• The only difference between DC and GC is that DC had a plan to tackle the game and if we fell behind he would change things. But GC thinks 90% us and 10% opposition and as a result we are the ones getting the first goal and not needed to change much.

 

My answers to that would be...

1 Wael said "local insecurities" is why he cant name where these sites are. Im guessing the locals to these sites may challenge the club before anything from the club actually happens. The clubs way of keeping it peaceful for now so keeping it hush hush.

2 Wael confirmed the training ground will not be with the new stadium. He didnt actually give a proper answer to why then they cant get on with the training ground. Twentyman pushed and pushed on this without success. I thought it may be a funding issue like if the stadium here will cost this much then they have this much left to sort the training ground out. So depending on how much is used for the stadium which probably will depend on the site chosed, will then let the club know how much they have left for the training ground. BUT Wael said its not a funding issue. He said he just need to know where the stadium will be first. This tells me its a location issue. I guess he wants to keep both sites close. This tells me that some sites for the stadium wont be anywhere near Almondsbury because if they all were near Almondsbury then they could just crack on with the training ground!

3 Thats what I got from that comment too.

 

Wouldn't it be a great instance of diplomacy if Wael walked to the centre spot at 14.45 with a radio mike and addressed the crowd. Tell how much the Al Q's support the club and that they are making every effort to get the new stadium.under way.
Short and sweet. That's all that's needed. Great PR.