Perhaps he means that we never filled the ground to capacity, which would be true. Someone should point out, of course, that the reason it is never filled to capacity is because he and his colleagues sanctioned the building of one of the worst stadium designs in the history of English football.
We'll be talking about this as long as the Allams own the club and nothing will change. Assam wouldn't be broadcasting his intentions if he was serious, he would be just getting on with it and getting things moving. The current economic climate means it's the worst time for large scale building projects like this and as I said earlier our attendances are falling at a rate that doesn't bode well even if we do go up. We need to get promoted, see if we can stay up and after a few seasons decide whether the crowds are consistantly high enough to justify a bigger stadium.
Yes we can and have done and Will do so again back in the PL. We could fill a 30,000 capacity in the PL especially if the admission was reduced. The sooner we can put a top tier on the north stand and stick the away fans up there the better. I would not worry just yet. Only when we are a Stoke like club will the Allams move us out, imo. We need a few years of PL cash to build up a healthy balance. As OLM has well posted. If the stupid segregation was stop we could get a few more in the KC. 25,348 was the biggest PL gate from memory. But how we could have got more than that just shows how clueless Gereghty is. Agreed. But i would not worry about any move just yet. Lots of water to run under the Humber Bridge beforehand.
The moulds are there for any KC extension and maybe some PL cash could fund any increase in the short term at least ?
All this is pie in the sky. What's the point of building a ground and sport centre outside of Hull, when the majority of people, it's there for, won't be able to use it? Nobody in Hull will go- oh yeah we'll travel to Melton to use the facilities there, when we can use the ones within the city's boundaries. If we do move out (hyperthetically), the KC will get more and more run down and then we'll have another run down ground in West Hull. Not good when this happened to Boothferry Park & the Boulevard. The Council will have failed again to rejuvinate the area, which for the welfare & image of the city isn't good.
If we was to move any time in the near future, it would probably be Craven Park - but even that I can't see. The road network around there is more clogged than Eric Pickles arteries, so would need serious redevelopment. Also, with everybody going along the A63, right through the City, you would probably need to extend the M62, or at least sort major traffic-flow problems - and then have a new exit leading to Craven Park (which I believe is rumoured anyway). As for the stadium, you would have to pretty much knock it all down, apart from the new stand which would be on the lower-end of what we would require anyway. Generally, I don't think there are any viable options to move to in the next 3 years, whether we get promotion or not - and although Allam may be playing hard-ball, his bluffs seem quite obviously empty. If Allam actually did bite the bullet, then he would be cutting his nose off to spite his face.
Don't tell anyone, but I once did a job at one of his neighbours who pointed out his car. I reversed into it slowly and no damage was done at all. Petty, I know, but it did make me feel better about things.
Worst design stadiums in the history of English football - are you for real? Read any article or book about the KC and you see nothing but praise. What aspect are you unhappy about? http://www.footballgroundguide.com/hull_city/ Its iconic design makes it the best designed new stadium of its size (Emirates etc excepted) - pity the Upper East wasn't built due to spiralling costs because ithe spec was/is so good - compare it to the likes of the flatpack identical Riverside Walkers St Marys Pride Park et al and the KC is head and shoulders better - their concourses are also ****e and the build quality less than average. I fail to understand Pappas claim about not extending something they don't own - they must be a way round this legally involving convenants. No wonder AP began to despair about the old man before leaving for pastures new with FC.
Not a chance, it would be hard to come up with a less practical site for a large football stadium, there's more chance of it being built in Goole(which it won't be).
Couldnt agree more. i worked closely on the stadium build and Birse said at the time it was the best stadium build in the whole of the UK and was the most expensive per seat ever built here prior to the Emirates and Wembley. A very senior person at Brise said 'compared to Pride Park we're talking Buckingham Place vs a council flat'.
Are you having a giraffe? The leasehold would need to be at least 250 years to be anywhere near the freehold value. You can't get lending on any land where the freehold is less than 75 years (not from a decent lender anyway). Only way allams would take a leasehold would be on a 999yr lease with absolute and total control I.e no restrictions at all.
Just this minute read that Man City are adding further tiers to their North & South Stands. Now correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the City of Manchester Stadium/Eastlands/Etihad still owned by the Council whilst their owners are the richest in the World. How is it that this extension work is being carried out at the Arabs expense (?) whilst the Allams are looking for confrontation with the Council regarding a similar venture - or am I missing something?
