Northern_Light wrote:Yes, but Paulo, it's more about survival and having viability as a Premiership club. Servicing the debt is one thing, but really moving the club onto a sound financial footing will take higher revenues and prestige, which would come with the Olympic Stadium. Sad to say, but the traditions of the club have already been trampled well and truly into the dirt. A new dawn is what we should be looking at, and we can always take our history with us, because that does not change!
Althought I voted "no" this was well said I must say.
Dyltheiron wrote:If it was OUR new home, not just a big bowl with no west ham stamp, with no running track then maybe, as it does make finacial sense (i assume)
That's important. You need to be able to stand outside and know that West Ham play there.
Didn't we have a post on here about the build design of the OS and how it's being done so as easier to reduce later on, the cost of converting it to a football stadium will be higher than the clubs debt.
If they can eliminate the running track, and if it's a genuine stadium of 50-60K capacity (and not 20K + bolt-on seats and portaloos), and if they can deliver a club that can fill a stadium of that size (ie team + sensible ticket prices), then yes. Otherwise, it's just a huge distraction at best, and a total disaster at worst
A big yes from me. Like some have said, redeveloping now days is a rarity! Why not move? Memories mainly I say. Keep those memories and look to the future.
I always believe people don't like change, until it's happened and everyone's back in their comfort zone again.
If we stay up this season and have an average season next season then the next step is Europe the season after that. We are close to capacity all the time. We would be in the most famous stadium in the world.
No from me. Born just across the road in Loxford Avenue. Maybe wait a few years until I'm dead and then they can move!
I'm an old traditional fan. Not bothered about success, I just like good football, staying in the top flight and beating the likes of Chelsea, Spuds, Man Ure and the Bindippers now and again.
Carlitos_Cole wrote:If everything is right and we get what we want i'm up for it. At the end of the day our place has had its day, we can never change the train station and the parking is an absolute nightmare, facilities inside the stadium are not great.
Move on and move up.
I've been going to the Boleyn Ground for 42 years and have had some fantastic times there ( and some God awful ones too ) but i feel we HAVE to move. Our stadium is a ****- hole, access is awful and there is little scope to extend.
A purpose built stadium just round the corner makes sense on EVERY level EXCEPT selling our stadium to rent elsewhere. If that problem can be overcome then i am definitely in the YES camp
Hammer Laffers wrote:
I can't see why we can do what Man utd did, expand our ground, building the stand with the option of adding another tier to it seems a much better way forward for me.
Upgrading the East Stand and filling in the other 2 corners would surely get us up to 50,000+ surely that is big enough
It's all down to who's going to pay for converting the place. For example
There will also be no food outlets inside the 80,000-seat arena, which reduces the need for kitchens and higher levels of fire protection associated with cooking. Instead, architects have planned party concourses outside the stadium inspired by the successful fan zones at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where spectators gathered to eat and drink and watch the action on big screens. It has also been suggested that toilet areas known as "pods" could be created from recycled shipping containers with the water and sewage management self contained within, reducing the need for costly plumbing and facilitating the dismantling of the structure once in legacy mode.
Last edited by Pop Robson on Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Arsenal, Spurs , Liverpool and Everton have just as much tradition as us and feel the need to move/build new stadiums. If we want to compete on a higher level then a move is a must. I love UP as much as the next person but IF the OS was converted properly then I would gladly move there.
No for nostalgic reasons
Yes for the right football reasons
Carlitos_Cole wrote:I don't think we can redevelop the ground any more?
The last lot of council passed plans where for a new East Stand linking to the STB and BM stands bringing the capacity up to 40,500, the Icelanders pulled them when they got in
For entirely selfish reasons I would have to decline the Stratford bowl .
I have the best seat in the house at the Boleyn and have too many memories of watching some of all the all time greats to want to move .
I am lucky , I can afford the tickets and fully understand how those less fortunate may be seduced by the propsect of cheaper tickets , but let me say very clearly that will not happen .
Yes the inrfastucture will be better at Stratford , and Joyful can pop into the new shopping centre , but it ain't the Boleyn , ain't where I saw Bonds, Brooking,Devonshire,Cottee,Gale,McAvennie, Martin, Lampard,Taylor, Cole (J) , Rio , etc etc
Older fans will have been lucky enough to have seen our greatest ever player and must shudder at the thought .
Whilst I fully support the G&S ownership , this one is not for me .
exPat Holland wrote:No from me. Born just across the road in Loxford Avenue. Maybe wait a few years until I'm dead and then they can move!
I'm an old traditional fan. Not bothered about success, I just like good football, staying in the top flight and beating the likes of Chelsea, Spuds, Man Ure and the Bindippers now and again.
I get where you're coming from, but how much good football are we going to be seeing in the Championship or below? If we go down, even now or in the next few years, we are so ****ing fried. Some clubs come back up, but there is a long list of those that haven't. And how much good football will you be seeing then? You might see some young talent coming through, but then, we would be even more of a feeder club than we have been in the past.
I'm not a glory hunter, but I do want to see West Ham playing the best teams, even if we are not always beating them.
