Ok then , New Ground time

Quoted from diehardmariner

Y'know I'm getting a bit more disappointed with the stuff going on at the club, or perhaps I should say what appears to not be going on.

I, like most I suspect, got swept up a bit that there would be huge changes and within a few years we would be a powerhouse in English football.  That's despite 1878 preaching about incremental change.   After a whirlwind first year, it's all kinda slowed down a bit and combined with a bit of excrement start to the season at home all feels very meh.

There's things that I can't get my head round.  The stubborn approach towards the capacity at the ground, the apparent refusal to do anything about the poor views in certain seats, a few broken promises, or if I'm kinder undelivered promises, like the incentive to gift back your ST for a game or the bring a friend for a fiver, what looks like to be a stopping of the refresh of the ground (the Main Stand, for example, has had intercourse all done to it that I can see - the toilets are still a disgrace and should have been sorted years ago.  Very interesting point was made to a few weeks ago that their appalling condition was far more of a priority than the perspex screen in the Upper, but it depends on where you sit...).  In isolation it's nothing.  Collectively it adds up and there definitely feels a more negative view towards the club than since the new regime began.

But I do think we need a sense of perspective.  In terms of improvement to Blundell Park, there's only so much polishing you can do.  In its current state, the ground is crumbling and largely beyond a bit of a freshen up.  There's also a lot that we don't see.  You only see the things that urine you off.  The old scoreboard supports in the away end are gone, but there was little about this.  Bit by bit, stuff is happening.  But we want it faster and I do get this, if I'm going to criticise the club it's that they do seem to be moving slow on certain things.

On the pitch though, I'm sorry I can't really even entertain the idea that we've not made improvements.  18 months ago we were dropping out the Football League for the second time in 11 years having had to build a new squad in the January transfer window with players from the sixth-tier of the game and guys who hadn't played for two years.   Yeah, it's excrement at the minute with one win at home in the league all season but compare it to two years ago.  You can't tell me we're not in a better position now.  Within that we achieved promotion at the first time of asking out of the Conference, something that took an age to do before.  A key factor in that was the fitness levels and mental strength of the squad in the play-offs.  That doesn't happen by accident.  That comes from investing in the right support backroom staff and infrastructure.  That's some improvement from 2 years previously where we couldn't even pump a flipping football up properly!

We've spent £100k on a young talent.  Now, you can argue that we should have used the money for X,Y or Z.  But 1878 don't sign the players.  Investing that level of money in a player is some going from signing 3 strikers from the depths of non-league because a mate mentioned them.

We've definitely improved, on and off the pitch.  Improvement isn't a straight line though, the projection will always vary.

Quoted from BobbyCummingsTackle

You can't use the Conoco stadium as a valid comparator, it was the pipe dream of a deluded c*nt.

Quoted from Poojah

What do we feel would be the ultimate seal of success come the end of the 1878 reign? Or to look at it another way, where do we realistically want to be in 10 years time?

As far as I can tell, the general consensus seems to be playing in a modern new stadium, in front of 12,000 - 15,000 fans, somewhere between the middle of League One and the middle of the Championship. My concern is that this might not be realistic at all.

I’m not talking about the crowds themselves - I actually think that’s doable in theory, in particular if we were in the second tier with the space for 3,000 - 5,000 away fans. You can point back to our previous stint at that level and that our home support was dismal compared to the purple patch we are in now, but times are different - we didn’t know how good we had it then. The idea of 10,000 Town fans regularly attending games is within the realms of possibility.

The problem is, the stadium itself. Blundell Park is a relic; the Main Stand being the single oldest structure in the football league by some margin - I believe you have to go down as far as Great Yarmouth in the Eastern Counties league to find something older. It’s only going to keep getting older, and you do wonder how much longer it can remain serviceable as safety regulations only get tighter.

Given the challenging logistics of redeveloping Blundell Park, a new stadium on a new site is the obvious solution. But have we missed the boat?

I read a quote last week from Luton Town CEO Gary Sweet, in relation to their new stadium at Power Court. It referenced a figure of £30m. A fúck load of money. But that’s not what it’s going to cost to build their 17,500 seater stadium; that’s how much the cost has increased since 2019.

We are living in times of hyper-inflation, especially where the construction industry is concerned. What would it cost to build a reasonable 15,000 seater stadium in Grimsby today? Through a calculated guess, I reckon you’re looking at between £40m and £50m. How does a club like Town fund that?

The original Conoco Stadium proposed at the Great Coates site was estimated to cost £14m in 2002. Even allowing for normal inflation, that’s a huge difference.

There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that this club needs a new stadium to fulfil its potential. But is it deliverable? I’m not sure.

Quoted from Poojah

Bit harsh on Bill Carr.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

If you're right that a new stadium is out of reach, and the Main stand is about done,  then the best way for them to leave a legacy would be to fund a new Main stand the entire length on that side.

I wonder how much that would be and how much we would get from grants etc?

They obviously know the conundrum but I wonder what they will decide, if anything.

Quoted from Poojah

I suspect why the owners have spoken more in terms of redeveloping BP rather than moving. It’s not the best option, but perhaps it’s the best viable one.

Quoted from Poojah

Given the challenging logistics of redeveloping Blundell Park, a new stadium on a new site is the obvious solution. But have we missed the boat?