DN35 Jason and Andrew Interview

This Friday at 6 add your questions on the link below

https://app.sli.do/event/8fzBS2Zr8XL9nFRttezUgy

Some interesting questions already !

Nobody asked about flasks…

Someone asked about freeman street🙈

Quoted from acko338

Some interesting questions already !

Some right buffoon ones as well though - whoever Michael Yarborough is, he sounds a right negative twit

Quoted from Roast Em Bobby

Some right buffoon ones as well though - whoever Michael Yarborough is, he sounds a right negative twit

It’s a Q&A, probably find out more from those questions than the ones slurping their arśeholes!

Genius idea… move season ticket holders so people who buy tickets on general sale can sit with their mates, sometimes 🤦‍♂️

Quoted from Roast Em Bobby

Some right buffoon ones as well though - whoever Michael Yarborough is, he sounds a right negative twit

On a banning order after scrapping earlier this season.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Genius idea… move season ticket holders so people who buy tickets on general sale can sit with their mates, sometimes 🤦‍♂️

Moving them along a seat or 2, providing it's not into a restricted view, isn't going to cause any harm. Moving them to a completely different block however...

Love the question about long sleeve replica shirts.

I want one!

Looking at the quality of some already submitted I might add,

Have you considered converting Haile Sands Fort into a  hotel to provide extra income ?  Youth team players could row guests to land as part of their fitness development.

If you like a particular question please give it a vote, we always try and get through as many of the top rated ones as possible, with time constraints we obviously can’t get all the way down the list.

Quoted from Mikey_345

If you like a particular question please give it a vote, we always try and get through as many of the top rated ones as possible, with time constraints we obviously can’t get all the way down the list.

What about ones we don't like .Can we give them a thumbs down

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Moving them along a seat or 2, providing it's not into a restricted view, isn't going to cause any harm. Moving them to a completely different block however...

If I was asked to move I’d consider it, if I was told to move I’d consider not buying a season ticket.

I just wonder how many people who are going on about empty seats haven’t personally been able to buy tickets for a home game on a regular basis.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Genius idea… move season ticket holders so people who buy tickets on general sale can sit with their mates, sometimes 🤦‍♂️

Totally crap idea. I don't see why I should move to an inferior view just because the guy next to me wants his casual appearance mate/ relative to sit next to him. I have had the same seat, as a ST holder, for almost 20 seasons. I have seen ST holders come and go in the adjoining seats to me. Surely a casual fan comes to watch a game and if he can get the seat next to his mate then that's a bonus. It's getting like kids at school FFS - I'm not sitting at that desk because my bestie doesn't sit in the next one. I expect to be able to sit at a seat that I have paid for in advance and in the process provided funding in advance for the clubs working budget. How about somebody booking a prime seat months in advance to see a play/stage show, musical theatre etc. Then a few days before the performance to be informed that you are being moved to a lousy view at the back because your seat is being allocated to another person so they can sit next to a friend?
There is no easy answer to this situation but this is a totally unacceptable approach.

Lot of appetite for discussions on ticketing.  

Previously the club have defended not doing anything because we're not selling out. That line can't be dolled out again, as recently as last Monday we've seen on this forum alone several posters stating they couldn't get a ticket for love nor money, yet there was what...1000 empty seats dotted about?

I look forward to Jason and Andrew's response to the ticketing issue this time.

Quoted from rancido

Totally crap idea. I don't see why I should move to an inferior view just because the guy next to me wants his casual appearance mate/ relative to sit next to him. I have had the same seat, as a ST holder, for almost 20 seasons. I have seen ST holders come and go in the adjoining seats to me. Surely a casual fan comes to watch a game and if he can get the seat next to his mate then that's a bonus. It's getting like kids at school FFS - I'm not sitting at that desk because my bestie doesn't sit in the next one. I expect to be able to sit at a seat that I have paid for in advance and in the process provided funding in advance for the clubs working budget. How about somebody booking a prime seat months in advance to see a play/stage show, musical theatre etc. Then a few days before the performance to be informed that you are being moved to a lousy view at the back because your seat is being allocated to another person so they can sit next to a friend?
There is no easy answer to this situation but this is a totally unacceptable approach.

Yeah I wouldn't be in favour of moving my season ticket seat that I've nicely got my bottom groove into for the last 30 years.  But something has to be done...  At the minute it does annoy me that we're not doing anything.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Lot of appetite for discussions on ticketing.  

Previously the club have defended not doing anything because we're not selling out. That line can't be dolled out again, as recently as last Monday we've seen on this forum alone several posters stating they couldn't get a ticket for love nor money, yet there was what...1000 empty seats dotted about?

I look forward to Jason and Andrew's response to the ticketing issue this time.

Surely tickets sold( or ST's reserved) leading to unavailability and empty seats are two separate issues? The club could be quite correct in stating that there are no home seats available. People who bought tickets or are ST holders and then choose not to attend for whatever reason is an issue. But whatever system is put in place will never completely resolve this problem.
We also have the problem of restricted view seats. We can either totally take these out of availability ( and reduce capacity) or try to modify the area around those seats to make the view better.
We could try to convert the Osmond Standard so that the required percentage is made available for away supporters and the remaining seats dedicated for home supporters. Obviously this will impact in away support from certain clubs who would easily surpass the required minimum.
We then have the small groups of fans ( non ST's) who will only attend if they can sit together. It is this group who are very hard to cater for, with a situation of 'winners and losers'.
All things added up make for a very difficult situation for the club to resolve for the benefit of everybody.

I think ST's sold and then not used (or released) is part of the wider issue of unavailability of seats.

Monday, as an example, was a case of people simply couldn't buy a ticket.  Yet in the actual ground there as a good 1000 unoccupied seats.  This has been the case pretty much all season.  Around me, again all season, there's unoccupied seats with reserved stickers on them, they're not available for purchase on a game-by-game basis.

You're right, this has always been the case to a degree.  Not all season ticket holders can make all 23 games of the league season, every season. I include myself in that.  But last season this situation was magnified.  When we were selling 3000 season tickets and only pulling gates of 5000 no-one cared.  There was very, very rarely an occasion when we came close to putting up the Sold Out signs up.

Alone, making sure unused ST's are put back into the system won't address the issue of our demand outstripping our capacity.  But it'll go towards it.  Same as the issue with restricted view seats, which I really believe needs sorting.  The views in those seats, especially the ones that more or less have the bloody goal blocked by the Police Box, is appalling.  It's embarrassing that we would charge anything near full price to sit in those seats.

Again, I agree.  We'll never resolve the problem fully.  And in some ways it's a lovely problem to have.  But long term we should be doing everything to maximise and capitalise in the interest that exists at present in the club.  This season the club made a big step by flexing that availability in the away end, that's a good and smart move.  But there's more that can be done.  Will it be easy? No.  But easy means we stay as we are, at best.

Quoted from rancido

Totally crap idea. I don't see why I should move to an inferior view just because the guy next to me wants his casual appearance mate/ relative to sit next to him. I have had the same seat, as a ST holder, for almost 20 seasons. I have seen ST holders come and go in the adjoining seats to me. Surely a casual fan comes to watch a game and if he can get the seat next to his mate then that's a bonus. It's getting like kids at school FFS - I'm not sitting at that desk because my bestie doesn't sit in the next one. I expect to be able to sit at a seat that I have paid for in advance and in the process provided funding in advance for the clubs working budget. How about somebody booking a prime seat months in advance to see a play/stage show, musical theatre etc. Then a few days before the performance to be informed that you are being moved to a lousy view at the back because your seat is being allocated to another person so they can sit next to a friend?
There is no easy answer to this situation but this is a totally unacceptable approach.

Agree completely when I said "genius idea" I was being sarcastic, it's bonkers and I'd be amazed if we took a step to p1ss off season ticket holders.

Quoted from diehardmariner

I think ST's sold and then not used (or released) is part of the wider issue of unavailability of seats.

Monday, as an example, was a case of people simply couldn't buy a ticket.  Yet in the actual ground there as a good 1000 unoccupied seats.  This has been the case pretty much all season.  Around me, again all season, there's unoccupied seats with reserved stickers on them, they're not available for purchase on a game-by-game basis.

You're right, this has always been the case to a degree.  Not all season ticket holders can make all 23 games of the league season, every season. I include myself in that.  But last season this situation was magnified.  When we were selling 3000 season tickets and only pulling gates of 5000 no-one cared.  There was very, very rarely an occasion when we came close to putting up the Sold Out signs up.

Alone, making sure unused ST's are put back into the system won't address the issue of our demand outstripping our capacity.  But it'll go towards it.  Same as the issue with restricted view seats, which I really believe needs sorting.  The views in those seats, especially the ones that more or less have the bloody goal blocked by the Police Box, is appalling.  It's embarrassing that we would charge anything near full price to sit in those seats.

Again, I agree.  We'll never resolve the problem fully.  And in some ways it's a lovely problem to have.  But long term we should be doing everything to maximise and capitalise in the interest that exists at present in the club.  This season the club made a big step by flexing that availability in the away end, that's a good and smart move.  But there's more that can be done.  Will it be easy? No.  But easy means we stay as we are, at best.

Some fair comment here, I did submit a question asking if the club had a process to measure true demand versus availability but doubt it will get asked.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Agree completely when I said "genius idea" I was being sarcastic, it's bonkers and I'd be amazed if we took a step to p1ss off season ticket holders.

I guessed you were being 'flippant' but it wouldn't surprise me if someone genuinely suggested it.
The whole situation regarding seats available or sold and non-attendees is a very complex one to resolve to everyone's satisfaction.

If we had a new stadium there would be no seating issues.  Just saying.

We're not getting one though, regardless of how much it would benefit (or how much I agree with you).

In the current climate we simply can't afford one, as has been detailed to death on here previously.  It pains me, but it is what it is.  We therefore need to maximise what we've got in front of us.

All the solutions I've read on here are carrots to please STHs who don't turn up.

As in life, a stick element may help too.

Miss six games a season and you can't renew that particular seat at an early bird price so it is released into the system.

Could stop the hoggers.

Also if people want to buy a seat to help the club but have no intention to attend, why not let them have restricted view seats at a cut price. Everyone happy as the prime seats now freed up while the non attendee has a season card and knowledge of an actual seat at ground.

Interesting approach.  Bit of carrot and stick in it.  We've got to be careful that we don't turn fans away with too harsh a stick.  If we have a shitty season and come November we're bottom of the table and no-one wants to watch us, the club would be grateful of that £30k that came in through the door in the summer months.  

I'd personally think something a bit less stick and a bit more carrot could work.  As per your idea, attendance or released into the system for X % of games = Early Bird Discount or similar.  Or for every game you do attend/release ticket for you get a chunk of the Early Bird reduction.  Tiered approach to it:

50% or less attended/released = 50% of the maximum discount...

I think 100% = 100% is probably a bit harsh though. Be unfair to stop someone getting maximum discount because of one/two games of unfortunate circumstances/sudden illness.

Quoted from Yarborough Vaults

All the solutions I've read on here are carrots to please STHs who don't turn up.

As in life, a stick element may help too.

Miss six games a season and you can't renew that particular seat at an early bird price so it is released into the system.

Could stop the hoggers.

Also if people want to buy a seat to help the club but have no intention to attend, why not let them have restricted view seats at a cut price. Everyone happy as the prime seats now freed up while the non attendee has a season card and knowledge of an actual seat at ground.

Bollox answer.

I have a mate who has had a season ticket for years but probably only makes half the games as he lives and works down south.

If he has paid for his seat in advance he should have access to it when ever he likes.

If the club said he could only have access to a limited view he would tell the club to go fuk themselves.

Quoted from Yarborough Vaults

All the solutions I've read on here are carrots to please STHs who don't turn up.

As in life, a stick element may help too.

Miss six games a season and you can't renew that particular seat at an early bird price so it is released into the system.

Could stop the hoggers.

Also if people want to buy a seat to help the club but have no intention to attend, why not let them have restricted view seats at a cut price. Everyone happy as the prime seats now freed up while the non attendee has a season card and knowledge of an actual seat at ground.

Again though, the situation is more nuanced than that. As someone who lives a three-hour round trip away from BP, I do tend to miss somewhere in the region of 6 games per season. Typically mid-week games if my work commitments don't allow, and the occasional Saturday game when I might have other family commitments.

That's been the case for about 20 years, and until very recently it's not been a problem. To the contrary in fact; though I have bought a season ticket for a few reasons, such as convenience, the ability to get hold of away tickets for the odd local derby and in the rare event of a big cup draw, the number one reason was to help support the club. That was certainly the only reason I bought one for the 20/21 season, when it always seemed as though actually getting to a game would be a virtual impossibility.

There will be plenty of others like me who don't fit the broad description of "hogger". The stick approach would be harsh on too many long-term, loyal fans for it to ever get a good reception imo, so that basically leaves us with the carrot. A £5 credit to spend in the ground on matchdays in return for handing your seat back (perhaps an extra quid if you do it a week or more in advance), assuming it is resold at full price AND a certain threshold is also met in terms of ticket sales (e.g. 90% of non-ST capacity). Assuming on average the club makes a profit of £12 (factoring in concessions), that would have been another £12,000 in the coffers on Monday.

There's an argument that fans should be prepared to hand their seat back for free, as is the case right now, but I think that's a naive view. People are busy, the system is clunky and the lack of a motivating factor is likely to mean that more people don't bother, than do. I released my seat for the original Carlisle game back in August last year, as I was abroad at the time. When it was rearranged I was told my ST would be good for the new date, only to find my ticket had been invalidated when I arrived at the turnstiles. By the time I managed to get things resolved in the ticket office, we were 2-0 down.

Give people a motivation. Make things easy. No one suffers. Everybody wins.

I don't think it's much more complicated than that.

Quoted from Poojah

Again though, the situation is more nuanced than that. As someone who lives a three-hour round trip away from BP, I do tend to miss somewhere in the region of 6 games per season. Typically mid-week games if my work commitments don't allow, and the occasional Saturday game when I might have other family commitments.

That's been the case for about 20 years, and until very recently it's not been a problem. To the contrary in fact; though I have bought a season ticket for a few reasons, such as convenience, the ability to get hold of away tickets for the odd local derby and in the rare event of a big cup draw, the number one reason was to help support the club. That was certainly the only reason I bought one for the 20/21 season, when it always seemed as though actually getting to a game would be a virtual impossibility.

There will be plenty of others like me who don't fit the broad description of "hogger". The stick approach would be harsh on too many long-term, loyal fans for it to ever get a good reception imo, so that basically leaves us with the carrot. A £5 credit to spend in the ground on matchdays in return for handing your seat back (perhaps an extra quid if you do it a week or more in advance), assuming it is resold at full price AND a certain threshold is also met in terms of ticket sales (e.g. 90% of non-ST capacity). Assuming on average the club makes a profit of £12 (factoring in concessions), that would have been another £12,000 in the coffers on Monday.

There's an argument that fans should be prepared to hand their seat back for free, as is the case right now, but I think that's a naive view. People are busy, the system is clunky and the lack of a motivating factor is likely to mean that more people don't bother, than do. I released my seat for the original Carlisle game back in August last year, as I was abroad at the time. When it was rearranged I was told my ST would be good for the new date, only to find my ticket had been invalidated when I arrived at the turnstiles. By the time I managed to get things resolved in the ticket office, we were 2-0 down.

Give people a motivation. Make things easy. No one suffers. Everybody wins.

I don't think it's much more complicated than that.

Impossible to argue with any of that.

If I'm being honest and brutally so with it, it feels a bit like the club are just being a bit lazy and complacent with the whole issue.  Regardless of how deep they bury their heads in the sad, the issue remains and will remain for as long as there's appetite.  The example you mention of you basically getting copulated over because you did the 'right' thing in the first place sums it up, sloppy.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Impossible to argue with any of that.

If I'm being honest and brutally so with it, it feels a bit like the club are just being a bit lazy and complacent with the whole issue.  Regardless of how deep they bury their heads in the sad, the issue remains and will remain for as long as there's appetite.  The example you mention of you basically getting copulated over because you did the 'right' thing in the first place sums it up, sloppy.

100%. I think there’s likely a technical challenge in that our ticketing platform is far from best in class, so automating something akin to what I outlined might be trickier in practice than is immediately obvious. But ultimately, other clubs do similar things - it most certainly is at an impossibility.

Oh to have Fenty back and the days where  you could just walk up at 5 to 3 and grab an unrestricted seat 🙏🙏

Quoted from HertsGTFC

If I was asked to move I’d consider it, if I was told to move I’d consider not buying a season ticket.

I just wonder how many people who are going on about empty seats haven’t personally been able to buy tickets for a home game on a regular basis.

I'm coming from the position of someone who can't get to many games, and the weekend games I can get to, I like to take my youngest. For one game earlier this season I purchased the last 2 seats next to one another in the Upper and there was nobody sat on the entire row in front of me, plus loads of empty seats around me.

Lots of ticketing systems prevent single seats being left and moving someone up an extra seat or two to enable more paired seats seems to make sense, and some people not wanting to do that does seem a bit selfish.

If the next seat along is a restricted view then that is different but, in most cases, moving along one or two seats doesn't materially change your view.

Give STHS £5 credit for giving seats up that lasts for a short time e.g. a month or three months for the club shop, home tickets, hospitality etc OR get an temporary stand in one or more of the corners and have them purely for one off purchases. No 1878, no loyalty points etc. It really isn’t difficult and it’s daft that we’re still having these discussions.

Is there a link to listen to it please ?

You would have thought that Jason would have a decent internet connection but oh well.

I thought it was excellent to be honest and was pleased to see the passionate rant about certain sections of social media.

It was interesting how Andrew answered the questions about capacity/season ticket no shows only for Jason to almost step back from some of it. Definitely good to hear that they at least realise that there is a problem and are looking at options.

We either have 2 massive supporters who want the best for the club or 2 of the greatest actors I have ever seen in charge now.

The future looks very positive to me, even talk of winning the champions league lol.

They are on a different planet to not just our former primary funder but most football custodians  in terms of modern day business management.

I can see them taking us further than many probably expect it's just going to take time and patience .

It's great to have 2 proper fans who get it .
They are no mugs and  I would love to know what their final goal and exit strategy is for their tenure  .

Quoted from CSLM

You would have thought that Jason would have a decent internet connection but oh well.

I thought it was excellent to be honest and was pleased to see the passionate rant about certain sections of social media.

It was interesting how Andrew answered the questions about capacity/season ticket no shows only for Jason to almost step back from some of it. Definitely good to hear that they at least realise that there is a problem and are looking at options.

We either have 2 massive supporters who want the best for the club or 2 of the greatest actors I have ever seen in charge now.

The future looks very positive to me, even talk of winning the champions league lol.

I don't get the beef with the odd social media bod , it's a tiny minority probably a good % less than some (most) clubs and some of them are just clickbaiting . In truth i thought it was /is just Wacca ,his small crew and some ex employees or family members that want Jason to 'take some ' because they want retribution or whatever .

As a season ticket holder for years, I’ve had quite enough stick and am happy for the carrot season to continue.

The season ticket thing is weird to me - I don't get why only 100 out of 1000 are releasing their seats when they can't go (Andrews words ) maybe it's the less digitally able or something .

I just buy one knowing I will only make half the games , no disrespect but i don't want small change from the club if I cant go I knew what I was buying when I bought it ; I can't understand why others don't feel the same really .

Delighted to hear Andrew take the lead on the capacity issue.

One thing that stood out to me in Jason's rant about staff speculation was that he said people have left for a variety of reasons such as criminal reasons. There was a tweet of his the other week that alluded to people leaving organisations for various reasons and he said "illegal activity" in that too.

Here I am speculating about staff which he has just ranted about, but that criminal comment stood out like a sore thumb in his rant about that.

Good interview overall, it is never easy to ask everything in the limited time they have. They do seem to have a knack of arranging these interviews and scheduling a major announcement of some sort for them.

So did I hear that right? A prem club has asked us what positions we’re looking to fill next season?

I know Chelsea need to off load a good few but we don’t want them, do we?

Quoted from HertsGTFC

So did I hear that right? A prem club has asked us what positions we’re looking to fill next season?

I know Chelsea need to off load a good few but we don’t want them, do we?

Explains the Vardy rumour...

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Explains the Vardy rumour...

😂😂😂

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Delighted to hear Andrew take the lead on the capacity issue.

One thing that stood out to me in Jason's rant about staff speculation was that he said people have left for a variety of reasons such as criminal reasons. There was a tweet of his the other week that alluded to people leaving organisations for various reasons and he said "illegal activity" in that too.

Here I am speculating about staff which he has just ranted about, but that criminal comment stood out like a sore thumb in his rant about that.

Good interview overall, it is never easy to ask everything in the limited time they have. They do seem to have a knack of arranging these interviews and scheduling a major announcement of some sort for them.

I mean, let’s face it, under the old regime, plenty could’ve been sacked for impersonating a professional.

We’ve all known that people have had access to tickets etc because of favours and the like, perhaps there’s been stuff like that happening? Kit going missing or whatever, or May be some have just been massive bellends and they’ve been booted…personally I see no issue and couldn’t care less about the comings and goings like some. Let’s face it, those overly concerned are people that have been let go themselves or are mates/family of folk who’ve suffered that fate.

The social media thing clearly irks Stockwood and I guess I can see why but sadly, it’s not going away but I do think he’s right to call it out.

They might not give us all the answers we want, they might not always provide any further information but listening to them is still a breath of fresh air. It’s not full of false promises, narcissistic comments or woe is me tales and it’s coherent and clear…

Quoted from Mappers

I don't get the beef with the odd social media bod , it's a tiny minority probably a good % less than some (most) clubs and some of them are just clickbaiting . In truth i thought it was /is just Wacca ,his small crew and some ex employees or family members that want Jason to 'take some ' because they want retribution or whatever .

It may only be a tiny minority but, like ' Chinese Whispers' these negative comments spread and get believed.

Quoted from Mappers

I don't get the beef with the odd social media bod , it's a tiny minority probably a good % less than some (most) clubs and some of them are just clickbaiting . In truth i thought it was /is just Wacca ,his small crew and some ex employees or family members that want Jason to 'take some ' because they want retribution or whatever .

I think you might 'get the beef' better if the social media cr@p was directed at you.

Quoted from Mappers

I don't get the beef with the odd social media bod , it's a tiny minority probably a good % less than some (most) clubs and some of them are just clickbaiting . In truth i thought it was /is just Wacca ,his small crew and some ex employees or family members that want Jason to 'take some ' because they want retribution or whatever .

I think it’s quite simple, regardless of how many people are making comments words can hurt especially when it’s personal attacks on an individual.

I know what you are saying and people need to realise what the line is .
I used to run my own business and would occasionally be the one to  'take some' and it can be hard to not take it personally but the realisation is that that there are 99/100 people praising you yet
you tend to take to  heart the one that isn't  especially if there is an agenda of personal insults over professional one's and that's where the line should be drawn ; I suppose the added variable of anonymity does not help with social media .
But if it unduly effects you knowing the climate surely it's best to just not be on it ?

Just listened to the pod, great to hear some of the issues addressed particularly about STHs and empty seats on a match day.

It's a new problem to have as a result of success and maybe that's why it's thrown the club a bit. Fans who paid for a ST and didn't attend in previous seasons were not having a negative effect on match days as plenty of other seats were available  In fact those fans were to be applauded for commiting money to the club with a lower return to themselves.

But good to know it's been noted. It may solve itself with a lower take up this season due to a lack of a giddy promotion factor and a bit of a grinding home campaign.

Buying a ST in the summer and then finding yourself freezing half to death in a dour draw during Winter may also lead to a return to match by match tickets for some (possibly more so with those who bought with their kids)

All conjecture of course, but we'll see soon enough when early  bird ends, and we haven't had any announcements on numbers sold so far which could be telling in itself.

Great pod though. DN35 is unmissable for me and the new incarnation of SWWF.

So on reflection I think that was a good interview and by Alex’s own admission they did re-visit some “ongoing topics” and did that well.

So some stuff for me …..

- Loved the rant and the odd f bomb as it proves they care about things, if you drop your guard it often proves you’re comfortable in your own skin, the skin in this case being a football club chairman.

- As well as all the business stuff and talk about the future they seem to be building relationships in the game which is a good thing in terms of learning and who knows maybe the off player addition, we all know the last custodian had difficulty building equitable relationships.

- There is ambition for sure but also there is aspiration which came out when Andrew referenced Brentford, Brighton & Luton and that they are looking at solutions to free up seats either by ticketing solutions or adding capacity.

- The other thing that surfaced was a comment about having a backfill plan is someone came in for the gaffer. Succession planning is something different for us and is what good organisations do.

- In terms of departures all being well Jason put it to bed, as a couple of posters have quite rightly commented in terms of professionalism & excellence the club was a complete joke from top to bottom, sooner or later it was bound to catch up with some under performers and people who have had a pretty soft existence.

Overall I think we’ve been really lucky as these two home town lads get it and want to do the right things for the right reasons.

Today Luton play in the play offs with a chance of getting into dreamland they’ve got there on the basis of having good ownership that care about the right things over a number of years. I still don’t believe we can hit those heights but I do think we’ll significantly progress on and off the pitch with 1878 given time.

So when is the Haile Sands Fort Hotel opening?

Quoted from moosey_club

So when is the Haile Sands Fort Hotel opening?

The day Vardy signs apparently.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

So did I hear that right? A prem club has asked us what positions we’re looking to fill next season?

I know Chelsea need to off load a good few but we don’t want them, do we?

"I'm not going to name drop them"....such a tease!  What's the odds is Brighton?  Although he did say premier league...he didn't clarify if that meant the English pemier league lol

Quoted from OddShapedBalls

"I'm not going to name drop them"....such a tease!  What's the odds is Brighton?  Although he did say premier league...he didn't clarify if that meant the English pemier league lol

Southampton have had a good conveyor belt of talent, and Forest have had some good youngsters in recent years too.

Writing about young players from each of those clubs makes me shudder at the thought of another James Tilley, Tommy Forecast or Virgil Gomis walking through the door though!

I'm going to assume the premier league club is Southampton or Brighton given that we have recently played and hopefully, tried to strike a relationship.

The next Evan Ferguson would be good for a season!

Quoted from rancido

We could try to convert the Osmond Standard so that the required percentage is made available for away supporters and the remaining seats dedicated for home supporters. Obviously this will impact in away support from certain clubs who would easily surpass the required minimum.
We then have the small groups of fans ( non ST's) who will only attend if they can sit together. It is this group who are very hard to cater for, with a situation of 'winners and losers'.
All things added up make for a very difficult situation for the club to resolve for the benefit of everybody.

(Depending whether Bradford go up) probably 4 or 5 L2 teams who will bring a decent away crowd next season. So demolish the control tower thing and put temporary seating for away fans between the Main Stand and the Pontoon, and assume the Osmond will be a home stand for everything but those 4 or 5 games (and cup games).

Quoted from Zero_as_a_limit

(Depending whether Bradford go up) probably 4 or 5 L2 teams who will bring a decent away crowd next season. So demolish the control tower thing and put temporary seating for away fans between the Main Stand and the Pontoon, and assume the Osmond will be a home stand for everything but those 4 or 5 games (and cup games).

I said a similar thing last week, but I was hoping we could get enough temporary seats in there to cover our away fans obligation. If we can't then your suggestion is a good compromise.

I don't think the club are showing much desire to sort out such an ongoing problem though, sadly.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

Southampton have had a good conveyor belt of talent, and Forest have had some good youngsters in recent years too.

Writing about young players from each of those clubs makes me shudder at the thought of another James Tilley, Tommy Forecast or Virgil Gomis walking through the door though!

Not sure James Tilley should be lumped in with those other 2, but it’s all about opinions.

Quoted from Zero_as_a_limit

(Depending whether Bradford go up) probably 4 or 5 L2 teams who will bring a decent away crowd next season. So demolish the control tower thing and put temporary seating for away fans between the Main Stand and the Pontoon, and assume the Osmond will be a home stand for everything but those 4 or 5 games (and cup games).

Man City did something very similar at Maine Road a couple of decades ago. I remember sitting in the ramshackle temporary seats erected in the corner in what would be our last game of the millennium. They felt anything but safe, but did the job nonetheless.

The challenge is that if, for arguments sake, we agree the current capacity is 9,000, then you’d need to add roughly 1,000 temporary seats in order to meet the minimum 10% allocation. You’d struggle to do that in one corner, so you’d need to split the away fans over two. Still doable in theory, but you’re likely to run into issues around segregation, access and post-match crowd control.

[img]https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6VB2CwNqtfQ/Tb3E4QNGo3I/AAAAAAAAAO0/AofMy3aU9_o/s1600/Copy+of+scan0004.jpg[/img]
[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Gene_kelly_stand.jpg/440px-Gene_kelly_stand.jpg[/img]

[quote=491]

Man City did something very similar at Maine Road a couple of decades ago. I remember sitting in the ramshackle temporary seats erected in the corner in what would be our last game of the millennium. They felt anything but safe, but did the job nonetheless.

The challenge is that if, for arguments sake, we agree the current capacity is 9,000, then you’d need to add roughly 1,000 temporary seats in order to meet the minimum 10% allocation. You’d struggle to do that in one corner, so you’d need to split the away fans over two. Still doable in theory, but you’re likely to run into issues around segregation, access and post-match crowd control.


I remember that game the f****rs locked us in after the final whistle.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I said a similar thing last week, but I was hoping we could get enough temporary seats in there to cover our away fans obligation. If we can't then your suggestion is a good compromise.

I don't think the club are showing much desire to sort out such an ongoing problem though, sadly.

Why do you think that about the club? I'm sure they are aware it is a problem. I get the impression that Jason and Andrew are looking into all the options. I'm also sure that they aren't the kind of people who will introduce a knee jerk solution to what could be a costly investment. Financially, the cost of the solution has to be outweighed by the financial benefits gained. There could also be planning implications regardless of what has happened before at the ground

I wonder if all the wood was removed from the Main Stand that a stand (Mecano) could be built over the brick built bit at the back.??????

N.B. I an not a Civil Engineer or an Architect.

I don’t think that the Barratt Stand was built by a civil engineer or architect either.  Rumour has it that when it was demolished in the early 80s it was found that there was no foundations.  The weight of the stand (and fans) kept it stable.

(Still remember that my dad sold matches and chocolates in the Barratt (a wooden stand of course) to the many smokers.  This was from 1931 in the glory years.

Health and safety has moved on.

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

If we had a new stadium there would be no seating issues.  Just saying.

Exactly.  Doncaster's Keepmoat has 4,000 seats with unrestricted views on both sides of the pitch.  Blundell Park's Upper has 2,000 seats, and naturally most people want to sit there.

Quoted from White_shorts

Exactly.  Doncaster's Keepmoat has 4,000 seats with unrestricted views on both sides of the pitch.  Blundell Park's Upper has 2,000 seats, and naturally most people want to sit there.

Ok, I’ll overlook your bizarre posting habits and put to you this simple question. How much do you think an adequate new stadium for Town would cost, and how do you suppose we fund its construction?

Obviously money is the big issue before any new stadium can be built so no idea if it will ever happen but I’ve recently been to a stadium which would suit town very well.

I was invited to watch between St Helens and Wigan at the Totally Wicked stadium in St Helens.
While watching the guys with odd shaped balls knock the crap out of each other all I kept thinking was this would be perfect stadium for town.

It’s capacity is 18000 but take a few thousand off that for football as they have standing terraces at each end.

The atmosphere and acoustics are fabulous. The Mariners roar would be deafening.

Total cost £25m at the time so maybe with inflation beyond our reach but look it up and see what you think,  

We can dream UTM .  

Quoted from Jackal

Obviously money is the big issue before any new stadium can be built so no idea if it will ever happen but I’ve recently been to a stadium which would suit town very well.

I was invited to watch between St Helens and Wigan at the Totally Wicked stadium in St Helens.
While watching the guys with odd shaped balls knock the crap out of each other all I kept thinking was this would be perfect stadium for town.

It’s capacity is 18000 but take a few thousand off that for football as they have standing terraces at each end.

The atmosphere and acoustics are fabulous. The Mariners roar would be deafening.

Total cost £25m at the time so maybe with inflation beyond our reach but look it up and see what you think,  

We can dream UTM .  

It's a decent enough stadium, I'll give you that, but £25m in 2011 is probably close to £50m now given the huge inflation in key construction materials. Not that you'd be able to finance a substantial chunk of it through borrowing, but the cost of any borrowing we might what to do is already 5x higher than it would have been back then.

We should never say never, but there is simply no viable way of GTFC funding a new stadium in the shape we are in today and the macro economic climate as it is. I saw a quote from JS the other day saying they won't talk about anything they are not in a position to deliver; there's a difference between not wanting to do something and not being able to.

It's a conversation we can park for the time being.

Quoted from Jackal

Obviously money is the big issue before any new stadium can be built so no idea if it will ever happen but I’ve recently been to a stadium which would suit town very well.

I was invited to watch between St Helens and Wigan at the Totally Wicked stadium in St Helens.
While watching the guys with odd shaped balls knock the crap out of each other all I kept thinking was this would be perfect stadium for town.

It’s capacity is 18000 but take a few thousand off that for football as they have standing terraces at each end.

The atmosphere and acoustics are fabulous. The Mariners roar would be deafening.

Total cost £25m at the time so maybe with inflation beyond our reach but look it up and see what you think,  

We can dream UTM .  

Judging by Google images it's a great looking stadium. I see it was built in 2012 so I dread to think what something like that would cost today. I just cannot see how we can stay at Blundell Park indefinitely. But, as Poojah points out, where is the thirty plus million coming from, to pay for the stadium? Unless a very wealthy benefactor comes along, I fear GTFC have missed that boat!

Quoted from Poojah

It's a decent enough stadium, I'll give you that, but £25m in 2011 is probably close to £50m now given the huge inflation in key construction materials. Not that you'd be able to finance a substantial chunk of it through borrowing, but the cost of any borrowing we might what to do is already 5x higher than it would have been back then.

We should never say never, but there is simply no viable way of GTFC funding a new stadium in the shape we are in today and the macro economic climate as it is. I saw a quote from JS the other day saying they won't talk about anything they are not in a position to deliver; there's a difference between not wanting to do something and not being able to.

It's a conversation we can park for the time being.

£40.2M

https://www.hl.co.uk/tools/calculators/inflation-calculator

Quoted from TheRealJohnLewis

£40.2M

https://www.hl.co.uk/tools/calculators/inflation-calculator

That’s just “general” inflation though. The cost of fundamental construction materials has risen at a much steeper rate - we’d almost certainly be closer to £50m than £40m. And I say that regrettably; I’d love a new ground for Town.

[img]https://www.base-4.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Construction-Materials-Prices.jpg[/img]

I agree with all the comments as they are facts and my post wasn’t to be flippant over cost, as I said we can dream.

There is a more serious point though . Blundell Park at some point has to be refurbished or demolished.
If the club is to be sustainable it has to be ambitious in its approach regarding a new ground or it will inevitably have rein in its long term ambitions. The costs won’t get cheaper.

I don’t have the answers but maybe it is as commented above just a benefactor,  or perhaps corporate contributions plus a hotel plus retail plus a benefactor etc etc  
Grimsby has too many supermarkets but as a reference Tesco contributed to the St Helens ground and that resulted in an estimated £5M less cost to the club (So £20m).

The clubs finances can’t justify the spend I’m sure but as the saying goes build it and they will come.
Corporate revenues at St Helen’s dramatically increased after the new stadium opened.

I did ask a lot of questions of my hosts and their core supporter base was only slightly over Grimsby’s but bear in mind St Helens is a deprived area too.  The increase in attendance and corporate revenues was above their best expectations.

People and business are attracted to a good stadium with a good news story of a club,

Like I said I don’t have the answers but there are many ways to get to the destination.
I’m confident our present owners have far more constructive ideas than me.