New stadium thread

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5BRj6DimWp/?igsh=MW91bzkwdjdvd2dhag==

 

The stadium hosts two rugby matches this weekend, starting with the EPCR Challenge Cup final tonight.
Sharks face Gloucester at 8pm and it's on TNT Sport.
Tomorrow is the Champions Cup Final between Leinster and Toulouse at 2.45pm.
That's also on TNT Sport, but ITV4 have it too.

**** knows what the pitch is going to be like for the U21s in the PL2 final on Sunday.
I'm going to guess that it won't be great.

 

I thought the rugby matches were on the Astro.

 

The world's greatest NFL team will be gracing your stadium this year. Hopefully I'll get tickets.

 

I know about a dozen lads going over for the Leinster game. Paying around £400 return for the flights from Dublin!

 

Different pitches surely?

 

Not sure if they will have time to change the pitch overnight!

 

The last two Saracens matches have been on the grass.

 

Rumours are emerging that the club is intending to....

...build another bloody stadium!!!

The purpose is to house the women's and youth teams' games in Tottenham, as it's said to be planned to sit on the Ikea site.

That would go some significant distance in explaining ENIC's change of heart in seeking an expansion of capital investment, after years of it seeming to be an obvious next step, that they refused to pursue. It would certainly make the hotel/housing developments affordable, whilst continuing their never-ending development plans, and still avoiding seeking a full sale, when we're borrowed up to the hilt.

I'm not against the idea. The women's game is a coming area of significant expansion. If there's a time to do such a thing, then it's now, before land prices in the area make it a complete no-no...but is the day coming when the building stops and the club's real primary focus is on winning trophies?

You may well ask...when it does, I hope my grandchildren enjoy it!

 

Cannot wait to see the boundary change to enable that.

 

Where did you hear that, Brian?
The Ikea site would make a lot of sense. I wonder if they're considering doing what MK Dons did?
Asda and Ikea basically paid for their ground and the arena next door, by all accounts.
Same architect as our actual stadium, too.

 

Better plan than building on park land...can't believe the council agreed to sell Park land to the club

 

I heard it from a family friend (who has some info come his way from time to time) a while back. At that stage, it was more of a matter of ongoing consideration, than something the club was actively pursuing.

A few days ago, I saw it being discussed on another fan forum and the suggestion is that it is now more than just a consideration. The land has been up for sale for some time, maybe things have aligned for the club to progress this. If the stadium was shared, with someone like Saracens, whose current stadium holds 10,000 and you stuck a roof on it, it'd have great potential to be an event venue as well.

It's a good idea, if it could be financed right. That's ENIC's stock in trade, so no fears there. Provided that it and the hotel and other construction projects don't take over the club's financial and administrative thinking, in the way that the main stadium did, I'm actually all for it.

Anyway, we shall see, as there's supposed to be a beauty parade of prospective investors coming up very soon...which, if successful in finding a suitable candidate, will reveal why ENIC have decided to seek additional financing now, having rejected the idea for nearly 25 years.

 

Levy's greatest failure, in my opinion, was not delegating during the stadium build.
Not hiring a Paratici or similar Director of Football held us back for years.
I'd be far less concerned about any distractions now we've got one in place.

 

Yeah you’d hope that’s what Scott Munn and Lange etc. under him would be handling for Levy. Let him go and make us money.

 

The lesson that numerous club owners and chairman never seem to learn:
Do what you're good at and hire experienced, proven people for the stuff that you're not.
Mr Amstrad was particularly clueless in that area.

 

This was probably my biggest concern watching Levy's conduct as portrayed in the Amazon documentary. Now I get it, he probably wanted to come across in a certain way in front of a camera, but still: he seemed far, far too close to the footballing side of things and those involved in that for a chairman of a multi billion pound company overseeing the redevelopment of a large corner of the capital city.

There is no version of reality where such a person should have the time or headspace to talk about AC Milan with Danny Rose over a croissant, or give Tanguy Ndombele a pep talk about his O-levels.

 

It does feel and always has (to me) that the owners give priority to the property portfolio over the playing side.

I know others will argue and say that long term it helps maximise income but how long are we to wait?

 

As long as it takes.

The only shortcut is cheating, as demonstrated by City.

And even cheating isn't a surefire path to constant success, as demonstrated by Chelsea.

Our biggest problems in recent years hasn't been money or a bigger focus on corporate side of things. It has been a combination of extremely short term thinking (ironic considering the stadium is a 20-year old project), as reflected in our choices of manager after Poch left, and panicking too easily.