Welcome To The Jungle Posted April 27, 2018 Report Share Posted April 27, 2018 1 hour ago, Nongazeuse said: The location is good - near about 5 different tube and overground lines so public transport is relatively easy - much better than Twickenham for example. Twickenhams transport links are awful. I normally hang around for a bit when the game is over at most grounds. Applaud and cheer the players off etc. But Twickenham, as soon as the full time whistle goes, I'm off, charging towards Twickenham train station with the elbows out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted April 29, 2018 Report Share Posted April 29, 2018 I`ve got to say that, apart from the match itself, I hated every minute of our last LDV visit. A traffic nightmare - three hours to London from Taunton and another three getting to the stadium meant we had to run to the ground just to get in for kick off and another seven hours getting home (some down to an accident on the M4 TBF though). Thirty quid to park a minibus about a mile from the ground FFS. As others have said it`s an overpriced, overhyped white elephant dumped in the middle of an industrial wasteland with no transport infrastructure. Don`t get me started on the prices either. When I think back to our first visit to Wembley v Bolton the experience now is ten times worse than it was then. I would seriously consider not bothering to go if we got there again in anything other than a major final in the future and even then I`d aim to stay in London either side of the game. Why a new stadium wasn`t built outside Birmingham - on the NEC site makes so much sense - I`ll never know. The Wembley `experience` has been so devalued now with twelve teams getting to play there each season (is it only something like about twenty clubs in the entire league that haven`t played there at least once?) that there is no magic about it any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS3_RED Posted April 29, 2018 Report Share Posted April 29, 2018 If we were to have a national stadium then is should have been based in the midlands. Yes there is a nostalgia to Wembley and it would be sad that it is no longer ours but if all the money goes into grass roots football and the England national team get to go around the country again (which was brill) then I am all for it. I am not bothered about the NFL argument as I am a fan of the NFL and will get to see my Packers over here every now and then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redapple Posted April 29, 2018 Report Share Posted April 29, 2018 On 26/04/2018 at 22:15, finbarr_in_z said: Indeed, the view is fine. It's just everything else that isn't. It might be because I’m aging and I’m more Victor Meldrew than Victor Valdés but I loved the old Wembley. I used to cream my pants seeing it from a distance . I loved Wembley Way, the Twin Towers were just iconic. The whole stadium wreaked of history, and it was easy to lose yourself in thought. The toilets might have been crap and the bars basic, but the place had something special about it. The new Wembley feels very plastic. There must be several Sports Stadium superior in the UK. Cardiff and Old Trafford, Twickenham and maybe even St James Park. I’d have no problem in selling it and building a new Stadium in the midlands as long they learn from mistakes. However I don’t expect that to happen. They’ll just cream the money. Never trust the FA to act in anyone’s interests other than those who run it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finbarr_in_z Posted April 30, 2018 Report Share Posted April 30, 2018 15 hours ago, redapple said: I’d have no problem in selling it and building a new Stadium in the midlands as long they learn from mistakes. However I don’t expect that to happen. They’ll just cream the money. Never trust the FA to act in anyone’s interests other than those who run it. They'll rent it back for finals. Although expect odd dates & times to accommodate the far-more-important US fancy-dress catch games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlintSaidNo Posted April 30, 2018 Report Share Posted April 30, 2018 Big fan of the new Wembley personally, the transport to and from the stadium is much better than any other similarly sized stadium I’ve been to (Millenium Stadium in particular). Of course it’s not the same as the old Wembley, but I think for cup finals etc. the atmosphere’s decent. The only real issues with atmosphere come at England games, and I think that’s more symptomatic of a wider issue than because of the stadium. I’ve always felt that it’s a very modern stadium, and so couldn’t really be more different from the old Wembley, but if they had just tried to copy the old one it never would have been as good. For me, the new Wembley has always given a ‘special occasion’ feel every time I’ve been, and I think it would be a massive shame if they were to sell it off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathredwood Posted April 30, 2018 Report Share Posted April 30, 2018 On 26/04/2018 at 13:36, Welcome To The Jungle said: One thing about England and Scotland that is quite unique is that we not only have national stadia, but we have one for Football and one for Rugby. If you think of most other nations, particularly in Europe, most play international games and cup finals at Club stadiums. Other countries with national stadia such as France will use this stadium for almost all international games and major finals for all sports. However our desire in Britain to retain traditional homes, such as Twickenham and Wembley is clearly not as cost effective. Just look at the FA cup final ticket prices and you'll see how desperate the FA are for cash. The Scottish FA are still considering leaving Hampden as the costs are just too high, the same problem there. What is odd is the two biggest stadia in England are Wembley and Twickenham, and they are not being used week in week out. Compare this to other countries like Spain, Germany and Italy, where the biggest stadia are used every week. This is not the usage that it perhaps needs to be viable. For that reason, when an offer comes in, then of course the FA will be tempted. If it was under public ownership then we could protect national icons such as Wembley and Twickenham, because the FA and RFU can always be tempted. Hampden is owned by Queens Park F.C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathredwood Posted April 30, 2018 Report Share Posted April 30, 2018 On 26/04/2018 at 16:52, RoystonFoote'snephew said: Firstly, nothing can be ‘quite unique’. It is either unique or not, and as both England and Scotland both have national stadiums for football and rugby then it is clearly not unique. As for selling to a foreign investor that’s hardly a surprise. A large proportion of London’s real estate is out of English hands, so why should Wembley be any different. Personally, I believe the ‘home’ of English football has been cheapened for years, and especially so since it’s regular use by American wimpball, a sport where a guy wearing Kevlar runs off to the locker room having broken his finger nail. If the Fa can get a good price and use the money for the betterment of football as a whole, rather than chuck it down the throats of premiership clubs, then I’m for it. As an aside, Wembley is very red and white. Don’t the Jacksonville Jaguars play in blue? I'm guessing you've never watched the game let alone tried it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiderEyed Posted April 30, 2018 Report Share Posted April 30, 2018 17 minutes ago, nathredwood said: I'm guessing you've never watched the game let alone tried it! Stop start, overtly capitalist, predominantly adverts, meatheads running at each other for no discernible reason. If Guardiolas Man City is Jazz, American Football is Death Metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathredwood Posted April 30, 2018 Report Share Posted April 30, 2018 Just some context... I've seen information flying around for years now that the NFL will have a London based franchise by 2022. Despite this potential sale the likely home for that team is White Hart Lane. They have signed a long term deal with the league and the stadium has been designed with cohabiting in mind. What Khan is doing is trying to manoeuvre himself into pole position amongst 32 team owners. The owners run the league, they appoint the Commissioner and the various officials who then go off and make them all even richer than they already are. Before any franchise packs up and moves all the owners would need to agree. In most cases they will only do so once compensation has been paid to those who are staying put. Khan wants to own a London based stadium (capable of hosting NFL games). In doing so he holds a lot of the cards. He realistically has first dibs on moving the Jags. But... Should he decide to stay put or the owners choose someone else then he would have a lot to gain! Its all a big chess match. Recently two teams moved to LA and the behind the scenes scheming that lead up to that was unbelievable. Stan Kroenke (Arsenal Owner) bought the land for the LA based stadium well before talks began on who should be allowed to move. Personally, if the FA could be trusted to take the money and spend it on grassroots football then I'd be all for it. I don't believe they would do that however so I would prefer they stay out of the NFL owners little games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welcome To The Jungle Posted April 30, 2018 Report Share Posted April 30, 2018 33 minutes ago, nathredwood said: Hampden is owned by Queens Park F.C. And the Stade de France isn't owned by the FFF. Not sure what your point is. Could you elaborate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathredwood Posted May 1, 2018 Report Share Posted May 1, 2018 20 hours ago, Welcome To The Jungle said: And the Stade de France isn't owned by the FFF. Not sure what your point is. Could you elaborate. That Wembley being owned by the FA is not a requirement for it to be used as the national stadium. As you kindly point out the FFF and SFA manage to play games in a stadium they do not own. No matter what anyone thinks this move means I don't see our culture changing to the point that people see Wembley as an American Football stadium first and a Football stadium second. Aside from the fact I don't believe it will ever become the home of a franchise in any case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoons Posted May 1, 2018 Report Share Posted May 1, 2018 Sell Wembley for £1 billion to the mad yank, build a new national stadium in the Midlands near motorway and train links for about £150 million. Invest the rest back into the game at grass roots. Stop local clubs grounds being sold off for houses etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CotswoldRed Posted May 2, 2018 Report Share Posted May 2, 2018 23 hours ago, Spoons said: Sell Wembley for £1 billion to the mad yank, build a new national stadium in the Midlands near motorway and train links for about £150 million. Invest the rest back into the game at grass roots. Stop local clubs grounds being sold off for houses etc. Good idea. Although will need lots more than £150m. Can't imagine it being less than £500m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoons Posted May 2, 2018 Report Share Posted May 2, 2018 1 minute ago, CotswoldRed said: Good idea. Although will need lots more than £150m. Can't imagine it being less than £500m. If you colder develop Aston gate for £47 million in sure £150 could build a nice new 70,000 seat stadium. Cost £757million to rebuild Wembley and only£75 million to rebuild Cardiff arms park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonM88 Posted May 2, 2018 Report Share Posted May 2, 2018 27 minutes ago, Spoons said: If you colder develop Aston gate for £47 million in sure £150 could build a nice new 70,000 seat stadium. Cost £757million to rebuild Wembley and only£75 million to rebuild Cardiff arms park. 150 million would get you nowhere. Spurs new stadium cost them 750 million. Chelsea’s is about to cost them around 1 billion (rumoured). Liverpool’s expansion cost 114 million, and that was just a tier of seating. 150 million is pittance when talking big construction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CotswoldRed Posted May 3, 2018 Report Share Posted May 3, 2018 On 02/05/2018 at 13:39, Spoons said: If you colder develop Aston gate for £47 million in sure £150 could build a nice new 70,000 seat stadium. Cost £757million to rebuild Wembley and only£75 million to rebuild Cardiff arms park. Ashton Gate was already owned. Presumably the FA would have to fork out tens of millions for any land before even a spade hits the ground, and that's without all the professional fees. Ashton Gate is comparatively tiny compared to the needs of a national stadium. The new Wembley has over 600 toilets. We have a few dozen I'd imagine. Etc etc. If its going to be built with better access in mind then presumably it will also need supporting infrastructure of access roads, car parking and so on. Genuinely believe anything under £500m will get the FA a cheap, flat pack, Cardiff-esque half-baked ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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