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Bristol R*vers dustbin thread


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1 hour ago, Steve Watts said:

Aren't they 2 months from the original grand opening date?  And not a hole has been dug thus far....  And still the alarm bells don't ring for them?!?

Exactly. They should be in some sort of planning stage now around the works starting, the logistics of that etc, not in discussions surely.

I don't remember the details of our own timeline to the AG rebuild but i think it's fair to say 6 months away from the work starting, you would expect that all the I's were dotted and the T's crossed.

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34 minutes ago, Gazred said:

Exactly. They should be in some sort of planning stage now around the works starting, the logistics of that etc, not in discussions surely.

I don't remember the details of our own timeline to the AG rebuild but i think it's fair to say 6 months away from the work starting, you would expect that all the I's were dotted and the T's crossed.

Here's what basically happened:

- In the last 12 months or so of Higgs' reign at Rovers the club looked at ways they could make UWE happen. These included plans/inquiries in regard to providing residential accommodation at both the UWE site and at the Mem in order to make the scheme viable. Problem is partners were needed for these schemes, so they were far from straightforward and the value of the Mem for residential was considerably less than what Sainsbury's were willing to pay. It is my impression that once these options were exhausted Higgs decision was made to sell up and he was looking for a buyer months before Wael eventually came in.

- I do not know how Higgs sold the UWE project to Wael, though I expect a rather more positive spin was put on it than should've been. Remember the appeal to the courts was still being processed at this time. How much Higgs divulged in terms of the fact they had already looked at pretty much all possibilities of making it happen I don't know. But anyway, what is clear is that Wael soon found out there was a rather large hole in the funding of the project and instead of saying "no problem guys, I've got this!" he went on a number of business trips (like going to watch his beloved Chelsea!)  to see if he could find OTHER PEOPLE willing to invest in the project and basically pick up the tab left by Sainsbury's deserting the project. Amazingly, there were no takers.

Now, I have been out of the loop for sometime so don't know what the absolute latest is but the long and short of it appears to be that unless Wael (or his family or whatever) are willing to dip into their pockets to the tune of £20m-odd then it simply won't be going ahead. I have heard some say that UWE may help contribute to the costs for some kind of benefit - NOT going to happen! UWE already have the naming rights for the lifespan of the stadium AND are gifting Rovers the land! What else could this project possibly offer them? Despite being a charity UWE are a shrewd operator when it comes to making money and they ain't gonna piss money away just to help Rovers out.

I suspect Rovers could start the build before next January if they really wanted to but likelihood of it happening is slim to nothing as far as I'm concerned. Have heard NOTHING to suggest it's going ahead.

Either way they'll simply have to make an announcement by September I'd say. Will be interesting. If Wael isn't going to fund UWE, you have to wonder what he is willing to fund as a new site is going to cost a lot more than UWE and a redevelopment of the Mem similarly very pricey - must be looking at £20m ish and it's heavily constrained in planning terms. They're looking at 18k capacity max there.

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16 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Here's what basically happened:

- In the last 12 months or so of Higgs' reign at Rovers the club looked at ways they could make UWE happen. These included plans/inquiries in regard to providing residential accommodation at both the UWE site and at the Mem in order to make the scheme viable. Problem is partners were needed for these schemes, so they were far from straightforward and the value of the Mem for residential was considerably less than what Sainsbury's were willing to pay. It is my impression that once these options were exhausted Higgs decision was made to sell up and he was looking for a buyer months before Wael eventually came in.

- I do not know how Higgs sold the UWE project to Wael, though I expect a rather more positive spin was put on it than should've been. Remember the appeal to the courts was still being processed at this time. How much Higgs divulged in terms of the fact they had already looked at pretty much all possibilities of making it happen I don't know. But anyway, what is clear is that Wael soon found out there was a rather large hole in the funding of the project and instead of saying "no problem guys, I've got this!" he went on a number of business trips (like going to watch his beloved Chelsea!)  to see if he could find OTHER PEOPLE willing to invest in the project and basically pick up the tab left by Sainsbury's deserting the project. Amazingly, there were no takers.

Now, I have been out of the loop for sometime so don't know what the absolute latest is but the long and short of it appears to be that unless Wael (or his family or whatever) are willing to dip into their pockets to the tune of £20m-odd then it simply won't be going ahead. I have heard some say that UWE may help contribute to the costs for some kind of benefit - NOT going to happen! UWE already have the naming rights for the lifespan of the stadium AND are gifting Rovers the land! What else could this project possibly offer them? Despite being a charity UWE are a shrewd operator when it comes to making money and they ain't gonna piss money away just to help Rovers out.

I suspect Rovers could start the build before next January if they really wanted to but likelihood of it happening is slim to nothing as far as I'm concerned. Have heard NOTHING to suggest it's going ahead.

Either way they'll simply have to make an announcement by September I'd say. Will be interesting. If Wael isn't going to fund UWE, you have to wonder what he is willing to fund as a new site is going to cost a lot more than UWE and a redevelopment of the Mem similarly very pricey - must be looking at £20m ish and it's heavily constrained in planning terms. They're looking at 18k capacity max there.

I'm sure there's a certain Jersey-based entrepreneur that could lend them a few bob.

/ducks

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14 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Here's what basically happened:

- In the last 12 months or so of Higgs' reign at Rovers the club looked at ways they could make UWE happen. These included plans/inquiries in regard to providing residential accommodation at both the UWE site and at the Mem in order to make the scheme viable. Problem is partners were needed for these schemes, so they were far from straightforward and the value of the Mem for residential was considerably less than what Sainsbury's were willing to pay. It is my impression that once these options were exhausted Higgs decision was made to sell up and he was looking for a buyer months before Wael eventually came in.

- I do not know how Higgs sold the UWE project to Wael, though I expect a rather more positive spin was put on it than should've been. Remember the appeal to the courts was still being processed at this time. How much Higgs divulged in terms of the fact they had already looked at pretty much all possibilities of making it happen I don't know. But anyway, what is clear is that Wael soon found out there was a rather large hole in the funding of the project and instead of saying "no problem guys, I've got this!" he went on a number of business trips (like going to watch his beloved Chelsea!)  to see if he could find OTHER PEOPLE willing to invest in the project and basically pick up the tab left by Sainsbury's deserting the project. Amazingly, there were no takers.

Now, I have been out of the loop for sometime so don't know what the absolute latest is but the long and short of it appears to be that unless Wael (or his family or whatever) are willing to dip into their pockets to the tune of £20m-odd then it simply won't be going ahead. I have heard some say that UWE may help contribute to the costs for some kind of benefit - NOT going to happen! UWE already have the naming rights for the lifespan of the stadium AND are gifting Rovers the land! What else could this project possibly offer them? Despite being a charity UWE are a shrewd operator when it comes to making money and they ain't gonna piss money away just to help Rovers out.

I suspect Rovers could start the build before next January if they really wanted to but likelihood of it happening is slim to nothing as far as I'm concerned. Have heard NOTHING to suggest it's going ahead.

Either way they'll simply have to make an announcement by September I'd say. Will be interesting. If Wael isn't going to fund UWE, you have to wonder what he is willing to fund as a new site is going to cost a lot more than UWE and a redevelopment of the Mem similarly very pricey - must be looking at £20m ish and it's heavily constrained in planning terms. They're looking at 18k capacity max there.

Cheers Kid.

All in all then, any options open to them require a bucket load of cash to be invested out of someone's pocket. Can't see it happening from the current owners from what they have invested so far.

I think their best bet is some sort of medium term phased development of The Mem, work it one side/end at a time. Still got to find some wedge for that though but it would be a step in the right direction.

Would save a few quid on the demolition costs of the current patch though. Most of the 'stadia' can be taken down in a day and popped on the back of a van.

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21 hours ago, JamesBCFC said:

Manor Farm have 3 stands* on one side of the pitch, just think of their potential!

 

*Well, it's one stand, one bit of covered terracing that has a few chairs most of the time and one bit of covered terracing with a bar stool. But as there is seating I am calling it a stand.

I know. I always feel a tinge of envy when I drive past.

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3 hours ago, Gazred said:

Exactly. They should be in some sort of planning stage now around the works starting, the logistics of that etc, not in discussions surely.

I don't remember the details of our own timeline to the AG rebuild but i think it's fair to say 6 months away from the work starting, you would expect that all the I's were dotted and the T's crossed.

I think a problem is that the eyes are crossed.

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I don't want to quote all of @Kid in the Riotsaid excellent post, but it does help me understand why Wael of fortune (as no one is calling him) thought he could raise investment in a league one ground. The student accommodation partners would have potentially easier to find, however I am sure the stumbling block is that, if the rest of the project stalls, so does the accommodation.

Any wise investors would spot that flaw straight away.

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1 hour ago, Port Said Red said:

I don't want to quote all of @Kid in the Riotsaid excellent post, but it does help me understand why Wael of fortune (as no one is calling him) thought he could raise investment in a league one ground. The student accommodation partners would have potentially easier to find, however I am sure the stumbling block is that, if the rest of the project stalls, so does the accommodation.

Any wise investors would spot that flaw straight away.

It's worth remembering actually that the scheme to redevelop the Mem relied on student accommodation being provided on-site, which is no longer required.

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1 hour ago, Port Said Red said:

I don't want to quote all of @Kid in the Riotsaid excellent post, but it does help me understand why Wael of fortune (as no one is calling him) thought he could raise investment in a league one ground. The student accommodation partners would have potentially easier to find, however I am sure the stumbling block is that, if the rest of the project stalls, so does the accommodation.

Any wise investors would spot that flaw straight away.

Bonus points for Wael Of Fortune!

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I see the makers of the Sags' awesome Dribuild stand have built a Giraffe House for the Wild Place. Could this be the start of the long heralded new stadium? I can see how giraffes would fit into their style if "football".

.

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On 02/06/2017 at 14:41, Coombsy said:

Hamer sounded up beat; but he said BRFC are still talking to UWE until either side decided to walk away, which is spin talk to say both sides are not close to a deal, so we better get on tidy up the pitch because we are not leaving the MEM any time soon. Unfortunately the MEM is at best a league 2 ground, which is why IMO if both parties cannot ****, get off the pot, and move on. To me if WAQ does have any serious money, which is questionable, because we have not seen any, yet, why not refurb the MEM, we dont need any more than 16/17k seats. Just get on with it, we left Eastvile in 1986.

There was no problem with Sainsbury's right up until the pulled the plug

they had a strong water tight contract right up until the case was thrown out.......twice

and now they are still in discussions with uwe....

do you see a pattern here?

yet those thick ***** will roll over and accept everything that's why hey will always be in our shadow

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More delusion from their forum ...................

 

Topic -  Liverpool to wear Gas Shirts

Quote

Liverpool copy Gas Shirts for new season

Except that the report quoted states "Liverpool's away kit is based upon the first strip the club wore in 1892" and Rovers wore quarters from 1931/32

So Liverpool are "copying" something they did 40 years before Rovers. :rofl2br::rofl2br::rofl2br:

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14 minutes ago, cynic said:

They are not in a good place and their supporters should be asking some serious questions.

The 10m debt has not gone away, just transferred to an offshore company and they are losing 1m per annum.

That debt could be transferred back to the club and the ground sold by the offshore company - nice profit for Wally and his family.

 

 

Deep down they all know this but refuse to believe it, they`re just whistling past the graveyard.

Incidentally, can we have an emoji with it`s fingers in it`s ears and `la,la,la.` under it that we can use when we post stuff about their latest woes?

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4 hours ago, cynic said:

Gashead I spoke to recently thinks they are in a great place - debt free and getting a new 21k seater stadium (not in doubt apparently, done deal). Apparently Wally is "one of them" ooh er missus, and won't do the dirty on 'em. For what its worth, I think Wally is probably ok (kid in a sweet shop), its his family I would be worried about.

I'll have a wind up chat with the deluded idiot tonight in the pub to get the latest goings on (in his head). 

I think we must share the same acquaintances

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4 hours ago, cynic said:

Gashead I spoke to recently thinks they are in a great place - debt free and getting a new 21k seater stadium (not in doubt apparently, done deal). Apparently Wally is "one of them" ooh er missus, and won't do the dirty on 'em. For what its worth, I think Wally is probably ok (kid in a sweet shop), its his family I would be worried about.

I'll have a wind up chat with the deluded idiot tonight in the pub to get the latest goings on (in his head). 

I have to be honest: I think they'll get the UWE. Cant put my finger on why - but I reckon its on.

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