Red34

Laughing at their situation but also how frickin huge that owl looks on my mobile screen!

Agreed and I'd love them to face bankruptcy. I'm sure the fans would reform it and play on the Downs like they've always threatened but that's fine with me. Considering how much blood, sweat and tears (and money) all the City fans put in in 82 keeping us afloat while Rovers blocked the council helping us and tried to pinch the Gate cheap (history repeats itself with the Mem!) while revelling in our misfortune I'm happy to watch them go pop

I'm pretty certain that they wouldn't attract gates of 15k easily. Except when we're taking on big teams or have been doing really well this season, we've only been getting 17 or 18k at times these last few years. As you say their support is lower than ours so I doubt they could get that close to it, apart from the initial curiosity bump, especially if the on-pitch entertainment stays so poor. Also think you missed my biggest point, which was that selling out a 12k stadium with great conference facilities etc. that makes millions each year from corporate income is better than a 20k stadium they'd be unlikely to sell out with very little corporate facilities. They're losing money hand over fist and quite clearly need non-matchday income.

The bit I always find amusing is the insistence they need a bigger stadium to survive, when they don't even sell out the Mem. In reality it's more they need a new one with good corporate facilities etc. to make extra cash (even at the expense of capacity given their poor attendances but dire losses) rather than more seats / standing room

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/15/archaeologist-rich-history-bradford-lost-football-ground Could this be the Mem in 40 years time? Admittedly though this ground in the 70s was still better than the tent city... Interesting they went under "in the shadow of their more successful rivals Bradford City" (BCFC)

I watched the remembrance video on Scunthorpe's Twitter - looks like he carried on warming up while stood in line for the silence. Some of their other players were doing it too but stopped when the silence stared I think. Imagine that must be it...?

Stay classy Gasheads...

Ok now appears the 700 he mentioned might actually be what he paid for them both, not their weekly wage. I can't decide if that's better or worse?!

Any idea what their number 3 did during the remembrance ceremonies? Scunthorpe fans seem annoyed, accusing him of disrespect (not that that surprises me)...

Seems he was talking about today's back 2, I think only one of which is their standard CB (as much as Dopey has a set team!) But yeah McDonald's would be much less embarrassing and a lot less grief...

According to Dopey's post match interview, their back 2 are on less than 700 a week combined. Now I know we only hear about Prem wages so maybe I'm just expecting too much but isn't that only just above minimum wage?!

Swissgas on their forums (one of the few who seems reasonably intelligent) pointed out: As their 2017 accounts aren't due to be posted till April or later they're not going to get the maintain support promise until it's too late. So EddieHitler's thinking the charge will max out in March corresponds to that timeframe... Fingers crossed!

You'd hope so but he seems to have an opinion on players etc. which you'd hope none of our lot would lower themselves to watching...

It really is the level of delusion... They're discussing how it'd be nice if stadiums can be upgraded to 80k if they reached the Champions League: http://gaschat.co.uk/thread/11049/on-scenes?page=16 I mean we're a lot closer to it and I still don't think I'll see the day City are regularly playing in the Champions League. It'd be really, really nice and I wish it would happen, but I'm realistic enough to realise it's probably not!

Wow the fact they can't even think of the word "lend" is really something. And they seem so sure than minority shareholders in positions of power in a bank can do as they wish, or have vast reserves of liquid cash rather than tied up in shares (see Mike Ashley's comment about struggling to invest extra money in Newcastle as good wealth is all tied up in SportsDirect shares). And that's even if Hani is letting another penny go to that black hole of cash - which isn't the case if their forums are to be believed... (To be fair City were a black hole for cash too for many years - this year is the only one we might even break even due to the Man U game and high attendances, difference is our owner keeps getting richer and can liquidify cash easily)

That belter BradfordMyerBriggs is up to it again : Doesn't seem to realise we don't have to be embarrassed about who we support - we're in a good league and don't have a tent city for a ground... And I'd imagine they do pretend to be lovely and accommodating to Gasheads, while quietly motioning to the rest of the staff to bolt everything to the floor...

Good point - at least this year we won't have to put up with the "we're taking 100k Gasheads to Wembley!" crap

As for the Checkatrade, I admit I don't care what their attendance was and agree about devaluing the cup as I see it as "ours" given we've won it the most times (think at 3 we should have been given it for good!) But the result is definitely worth the hilarity - particularly that some on there are using the dislike for the Prem U21 changes as a reason why losing was ok. It doesn't matter that it's a crap tournament now - you still put out one of your strongest side against a 4th division club (with 7 changes who played with 10 men for a large part) and lost! Even their manager admits something is wrong, and fair play to some of them realising they're screwed and that DC isn't probably the main cause, but money. They're even using us sticking with LJ as an example which might not go down well with the more rabid red haters!

Think when they've been sizing it up for their super, mega-sized stadium (the one that has to be bigger than the Gate or they're not interested) they've been estimating about 4 acres. Weren't Sainsburys going to pay £18m, which everyone realised was well over the top? Most recent estimates I've heard are about £12m at most. Your rough calculations are very close I'd imagine, just add in the infrastructure costs such as internal roads and working on a site with such poor access

You know they'd be whining about why isn't the taxman paying for a new stadium, why is he being so mean and demanding money when clearly the Gas deserve charity...

We need to warn everyone around on behalf of our egg chasing Bristol Sport cousins and their ground loss. Bristol Rovers are like a vampire - never invite them in! Or maybe an infestation...

I'm not even sure there was much of an initial purchase cost. From what I've heard of Higgs and the debts, it sounds like the purchase may have been for a token amount (£1 say), with the agreement to take on the debts including those to the old directors. As Higgs etc would be getting their loans back I imagine they were just happy with not having lost it all to administration when the Wonga loan was called in. And as all debts are being paid by the club according to the accounts, as you suggest Dwane Sports can walk away with their interest payments and maybe the Colony, take the Mem due to the charge and just fold Rovers... Good profit already, and if they then sat on the Mem site for a few years until it's worth even more than the valuation for the charge at call in time, it could be a great profit...

I can't actually decide which has brightened my days more! Santa's grotto. UWE cancellation. Sainsburys watertight contract. Championship ready sprinklers that break. Nope can't decide!

Had a quick look (I'd never bet though as I'd consider it as cursing our season!) and we're 7/2, so even shorter odds than that at the moment

Think Eddie might have posted a link to it before, but was taking a look at the planning application to change those 2 constraints when they bought the Colony: http://developments.southglos.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=OCS0FUOKG6G00 Firstly - in the constraints tab it seems to mention a lot about flooding. Anyone who understands the planning stuff know if that means it's likely to flood often?! Secondly - the documents tab is fun - as well as the first document highlighting the amount of constraints they have to meet, the letters below it from those in favour are funny: Also one who reckons anyone disagreeing with the development should be look at with suspicion "as they might have ulterior motives" - they really are paranoid...