New Stadium - A Southampton Fans View.

[Maesknoll Red]

I had an interesting discussion with a Southampton fan last night and his opinion was that moving to a new stadium cost them their Premiership status. He claimed that the Dell was worth 5 or 6 points every season - enough to keep them up - it was always packed, all ticket with a great atmosphere, the stadium has caused the unique atmosphere to be lost and is often far from full.

Whilst it would be nice to see AG modernised and the facilities improved, I'd rather see all efforts / cash spent on achieving promotion and consolidating in the Championship and then when we are selling out every week, looking to expand.

[PhatWill]

Well as the legend goes down on the south coast...Saints employed a building firm from Portsmouth to erect St Mary's. In doing so a Pompey scarf was buried in the foundations of the main stand thus forever cursing the stadium. That's the true reason they went down.

I really liked St Mary's actually, after going there last season to watch Saints v Villa. Saints went 2-0 up and the atmosphere was very impressive (it was a 30k sell-out). They went on to lose 3-2 but the noise generated was still very good.

That said, I see your point, I wonder how many points Krap Nott 'Arf wins Pompey each season?? We'll see, as they are in the process of redeveloping it.

[B-Rizzle]

I had an interesting discussion with a Southampton fan last night and his opinion was that moving to a new stadium cost them their Premiership status. He claimed that the Dell was worth 5 or 6 points every season - enough to keep them up - it was always packed, all ticket with a great atmosphere, the stadium has caused the unique atmosphere to be lost and is often far from full.

Whilst it would be nice to see AG modernised and the facilities improved, I'd rather see all efforts / cash spent on achieving promotion and consolidating in the Championship and then when we are selling out every week, looking to expand.

Good point, but i think the idea is to have the new stand built before we start selling the ground out!

If we wait until success comes then were going to have a major decrease in ticket sales.

[Guest WillsbridgeRed]

It was virtually sold out for most prem games, and still attracts a healthy crowd for Championship football. The dell was a noose, and upon moving to St Marys Southampton reached an FA cup final and the UEFA up.

The reason for Southamptons fall from grace is Rupert Lowe.

City should move on and get a decent ground built. The Dell had a special atmosphere, Ashton Gate certainly doesn't.

[BCFC Grim]

i don't think Hull, swansea and reading are complaining! they are all leaving us for dead!

[City Exile]

i don't think Hull, swansea and reading are complaining! they are all leaving us for dead!

...or indeed Wigan

[mozo]

Ashton Gate hasn't had a good atmosphere recently, but has in past and could again given some tinkering.

For me it's our true home and if we lose it I'd forever be jealous of the clubs that still have old grounds.

[Pilnin]

As said, Southampton were leaving a ground with atmosphere, we'd certainly be leaving/developing one which isn't doing a lot.

[Nogbad the Bad]

It was virtually sold out for most prem games, and still attracts a healthy crowd for Championship football. The dell was a noose, and upon moving to St Marys Southampton reached an FA cup final and the UEFA up.

The reason for Southamptons fall from grace is Rupert Lowe.

City should move on and get a decent ground built. The Dell had a special atmosphere, Ashton Gate certainly doesn't.

Rubbish, you're talking about The Dell in the top flight.

When City were at the top the atmosphere at Ashton Gate beat The Dell hands down.

Southampton's crowds will continue to fall sharply if they don't get promoted in the next couple of seasons. They wouldn't have been able to fill The Dell after a prolonged spell in Div.2, let alone St.Mary's.

[Guest WillsbridgeRed]

Rubbish, you're talking about The Dell in the top flight.

When City were at the top the atmosphere at Ashton Gate beat The Dell hands down.

Southampton's crowds will continue to fall sharply if they don't get promoted in the next couple of seasons. They wouldn't have been able to fill The Dell after a prolonged spell in Div.2, let alone St.Mary's.

And where do you get your evidence for this assertion? Ashton Gate had a good Atmosphere in the 70's you say? Fantastic, what the hell does it matter 30 years later?

[Nogbad the Bad]

As said, Southampton were leaving a ground with atmosphere, we'd certainly be leaving/developing one which isn't doing a lot.

How much atmosphere would The Dell have had if Saints had been out of the top Division for 20+ years?

There's a formidable atmosphere at the Gate when City give the fans the slightest thing to get excited about, even after all these years in the doldrums.

[Guest WillsbridgeRed]

How much atmosphere would The Dell have had if Saints had been out of the top Division for 20+ years?

There's a formidable atmosphere at the Gate when City give the fans the slightest thing to get excited about, even after all these years in the doldrums.

You can't base and arguement on what might have been.

The only formidable thing about the atmosphere at the gate is when the pies sell out early. Pure evil

[Luke_Ciderhead]

A new stadium is the catalyst for success, no doubt.

The proofs in the pudding - Hull have enjoyed two successive promotions on the back of the KC Stadium - It brought them large crowds, better facilities, a better atmosphere and therefore better players.

Swansea look to be repeating the feat. There is a real buzz around their White Rock Stadium right now and are my tip for this seasons league title.

As for Southampton, they were always a side fighting relegation whilst they were at The Dell. When they moved into St Marys, they shot up the table, reached an FA Cup Final and got into europe. They got relegated last season, but that was because of their awful chairman Rupert Lowe who enforced managerial instability.

A new ground for BCFC, or even a redevelopment would do wonders for the morale and finance of this football club!!!

[sbl800]

And where do you get your evidence for this assertion? Ashton Gate had a good Atmosphere in the 70's you say? Fantastic, what the hell does it matter 30 years later?

ITS WORTHY OF A MENTION AND THE GUY IS RIGHT. What the hell does it matter. To you nothing.But to many older supporters it brings back fond memories of a fantastic atmosphere.Unfortunately unless a miracle happens you will never experience such an atmosphere at Ashton Gate. But you can always dream :Sleep12:

[Nogbad the Bad]

A new stadium is the catalyst for success, no doubt.

As for Southampton, they were always a side fighting relegation whilst they were at The Dell. When they moved into St Marys, they shot up the table, reached an FA Cup Final and got into europe. They got relegated last season, but that was because of their awful chairman Rupert Lowe who enforced managerial instability.

Lowe got them the new Stadium didn't he? And the important thing is they were fighting relegation at The Dell but got relegated at their new faceless bowl.

The top flight Dell wasn't a patch on a top flight Ashton Gate for atmosphere BUT it was a difficult place to visit and ( in my opinion) made the difference between relegation and survival on several occasions.

If they don't get back up quickly, Redknapp will leave, their future like Walcott will be sold on, and their crowds will halve. It could go either way, at the moment they are average in the Championship, but there is just as much chance of them leaving that Division downwards as upwards.

When the new Stadium is two thirds empty the true fans who are left will wish like Hell they'd never moved from The Dell, if they don't already.

[Guest WillsbridgeRed]

You can't survive in old dilapidated stadiums, this is precisely why Southampton moved, they looked at the financial reality, rather than stick to a romantic notion that the Dell would bring in the money.

Any Saints fan that would ever bemoan leaving the Dell is a fool, who needs to get a reality check. The Saints will rise again, the youth team wont be sold and St Marys will be sold out every week again.

I fail to see why people are so infatuated with our outdated, costly monolith of a stadium. It offers nothing to fans in terms of facilities, comfort or atmosphere (I don't care what the gate was like in the 70's, without terracing it wont ever recapture the glory days - Move on SBL)

Add to this the fact that the stadium (in its present form) can not bring in non-match day revenue I fail to see any arguments against re-locating holding water.

This is all a pipe dream for me, people not wanting to move from Ashton Gate can thank the NIMBYS in Hengrove or the City council or numerous other parties for staying in BS3 for a very long time to come.