Liverpool look like getting a massive new stadium. Sunderland, Boro and Derby can increase theirs ad infintum at very little cost. Arsenal are on the move. I needed go into OT's situation. Anyone worried that our hugely costly stadium will be behind the times within about 3 years? It would take another engineering feat of equal cost to raise the Gallowgate and even then, we'd only be looking at about 60,000. Those do-gooding f...s in Leazes Terrace should be shot.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Answers

Sunderland, Boro and Derby will not need to extend their capacity when they are in Division One.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

And 3 years is a long time in football.....let's see if we can fill our yet (course we can)...then lets see if there is any NEED for a larger stadium before we start getting jealous of other larger stadia...

There's also Pay Per View on the way....could (i hope not!) change the football landscape beyond all recognition...

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Gav, I'm not jealous about other stadia but I do worry about our having to bankrupt ourselves to achieve anything that'll compete. You're right, though: Pool have more out of towners possibly than Man United so they'd be affected by pay per view..

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

It's not the so-called "do-gooders in Leazes Terrace" that should be shot, it's those with the lack of vision to see what a fantastic community asset could and should have been created by developing/lanscaping the entire Castle Leazes, Leazes and St. James Park areas all the way from Fenham Barracks to Gallowgate.
A simply unbelievable, one-off opportunity was wasted for posterity, and we must live with the consequences for ever.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

they just mentioned this on the radio. Apparently in the US the 'football' matches are broadcast on pay-per-view - but not in the team's home town [no idea if this is true: I never watch US football over here, let alone over there]. The idea is that people in the team's town go to the games and people further away pay to watch the matches on telly.

Also, an empty stadium could mean falling entrance prices which could mean more kids watching which could mean a team of 17-year-old shearer/beardsley/gazza/waddle clones in a few years. And meanwhile, fat freddie and dirty doug will win Nobel peace prizes for their services to the female race and Andreas Andersson will return as our treble-winning playmaking player/manager. You may be able to spot that I've just returned from the pub, where I sank several large pints on an empty stomach... I shall now retire into my blissful optimism and wait for Britney Spears to call.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

I think 52,000 is more than adequate as a capacity.

I posed the question on the RTG board about when was the last 50,000+ gate in the north-east ?

Anyone on here care to guess (without looking up Jonno) when our last 50,000+ League and Cup games were. If anyone can off the top of their head name the last three teams watched by more than 50,000 at ST James Park, without looking it up, deserve a big kiss for Bill. As a clue I saw the Cup game and the last league game, but the second last 50,000+ league game was before I was allowed to go. The last league one was during a miners strike, if that helps.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

I think the 'need' for grounds with 60,000+ capacities is not really there.

Over the last three seasons, how many times would we have had less than 30,000 if we hadn't bought season tickets. The season ticket syndrome has stopped the end of season fall off in attendances for all clubs. 52,000 is a big number to fill. I don't doubt that Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Sunderland will fill the ground but I don't see 52,000 Geordies gagging to see us play Bradford on the Saturday before Xmas, or Southampotn on a cold February afternoon.

Boro don't have the fan base, Sunderland claim to have a smaller fan base than Newcastle, Derby went years and years without managing to fill the Baseball ground, live in a non-footballing area, have a bald manager, can't ever see them filling 40.

I feel the board have pitched it right at 52, any more and the potential for a half empty ground, with 'only' 30,000 in it would be a big possibility. Sunderland are likely to have 48 capacity next year having attracted 14,000 for their Worthless Cup match last year, with just a wee bit of luck they could have a ground 1/4 full at some point next season. Not worth it.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

I haven't looked this up, honest, but during the 73-74 season we had 55,000 against Leeds on Boxing Day the (I think( 56,000) against Notts Forest in the infamous sixth round cup tie. I stood in the East Paddock for both games and saw very little!

PS I didn't run on the pitch!

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Leeds, as the big team of the early 70's must have been one. The games against Sunderland must have been close on occasions. As for Cup games, it must have been when we had a good run..semis of the League Cup in 76? I know we lost to Man City in the final - can't remember who we beat in the semis. Oh and UEFA of course. Bastia?

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

MacB's right, 52000 will be enough and attendances are likely to start going down with the emergence of pay to view TV. I for one am glad that we have stayed in our spiritual home and not moved to the Johnny Hall Metrodome. I remember the infamous Salford Lass jealously admitting that SJP had kept it's individuality unlike OT. I've met a lot of other fans who like the fact that we have one of the few truly city centre football grounds. Besides it would be hell having to march all the way up Barrack Road from the pub.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Take a look at Derby, lovely new stadium out of town, can't win at home!! Can't even fill it!!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

I know it's off kilta but here's the stadium from the air
Must have sent their planes up a while back though

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Didn't we get 54,000 against Bolton Wanderers? Or maybe it was someone else but 54,000 in the '70s rings a bell. It was 50,000 or as near as possible in '76 v Sunderland. We did of course, have a limited capacity even then.

Anyway, 52,000 is not big enough. People seem to forget those who would come if they could pay on the door. I'm telling you, the possible numbers are mind blowing.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000