Ground redevelopment

[binners]

I thought I read somewhere ages ago about the possibility of lowering the playing surface by 30 or so feet thereby enabling extended capacity all round.

 

[Macman]

Makes me smile about not redeveloping until we 'are established in the Premier League'. Surely, unless you are one of the top 6, any team in the Premier League is one season away from being relegated. Even Stoke, who have waited virtually 10 years before filling in the corner - but even they might get relegated this year.

We could get promoted, spend 5 years in the PL, get into Europe, rebuild Molineux, then get relegated.

Rebuild now!

 

[Derby Wolf]

Asda been open to selling up might not be as crazy as some think.

I worked there years ago and they can't expand out any further and don't have the foundations to do a first floor on top, it's why they binned the petrol station on the car park off and tried to bully the goal post out of their premises With Tesco pulling out of the Royal hospital site it could appeal to them to relocate.

In the grand scheme of things it's a smaller-middle size store so if they could find a site for a superstore I'm sure they'd give it serious thought if we came knocking.

 

[JuliusCaesar]

It's always packed, absolute no chance mate.

That specific Asda store does a higher turnover on its own than Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Only one thing for it, Fosun need to buy Asda. Just turn them all in to Wolves Megastores.

 

[Wswolf]

It should have happened right after the north bank when attendences were down so that fans could have been moved comfortable to other parts. This is another example of poor foresight by previous owners.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Asda been open to selling up might not be as crazy as some think.

I worked there years ago and they can't expand out any further and don't have the foundations to do a first floor on top, it's why they binned the petrol station on the car park off and tried to bully the goal post out of their premises With Tesco pulling out of the Royal hospital site it could appeal to them to relocate.

In the grand scheme of things it's a smaller-middle size store so if they could find a site for a superstore I'm sure they'd give it serious thought if we came knocking.

I agree that this is a logical solution, following the Spurs model by beginning developing a new stadium on the Asda site, then demolishing the current Mol to finish the stadium and whatever associated buildings they include (e.g. Hotel, restaurants, etc). The end result could be something truly reflective of Fosun's long term ambitions for the club and their investment. Think a large part would depend on the role the council plays, and how they allow Fosun to extract full value from their investment while protecting the club. As to when, not until we are established in the PL, and have secured that revenue stream and Fosun begin to see some return on their investment, even if this is just in the potential valuation of the club's assets.

 

[Deleted member 3604]

Ah ... those long forgotten days when we struggled to get 17k on a Tuesday night. It's been ages since we had a build the ground thread.

 

[Big Nosed Wolf]

'Just' buying Asda. Really?

Lets's suppose this did happen. Wolverhampton council owns the land Molineux stands on. The club has IIRC a 900ish year lease. Think back to why the council owns the land. To prevent it ever being used for purposes other than football ( possibly worded as 'Sport' ).

So Fosun relinquish their lease and demolish Molineux. Demolishing Molineux might bring problems. It would be interesting knowing how everything stands on this issue. Fosun own the structure but could they demolish it? Leaving the council with the land for 'sport' but nothing to facilitate such events. So the council would have to build a sporting arena, if the land can only be used for such.

Meanwhile, Fosun build a shiny Moilineux across the road and (Supposing) the political climate changes and they want out? Supposing they do what several owners have done. Stop/limit investment. They want to sell up and sell to whoever wants it. Nothing stopping whoever that is buying the 'new' Molineux and demolishing it so they can build student accommodation or similar.

Bye Bye WWFC? Who knows?

Things are currently looking rosy . It might not stay that way and once more, the club is in the firing line.

Best stay where Molineux is. Rebuild the Steve Bull and join up to the folly and the South Bank - converted to a standing terrace.The safest option. There will be little need for a capacity above forty five thousand. Even if the club is 'top six' in the PL for a while odds on it wouldn't last for ever and then, as in past times, Molineux would be down to about half full.

Protecting the really long term future of club and stadium should be paramount. History tells it that way.

 

[oldgoldheart]

Knock down the Steve Bull and rebuild it properly.
Knock down the North Bank and do a proper job this time connecting it to the Steve Bull
Extend the South Bank backwards and at the sides connect it to the Steve Bull.

The design priority must be to keep the South Bank as a single tier, no exec seats, no concrete bunkers for the disabled a plain old Kop type stand with an 8k-10k capacity and a low roof. The new Steve Bull and new North Bank should then "feed" off that end. Not the other way around.

When should we do it - at the end of the fifth year as a top half Premiership Club.

Whatever the solution i agree about a low roof. We desperately need real noise and currently we only sort of get that. The beauty of the old north bank (the cow shed) was although small it was really noisy. I wrote to LD about that and said acoustics should play a huge part in the design

 

[Deleted member 4594]

That specific Asda store does a higher turnover on its own than Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Only one thing for it, Fosun need to buy Asda. Just turn them all in to Wolves Megastores.

Good idea!!

 

[Pengwern]

If we go up then the next close season could be used to extend the existing South Bank in a crescent towards the Billy Wright, where the temp stand is at present and extend the roof at the same time. I'd then re-locate the screen and squeeze it between the new South Bank Quadrant and the BW and build a similar Quadrant on the other side of the South Bank during the first season in the Prem. Even without safe standing, those two extensions to the South Bank would add around 4,000, going by the capacity of the North Bank Quadrant. The new Steve Bull could then have its upper tier built while the lower tier was still in use but without a roof, so stick the away fans in there. That way, we would only be 2,000 down on overall capacity while the reconstruction of the Steve Bull was underway and if the new Steve Bull was a continuation of the North Bank & had a capacity of something like 12,000, our overall capacity once it was built would be 7,000 more than now, or close to 38,000.

 

[Deleted member 3604]

Maybe they can have a campaign whereby if they can get 25K ST's they'll develop a stand

 

[goldeneyed]

First team first. We have a long way to go to establish ourselves in the Premiership. That is all that matters right now. The Steve Bull can be re-built in the next two or three years but no major spending until we are satisfied that we have a team/squad that can hold its own in the Prem. I reckon we need four more good Windows to get the personnel right. That means January 2019, the summer of 2018, January 2019 and summer 2019. If all goes well to that point then infrastructural spending could be contemplated.

 

[goldeneyed]

'Wolverhasda' - sounds like an Anglo Saxon king

 

[Ulfhednar]

'Wolverhasda' - sounds like an Anglo Saxon king

Have you seen how fashionable all that's becoming now? We're becoming like America, in going multi-cultural lots of people seem to want to know their roots so they can be part of the ethnic rainbow. I guess the DNA testing is pushing it, they sponsor that Vikings series, that has gone cult. It's advertising hangs round lifestyle stuff like the Guardian culture pages. Given Lady Wulfrun, and Battle of Tettenhall, we could include that within our Wolf identity (as an alternate form) & be very attractive. (I bet that's cringeworthy isn't it).

 

[SakosRightFoot]

Asda been open to selling up might not be as crazy as some think.

I worked there years ago and they can't expand out any further and don't have the foundations to do a first floor on top, it's why they binned the petrol station on the car park off and tried to bully the goal post out of their premises With Tesco pulling out of the Royal hospital site it could appeal to them to relocate.

In the grand scheme of things it's a smaller-middle size store so if they could find a site for a superstore I'm sure they'd give it serious thought if we came knocking.

There is a petrol station on the car park

 

[Mr E]

We've signed a load of exciting players, won three on the bounce and will probably have a couple of thousand seats spare at the weekend which doesn't suggest to me that Molineux is too small. When times are hard, we only get about 20k in. They'll surely want us to be selling out frequently before taking the decision to expand.

They won't spend money for the sake of it or for a vanity project, everything will be measured.

 

[Deleted member 3573J]

We can't buy the Asda, what would happen to all those hilarious posts about a player we've been linked being spotted buying hobnobs in there?

 

[cookey]

There is a petrol station on the car park

Yes there is but it used to be to the right of the store on the expansion car park (where I first talked to MM just after he was appointed and we were filling our cars), then ASDA closed that to extend the car park, a few years later they decided they wanted a new petrol station and tried to bully the Goalpost & the council into letting them expand and demolish one of the profitable pubs in W'ton and put a new petrol station there, there were lots of protests, not least from local residents so they put the small unmanned automatic petrol station on the front.

 

[paddy]

Safe standing can go in over a summer in SB

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

Let's get up and then build a stand, it's always worked well in the past.

 

[GeoffPalmersLeftBoot]

Building a larger South Bank first may be the better option (no idea from an engineering perspective if this would be possible to then join both North and South banks to a new Steve Bull stand afterwards).

It would have less impact on the overall capacity and should be able to be completed quicker than a new Steve Bull.

But as mentioned above lets get to the Premier first and take it from there. The ground is more than big enough while we are in the Championship.

The South Bank supposedly as it is, is capable of having the roof removed and another tier put in place then re-roofed.
This would mean that the South Bank could still be used whilst construction was in progress AND done much more quickly as it would only be the additional tier and back work required doing.
Thus, increasing capacity before knocking down the Steve Bull and rebuilding.
The Steve Bull would take 2 seasons to complete.

 

[SakosRightFoot]

Yes there is but it used to be to the right of the store on the expansion car park (where I first talked to MM just after he was appointed and we were filling our cars), then ASDA closed that to extend the car park, a few years later they decided they wanted a new petrol station and tried to bully the Goalpost & the council into letting them expand and demolish one of the profitable pubs in W'ton and put a new petrol station there, there were lots of protests, not least from local residents so they put the small unmanned automatic petrol station on the front.

I thought most Asda petrol stations were unmanned, so the fuel is cheaper.

 

[greco wolf]

The South Bank supposedly as it is, is capable of having the roof removed and another tier put in place then re-roofed.
This would mean that the South Bank could still be used whilst construction was in progress AND done much more quickly as it would only be the additional tier and back work required doing.
Thus, increasing capacity before knocking down the Steve Bull and rebuilding.
The Steve Bull would take 2 seasons to complete.

Steve bull would take two years. But lower tier could be open after one year like with the north bank

I think if we do improve the south bank surely we need a new stand. If we put another tier on it will it tie up with the new steve bull. It's also really cramped in there bars/toilets etc. So is that the best idea

I'd rather we do it properly. One season with reduced attendance so then so be it

We could put up temporary stands in the two billy Wright corners if needed. If done properly could add a couple of thousand or so to compensate for one year with less

 

[Darvo]

Whatever the solution i agree about a low roof. We desperately need real noise and currently we only sort of get that. The beauty of the old north bank (the cow shed) was although small it was really noisy. I wrote to LD about that and said acoustics should play a huge part in the design

Well said! The acoustics in the new North Bank are terrible. We don't want that repeating elsewhere.

 

[greco wolf]

Well said! The acoustics in the new North Bank are terrible. We don't want that repeating elsewhere.

Surely one a new steve bull is built and joined to the south bank this will massively improve.

Stoke said that's one reason they filled in the corner just now as it will improve the noise at the Britannia.

 

[Dudleywolf]

The thread on here a while back mentioned that some old dear in the Steve Bull had heard a rumour that buying ASDA and redeveloping there is a series option for Fosun (as you say, like Spurs). That way, current Molineux remains unaffected, and we have a new state-of-the-art Molineux still close to the town centre and more importantly, on the old site of the current stadium (give or take 100 yards).
Seems the perfect solution for me.

Would even be happy if it was called 'The Fosun Stadium, Molineux'. That way, everyone would still call it Molineux. Come on Fosun, you can do this!

Wow, its amazing what 9 points from 9 will do ! small steps, small steps !

 

[greco wolf]

Wow, its amazing what 9 points from 9 will do ! small steps, small steps !

Surely cheaper to just build a new stand state of the art and have one season with only 22k capacity

The away end would be smaller too during that time so not as bad as it seems

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

Wow, its amazing what 9 points from 9 will do ! small steps, small steps !

We just took a giant leap forwards though.

 

[Shergar]

Fair enough, i assumed it was them. But whoever it was who built it i think it was agreed would be used for the rest of the development

No, it was not agreed that Buckingham Group would build the next/rest of the ground just because they built Morgan's folly. That is anti-competion, they could control the price and it discourages healthy competition.
Personally, I would knock the North Bank down and deliver it piece by piece to the Scouser's Cheshire pile and then show him how to build a stand without restricted views and useless unsaleable corporate facilities and **** plastic cladding panels.

 

[stuj4z]

With how far away from the pitch the Steve Bull actually is I'm sure they could destroy the whole thing in a summer and have a small 3,000 seater temporary stand along the length of the pitch similar to what they had at Blackpool.
Build the new upper tier behind this and then once completed concentrate on a permanent lower tier.
With the Graham Hughes stand open again capacity would be around 25k for a season

 

[oldgoldheart]

That specific Asda store does a higher turnover on its own than Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Only one thing for it, Fosun need to buy Asda. Just turn them all in to Wolves Megastores.

Yeah but with the right incentives they would move.

 

[oldgoldheart]

Well said! The acoustics in the new North Bank are terrible. We don't want that repeating elsewhere.

Absolutely. The roof is way too high. All the sound gets lost

 

[cookey]

I thought most Asda petrol stations were unmanned, so the fuel is cheaper.

This is the only one I know, black country route is manned and that's the only one I use as Morrison's points add up on similar priced fuel, and you can tell why they didn't really want it where it is due to the awkward way you have to drive to it, to me it's never looked as well used as where it used to be.

Looks like I've been beaten to saying the North Bank was built by the Buckingham Group as a stand alone contract, the 3 stand Morgan design was all carried out together but the work was always 3 seperate tenders & Redrow are just House Builders so we're never, ever going to build any of it as house and commercial construction is like chalk and cheese, even the few firms that do both are set up as two different divisions with the house side often called "small works" and from past experience woe betide you if you get them trying to do commercial!

 

[Shifnal Wolf]

Something needs to be done, the stadium now looks disjointed with the new stand.

If I were Fosun and had their wealth I would be tackling this at the same time as developing the team.

Once we are up the ground won't be big enough as Fosun and Jorge will be bringing in some huge names to keep us up and make us a serious force and not just trying to get 4th bottom like every other year we've had in the prem.

 

[Nige]

Reading some of these posts really makes me laugh...

 

[ShropshireLad]

Something needs to be done, the stadium now looks disjointed with the new stand.

If I were Fosun and had their wealth I would be tackling this at the same time as developing the team.

Once we are up the ground won't be big enough as Fosun and Jorge will be bringing in some huge names to keep us up and make us a serious force and not just trying to get 4th bottom like every other year we've had in the prem.

Ground share for a season and get the job done properly in one go.

 

[Essex Wolf]

If/when the stadium is further developed I can't see it happening until Wolves reach the PL. Of course promotion will see gates increase and the closure of any stand will cause problems but should Wolves gain promotion this season then the second it's confirmed and the season ends I'd have constructors ready to move in immediately. The sheer speed at which things can be built these days means things are done a lot quicker than years ago.

There will be a period of time whereby the new stan will be unavailable but sooner it's started the better.

 

[Redwolf01]

Hi, I was fifty last Friday and my son bought me anstadium tour ticket. The guy showing us around said something in front of the Stan Cullis which struck me as new news.
He said Fosun had committed that if we averaged 26000 then they would redevelop the ground. The redevelopment he described was the original plan, new tier on south bank rebuild Steve bill etc.
I asked what he meant by average, over a seaaon? He said he didn't know but that is what Fosun had said and (his words) so far they'd been true to their word.
Met Danny Bath in the kit room and the guy also said never seen a player in on a Sunday unless he was transferring ?

Interesting tour !

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

Do people honestly think before just saying buy ASDA. You only have to look at a satellite view to see that the site is smaller than the one we're currently on. You'd barely be able to fit in the current stadium, let alone one with a much larger footprint like is being talked about. In addition it would be right up against residential properties, which you'd never get planning permission for.