Stadium Plans

[Monketron]

Mounting costs blow Feyenoord's new stadium out of the water - DutchNews.nl

Feyenoord have abandoned plans for a new stadium on the banks of the Maas because of rising building costs and demands by construction firm BAM, local TV network Rijnmond reports. The club decided the Feyenoord City project was unfeasible after it was unable to agree a fixed price with BAM...

www.dutchnews.nl

Feyenoord just scrapped plans to build a new stadium partly due to a huge rise in raw material costs (and no guarantee they wouldn't go up even more mid-build).

 

[Mugwump]

40 to 45k is probably about right, but it has to be built with the capability to expand it if we need to.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

40 to 45k is probably about right, but it has to be built with the capability to expend it if we need to.

Same for me.

I know it’s close to heresy to say, but in many respects I’d have been happier if SJH had rebuilt Molineux as one of the many identikit stadiums built in the 90’s / 00’s - a Riverside, Pride Park, Swansea, etc. Let’s assume it had originally been 35k with all four corners filled, and the BW as the only 2 tier stand. Expansion when eventually promoted to the PL would have been faster and cheaper, a second tier on the Steve Bull, and then extending the North and South Banks as one or two tiers, eventually reaching 45k+ as crowds grew. Spacious if initially basic concourses could have been spruced up over time as needed, even the exterior given periodic refreshes to keep it smart and contemporary - ala Leicester’s current plans for their main stand.

 

[beppe7619]

Same for me.

I know it’s close to heresy to say, but in many respects I’d have been happier if SJH had rebuilt Molineux as one of the many identikit stadiums built in the 90’s / 00’s - a Riverside, Pride Park, Swansea, etc. Let’s assume it had originally been 35k with all four corners filled, and the BW as the only 2 tier stand. Expansion when eventually promoted to the PL would have been faster and cheaper, a second tier on the Steve Bull, and then extending the North and South Banks as one or two tiers, eventually reaching 45k+ as crowds grew. Spacious if initially basic concourses could have been spruced up over time as needed, even the exterior given periodic refreshes to keep it smart and contemporary - ala Leicester’s current plans for their main stand.

I have thought that to. Leicester mk dons Derby all have grounds they can add stands to. Liverpool stands are old and have been built up. Sometimes I wonder if the south bank should of stayed as the bank was already there and not drastically changed

 

[Mugwump]

Same for me.

I know it’s close to heresy to say, but in many respects I’d have been happier if SJH had rebuilt Molineux as one of the many identikit stadiums built in the 90’s / 00’s - a Riverside, Pride Park, Swansea, etc. Let’s assume it had originally been 35k with all four corners filled, and the BW as the only 2 tier stand. Expansion when eventually promoted to the PL would have been faster and cheaper, a second tier on the Steve Bull, and then extending the North and South Banks as one or two tiers, eventually reaching 45k+ as crowds grew. Spacious if initially basic concourses could have been spruced up over time as needed, even the exterior given periodic refreshes to keep it smart and contemporary - ala Leicester’s current plans for their main stand.

I actually think its fairly irresponsible of Fosun to ignore the Steve Bull stand. Its a mess, its dilapidated, the facilities are poor and its sinking. If they want us to be taken seriously as a world class club, you cant have a stand from the late 1970's for your " customers " to sit in.

 

[lets all have a disco]

I actually think its fairly irresponsible of Fosun to ignore the Steve Bull stand. Its a mess, its dilapidated, the facilities are poor and its sinking. If they want us to be taken seriously as a world class club, you cant have a stand from the late 1970's for your " customers " to sit in.

Oh dear is it sinking... ....I'm in there for the England game, first time since the late 80s ....am I gonna be able to see the game....will I be singing the song from Titanic as I'm sinking....

 

[beppe7619]

Oh dear is it sinking... ....I'm in there for the England game, first time since the late 80s ....am I gonna be able to see the game....will I be singing the song from Titanic as I'm sinking....

Charging £65 for Steve bull lower was steep

 

[lets all have a disco]

Charging £65 for Steve bull lower was steep

Sure we paid 50 for upper tier.....a mate brought em....be gutted if I get there and it's sunk.....hope I at least get the national anthem in before we go under ....

 

[Southdownswolf]

Sure we paid 50 for upper tier.....a mate brought em....be gutted if I get there and it's sunk.....hope I at least get the national anthem in before we go under ....

Should be ok in the upper tier, certainly for the first half anyway.

 

[Titch]

40 to 45k is probably about right, but it has to be built with the capability to expand it if we need to.

That's about right for me as well.

I know of several people who would have a season ticket if they could sit together and they are not on the waiting list.

 

[beppe7619]

Sure we paid 50 for upper tier.....a mate brought em....be gutted if I get there and it's sunk.....hope I at least get the national anthem in before we go under ....

I am in the Billy Wright upper and paid the same on the wings. Centres of bully and Billy Wright stands was £65

 

[Mugwump]

Oh dear is it sinking... ....I'm in there for the England game, first time since the late 80s ....am I gonna be able to see the game....will I be singing the song from Titanic as I'm sinking....

Yep, i think its pretty common knowledge. Not sure how serious it is now, but its not good on top of all the other issues it has.

 

[YouGottaRaulWithIt]

Oh dear is it sinking... ....I'm in there for the England game, first time since the late 80s ....am I gonna be able to see the game....will I be singing the song from Titanic as I'm sinking....

The Venice of the North.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

Yep, i think its pretty common knowledge. Not sure how serious it is now, but its not good on top of all the other issues it has.

The stand isn’t actually sinking only Tim Spiers came out with that.

“The below-ground level concrete pillars that effectively hold the stand up have had some sizeable cracks in them for years. They are monitored to ensure there is no further significant movement.” @Woody

 

[1972 i began]

Same for me.

I know it’s close to heresy to say, but in many respects I’d have been happier if SJH had rebuilt Molineux as one of the many identikit stadiums built in the 90’s / 00’s - a Riverside, Pride Park, Swansea, etc. Let’s assume it had originally been 35k with all four corners filled, and the BW as the only 2 tier stand. Expansion when eventually promoted to the PL would have been faster and cheaper, a second tier on the Steve Bull, and then extending the North and South Banks as one or two tiers, eventually reaching 45k+ as crowds grew. Spacious if initially basic concourses could have been spruced up over time as needed, even the exterior given periodic refreshes to keep it smart and contemporary - ala Leicester’s current plans for their main stand.

Think I'll have to visit Sussex and have wat Yow'm drinking.

 

[1972 i began]

Oh dear is it sinking... ....I'm in there for the England game, first time since the late 80s ....am I gonna be able to see the game....will I be singing the song from Titanic as I'm sinking....

Thought yow was a season ticket holder the way ya gew on.

 

[lets all have a disco]

Thought yow was a season ticket holder the way ya gew on.

I'm am away and home in the north bank.....just haven't been in the Steve bull stand since late 80s....4th division.....days ...when loads left the south bank to sing in the Steve bull...

Managed to scav in boxes in the bully for Nuno last game against man utd....(luckily)...

 

[Mugwump]

The stand isn’t actually sinking only Tim Spiers came out with that.

“The below-ground level concrete pillars that effectively hold the stand up have had some sizeable cracks in them for years. They are monitored to ensure there is no further significant movement.” @Woody

I've got it on fairly good authority there is subsidence there. Thats why i said earlier i dont know how serious it is right now, but it will be at some point. Must admit, never heard that from Timothy.

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Same for me.

I know it’s close to heresy to say, but in many respects I’d have been happier if SJH had rebuilt Molineux as one of the many identikit stadiums built in the 90’s / 00’s - a Riverside, Pride Park, Swansea, etc. Let’s assume it had originally been 35k with all four corners filled, and the BW as the only 2 tier stand. Expansion when eventually promoted to the PL would have been faster and cheaper, a second tier on the Steve Bull, and then extending the North and South Banks as one or two tiers, eventually reaching 45k+ as crowds grew. Spacious if initially basic concourses could have been spruced up over time as needed, even the exterior given periodic refreshes to keep it smart and contemporary - ala Leicester’s current plans for their main stand.

I'm inclined to agree. Molineux is not a great football stadium. It's too far from the pitch, the kinked stands leave some fans even further from the action than is necessary and sound escapes.

That's without critiquing the cramped concourses and insufficient facilities.

 

[Dragonwolf]

I've got it on fairly good authority there is subsidence there. Thats why i said earlier i dont know how serious it is right now, but it will be at some point. Must admit, never heard that from Timothy.

I keep saying, if you look at the NE corner from outside you can see the concrete beams have moved

 

[Berlin Wolf]

I've got it on fairly good authority there is subsidence there. Thats why i said earlier i dont know how serious it is right now, but it will be at some point. Must admit, never heard that from Timothy.

Tim mentioned the Steve Bull Stand was sinking when speaking on Dazzling Dave's YouTube panel three or four weeks ago.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

I'm inclined to agree. Molineux is not a great football stadium. It's too far from the pitch, the kinked stands leave some fans even further from the action than is necessary and sound escapes.

That's without critiquing the cramped concourses and insufficient facilities.

Sir Jack did the best he could at the time but it’s still frustrating. He basically did an excellent job of using the Steve Bull as a starting point and completing a balanced four corner stadium to a (for then) high quality.

Unfortunately, prompted by the need for so much rebuilding after the Taylor Report, architects and construction companies came up with a flexible blueprint for new grounds which was replicate a dozen or more times around England and Wales. That blueprint met all the new standards for sports stadiums, was cheap and easy to build and could cater for anything from 20k to over 40k.

If the template had been available when Sir Jack started his rebuild, then he could have built the North and South Banks as single tier, and BW as two ties, without corners, to this identikit design. Future expansion could have been filling the two corners either side of the BW, and expanding the NB and SB to two tiers. If all done, we’d probably have about 40k now, with the Steve Bull as it is today, needing rebuilding.

Hey ho. Can’t change history…

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Sir Jack did the best he could at the time but it’s still frustrating. He basically did an excellent job of using the Steve Bull as a starting point and completing a balanced four corner stadium to a (for then) high quality.

Unfortunately, prompted by the need for so much rebuilding after the Taylor Report, architects and construction companies came up with a flexible blueprint for new grounds which was replicate a dozen or more times around England and Wales. That blueprint met all the new standards for sports stadiums, was cheap and easy to build and could cater for anything from 20k to over 40k.

If the template had been available when Sir Jack started his rebuild, then he could have built the North and South Banks as single tier, and BW as two ties, without corners, to this identikit design. Future expansion could have been filling the two corners either side of the BW, and expanding the NB and SB to two tiers. If all done, we’d probably have about 40k now, with the Steve Bull as it is today, needing rebuilding.

Hey ho. Can’t change history…

I'll never understand the logic in creating such vast spaces between the stands and the pitch. I just don't get why?

 

[Minimalist]

I'll never understand the logic in creating such vast spaces between the stands and the pitch. I just don't get why?

Presumably it was to make the stand effectively bigger.
I should think one of the things that puts them off rebuilding the Steve Bull is once you bring the stand in closer and straight against the pitch even making it 50% higher, you won’t actually end up with any extra capacity

 

[Sussex Wolf]

I'll never understand the logic in creating such vast spaces between the stands and the pitch. I just don't get why?

I don’t know and we likely will never know the logic used in designing what Sir Jack built. We were all so (rightly) grateful few questioned it at the time. As far as I know the only people who did were one or two in the supporter club who felt it too small. Sir Jack’s response was I think that it was designed to permit expansion but it’s hard to see that was true in hindsight.

 

[Padraig]

More seats = cheaper tickets

 

[WickedWolfie]

More seats = cheaper tickets

The cost of providing those seats has to be covered. Not everyone gets a pretty much free ground a la Wet Spam or Citeh....

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Presumably it was to make the stand effectively bigger.
I should think one of the things that puts them off rebuilding the Steve Bull is once you bring the stand in closer and straight against the pitch even making it 50% higher, you won’t actually end up with any extra capacity

If the spacing between seats and rows were kept the same, I believe the increase in capacity would be sizeable.

It's only due to a new stand following the design of the NB and greatly improved corporate facilities that the capacity increase will be negligible.

If they'd built the Steve Bull stand without a kink (like the City Ground) and much closer to the pitch, they'd probably be room for a third tier behind it.

 

[giantwolf]

I'll never understand the logic in creating such vast spaces between the stands and the pitch. I just don't get why?

I have no knowledge but I can only assume its a legacy of the positioning of the Steve Bull and then Sir Jacks subsequent desire to have an element of symmetry to the ground.

I think the John Ireland as was, was the first part of a wider masterplan in the 1970's which would have seen the ground move East (closer to the John Ireland/Steve Bull), but we all know what happened after that. When redeveloping, Sir Jack followed a similar idea but with the emergency access points between stands and trying to balance things out around the whole pitch dictating a certain degree of space.

The only way the North Bank is closer to the pitch now is because they chopped the bottom corner seating out from the Steve Bull

 

[whitnash wolf ex.dewsbury]

I have no knowledge but I can only assume its a legacy of the positioning of the Steve Bull and then Sir Jacks subsequent desire to have an element of symmetry to the ground.

I think the John Ireland as was, was the first part of a wider masterplan in the 1970's which would have seen the ground move East (closer to the John Ireland/Steve Bull), but we all know what happened after that. When redeveloping, Sir Jack followed a similar idea but with the emergency access points between stands and trying to balance things out around the whole pitch dictating a certain degree of space.

The only way the North Bank is closer to the pitch now is because they chopped the bottom corner seating out from the Steve Bull

did the same thing happen on the BW.side as there seems to be an empty space there?

 

[TFWanderers]

I'll never understand the logic in creating such vast spaces between the stands and the pitch. I just don't get why?

I read somewhere at the time the stadium was planned, there was a regulation that said there had to be access for emergency vehicles all round the pitch for new build stadiums. Early 90's, just after Hillsborough, seems plausible.

As for the Steve Bull, as we have seen with our neighbours, if you do not maintain the stands, it really does royally bite you on the rear! The subsidence talk has been rife for years, even during Steve Morgans tenure. If it was bad, it would have been dealt with or the SAG would simply close it.

 

[Deleted member 8455jwf]

More seats = cheaper tickets

So how do we pay for it then?

 

[TFWanderers]

did the same thing happen on the BW.side as there seems to be an empty space there?

Yeah there are around 200 seats that can't see the goal mouth up the North Bank end in the BW lower - so they removed them.

 

[whitnash wolf ex.dewsbury]

Yeah there are around 200 seats that can't see the goal mouth up the North Bank end in the BW lower - so they removed them.

so by moving the pitch and not completing the N.B./Bully we have reduced the capacity and still not improved the atmosphere?

 

[Alex Rae The Substitute]

Fairly recently did the tour of the stadium, and whilst it was great to be in Molineux when it’s empty and to view it from different angles to my usual ST made for a great experience, the general look and feel of the stadium really is very basic for a team pushing for Europe.

They showed us the room Fosun use pre-match for meals etc, **** me it’s worse than a Premier Inn dining room.

I’ve been to corporate matches at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge and the gulf is huge. You can see why we need significant improvements in that department.

I know that has no impact on the atmosphere in the stadium, but we are a long way off the elite clubs and that has a big impact on revenue streams etc.

 

[Lupus ad Penn]

Same for me.

I know it’s close to heresy to say, but in many respects I’d have been happier if SJH had rebuilt Molineux as one of the many identikit stadiums built in the 90’s / 00’s - a Riverside, Pride Park, Swansea, etc. Let’s assume it had originally been 35k with all four corners filled, and the BW as the only 2 tier stand. Expansion when eventually promoted to the PL would have been faster and cheaper, a second tier on the Steve Bull, and then extending the North and South Banks as one or two tiers, eventually reaching 45k+ as crowds grew. Spacious if initially basic concourses could have been spruced up over time as needed, even the exterior given periodic refreshes to keep it smart and contemporary - ala Leicester’s current plans for their main stand.

I spoke to the Architect who designed the SJH stands , many years ago about expansion. He told me both the South Bank and Billy Wright were both designed to “bolt on” another tier and highering the roof. The club actually showed a model of the proposed infill of the south bank corners but failure on the pitch mothballed that idea. The “goalpost” supports on the north bank prevented any expansion and the Steve Bull is pre- cast concrete not steel, so cannot be expanded in the same way.

 

[Padraig]

So how do we pay for it then?

Well that’s the question isn’t it, and why it won’t happen unless the owners are prepared to cover the cost. You can’t expand and make it more expensive when they barely sell out as it is.

 

[wolvesjoe]

I'm inclined to agree. Molineux is not a great football stadium. It's too far from the pitch, the kinked stands leave some fans even further from the action than is necessary and sound escapes.

That's without critiquing the cramped concourses and insufficient facilities.

Disagree with that. Good view from all stans

 

[Lupus ad Penn]

Disagree with that. Good view from all stans

If you think Molineux is bad I suggest you try the following away areas:
Selhurst Park and Anfield Rd lower, both like watching football through a letter box. Goodison upper in the corner, you watch the game through a net, and you can’t see most of the near side touch line . Villa Park, Doug Ellis upper, I was at the end and you can’t see the nearest goal posts because you are behind their big TV screen. Leeds United, posts in the way, and horrendous exits. West Ham - London stadium, horrendous ground for football, if you go ,don’t forget your ”Opera glasses”! Newcastle away, like watching from the International Space Station. Burnley, don’t get stuck behind a post.
Molineux isn’t perfect, but at least you get to see the whole pitch!

 

[Coshamwolves]

I have no knowledge but I can only assume its a legacy of the positioning of the Steve Bull and then Sir Jacks subsequent desire to have an element of symmetry to the ground.

I think the John Ireland as was, was the first part of a wider masterplan in the 1970's which would have seen the ground move East (closer to the John Ireland/Steve Bull), but we all know what happened after that. When redeveloping, Sir Jack followed a similar idea but with the emergency access points between stands and trying to balance things out around the whole pitch dictating a certain degree of space.

The only way the North Bank is closer to the pitch now is because they chopped the bottom corner seating out from the Steve Bull

Thought they chopped bottom corner block off the Steve Bull to allow for emergency service vehs.