Stadium Plans

[Sussex Wolf]

Seeing that Wolverhampton is set to have 6,000+ City Centre homes built in the coming years, to the tune of £2.4 Billion collective investment, I hope this will be a catalyst towards Fosun pulling their fingers out.

The Steve Bull is 40 years old, is very cramped and isn’t of Premier League quality if your not in one of the hospitality suites.

It needs addressing ASAP and so does the wider stadium footprint with its age showing through rusted poles.

Also it is very helpful that JD Wetherspoon will soon invest £15 Million on a 96 room hotel as part of an expansion of The Moon Under Water and there are hopes of turning Mander House into a 90 room hotel too.

Things are in the offing within the city and it’s time that the club grasp that opportunity.

If you want further updates on varying developments in Wolverhampton, do head to Official Black Country Development Thread 5

We’ve seen a lot of false dawns for significant Wolverhampton centre investment, but this looks very promising.

Wolverhampton secures £2.6bn worth of city living projects | TheBusinessDesk.com

Plans are expected to generate 6,500 homes and 4,000 jobs

www.thebusinessdesk.com

 

[greco wolf]

Re growth in the hospitality industry. It would undoubtedly increase but not by a lot. The big clubs at it will always attract tourist fans/businesses because of the city itself. The Manchester clubs, Liverpool, the big London clubs. You’ll attract the casual football fan who is looking at a weekend away and sell it to their other halves as a great city break with lots to do outside of the football (great nightlife, posh restaurants, sight seeing). With all the will in the world and I don’t particular want to abuse Wolverhampton but that’s something we simply don’t have.

I totally get the argument for ground redevelopment on the basis it’s tired and needs it. However I think it’s a bit of a golden egg to think chucking £300 million at a stadium is suddenly going to mean we can spend more as our revenue increases dramatically.

I’ve said before my little bit of ITK on this comes from a pal in the commercial dept at wolves, he’s by no way senior management or someone who would be privy to the in-depth discussion surrounding t development but he’s been there 20 years plus in middle management and as such is respected and told things he shouldn’t. Fosun from day one discussed development and were looking at the council to contribute on the basis it would help the local economy, they refused. Since then there’s been a global pandemic and financial crash alongside Fosun themselves having a change in financial position. I was told pre Chelsea game that there is no appetite within Fosun to do anything with the ground and it’s rarely discussed now.

My personal feeling is nothing will ever change while Fosun own the club (or a majority of it)

so we need the council to change their view, and it may change / help convince Fosun. Its clear they wont chuck even £60M at the ground as it is

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Re growth in the hospitality industry. It would undoubtedly increase but not by a lot. The big clubs at it will always attract tourist fans/businesses because of the city itself. The Manchester clubs, Liverpool, the big London clubs. You’ll attract the casual football fan who is looking at a weekend away and sell it to their other halves as a great city break with lots to do outside of the football (great nightlife, posh restaurants, sight seeing). With all the will in the world and I don’t particular want to abuse Wolverhampton but that’s something we simply don’t have.

I totally get the argument for ground redevelopment on the basis it’s tired and needs it. However I think it’s a bit of a golden egg to think chucking £300 million at a stadium is suddenly going to mean we can spend more as our revenue increases dramatically.

I’ve said before my little bit of ITK on this comes from a pal in the commercial dept at wolves, he’s by no way senior management or someone who would be privy to the in-depth discussion surrounding t development but he’s been there 20 years plus in middle management and as such is respected and told things he shouldn’t. Fosun from day one discussed development and were looking at the council to contribute on the basis it would help the local economy, they refused. Since then there’s been a global pandemic and financial crash alongside Fosun themselves having a change in financial position. I was told pre Chelsea game that there is no appetite within Fosun to do anything with the ground and it’s rarely discussed now.

My personal feeling is nothing will ever change while Fosun own the club (or a majority of it)

If (and yes I mean if) the newly announced raft of investments into the city via ECF actually proceed as planned, then the mood music might change in terms of attracting further investment into Molineux, and for the hospitality sector in Wolverhampton.

Wolverhampton secures £2.6bn worth of city living projects | TheBusinessDesk.com

Plans are expected to generate 6,500 homes and 4,000 jobs

www.thebusinessdesk.com

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

so we need the council to change their view, and it may change / help convince Fosun. Its clear they wont chuck even £60M at the ground as it is

Well as the council said no pre pandemic it’s highly unlikely they’d be in a position to do so now especially after the civic hall fiasco and now the housing development planned for the city, I’d say they’re financially tapped out.

Unfortunately (and I say this with a heavy heart) but as a city it’s on its last legs, it’s been allowed to get past the line of repair for me and that’s on the council for letting it slip lower and lower without investment along the way. It’s a shadow of what it was 25 years ago and it wasn’t great then. Retails absolutely gone, entertainment and leisure similar (anyone who’s had a night out on a non match day I’m sure would agree), massive issues with anti social behaviour.

I live 10 miles away but in my late teens/20s spent every weekend there it was brilliant. I live similar distance from Birmingham but never went. If anyone asks me if we want a night out at either now, I’m not pushing for Wolverhampton

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

If (and yes I mean if) the newly announced raft of investments into the city via ECF actually proceed as planned, then the mood music might change in terms of attracting further investment into Molineux, and for the hospitality sector in Wolverhampton.

Wolverhampton secures £2.6bn worth of city living projects | TheBusinessDesk.com

Plans are expected to generate 6,500 homes and 4,000 jobs

www.thebusinessdesk.com

“Proceed as planned” is the important part. Like every council they love a grand scheme but rarely deliver.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

“Proceed as planned” is the important part. Like every council they love a grand scheme but rarely deliver.

Agree completely. On the usually cynical Skyscraper City forum, they seem quite positive because ECF have apparently committed the funds for the projects listed, and have access to the necessary capital.

 

[North West Wanderer]

Seeing that Wolverhampton is set to have 6,000+ City Centre homes built in the coming years, to the tune of £2.4 Billion collective investment, I hope this will be a catalyst towards Fosun pulling their fingers out.

The Steve Bull is 40 years old, is very cramped and isn’t of Premier League quality if your not in one of the hospitality suites.

It needs addressing ASAP and so does the wider stadium footprint with its age showing through rusted poles.

Also it is very helpful that JD Wetherspoon will soon invest £15 Million on a 96 room hotel as part of an expansion of The Moon Under Water and there are hopes of turning Mander House into a 90 room hotel too.

Things are in the offing within the city and it’s time that the club grasp that opportunity.

If you want further updates on varying developments in Wolverhampton, do head to Official Black Country Development Thread 5

Two hotels providing less than two hundred beds isn’t helpful, it’s painfully slow progress.
Unless the council and local authorities invest, fosun most likely won’t.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Agree completely. On the usually cynical Skyscraper City forum, they seem quite positive because ECF have apparently committed the funds for the projects listed, and have access to the necessary capital.

I sincerely hope it does for both the club, fans, city itself and the population of Wolverhampton. Too many other cities of similar size and stature seem to have been pushed to one side for the likes of London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham who all seem to have had endless redevelopment (most of it government funded or at least partially funded) for over a decade. I work in Birmingham (well I go into an office there once a month) and I’m always staggered at the amount of development that’s gone/going on.

Though Friday I was in Derby for work a city I’ve not been in for at least 5 years and there’s some serious money being chucked at that I noticed as driving in, maybe these “tier 2” cities are finally being recognised?

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Two hotels providing less than two hundred beds isn’t helpful, it’s painfully slow progress.
Unless the council and local authorities invest, fosun most likely won’t.

That’s not really the point. It’s a total of £2.6bn of investment into the city centre. Funding from ECF

Wolverhampton secures £2.6bn worth of city living projects | TheBusinessDesk.com

Plans are expected to generate 6,500 homes and 4,000 jobs

www.thebusinessdesk.com

ECF - Muse

ECF is a regeneration company based on partnership. We work in partnership to deliver regeneration where it is needed most.

museplaces.com

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Two hotels providing less than two hundred beds isn’t helpful, it’s painfully slow progress.
Unless the council and local authorities invest, fosun most likely won’t.

That’s my point on it. For me the city has been left to dwindle down far too much and now rather than a sticking plaster it needs a big surgical operation that’s going to take a monumental amount of money.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

That’s my point on it. For me the city has been left to dwindle down far too much and now rather than a sticking plaster it needs a big surgical operation that’s going to take a monumental amount of money.

I’d focus more on the homes and jobs than the hotels. The hotels are a function for the former, not the driver in themselves. Still, we’ve seen such plans before come to nothing. Let’s hope that with the promised funding from ECF that this actually sees action. Apparently some of the projects are aiming to break ground this June.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

I’d focus more on the homes and jobs than the hotels. The hotels are a function for the former, not the driver in themselves. Still, we’ve seen such plans before come to nothing. Let’s hope that with the promised funding from ECF that this actually sees action. Apparently some of the projects are aiming to break ground this June.

Fingers crossed it does.

 

[NewOrder306]

I sincerely hope it does for both the club, fans, city itself and the population of Wolverhampton. Too many other cities of similar size and stature seem to have been pushed to one side for the likes of London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham who all seem to have had endless redevelopment (most of it government funded or at least partially funded) for over a decade. I work in Birmingham (well I go into an office there once a month) and I’m always staggered at the amount of development that’s gone/going on.

Though Friday I was in Derby for work a city I’ve not been in for at least 5 years and there’s some serious money being chucked at that I noticed as driving in, maybe these “tier 2” cities are finally being recognised?

I was in Leicester City centre the other month for work and was shocked at the City Centre when comparing to Wolves, while not perfect it was lively, loads of shops, bars, restaurants, events bars, bustling and looked a place to visit, Wolves without doubt is a 'dump' ........its ours and will always defend it against others but it is not the best

 

[North West Wanderer]

That’s not really the point. It’s a total of £2.6bn of investment into the city centre. Funding from ECF

Wolverhampton secures £2.6bn worth of city living projects | TheBusinessDesk.com

Plans are expected to generate 6,500 homes and 4,000 jobs

www.thebusinessdesk.com

ECF - Muse

ECF is a regeneration company based on partnership. We work in partnership to deliver regeneration where it is needed most.

museplaces.com

it does for me. building more houses doesn’t impact the football club. the town centre is lagging behind in so so many ways.

That’s my point on it. For me the city has been left to dwindle down far too much and now rather than a sticking plaster it needs a big surgical operation that’s going to take a monumental amount of money.

precisely.

 

[North West Wanderer]

I was in Leicester City centre the other month for work and was shocked at the City Centre when comparing to Wolves, while not perfect it was lively, loads of shops, bars, restaurants, events bars, bustling and looked a place to visit, Wolves without doubt is a 'dump' ........its ours and will always defend it against others but it is not the best

i love and miss Wolves. it’s a **** hole but it’s ours.

 

[Kashmire Hawker]

That’s my point on it. For me the city has been left to dwindle down far too much and now rather than a sticking plaster it needs a big surgical operation that’s going to take a monumental amount of money.

And this is where such investment as mentioned, plus the planned new hotels, strengthening of the city’s Cultural Offering with the Lighthouse coming back as a 4 screen cinema and the Grand Theatre taking over the Little Civic, plus the Green Innovation Corridor, various Levelling Up funding, the City Learning Quarter which construction for has begun and us hosting the Kabaddi World Cup next Spring and a major Urban Sports event this September to name a few really shows a collective commitment from many.

All of this is going to make the next few years quite good for the city and that is why Wolves need to get stuck in!

 

[Sussex Wolf]

it does for me. building more houses doesn’t impact the football club. the town centre is lagging behind in so so many ways.

precisely.

Of course it does.

People living in the city centre shop and eat there, that increases demand for retail and hospitality. The more a buzz returns to the city centre, the more attractive it becomes to investors. That’s a well tried and tested city centre regeneration model worldwide.

Ultimately Wolves need fresh investment and so yes, indirectly, it benefits the club. Won’t happen overnight and may not happen at all, but it is a positive development.

Remember how bad Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham city centres were before the recent waves of investment?

 

[North West Wanderer]

Of course it does.

People living in the city centre shop and eat there, that increases demand for retail and hospitality. The more a buzz returns to the city centre, the more attractive it becomes to investors. That’s a well tried and tested city centre regeneration model worldwide.

Ultimately Wolves need fresh investment and so yes, indirectly, it benefits the club. Won’t happen overnight and may not happen at all, but it is a positive development.

Remember how bad Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham city centres were before the recent waves of investment?

all were infinitely better than where Wolverhampton is, and i worked in the city for 8 years. I also lived on the Wirral for 28 years and know Liverpool well.

they’ve promised regeneration countless times, and it’s never happened. So it might be tried and tested, but im willing to bet in a decade it’s no better.

 

[wolvesjoe]

Of course it does.

People living in the city centre shop and eat there, that increases demand for retail and hospitality. The more a buzz returns to the city centre, the more attractive it becomes to investors. That’s a well tried and tested city centre regeneration model worldwide.

Ultimately Wolves need fresh investment and so yes, indirectly, it benefits the club. Won’t happen overnight and may not happen at all, but it is a positive development.

Remember how bad Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham city centres were before the recent waves of investment?

Very much agree with that. There's plenty of examples throughout Britain of how it works.

Fosun are a important stakeholder in the city, and should be part of regeneration, rathan waiting for it to happen via other
stakeholders.

Living abroad makes it perhaps easier to see just what a phenomenal product the Premier League has become. It has a regenerative, transformative aspect all of its own. It remains strange that Fosun dont act on this. But I have also been Fosun want to partner up to do this, hence the search for partners, and the disappointment with the Council.

 

[Henry Palfrey]

And this is where such investment as mentioned, plus the planned new hotels, strengthening of the city’s Cultural Offering with the Lighthouse coming back as a 4 screen cinema and the Grand Theatre taking over the Little Civic, plus the Green Innovation Corridor, various Levelling Up funding, the City Learning Quarter which construction for has begun and us hosting the Kabaddi World Cup next Spring and a major Urban Sports event this September to name a few really shows a collective commitment from many.

All of this is going to make the next few years quite good for the city and that is why Wolves need to get stuck in!

The Kabaddi World Cup? I wouldn't hold your breath.

 

[Golden Arrow]

I sincerely hope it does for both the club, fans, city itself and the population of Wolverhampton. Too many other cities of similar size and stature seem to have been pushed to one side for the likes of London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham who all seem to have had endless redevelopment (most of it government funded or at least partially funded) for over a decade. I work in Birmingham (well I go into an office there once a month) and I’m always staggered at the amount of development that’s gone/going on.

Though Friday I was in Derby for work a city I’ve not been in for at least 5 years and there’s some serious money being chucked at that I noticed as driving in, maybe these “tier 2” cities are finally being recognised?

They're pouring shed loads of money into Manchester, that's for sure. I just wonder who can afford these executive apartments that are springing up here, there and everywhere within the city.
The surrounding area where City play is rapidly becoming a city in itself.
As for my home town, Stoke on Trent, there's minimal investment and is primarily used as a trunk route for freight traffic to move between the M1 and M6.
There's plenty of "levelling up" words on boards, but that's all it is.
Re the stadium, the Steve Bull is in dire need but as you say, Fosun are unlikely to bank roll a rebuild.
On a selfish note, I'd love to see the Southbank extended but even that's a pipe dream right now.

 

[Hot Fuss]

Loads of other places - Boro, Newcastle, Sunderland, Bolton in early 90s.

Oxford, Reading, Stockport as well

 

[Hot Fuss]

The Kabaddi World Cup? I wouldn't hold your breath.

Get your money on India

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

They're pouring shed loads of money into Manchester, that's for sure. I just wonder who can afford these executive apartments that are springing up here, there and everywhere within the city.
The surrounding area where City play is rapidly becoming a city in itself.
As for my home town, Stoke on Trent, there's minimal investment and is primarily used as a trunk route for freight traffic to move between the M1 and M6.
There's plenty of "levelling up" words on boards, but that's all it is.
Re the stadium, the Steve Bull is in dire need but as you say, Fosun are unlikely to bank roll a rebuild.
On a selfish note, I'd love to see the Southbank extended but even that's a pipe dream right now.

I work in insurance for a specialist in insolvency. Several of those blocks in Manchester you mention have already gone into receivership as I’ve had to visit them. Madness!

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

I agree with your sentiment but no way are we valued at £350 million and it’ll take more than £150 million to do the ground.

I've had a quick look at the numbers and would say that £150m is a pretty good budget for the rebuild of the Steve Bull and the South bank filling in the corners ala Morgans original scheme, getting us up to 46k. Its not as straight forward as other schemes as Steel and Concrete have been at the forefront of price increases, but I would be reasonably confident in going into battle with that

The article on investment in the Town should be seen as a positive, the majority of those schemes have an fairly good chance of realisation, some being a little further off than others. I am very vocal in my criticism of the Council for its handling of many pie in the sky developments, but those are actually pretty positive.

I am struggling to believe that Fosun would be naïve enough to have expected the Council to contribute, or to be that poorly advised before they entered discussion with the Council on future development. It is much more likely that the Council were expecting a little too much from those discussions.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

I've had a quick look at the numbers and would say that £150m is a pretty good budget for the rebuild of the Steve Bull and the South bank filling in the corners ala Morgans original scheme, getting us up to 46k. Its not as straight forward as other schemes as Steel and Concrete have been at the forefront of price increases, but I would be reasonably confident in going into battle with that

The article on investment in the Town should be seen as a positive, the majority of those schemes have an fairly good chance of realisation, some being a little further off than others. I am very vocal in my criticism of the Council for its handling of many pie in the sky developments, but those are actually pretty positive.

I am struggling to believe that Fosun would be naïve enough to have expected the Council to contribute, or to be that poorly advised before they entered discussion with the Council on future development. It is much more likely that the Council were expecting a little too much from those discussions.

Re the latter part, I’m not clued up enough to offer comment though I was told by my ITK that a lot of the “noise” about council involvement in development was with Laurie Dalrymple and plays a part in why he’s no longer here (though I also know from several sources he was deeply disliked within the club), he definitely jumped before he was pushed

 

[Oldgoldilox]

I've been to a few gigs at the Civic & Wulfrun recently and have to say they've done a fantastic job with both. Rest of the place is thoroughly grim though now, agree with others, a night out in Wolves was a right laugh back in the 90s/early 00s. My old man used to look at me in horror when I told him I was going for a night out in Wolverhampton thinking it was still like the 60s when he was growing up, it feels more like the town that he describes now than the one I was used to. Progress eh?

But back on the stadium, the ridiculous comment that Jeff came out with a few years back about interest rates needing to be lower when they were the lowest they'd been in history should have given us the heads up on where Fosun stand on development. It ain't happening without further external investment, which is a real shame. Jeff wittering on in the E&S about reaping the benefits of long term planning seems to be limited to low cost long term actions. They clearly feel that they're not going to get a return on their investment, which again makes you wonder how long they're in it for.

 

[wolvesjoe]

I've been to a few gigs at the Civic & Wulfrun recently and have to say they've done a fantastic job with both. Rest of the place is thoroughly grim though now, agree with others, a night out in Wolves was a right laugh back in the 90s/early 00s. My old man used to look at me in horror when I told him I was going for a night out in Wolverhampton thinking it was still like the 60s when he was growing up, it feels more like the town that he describes now than the one I was used to. Progress eh?

But back on the stadium, the ridiculous comment that Jeff came out with a few years back about interest rates needing to be lower when they were the lowest they'd been in history should have given us the heads up on where Fosun stand on development. It ain't happening without further external investment, which is a real shame. Jeff wittering on in the E&S about reaping the benefits of long term planning seems to be limited to low cost long term actions. They clearly feel that they're not going to get a return on their investment, which again makes you wonder how long they're in it for.

Very accurate summary.

Only to add, that I have heard on several occasions that Fosun have been trying to find a minority partner to finance the stadium expansion, without success so far.

 

[lets all have a disco]

They're pouring shed loads of money into Manchester, that's for sure. I just wonder who can afford these executive apartments that are springing up here, there and everywhere within the city.
The surrounding area where City play is rapidly becoming a city in itself.
As for my home town, Stoke on Trent, there's minimal investment and is primarily used as a trunk route for freight traffic to move between the M1 and M6.
There's plenty of "levelling up" words on boards, but that's all it is.
Re the stadium, the Steve Bull is in dire need but as you say, Fosun are unlikely to bank roll a rebuild.
On a selfish note, I'd love to see the Southbank extended but even that's a pipe dream right now.

Manchester is getting unrecognisable from only about 10 years ago ....never mind 30 or so years ago ....was the biggest building site in Europe a couple of years ago ...caused a major shortfall on tradesmen as they were all working in Manchester.....got a few mates who have made some decent money working in Manchester in the building trade....and it's all middle east money...

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

It is of course possible that there may well have never been a serious interest from Fosun for developing the ground, plenty of ideas are floated and sounded out before being fully considered.

At the end of the day its second guessing, what I do know is that theres no hunger for a ground developent at present, even when they rebuilt the corner infill they just replaced the existing structure, hardly an ownership that are looking at doing anything with the place .

Maybe LD went public with the ground development idea with no authorisation, who knows. If it had never been mentioned I guess there wouldn't be so many of us chomping at the bit for investment in the ground

 

[SmiffyWolf]

so from reading through quickly we are thinking that the delays or no stadium improvements are due to the council have to be within the FFP limits .

 

[lets all have a disco]

Can't blame the council for not getting the other corner stand done at the South bank end ... Especially as they granted the planning permission for it to be done...

 

[Kashmire Hawker]

Can't blame the council for not getting the other corner stand done at the South bank end ... Especially as they granted the planning permission for it to be done...

Yep - permission was there for 3 years from April 2020 to April 2023. An extra several hundred seats in that corner should be done if we get back into Europe!

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

I've been to a few gigs at the Civic & Wulfrun recently and have to say they've done a fantastic job with both. Rest of the place is thoroughly grim though now, agree with others, a night out in Wolves was a right laugh back in the 90s/early 00s. My old man used to look at me in horror when I told him I was going for a night out in Wolverhampton thinking it was still like the 60s when he was growing up, it feels more like the town that he describes now than the one I was used to. Progress eh?

But back on the stadium, the ridiculous comment that Jeff came out with a few years back about interest rates needing to be lower when they were the lowest they'd been in history should have given us the heads up on where Fosun stand on development. It ain't happening without further external investment, which is a real shame. Jeff wittering on in the E&S about reaping the benefits of long term planning seems to be limited to low cost long term actions. They clearly feel that they're not going to get a return on their investment, which again makes you wonder how long they're in it for.

I would argue that the Civic is a criminal waste of money and has detracted from the user experience - no bars at the side, a back bar that is now reduced in size and they appear to be overselling tickets as it was far from a comfortable crowd size on my visit and I was at the very back. Prices are now in line with the stranglehold venues such as O2 that exist up and down the country.

All with the millstone of £40m+ debt for the purpose of adding in an additional balcony for the Darts, the only thing that came out of that was the Council retaining the Freehold on the building (along with Molineux)

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

so from reading through quickly we are thinking that the delays or no stadium improvements are due to the council have to be within the FFP limits .

No. Fosun just don't think they can make a return, which is in fact literally their whole purpose.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

I would argue that the Civic is a criminal waste of money and has detracted from the user experience - no bars at the side, a back bar that is now reduced in size and they appear to be overselling tickets as it was far from a comfortable crowd size on my visit and I was at the very back. Prices are now in line with the stranglehold venues such as O2 that exist up and down the country.

All with the millstone of £40m+ debt for the purpose of adding in an additional balcony for the Darts, the only thing that came out of that was the Council retaining the Freehold on the building (along with Molineux)

As an avid gig goer (music being my other big leisure pursuit away from wolves) it is bizarre they’ve got rid of the side bars, it is now very much like going to the Brum Academy a mare to get a beer. Price wise for tickets and beer the same as anywhere else for a gig so I’ve no issue with that. As for numbers in attendance, again no difference to brum academy and will be in line with the fire regulations set by the fire brigade. It’s an awful waste of money spent on it though when in real terms it just needed tarting up a bit

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

I've been to a few gigs at the Civic & Wulfrun recently and have to say they've done a fantastic job with both. Rest of the place is thoroughly grim though now, agree with others, a night out in Wolves was a right laugh back in the 90s/early 00s. My old man used to look at me in horror when I told him I was going for a night out in Wolverhampton thinking it was still like the 60s when he was growing up, it feels more like the town that he describes now than the one I was used to. Progress eh?

But back on the stadium, the ridiculous comment that Jeff came out with a few years back about interest rates needing to be lower when they were the lowest they'd been in history should have given us the heads up on where Fosun stand on development. It ain't happening without further external investment, which is a real shame. Jeff wittering on in the E&S about reaping the benefits of long term planning seems to be limited to low cost long term actions. They clearly feel that they're not going to get a return on their investment, which again makes you wonder how long they're in it for.

I’d be very suprised if Fosun are still major shareholders come the end of the decade.

 

[Abbobrom]

They're pouring shed loads of money into Manchester, that's for sure. I just wonder who can afford these executive apartments that are springing up here, there and everywhere within the city.
The surrounding area where City play is rapidly becoming a city in itself.
As for my home town, Stoke on Trent, there's minimal investment and is primarily used as a trunk route for freight traffic to move between the M1 and M6.
There's plenty of "levelling up" words on boards, but that's all it is.
Re the stadium, the Steve Bull is in dire need but as you say, Fosun are unlikely to bank roll a rebuild.
On a selfish note, I'd love to see the Southbank extended but even that's a pipe dream right now.

Shed loads of cash invested in Manchester as you say.

 

[AndyY]

I sincerely hope it does for both the club, fans, city itself and the population of Wolverhampton. Too many other cities of similar size and stature seem to have been pushed to one side for the likes of London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham who all seem to have had endless redevelopment (most of it government funded or at least partially funded) for over a decade. I work in Birmingham (well I go into an office there once a month) and I’m always staggered at the amount of development that’s gone/going on.

Though Friday I was in Derby for work a city I’ve not been in for at least 5 years and there’s some serious money being chucked at that I noticed as driving in, maybe these “tier 2” cities are finally being recognised?

Nottingham is also seeing investment and redevelopment.

 

[Wignall 3-0]

42000 capacity would be great, (so we avoid the 39950 attendance) but expand South Bank first, without closing it to help the capacity before the 2 year rebuild of the Steve Bull happens.