07-02-2023, 10:16 PM
Thanks for that.
I am struggling to grasp Cullens comment about only extending the North Stand when “all the stars are aligned” as he calls it. I can only assume he is referring to 1.) promotion to the Championship and 2.) when agreement has been reached with Network Rail, the Council and other stakeholders for safe access to the stadium from Fratton station. The second is a rather moot point for a reason not to extend the North stand. As a percentage, how many fans actually travel by train? More to the point, what if an agreement cannot be reached i.e. all the stakeholders involved expect Michael Eisner to foot the bill? Then what? Do we have a plan B?
With regards to the first point, I have raised this before on another thread. Building a new North stand has an intrinsic value and should not be reliant on promotion. The Eisners would be increasing the value of their asset. They are not going to lose any money once it’s built. Moreover, it would generate a huge financial benefit with corporate facilities. That’s where the real income generation is for football clubs on a match day. This of course means we can invest in the first team and academy. It’s a no brainier isn’t it? Some may say we don’t need an increase in capacity right now. I disagree. Look at Ipswich. They are averaging 25k this season, £21k last season and 19k before that. All in league one I might add. If Pompey were Ipswich are in the league right now, i don’t think we would be shy of 25k if we had the capacity.
I am struggling to grasp Cullens comment about only extending the North Stand when “all the stars are aligned” as he calls it. I can only assume he is referring to 1.) promotion to the Championship and 2.) when agreement has been reached with Network Rail, the Council and other stakeholders for safe access to the stadium from Fratton station. The second is a rather moot point for a reason not to extend the North stand. As a percentage, how many fans actually travel by train? More to the point, what if an agreement cannot be reached i.e. all the stakeholders involved expect Michael Eisner to foot the bill? Then what? Do we have a plan B?
With regards to the first point, I have raised this before on another thread. Building a new North stand has an intrinsic value and should not be reliant on promotion. The Eisners would be increasing the value of their asset. They are not going to lose any money once it’s built. Moreover, it would generate a huge financial benefit with corporate facilities. That’s where the real income generation is for football clubs on a match day. This of course means we can invest in the first team and academy. It’s a no brainier isn’t it? Some may say we don’t need an increase in capacity right now. I disagree. Look at Ipswich. They are averaging 25k this season, £21k last season and 19k before that. All in league one I might add. If Pompey were Ipswich are in the league right now, i don’t think we would be shy of 25k if we had the capacity.