What would have happened if we stayed at The Goldstone?

[Cheshire Cat]

Bolton went from this...

to this...

so it is possible given a huge amount of money spent properly. They also moved from an old outdated and cramped town centre ground to a new out of town "sterile" stadium, but it doesn't seem to have done them much harm recently. Similarly Wigan (who 15 years ago were a complete joke club even in Wigan).

 

[The Large One]

Oh right, ta. I'm not familiar with that area. Never strayed too far from Hove. And since then Ive been over 'ere in the colonies.

The public transport issue was the single most important point that actually allowed the application to be granted by Hazel Blears.

 

[steward 433]

Not forgetting Hull, Cheshire.

 

[steward 433]

The public transport issue was the single most important point that actually allowed the application to be granted by Hazel Blears.

Isn't there plans for a third park and ride Al?

 

[The Large One]

Yep.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Weren't we also also supposed to be ground-sharing with a certain C*yst*l P*l*rse once upon a time, somewhere near Gatwick airport, sometime around the late 70's early 80's.

 

[steward 433]

Yep.

Cheers thought i wasn't dreaming.

 

[Kev_England]

Boozing logistics?

What about the logistical concerns regarding boozing before the game?
At the Goldstone one could (I was too you at the time) have a few bevs in several pubs in walking distance (I can count 5 without trying).

How are we going to do that at Falmer? I think I only went there once (by mistake) on my bike and found it to be a one-pub contry arse place.

Maybe drink around Brighton station area and jump on the train to Falmer?

 

[The Large One]

What about the logistical concerns regarding boozing before the game?
At the Goldstone one could (I was too you at the time) have a few bevs in several pubs in walking distance (I can count 5 without trying).

How are we going to do that at Falmer? I think I only went there once (by mistake) on my bike and found it to be a one-pub contry arse place.

Maybe drink around Brighton station area and jump on the train to Falmer?

Several ways.

One, the way you mentioned, or you can have a drink in Lewes. There are also a couple of pubs next to London Road station.
Two, bars in the stadium (including, hopefully, a decent real ale bar)
Three, there are several bars on campus at Sussex University

 

[Kev_England]

Several ways.

One, the way you mentioned, or you can have a drink in Lewes. There are also a couple of pubs next to London Road station.
Two, bars in the stadium (including, hopefully, a decent real ale bar)
Three, there are several bars on campus at Sussex University

Nice. Thanks. That will work.
Christ, still gotta put up with Withdean for a while

 

[BensGrandad]

The biggest case to be made for the fact that there were no plans for any re-location (apart from to groundshare with Portsmouth) could lie in the fact that no planning applications were made for any new site - to either Horsham District Council for the Beeding site, nor to Hove Borough Council for the Toad's Hole Valley site.

And even regarding the done deal to share with Portsmouth, Bill Archer came in and tore it up, saying he wasn't interested in doing that - after Portsmouth was over 200 miles away.

That is true no planning applications were put in because the deal/ agreement was not finalised so no application could be entered. THV was NEVER considered and have they moved Portsmouth as it is less than 50 miles from Brighton certainly not 200 as you say. In fact it was nearer than Gillingham but as I have said lets all move on and relish the fact that Falmer will be our home after all the trials and tribulations that we have been through.

 

[The Large One]

That is true no planning applications were put in because the deal/ agreement was not finalised so no application could be entered. THV was NEVER considered and have they moved Portsmouth as it is less than 50 miles from Brighton certainly not 200 as you say. In fact it was nearer than Gillingham but as I have said lets all move on and relish the fact that Falmer will be our home after all the trials and tribulations that we have been through.

I KNOW how far Portsmouth is.

Bill Archer didn't.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

The thing is, they had run the club down and support was falling off. They then, in secret, made the pompey groundshare and also sold the Goldstone and it was only the Gulls Eye expose which let the cat out of the bag.

They hoped it would all have been a done deal and nobody would care. Only 2-4 thousand would bother to go to pompey so they would be able to say, after a short while, that the club couldn't afford to go on, couldn't afford to pay the debts, the interest and the many penalties, most of which were owed to Stanley anyway.

They reckoned without the fight of Albion, and indeed football supporters, who, whilst they may lose the habit of supporting a club going nowhere, would not take kindly to having their club forced out of existance by a couple of crooks who didn't need the money anyway.

 

[Nottseagull]

Not forgetting Hull, Cheshire.

I'm sure it's Hull, Yorkshire.

But seriously, these are just three of many clubs who have moved to more out-of-town sites, the trend being started by S****horpe Utd in the mid 80s.

 

[Nottseagull]

Bolton went from this... They also moved from an old outdated and cramped town centre ground.....

Burnden Park was not in the town centre - I well remember running the distance between those two points! When I arrived the turnstiles were shut but a steward let me in on payment of the full admission price. When I asked for a receipt he said he didn't have any; I'm sure that cash ended up in his pocket!

 

[drew]

They are ridiculous, there again I didn't make them. The difference between the amount the club acheived for the freehold and the amount the finished development was eventually sold for was about £14m, made up of demolition and redevelopment costs plus profit. Nobody disputes that the value of the retail park was around £21m, yet you are suggesting the club should have received over £20m just for the ground without it being redeveloped! (Let us remind ourselves of this):

The excess profit was made by the developers because they didn't pay a fair price to a company on the verge of being wound up.

Not sure I'm reading your post right but my understanding was that Windcote (I think) bought the ground for about £7.4m, spent £1m demolishing and levelling the site and then sold it on for about £24m (could have been £21) thereby making a profit of almost 200% in one year. Are you sure the original purchasers completed the development because I didn't think they did.

 

[drew]

The thing is, they had run the club down and support was falling off. They then, in secret, made the pompey groundshare and also sold the Goldstone and it was only the Gulls Eye expose which let the cat out of the bag.

They hoped it would all have been a done deal and nobody would care. Only 2-4 thousand would bother to go to pompey so they would be able to say, after a short while, that the club couldn't afford to go on, couldn't afford to pay the debts, the interest and the many penalties, most of which were owed to Stanley anyway.

They reckoned without the fight of Albion, and indeed football supporters, who, whilst they may lose the habit of supporting a club going nowhere, would not take kindly to having their club forced out of existance by a couple of crooks who didn't need the money anyway.

Didn't they also secretly change the articles of association for the club which meant rather than any residual funds following the winding up of the club going to local sports clubs (or something like that), it would go to the Directors but they then had to change them back when forced to by the FA. Archer was never interested in football and only got the club on the back of the failure of his mate Stanley.

 

[Kev_England]

Archer's got a wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Archer_(businessman)

 

[Nottseagull]

Not sure I'm reading your post right but my understanding was that Windcote (I think) bought the ground for about £7.4m, spent £1m demolishing and levelling the site and then sold it on for about £24m (could have been £21) thereby making a profit of almost 200% in one year. Are you sure the original purchasers completed the development because I didn't think they did.

I always thought so but no, I am not now sure. I think Chartwell bought the ground; maybe they sold it to a subsidiary to develop it. Anybody?

 

[goldstone]

I would have preferred an upgraded Goldstone Ground however good Falmer might be.

There was nothing to match the Goldstone atmosphere and the walk across Hove Park before the match.

I can still remember walking across the park with my dad to watch the first ever floodlit game (a friendly against, I believe, Frem of Denmark) and seeing the brand new floodlights shining in the distance.