terry shipman

[footyguts]

no chance!! i was there.dont you know leicesters fan base yet??

 

[Blue Maniac]

I don't think anyone would have predicted the way crowds increased in the late nineties, after Euro 96.
in 1990-91 Leicester's average attendance was 11,500, the following few seasons when we were doing well it was 15,000.
People would have said it was a waste of money if the club had decided to build a 32,000 capacity stadium at that time.

As opposed to building it when we didn't have the money? :icon_conf And aside from the first two seasons, this one's hardly been full to the rafters has it? This club's never, ever needed 32000 seats. Ever.

 

[footyguts]

yes we will.

 

[Blue Maniac]

yes we will.

Maybe, one day. I hope so. But as it is now, we're barely half-filling it. I can't think of a time when we've ever needed a stadium this size. It would have been useful during the abbreviated UEFA Cup adventures and the occasional big Premiership match but surely the possibility of relegation (and hence not being able to afford the building) crossed someone's mind when the plans were being made?

 

[footyguts]

i might get a season ticket again one day if we have decent players and a good set up.i might be 45 by then though.

 

[Jeff]

As opposed to building it when we didn't have the money? :icon_conf

When it was built it should have been the best time to build it from a financial point of view, we had money, and if we'd stayed in the Premiership it would have paid for itself. Getting relegated (twice!) was the problem.

 

[footyguts]

to be honest people knew we were going bust and didnt give a shit where we played.

 

[Blue Maniac]

i might get a season ticket again one day if we have decent players and a good set up.i might be 45 by then though.

That's a wild prediction. If that happens I'll buy you one :icon_bigg

Disclaimer: No I won't.

 

[footyguts]

youll be old enough then ;-)

 

[Blue Maniac]

When it was built it should have been the best time to build it from a financial point of view, we had money, and if we'd stayed in the Premiership it would have paid for itself. Getting relegated (twice!) was the problem.

That possibility should have been factored in though! Making massive financial commitments based on assumptions such as "yeah, we'll stay up", which appears to be what the board did, is irresponsible and short-sighted.

 

[Jeff]

surely the possibility of relegation (and hence not being able to afford the building) crossed someone's mind when the plans were being made?

It wasn't building it that was the problem, it was the way the finance was arranged so the payments went UP when we were relegated.
But even then if the transfer market hadn't crashed (due to the ITV digital fiasco) we would have been able to sell more players, for more money after going down, and the financial situation wouldn't have been so bad.

 

[Blue Maniac]

It wasn't building it that was the problem, it was the way the finance was arranged so the payments went UP when we were relegated.
But even then if the transfer market hadn't crashed (due to the ITV digital fiasco) we would have been able to sell more players, for more money after going down, and the financial situation wouldn't have been so bad.

Again, we've got a lot of ifs there Jeff :icon_bigg always plan for worst case scenario.

 

[Boy Genius]

It wasn't building it that was the problem, it was the way the finance was arranged so the payments went UP when we were relegated.
But even then if the transfer market hadn't crashed (due to the ITV digital fiasco) we would have been able to sell more players, for more money after going down, and the financial situation wouldn't have been so bad.

Where were you sitting at the creditors meeting Jeff?

 

[Jeff]

I can't think of a time when we've ever needed a stadium this size. It would have been useful during the abbreviated UEFA Cup adventures and the occasional big Premiership match

Every season since it was built the Walkers Stadium has averaged more fans than the capacity of Filbert Street, so of course we needed a bigger capacity than we had. In our Premiership season we averaged 31,000, so the capacity wasn't just used for the 'occasional big Premiership match'.

 

[Blue Maniac]

Every season since it was built the Walkers Stadium has averaged more fans than the capacity of Filbert Street, so of course we needed a bigger capacity than we had. In our Premiership season we averaged 31,000, so the capacity wasn't just used for the 'occasional big Premiership match'.

A lot more rare these days though isn't it? That wasn't central to my point anyway, what I mean is: why did we not plan for the worst-case scenario? I'm not saying we should have acted as if we had no money, and yes risks obviously have to be taken every so often. But why was relegation not considered? And if it was, how did we end up with this stadium?

 

[Jeff]

always plan for worst case scenario.

Football doesn't work like that though does it?

If the club had planned for the worst case scenario we'd have sold the likes of Izzet, Heskey, Lennon etc at the earliest opportunity, just in case we went down and lost the Sky money.
Supporters (and board members) won't accept planning for the worst case scenario.

At the time building the stadium seemed to be a sensible thing to do, and I'm sure it still is a good thing to have - even thiis season we've had some bigger crowds than Filbert Street could have held.

Spending the money on the stadium was certainly more sensible than spending £5 million on Akinbiyi, £3 million on Jones etc.

 

[Macky]

Yeah, but bloke in the pub said blah, blah, blah. Which is good enough for me, so for that reason...I'm out

 

[Blue Maniac]

Football doesn't work like that though does it?

More so these days I'd like to think.

If the club had planned for the worst case scenario we'd have sold the likes of Izzet, Heskey, Lennon etc at the earliest opportunity, just in case we went down and lost the Sky money.
Supporters (and board members) won't accept planning for the worst case scenario.

No, that would have been creating the worst case scenario.

At the time building the stadium seemed to be a sensible thing to do, and I'm sure it still is a good thing to have - even thiis season we've had some bigger crowds than Filbert Street could have held.

It's a good thing to have, yes, and even better when/if we get back to the Premiership. I suppose you've got to spend money to make money.

Spending the money on the stadium was certainly more sensible than spending £5 million on Akinbiyi, £3 million on Jones etc.

Agreed. But so would spending £35 million on a giant inflatable banana the size of Aylestone.

 

[Jeff]

But so would spending £35 million on a giant inflatable banana the size of Aylestone.

The banana project has been put on hold, the money earmarked for it went towards the overspend on the new theatre instead.

 

[Blue Maniac]

The banana project has been put on hold, the money earmarked for it went towards the overspend on the new theatre instead.

Apparently that's a fraction of what Forest Green have spent on bringing Josh Low in.