Mcghee Talks About Leaving Fir Park

[angusexile]

I've just looked into ma crystal ball and see us in a new 8500 seater stadium at Ravenscraig and Paul Lambert as our manager with Steven Craigan his number two. It's 5 years fae now. .

 

 

As long as Craigan does the talking to the media. (where's the whistling thing?)

[Haggischomper]

(where's the whistling thing?)

 

[scott_mfc]

After the game today I am even more confused about my views on a move away from Fir Park.

 

If we ended up with a stadium like St Mirrens then I think I would rather stand in a crumbling shack. Fir Park has its faults yes but none that make the place so unpleasant that it would be beneficial for a multi-million pound upheaval.

 

If we move it will be for financial and business reasons, not because Fir Park is in such a bad state of repair.

[Guest]

As long as its done properly, then I'm happy to move.

 

Moving to a flatpack Barr effort: Not acceptable.

[East_Stand_Al]

I would imagine what with the college moving part of the special school moving then there will be a fair bit of development around Fir Park , now I'm no expert bu surely that has to increse the value of the land our beloved stadium sits.

 

Developers + valuable land = A new stadium and a wad of cash for the club, I tend to think 3 - 5 years and a possible tie in with the new Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility

 

North Lanarkshire Council, in partnership with SportScotland, Ravenscraig Ltd and Motherwell College are proposing to build a £30m million regional sports facility at Ravenscraig.

 

The complex will feature:

· a football and sports hall (105m x 73m x 18m high at its centre) with 400 spectator seats

· an athletics hall featuring a track and field event training areas (26.5m x 135m and clear height of 7.4m and 9.7m)

· central changing rooms and entry area

· dance studios

· outdoor football and training pitches

· interaction zones

· a strength conditioning area

· a café

· a viewing gallery

· an activity area for children.

 

The proposed facility will host local, regional and national sports, as well as leisure and cultural events – it will be capable of accommodating up to 5,000 people attending concerts, exhibitions or sports events.

[niall]

(where's the whistling thing?)

 

http://www.steelmenonline.co.uk/forums/ind...p?showtopic=540

[Special aka]

I was talking to a certain council member before the Hamilton game and he said we will NOT be leaving Fir Park anytime soon. A new stadium at Ravenscraig is just a pipe dream.

Councilors change their minds with the weather, or is it the exchange of silver Surely even the red-rosette wearing eejits of NLC can recognise the benefits of a multi-purpose complex

 

Lets face it, Fir Park is no longer fit for purpose, just like Dalziel Park and Roman Road were. However, we have to think about the long-term future of MFC and we as current fans all have to wake up to these facts. It will be painful but a move is the only viable answer.

 

Think we are all in agreement, even Mark McGhee, that we don't want one of barr's soul-less breeze block efforts.

[Kmcalpin]

Lets face it, Fir Park is no longer fit for purpose, just like Dalziel Park and Roman Road were. However, we have to think about the long-term future of MFC and we as current fans all have to wake up to these facts. It will be painful but a move is the only viable answer.

 

Think we are all in agreement, even Mark McGhee, that we don't want one of barr's soul-less breeze block efforts.

 

Totally agree. Yes it'll be a wrench leaving Fir Park but its the only way ahead. It s a no brainer. The only two flies in the ointment for me are the economic recession and the design of the new stadium. As others are saying the new design would have to be of high standard though.

[punk_in_drublic]

I hope the fella's not left because some folk disagreed on the councillor thing.

 

And i would agree with many on here, that councillors are there to represent people, not to make decision which have had no public debate whatsoever. Councillors can only make such decisions on planning matters, and so far it hasnt been submitted for planning, i work in the construction industry 7.5 hours a day 5 days a week. Is the land contaminated, does the transport and infrastructure allow this to be feasible, what will the resultant carbon emissions be, what imnpact does it have on the surroundings etc etc etc.

 

Its a brown field side, with no major development on it as yet, the infrastructure can be accomodated due to its vast size, its carbon emissions will be 15% better than current standards as per Scottish Planning Advice Note 84 (PAN84).

 

Coucnillors cant just make decisions based on nothing.

[dosser1886]

Can you ban me from the site please.

There is no point in posting on this board as if your not in the gang your posts get ignored or ridiculed, even if you have a valid point to make.

So, in the words of Duncan Bannatyne..........."I'm Out"

 

Tell you what, save the admins a job and just ban yourself, ya big baby!!

 

It would have been good if the club, somehow, could have secured the land that the College and Special school were on for a new stadium. It's close to our exising home and would give us plenty of land to build a new stadium with training facilities etc..and the opportunity to build afresh, although I guess infrastructure, transport and parking would still be an issue.

 

Just a thought, feel free to disagree Dosser30, I won't take the huff.

[Ya Bezzer!]

Totally agree. Yes it'll be a wrench leaving Fir Park but its the only way ahead. It s a no brainer. The only two flies in the ointment for me are the economic recession and the design of the new stadium. As others are saying the new design would have to be of high standard though.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, no stadium relocation in Scottish football history has worked successfully. What's happened to Airdrie? Livingston? St. Johnstone? Would you like a new ground like Falkirk's or Hamilton's?

 

Motherwell supporters need to get real. The land Fir Park is on isn't big enough or worth enough to enable us to move to a good new stadium. The Ricoh Arena mentioned in the article cost £130,000,000 pounds. Even a quarter of that budget would far beyond our wildest dreams. More likely we will be in the same region as St.Mirren who spent £15,000,000 on their new stadium. Sure the Ricoh Arena is much bigger than anything we would need but it still equates to £4,000 spent per seat compared to St.Mirren's £1,875 spent per seat. Going by that formula we would need in the region of £40-50 million to build a comparable stadium to the one in Coventry and that just isn't going to happen.

 

Anything we moved to would be of inferior quality because its all we could afford, unless someone pumped tens of millions of pounds into it. Within a generation, due to modern construction methods we'd probably be back where we started with a shoddy, out of date stadium on our hands.

 

As for all this pie in the sky about having hotel complexes, conference facilities, offices etc, all these things do not guarantee additional revenue streams, they could easily make loses! The facts are there probably isn't a market for a new hotel in this area and there is already huge amounts of office floor space lying empty and unused all across central Scotland.

 

All these shiny new ideas look great on paper but actually no one has ever made it work in this country before.

 

Beware.

[daver]

It could certainly be argued that Falkirk's move has been successful and St. Mirren's move appears to be solving a lot of their financial difficulties although we've still to see how their fans take to it.

[that hat]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, no stadium relocation in Scottish football history has worked successfully.

 

Motherwell's from Roman Road to Fir Park pre 1932?

 

Celtic from the first Celtic Park to Parkhead in 1892?

 

Dundee's gravitation from Carolina Park towards Dens Park pre 1962?

 

Hearts' move from Powburn to Powderhall then the first Tynecastle before becoming Scottish Champions on several occasions at the present Tynecastle?

 

Hibs' move from Bothwell Street to Easter Road in 1893 a decade before they first won the championship in 1903.

 

Indeed only Dundee Utd would support your comment that successful clubs have not moved grounds.

[Big Stall]

although I guess infrastructure, transport and parking would still be an issue.

 

If its to be in the Ravenscraig development, then transport won't be a problem as any plans for the area should all be outlined within the Structure Plan and NLC's Local Transport Strategy. There are aspirations for a rail station to be located within Ravenscraig, and there will of course be plenty buses if/when the housing developments ever proceed. As for parking and transport in general, the club and council will have to produce a transport assessment as part of gaining planning permission, which covers these points showing the impact on the local road network and following statutory guidance on how many parking spaces are allowable and any assistance for alternative methods of travel.

[jammyget]

IMO - we're moving, maybe not in the immediate future but I can't forsee us still being at FP in, say, ten years time.

 

As for the design of any new stadium, I don't reall care what it looks like as long as there are adequate facilities to get a slash and some scran within the half time window. Let's be honest, it's us the fans who make the occaision.

[MFCGMFC]

yeah it all sounds great but imho i dont think any of us on this board will ever see Ravenscraig completely finished

 

do you?

[Guest JohnnyDefault]

yeah it all sounds great but imho i dont think any of us on this board will ever see Ravenscraig completely finished

 

do you?

 

What does that actually mean?

 

Do you mean the full Ravenscraig development? Do you mean an MFC stadium on Ravenscraig? Do you mean the demolition of the old steelworks? Just seems a pointless post in it's unexplained state.

 

As it's just a flattened piece of waste ground with several flexible plans to do bits and pieces that change in time - i don't know what anybody's expecting. Will there be the regional sports centre? - Aye!, the college? - Aye (there already), housing? Aye!, How many houses? Dunno!

 

if anything at all happens I'll be chuffed - because as a county we've had South Lanarkshire on one side and West Lothian on the other whipping our arse major time in terms of development (and given the recent downturn we may have completely missed the boat). More specifically Motherwell and Wishaw - which bore the biggest brunt of the last downturn has had probably the least re-investment of development dollar than any comparible town(s) in the UK. (well apart from Shotts )

 

As for MFC - a move or a complete redevelopment of FP are a must - the cost of upkeep at Fir park must be huge and a big drain on already badly utilised financial resource.

 

I don't think we'll have anything other than a 'conventional' Barr type stadium - which isn't my preference - but I think it's what we're gonna get.

 

To be honest though (as I've said in previous discussions on the old site) i don't mind an Almondvale 'filled in corners' variation on that theme - if that's the route we must go down. This isn't liked by many but is seen as the best of a bad bunch if my memory serves me right.

 

There aren't many great or obvious solutions here for us - given finances, foresight / direction / motivation of those at the helm, current economic climate.

 

The TwoTier San-PieRo design is nice (I like the steep two tiered jobs at Swinecastle) - and it would be great to break the mould and do something eyecatching and innovative.

 

However in the hands of the designers / architects of 'The Pricing Initiative' what do any of us expect in terms of stadia?

[Wellfan1984]

If those in charge of Ravenscraig have any common sense they will go down the Livingston route. Get a company not owned by the Council to own the whole development (LDC in Livingston's case) build the basic infrastructure up and then sell the contract to the Council with a point plan for everything. Livingston, despite the down turn and the fragility of it's biggest market, retail continues to grow because LDC demanded it does.

 

It might not look good for Motherwell or Wishaw if it is done this way, but NLC must know it will be likely be cheaper to build up Ravenscraig than fix Motherwell/Wishaw and tbh, those who elect the MP/MSP/Council have only themselves to blame tbh

 

As for a new stadium. It won't be long until the SPL force us to build a new ground, that is if we're naw relegated anytime soon

[weeyin]

For all LDCs efforts, the football club is in major financial trouble. They could be out of business very soon.

 

No wages for players (again)

[Wellfan1984]

Very true. It all went wrong for Livingston once LDC pulled their support for a Football Club in West Lothian. Which, until it happened was shcoking that there was none.

 

Still, every house in Livingston has the right to Cable TV*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Not free but it must be installed if no access is currently available

[Guest JohnnyDefault]

For all LDCs efforts, the football club is in major financial trouble. They could be out of business very soon.

 

No wages for players (again)

 

They've never recovered from spending stupid transfer fees and wages a few seasons back.

 

they also had a chairman that split and demanded his pound of flesh.

 

I feel beads of sweat forming as I type this

[Wellfan1984]

Very true what you say but the last thing LDC did was build Almondvale Stadium and pay 5 years of the rent on behalf of Livingston FC to West Lothian Council before transferring everything, including the name and rights to Almondvale Stadium to West Lothian Council.

 

Funny how, once those 5 years ended, Livingston FC were in the SPL, and a couple of years later went shit up.

 

Livingston FC, tbh is probably LDC greatest achievement while at the same time it's biggest mistake all in one package.

 

Don't even get me started on that monstrocity that is the Toon Centre! Phase 6 starts in the summer I believe

[WishyWell]

Allegedly, the college approached John Boyle with the suggestion that their land and Fir Park be sold as one package, maximising the potential value, but JB knocked it back... but then went back to them later to say he was interested, only to be told it was too late and a deal had been done on the college land alone.

 

If this is true, I hope he takes advice from someone with a better business head if we ever do go through with a move.

[Dodge]

Allegedly, the college approached John Boyle with the suggestion that their land and Fir Park be sold as one package, maximising the potential value, but JB knocked it back... but then went back to them later to say he was interested, only to be told it was too late and a deal had been done on the college land alone.

 

If this is true, I hope he takes advice from someone with a better business head if we ever do go through with a move.

 

I can't see why selling it as part of another piece of land would maximise the value of Fir Park. It would maybe make it easier to sell to a developer but if we wait until all the other ground around Fir Park has been sold and has consented planning permission for residential then we'll reap the maximum value for the site. In saying that this is all dependant on the housing market picking up.

[Onthefringes]

QUOTE (WishyWell @ Jan 5 2009, 01:39 PM) Allegedly, the college approached John Boyle with the suggestion that their land and Fir Park be sold as one package, maximising the potential value, but JB knocked it back... but then went back to them later to say he was interested, only to be told it was too late and a deal had been done on the college land alone.

 

If this is true, I hope he takes advice from someone with a better business head if we ever do go through with a move.

 

I can't see why selling it as part of another piece of land would maximise the value of Fir Park. It would maybe make it easier to sell to a developer but if we wait until all the other ground around Fir Park has been sold and has consented planning permission for residential then we'll reap the maximum value for the site. In saying that this is all dependant on the housing market picking up.

That word allegedly... The developer knows the constraints of Dalziel Drive and their requirement is to have the land the 'Ark is housed upon to open up the development. The college work hand in hand with the club in varying matters and yes the college would want to maximise potential prior to their move, to this one though, I believe to be development lead and answered similarly in the second post above.