Fir Park - I'm Sorry But It's Time To Go

[Martin]

What I get from this thread is 'the roof is leaking an the pipes have frozen - NEW STADIUM!' Surely a small renovation job is more appropriate?? Anyways, the pish gives the old dear some character..

[Sieb Dykstra]

JB has made many fuck-ups over the years but if I was him and read that comment, I would say fuck the lot of them and take my cash and piss off somewhere else!

 

It's a business ffs that has very little income but huge risk and if we all still think there is some nice billionaire out there desperate to buy MFC then they better reopen Hartwood soon and find us all some beds!!!

 

Where do you suggest, the East Stand ??? Seriously though, I'm with you on that ^ ^.

 

There is no way JB would / could spend £10m of his own dosh, as was posted, just to bring Fir Park up to speed with these modern day flat-pack stadiums. The only way we could invest that type of money on a stadium would be if we sold Fir Park and used the cash to move to somewhere like Ravenscraig. Problem is though, IMO, I don't think we could sell FP for the amount needed for the club to build a new facility, the ground it is on is too small for a supermarket (plus required car park and new road) and I don't think a housebuilder could get enough houses or flats on the site to make a decent return on their investment. That would then require JB to dig deep but what return would he get for his investment? As you say, it is a business and I can't see JB wanting to lose a few million of HIS CASH for such a high risk.

 

So, unless anyone has a better idea, I'd suggest as many fans as possible go along to FP as often as they can to help the club earn some cash, maybe then we will have some dough for some sort of investment in stadium and facilities. There is no benefit in greeting about not going back and depriving the club of much needed income. Support your club, simples....

 

Or, maybe we sell FP to an indoor sports facility and get cheap use of the training pitches in winter.......

['Wellfan 2k7]

You realise that looks like the little stick wanker-man is taking a Chug over yer avatar..... Low budget porn of the Lowest Degree.

 

 

But, on a serious note, I am one of those fans who would never want to see FP go But at the end of the day I its not safe to play/spectate in then it should be closed, the land sold of and a new tadium built down the road.

[mjw]

Is that all you fucking do you depressing negative prick? Put folk down and moan? A so called motherwell fan is some twat (like you) who keeps saying were going to lose (like you).

 

Naa seriously. a so called motherwll fan is someone who claims to be a motherwell fan but never seem to go to games unless its a big game. You know the ones that come out of the woodwork for Hampton etc. There's fucking loads of them.

 

I was a bit fucked off with your attitude towards me since i joined as you have replied to a few of my post. I then had a read of your profile and posts you have made previous. It seems your a first class prick in most of them. I'm now no longer fucked off but i do pity anyone who knows such a grumpy prick.

 

 

Wouldn't it be cheaper for the club to do up fir park than spend ten million on a soulless basic st mirran type stadium at ravenscrag. we all love fir park, surely shes worth saving. A new stadium outside of motherwell will be the end for our club. People cant be bothered going to fir park so whats the chances of them making even more of an effort to go to a soulless lifeless boring ground at the craig. A few million investment into fir park would do wonders in my opinion. Also they should bring motherwell fc back into the community and not just talk about it. At the minute they dont give a fuck about the fans. Yesterday proved that. First things first though we need someone in who knows how to run a football club because them who are doing the job at the moment dont have a bloody clue and will kill this club by alienating the fans and the town even more. The fans of mfc are treated like shit by the club.

 

Negative prick

[john_M_F_C]

There will have been problem everywhere of late. Even the floors in my work flood because of the recent weather. A prolonged spell off minus double figure temperatures with nobody using the facilities for ages at a time will take it's toll on any building as exposed as a football stadium. Yes it's not very nice, but no it's not a signal to move, a newer stadium would be at the same sort of risks in this weather(see Ibrox).

[East_Stand_Al]

The game and the stadium were shite but at least we got the game on thus generating much needed revenue for the club.

 

Things can only get better.

[Andy_P]

Was about 20 years or so ago that in my youth I used to mock my Airdrie mates at school for the state of Broomfield how it was the worst stadium in the Premier League with their shitty wee shed for a Main Stand, open air sewers for toilets and being a general shitehole.

 

The irony ofcourse is that with each passing year the condition of Fir Park becomes more and more like the place I used to sneer at.

 

Its never been as bad in the East Stand as yesterday but its far from being a one off having dustbins strategically placed across the stand to catch falling water or having to wade through puddles to get along the top of the stand.

 

We hear reports each summer, some official, some speculated of thousands of pounds required to be spent to get the Main Stand a safety certificate to be able to open.

 

Clearly the club have little option but to keep plugging the holes, mending and making do but whether we like it or not it must be pushing the club closer to the tipping point where they have to make the move.

[cooper_no1]

Seems to be a few folk out there that just don't get it anymore.

 

First of all - yes, there are parts of Fir Park that are now well beyond their expiery date. The East Stand has been a bit of a joke for quite some time. The main stand is like an antique however it is also where a lot of the clubs functioning takes place(changing rooms etc) so replacing it or knocking it down is no option.In any matter Motherwell FC don't have that kind of Money.

 

The South stand and Cooper are not particularly old and seem more than fit for purpose to be honest.

 

Anyway,back to reality and the thing is - the problems with plumming etc could have happened anywhere and it's in no way a surprise. Im not saying that it's right - the game should probably not have went ahead or at least those stands shouldn't have been open to the public in that state however the circumstances must have been fairly extreme because with no football played at Fir park for some time the cash levels must have been slipping further and further into the red. That game HAD to go ahead,i'd almost go as far as that.

 

Leaving Fir Park and setting up a new stadium might seem like an appealing option to many. The problem is that it's probably not functionable right now. First of all Motherwell FC would have to sell the current sight. Now i know a few years ago there was good interest in this area of land but who's to say that same interest is still there?? With the development of a new area at Ravenscraig who says that the piece of land where fir park is is now as desirable as it once was?? Especially in this current financial climate???...I might be wrong, i have no knowledge of it just a general observation.

 

Building a new stadium??To what extent. People may not like the two sided affairs that we see popping up around the country these days but i struggle to justify anything larger. The expense is huge and for what....mayby 5 games a season??....Sorry but the current Motherwell attendence is (like most other clubs) abysmal.

 

A lot of people will not like the idea,and to be honest it's pointless now anyway but with a bit of thought MFC and Hamilton should perhaps have built a new stadium between them. That won't please anyone i'm sure but in reality it wouldn't have been a bad idea.

 

Point is,i don't see folk falling over themself to buy Fir Park and we all know motherwell don't have the cash to build a new stadium without getting a good whack for Fir Park. Sad as it is,i think folk might need to wade through the pish for a while more because until someone acctually closes the stadium down - it will remain open for business in exactly the same condition as it is now.....and that goes for EVERY club - not just Motherwell.Sadly Motherwell do seem to have one of the older stadiums around just now.

[El Grew]

Solution = simple = don't go!

[Lobey_Dosser]

Solution = simple = don't go!

 

Think it is clear that many have already taken that option given the amount of empty seats on Sunday.

[Yir Elder]

Fir Park is Motherwell's home and I for one hope it always will be. It just wouldn't feel right watching the Dossers play anywhere else and call it home.

 

Having said that, it does cost thousands each year in repairs and improvements to keep Fir Park operational, and this more than anything else eats into the playing budget. How would we feel if even more went into repairs and the team were nearer the bottom of the SPL?

 

Rather than not go to games because of facilities, the club need a few more regulars to boost the coffers. When I first went to fitba no-one spoke of boycotting games due to poor facilities, mainly because most facilities at most grounds were dire anyway!

 

Perhaps its time to get more sponsors on board, one for each stand as well as one for the playing kit. Even an extra 100k or so per season would be a Godsend.

[Dead Star]

If we move to a new stadium, how many of the auld bastards will be all up in arms and no bother going back "cause its just no Fir Park".

 

Aye, progress, and moving onto better things is a right fucker.

[fatcalf]

If we move to a new stadium, how many of the auld bastards will be all up in arms and no bother going back "cause its just no Fir Park".

 

Aye, progress, and moving onto better things is a right fucker.

Me for one, Fir Park will do until we can afford better, which will be never so suck it up, we're going nowhere anytime soon.

[Spiderpig]

I have been going to Fir park for nearly 40 years and while it has improved dramatically in that time it really is time for the club to consider moving to a new stadium. The POD stand was good for the 1960's but not today, toilets poor, catering points poor, seats and legroom dire, etc. The east stand is terracing with seats, its a shite hole, . The club should be moving to a new purpose built stadium on the Ravenscraig site, not one of these 4 stand, no corners grounds but a proper footie stadium, oval, close to the pitch, 10,000 seats, plenty of car parking etc, Livingston's Almondvale is a good example, or the reebok on a much smaller scale.

As for all the history, sentiment etc, nobody can take that away, but you would still be supporting the team and making new memories, European nights, cup games etc. I am sure if you asked all of the fans from St Mirren, hamilton, Airdrie, Bolton, Arsenal or any other team who has moved to a new stadium if they preferred the old one the answer would be no.

The amount of money spent trying to keep Fir park open and in good condition would be better spent on a new stadium which would require less maintenance, and provide more income to spend on the team.

[dosser1886]

Me for one, Fir Park will do until we can afford better, which will be never so suck it up, we're going nowhere anytime soon.

 

Exactly, we'll be pissing with the cock that we've got for a long time yet.

[Pepper]

Why don't we do what Falkirk did and build it one stand at a time? They have a cracking wee ground now. The front of their main stand looks great anaw.

[Muzz]

New Stadium is a £40 solution to a £10 problem.

[Special aka]

.............No-one complained, the 'pish' was running out onto the main road & everyone had to walk through it!

............

bit different from sitting down with it flowing round yer feet.

 

Yes we were made of sterner stuff back in the day we stood on rainsoaked ash bings/terraces, we pissed in roofless urinals or up against the wall at the Spazzy End, some even pissed where they stood when the Shed was packed, while the women folk had to knock on doors in Fir Park Street, the only running water was in the Board Room, and there was no segregation from the 20,000+ bampots who invaded when the Mauld Firm came a calling.

 

Yes we are a right bunch of sad softies today: corporate boxes, sauce for our pies, waterproof clothing, remote controls for the TV, toilet roll and inside shunkeez. What must we be thinking

 

The Taylor Report was comissioned to eraze the bad old days, to ensure top flight teams provided top flight facilities for fans, the outcome of which saw the red bings from 2 ends of Fir Park replaced by the Stands we see today. With the Shed, however, MFC rather sadly chose the cheap option and fitted seats into a covered terrace and squeezed in toilet/kiosk facilities at the back where there really was no adequate room to do so.

 

The Shed is the 3rd worst Stand in the SPL, (behind the 2 at Inverness), while the POD is probably 4th worst. They both demand annual upkeep, a financial burden on MFC which in my opinion is unacceptable - and probably could pay for 2 or more decent players.

 

Truth hurts, but it must rule over sentiment.

[underboyleheating]

bit different from sitting down with it flowing round yer feet.

 

Yes we were made of sterner stuff back in the day we stood on rainsoaked ash bings/terraces, we pissed in roofless urinals or up against the wall at the Spazzy End, some even pissed where they stood when the Shed was packed, while the women folk had to knock on doors in Fir Park Street, the only running water was in the Board Room, and there was no segregation from the 20,000+ bampots who invaded when the Mauld Firm came a calling.

 

Yes we are a right bunch of sad softies today: corporate boxes, sauce for our pies, waterproof clothing, remote controls for the TV, toilet roll and inside shunkeez. What must we be thinking

 

The Taylor Report was comissioned to eraze the bad old days, to ensure top flight teams provided top flight facilities for fans, the outcome of which saw the red bings from 2 ends of Fir Park replaced by the Stands we see today. With the Shed, however, MFC rather sadly chose the cheap option and fitted seats into a covered terrace and squeezed in toilet/kiosk facilities at the back where there really was no adequate room to do so.

 

The Shed is the 3rd worst Stand in the SPL, (behind the 2 at Inverness), while the POD is probably 4th worst. They both demand annual upkeep, a financial burden on MFC which in my opinion is unacceptable - and probably could pay for 2 or more decent players.

 

Truth hurts, but it must rule over sentiment.

Common sense at last. This is 2010 not 1910. Things should have moved on since then.

Where we find the cash for a new stadium or a Fir Park upgrade is an even bigger problem.

[East_Stand_Al]

bit different from sitting down with it flowing round yer feet.

 

Yes we were made of sterner stuff back in the day we stood on rainsoaked ash bings/terraces, we pissed in roofless urinals or up against the wall at the Spazzy End, some even pissed where they stood when the Shed was packed, while the women folk had to knock on doors in Fir Park Street, the only running water was in the Board Room, and there was no segregation from the 20,000+ bampots who invaded when the Mauld Firm came a calling.

 

Yes we are a right bunch of sad softies today: corporate boxes, sauce for our pies, waterproof clothing, remote controls for the TV, toilet roll and inside shunkeez. What must we be thinking

 

The Taylor Report was comissioned to eraze the bad old days, to ensure top flight teams provided top flight facilities for fans, the outcome of which saw the red bings from 2 ends of Fir Park replaced by the Stands we see today. With the Shed, however, MFC rather sadly chose the cheap option and fitted seats into a covered terrace and squeezed in toilet/kiosk facilities at the back where there really was no adequate room to do so.

 

The Shed is the 3rd worst Stand in the SPL, (behind the 2 at Inverness), while the POD is probably 4th worst. They both demand annual upkeep, a financial burden on MFC which in my opinion is unacceptable - and probably could pay for 2 or more decent players.

 

Truth hurts, but it must rule over sentiment.

 

 

Common sense at last. This is 2010 not 1910. Things should have moved on since then.

Where we find the cash for a new stadium or a Fir Park upgrade is an even bigger problem.

 

 

Everyone is moaning about the state of the stadium the lack of quality on the pitch etc. etc. all of which cannot be sorted without large injections of money.

 

Until we can get some of the 9000 odds wh were at FP for the Odense game to come on a regular basis we have to mend and make do thats the sad reality of the game at present.

 

I get it that's a catch 22 but it is whats needed, there are over 2300 registered members on this forum alone how many have season tickets or go to games regularly, I know it's not always practical or possible but again symptomatic of the apathy which erodes our game.

[Special aka]

An option could be ................. condem the East Stand and close it - end of, and thus no more annual maintenance to worry about. Remove the seats and use as spares for the South and Cooper.

 

Allocate the Cooper Stand to away fans and the South Stand for home fans, with an access route to said created from Fir Park Street. The capacity would still be over 10,000. And lets be honest, when do we ever need that ?

 

When the Mauld Firm visit, simple - give them The Cooper and the bits they usually get in the POD, (no change there then).

['Wellfan 2k7]

An option could be ................. condem the East Stand and close it - end of, and thus no more annual maintenance to worry about. Remove the seats and use as spares for the South and Cooper.

 

Allocate the Cooper Stand to away fans and the South Stand for home fans, with an access route to said created from Fir Park Street. The capacity would still be over 10,000. And lets be honest, when do we ever need that ?

 

When the Mauld Firm visit, simple - give them The Cooper and the bits they usually get in the POD, (no change there then).

Nah. That'll never be allowed as they would moan thats we're bullying them by not giving them 75% of our seating.

[SuperCC]

Most of the new grounds in Scotland have been created through the property boom of the last 20 when cash was sloshing around freely. Thats gone now and so is JB's window to raise the sort of money needed to even build a basic 4 sided flatpack style stadium. Could be 20 years again before we get that opportunity again and with hindsight we went into administration because of the extra investment in the team and how nice it could have been if that cash had gone on a shiny new stadium and we just suffered shite football for a while at a different level!

Anyways - no point whinging at the club because the situation is not going to change and I am sure they are doing all that can be done to improve things.

[gdalli10]

An option could be ................. condem the East Stand and close it - end of, and thus no more annual maintenance to worry about. Remove the seats and use as spares for the South and Cooper.

 

Allocate the Cooper Stand to away fans and the South Stand for home fans, with an access route to said created from Fir Park Street.

 

 

I could actually see that happening

[fatcalf]

I don't really see maintenace of the East Stand as being the problem, it's the Main Stand I suspect which is the biggest drain on finances. Can't see your option of closing it being received very well there.

So again, we have to make do cos we can't change it anytime soon.