Question for you...

[Dithering Dougie]

Agree with much of this other than is the gap bridgeable?

Without investment it is not, and unless there is a huge uplift in our commercial and sponsorship revenues globally in addition to the investment then it is already too great.

Well I'd say the squads on par with Spurs and the RS at least and with a core group of young talented players we should be seeing improvement year on year if they stay together (and hopefully continue to add to the squad) and push further on.

We can't control what other squads do obviously but we can make sure ours has the best chance of competing for trophies in the future. Dismantling this squad to build a new ground so we can have a better squad is far to much of a backwards step and the ground lost during the rebuilding process (stadium and squad) may never be recoverable in my opinion.

 

[sageyefc]

No way. Wont be enough to pay for a stadium anyway and we'd still have to replace the players which would be impossible with limited funds so we'd fall right down the league and really struggle to get back for several years even with this shiny new stadium

 

[admirschleck]

The worst possible scenario and probably the most realistic one is - we are going to sell our best players and we are not going to invest that in new stadium. Kenwright that.

 

[oldblue]

Got to think that they would find a way to build a new stadium regardless of sale of players if they could project increased revenue in any way.
I went with a Bolton fan to visit their old ground as it was being demolished. He was allowed to go in and walk round and looking at his face when he picked up odd bits of memorabilia you did sense a part of his love of them was over.
Went to the Reebok a few years later and was one of most sanitised events ever. Felt like we were fitting a game into a trip to Matalan.
It clearly doesn't always work and can remove a sense of what the club means to people.
Some things have to change but seems like there's plenty to invest in before a new stadium is on our list. In fact a new stadium might be being used as a smokescreen to stop investment that will improve us.
Any investment has to take into account who we are and what may never change. I know some people get depressed that we won't be a money farm but if you start to accept it then you will come out the other end happier that at the moment you are watching Stones, Rom, Del etc, and not care so much that it may not last.
Having said that I've always been terrible with deferred gratification and probably just hate selling players I want in the team.

 

[blue61]

no.

what's the point in a new stadium if the team isn't good enough to perform in it?

First reply nails it in one.

 

[Darren Gibbs]

do you think the fans would turn on the board if they decided to go down this route?

 

[blueloon]

Yes for me , player sales are short term if a stadium could be guaranteed definitely yes. I guess I've just had too many weary years of seeing cameras pan around grounds like Norwich, Southampton , Leicester , Newcastle , Sunderland et etc and seeing how they've managed to get 21st century grounds for their fans and we haven't. Even if they have a lesser capacity than ours they have somehow managed to develop in keeping with their status . We haven't .

 

[oldblue]

do you think the fans would turn on the board if they decided to go down this route?

Do we trust their motives is key to whether we would turn on them I think rather than just disagreeing with the decision.
Don't see why we can't have our cake and eat it anyway in this circumstance. Investing surely shouldn't mean selling assets first. If you are worth investing in then it should be because these assets are working for the club. So my gut instinct would be that people would be right to turn on them if they didn't do everything to hold onto their best players.

 

[SerenityNigh]

No. Goodison Park isn't what's holding the club back.

 

[Charlie Sweet]

There's a fair few ways of looking at it. The first one being it's not even happening! the next being as stated above they'd probably balls it up anyway. The next being is our squad really that strong anyway (I personally don't think it is). And so on and so on.

 

[ijjysmith]

I'm sorry. Is there a definitive answer to this hypothetical question?

 

[Charlie Sweet]

I'm sorry. Is there a definitive answer to this hypothetical question?

 

[Toffeelover]

I would not sell. Keep hold of our players win trophies, enhance our rep will make us more attractive to a would be buyer more than a struggling club in a nice stadium.

 

[The Esk]

On topic please

 

[Alanbileysfeathercut]

No you'll miss goodison too much,let's try build on this season we're not to far off . New stadiums aren't always the answer,Cardiff,Sunderland and many others to mention.Even massive ground improvements ,Newcastle,perfect example,