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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/08/2026 in Posts
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And I think that sums up the general mindset of our country. We limit ourselves at the outset, actually even before that. I get why we have the rain day mentality, there's various socio-economic reasons for it. Not a criticism lads, just our general make up as Scots unless you choose to buck the trend. I'm not suggesting we'd could do anything other than something appropriate or bankrupt the club, that would be grossly irresponsible. But you gotta aspire to more than the sum of your parts, trying to see that play out on the park is why we show up week after week isn't it? Being so focused on the here and now on stuff such as personal inconvenience gripes isn't for me. I've tried to illustrate why I think it could work and provided numbers (even if back of fag packet maths and no doubt with many holes), it's a bit more than nah it'll never work, we need to know our place, etc. Simply put Fir Park will always be limiting to our ambition and revenue. Maintenance will be like the Forth Bridge, the McLean is needing major work done to it throughout and probably the most pressing as we currently earn a fair whack of cash thanks to it. The POD is on life support and no longer fit for purpose. The Hunter will follow as it's roof needs addressed, then the floodlights and the Cooper, before the pitch or the McLean needs another touch up. All I've tried to show is rather than syphoning money into Fir Park that can be directed to a new venue that gives you 20-25 years with minimal maintenance. A new POD (is £8m fair? in construction and lost revenue), POD brought up to standard (£2m), other stands and infrastructure (£2m), ongoing maintenance over the next 20 years (£4m) and never realised commercial revenues because FP is hemmed into a residential area with limited premium options (£4m). I've highlighted that for ever 1,000 seats we make available to OF fans beyond their current 4,800 allocation (that brings in £2m extra income over 20 years, so sell 9,800 seats to OF/Hearts = £10m). Those all combined have us at £30m. If you feel that's generous, then what we're about to spend at Dalziel Park you can add in too as all the features of the new facility will already be part of any new main stand. That's all before you add in rents, SFA hiring the stadium for U21's etc, concerts and an expected boost in the home gate. Something of this magnitude can't be looked at as an isolated outlay but a long term investment. I do find it odd that folk are so quick to tell us to limit ambitions when pretty much most adults on this will buy or have bought a house worth more than they have available in the bank and in many cases will use every penny of the 5.5x their current salary to maximise what they can realise.8 points
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Overall AP was one of the worst signings we have paid for in a long time Always in the wrong place , 2 yards short, never really looked interested at all in his time here and permanently injured. Think he wanted away after two months here.6 points
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I wouldnt expect most fans to be abreast of all the information required to make a fully informed decision on whether to refurb Fir Park or rebuild elsewhere. Obviously there are emotions involved either way. Thats exactly why it is important to have the feasibility report published, together with a laymans summary of what it means for the club.3 points
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2 points
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Regardless of your opinion on stay or go, this IS a major decision for the club, which lets remember, IS owned by the fans. I think the feasibility study requires to be published, if only for transparency purposes. The board should then put forward their preferred option and any alternative for the consideration of the clubs owners. Its not quite up there with the Barmack proposal in terms of importance, who owns the club will always top the list. But where we play our football is a close second.2 points
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1 point
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Very much so. Transport links are generally improved when there’s appetite to do so by key stakeholders. Still, question was asked on how others view redeveloping our current home.1 point
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Didn't work out in the end, but better than our Alex Fisher/Jordan White/Jacob Blyth tier of non-scoring strikers.1 point
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For those who favour a notion of redeveloping current home - yet to see anything tangible offered, how would you view redevelopment? Footprint is prohibitive, future access will be restricted as the periphery ring road eventually takes shape are just two examples for consideration.1 point
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I think there’s a few things here that need cleared up. If you value the memories and uniqueness of Fir Park and loathe to move because it’s what you know, value tradition, etc. just say that. Don’t use we couldn’t afford anything new as a Trojan Horse to get your point across, because we certainly could. Finding a financier and dealing with Ravenscraig may offer issues of their own, but if we’re clever we can afford it. Likewise the other bad faith argument is the soulless Lego brick SMiSA/McDairmid and fear of us getting something similar. Why would anyone think we go you know what that’s the pinnacle of stadium design let’s emulate it, fans will love it. Remembering the fans “in theory” own the club so couldn’t have it imposed upon us. Saying that, we were meant to have a say on this as per a ratified major votes document, the feasibility study should have been made available or at very least a snapshot because we know they can cite “commercially sensitive” to bypass doing that and we’re meant to have a working together agreement that’s also yet to be published, yet every other fan owned club in Scotland has it front and centre on their ownership groups website. Yes it’s going to be a revamped Fir Park because that’s what we’ll do as it’s what we’ve always done, just this time we’ve got a wad of money in the bank or promised to be in the bank.1 point
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You could well be right Allan but the club should be doing more than just hinting about its preferred option. It should be coming out and telling us.1 point
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Outdated coaching methods, outdated and poorly qualified coaches, a governing body thats not fit for purpose, a league structure thats set up to pander to two teams at the expense of the other 40, lack of talented players, academy players struggling to get game time, a governing body that thinks it can do no wrong,, useless crap referees, a compliant media only interested in two teams. Thats a few reasons to be going on with.1 point
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1 point
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The club going ahead with the Dalziel park proposals is for me a big hint that they want to stay at Fir Park, as it makes no financial sense to spend millions on new training facilities that could be incorporated into a new build stadium site and have everything on the one site. I think the cost of a new stadium for a club of our size is beyond our means so staying at Fir park with all its faults and the no doubt high refurb costs etc might be the cheaper and financially sensible option. Also if we do decide to move it has to be to a stadium design thats suitable and acceptable to the fans, and not a generic 4 stand open corner soulless ground that we would alk hate.1 point
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1 point
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I'm fully with you this Goggles, as I've said before. Now we could discuss ad infinitum on this thread about the actual size of a proposed new stadium ranging anywhere from 10K to 18K and all stops in between, but thats for another day. Yes, a new stadium would be very expensive but so would staying at Fir Park as you show here. Costs apart, Fir Park is now no longer fit for purpose in 2026. As you rightly say our stadium is hemmed in by a 20th century land use legacy. The footprint is very tight and limits what can be done. Specific points: * The POD is on life support and needs demolished and replaced urgently. Space for development is severely restricted by the housing near Mrs Baillies. That will never change. * The Hunter Stand at minimum needs a new roof. Its the wrong shape, with access limited to one end and as we've seen recently long queues building up on busy match days. There is no room whatsoever to expand to the east. Catering and toilet facilities are poor and always will be. The views are also poor due to the low inclination of the seating and steel supports, which result in impaired access for some. * The McLean Stand is ageing and replacement of seating is already an issue. * The Cooper Stand is probably in the best health, but the hospitality facilities are sub standard and access for disabled fans is problematic, if not impossible. * At some stage, the floodlights will need replacement but I've no idea of the cost of that. No doubt there other maintenance issues about which we are unaware. Safety standards are ever evolving and each year more work needs to be done, at considerable cost, just to maintain the status quo. The world has changed but Fir Park hasn't kept pace and never will be able to. Fans in 2026 will simply not tolerate the same standard of facilities our predecessors did 60 or 70 years ago.1 point
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1 point
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It wasn't just those on the pitch, or damaging the away end. The conduct of some of those who presumably had comps/media passes, or were there in a Celtic capacity was at best antagonistic. Passed Kyrk McMillan/Diirectors box on way out, while the aftermath was still unfolding and said they shouldn't be allowed back. It was fortunate there was no retaliation from the East Stand, or things exceeding verbals in the main stand. Obviously its ridiculous to be fighting in the ground, but it was a highly charged atmosphere and fans were completely incensed by things on and off the field. Will be completely unsurprising when they do it again and wreck the new seats in the away end. If that happens then there is no option, but to cut allocation, otherwise the club look like utterly pathetic cucks. To add, its a tough gig to try and lay down the law to Block E etc when they see massive liberties being taken - with very little recourse - in the away end.1 point
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