UpTownSpur
Says it like it is
- Dec 31, 2014
- 2,266
- 4,362
I'd like to make some points:
1) We don't have a poor record at Wembley when it's a neutral stadium. We've played 3 finals against title chasing teams when we were just a top 6 team. Our record is won 1, drew 1 and lost 1. We lost a semi final to a title chasing team with the aid of a ghost goal and the deafest against Portsmouth was our only truely poor result, and that came at a time when we were more focussed on a top 4 finished.
2) Our record at Wembley when we're the "home" team is undeniably shocking when compared to our record at WHL. 13-2-0 vs 1-1-2.
3) The true quality of a team can often be guaged by their away form, which puts us 6th in the table, and the excellent home form WHL helps us achieve goes someway to bridging the gap between clubs like Arsenal who currently have more financial clout - and in my opinion we should be looking for a stadium that mimics WHL as closely as possible to maintain this home advantage.
4) The optimal size of an all seater stadium in terms of having a good atmosphere seems to be around 30-45k. Larger than this and atmosphere often starts to dissipate. The new WHL aims to design out some of the atmosphere problems with large all seater stadiums, how successful it will be remains to be seen. But in stadiums like the Emirates and Wembley, not only was no attempt made to design out these problems, decisions, in terms of distance from the pitch, roof design and tier angle, actually made these problems worse, and it can often feel like there's only 6 or 8k people there instead of 60 or 80k. This makes it an easier place for opposition teams to play.
5) If we went to MK, the most committed fans would go and those who worry more about their own needs above the club would stay at home.
6) If the season goes badly at Wembley, we'll start to see bright red empty seats at games, which is very bad for the club's image. There's a chance we could become the "big story" next season, and not in a positive way.
7) If we spent 40 million on a new player who helped us finish 3 places higher, this would be good business. Similarly, if we lose 40 million in revenue by not going to Wembley and we finish 3 places higher, this would also be beneficial to us.
1) We don't have a poor record at Wembley when it's a neutral stadium. We've played 3 finals against title chasing teams when we were just a top 6 team. Our record is won 1, drew 1 and lost 1. We lost a semi final to a title chasing team with the aid of a ghost goal and the deafest against Portsmouth was our only truely poor result, and that came at a time when we were more focussed on a top 4 finished.
2) Our record at Wembley when we're the "home" team is undeniably shocking when compared to our record at WHL. 13-2-0 vs 1-1-2.
3) The true quality of a team can often be guaged by their away form, which puts us 6th in the table, and the excellent home form WHL helps us achieve goes someway to bridging the gap between clubs like Arsenal who currently have more financial clout - and in my opinion we should be looking for a stadium that mimics WHL as closely as possible to maintain this home advantage.
4) The optimal size of an all seater stadium in terms of having a good atmosphere seems to be around 30-45k. Larger than this and atmosphere often starts to dissipate. The new WHL aims to design out some of the atmosphere problems with large all seater stadiums, how successful it will be remains to be seen. But in stadiums like the Emirates and Wembley, not only was no attempt made to design out these problems, decisions, in terms of distance from the pitch, roof design and tier angle, actually made these problems worse, and it can often feel like there's only 6 or 8k people there instead of 60 or 80k. This makes it an easier place for opposition teams to play.
5) If we went to MK, the most committed fans would go and those who worry more about their own needs above the club would stay at home.
6) If the season goes badly at Wembley, we'll start to see bright red empty seats at games, which is very bad for the club's image. There's a chance we could become the "big story" next season, and not in a positive way.
7) If we spent 40 million on a new player who helped us finish 3 places higher, this would be good business. Similarly, if we lose 40 million in revenue by not going to Wembley and we finish 3 places higher, this would also be beneficial to us.
