A bit worrying

[The 17 Bus]

why the lol Schards, I would say that WSM is agreeing with you actually, long term growth, not short term gain. Even you said yes to the expansion, but not yet, not until we are set up in the Prem you said. You see even you agree that the demand could be there, but just not yet.

[Wycombe Royal]

Is there anyone out there left, literally anyone, who still thinks demand hasn't fallen?

Woodcote ROFLoyal?
Wycombe Royal?
Skyline?
Behindu?

Anyone? Anyone at all?

I have said on a different topic that demand has weakened slightly this season as expected, but it is still sufficient for an expansion to the stadium to be made. However with a relegation battle looming (which it wasn't when this topic was started) obviously the whole situation changes. But obviously you saw that in your crystal ball last summer.

Given how much we strengthened, its not the most difficult prediction ever, is it?

So it wouldn't have been a difficult prediction the season before either? The season when we finished 8th.

[Schards#2]

why the lol Schards, I would say that WSM is agreeing with you actually, long term growth, not short term gain. Even you said yes to the expansion, but not yet, not until we are set up in the Prem you said. You see even you agree that the demand could be there, but just not yet.

After 50+ pages of debate on whether demand has fallen between this season and last, one of 'the educated few' declares himself the winner on the basis of long term trends.

[West Stand Man]

In the face of some strong competition, that post takes the prize as the biggest LOL on this thread

Why? Because it sticks to facts, maybe?

[West Stand Man]

Is there anyone out there left, literally anyone, who still thinks demand hasn't fallen?

Woodcote ROFLoyal?
Wycombe Royal?
Skyline?
Behindu?

Anyone? Anyone at all?

Nigel Howe perhaps - as he seems to think (but then what would he know) that the expansion plan is still on the backburners - not dead and thrown away as you imply .

[Woodcote Royal]

Indeed

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/readi ... ut_on_hold

Reading FC Stadium expansion is put on hold
READING will not be expanding their stadium for at least another year according to chief executive Nigel Howe, writes NICK IVE.

Royals received permission to start work this spring on increasing the capacity of Madejski Stadium to around 30,000.

But with the club’s future in the Premier League far from secure, work will now be delayed.


Howe told the Evening Post: “We’re not going to make any decision until we know where we are. We have always said there is no point expanding if we don’t maintain our Premiership status.

“But I am confident we will stay up. We have looked at our fixtures and I think we are good enough.

“Whatever division we’re in, though, work won’t start on the stadium until at least next year.

“It needs to be in the off-season and we won’t now be able to revisit the idea until the end of the year. If then we look like having Premiership stability then we can to review the situation.”

Tickets for Reading matches have not been snapped up as quickly as last season, but the club still regularly sells in excess of 24,000 tickets.

Howe is confident the demand will be there to fill a bigger stadium.

He added: “There are 600 tickets left for Sunday’s (Televised) match with Villa and that number will go down. The biggest problem is we only have single seats left nearer the match and people don’t want to sit on their own, they want them in threes or fours.

“We try to let people swap seats, but sometimes it can’t happen because we have 18,000 season-ticket holders.

"If the stadium was bigger that wouldn’t be much of a problem as there would be more scope for choice, so I’m confident we would sell more tickets, but it is about building gradually.”

So,

(1) We haven't been relegated yet.
(2)Our next match is almost sold out even though it's on SKY.
(3)The expansion hasn't been cancelled just delayed.
(4)Nigel Howe how believes sufficent demand exists to justify expansion provided we avoid relegation.
(5) One middle class twat from the East is laughing at those who agree with 1-4.

[The 17 Bus]

The biggest problem is we only have single seats left nearer the match and people don’t want to sit on their own, they want them in threes or fours.

well sell tickets sensibly then, it is only the clubs fault that there are mostly single seats left Nigel, in the summer move ST seats along to remove the gaps, done properly it should cause no problems. at least the gaps would be at the end of rows then, once all the gaps have been closed up, offer current ST holders the chance to move if they would like to.

Only the club know where the gaps are, then when selling match tickets do not allow seats to be sold if it leaves a spare single seat, not rocket science, and has been said many a time here happens at other ticketed events.

[The 17 Bus]

“Whatever division we’re in, though, work won’t start on the stadium until at least next year.

at this point in time we are in the Prem, we were told the East expansion could be done over a summer, true or false?? Come next Nov we could be poodling along in the Prem, or we could be on top of The championship with sell outs likely for as long as we were to remain there.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

Howe is confident the demand will be there to fill a bigger stadium.

He added: “There are 600 tickets left for Sunday’s (Televised) match with Villa and that number will go down. The biggest problem is we only have single seats left nearer the match and people don’t want to sit on their own, they want them in threes or fours.

(2)Our next match is almost sold out even though it's on SKY.

Without wishing to get too deeply into this "discussion", I'd put money on the fact that there are more than 600 empty seats in the home ends on Sunday as tickets went on sale before Sky decided to move the game to Sunday lunchtime.

[West Stand Man]

Howe is confident the demand will be there to fill a bigger stadium.

He added: “There are 600 tickets left for Sunday’s (Televised) match with Villa and that number will go down. The biggest problem is we only have single seats left nearer the match and people don’t want to sit on their own, they want them in threes or fours.

(2)Our next match is almost sold out even though it's on SKY.

Without wishing to get too deeply into this "discussion", I'd put money on the fact that there are more than 600 empty seats in the home ends on Sunday as tickets went on sale before Sky decided to move the game to Sunday lunchtime.

But what does that matter. DEMAND is based on sales not those who show up.

[T.R.O.L.I.]

But what does that matter. DEMAND is based on sales not those who show up.

But that's kind of what I was getting at (on the back of Nigel Howe's comment of "despite the game being on Sky"). A lot of sales would have been made prior to Sky changing the kick off time so it would be interesting to see how many of those are no-shows given the change.

A better indicator will be the Man CIty game IMO (unless Sky / Shitanta decide to change the date of that after the tickets have gone on sale).

[Royal Lady]

Woodcote - is it really necessary to continually call people names, just because they don't agree with you? You only make yourself look silly.

[Schards#2]

We could have spent it in other ways so far but haven't.

My money is on the man who built this club "brick by brick" making sure that, in the worst case scenario, we have at least one legacy from a short stay in the Prem................................a 30k stadium.

He's going to make sure we have something to show for all the money that's pouring into this club and won't allow every last penny to go on transfer fees and players wages.

Whilst I'm sure any expansion to 38k would be put on hold, extending the East giving us an extra 6000? seats and vastly increased corporate facilities would make perfect sense.

It would make us better equipped for a return to the top flight whilst greatly increasing our ability to cash in when we have big matches in the Championship.

Just so's I can have one more belly laugh at your expense.

Do you still think we should expand if relegated (i.e - you completely disagree with JM and NH whos praises you have been singing throughout this thread)?

Or do you now agree with JM and NH that we shouldn't expand and, therefore, accept that you have been totally and utterly wrong in everything you've said on the thread over the previous 6 months.

Either way, congratulations on being the first person ever to simultaniously have his head in the sand, his foot in his mouth and egg all over his face. Perhaps you should try eating some humble pie at the same time, might make you foot taste better.

[West Stand Man]

Do you still think we should expand if relegated (i.e - you completely disagree with JM and NH whos praises you have been singing throughout this thread)?

Or do you now agree with JM and NH that we shouldn't expand and, therefore, accept that you have been totally and utterly wrong in everything you've said on the thread over the previous 6 months.

Except, of course, that they have said nothing of the sort. They have actually said that the expansion is still on, but not for this summer.

Either way, congratulations on being the first person ever to simultaniously have his head in the sand, his foot in his mouth and egg all over his face. Perhaps you should try eating some humble pie at the same time, might make you foot taste better.

I am sure that there will be enough humble pie for you to have a major slice of it - with gravy if you want.

[Schards#2]

Do you still think we should expand if relegated (i.e - you completely disagree with JM and NH whos praises you have been singing throughout this thread)?

Or do you now agree with JM and NH that we shouldn't expand and, therefore, accept that you have been totally and utterly wrong in everything you've said on the thread over the previous 6 months.

Except, of course, that they have said nothing of the sort. They have actually said that the expansion is still on, but not for this summer.

Either way, congratulations on being the first person ever to simultaniously have his head in the sand, his foot in his mouth and egg all over his face. Perhaps you should try eating some humble pie at the same time, might make you foot taste better.

I am sure that there will be enough humble pie for you to have a major slice of it - with gravy if you want.

It's dead in the water mate, there isn't the demand.

Accept you got it wrong and move on.

[The Surgeon of Crowthorne]

This quote puzzles me:

“We’re not going to make any decision until we know where we are. We have always said there is no point expanding if we don’t maintain our Premiership status.

I thought that when the plans for expansion were first proposed (September 2006?), the club said that the expansion would go ahead regardless of what division we would be playing in the following (i.e. this) season. Unfortunately, the OS news archive doesn't appear to go back further than one year so I can't prove it
Anyone else got any quotes from that time?

[Royal Lady]

This quote puzzles me:

“We’re not going to make any decision until we know where we are. We have always said there is no point expanding if we don’t maintain our Premiership status.

I thought that when the plans for expansion were first proposed (September 2006?), the club said that the expansion would go ahead regardless of what division we would be playing in the following (i.e. this) season. Unfortunately, the OS news archive doesn't appear to go back further than one year so I can't prove it
Anyone else got any quotes from that time?

I would agree with you there, as if they had not said they were going to expand, "come what may", Schards and I wouldn't have been so against in the first place! We said all along, we should give it a couple more years to see whether we appeared to have a solid foot in the PL before making such a big decision. It was the fact that the club intimated they would go ahead with it, whatever division we were in, that we spoke out against it happening yet.

[Dirk Gently]

For the record, this is what was said by Nigel Howe on the official site on 21st September 2006.

Working in the Premiership
The first thing I want to mention are the fantastic crowds we've had this season. After years of anticipation and looking towards the Premiership, the fans have shown how much they can lift the team in terms of the atmosphere.

As a club, we're operating at a different level this season, and so far we have been able to do what's required. We're looking after sell-out crowds, satisfying the demands of Sky and so on.

Functioning correctly in the Premiership has to be a gradual process. You can look back to the Bolton play-off in 1995, and it could have been a disaster if we'd gone up. We didn't have the infrastructure to support it.

Now we know that the Club has all the right departments. When 120 of the world's press come here we know we can look after them. On some matchdays we'll have 2,000 covers in hospitality and it's full to the rafters.

We've quietly had to develop without real experience. We had a few games in the past with more than 21,000 people here but not every game like it is now.

We can keep going forward though, and I'm thinking about where to go next. The football side is doing its job right now and I have to keep the senior management inside the Club focused on the next boundary.

We have to be able to say at the end of the season that we know how to handle a 24,000 crowd every week.

We also have to use our reserve games properly to ensure that people who can't come to every game at least get to see some football here.

We have to stay in the community and make sure the players are seen by the general public at events and so on. Our PR is something we are working on.

Building for the future
We are preparing the programme for the expansion of the stadium. We hope to put an application forward in October for that. We don't know what capacity it will be exactly, and what else will be involved, but it's the direction we're heading in.

It will be a full planning application. I'm being ambiguous about the number of seats because it's all being worked on. It has to be the right shape, and marry in with everything in terms of design and what we have already. It will certainly add at least 10,000 to the capacity but the final figure is not decided.

We are expanding the hotel at the moment, and that is on programme; all set to open in March.

The conference centre has been refurbished with a new reception, Directors' Lounge, VPs Suite and Princess Suite, and it is complete until next summer when we'll do all the boxes and the other rooms. The centre is busy, it is a cash generator for the football club and the changes have been well received.

The foundations for new buildings at the training ground were laid a couple of weeks ago, and I hope the whole thing will be done by the start of 2007.

We'll be providing the first team with better changing, medical and dining facilities, and it's an upgrade to Premiership standard. We have spent some of our Premiership money on it, people ask why we couldn't do it before but we couldn't afford it. That's the same with two or three capital projects.

We recognise that the players need to play at Premiership standard and we'll treat them that way as well. We're trying to provide the same benefits you would get at other clubs.

There is a great buzz here now, and you can see that throughout the whole building. There is an enthusiasm and it's fantastic from top to bottom. Everyone has worked hard to get there.

[Riseley]

Schards please be magnanimous in victory and stop kicking Woodcote whilst he is so helpless on the floor of defeat.

[Woodcote Royal]

Woodcote - is it really necessary to continually call people names, just because they don't agree with you? You only make yourself look silly.

Says the woman whose husband called me a "complete w@nker"..............................