Wallsendmag

Expansion is 100% needed. If SJP held 65k right now the attendance next week v Brighton would be 65k. Still not quite sure how they could realistically get the capacity that high but I suppose when money is no object and with building technology the way it is these days there's always a chance. Personally I think they'll start with the training ground first as Amanda Staveley was clearly disgusted by it when she first seen it! Once that's sorted SJP will be next on the agenda.

Always loved him. Class never leaves. Bruce was the problem and Schar wasn't the only one to suffer.

He'd a bit of a donkey, but he's our donkey and he's sort of contributing to the greater good so we just need to get behind him. He'll be gone next year and we'll have to take a £15m loss on him but hey ho.

On the one hand I could walk there in under half an hour but in every other way imaginable a stadium at Four Lane Ends would be absolutely shit. Not sure how the Ship, The Black Bull and The Benton Ale House could cater for 70,000 thirsty football fans either.

In a twist of fate I was actually at the Chelsea v Lille game last night (the Chelsea fans sat in front turned round and gave me daggers when I cheered Ben Arfa skinning 2 of their players at near the end) but I thought he looked absolute quality. I'd love us to sign him. Proper unit and great with the ball at his feet as well. To tell the truth I'd never heard of him till last month!

Had to cancel their pre match flag display against Milton Keynes because only 2 volunteers turned up

This would be hilarious mind! Imagine the only time Sunderland were getting sell out crowds was when Newcastle were playing their home games there It's just a shame we can just buy their unused upper tier off them and stick it on top of the Gallowgate. Would be nice if it was so straightforward.

I particularly enjoyed this reply; "If this is true, fuck financial fair play and let's buy our way to the prem and the champion's league" Same bloke crying his eyes out these days begging for FFP to spoil our party

I don’t think it would be difficult to build a new stadium that could generate a better atmosphere than SJP. The current layout with 2 huge stands, a very small stand, and then another stand with a low roof isn't ideal as far as the acoustics are concerned. As we move into an era where safe standing is starting to become a thing, imagine a stadium with 20,000 NUFC fans stood behind one goal! It would blow anything we currently have away! I'd repeat though that this would only be of interest to me if it could be built at Castle Leazes/current site of the Arena. No out of town stadium please!

Northumbria Uni was the same as well. They'd have piles of them on the reception desks. My younger brother used to always grab a pile and proceed to chuck them in a bin. A bit childish, petty some might say, but it gave him some satisfaction.

Ah got you, my apologies! My opinion is I'd only be happy to relocate if a new stadium could either be built on Castle Leazes or on the current Arena site and there was no chance SJP could ever have its current capacity increased.

If the Gallowgate End was extended there's no chance those seats are sold as corporate/more expensive seats purely because of their location in the stadium. I'd have thought that would be pretty obvious. When the Leazes was extended the majority of those people who took advantage if these new seats were of the younger more vocal type, hence a cracking atmosphere up there and serious banter with the away fans.

Different times now. The next home game v Brighton sold out within an hour of hitting public sale. Its conceivable the crowd could have topped 60k for that one had capacity allowed. That wouldn't have happened in the Robson era. Its changed times. Back then our next opponents West Ham rarely filled 35,000 Upton Park. Now they have a 60,000 capacity stadium and a season ticket waiting list of 55,000. You've got to move with the times otherwise you get left behind.

Another strange argument as we don't have millions of matchgoing fans. However increasing capacity by 20% makes a massive difference. It means 10,000 more people in our Region will be able to come and support the team. I'd reckon most regular matchgoing NUFC fans went to more than 3 games before they reached adulthood so you'll be in a very small minority there. Being taken on a regular basis from being 5 years old was what got me hooked. It was a big part of my childhood growing up, and I have countless happy memories of it.

Their ticket revenue was lower than Norwich's I recall. Norwich average gate, 25,000, Sunderland 43,000.

But it will ensure that 1000s of our future generations of fans are locked out of SJP. As I said earlier if I had been locked out 39 years ago when my dad first started taking me I probably wouldn't have ended up being a Newcastle supporter. I went along and I was hooked, I went the next game and kept on going back. Its a dangerous game locking out your next generation of fans. Juventus old stadium was over 2/3rds empty on average for every match, that's why they downsized. We are sold out every match despite being in the relegation zone almost all season. It was a strange comparison.

That's because their average gate was 22,000 at the time. Not really comparable.

Hahaha aye that's the one. Possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen inside a football stadium. He just completely flipped, and the more we laughed,the angrier he got Bet he posts on RTG.

No that was the one!

I was there and remember it well. They'd never won at home all season which was some going as it was towards the end of April! They were getting themselves all excited by half time whereas I was absolutely shitting it thinking we'll never live this down if their 1 home win of the season is against us. Then we came out for the 2nd half and scored 4 goals right in front of us! The last few minutes were played out with more NUFC fans inside the ground than them!

Lost 4-1 v The Mags IIRC.

Great post and something I noticed at the time as well. In fact it was all too obvious.

Liverpool are currently in the process of expanding Anfield up to 61k, Man City struggle to fill their stadium as it is and Chelsea can't expand Stamford Bridge on Health and Safety grounds as the only exit/entry points are onto the Fulham Road.

Not sure of that but I've got friends in Holland and quite a few weren't keen when Ajax moved to the Amsterdam ArenA in the mid 90s. Took them a few years to settle in and the atmosphere suffered as a result. Nowadays it's a Cauldron of noise, the F Side have their huge section behind one of the goals, they have another large fangroup in another corner behind the opposite goal and the place is absolutely bouncing these days. Ultimately its the people inside who make a stadium.

Arsenal sell out every week. Try getting a ticket for one of their games and see how you get on. They have a problem with some fans simply not turning up to certain games. They also suffered from a lack of atmosphere at Highbury, hence its nickname the Highbury Library. Man City are also handicapped by sharing a city with the most successful club in the UK and arguably the biggest supported club in the world.