TomYam

I used the modal verb 'may' to denite the possibility that the atmosphere could be affected negatively. I suspect there'd be very little difference.

5,000 tourists at an expanded St.James's or new stadium may not have a positive impact on the match atmosphere but it'll certainly have a positive impact on the club's finances and city economy. You win more than you lose although it's another example of football as business and moving away from its community roots.

If we can amass 10 points over the following 4 fixtures - and we should, injuries notwithstanding - then we'd expect to finish no lower than 5th. The team just needs to be focussed and truly believe - and there's no reason why not because we did just that in 2023.

Come on Ipswich! Against all odds they'll stay up, but here's hoping!

A rat as co-owner, a rodent beyond description as captain, Marcus Ratford still at the club and thousands of mice in the stands. No wonder there is a plague on Old Trafford.

Entire quarter of the country? I believe Northumberland & Durham comprises 6% of England's geographical area. The population of our region is no more than 4% of England. Our remoteness (like Devon & Cornwall) is both a strength and weakness; a strong local platform but far fewer tourists and less money swishing about. Your final sentence is interesting. There is massive potential to expand our fanbase in Scotland. We really should be the best supported English club in Scotland due to proximity and history. Back to sweet spots, I've long thought 72,00 is an ideal capacity.

They used to say Arsenal was the club of the 'establishment', and that's probably largely true today. The 'gentlemany' label was forever sullied when dodgy David Dein took control of the club in the late '80s and the conniving, scheming and naked greed that followed. Arsenal's ancient history is rather shameful due to archfiend Henry Norris: FourFourTwo www.fourfourtwo.com Henry Norris: The man who moved Arsenal to Highbury – and became ...

This sort of crap jut makes me feel anti (organised) religion. Not especially keen on the force-feeding of LGBTQ or BLM etc but there are good reasons why it's been so. Give me rainbow laces over religious dictats any day.

In the years when Arsenal won 3 league titles they were competing with only ManU and Liverpool - no other clubs were able to compete financially. Since 2003, first Chelsea, then ManC and a boosted Spurs have overtaken Arsenal financially. As we all know, the strongest finances form the most competitive teams. Arsenal haven't kept step with the likes of ManC, ManU and Chelsea hence their lack of championship success.

I wouldn't say St.James's Park is 'bang in the city centre'. It's in the centre though. Same with Castle Leazes. The Arena is also in the centre - a woefully undeveloped area in the centre. The historical centre is the site of castle/St.Nicholas Cathedral although the modern centre is probably Earl Grey monument. Broadly, anywhere within a km of these locations would be the centre.

...it seemed that we would lose the race. He's been a great player for the club, but time's not on Schär's side sadly.

Eddie Howe's done a sterling job, but there has been a very evident drop off in intensity and quality. He definitely deserves time to get us back on track. Review at the end of the season unless the performances deteriorate to a more alarming extent.

True. Also, it's worth mentioning that if Eldon Square hadn't been built, John Hall's Metro Centre would have had a devastatingly negative impact on Newcastle's shopping scene. Not that he'd have cared, of course. Eldon Garden is a different matter altogether as it always seemed overkill, was never successful and - worst of all - brought about the destruction of the unique and countercultural Handyside Arcade. I have no doubt that had The Handyside lived on into the 1990s it'd have been renovated and be a magnet for the young and leftfield to this day. 🥲

Leazes Terrace was built about 45 years before a football ground made its home beside it. So leaving aesthetics and legals to one side, that lovely old Georgian pile wins out on lineage. Newcastle West End were, of course, the original club to make St.James's Park home. Newcastle East End (formerly Stanley FC) played on the Heaton/Baker border. East End is the precursor to NUFC as West End went bust and East End simply upped sicks and moved into the newly vacant and superior St.James's. The club changed its name to Newcastle United in 1892 but, in reality, the club was formed in 1881 with the formation of East End. In other words, our original home is Byker/Heaton. Perhaps the romantics would seek a return to that area? On the development of Newcastle city centre, Ponsaelius is obviously correct in his assertions that old building can be difficult to adapt to different uses and expensive to incorporate into new schemes. I'd simply argue that it depends on the quality and group value/setting of said building(s). The old Town Hall was correctly demolished as it had no grouping and had limited merit architecturally (although it incorporated the Georgian Corn Exchange, which imo should have been retained), and would have been devilishly expense to renovate (it was falling apart) - correct decision to demolish. Old Eldon Square was an intrinsic part of Grainger's new town - honeyed stone, beautiful group setting, fine classical architecture. Repurposing those terrace buildings - if needed at all - would have been easy enough; they just wouldn't have housed C&A, BHS, HMV or Boots. Eldon Square shopping centre - which has serviced the city so well - could have been routed in a way that didn't have such a negative effect on Newcastle's townscape and heritage.

The Green Market existed for centuries, but it moved to the site on Clayton Street opposite Grainger Market when the new town centre was planned and built in the 1830s. It was given a permanent home on the same site when Eldon Square opened in 1976. Demolished in 2007ish. Big shame as it was very popular and had lots of useful small independent units. Newcatle's shopping scene has definitely become much more uniform, faceless and anodyne over the years. Sigh.

I think you're both right. Eldon Square was hugely important to Newcastle and was a real shot in the arm for the local economy. On the other hand, it could have been designed more sympathetically - particularly with regard to retaining all 3 sides of Old Eldon Square.

It's their nuclear threat option. The Cartel 4 are like Russia - every time their noses are pushed slightly out of joint, they threaten us with a breakaway or an A bomb. We then back off and accommodate them.

Reading withdrew due to financial problems and it was deemed too late to fill the void.

?? Midtable. 5 points from 4 games.

72-75,000 is the sweet spot.

True - but The Odeon wasn't listed due to having been stripped of all it's glorious Art Deco detailing by a previous unscrupulous owner.

There are 3 domestic trophies that matter. We have won 10 - a considerable number. Or at least it was 50+ years ago. We won those trophies in the first 51 years of becoming FL members. In the subsequent 69 years we have won zilch. We all have a powerful emotional attachment to St James's Park, but describing the land as hallowed is for the magpies and other birds. It's been more hollowed than hallowed since 1955.

Interesting. Never considered that. I'd suggest the City Stadium site at the top of the Ouseburn off Warwick Street. It'd have to be shallow or mounded, though, as there's a culvert below it.

Quite. Any options laid before fan groups, etc, need to be detailed re location, design, materials, capacity, benefits, infrastructure, otherwise it'll end up with a simplistic brexit-like debate with a wholly negative outcome. Do you want to move - yes/no? - would lead to an inevitably negative response without considering any details whatsoever.

I've added my two cents worth on this subject a few times over the years, Whitley, and I think our views chime to great degree. I've always approached the subject of stadium expansion/relocation/immutability in the light of what I believe to be best for both the football club as a whole and the city fabric itself. If there are 3 options: 1. stay as is and make some improvements including a possible new Gallowgate stand 2. rebuild on current site with temporary relocation somewhere/anywhere 3. new stadium on Castle Leazes (with relatively minor infringement into Leazes Park) .....then I'd wholeheartedly support the third option. The ideal scenario for club and city is for a sumptuous new stadium with a capacity of about 72,000. The St James's Park footprint should then be incorporated into an extended and renovated Leazes Park. The club could then maintain the park as an asset. The area behind St James's Street and facing Steawberry Place - where the Gallowgate stand sits - could be developed for residential in the style of Leazes Terrace, while tall builds should be constructed on the land in front of the metro station where Stack now sits. In my opinion, such a development would be a great leap forward for the football club and a monumental improvement for the city. We all have a strong emotional attachment to St.James's Park, and many have fear of the unknown, but that shouldn't hold us back, ossify us. We have a great and probably singular opportunity to turbo boost the club forward AND a vastly improved city asset.