TheBrownBottle

I don’t know who they are, other than Danny Dyer. Though Danny Dyer is reason enough.

West Denton still an option then? Better than HS2 I reckon. Not sure where the Elswick - General Hospital - East / West Denton route would fit mind - they couldn’t be serious about making it all underground (could they?)

Yep, me neither. I would have loved it to follow the old Scotswood, Newburn and Wylam Railway, being from the west end myself. Never going to happen, though. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotswood,_Newburn_and_Wylam_Railway

I’ve no issue with it tbf - SJP metro only really exists for the change of lines as far as I can see.

This is where civils has moved on - laser-guided tunnel boring machines etc are insanely good at these types of works. Weirdly, it would probably be the easiest bit to do

Potentially, though of course someone would need to do the load-bearing calcs and design it out. Which would of course likely result in a ludicrously expensive design

Isn’t it where the changeover of track occurs? So you’d need to pull that back to Monument. Which also could be tricky.

Sort of wish I’d twokked them now - they were just high level concept drawings mind from a feasibility study.

You’re right, that was always the intent as the Council wouldn’t have allowed it any other way - but the designs never went past concept stage. It isn’t impossible, but if the Metro remains you’re looking at a hell of a span for structural steel to be holding up an entire stand with no supporting columns. You wouldn’t be able to put columns in place without piling - and that would see massive concrete piles pushed through the Metro station. If the Metro station is shut and grouted, then the issue is moot, and tbf I imagine that Strawberry Place could possibly be redirected and job’s a good ‘un. Otherwise, it is either impossible or so expensive that it just wouldn’t be worth even thinking about doing it.

I really do miss snowy pitches and orange footballs

Yep, had them back in my old office in the UK. Concept drawings, from before my time - for pricing purposes. That’s how I make my living - civil engineering estimating. I run a team of them here in Sydney - which is why I know that the advancements in civils aren’t quite what some may be assuming

If you’re a civil engineer, the problem with the Gallowgate remains three-fold: the slope (which necessitates additional structural strength due to increased height), Strawberry Place (assuming it remains in situ would mean having to build across it) and the Metro line (you’re going to need some spectacular piles to support the stand - some of which would likely need to go through the Metro station)

You couldn’t do much with the East Stand capacity-wise on its current footprint, unfortunately. Which is why making it corporate would maximise revenue rather than bums on seats.

I had the proposed plans in my old office back in Newcastle. Would have been ludicrously expensive, and it was fraught with risk. Civil engineering is far, far more risk conscious today than it was 25 years ago. I spend a shitload of my working week in risk workshops.

It’s not about having a ‘second team’, it’s about thinking that you don’t mind some other clubs, or they bother you less than others, or that you have an affection for them (doesn’t necessarily mean you want to see them win).

I’ve always thought that this is the likely outcome. A fully rebuilt East stand with fully up-to-date corporate. Also, put the TV cameras in there - it would look a shitload more impressive to TV audiences.

NB I still think the feasibility report and site investigations / geotechnical reports are likely to rule out expanding the Gallowgate as long as the Metro station exists.

Massive, massive ‘if’, but if SJP is redeveloped then I’d be surprised if the East Stand wasn’t completely demolished for a new build stand. I don’t give a shite about moving, but any move should it occur needs to be a city centre location. The ground is not the club.

The vowel-mangling is hard on the ears, it’s such an odd accent. Makes them sound whingey, which tbf completely suits them.

It’s an absolewt joke

Yes, I was in some of them here in Sydney

Yep, for a 32 team WC. 2030 is 48. I don’t think Qatar was suitable in any way, shape or form BTW. But Australia most assuredly could not host a WC next month. All of this would be compounded by the small local population, general lack of real interest in football, being a time zone nightmare for most football fans and its distance from anywhere that isn’t NZ meaning that travel to it isn’t easy wouldn’t be great, nor would the massive distance between actual cities. This country isn’t an ideal venue for a WC - though the weather in June would at least be temperate.

True. Still though, that thunder bastard vs Southend

One of the comments I saw on their PSG thread before it was hidden talking about PSG losing because they’ll hate playing in a cold ‘backwater’ like the North East. That’s the difference for me - no Geordie would be so pathetically self-hating as the average Mackem. They’ve told themselves that they’re shit; their town is shit, their region is shit. Happily, they don’t have full influence over the last one, which is why the region remains un-shit. First two, well, that’s on them.

Gah, you’re just prejudiced against chain-smoking Dutchmen.