Notcher
Stuart Pearce
Clubs like Liverpool have so many tourist fans that are just dying for you to take their money off them. We really don't have that luxury.
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The World Famous City Ground - Home of the PROPER WORLD‘S OLDEST LEAGUE CLUB
- Thread starter donny
- Start date
Clubs like Liverpool have so many tourist fans that are just dying for you to take their money off them. We really don't have that luxury.
Ashley
Steve Chettle
Same with Spurs, who others in this thread can't stop bringing up for some reason.
It's more apt to compare us to clubs like Leeds, Derby, Leicester, the two Sheffield clubs, Coventry, Southampton, Norwich, Ipswich, etc than the Sky Sports Six.
Rubics
Bin VAR!
The last time I was at anfield the club shop had more tills than a tesco supermarket, all with a massive line at them. There were more languages being spoken outside the ground than the United Nations!
Mr. Blonde
Jack Burkitt
The comparisons with Spurs and their new stadium are absurd
1. It cost over a billion pounds to build - not a chance in hell we'd spend that much or even close to it, assuming we even have the means to do so
2. Spurs are a Sky Sports Six London club with a larger fanbase and a greater "pull" to neutrals purely by way of being in the capital - Forest don't have that and if people think people all over the East Midlands will be flocking in their droves to a soulless bowl out in Toton or wherever and will pay inflated prices to do so they are very much mistaken
3. Their new ground is exactly where the old one was - if we could build a new stadium on the current site I would be more amenable to a change but given we're five years on from the new PT Stand being announced and no-one has so much as picked up a trowel in anger I think it's fair to say a new stadium on the current site is never going to happen
I understand the arguments for moving but in my opinion the benefits don't even come close to offsetting what we'd lose in terms of club identity if we moved away from the banks of the Trent
1. It cost over a billion pounds to build - not a chance in hell we'd spend that much or even close to it, assuming we even have the means to do so
2. Spurs are a Sky Sports Six London club with a larger fanbase and a greater "pull" to neutrals purely by way of being in the capital - Forest don't have that and if people think people all over the East Midlands will be flocking in their droves to a soulless bowl out in Toton or wherever and will pay inflated prices to do so they are very much mistaken
3. Their new ground is exactly where the old one was - if we could build a new stadium on the current site I would be more amenable to a change but given we're five years on from the new PT Stand being announced and no-one has so much as picked up a trowel in anger I think it's fair to say a new stadium on the current site is never going to happen
I understand the arguments for moving but in my opinion the benefits don't even come close to offsetting what we'd lose in terms of club identity if we moved away from the banks of the Trent
Notcher
Stuart Pearce
Our crest literally has the river Trent on it and our anthem sings about it. I don't buy this nonsense that "other clubs have moved and retained their identity". A move quite literally rips the soul out of the club.
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Mr. Blonde
Jack Burkitt
Precisley
I also don't get why people constantly compare us to other clubs
We're not other clubs we are Forest; what we have is unique to us, and a huge part of that is our ground and where it is
Mr. Blonde
Jack Burkitt
I also think with these arguments about increasing revenues etc, well building a new stadium that can do that is all very well and good but you've still got to sell the tickets, and I'm yet to be convinced that we'd sell any more than about 40k on a regular basis, and we can get to 40k just with the current plans
sammy the snake
Jack Armstrong
Yeh I don’t think we’d ever get more than 50k for a few games in the prem season anyway. Sure the sky sports 6 would grab them tourists in, so we’ll lose revenue based on 10,000 extra people? For 6 games? That’s approx 2.4 million per season… naaa, sell some f***ing players and keep the wage bill correct, get serious increases in catering and merchandise etc… that gap shrinks very quickly
If Forest can get the capacity to 40-42k job done. WFCG can even increase it’s atmosphere, it will be the best stadium for football supporters (not tourists) in the UK.. ok maybe Villa on par lol
If Forest can get the capacity to 40-42k job done. WFCG can even increase it’s atmosphere, it will be the best stadium for football supporters (not tourists) in the UK.. ok maybe Villa on par lol
Cloughie1975
John Robertson
I agree.
We all want Forest to be the best they can be-but history tells us that we aren’t a permanent
fixture in the top flight and in my opinion are unlikely to become one.
A revamped City Ground of around 38,000-40,000 is more than suitable for holding Premier
League and even European football and is not ridiculously too big should we fall back into the Championship for a spell.
I think a sense of realism needs to prevail and to compare us to the likes of a London club
like Tottenham is stretching fantasy too far.
The City Ground needs to be redeveloped and remain our home at all costs.
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Wes' Organ
Biggles
I'd rather be in league 1 than alienate our proper fans, the one's who will still be there if we were in league 1.
YellowBelly Red
Viv Anderson
The demographics of the fan base would change dramatically as well. I see the same faces, season after season. Our supporter base is like one big family and therein lies strength, , and diluting that with hordes of daytrippers and football tourists, will weaken that.
Mr. Blonde
Jack Burkitt
I think some people think "well I used to be able to turn up on the day back in the Championship and now I can't get a ticket for love nor money" and immediately jump to the conclusion that we could sell out 50k every week
Demand has increased a bit now we're in the Premier League and yes some people who used to go to the odd game here and there might now be unable to but I honestly don't think demand is as high as some people think
Cloughie1975
John Robertson
Particularly if the novelty wears off and ticket prices continue to increase.
Listen 'ere young man
Jack Burkitt
Genuine question, how many of the current teams in the Premier league don't fill out their grounds? Demand is an all time high, teams which struggled to get 20k now get 30k plus regularly.
Mr. Blonde
Jack Burkitt
There is an element of this I think
Demand has been high because we were out of the Premier League for 23 years but I can see things dropping off again if we're six or seven years in finishing 17th - 15th every season
Living as I do, about 860km from the City Ground, I don't get there as much as I used to.
But that walk over Trent Bridge, to see the ground crouched by the riverside, is iconic and historic.
Lose that, and you lose a massive part of what makes Nottingham Forest so special.
But that walk over Trent Bridge, to see the ground crouched by the riverside, is iconic and historic.
Lose that, and you lose a massive part of what makes Nottingham Forest so special.
Lady Penelope
First Team Squad
Lots I agree with in the above. I do get why the WFCG is so special to so many people. If it can be brought up in size and standard that's good, but it is not without difficulties as we know. If it can't then an alternative will be looked for because the owner is ambitious.
For the record, I have friends who want to stay where we are at all costs, and others who think that a move will come. It's all about opinions and I find it sad and strange that different opinions, different perspectives, are almost toxic to some. It's OK to agree to disagree.
Now, Tottenham. I admire the facilities but I don't like it, it has too much bling and corporate stuff for me. It's 'American', it's about getting more money out of your pocket. As has been said, we are not like that thank goodness.
Looking ahead, if we get a renewed lease or buy the freehold, we'll stay. Properties around will be acquired. If we then redevelop up to 40K (+ a bit) and generally improve facilities, that'll do us for a good few years. If by then Leicester have got out of the financial mire and redeveloped, if the Shaggers have got back up the pyramid and redeveloped, if with or both of the Sheffield clubs have redeveloped, where does that leave us? It's not necessarily a problem if the various planning issues have been resolved with Rushcliffe and Notts, but that's my worry, that problem might still be around.
The best UK stadium I have been to is Ibrox. The best elsewhere is Munich, a bowl but certainly not soulless. The best atmosphere is Dortmund. It is not unreasonable for Forest to aim for Ibrox standard facilities but with a WFCG atmosphere.
Have a nice day and don't fall out. We've all got opinions and are entitled to them.
For the record, I have friends who want to stay where we are at all costs, and others who think that a move will come. It's all about opinions and I find it sad and strange that different opinions, different perspectives, are almost toxic to some. It's OK to agree to disagree.
Now, Tottenham. I admire the facilities but I don't like it, it has too much bling and corporate stuff for me. It's 'American', it's about getting more money out of your pocket. As has been said, we are not like that thank goodness.
Looking ahead, if we get a renewed lease or buy the freehold, we'll stay. Properties around will be acquired. If we then redevelop up to 40K (+ a bit) and generally improve facilities, that'll do us for a good few years. If by then Leicester have got out of the financial mire and redeveloped, if the Shaggers have got back up the pyramid and redeveloped, if with or both of the Sheffield clubs have redeveloped, where does that leave us? It's not necessarily a problem if the various planning issues have been resolved with Rushcliffe and Notts, but that's my worry, that problem might still be around.
The best UK stadium I have been to is Ibrox. The best elsewhere is Munich, a bowl but certainly not soulless. The best atmosphere is Dortmund. It is not unreasonable for Forest to aim for Ibrox standard facilities but with a WFCG atmosphere.
Have a nice day and don't fall out. We've all got opinions and are entitled to them.
München‘s Allianz Arena is a decent stadium, but it’s out of the city and although the facilities are excellent, there’s not much else around there.
Dortmund is Dortmund; you know what you’re going to get.
Köln‘s RheinEnergie Stadion also has a very good atmosphere and is well located, as are Hamburg‘s Volksparkstadion and FC St. Pauli‘s Milerntor.
Stuttgart‘s Neckarstadion is very well located and the atmosphere is very good (better than Bayern, I would say, where there are many tourists!)
Bonfy177
LTLF MORON
I have an understanding of what you mean, I can still remember the first time I seen City Ground from Trent Bridge early one Saturday morning, I think when you live near and pass by something every day you can fall into the trap of taking it for granted.
valspoodle
Steve Chettle
The guy in Suffolk who used to come and empty our septic tank had tattoos of Liverpool and said he was an very keen fan had never been to Anfield!
We'll neverr have fans like that nor will little lads in Africa run around wearing Forest shirts (unless they get them from charity shipments).
Our fan base is drawn from much smaller numbers, either from locals or people like myself with a temporary abode in Nottingham who remember their time. Our stadium designers will need to remember that fact, not pie-in-the-sky ideals.
We'll neverr have fans like that nor will little lads in Africa run around wearing Forest shirts (unless they get them from charity shipments).
Our fan base is drawn from much smaller numbers, either from locals or people like myself with a temporary abode in Nottingham who remember their time. Our stadium designers will need to remember that fact, not pie-in-the-sky ideals.
Success bring success.
Seem to recollect that when Marinakis bought the club he was taken by the reported size of the latent supporter base. They spoke about the size of the brand and we are something like the 12th biggest. Despite having been out of the PL for years.
All due to folk now in their fifties m deciding to support Forest as 8 year olds, when we were doing well.
I know a few such people, they often have a tale to tell about writing to the club and the club writing back, seeing Cloughie on telly being witty, visiting a distant relative who took them to a game. All have one thing in common - they wanted a club to support , they didn't like their local club (or they wanted to be different) and Forest were doing well. And we were charismatic because of Cloughie and the style of football he championed.
For years we had a Scandi fan base who would come over to watch the odd game , as only English games were shown on Norway TV.
Doing well in the PL would bring those fan recruitment opportunities back. But you would need to market to them - the social media equivalent of the club secretary writing back.
Even now I have a 7 year old relative going to school in a Derby suburb. He's mad on Forest even though his Mother's family are Derby season ticket holders. I was concerned that it would be difficult for the lad in the playground. But transpires there's already three or four other kids into Forest . It's the magentism of the PL
. Behave like a top 10 team and sustainably become a top team
Seem to recollect that when Marinakis bought the club he was taken by the reported size of the latent supporter base. They spoke about the size of the brand and we are something like the 12th biggest. Despite having been out of the PL for years.
All due to folk now in their fifties m deciding to support Forest as 8 year olds, when we were doing well.
I know a few such people, they often have a tale to tell about writing to the club and the club writing back, seeing Cloughie on telly being witty, visiting a distant relative who took them to a game. All have one thing in common - they wanted a club to support , they didn't like their local club (or they wanted to be different) and Forest were doing well. And we were charismatic because of Cloughie and the style of football he championed.
For years we had a Scandi fan base who would come over to watch the odd game , as only English games were shown on Norway TV.
Doing well in the PL would bring those fan recruitment opportunities back. But you would need to market to them - the social media equivalent of the club secretary writing back.
Even now I have a 7 year old relative going to school in a Derby suburb. He's mad on Forest even though his Mother's family are Derby season ticket holders. I was concerned that it would be difficult for the lad in the playground. But transpires there's already three or four other kids into Forest . It's the magentism of the PL
. Behave like a top 10 team and sustainably become a top team
Notcher
Stuart Pearce
That's great, have you got a location on the Trent, close to the City Centre in mind?
MaxiRobriguez
Bob McKinlay
Spurs' new ground is more unique than WHL which felt like your typical 90s redevelopment like ours or Molineux.
Not to say WHL wasn't good, I enjoyed going there, but it wasn't unique.
Nah, Dortmunders are a friendly bunch.Mugged?
Mind you, if you walked through the centre of Dortmund wearing a Schalke 04 shirt, you might well get a shoeing.