IFollow thread v the U's from the Globe

[Christies Child]

As I said I didn't expect fellow SVers to agree with me. I'm just putting forward my reasoning for the move which in my opinion was totally justified.

I don't recall many saying that the move was stupid at the time.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and maybe if we knew then what we know now, The Globe would (and probably should ) have been modelled on Burton's ground as an example.

For what it is worth the choice of Architects to develop The Globe was wrong in my opinion. To my knowledge they had no expertise in the creation of a new sporting stadium....

[Shrimpy]

As I said I didn't expect fellow SVers to agree with me. I'm just putting forward my reasoning for the move which in my opinion was totally justified.

I don't recall many saying that the move was stupid at the time.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and maybe if we knew then what we know now, The Globe would (and probably should ) have been modelled on Burton's ground as an example.

For what it is worth the choice of Architects to develop The Globe was wrong in my opinion. To my knowledge they had no expertise in the creation of a new sporting stadium....

Don't get me wrong, I think the ground move was sound in basis and pretty much everyone understood the reasons for the move at the time. However, the whole process seems to have been pretty much a failure and in hindsight I don't see how anyone can think that we are in a better position where we are now than if we had just developed the Car Wash and stayed at Christie Park. At the very least we would just be in exactly the same mess but at Christie Park rather than The Globe which I'm sure most people would take give the choice between the two!

[marky No.1]

...and who would have financed the multi pound redevelopment of the Car Wash

Why produce plans for it and get mockups drawn up if there was absolutely no way of raising the money to build it? Surely they had something in place to get the money for it?

It wouldn't have stopped there. The stand needed redeveloping with at the very least a new roof or even replaced in its entirety. The Christie Avenue Stand needed terracing and also possibly a new roof to replace the asbestos.

The total sum of all the costs would have been out of the financial capabilities of the Board and the club would still have car parking issues which again would have not met EFL criteria.

I'm fairly sure the cost of a new roof and sorting out asbestos would have been peanuts in comparison to the £800k a year losses we've been running up for years now.

Maybe The Globe was too ambitious but with new investors hopefully in the wings waiting to see what league we are in next season, the foundations are there on which to build a strong and successful club going forward.

What foundations? When we moved we were sold it on the basis of all weather pitches, a gym, pub, hospitality facilities and future office development which would all be money makers that would result in the club being self sufficient.

The pub now only opens on match days due to the opening of the Hurley Flyer, the all weather pitches are in the hands of administrators, the gym closed down almost as soon as it opened and the office development is a pipe dream.

We could have stayed at Christie Park, built the office and hospitality bits on the Car Wash Terrace and be in exactly the same position as we are in now.

We've essentially gone through all the rigmarole of moving grounds to get a hospitality suite built which could have been done at Christie Park. In the process we've also alienated large swathes of the support by producing an inferior home end and being made to feel like second class citizens to those who dine in hospitality on wild boar steaks. We've also increased yearly losses from around the £300k - £400k a year mark at Christie to £800k a year despite massive cuts being made to the playing budget season after season.

Love this version ^

[Christies Child]

At a conservative guess the redevelopment at Christie Pie could have been in the region of £4 million which would have been either a further bank loan or private funding from the Board which would have increased the clubs debts even further.

I'm not suggesting that any redevelopment of our beloved Pie wouldn't have advantages over The Globe but I just think the funding of the Pie was at the time too much for the Board to fund everything needed to comply with the EFL rules and regulations.

Mind you Accy appear to get away with flouting the ground rules season on season.....

[Shrimpy]

I just think the funding of the Pie was at the time too much for the Board to fund everything needed to comply with the EFL rules and regulations.

Why go to the bother of producing plans and making them public then if it was impossible to do?

[Christies Child]

Very good question....

I wonder if the club was approached by the Sainsbury developer rather than the club themselves seeking someone to fund a new Stadium....and that the moneys offered answered all the prerequisites at that time

We'll never know.

My info could be wrong. but I understand that Kendal Rugby Club was approached by a development company to sell its ground for the development of a Sainsbury Supermarket and that part of the deal was that the developer would fund a new all purpose ground and additional playing areas for KRFC.

If true it sounds a familiar move.

[HALMA 1983]

I'll say it as it is, the club was better in every sense of the word at Christie Park
The North Stand was out of this world and full of happy supporters, the ground had a soul, the football was better, the feeling that you actually belonged was palpable, the all in pie dinner was just what the Doctor ordered, the bar was better and so was that horrible away dressing room that made the opposition take notice of what was to come.
I loved that place enough to want to help Chesh and co for free and that's something I'd still be doing to this very day but the Globe means nothing to me and never has.
It's a freak of a ground that's badly placed and will never be anything

[Bare Grills]

I'll say it as it is, the club was better in every sense of the word at Christie Park
The North Stand was out of this world and full of happy supporters, the ground had a soul, the football was better, the feeling that you actually belonged was palpable, the all in pie dinner was just what the Doctor ordered, the bar was better and so was that horrible away dressing room that made the opposition take notice of what was to come.
I loved that place enough to want to help Chesh and co for free and that's something I'd still be doing to this very day but the Globe means nothing to me and never has.
It's a freak of a ground that's badly placed and will never be anything

+1

[chipbuns]

Stanley's ground is a dump and always has been. Their changing rooms are a portakabin like Carnforth Rangers have.

Nothing has been mentioned regarding their ground for when they get promoted to League 1, so these EFL ground rules and regulations must be very flimsy.

[HALMA 1983]

Stanley's ground is a dump and always has been. Their changing rooms are a portakabin like Carnforth Rangers have.

Nothing has been mentioned regarding their ground for when they get promoted to League 1, so these EFL ground rules and regulations must be very flimsy.

No side in League One will want to go there, in other words most are on the back foot before they even arrive.
IF they keep their ground in the same state I'd give Stanley every chance of making it back to back promotions all the way to the Championship

[Phil Anderer]

Do I miss the home fans' toilets at Christie Park? With the penetrating damp and the mould that if you spent more than 30 seconds in there would give you asthma? Take off the effing rose-tinted glasses. I'm not saying I love the new place, but for F's sake, Christie Park was far from perfect. (And yes, I have been drinking, it is Friday.)

[Little Shrimp]

Agree with Phil, maybe it was just block A that was bad! Daft romanticisation. There was definitely a charm about Christie Park and I did love my spot between the unselected Morecambe players and the away Directors, which often proved entertaining, but really it was completely falling apart. As mentioned, the toilets were utterly rank, I think I've seen festival toilets in better nick. They had those strange seats with no back, that dodgy slope in the corner of the pitch by the away end, holes in the roof etc.

The problem isn't the fact that we could never have possibly gotten better than Christie Park, just that we didn't do the best job over the new ground. I miss it but I'm glad we moved. We'd never have won our pie awards if we hadn't! I also point a finger at the fans as well. So many people, a lot on here, spit the dummy out and whinge about the lack of soul etc from the ground. A football ground doesn't automatically have soul, the fans give it soul and in that sense the fans have failed miserably and let whining about the fact it's not exactly like Christie Park get in the way of that. Have I said it as it is enough?

[George Dawes]

Stanley's ground is a dump and always has been. Their changing rooms are a portakabin like Carnforth Rangers have.

Nothing has been mentioned regarding their ground for when they get promoted to League 1, so these EFL ground rules and regulations must be very flimsy.

No side in League One will want to go there, in other words most are on the back foot before they even arrive.
IF they keep their ground in the same state I'd give Stanley every chance of making it back to back promotions all the way to the Championship

If there's not Grants available, pretty sure they could get a loan based on extra L1 payments and revenue with bigger away crowds, and just getting the very very basics/minimum done on ground improvements in order to get approved.

And yes teams will hate going there, hope they do well and piss on the argumement with our non ambitious fans who've always poo poo'd the idea of poor old Morecambe playing in L1.

[John L]

Well said, Phil and Little!

[HALMA 1983]

Agree with Phil, maybe it was just block A that was bad! Daft romanticisation. There was definitely a charm about Christie Park and I did love my spot between the unselected Morecambe players and the away Directors, which often proved entertaining, but really it was completely falling apart. As mentioned, the toilets were utterly rank, I think I've seen festival toilets in better nick. They had those strange seats with no back, that dodgy slope in the corner of the pitch by the away end, holes in the roof etc.

The problem isn't the fact that we could never have possibly gotten better than Christie Park, just that we didn't do the best job over the new ground. I miss it but I'm glad we moved. We'd never have won our pie awards if we hadn't! I also point a finger at the fans as well. So many people, a lot on here, spit the dummy out and whinge about the lack of soul etc from the ground. A football ground doesn't automatically have soul, the fans give it soul and in that sense the fans have failed miserably and let whining about the fact it's not exactly like Christie Park get in the way of that. Have I said it as it is enough?

You'll be long in the ground before that place has an ounce of soul and as for getting 'better' I'd have to argue you're way off the mark, where's the enjoyment? where's the togetherness of both the board and the fans? oh and where's the fans?
So folk worry about where they piss and pie awards over what really matters? Good on Accrington for not taking the 'wrong turn' Morecambe have, going along in stages and seeing real progression is the 'Kee' (sic)
No one gives a shit about the Palatial finery of the Globe Arena because it doesn't fit in with it's surroundings of a poor working class town forever living under the shadow of Lancaster, Chesterfield are about to find that one out as they slip into the abyss but hey ho, atleast they'll have the best ground in a nothing League.

[George Dawes]

The problem isn't the fact that we could never have possibly gotten better than Christie Park, just that we didn't do the best job over the new ground. I miss it but I'm glad we moved. We'd never have won our pie awards if we hadn't! I also point a finger at the fans as well. So many people, a lot on here, spit the dummy out and whinge about the lack of soul etc from the ground. A football ground doesn't automatically have soul, the fans give it soul and in that sense the fans have failed miserably and let whining about the fact it's not exactly like Christie Park get in the way of that. Have I said it as it is enough?

2nd this.

If we'd have made the Globe all seater, there'd be no comparison with the old North End.

[slackAlice2]

I can only speak from the position of a 'casual' but fairly regular Morecambe supporter ; I have great memories of Christie Park. Whether its character, identity or soul , soul sounds a bit heavy, the club lost something in the move. Its like 'everything' changed , nothing transferred over.I hate the 'new place' and rarely go now, once this season and that was enough.

Its still the second result I look for on a match day and I'll come to the defence of the club if I hear other fans taking the pi** out of it. But its an awful ground , when you list things it sounds petty; Christie Pk had loads of faults but it kind of welcomed you , always a friendly local feel to things. I took the kids when they were very young and could give them a few quid and they would have a great time , probably never saw a ball kicked but we all had a good day !

The football club is the supporters and the Morecambe ones I know are passionate , loyal and knowledgeable and I think for that reason it will survive in some form and there'll be good times ahead.
But getting people back attending is a mammoth task and its going to take more than tweaking ticket prices and food deals. This message of 'the town doesn't deserve a football club' is all wrong to me, nobody should feel obligated to attend a football match , if anything it puts people off. There'll be others like me who have stopped going because they simply stopped enjoying it ! There's probably a few more still going and not enjoying it ; how many more can they afford to lose ? The Trust is a great idea, not or me, but probably the only thing that can breathe life into the club.
There's probably half a dozen things I'd prefer to do on a match day now instead of go to the Globe and one of them is buggering around in the garage listening to music, sad but true. I still love the football and visit other grounds , trying to achieve the 92. It was Sunderland last week , not a great atmosphere there but a togetherness and a friendly welcome from the locals I met.

[Little Shrimp]

You'll be long in the ground before that place has an ounce of soul

As I said, barring the odd exception (eg, Don Valley; way too big and a running track) fans give a ground soul. If that's your attitude then you're probably one of the fans too busy being disgruntled by it being different to actually do what fans do and give a ground some feeling.

Its like 'everything' changed , nothing transferred over.

Doesn't this prove my point?

Another thing, we stopped playing good football when we got to the Globe. Was it the stadiums fault? Of course not! Sammy lost heart after getting spanked 6-0 live on national television, blew all the playing budget from Sainsbury's and PMG thinking "eh we could give this promotion thing a go after last season!" and then left Jim to pick up the pieces with virtually scraps! That's why we don't play as much good football and it has absolutely nothing to do with the Globe.

[slackAlice2]

Doesn't this prove my point?

It depends what your point is ?

The fans behind the goal try and lift spirits and we all cheer , clap make the right noises when something good happens; some even boo when something bad happens.

I seem to remember lots of negativity at the old place. I think most people, and I count myself amongst them, felt very positive above the new ground and all the new facilities.
Its not just the physical structure of the ground ! Of course not and its not just about the standard of football being played or the result or the teams position in the league, or the price to get in , parking or how you get there.
What is it about then ? Just getting the 'doomsayers' to shut up,then they'll get through this bit of a rough patch and everything will be OK ?
What needs to change I wonder ?

[Westgate Wanderer]

It's about time we started living in the present! Old Christie Park was just that, it would've cost a fortune to replace the ageing old stand (which had to be shored up a few years before FL). Where would that money have come from? We all grew up (mostly) watching at CP so always hold fond memories and overlooked the bad parts. We never really thought we would make the football league (be honest) and we needed a drastic update of the entire ground.It barely had enough seats to get us in the league, plans were afoot for the carwash side and more seating built onto the main stand i believe. The Globe will see us through for many a year (fingers crossed) and in time we will love it! As for the dislike of it i think it stems from the fact many a time we turn up hoping for good football and entertainment only to be let down by poor football and defeats time and again! 850+ hardcore fans is poor but is fantastic compared to the NPL days! As for renaming the main stand.....don't be so ungrateful! We allenjoyed the ride to the dreamland of FL with Pmg. Previous chairmen didn't even want to be in the conference ffs!!