Open End Numb Legs

I don't think it is looking too rosy for the rest of the alphabet either.

You all have better memories than me but I do remember on wet days in the Open End my sister and me would try to spot who around us on the terrace had the highest rising damp on their flared jeans (70s).

Fair enough, I agree they should stay where they are. If you see my previous posts I think Rovers should re build a stand at a time but I understand the temptation of a shiny new ground. Staying in a relatively historical base is important I think, as one or 2 rugby clubs have found recently.

What are your thoughts on the latest plans at Rovers? Is it right to build a new stand as a plan B or should they go all in at the FM? If the FM doesn't work out then building such a basic structure might turn out to be short sighted and the club falls down on both plans? Does it concern the fans that Wael has taken out a loan for this?

I had assumed chirp = bird = girlfriend ? May be wrong though, I am not down with the kids.

That's the Membley Arch.

I would assume that since they took the ground from the rugby club they no longer need the space for a rugby pitch in goal area that was behind the posts so they should be making use of some of that space for the 'stand'. Trouble is a deeper stand means a higher stand. Having planning permission refused on height would throw quite a large spanner in the timescales.

Quite a lot of rain over the week so they will need to air them elsewhere so the canvas can dry out before the peak wedding and festival season. Also the ground sheet. Might as well re water proof them at the same time.

Now we do like pictures of bins and I am sure the food was lovely but my eyes are drawn to the top/right photo where some fans seem desperate to escape the ground.....???

That would be a great spot the ball image. Everyone seems to be looking in a different direction!

I have never been to their ground and I suppose I always thought that there was probably a bit of exaggeration going on within OTIB to get a bigger laugh. But....that photo........I never thought it would be that bad. Is the rest of it the same? I am honestly shocked and I can see now why they are so keen to start afresh.

Is that the electronic advertising on the pitch side? I really hope not as it would date the photo as recent. Please tell me I am wrong.

The looks worse than somewhere you would wait when your car is in the hand wash. Joking aside I am sure that everyone associated with Rovers would want a lot better for those with access needs. That has to be an old photo, I hope.

When thinking of my user name, I wanted to recall my earliest memory of City and it is sitting square on the stanchion in the Open End with my Dad holding me, aged about 7 or 8, so I could see the game. By half time my legs were numb. You make an interesting point that if I had sat astride the stanchion in error I would probably have got the numb end you mention so I guess either name works!

This talk of a friendly is easy for Barton, it would be a winner for him regardless of the result. We have heard endless tenuous excuses for defeats ever since he took over there and he would trot them all out again. Nige tends to be straight with his answers when we lose - 'not good enough'. A friendly would generate publicity and that is what Barton craves, an opportunity to criticise the opposition.

Looks like a still from an early round FA cup game where the ball ends up in someone's back garden, you know, at a non league ground....hang on.....

Good luck to him. Don't tell Rovers or he will end up working on the pitch to 'keep his hand in'.

In summary then, if the new stand does get built, we don't think it will be ready for the 1st home game. Kind of understandable, a very ambitious plan. The thing is, if it isn't ready by, say Christmas*, then that will be pretty bad. Lost revenue, fans who do normally attend needing to relocate. It seems it is a case of how late, not if. (*Didn't say which one.) ???

Like the Dion bits.

Surely the biggest error seems to be that building a stand for 2,500 people does not mean 2,500 extra supporter revenue, it means that 2,500 people who were stood up before are now sat down? It is possible that there is extra space created above what was there previously, but equally that doesn't mean it will be filled.

I hope it is only one on the ladder and the other one footing it! I guess at least the club is climbing up something, if not the L1 table....

Well written that, the author has some talent.

I am not a finance person but I wonder what the developers of the FM site make of this? If Rovers are serious potential business partners, can they bring financial credibility to the table, to be on even terms in negotiations? As an analogy, it could be a bit like me going into a Ferrari showroom, kicking the tyres whilst my old Astra is parked outside. Surely at some point the owner will need to put some of his own money into these schemes? It seems everything in their world is based around the land value of the Mem and that could vary wildly depending how the economy feels.

Maybe the laughing group are the loan players.

Hate to be a linesman on that retractable pitch side. Make a bad decision against RM and bingo, you disappear underground.