Everyone Glad We Stayed @thegate?

[Bris Red]

5 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

If he said club, then that would be true as it wouldn't be the club buying them. It would be some property company under PULA. 

I can't see how the corners could be filled in without it looking crap. 

I know that the South Stand has been designed so it's possible to put another tier on to it quite easily.

I was also told that the South Stand has been designed to add another tier. That could be an option but still wouldn’t get away from the Atyeo needing to be redeveloped.
Another tier on the South Stand would make the Atyeo look even more odd and out of place IMO.

If and when the time is needed i really wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the houses on Ashton Road being purchased.
 

It’s not just the extra capacity that a new Atyeo with corners being filled in it would give, but also the extra hospitality boxes and more conference space that could be utilised by the club.

[Tomo]

FWIW, my own opinion is whilst Ashton Vale looked amazing at the time, the original plan was 30k capacity, so that's only 3k more than the revamped Ashton Gate. As someone has mentioned, 10 years on and that video doesn't wow me like it did before and it doesn't look 'that modern or overly impressive' 

We now have what most of us wanted.... 'not a soulless bowl stadium' and if there is scope to sort out the atyeo, it's the perfect stadium in our 'home location'. 

The facilities in our concourse areas is 2nd to none and matchdays is a pleasurable experience and even outside the stadium, we have alternative food outlets and entertainment. 

I'm massively impressed with the 'new gate' 

If we can build on top of the south stand, (if required), that's a bonus. 

I can't see the Dolman being ripped apart for 30 years or so and it ticks the boxes for what we currently need. 

Just enjoy Alex Scott for the last 4 home games of the season and we can proudly say.... 'that England International started his career at the home of Bristol football'

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 18, 2023 by Tomo

[Tomo]

2 minutes ago, Tomo said:

FWIW, my own opinion is whilst Ashton Vale looked amazing at the time, the original plan was 30k capacity, so that's only 3k more than the revamped Ashton Gate. As someone has mentioned, 10 years on and that video doesn't wow me like it did before and it doesn't look 'that modern or overly impressive' 

We now have what most of us wanted.... 'not a soulless bowl stadium' and if there is scope to sort out the atyeo, it's the perfect stadium in our 'home location'. 

The facilities in our concourse areas is 2nd to none and matchdays is a pleasurable experience and even outside the stadium, we have  alternative food outlets and entertainment. 

I'm massively impressed with the 'new gate' 

If we can build on top of the south stand, (if required), that's a bonus. 

I can't see the Dolman being ripped apart for 30 years or so and it ticks the boxes for what we currently need. 

Just enjoy Alex Scott for the last 4 games of the season and we can proudly say.... 'that England International started his career at the home of Bristol football'

 

 

 

 

 

To add, once the basketball arena, hotel and other bars are developed, the Ashton Gate site will go to another level and be mightily impressive.... 

Just now, Tomo said:

To add, once the basketball arena, hotel and other bars are developed, the Ashton Gate site will go to another level and be mightily impressive.... 

 

[Lanterne Rouge]

I must admit I did quite like the fact that my ST seat in the SS up until last season was directly above where I used to stand in the EE when I was a lad.

[lenred]

9 hours ago, pillred said:

The new stadium would have been 10 minutes walk from the old with all the added advantages of increased capacity and better parking and access for most, I think you are letting nostalgia get in the way of the bigger picture.

Not all of us care about ‘better parking’. Hard to believe I know, but there we go! 

[pillred]

1 hour ago, And Its Smith said:

What’s wrong with nostalgia?  

It's not what it was.

[pillred]

20 minutes ago, lenred said:

Not all of us care about ‘better parking’. Hard to believe I know, but there we go! 

You are in the minority, I'm ok as I get the bus but a hell of a lot of the people that attend have no option but to drive and believe me it's a bloody nightmare now with all the restrictions and those greedy ba88ar8s at the field next door to the cricket club charging up to £50 to park for concerts and £30 on some match days.

Edited March 18, 2023 by pillred

[italian dave]

45 minutes ago, pillred said:

You are in the minority, I'm ok as I get the bus but a hell of a lot of the people that attend have no option but to drive and believe me it's a bloody nightmare now with all the restrictions and those greedy ba88ar8s at the field next door to the cricket club charging up to £50 to park for concerts and £30 on some match days.

Mind you, wouldn’t much of the parking at AV have been within the control of the club, who themselves charge north of £20 on some match days? 

[Port Said Red]

I do hope I will be around to enjoy this though.

https://youtu.be/ggANZrrFuX0

[Mr X]

3 hours ago, pillred said:

You are in the minority, I'm ok as I get the bus but a hell of a lot of the people that attend have no option but to drive and believe me it's a bloody nightmare now with all the restrictions and those greedy ba88ar8s at the field next door to the cricket club charging up to £50 to park for concerts and £30 on some match days.

I can never understand why people pay that much for parking. I've always been able to find somewhere to park on-street within a 15 min walk from AG even when arriving at 2:30.  

[Red-Robbo]

59 minutes ago, Mr X said:

I can never understand why people pay that much for parking. I've always been able to find somewhere to park on-street within a 15 min walk from AG even when arriving at 2:30.  

 

You either drive a Smart car and can park it sidewise, or you're a speedwalking champion.

We arrive about 1:30 and are usually about 20-minute walk from AG. That's fine, we like to get a few ales in on the way and don't like drinking in the concourse. 

Being all nicely brought-up gents, we don't park on corners, over drop kerbs or encroach on people's drives. If we did that, we could probably park a couple of minutes from the ground. 

 

[pillred]

1 hour ago, Mr X said:

I can never understand why people pay that much for parking. I've always been able to find somewhere to park on-street within a 15 min walk from AG even when arriving at 2:30.  

Well it would be easy to park at that time of the morning :laugh:.

[lenred]

5 hours ago, pillred said:

You are in the minority, I'm ok as I get the bus but a hell of a lot of the people that attend have no option but to drive and believe me it's a bloody nightmare now with all the restrictions and those greedy ba88ar8s at the field next door to the cricket club charging up to £50 to park for concerts and £30 on some match days.

I agree parking is hard.  But not really sure how a new stadium would’ve sorted that tbh.   We’re we going to have parking for 1000s or cars? Must’ve missed it if so. 

[pillred]

34 minutes ago, lenred said:

I agree parking is hard.  But not really sure how a new stadium would’ve sorted that tbh.   We’re we going to have parking for 1000s or cars? Must’ve missed it if so. 

I'm fairly confident it would have been an improvement on what we currently provide.

[bcfcredandwhite]

I’m a bit torn really. I liked the thought of the new stadium - with its train station and easy access, but I also like to go for a beer or 2 before and after the game and although I don’t mind the bars in the stadiums I do like the choice around North Street. 
Parking is and always has been a nightmare around BS3 on match days and I’m travelling from Swindon so I was really hoping from a selfish perspective that the new stadium would have triggered investment in the rail link that was planned. 
I live in hope that the Ashton Gate halt will one day be reopened. 

In the meantime, Ashton Gate is perfectly adequate for hosting Championship and mid-lower Prem games. We only need a 40k stadium if we break into the top 6 European places and I can’t see that happening any time soon. 

[eardun]

18 hours ago, pillred said:

Apart from the surroundings and even that has changed a lot, the ground bears no resemblance whatsoever from the 1970s so I'm not quite sure what you mean. If I plonked you down in say the area behind the South stand and you had lived in Australia for the past 15 years would you really have any clue where you were?

An example: I can still vividly remember walking with my Dad along Duckmoor Road in the early evening on 20 April 1976. I was aged 9 and I knew that if we beat Portsmouth that night, we’d be promoted to Division 1 after an absence of 65 years. I regularly walk the same route to the ground now.

I like the history associated with being at the same location for over 100 years. And yes a lot of the surroundings - the layout of the roads, the park, the flats - are still as they were when I started going in the 1970s. It’s Ashton Gate and it will always be Ashton Gate. 

[MarcusX]

6 hours ago, Mr X said:

I can never understand why people pay that much for parking. I've always been able to find somewhere to park on-street within a 15 min walk from AG even when arriving at 2:30.  

Same I usually park up by Parson Street station, usually more of a 20 minute walk though I guess

[pillred]

4 hours ago, eardun said:

An example: I can still vividly remember walking with my Dad along Duckmoor Road in the early evening on 20 April 1976. I was aged 9 and I knew that if we beat Portsmouth that night, we’d be promoted to Division 1 after an absence of 65 years. I regularly walk the same route to the ground now.

I like the history associated with being at the same location for over 100 years. And yes a lot of the surroundings - the layout of the roads, the park, the flats - are still as they were when I started going in the 1970s. It’s Ashton Gate and it will always be Ashton Gate. 

Yes but is that a good reason for staying put? surely you can see AG has it has it's limitations, nearly all teams that have aspiration have at some point  moved from their spiritual home or to better facilities with a larger capacity, those lucky enough to have grounds that had both are lucky, we needed to show we had aspiration Steve Lansdown tried with his AV move but it failed because local politics triumphed over what would have been good for the club and probably the local area, I know what you mean but if we were ever going to challenge the so called big boys we needed to at least try to give it a go. I quote isn't it better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all?

Edited March 18, 2023 by pillred
Spelling

[Simon bristol]

On 17/03/2023 at 10:41, pillred said:

I can't understand why with all the upheaval and the fact we knocked down the old east end and were going to knock down the Williams stand as well why we didn't just move the ground back further towards Winterstoke Rd, we then surely could have made the Atyeo end higher or demolished it and built a stand the same or similar to the new South stand because it would have been further from the houses, it would have meant extending the Dolman at one end and demolishing a bit of it at the park end but at least it would have resulted in a more balanced looking ground and a larger capacity to boot.

This was another option that wasnt reallly discussed before,, and considering the expense that occured, was potentially achievable.. i think its broadly what tottenham did with their stadium, but they had an alternative venue to play at when it was being built. I wonder if the new stands could have been built around the pitch to keep us there while it was being built? Also, i wonder whether rotating the pitch 90 degrees could have been considered/ of some benefit?

[pillred]

On 16/03/2023 at 23:13, Show Me The Money! said:

I maybe in the minority but I'm a dreamer and I've always visioned that with the size of Bristol and the surrounding area we could get enough support to fill a 40k stadium in the prem. Can't see that ever happening at the Gate.

 

Well we couldn't fit anywhere near that now at AG even if we had the demand could we, that was always the point of moving to a less restrictive area just across from our current home.  

[eardun]

On 18/03/2023 at 22:47, pillred said:

Yes but is that a good reason for staying put? surely you can see AG has it has it's limitations, nearly all teams that have aspiration have at some point  moved from their spiritual home or to better facilities with a larger capacity, those lucky enough to have grounds that had both are lucky, we needed to show we had aspiration Steve Lansdown tried with his AV move but it failed because local politics triumphed over what would have been good for the club and probably the local area, I know what you mean but if we were ever going to challenge the so called big boys we needed to at least try to give it a go. I quote isn't it better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all?

I was just answering a specific Q re my original post. My original post was the below. So by no means a good reason for staying put, but just my personal positives given AV was not possible.

‘I was also excited about AV but ultimately I’m quite happy we are still at our traditional home, with memories back to the 1970s and the redevelopment is first class.’

 

[Guest]

Does anyone know when the sporting quarter is due to start?!

 

I saw Man City’s new plans which include a covered fan zone! Would be great if we could either utilise the new basketball venue with seats and tables so people can relax with drinks and foo during match days! I guess marina dolman way could be covered with glass walkway between the gate and the basketball area!

 

 

 

[AppyDAZE]

So much history on that pitch, and it is in exactly the same place as it's always been. Hasn't been moved at all. I love that and the fact that our stadium is still a new one with all the good stuff that goes with that.

Opposition fans, commentators and pundits all seem to like it. That's fine by me.

Ashton Gate forever!

Edited April 19, 2023 by AppyDAZE

[REDOXO]

I am still hugely disappointed that Ashton Vale was kaiboshed. The blank sleight that would allowed for from a myriad of perspectives would have been so much better. The idea Bristol Sport now have to shrink wrap Stuff around the space available plus a stand that is clearly out of keeping with the rest of the ground gets on my wick and I’m sure it did SLs. 
 

There is another current thread about unfair subsidies being appropriated by Wrexham. In Wrexham case they are rightly wanting to stage international games in possibly multiple sports and thus can gain a subsidy from the Welsh/national government. Ashton Vale could have had substantial benefit and may well have gotten a subsidy for similar reasons for the West of England. 
 

I asked in the other thread did Bristol Sport gain any subsidy for the redevelopment of the Gate. I am interested to know!? 

I on the other hand am shocked at the amount of Government subsidies that are available for a multitude of things and the ease at which the money is eventually written off over a period. It is a bit nuts!

 

 

2 minutes ago, AppyDAZE said:

So much history on that pitch, and it is in exactly the same place as it's always been. Hasn't been moved at all. I love that and the fact that our stadium is still a new one with all the good stuff that goes with that.

Opposition fans, commentators and pundits all seem to like it. That's fine by me.

Ashton Gate forever!

Yes opponents like it. That’s been a given for a long time now!  

[phantom]

1 hour ago, BS30 City said:

Does anyone know when the sporting quarter is due to start?!

 

I saw Man City’s new plans which include a covered fan zone! Would be great if we could either utilise the new basketball venue with seats and tables so people can relax with drinks and foo during match days! I guess marina dolman way could be covered with glass walkway between the gate and the basketball area!

 

 

 

I'm sure I heard that final planning permission was still to be obtained 

[miketh2nd]

27 minutes ago, REDOXO said:

I am still hugely disappointed that Ashton Vale was kaiboshed. The blank sleight that would allowed for from a myriad of perspectives would have been so much better. The idea Bristol Sport now have to shrink wrap Stuff around the space available plus a stand that is clearly out of keeping with the rest of the ground gets on my wick and I’m sure it did SLs. 
 

There is another current thread about unfair subsidies being appropriated by Wrexham. In Wrexham case they are rightly wanting to stage international games in possibly multiple sports and thus can gain a subsidy from the Welsh/national government. Ashton Vale could have had substantial benefit and may well have gotten a subsidy for similar reasons for the West of England. 
 

I asked in the other thread did Bristol Sport gain any subsidy for the redevelopment of the Gate. I am interested to know!? 

I on the other hand am shocked at the amount of Government subsidies that are available for a multitude of things and the ease at which the money is eventually written off over a period. It is a bit nuts!

 

 

Yes opponents like it. That’s been a given for a long time now!  

I think we would of got subsidy if we got the world cup but for the temporary extending of the ground for more seats for the world Cup? My memory could be wrong... 

I love that its still within walking distance of the centre and the nostalgia of  having the same walk and local pubs  etc.. 

[pongo88]

On 17/03/2023 at 17:06, Ska Junkie said:

Interesting when you consider the Dolman will have to be replaced at some point (another Lansdown stand?) plus the Atyeo just looks out of place. How much will that cost for 34000 (?) capacity?

I love the Gate, it's 'home' but we would have survived at the Vale and it would have been 'home' by now.

With the current footprint of the ground it would be impossible to build a Dolman replacement that had increased capacity. As a stand gets higher it also gets a greater depth. As there’s only a walkway of 3-4 meters behind the Dolman there’s not much room for expansion. Also, strange as it may seem, a Dolman replacement would probably mean a reduction in capacity as it would have modern legroom, similar to the Lansdown. More legroom = less rows of seats. The only possibility would be the council deciding to demolish the flats behind the Dolman and City buying some of the land. Probably unlikely in the near future 

[W-S-M Seagull]

1 hour ago, AppyDAZE said:

So much history on that pitch, and it is in exactly the same place as it's always been. Hasn't been moved at all. I love that and the fact that our stadium is still a new one with all the good stuff that goes with that.

Opposition fans, commentators and pundits all seem to like it. That's fine by me.

Ashton Gate forever!

It was shifted a couple of metres towards the Lansdown during the redevelopment. The Atyeo goal is now in a different position to previously. 

[Open End Numb Legs]

My memory is not brilliant but isn't there a history of clubs having a new ground built and losing, literally, their form on the pitch and getting relegated or similar afterwards?

Sunderland, Boro, Derby, Cardiff, Bolton, Coventry....

Sure someone could do a better job of this than me, just my thoughts.

[ralphindevon]

2 hours ago, Open End Numb Legs said:

My memory is not brilliant but isn't there a history of clubs having a new ground built and losing, literally, their form on the pitch and getting relegated or similar afterwards?

Sunderland, Boro, Derby, Cardiff, Bolton, Coventry....

Sure someone could do a better job of this than me, just my thoughts.

Stoke we’re relegated in their first season at the Brittania stadium, now the Bet 365 stadium

[Bristol Rob]

On 17/03/2023 at 16:34, downendcity said:

Back in the 70s, at work we had an application from a couple who gave their address as Southmead Road, Henleaze, Westbury-On-Trym!

I don't live far from a camp site, some people are deluded enough to call it a stadium!

[LondonBristolian]

I’ve mixed views. On the one hand, I do like the stadium development and the sense of history that comes from being in the same stadium since early in our history but, on the other, it feels a missed opportunity for Bristol as a city and it is depressing that we (i.e the city, not the club) struggle to get major infrastructure projects agreed and completed.

[Son of Fred]

On 17/03/2023 at 20:16, Red Shadow said:

My birth certificate says I was born at Southmead Hospital, Westbury-on - Trym. That was in 1959 though. Has the boundary changed since then?

We were talking about this at the factory the other day, that Southmead Hospital is addressed Southmead Rd, Westbury -on - Trym???

I dunno!

[AppyDAZE]

18 hours ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

It was shifted a couple of metres towards the Lansdown during the redevelopment. The Atyeo goal is now in a different position to previously. 

Well, the Dolman hasn't moved, so it can't be very noticeable :laugh: 

[elhombrecito]

9 minutes ago, AppyDAZE said:

Well, the Dolman hasn't moved, so it can't be very noticeable

It has, in a way. The bottom section sticks out a lot further than the old bottom section did.

[Red Shadow]

6 hours ago, AppyDAZE said:

Well, the Dolman hasn't moved, so it can't be very noticeable

From my old seat in the Dolman it was noticeable that the touchline was further away and I could see more of the cinder track after it had been moved.

[Lanterne Rouge]

On 19/04/2023 at 18:06, pongo88 said:

. The only possibility would be the council deciding to demolish the flats behind the Dolman and City buying some of the land. Probably unlikely in the near future 

I did wonder once whether SL could have done some sort of exchange deal - he gets the flats and gives the Council land for new housing at AV. That was when the flats were looking in a shocking state mind but they seem to have had a lot of money spent on them over the last ten years or so. I presume all the asbestos and other nasty stuff in them has been removed now too.

The other problem was, is the AV land within BCC`s boundary or is it in North Somerset?

[elhombrecito]

35 minutes ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

I did wonder once whether SL could have done some sort of exchange deal - he gets the flats and gives the Council land for new housing at AV. That was when the flats were looking in a shocking state mind but they seem to have had a lot of money spent on them over the last ten years or so. I presume all the asbestos and other nasty stuff in them has been removed now too.

The other problem was, is the AV land within BCC`s boundary or is it in North Somerset?

Pretty sure it was in Bristol, but access was in NS.

[Galley is our king]

Bet the residents of Ashton Vale now wish they had supported it considering they have just lost their only bus.

Would have been brilliant public transport links for them had the new stadium been built.

Ah well, never mind eh? 

[The Bard]

On 19/04/2023 at 18:06, pongo88 said:

With the current footprint of the ground it would be impossible to build a Dolman replacement that had increased capacity. As a stand gets higher it also gets a greater depth. As there’s only a walkway of 3-4 meters behind the Dolman there’s not much room for expansion. Also, strange as it may seem, a Dolman replacement would probably mean a reduction in capacity as it would have modern legroom, similar to the Lansdown. More legroom = less rows of seats. The only possibility would be the council deciding to demolish the flats behind the Dolman and City buying some of the land. Probably unlikely in the near future 

Not to mention moving 180+ households of people over 50 years old elsewhere which given there are 18,000 people on the housing list in Bristol at the moment is not going to happen.

[Oh Louie louie]

Tbh, at the end of Ashton vale, in the bungalows, many people are disabled or hard of sight, where I live, we had a mob of Thirty on the street protesting, the other day, we Will not go quietly on this

[The Bard]

13 hours ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

I did wonder once whether SL could have done some sort of exchange deal - he gets the flats and gives the Council land for new housing at AV. That was when the flats were looking in a shocking state mind but they seem to have had a lot of money spent on them over the last ten years or so. I presume all the asbestos and other nasty stuff in them has been removed now too.

The other problem was, is the AV land within BCC`s boundary or is it in North Somerset?

It's not Lego is it?

People live in those flats. Elderly people who have lived there for years some at least 50 years. 

Sorry Agnes, we know you've only got a year left but you have to move now to somewhere you don't know. Why do you ask? Well, because football fans are fatter than they were in the old days so need a bigger stadium.

[Lanterne Rouge]

26 minutes ago, The Bard said:

It's not Lego is it?

People live in those flats. Elderly people who have lived there for years some at least 50 years. 

Sorry Agnes, we know you've only got a year left but you have to move now to somewhere you don't know. Why do you ask? Well, because football fans are fatter than they were in the old days so need a bigger stadium.

My point was that back before the council spent a lot of money on the flats (rightly so IMO) they were in a shocking state and BCC were making noises about them coming to the end of their usable life and and may need to be demolished so there MAY have been an option back then to have opened negotiations. It might have been a viable option that suited both parties and, crucially, the tenants as, at the time, they were living in damp, cold flats that were riddled with asbestos. Fair play to BCC for dealing with the problems - the flats look lovely now.