peanuts Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 Was walking past the site of the original sainsburys on bloom street today and noticed its boarded up and for rent/sale noticed also that the former NHS buildings to the rear of it were also boarded up and for sale/let aswell as are several other buildings next door all in the area bounded by the bypass manchester st middleton rd and king st .Could we do a deal to purchase and clear this site and build a new stadium there with possibly the mythyal cinema/bowling alley incorperated into the stadium ? The advantages ? Good road links its right off oldham way good public transport links 500yds from the towns central bus station and future tram stops. Right at the heart of the community nobody in the town could say they didnt know when we were playing they couldnt miss it ! Incorperate a gym function suits resteraunt/bar all income streams would get plenty of walk up custom unlike if stuck all the way out at bp ? Disadvantages Aldi perhaps the biggest hurdle (apart from funding) this is where the council could help out (and redeam them selves ) by finding an alternate site within the town centre. Parking on site parking would be limited tho there is lots of parking close by (town hall town square mecca + others ). As i said a bit left field but it is larger site than it looks doesent have the nimby problems (cant see the two pubs on the corner objecting to several thousand extra punters every fortnight thoughts ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shefflatic Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 (edited) yeah certainly a stadium with a few things within it to bring in revenue looks feasible as the site looks big enough, maybe parking would be the only drawback I mean where is there really to park in Oldham, e.g. say we get a crowd of 7-8k vs a huddersfield? good spot though, never considered that before Edited March 29, 2011 by shefflatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
losesome Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 yeah certainly a stadium with a few things within it to bring in revenue looks feasible as the site looks big enough, maybe parking would be the only drawback I mean where is there really to park in Oldham, e.g. say we get a crowd of 7-8k vs a huddersfield? good spot though, never considered that before Why should parking be a problem , all new grounds are built with no thoughts for the travelling fans - ie Stoke , Bolton , Colchester to name a few !!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancy lad Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I wouldnt have thought its anywhere near big enough??? Good position though and nearer town centre would hopefully increase the crowds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 If they'd lose a road and let it extend across to the old Belgrade/Periquito site, knock down Aldi, take out the bingo hall etc it would be great. But the second you add in the cost of destroying other businesss I suspect it becomes a non-starter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc-latics Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 would the council let us have that though to aviod trouble in the town centre? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_bro Posted March 29, 2011 Share Posted March 29, 2011 I wouldnt have thought its anywhere near big enough??? Good position though and nearer town centre would hopefully increase the crowds! Probably too near the town centre for the councils liking. Possible crowd trouble after the game, which could spill into the centre of town and shopping centres. Wonderful place to attract more fans though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I'd hazard a guess at the cost of the land being a bit too much. Any developable land that is near a town centre comes with a premium due to location. Which is why football clubs' new grounds are rarely near a town centre. They're usually miles out, next to a motorway (hence Coventry City, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Shrewsbury, Colchester etc. etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OAFC_Rob Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 It won't happen purely because of the amount of traffic generated on a match day, would be a nightmare for non fans or thats how the council will see it. Also who currently own all that land? Is it a bunch of seperate people or all council owned? We cannot afford another failsworth to happen to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 It's on a hill, I doubt it's big enough, and it's prime town centre development land which would cost a fortune to acquire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24hoursfromtulsehill Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I don't get the thinking that a town centre ground is a bad thing, but then I don't understand councils. Great for the club because you sell the game as a day out in the many great bars of Oldham, the art gallery or the shops and the market. I would have thought it's good for the shops too because of the footfall. Why don't they see it that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsPete Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I don't get the thinking that a town centre ground is a bad thing, but then I don't understand councils. Great for the club because you sell the game as a day out in the many great bars of Oldham, the art gallery or the shops and the market. I would have thought it's good for the shops too because of the footfall. Why don't they see it that way? Because Thatcher inculcated a folk belief that all football supporters vomit non-stop, defecate in the street, are inveterate shoplifters, are genetically untermenschen, and that it is unsafe for anyone to be in the vicinty of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I've seen Thatcher take the blame for all kinds of things, but the myth of football hooliganism?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsPete Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) I've seen Thatcher take the blame for all kinds of things, but the myth of football hooliganism?? "The myth" of the extent of football hooliganism....yes her government was big on that. Late last year, Chris Rowland released From Where I Was Standing, his account of the Heysel disaster, What made you want to write From Where I Was Standing? What drove me to write the book was my belief that the story had not been properly told. There was and remains a strong sense that Heysel is unfinished business. I hope it causes readers to question or re-examine what they know of Heysel. It was the torrent of over-simplification, hypocrisy and humbug that followed, obviously from the media but also from Thatcher’s government with their anti-Liverpool, anti-football agenda. Edited March 30, 2011 by LaticsPete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24hoursfromtulsehill Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I've seen Thatcher take the blame for all kinds of things, but the myth of football hooliganism?? We know you've found new friends recently but closing your eyes to one of the many evils of the Thatcher regime is beyond the pale. Compulsory membership cards anyone? In her world, if you weren't out shopping on a Saturday, you needed dealing with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Because Thatcher inculcated a folk belief that all football supporters vomit non-stop, defecate in the street, are inveterate shoplifters, are genetically untermenschen, and that it is unsafe for anyone to be in the vicinty of them. We know you've found new friends recently but closing your eyes to one of the many evils of the Thatcher regime is beyond the pale. Compulsory membership cards anyone? In her world, if you weren't out shopping on a Saturday, you needed dealing with. Good points well made. Luton Town had a pilot membership-only scheme for fans under which only members were allowed to attend matches at the club's home ground and away supporters were banned from the stadium. Thankfully, under the network set up by the Football Supporters' Federation, a Leeds fan, living in Luton, became a Member of Luton Town, and bought tickets for away fans. Twice I went to Luton, called at his house (while he was in Leeds), collected the tickets from the porch and pushed the money through the letterbox, to beat the system and gain admission to Kenilworth Road. There was no atmosphere without an away fans' section and yet it was a nightmare for home fans, who had away fans sat amongst them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outoftheblue Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Heysel was due to a number of reasons that combined to produce a horrific evening for those of us that attended the game. Margaret Thatcher was not involved in any of those reasons. The English supporters (I say English because there was a small group of Chelsea fans, some in colours that travelled to the game) spent a hot afternoon drinking and playing football in Brussels Square with like-minded Italians before making their way to the Stadium en masse and without incident. At the ground, long queues developed as the police searched all the English fans (I am reliably informed by a Dutch friend who was allocated a ticket in the Juve end that Italians were not subjected to such searches) and many missed a good part of the pre-match build up. On entering the ground it became apparent that a section of the end considered to be reserved for Liverpool fans was occupied by Juventus supporters and fenced off using ribbon tape to ensure a gap of around 25 yards buffer zone in front of a flimsy wire fence. The Liverpool fans, hot and cramped in their vastly smaller allocation of terracing became increasingly hostile to the Juventus fans as the Italians taunted them with throat slashing gestures (Many Liverpool fans had been slashed with craft knives a year earlier at the 84 final in Rome, and the Italians' fondness for using the knives had been a much discussed topic on the way over the Channel) and much beckoning and invitations to fight were offered by both sets of fans. With the Chelsea fans encouraging the English to fight for their country's honour, a few sticks that had been holding flags and banners were hurled by the Reds fans and the evening began to get uncomfortable. The crumbling terracing which should never have staged a youth team match, let alone a European Cup Final, suddenly became the provider of hundreds of missiles for the Juve fans, and lumps of concrete up to six inches in diameter were launched in the direction of the Liverpool contingent (I myself was struck on the shoulder by a sharp piece of concrete causing a large and bloody wound despite being some forty yards from the incident). At that point several charges toward the separating 'fence' were made by the Reds, each one causing the Italians to retreat a little further. A token retaliatory charge was made by the Juve supporters, and with no more than half a dozen police and a rather timid Alsatian dog to hold them back, the English thugs counter charged and flattened the dividing fence with ease, causing several hundred of the Italian hooligan element to turn and run for safety. Panic ensued, and the whole of the Italian support in that section headed at full speed toward a gate in the bottom corner of the stand. With no chance of immediate escape through such a small outlet, many decided to clamber over a small wall and drop the ten or twelve feet to safety. Unfortunately the wall gave way under pressure, and the rest is a very sad history. The police reinforcements immediately prior to the final English charge came from the left of the Liverpool fans, and seeing baton wielding police heading from their left, the supporters (Most of them totally innocent) naturally retreated away to their right - just where the problems were occurring, which would have appeared to the Italians as though the whole stand was charging them and cause greater panic, but worse still it would appear to the English hooligans that they were being given further support by their countrymen, and only served to encourage a larger and braver charge. English thugs, Italian hooligans, bad segregation, terrible policing, a hot uncomfortable evening, awful planning, and UEFA's decision to hold the match at a stadium which should have been condemned all played their part in the tragedy. Mrs Thatcher, whilst being responsible for a government that was taking the country through a very bad time when riots and violence were not uncommon, was hardly a factor in the proceedings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsPete Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 (edited) [ . . Mrs Thatcher, whilst being responsible for a government that was taking the country through a very bad time when riots and violence were not uncommon, was hardly a factor in the proceedings (at Heysel). I don't think anybody said she was. She and by extension her government were committed to demonising all football supporters and portraying them as not part of normal society. A different point . Edited March 30, 2011 by LaticsPete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I don't think anybody said she was. She and by extension her government were committed to demonising all football supporters and portraying them as not part of normal society. A different point . Quite, and the aftermath of Heysel only served to fuel for hatred of football. Watching footy in the 80's was pretty bleak experience for the average fan. If you think Latics is falling down and delapidated now, most grounds, including top flight ones like Stamford Bridge, Kenilworth Road, The Manor Ground, The Dell, Roker Park and countless others were well past their sell-by date. On the flip side, I quite liked going to games then myself, there was always a bit of an edge and everything from the stale smell of piss from the toilets to having a :censored: view in the main stand paddock behind a big fence all used to intrigue and excite me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Because Thatcher inculcated a folk belief that all football supporters vomit non-stop, defecate in the street, are inveterate shoplifters, are genetically untermenschen, and that it is unsafe for anyone to be in the vicinty of them. The big debate on tonight’s Midlands BBC TV was about cuts in the financing of the Arts. Apparently every £1 of government/lottery Arts aid brings in £14 to the local economy. The supporters of 46 football clubs (League & Greedy League), plus Conference and other clubs in the football pyramid, travel up and down the country every week from August to May, spending on fuel, food, booze, betting, etc., not to mention those fans spending while watching football in the pub. Instead of being treated like something on the bottom of a shoe, football fans should be welcomed with open arms and classed as national heroes for doing their bit in great numbers towards rescuing the economy. I pointed this out to the landlord of a pub in Exeter last season, and he got the message. He was a self-confessed rugger man, with misconceptions about football fans. However, he became receptive to my logic, and changed from his no away fan attitude to one of welcoming us with open arms, both before and after the match. He even brought us an extra candle on our dining table and bought us a round of drinks. Needless to say, he'll get our trade again this season, unlike some other licensees I no longer mention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy_Fent Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 After the Premier League latest stance on Safe Standing I firmly beleive that the Premier League only want families attending games and a match day experience to be more like that of going to a Bowling alley or the Theatre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancy lad Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Quite, and the aftermath of Heysel only served to fuel for hatred of football. Watching footy in the 80's was pretty bleak experience for the average fan. If you think Latics is falling down and delapidated now, most grounds, including top flight ones like Stamford Bridge, Kenilworth Road, The Manor Ground, The Dell, Roker Park and countless others were well past their sell-by date. On the flip side, I quite liked going to games then myself, there was always a bit of an edge and everything from the stale smell of piss from the toilets to having a :censored: view in the main stand paddock behind a big fence all used to intrigue and excite me. So...... just to confirm, you like the stale smell of piss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 [ . I don't think anybody said she was. She and by extension her government were committed to demonising all football supporters and portraying them as not part of normal society. A different point . I should think that an awful lot of what went on around football in the 80s didn't feel an awful lot like part of normal society to the grat majority of people who didn't go! And the treatment from a government of any colour would be an awful lot worse if anything like that was commonplace today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outoftheblue Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 The dregs of society latched onto football in the 70s and 80s because it was a perfect outlet for their anger and violence, as was the Mod/Rocker scene in the 60s. Football as a spectator sport had stooped to an all time low, and any government would have been forgiven for viewing it as a breeding ground for the ill mannered and violent thugs that had infiltrated it. The decent fans amongst us knew that a minority were responsible, but the government and society in general viewed all that followed the game as willing parties to the behaviour. It wasn't a pleasant experience being a decent football fan in those days, having to put up with huge fences, police escorts, exclusions from pubs etc. though I believe most of those measures that we had to endure in order to smother the increasing anti-social disorder did actually have an effect, and football in this country is a much better spectator sport for it. Cardiff is a great example of how a stadium can be built in a town or city centre, amongst numerous watering holes and eateries, with careful monitoring and contingency plans in place should any trouble become apparent. It has taken nearly thirty years of crowd handling experience to finally realise that football fans can mix and enjoy the game in comfortable surroundings, but you can't really blame any government for taking the drastic measures they did in the early days without the benefit of that experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDHAM4ALWAYS Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 The Old Radcliffe School site off Broadway would be and ideal location. Only problem is farmer giles who tried to get as much as he could to screw the club for his land off Foxdenton Lane, objecting. One thing for sure we need a NEW STADIUM sooner rather than later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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