Again I repeat - we're going for a double and fans are staying away. And if that's the choice of a certain section of supporter, that's fine - no-one should be forced or expected to go. But it raises a huge issue when it comes to the future and the sustainability of the club. If you're the Council and POD comes to you and says "I want to some land at Templemore, access to this, this and this grant, to build a new stadium"...you, as the Council, ask, "You're going for a league and cup double but can't sellout the 3500-capacity Brandywell, why should we even consider a 6-7,000 seater venue and all that goes with it?"stevebradley wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2024 12:01 amI think you're just projecting your own (rather negative) thoughts onto POD's intentiions here, Pauli.PauliAlonso wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2024 10:23 amYes, he did say that. But three years ago when Higgins was unveiled. I think this season has been an eye-opener, in regard to what is genuinely possible and sustainable at the club.Keyser Soze wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2024 10:02 am Did POD not say that he would like to see us regularly in group stages of Europe? Maybe it was someone else and I'm misquoting him.
But if he did say it, then we won't be able to play group games at home for many many years with the development that would be necessary at the ground to pass all the checklist.
He's no mug, and he understands full well the nature of our supporters (which again, I think you're being unfairly negative about).
If you're answer is that the quality of football isn't great, then you can forget about anything else. If the solution to the club's future relies on sexy football and winning leagues, we're done. Not because there's anything wrong with wanting that, but because it's entirely unrealistic over a longer period of time (=unsustainable). The history of the LOI says a team will put the money in, be at the top for 4-5 years, then shit itself and go out of business - Shels, Cork, Dundalk and, yes, ourselves, have all been there (Pats and Bohs too to a lesser extent in the past). In the wider football context, I know of only one manager in world football who can guarantee sexy football and titles, and that's Pep. This season has shown that our bandwagon needs sexy football and titles or it won't show up. That's not sustainable long term, therefore we need to reevaluate the potential of the club in the city. And as of now, that potential doesn't warrant a new stadium. You're right, POD's not a mug and I reckon he knows this already.