Colchester in League 2 ??

[amsemp]

Take that back...I spent almost 2 years on that job!! Nothing wrong with it from a functional point of view...in fact, whilst it isn't the Emirates it is a highly environmentally and economically sustainable facility...perfect for their needs.

I wasn't talking about quality and function and I'm not questioning how well suited it is to their needs. In terms of quality, function and sustainability, it's spot on. Just seems a very unambitious project from them and I think it was probably not the greatest move moneywise in terms of their underwhelming fan base. Swansea built a new stadium and ended up challenging for Europe in the Premiership. Colchester built a new stadium and are fighting relegation to the bottom tier of English football. Forgive me if I'm wrong, as I don't know how much Layer Road cost to run etc. but although that ground was a cow shed, was it really necessary to have forked out the money they did for a fan base they didn't have and have failed to attract?

 

[Bolton Shrimper]

Now Wembley aside , it's been a pretty dire year for us in terms of results and football played ( especially at home ).
Final game this Saturday and nothing to play for ( for either side ).
The only slight ray of Sunshine is the possibility of Col U being relegated and the resurrection of the Essex derby once again.

Scunthorpe MUST beat Swindon and
Col U MUST lose to Carlisle

Even then , two 1 goal margins will not be enough.

I don't see it happening myself as Swindon still have something to play for in terms of play off finishing positions , but you never know , and it would make a nice end to our season.

What do others think ?

Whilst I hope and think the Scum will lose at Carlisle, probably by a single goal,I think the odds are against Scunthorpe beating Swindon, certainly by enough goals.........................So, unlikely but great if it happens.

 

[Sherif H]

I wasn't talking about quality and function and I'm not questioning how well suited it is to their needs. In terms of quality, function and sustainability, it's spot on. Just seems a very unambitious project from them and I think it was probably not the greatest move moneywise in terms of their underwhelming fan base. Swansea built a new stadium and ended up challenging for Europe in the Premiership. Colchester built a new stadium and are fighting relegation to the bottom tier of English football. Forgive me if I'm wrong, as I don't know how much Layer Road cost to run etc. but although that ground was a cow shed, was it really necessary to have forked out the money they did for a fan base they didn't have and have failed to attract?

It was funded by the Local Authority in it's entirety.
Old, decrepit stadiums, no matter how small and rickety make no long term sense on three levels...

1 - They more often than not occupy development land which the Local Authority have identified as prime future residential use, ergo it is usually worth a fortune to the Club or land owner.

2 - Layer Road would have been a maintenance burden and a drain on the Club's limited resources. Future expansion would have been difficult and costly.

3 - As I have said many a time on SZ, new stadium developments place footballing reasons at the bottom of the priority list. The WHCS provides Colchester United with ten times as much high spec floor space to enable them to maximise their non-matchday revenue generating capacity.

On an aside, why do you think the build was unambitious? How much bigger do you think the Council could or should have gone without compromising their business plan for funding it?

 

[Badger74]

scunthorpe shirt purchased and will be at roots hall saturday

 

[Csboy]

Please let them come down and let us be away to them first day of the season. Would bring back memories of the famous 1st day of the season trip to Colchester in 1984. Was complete mayhem and the whole town of Colchester must have been left cursing the Football fixture Computer for throwing that one up.

 

[Fish]

He he

4 standalone stands but the corners already have the foundations installed so the stands can be extended into the corners relatively cheaply if required (Unlikely!!) making the capacity 12500. Also the East South and North stands can be made double height if required, the foundations have been installed ready for this so the ground would then hold 18000-20000 quite handy if the away team require 17000 tickets :winking:

So where would the remaining 15,000 of us go then?! (cos clearly now we've filled 32,000 seats at Wembley, that's the future benchmark for away attendances, even Hartlepool on a Tuesday night).

 

[dannypav]

So where would the remaining 15,000 of us go then?! (cos clearly now we've filled 32,000 seats at Wembley, that's the future benchmark for away attendances, even Hartlepool on a Tuesday night).

I see what you're saying , but I can't see more than 20,000 going to Hartlepool on a Tuesday night

 

[Colchester and proud!]

So where would the remaining 15,000 of us go then?! (cos clearly now we've filled 32,000 seats at Wembley, that's the future benchmark for away attendances, even Hartlepool on a Tuesday night).

I want some of those tablets you are taking!

 

[Colchester and proud!]

Please let them come down and let us be away to them first day of the season. Would bring back memories of the famous 1st day of the season trip to Colchester in 1984. Was complete mayhem and the whole town of Colchester must have been left cursing the Football fixture Computer for throwing that one up.

Not many there though we only got 2300 that day, 1st half hat trick from Adcock in a 3-3 draw, you have no chance of us being at home though we are always away because the Police will not let our home games clash with the V festival.

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

Not many there though we only got 2300 that day

...and for those who complain about crowds nowadays we only had 2190 for the return fixture at Roots Hall (we won't talk about the score that day!) - we also played you in the cup that year a crowd of 2935 saw us draw at Roots Hall and 3907 watched the replay at Layer Road.

So our average attendance of just over 5000 this season (in the same division as 20 years ago) is actually pretty healthy.

2190 for a league game at home to Col Ewe is pitiful! The average home league gate was 1929 and if you add in the three home cup games (against Colchester, Orient and Millwall) the average rises to 1969 - how quickly we forget those dark days when we couldn't even get 2000 through the gates to most league gates. The biggest home gate that season was against Swindon in the league - 2942 on boxing day!

(All stats. courtesy of Robin Michel's excellent http://www.sufcdb.co.uk)

 

[Csboy]

Not many there though we only got 2300 that day, 1st half hat trick from Adcock in a 3-3 draw, you have no chance of us being at home though we are always away because the Police will not let our home games clash with the V festival.

Over 600 from Southend there as well. Though of those 600 I would say there were about 100 lunatics there with not much interest in Football.

 

[Colchester and proud!]

...and for those who complain about crowds nowadays we only had 2190 for the return fixture at Roots Hall (we won't talk about the score that day!) - we also played you in the cup that year a crowd of 2935 saw us draw at Roots Hall and 3907 watched the replay at Layer Road.

So our average attendance of just over 5000 this season (in the same division as 20 years ago) is actually pretty healthy.

2190 for a league game at home to Col Ewe is pitiful! The average home league gate was 1929 and if you add in the three home cup games (against Colchester, Orient and Millwall) the average rises to 1969 - how quickly we forget those dark days when we couldn't even get 2000 through the gates to most league gates. The biggest home gate that season was against Swindon in the league - 2942 on boxing day!

(All stats. courtesy of Robin Michel's excellent http://www.sufcdb.co.uk)

Yes it is strange how gates go up and down, go forward to October 1985, chaos at Roots Hall on a tuesday night I believe, we got there fairly late and stood in the home areas because the crowds were huge at the away turnstyles. The crowd was over 8K and the 4 other guys who made up our car load were wetting their pants as I celebrated our 4-2 away win with great enthusiasm (Perry Groves hat trick included) they were convinced we were not making it back to the car given the looks I was getting!

 

[Colchester and proud!]

Over 600 from Southend there as well. Though of those 600 I would say there were about 100 lunatics there with not much interest in Football.

Yes remember it well Csboy it was a great game given the violent undertones from the terraces that dominated the whole game!

 

[Kevin Hogg]

That opening fixture at Layer Road. the night before I was at Stocks on the seafront with the then gf. A large, well known man with Ginger hair came in and told me he had come to stay with us as he was so excited and did not want to miss 9 O' Clock outside Smiths. He came in our bedroom at about 7am with cups of tea and singing Col U here we come!!
The entire day was bedlam. Complete carnage from start to finish.

The October '85 2-4 defeat? I think Col U were chased onto the pitch from the old South Bank after a goal. Some went down the players tunnel. I heard that some Southend boys left early (we were outclassed) to wait at the Army & Navy for a the Col U coach or coaches.

The 3-3 was a brilliant game.

 

[Kevin Hogg]

Oh and the cup games? The replsay at Layer Road was the infamous "stanley knife, hammer and aerosol attack from a group of Col U fans - just down the road from The Drury Arms..

 

[Kevin Hogg]

Oh and the cup games? The replay at Layer Road was the infamous "stanley knife, hammer and aerosol attack" from a group of Col U fans - just down the road from The Drury Arms..

 

[Uncle Leo]

For once, Southend won't be the SUFC getting the bulk of my support tomorrow.

Go on The Iron!

 

[OldBlueLady]

For once, Southend won't be the SUFC getting the bulk of my support tomorrow.

Go on The Iron!

Yep, go on Scunny!

 

[Colchester and proud!]

Oh and the cup games? The replsay at Layer Road was the infamous "stanley knife, hammer and aerosol attack from a group of Col U fans - just down the road from The Drury Arms..

A jigsaw moment!

 

[Colchester and proud!]

Yep, go on Scunny!

OBL I thought we were friends :winking: