where is our new stadium?

[David Essex]

word has it starting next month (October) but dont hold your breath !

 

[Tommy2holes]

I heard a similar rumour but they are just that. Ron martin has been as quiet as a church mouse for the last few months. I think that is either exceptionally bad news or he is biding his time to roll out very good news.

Either way the silence is deafening

 

[Pak66]

And so the saga continues. Just worth mentioning if The Supermarket start building on Roots Hall and SUFC have nowhere to go, it is SUFC that go to the wall.
Ron's company own the Roots Hall ground, so Ron end's up with a tidy sum in his pocket whether we move to Fossetts Farm or go to the wall.
We are not all in this together, there is SUFC and there is Ron two very different things and easily seperated with the flash of a pen on a contract.

 

[Beefy]

I heard a similar rumour but they are just that. Ron martin has been as quiet as a church mouse for the last few months. I think that is either exceptionally bad news or he is biding his time to roll out very good news.

Either way the silence is deafening

Or he's finally learned his lesson and isn't making promises until he's 100% sure of what is going on.

 

[Beefy]

And so the saga continues. Just worth mentioning if The Supermarket start building on Roots Hall and SUFC have nowhere to go, it is SUFC that go to the wall.
Ron's company own the Roots Hall ground, so Ron end's up with a tidy sum in his pocket whether we move to Fossetts Farm or go to the wall.
We are not all in this together, there is SUFC and there is Ron two very different things and easily seperated with the flash of a pen on a contract.

I suspect that Ron Martin will be going to the wall if that happens too. Roots Hall was always the poorer relation in the development. The money is at Fossetts Farm. The Roots Hall development is worth a fraction of that and most of the money that Ron would have been in line to see from it has already been paid over and used by the football club as working capital. The only thing that gives me any hope that FF might happen is that Ron Martin is ****ed if it doesn't.

 

[shallowshrimper]

Oh ye of little faith! My money is on ron starting work on fossets over the xmas hols and on a snowy xmas day we will all be there wishing each other well with a glass of cheapo bubbly provided by santa ron. And no you cant have any of what i`m on

 

[weststander]

And so the saga continues. Just worth mentioning if The Supermarket start building on Roots Hall and SUFC have nowhere to go, it is SUFC that go to the wall.
Ron's company own the Roots Hall ground, so Ron end's up with a tidy sum in his pocket whether we move to Fossetts Farm or go to the wall.
We are not all in this together, there is SUFC and there is Ron two very different things and easily seperated with the flash of a pen on a contract.

Fair point, but the planning permission only allows for the shell of the supermarket to be built until SUFC have a new stadium to play in. If SUFC went to the wall then Sainsburys would have to reapply for panning permission and although we probably couldnt stop it happening i am sure that we could muster enough objections for it to go to public enquiry making the finishing of the store a year or two onger than Sainsburys would like.....

 

[Jam_Man]

Would just selling Roots Hall actually leave Ron with a a tidy sum though?

How much money has been pumped into the club over the years ? Id be surprised if he walked away breaking even if he just sold Roots Hall and didnt develop Fossetts Farm.

 

[Mick]

Why? Everything he says will be classed an outright lie... I think the silence eminating from the club since his three video-escapade is typical of the reaction to Tilson's sacking. He's had his fingers burned by being "open" in the past and he's probably learnt from his mistake.

That's not to say that, when/if work starts, the legendary black and white profile will be changed to an equally-as-legendary photo of him wearing a hard-hat and carrying a spade.

Classed as a lie ? Of course it will be. It's a sort of empirical law.

I think his fingers were burnt, not through being open, but through being unethical, unfair and downright unpleasant to his employees with disastrous consequences across the board. That hard-hat might come in handy for the AGM.

 

[ms brush]

Maybe because that everything he says has turned out ot be lies !

The bloke doesnt seem to know how not to lie. Why say all funds are in place and we will be putting the site out to tender and will be on site by the end of july when clearly you wont be. I really cant see it happeining and i worry were that will leave us.

If the site has gone out to tender, this can take up to a year under EU rules and there are huge hoops to go through for the prosective builders. That is probably why there is no news yet, and with the added complication of sainsburys in the mix as key stakeholders there wont be any short cuts or dodgy dealing going on, because the process has to stand up to scrutiny and be unquestionably fair and legal. With multi-million pound developments, the tender process does take a long time (I work in the NHS and have seen several major tenders that take forever), but you get there in the end. The procurement rules do, however, work on the basis of confidentiality, so no matter how frustrating it is, and no matter how much flack he gets for it, RM needs to say absolutely nothing - hence the deafening silence! And, no, I am not in the habit of standing up for him, but this is a commercial business matter that he has to adhere to.

 

[Jack The Flag]

Where the **** is it ron!

 

[Ad1185]

Ok so now its the 9th of October 2010 i am sure i heard that on the 8th of October that was going to be some good news about the start of the new ground? what is martin playing at and why hasn't he told anyone anything?

 

[OldBlueLady]

Ok so now its the 9th of October 2010 i am sure i heard that on the 8th of October that was going to be some good news about the start of the new ground? what is martin playing at and why hasn't he told anyone anything?

Was just thinking the same thing, 8th October was supposed to be the big day....anyone been over that way and noticed the hoardings up?

 

[Smiffy]

Was just thinking the same thing, 8th October was supposed to be the big day....anyone been over that way and noticed the hoardings up?

Yes and no, it is still a vast expanse of wasteland. With a tree, an old shed and plenty of overgrown foliage. No hoardings or heavy plant machinery in sight.

 

[Shrimper]

Just ****ing start building it.

 

[* ORM *]

Drove past yesterday afternoon in the vain hope that there would be some sign of activity. Think I'll just adopt an if it happens approach from now on

 

[Jack The Flag]

Another protest on the cards ;)

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

Another protest on the cards ;)

I think it will take till planning permission to expire before the majority realise that its not gonna happen and by then its too late. If some sort of stadium does not get built asap now Ron has sold the Hall then it could be goodbye SUFC.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Another protest on the cards ;)

IMO, protesting against something which is very much out of our control, and by this stage RM's, more than likely, is pointless. With Sainsbury's seemingly on board, we're at a stage now where all that can be done is being done, and we all just have to hope that it comes off.

This isn't a post against protests against anything else, just protesting about the lack of developments in this area.

 

[Smiffy]

The fact remains, that as long as Ron gets the contractors to lay some foundations before end of June 2011. Then he can take 25 years to complete the stadium if he so wishes. If he doesn't get the foundations laid, then he can appeal to get the permission extended anyway. So the planning permission expiring is of no real concern to him, or us really...

The Sainsbury's store and associated housing development cannot be built (As in operational, but the shell can and will go up in the car park at some point) until we are fully moved into the new stadium either. That's one of the many clauses in the agreement with the Council, which protects us.

The main worry is, Sainsbury's get fed up with waiting, pull the plug on the development and then demand the many millions back, that they have loaned RM's 29 companies, SUFC, RH Ltd etc etc. That will then leave us with RH owned by Sainsbury's, who will no doubt want to flog the site to the highest bidder or charge us an inflated rent. No new stadium or the money to finance one and a debt that will put us into liquidation, without doubt. Now that I think is absolute worst case scenario and I'm not entirely sure that this turn of events can happen. But, that is my take on how it could all turn very sour indeed for our club.

But, my gut feeling is that we WILL see some movement on the FF site before this year is out.