North Stand....Should it stay or should it go?


Jimmy Wallace

North Stand - Stay or Go  

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Notice the plans in the annex appear to have retail planning permission for the top half of the saints Car park. spinning the entry to the ground 90 degrees would free thay part up.

Next page has residential also but i cant see that happening!

With how the new road lay out is - i think the longer term plan might be to build a new stadium but it will be turned 90 degrees and take up some of the astro turf. This development would include a large indoor pitch, gym etc and parking behind the current east stand?

The farm would go allowing some more retail units.

Inveralmond will expand to connect up to the new slip road / round about that can be seen on "Map 1: Road Link to the North of McDiarmid Park"

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Will this be Geoff Brown's legacy, a near empty stadium with only three stands?

The whole idea for me should be a non-starter.

Firstly, I can believe this is even being talked about when there aren't even any artist's impressions of how it will look etc - totall unprofessional by everyone involved.

Especially when you read that the "new road would lead around the rear of the East Stand before curving around the rear of the North Stand, which would have to go". Just how much land are we talking about giving up?

If we want to cut our cloth and downsize, then we should look to sell up completely and move to a smaller site with a much reduced capacity (and hopefully a standing area).

The idea of switching stands again for big games would be crazy - hasn't the club learned anything?? It starts with just the old firm, then it's oh Hearts/Hibs/Aberdeen/United are doing well or it's a big cup game and eventually we will be in the Main Stand permanently or until we decide to knock the East Stand down and sell the ground on that side for housing!!

Anyway, all me a cynic but I'm guessing there will be something in this for Geoff Brown, after all one of the main purposes of the road will be to help link the three new villages that are earmarked for being built on the outskirts of the city.

Hmm... I wonder which local firm would be interested in building houses out there??!!

OK - you're a cynic. As well as that you are talking rubbish. Talking about it without an artist's impression is unprofessional? People in the building trade don't work off pretty pictures mate - they work off plans and blueprints drawing up by architects. Pretty sure that Geoff has enough experience in this field.

Also, in all the time he has been involved with Saints I don't think anyone could say that Geoff has ever put self-interest before the good of the club. He may not always make the best decision but he has a hell of a track record of doing the right thing by SJFC. The new road/new housing WILL happen - these are the stark facts. If Geoff see this as an opportunity to conduct good business for his 2 main interests then I don't see a problem with that. Pretty sure he will tender for the housing contract regardless of the outcome of the road/McDiarmid Park issue - so that part of your argument is also rubbish.

When Geoff took over Saints in 1986, he used his onstruction company's employees to carry out remedial work at Muirton Park to enable Saints to get a safety certificate - this was done free of charge. Ever since he has continued to run our club within it's means - so I don't understand your problem with him.

In Geoff we trust.

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Sell the land to tesco, let them build us a new 8.000 capacity statium with astro turf pitch next to it. Money left over to keep us solvent for a good few years.

There is an ideal bit of land in muirton they have just demolished. Build a new ground there and call it MUIRTON PARK.......:wink:

Whats happening to the old marshalling yard?

Is there enough room there to build a stadium with a rail link?

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It will depend on what the proposal is to replace it with. One thing though, it will surely kill the atmosphere at the scoreboard end completely (on the rare occasion there is any these days).

Would the proposal then be for away fans to occupy the Ormond stand, or will they always be housed in the north end of the main stand? How would that affect travelling support, as it is more expensive?

The family section would probably have to be moved as well if away fans go into the Ormond, which some who are used to sitting at that end of the stadium may not be too pleased with.

Still a lot of questions.....

Is it really a big problem. For 4 games a season we could have the main stand filled with Saints fans, more money for the club and in turn that will allow us to minimise any increase in season ticket prices.

Why don't the Main Stand move?

Looking at the plans it would make most sense for the home fans to move to the west stand all the time with the away fans entering by the new road behind the old North stand from the by pass. The home fans would enter via the Crieff road and the car park gate that the away fans currently exit with will not exist.

Any other way and your going to have fans passing each other on mass before and after the game. For most games thats not going to be a problem but for some it could just lead to unnecessary issues and confrontations. With a smaller North stand or terrace and Saints fans in the West there would then be no need to ever move home fans and the Ormond stand could then go back to being a neutral family section with both home and away fans.

I'd hope that, if a smaller stand is built, the front row would be fairly high up rather than at pitch level (as with at the away end at Hamilton, for example), so that the view from that side of the stadium isn't ruined.

If there is not a lot of room at this end due to the road this is not going to be possible otherwise the fans in this stand will not be able to see the goal line. The only way to keep a similar hight of roof would be to build a stand with a large back drop, which could be used for advertising and the repositioned scoreboard before having a high roof.

A two tier smaller, boxed in stand would be excellent, the lower tier could be covered with advertising banners when not being used, with a wall between the tiers big enough for big advertising boards and also with space for fans to hang flags and banners

Also, lets do something revolutionary again- lets make the stand the best in the country for disabled fans with a viewing platform bang in the middle of the upper tier- we could use this to attract other events to the ground- concerts (with better pitch protection this time) Scotland U21 matches, Scotland Youth Games

How much room would a 2 tier stand need, there is not going to be much room at all let alone rooms for something as big as this.

We already have some of the best facilities for disabled fans, who like most fans would prefer to watch the game from the side of the pitch rather than behind a goal. Having a platform in the middle behind a goal will give a worse view than our current platforms on the side of the West and East stands.

The Scotland under 21's have an agreement to play all their games at St Mirren Park so we would have to come up with a lot of improvements to get the team back to Perth.

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1. Thanks Local Authority. It shows how much St Johnstone, the local professional football team that helps put Perth on the map, mean to you.

2. Geoff isn't pulling any master strokes. He's being forced into this.

3. If we build a smaller stand at that end, why should it effect anything regarding the positioning of supporters? Most away supports have dwindled and would fill either a smaller stand and/or section of the West Stand. If not, we then give them the Ormond as we currently do. These days, OF wouldn't normally need more than a new North Stand, bit of West and the Ormond I wouldn't have thought.

4. Didn't know that about the Under-21's. Ridiculous situation. They should move around the country to play. The SFA's not Glasgow/West Coast biased of course.

5. I hate International breaks.

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Where can I see a plan that shows a road running through the North Stand and... why is it necessary for that feck'n road to be positioned just so.

From looking at the map on the council website, I have to say I'm also wondering why the road can't just be built very slightly further to the north, which would mean the stand wouldn't need to be touched.

Also, noticed a few people suggesting that Saints long-term plan might be to build a completely new ground in a different position on the current land - but if that's going to happen then what would be the point in spending money on a new stand in the meantime? I reckon that any new ground will be somewhere else entirely - which is why the club are currently being so co-operative with the council.

My own gut feeling is that, while this may make financial sense for the club, it'll be very sad to see the deconstruction of what is an historically important stadium in British football and also a big part of Saints' own history. Still - onwards and upwards.

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Being someone who grew up in the ash terraces of muirton park its always been kind of hard to call McD home. Yes its where we play but the home ground to me will always be muirton park.

If we were to move again it wouldn't be a hard move for me but my feelings would remain and my home for saints would still be muirton.

Any chance of Asda selling up and moving on ??

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1. Thanks Local Authority. It shows how much St Johnstone, the local professional football team that helps put Perth on the map, mean to you.

2. Geoff isn't pulling any master strokes. He's being forced into this.

A financial drip roast to the Club as put by Geoff.

How on earth you can slag the Local Authority when those at the Club are in favour of it. Saints are also offering a sweetner for the crematorium by allowing them to use the overflow car park.

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A financial drip roast to the Club as put by Geoff.

How on earth you can slag the Local Authority when those at the Club are in favour of it. Saints are also offering a sweetner for the crematorium by allowing them to use the overflow car park.

When saints asked to use the crematorium road to enter the car park behind the east stand previously I am sure they offered that and this was rejected.

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A financial drip roast to the Club as put by Geoff.

How on earth you can slag the Local Authority when those at the Club are in favour of it. Saints are also offering a sweetner for the crematorium by allowing them to use the overflow car park.

Why should my opinion of the local authority's decision to put a road through the local football club's ground be determined by the view of others?

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Having now viewed the proposed plan (thanks bh and R_M) I'm even more baffled as to why the road needs to be routed as shown. I'm of a mind that the club must have been looking to reduce maintenance costs and have seen this as a welcome excuse to get rid of the North stand.

I used to go to Sheffield Utd. (Bramall Lane) matches when they had a 3 sided ground with the cricket ground making up the fourth. At least you could watch the cricket if the football was bad.

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When saints asked to use the crematorium road to enter the car park behind the east stand previously I am sure they offered that and this was rejected.

They shot it down in....er, em, yes, you're right. They turned Saints down as they didn't want funeral traffic to get mixed in with football traffic.

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Could it be that our new North stand will have additional boxes/conference facilities, thus increasing income.

What! As WELL as the first football ground in Scotland (the world) to have one of its four stands positioned over a tunnel containing a multi-lane motorway. Another glorious first for St Johnstone FC. :laugh:

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