General Wolves News

[Parkins left foot]

Waiting lists are a bit weird though, it costs you nowt to get on there and any old bugger can register. It doesn't literally mean that if 10k extra seats opened up we'd automatically sell another 10k STs.

United have a stupid waiting list right now but they don't even sell out any more. Almost certain I could get a ticket in the home areas for a week on Saturday if I wanted one (I don't)

Quite right - I know of people who were in that waiting list & when they got to the top & were offered the opportunity decided that for personal reasons they couldn't take it. 10000 on the list doesn't mean 10000 more S/Ts.

There are still about 5500/6000 seats available after allowing for away fans so if you are a member there is a reasonable chance & improves as you accumulate games & points. One problem though is where you are & whether you can get a group of seats together. If they are not going to redelop the stands in the short term they need to do something to upgrade & protect from the weather the temp stand(s) - really wouldn't want to be there in wet weather.

 

[MobNet Wolf]

Those who advocate for out of town stadiums see the benefit in having unlimited space to build a stadium design uninhibited by land constraints, but virtually never have an answer as to how you get 40,000 people to and from the ground every fortnight.

This isn't the US, there isn't room for a 20,000 space car park, and if there was, it would take a week to get off it. Add to that, driving destinations are not really acceptable from a public policy point of view anymore. Without a mass transit system, with several stops bordering the stadium, you can't really build a public transport stadium in a provincial town. The Amex in Brighton is held up as some wonderful example, and I found queuing with thousands of others for the train there utterly soul destroying.

I also think that constraints, be it in footprint, height, planning permission, etc. are what creates truly unique and special venues. It is no coincidence that stadiums built on vast brownfield sites are predominantly identikit. In the absence of unique local circumstances, there is nothing to challenge the designers. The ideal stadium takes on broadly the same design everywhere.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

And that is why the new Spurs ground is considered iconic. It had the White Hart Lane (North) footprint to go in, so designs had to make that work, and it therefore isn't identikit. It's pretty much unique.

Whereas (sorry jrodrigues for what I am about to say) you could put a pick of the new Estadio Da Luz next to a picture of the Emirates and they look really very very similar. Same designer, same space, same design.

 

[Law's Bus]

Those who advocate for out of town stadiums see the benefit in having unlimited space to build a stadium design uninhibited by land constraints, but virtually never have an answer as to how you get 40,000 people to and from the ground every fortnight.

The only possibility that do-able from a transport point of view is on the land next to that earmarked for Brinsford Parkway railway station (which would need to be built at the same time), vaguely NE of M54 J2. But that's a non-starter for a pile of other reasons. You couldn't put it on the railway line out to Shrewsbury sort of by Aldersley High School as the road links just aren't good enough in that direction. About the only piece of land inside the city council area that's big enough is just behind the swimming pool at Bentley Bridge (Bowman's Harbour), but you're back to problematic access (despite a railway line running behind the site, as it's the old Grand Junction route that bypasses the city centre), and there's also problems with the land there being, shall we say, not exactly stable with the old mining that went on. So staying at Molineux is the only really sensible option.

What is interesting is the idea for a new small stadium for the U23s and the women's team rather than playing at Telford. There's a few pieces of land where a 5-10k seater stadium is possible, such as to the north of Aldersley stadium, the back end of Compton, Castlecroft, or NE of Wednesfield near Linthouse Lane. As long as there's half decent public transport and space for car parking for that number of people, it's more doable.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

You mean basically right by Four Ashes?

Residents up there are already in arms about the station, new roads going in, and there is a plan for an HS2 cargo hub right by it. Can't see them being delighted. Plus it is outside the City boundaries, so fuck that. With two tiny pubs within a mile of it.

 

[Law's Bus]

You mean basically right by Four Ashes?

No, further south than that - Brinsford Parkway station is earmarked for the land bounded by M54, A449, Brinsford Lane and Cat & Kittens Lane near to Wolverhampton Casuals FC - on the railway line (obviously...) roughly half way between Brinsford Lane and M54. Mind you, it's been in "vague planning" for the last 25 years to my certain knowledge.

It's a crap idea for many, many reasons that means it won't fly, but it's the only place where transport wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Sunnyside Dog's Home would be flattened!!!

Not on my watch...

*goes to plan lying in front of a bulldozer.

 

[Law's Bus]

Sunnyside Dog's Home would be flattened!!!

Nah mate, Sunnyside is to the north of that site on Dark Lane. Brinsford Parkway is to the south side of Brinford Lane.

EDIT: The planned station site is about here

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

AH - got you.

"Awesome" road links. No pubs. Great view of the clink.

Lovely.

 

[Keef]

The site on linthouse lane you're on about is earmarked for about 5000 new houses,and it's south staffs as well,lots of people that side of ashma complained to the local counciler only to be told Wolverhampton can't do a thing,it's south staffs,the border is literally the fence around the fields

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

My old stomping ground!

The fields on Coppice school are half Walsall, half Wolves. Happy to report that I played Karl Henry off the park on both sides of the border.

 

[ndorsetwolf]

I don't advocate a ground with a capacity of 50k, if you look at our history, gates of that size were few and far between. There was a huge fluctuation in gates, a lot of this down to social factors that no longer exist - many people worked on Saturday, most factories were open, long distance transport was much harder so there were far fewer away fans in the main. There was also a much greater emphasis on attending the big games, those being generally local derbies and FA cup matches. Even as late as the mid 70's cup third round day drew some of the largest, if not the largest gates of the season. I think therefore that there is a potential to add another 4/5000 to that average. It is, of course, then important to actually win something to prevent a fall in interest. Finishing in the top half is currently a novelty, but that will get old.

It is important that the club look at tickets as one of the ways in which they can increase income, to help with FFP, and I would rather it be by increasing sales, rather than price increases.

I am one of those on the season ticket waiting list, and had the opportunity to buy this season. In the end I had to turn it down due to personal circumstances at present. I am currently unable to attend more than 10 or so a season. The problem is that now I am finding it near impossible to get a ticket, even with a membership and 150 points. Last two times I have been up I was in the temp stand, having got one of the last 75 or so tickets. Liverpool sold above my points threshold, I am currently waiting on the Espanyol tickets, hoping that I get the opportunity for one. If we could initially add 5000 or so, I think would take away the pressure, and allow us to re-evaluate the demand. If those still sell out, then we can look again, working maybe in 3/4000 increments.

 

[Boozad]

My old stomping ground!

The fields on Coppice school are half Walsall, half Wolves. Happy to report that I played Karl Henry off the park on both sides of the border.

Weird area down by Coppice, some houses have Wolverhampton postcodes but Walsall phone numbers and some have Walsall postcodes with Wolverhampton phone numbers.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

I used to live in Essington. South Staffs, Walsall phone, Wolverhampton postcode.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I grew up daaarn sarrf. Place called Pitstone. Tiny. Geographically Buckinghamshire. Educationally same as we took the 12 plus and still had grammars and secondary moderns. Politically half the village was Hertfordshire. And we had an LU7 Bedfordshire postcode. Oh - and if your child didn’t look like they were going to pass the 12 plus you could put them into Hertfordshire educationally and avoid the exam.

 

[leedswolf]

I've long since thought if there was an evacuation of the Steve Bull there would be a disaster. The stadium pre-dates Hillsborough and the Taylor Report and when you're in there there is only exits at far end so you'd have thousands of panicked people all moving in the same direction, they can't even be filtered downstairs.

An evacuation from any stand would be difficult quickly - the BW is nowhere near as difficult to get in, but if you want everyone out in a hurry from the upper tier then all are using the same steps onto the concourse (whether from above or below them) which creates a massive bottleneck then you all have to go one way to the stairs
to get out. Not a problem without emergencies as a fair number will have left before the end, but otherwise?

The Steve Bull and Billy Wright are predominantly steel and concrete, so there would be plenty of time to get a full and safe evacuation in the event of a fire for example.

 

[Jinky]

I am one of those on the season ticket waiting list, and had the opportunity to buy this season. In the end I had to turn it down due to personal circumstances at present. I am currently unable to attend more than 10 or so a season. The problem is that now I am finding it near impossible to get a ticket, even with a membership and 150 points. Last two times I have been up I was in the temp stand, having got one of the last 75 or so tickets. Liverpool sold above my points threshold, I am currently waiting on the Espanyol tickets, hoping that I get the opportunity for one. If we could initially add 5000 or so, I think would take away the pressure, and allow us to re-evaluate the demand. If those still sell out, then we can look again, working maybe in 3/4000 increments.

Did they write to you to give you the opportunity to buy this season? Or call you? Not sure how it works. And as you turned it down, do you stay in your position (i.e. first in line next season) or get moved to the back of the 10,000 waiting queue?

It can get frustrating reading posts from current ST holders about how they can't "give away their tickets" etc. I totally agree with Del regards tickets. If you have a ST, you plan your life/weekend/day around going to the football because you know you have that ticket. If you find out 1-2 days beforehand that a ticket might be available, but for example (in my situation) you have a partner, 2 x kids, a long journey and plans already in place to contend with, it's practically impossible to snap that ticket up and go - because 99% of the time plans have already been made. I'd love to be there every weekend but as Del correctly said; "life". Fair play to those of you that have nothing else to do every other weekend then to go to the football. I could do it when I was 21, not now!

Anyway, I agree with your points above, ndorsetwolf. I got to a couple of games at the start of this season but soon fell behind the required points that gives me a chance to get to anything now. We sell out well before it gets to my level every single week. Simply put, we *do* need a bigger stadium and if there are a few thousand empty seats in the top corner of a 50k stadium each week, so be it. I would rather that and have the opportunity for everyone who wants a ticket to be able to get one, then how it is now. That would mean loyal fans who have done the hard years travelling to Bradford, Tranmere, Swindon and many, many more shithole grounds (yes, I'm talking about myself), watching shit football week in week out, but are unable to go every week now due to their personal circumstances changing, would still be able to pick and choose the games they attend and still have a chance of getting in the ground.

That's why I was crying out for a TPS scheme of sorts to be put in place by the club when we got back to the PL, but that didn't happen.

The system isn't right as it stands but that's another discussion, separate to the ground expansion one.

Have to say, ndorset, if I were in your shoes I'd have taken the ST on offer even if you could only commit to around 10 x home games a season. At least then you have guaranteed your seat! If I get a call from the club because my number comes around on the waiting list, I think I'll just bite the bullet and pay for one, knowing I won't get to every game but at least I'll have a seat secured.

 

[Premier Quality]

I’m on the season ticket waiting list, with my boy - I’ve found it pretty much impossible to get tickets this season, and as has been said above, short notice makes it really hard, as I have to arrange travel, which gets way more expensive closer the time, plus I’ve generally got family stuff arranged for me by the mrs if I don’t have anything already in place.

When I get the season ticket, I’ll attend as many as I can, but I only have my son every other weekend so won’t be able to do all of them - is there a limit to how many you can hand back to the club or not attend? I’d have no problem paying the money to attend half of the games tbh.

If we had had a bigger stadium this season we’d probably have gone to about half a dozen this season - so there’s definately people like me who don’t live in the local area that would be buying tickets, even if it’s not for every game.

 

[ndorsetwolf]

Did they write to you to give you the opportunity to buy this season? Or call you? Not sure how it works. And as you turned it down, do you stay in your position (i.e. first in line next season) or get moved to the back of the 10,000 waiting queue?

It can get frustrating reading posts from current ST holders about how they can't "give away their tickets" etc. I totally agree with Del regards tickets. If you have a ST, you plan your life/weekend/day around going to the football because you know you have that ticket. If you find out 1-2 days beforehand that a ticket might be available, but for example (in my situation) you have a partner, 2 x kids, a long journey and plans already in place to contend with, it's practically impossible to snap that ticket up and go - because 99% of the time plans have already been made. I'd love to be there every weekend but as Del correctly said; "life". Fair play to those of you that have nothing else to do every other weekend then to go to the football. I could do it when I was 21, not now!

Anyway, I agree with your points above, ndorsetwolf. I got to a couple of games at the start of this season but soon fell behind the required points that gives me a chance to get to anything now. We sell out well before it gets to my level every single week. Simply put, we *do* need a bigger stadium and if there are a few thousand empty seats in the top corner of a 50k stadium each week, so be it. I would rather that and have the opportunity for everyone who wants a ticket to be able to get one, then how it is now. That would mean loyal fans who have done the hard years travelling to Bradford, Tranmere, Swindon and many, many more shithole grounds (yes, I'm talking about myself), watching shit football week in week out, but are unable to go every week now due to their personal circumstances changing, would still be able to pick and choose the games they attend and still have a chance of getting in the ground.

That's why I was crying out for a TPS scheme of sorts to be put in place by the club when we got back to the PL, but that didn't happen.

The system isn't right as it stands but that's another discussion, separate to the ground expansion one.

Have to say, ndorset, if I were in your shoes I'd have taken the ST on offer even if you could only commit to around 10 x home games a season. At least then you have guaranteed your seat! If I get a call from the club because my number comes around on the waiting list, I think I'll just bite the bullet and pay for one, knowing I won't get to every game but at least I'll have a seat secured.

Would have loved to do that but financially the gods were not in my favour. As regards contact, received and e mail offering me the chance to buy. Don'y know if I retain my place or not. Guess I will find out in the summer.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It can get frustrating reading posts from current ST holders about how they can't "give away their tickets" etc. I totally agree with Del regards tickets. If you have a ST, you plan your life/weekend/day around going to the football because you know you have that ticket. If you find out 1-2 days beforehand that a ticket might be available, but for example (in my situation) you have a partner, 2 x kids, a long journey and plans already in place to contend with, it's practically impossible to snap that ticket up and go - because 99% of the time plans have already been made. I'd love to be there every weekend but as Del correctly said; "life". Fair play to those of you that have nothing else to do every other weekend then to go to the football. I could do it when I was 21, not now!

Mate, not one word of this comes across well.