The Football News Thread 2022/23

[Tredman]

Bit odd if they are also trying to buy players:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1484451920454557696

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Birmingham City break silence over the open wound that is St Andrew's stand closures

A third of St Andrew's has been closed for remedial works - with a lack of communication from Birmingham City.

After months of silence Birmingham City have finally revealed the full extent of the stadium repairs which mean sections of St Andrew’s remain shut more than a year after safety issues came to light.

Problems with the stadium emerged in December 2020 when a structural survey meant the Kop and Tilton Road stands were immediately closed – and have remained so to this day.

While there is no exact date for reopening of the whole ground – the club’s project manager Michael Moran expressed hope that some sections – if not the entire stadium, could be available for supporters at the start of next season. The club is also giving consideration to installing safe standing in some areas.

However, what became clear in a special presentation from Moran was the difficulties the club have experienced as soon as the remedial works started and the conditions under the stands became apparent.

Moran, who was appointed in August 2021 outlined how industry pressures around the availability of labour and materials – as well as the sheer scope of the works have caused delays.

“It has grown and grown and grown over time as the issues have presented themselves,” Moran said.

“A lot of what we have dealt with are legacy issues. Our brief was to reinstate the stadium to its original design and a lot of the problems we have stem from a lack of access.

“The stands were built over the old terraces which were broken up and at a time when regulations for maintenance were not as good.

“The upper tier areas required trained operatives who effectively abseil into position – these are highly skilled people, some of whom operate on oil rigs – and it’s a niche market which suffers from high demand. We wanted to flood it with operatives but there are only so many you can get your hands on.”

When workers first went into under the Tilton they found standing water, the source of which had to be identified and addressed.

There was also corrosion on rakers, particularly on the lower tiers and there was also rubble, including heavy lumps of concrete, which had to be removed to allow access to areas some of which required workers to crawl through tunnels just 2ft wide.

Materials were another issue, hundreds of bolts needed replacing or solidifying with structural grout – at a time when there was an industry shortage. Moran also claimed that a member of the club’s board even visited depots to source the material.

There have been occasions when asbestos monitoring teams were called to the site, causing work to cease while the suspected materials were sent away for testing.

Moran added; “Teams of workers were doing 11 hour shifts, seven days a week, with as many as 15 operatives, heavily incentivised and on double pay.”

Indeed Blues’ Chief Financial Officer Mark Smith said the club had already spent five times the original quote. Moran maintained that finance has not been an issue during the project.

Moran said he is in the process of negotiating a time frame with the contractor, who will provide the club with options of either repairing and galvanising the affected beams, or replacing them. During this process consideration will also be given to areas of safe standing.

It is thought that if beam encasement is deemed to be an acceptable way forward there is a chance sections could be open by the end of July. A decision on that is expected to be made in the couple of weeks.

Shit tip. Knock it down, I say.

 

[leedswolf]

Shit tip. Knock it down, I say.

Looked like it already had been the last time I was there.

 

[SSB]

Shit tip. Knock it down, I say.

I was there when the roof blew off. It’s no better now then it was then.

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

So was I. I think I've posted before that I spent more time watching a sheet of wriggly tin blow in the wind than
the Darren Roberts hat trick. I really thought someone might be decapitated. Early 90's.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Thought it was March 2002 that the roof came off? Drew 2-2.

Birmingham 2 - 2 Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton blew a two point lead as Paul Devlin claimed an equaliser for Birmingham City, but they still look good for the top spot in Division One.

www.theguardian.com

The Roberts game was September 1992, can't remember if their kip of a ground also fell to bits that day

A classic bit of Dave Jones there:

Keegan should not underestimate Jones's side, though, especially as City are due to go to the Black Country on 1 April. 'Kevin can say what he wants,' said Jones. 'But we think we've got the better side and they've got to come to us for the decider.'

Thanks for that, dickhead.

 

[Tony Towner]

Different games, different stands. We were in the Tilton for the Roberts game and the Railway for the roof one

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

Sections of the old roof definitely came off in the Roberts game and yes, it was the opposite end to where away fans are now. We were at the side nearest the 'main' stand.

 

[Tony Towner]

I don't remember that tbh, it was also early in the season rather than winter. I do remember being chased around the back streets after the game

 

[Sniffer]

Private investment firm Carlisle Capital have made a formal offer to the administrators of Derby to buy the Championship club, the PA news agency understands. Sources close to the firm say it has made a full asking price offer in the region of £28m. The bid, which is understood to be spearheaded by the firm’s vice-president Adam Binnie, has been made fully in the knowledge that the club could face additional liabilities if one or both of the claims against Derby from Middlesbrough and Wycombe are successful.

 

[Tony Towner]

Good, be interesting to see if Steve Gibson is happy to waste his money now that someone's prepared to take it to court

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

Thought it was March 2002 that the roof came off? Drew 2-2.

Birmingham 2 - 2 Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton blew a two point lead as Paul Devlin claimed an equaliser for Birmingham City, but they still look good for the top spot in Division One.

www.theguardian.com

The Roberts game was September 1992, can't remember if their kip of a ground also fell to bits that day

A classic bit of Dave Jones there:



Thanks for that, dickhead.

Reading that just made me sad, one of the reasons I came back from NZ was for the Wolves victory parade in 2002.

If it had just been another middling season I may well have ended up stopping there as the only thing I was interested in back home was how well Wolves were doing.

 

[PuntsWolf]

GNev going in on Derby and seemed to be pointing the finger at Mel Morris.

I don’t know the ins and outs but got the vibe it wasn’t his fault? Although I’m not sure how it can’t be as he’s the one who found every loophole going trying to circumnavigate FFP to get promoted, but ultimately failed and now they are in the shit.

Has he lost interest or ran out of money? Or is there something else to it

 

[Johnny75]

GNev going in on Derby and seemed to be pointing the finger at Mel Morris.

I don’t know the ins and outs but got the vibe it wasn’t his fault? Although I’m not sure how it can’t be as he’s the one who found every loophole going trying to circumnavigate FFP to get promoted, but ultimately failed and now they are in the shit.

Has he lost interest or ran out of money? Or is there something else to it

I don't see how it's not his fault

 

[Tony Towner]

Depends on how you apportion blame. He spent £250m going for it, took bad advice and made bad managerial appointments. He tried to circumnavigate that by buying the ground and the EFL have smashed them for it. £6m on Bradley Johnson!

I know a few stories, but won't tell them, not around illegality just a naive/cavalier approach to how money was spent. Leeds, goldfish type things. What they paid managers was eye watering. Beat Villa ar Wembley and none of this happens and they'd be in similar dirt

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Doesn't seem like he's got a good track record with money, despite having made plenty of it, been bankrupt before hasn't he with his flopped hotel?

 

[PuntsWolf]

But would Villa have gone out of existence? Or would they just have had to sell a few and have a few seasons of mediocrity in the championship.

Why have they gone into admin? It doesn’t happen overnight. And why has he decided not to keep them in business? Has he personally ran out of money or does he just not want to take the hit?

 

[Tony Towner]

No, but they weren't leveraged that way. He's writing off his debts and prepared to give the ground away as part of the deal - although it needs to be a separate purchase. Wasn't prepared to still put £30m+ in any more. He does still have 1/2b in the bank

Fair to say Derby fans aren't overly complementary and look more at the position he's put the club in than the money he's spent

 

[PuntsWolf]

Well yeah he’s treated them as a play thing and has now got bored so left them in the shit. If the fans knew the outcome I’m sure they’d have rather have not had the money in the first place if it meant they were going to lose their club. It’s not like they’ve had any “good times” to make up for it.

He’d have known years ago they were in the shit but carried on gambling with other people’s livelihood. He should have been willing to at least get them stable, even if it is in league one, rather than just allow them to go to the wall.

 

[Tony Towner]

I think the play thing comment is harsh, he's a classic local guy made good and sunk a fortune into the club, but yep the way he's walked stinks. From what I know he trusted the wrong people to run the football side, but that doesn't absolve him of responsibility.

I didn't think he'd ever put them into admin, he's knocking local people and local businesses, Derby County Community Trust - a charity, is a creditor, but not classed as a football debt, so will end up with 10p in the £ or whatever is agreed