The venue itself is completed, and has been for several years. The land around the Ricoh has been marketed for years, but nobody (thus far) has been particularly interested. There was one planning application for a hotel just off Rowleys Green roundabout, but they couldn't find an operator to...
Quite, and that bail-out came at a time when ACL were still benefiting indirectly from the football club, were still able to draw some of the money from the ESCROW account - all this in the months that followed the Olympics. The Ricoh is struggling. It is chronically underused and very badly run.
Why is it? That you disagree with him is fine, I do too on a lot of things, but he is not wrong to ask these questions. Nobody has managed to adequately explain why rejecting the CVA was a good thing for the club or ACL/CCC. It's done now I suppose, but it still makes no sense to me.
I doubt very much De Vere would simply hand over any addtional revenues to ACL. Surely they have a rental/lease contract where payments are fixed. As for other events - I suspect there is little or no chance of staging any major events over the next nine months, but perhaps I will be proved wrong.
It seems to me people grossly overstate the value of the Ricoh. Anyone would think it is plated in gold. It is a moderately successful leisure venue, but also one which our council leader said would "be in a right mess" if it were not for the recent council bail out. The facility is blighted...
The NOPM idea is fine, but there isn't the consistency. The same people calling for NOPM were also calling for the rejection of the CVA. That has saved SISU £600,000, the equivalent to the sale of 3500 season tickets.
Remember the JPT games last season. Not even 11K against Sheff Utd, most turnstiles were open, and yet queues were huge and many missed kick off. If 10K do turn up, and there are only a couple of cash turnstiles, it'll be half time before most people get in.
It's a valid question though, even if you do question the motives behind it. Would the club (the fans) be better off had the CVA been signed? I suspect so, because not only would we not have had 10 points deducted, the prospect of agreement over a return to the Ricoh would have been a bit more...
I don't really think they have achieved anything, other than to annoy SISU, and I guess that's worth more to them than anything else such is the pathetic and childish manner with which all sides seem to conduct themselves. The tit for tat statements in the media in recent days have been an...
I would certainly make an exception for the Sheff U game and pay to get in so that we can make a statement for the cameras. A full house with everyone with their backs turned to the game for the opening five minutes, followed by other peaceful yet forceful displays would send out a strong...
You do realise that the 'hill' will be fenced off as it often is for Northampton games. The only way to put on a 'show' for the cameras will be to pay to get in.
May I suggest that everyone goes to the RIcoh but boycotts the ACL car parks. That's a compromise I can live with ;)
I'm on holiday though as I suspect a lot of others are. Still think it is possible to get 7 or 8K up there.
I fancy us to win the game.
Any team playing in the third tier is, by definition, not very good. This isn't the sort of league where teams to roll up and batter the opposition. They might be better than us on paper, but so what. That didn't bother the likeS of Bury and Scunthorpe when they...
That isn't my point. The great thing about the march was how the numbers exceeded expectations. The stated aim of the chaity game should be to simply get more than the attendance at SIxfields. That is achievable and highly likely. If 10K turn up great, 20K amazing. As it stands, they have...
Err...no.
At the same time, we can't be too upset. We're all refusing to support the club financially, so we have no right to expect anything other than failure for as long as that continues.
But people don't compare like with like. The rent paid at HR is the final few seasons enabled the club to operate the stadium 365 days a year. There were not a huge amount of facilities at HR, but there were bars, restaurants, function rooms and conference facilties. The club could profit from...
I know that's what you meant, but don't think it happens much anymore with computerised ticketing systems and the fact most people pay in advance. Might happen a bit in lower leagues where there are still cash turnstiles, but the taxman has long been wise to it.