When did the East Stand at Highfield Road get built? (3 Viewers)

StevieM · May 18, 2017

My nephew asked me yesterday about the construction of the old East Stand, as he thought that its opening may have been his first game at Highfield Road, but since my memory is pretty much sieve like I couldn't put a date on it?
I used to go up Swan Lane on the way home from work most evenings to see how work was progressing and recall that we played for a while with a boarded fence behind the goal (with a mural painted on it?) for a while during the construction but can't for the life of me date it?
It was supposed to be the "dogs bollocks" with its Mall and restaurant but I always thought that it was more akin to the "dogs dinner" because of its poor design with pillars used to support the roof rather than the suspended type which we had on the old Main Stand!
I know it was of the Dion / Big Ron era-ish and post Kevin Gallagher but after that I'm done :bored:
The summer of '94 perhaps?

ajsccfc · May 18, 2017

It coincided with the sale of Phil Babb, so summer of 94 sounds right to me.

oldskyblue58 · May 18, 2017

This should tell you

The History of Highfield Road - by Coventry City Club Historian Jim Brown

fernandopartridge · May 18, 2017

It was complete for the first day of the 1994/95 season. Partially opened for the last game against Blackburn of the season before to accommodate their large support.

It was another missed opportunity I think, the roof should have been a cantilever. Odd shape due to Swan Lane as well.

ovduk78 · May 18, 2017

I think whoever was chairman at the time, may have been Poynton although the stand was built under Richardson, tried to buy the factory on the other side of Swan Lane but they wouldn't sell up. If they had we were going to build a much bigger East Stand with a bigger capacity and divert Swan Lane around it

Ranjit Bhurpa · May 18, 2017

ovduk78 said:
I think whoever was chairman at the time, may have been Poynton although the stand was built under Richardson, tried to buy the factory on the other side of Swan Lane but they wouldn't sell up. If they had we were going to build a much bigger East Stand with a bigger capacity and divert Swan Lane around it

And with a much bigger capacity, perhaps Richardson's Ricoh folly would never have made it to the drawing board.
Ah if only....

fernandopartridge · May 18, 2017

Ranjit Bhurpa said:
And with a much bigger capacity, perhaps Richardson's Ricoh folly would never have made it to the drawing board.
Ah if only....

It only really needed one large stand, the Sky Blue Stand could have been it as there was space for it.

I always felt that Highfield Road could have been turned 90 degrees and been rebuilt with Thackhall St closing.

I reckon the cost of compulsory purchase and demolition of the houses on the east side of Highfield Rd would be much cheaper than £20m to decontaminate waste land.

StevieM · May 18, 2017

Both the old Main Stand and the Sky Blue Stand opposite could have been cantilever with double levels as the club owned enough land behind both to accommodate this.
It would have meant that we had twin level stands on three sides for a fraction of the cost of the Ricoh and given us probably an increase in capacity of 10,000 to 30k+?
Norwich had a similar sized ground at Carrow Road and developed it beyond recognition to the "old" place using corner "infilling" and some copious amount of forward planning.

fernandopartridge · May 18, 2017

StevieM said:
Both the old Main Stand and the Sky Blue Stand opposite could have been cantilever with double levels as the club owned enough land behind both to accommodate this.
It would have meant that we had twin level stands on three sides for a fraction of the cost of the Ricoh and given us probably an increase in capacity of 10,000 to 30k+?
Norwich had a similar sized ground at Carrow Road and developed it beyond recognition to the "old" place using corner "infilling" and some copious amount of forward planning.

Aye, as I have pointed out, the Arena project was as much a council thing as a club thing. The council had zero interest in the club remaining at Highfield Rd.

Ranjit Bhurpa · May 18, 2017

fernandopartridge said:
It only really needed one large stand, the Sky Blue Stand could have been it as there was space for it.

I always felt that Highfield Road could have been turned 90 degrees and been rebuilt with Thackhall St closing.

I reckon the cost of compulsory purchase and demolition of the houses on the east side of Highfield Rd would be much cheaper than £20m to decontaminate waste land.

Totally agree. Also the sheer waste of £6m I think it was for the East Stand and it only lasted 6 years or so.
Madness all round.

Brylowes · May 18, 2017

oldskyblue58 said:
This should tell you

The History of Highfield Road - by Coventry City Club Historian Jim Brown

So 3200 seats in the upper tier of the west stand, anyone know how many the west end
Held? I would have guessed about 8000.

Ranjit Bhurpa · May 18, 2017

Brylowes said:
So 3200 seats in the upper tier of the west stand, anyone know how many the west end
Held? I would have guessed about 8000.

Seated I would have thought less than upstairs, maybe 6000 in total?

Brylowes · May 18, 2017

Ranjit Bhurpa said:
Seated I would have thought less than upstairs, maybe 6000 in total?

No talking about the west end, before it was seated

fernandopartridge · May 18, 2017

Brylowes said:
No talking about the west end, before it was seated

I reckon around 5k max. The Spion Kop was 10.8k when it reopened in the 80s. WT about half the size.

Ranjit Bhurpa · May 18, 2017

Brylowes said:
No talking about the west end, before it was seated

Before all seated the total capacity was about 36000 so 8000 probably about right for the West Stand.

shmmeee · May 18, 2017

fernandopartridge said:
Aye, as I have pointed out, the Arena project was as much a council thing as a club thing. The council had zero interest in the club remaining at Highfield Rd.

This is true. It was seen as too cramped and not enough space to expand. Ricoh was suggested at the same time as grounds were offered to the rugby club and the basketball team. Hope was at one point to bid for the national stadium, hence the original designs that without that context look massively over optimistic for the club.

Realistically HR was never going to be expanded. That's kinda proven by the comments here about redirecting roads and compulsory purchase orders. The council got two regen jobs for one (gas works and Hillfields) and the club in theory got a ground that could support Richardsons ambitions.

fernandopartridge · May 18, 2017

shmmeee said:
This is true. It was seen as too cramped and not enough space to expand. Ricoh was suggested at the same time as grounds were offered to the rugby club and the basketball team. Hope was at one point to bid for the national stadium, hence the original designs that without that context look massively over optimistic for the club.

Realistically HR was never going to be expanded. That's kinda proven by the comments here about redirecting roads and compulsory purchase orders. The council got two regen jobs for one (gas works and Hillfields) and the club in theory got a ground that could support Richardsons ambitions.

Yeah, I do understand why the council wanted it the way it was and don't blame them. Just think some of the contemporary comments about 'saving the club' or 'bailing it out' are shown to be nonsense by those facts.

Brylowes · May 18, 2017

fernandopartridge said:
I reckon around 5k max. The Spion Kop was 10.8k when it reopened in the 80s. WT about half the size.

Thought it would have been more, always thought it very deceiving, it used to
Protrude trom under the top tier by quite a long way (about 40 steps if IIRC)
It was also very shallow.

fernandopartridge · May 18, 2017

Brylowes said:
Thought it would have been more, always thought it very deceiving, it used to
Protrude trom under the top tier by quite a long way (about 40 steps if IIRC)
It was also very shallow.

Might have been more than that. It's hard to say really. Up until the stadium went all seater (36.5k):

Sky Blue Stand and terrace: 11k?

Kop and crows nest: 11.5k

Main Stand: 6k

West Stand and terrace: 8k (3k of this seated)

Sounds about right to me

shmmeee · May 18, 2017

fernandopartridge said:
Yeah, I do understand why the council wanted it the way it was and don't blame them. Just think some of the contemporary comments about 'saving the club' or 'bailing it out' are shown to be nonsense by those facts.

Nah I don't think anyone saved the club, it was seen at the time as a win win and it didn't work out that way. I've very much third way on the Ricoh. Had circumstances been different (i.e. Had we stayed up) it'd have worked out fine. Too many variables around that time to point to one thing and say it sank us IMO. As it is we've ended up far too small for it and well we know the rest.

Liquid Gold · May 18, 2017

It's annoying to think that there's a parallel universe where we rebuilt highfield road and are a properly run premiership team.

Nick · May 18, 2017

Liquid Gold said:
It's annoying to think that there's a parallel universe where we rebuilt highfield road and are a properly run premiership team.

wingy · May 18, 2017

shmmeee said:
Nah I don't think anyone saved the club, it was seen at the time as a win win and it didn't work out that way. I've very much third way on the Ricoh. Had circumstances been different (i.e. Had we stayed up) it'd have worked out fine. Too many variables around that time to point to one thing and say it sank us IMO. As it is we've ended up far too small for it and well we know the rest.

Yep.
That pesky relegation!

Liquid Gold · May 18, 2017

Nick said:

How did you know what I was planning this weekend?

Sick Boy · May 18, 2017

fernandopartridge said:
It was complete for the first day of the 1994/95 season. Partially opened for the last game against Blackburn of the season before to accommodate their large support.

It was another missed opportunity I think, the roof should have been a cantilever. Odd shape due to Swan Lane as well.

Was that the season we beat them?

shmmeee · May 18, 2017

wingy said:
Yep.
That pesky relegation!

Not just that, though that as the biggie. Also the demise of ITV Digital after we went down, the criminal mismanagement of the club post relegation that meant we never came close to coming back, I'd go as far as the Great Recession hitting not long after we moved as well.

Weve been really unlucky as a club with both owners and the circumstances they have found themselves in. I seriously doubt many people anywhere along the line wanted anything other than the best for the club but were just in above their heads.

fernandopartridge · May 18, 2017

Sick Boy said:
Was that the season we beat them?

Yeah, the 2-1 game when Julian Darby scored twice. It ended Blackburn's title hopes that year.

Sick Boy · May 18, 2017

fernandopartridge said:
Yeah, the 2-1 game when Julian Darby scored twice. It ended Blackburn's title hopes that year.

Thought that was the one...my third season watching Cov and my first season ticket...those were the days!

Alan Dugdales Moustache · May 18, 2017

And to think that there were plans drawn up at the end of the 60s for a 28,000 capacity spion kop!

When did the East Stand at Highfield Road get built? (3 Viewers)

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

CCFC Finance Director

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Administrator

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Super Moderator

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Super Moderator

Well-Known Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency