ok ill shut up now, just enjoy the pictures when i post em and enjoy wallowing in your disappointment, baaaaa !!!
(bloody sheep eh?)

All those blithering on about 'why is there no announcement' will have absolutely no concept of the outlay Saints and their partners would have spent to get the scheme to this point.

As I have repeated here many times, procuring a construction contract is completely different to any thing else.

You make it sound as if Big Mac and his merry men are the only club ever to build a new stadium! - it's not about outlay we all understand that, it how unprofessional they are with the constant announcements they make!

If they make a hopeful announcement they are derided if it doesn't come off.

If they keep their mouths shut, they are derided for not saying anything.

One of your fans asked if it would be ready for July, I made a simple reply stating that I thought absolutely not. I was then asked why I had made such a statement by another St.Helens fan.
I then gave my reasons. Nothing negative about it(though a little leg pulling re the portaloos & deckchairs)

That you don't believe me or you're taking it as a personal snide against the fans or the St.Helens club isn't really my problem. I am just stating that your new stadium wont be ready for the paying public to watch St.Helens rugby league by July 2011...FACT

With the delay in signing the contract & the fact that the stadium is a 60 week build (as stated by the chairman), it looks increasingly likely that you could be spending the whole season in 2011 @ Widnes

and?

some of us have been saying that for months.

it really won't matter, in fact, probably better all round, gives the club more time to get everything right instead of rushing into it.

No-one could accuse Saints of rushing into anything.

some of us have been on this very slow rollercoaster for over 10 years, so another month, 6 months, year, is of little consequence in the grand scheme of things.

ok back on subject, the more obsevant among you will notice one half of the roundabout is being used and there are pedestrian barriers up

I admire your loyalty Sadfish, but do you go through life saying nothing ever matters? are you never willing to offer some criticism just to be constructive?

Well another week and if the press suite has not been overbooked then we will get the promised announcement??? LOL

not at all, just that most of the people who have any sense know that with the amount of money involved and the present climate and the building industry in general, decisions like this have to be made carefully, if things ain't right, then things ain't quite right.

Like I said, having been sat at UGB social club in 1999 when the first plans where announced, and sitting here now so close to the first sod being dug, a few months really doesn't make any difference to me.

Can't see any pics today GF, just red crosses

Not sure why mate i`m at work and i see them fine in my post and in yours, maybe something blocking you?

Sadfish,

You don't do yourself any justice, everyone is having problems in this climate, but they don't go about making announcements about announcements over and over again and then nothing ever develops and they give weak excuses for not keeping to promises made to the loyal supporters you talk about in the UGB Club in 1999, sadly some of those in 99 will not have made it to now and by the time the ground is ready for opening.

But lets be positive, the media room does not seem to be double booked for this week, so we will know in the next few days who the contractor is, when work will start (though Big Mac said a week after the announcement) and then the actual planned ground opening date (what did Big Mac say again, quite different from the CEO?) we all hold our Breath, but don't too it for too long or we will be around for the Big Opening! LOL

Oops yup, can see them fine at home, you must be a security risk at my work!! Cheers GF

How many announcements have the club actually made? 3 or 4 over the last two years?

I know of three in the last 9 months! come on open your eyes, the public meetings to show the model of the ground and last weeks cancelled announcement (due to the media centre being double booked) that is TWO!

Yes, the public meeting announcement was before Christmas though IIRC, saying they'd be done in Feb. Add that to the McManus one this month. That's two in 7 months, they aren't exactly overloading the news feeds with announcements. When was the third one and what was it?

wouldnt be the worst thing ive been called mate

Plus the one from Tony Colquitt on Radio Manchester when he referred to a 60 week build and gave a stadium opening date in 58 weeks

at the end of May 2011.

IMO the media / PR side of the project has been handled very poorly by Saints and it's quite understandable why the fans are upset about it.

As Sadfish says another six months delay after ten years of waiting is hardly a disaster, but at least have the decency to put out a statement, even if there is no news.
A simple "We are waiting for A,B, C or D" would suffice.

If Saints didn't have to move out of Knowsley Road then I can't see what the issue would be however they do.

Has any thought been given to taking out a 12 month lease from Taylor Wimpey for next season? Can't see that they will have an appetite to develop the land immediately and may be thankful of a bit of cash in return.

I know the H&S Certificate argument but I would guess the move to Widnes will cost you about 2,000 per game on average so over the course of a season that could easliy equate to £500,000 in revenue. (could be more if Widnes keep revenue from corporate and food/bar concessions). That should easily cover the necessary works.

There must also be a fee for using Widnes' ground to be considered. Is Knowsley Road used for academy or training purposes? Ipresume it is used for administration and alternative office accommodation will need to be sourced for that.

Staying at Knowlsey Road for an extra year would seem to make sense.

(I appreciate that this would involve cancelling the organised "leaving Knowsley Road" celebrations but lets be fair Saints seem to be quite good at cancelling any events planned in connection with the new stadium).

Heard they have a big appetite.

Three it is then.



True enough, I think the problem is that they tend to come in batches of a couple at a time promising everything is sorted, nothing is, and then there is silence from the club.



I'm not sure it would. Everyone knows that there is little the club can do about this, it's out of their hands, yet they are the ones certain people wish to blame.

Thanks Billinge_Lump! Three it is!

It is not a matter of blame, in my career if I got things wrong whatever it was I stood up and accepted responsibility, if it was one of my staff I still took the flak, but with Big Mac it always seems to be "silence is golden" until the next big announcement and promise. St Helens are a major worldwide known club but have never been run as they should be, Knowsley Road should have been looked after and not allowed to slip in the sad state of deterioration it is in now, it is in a disgraceful condition.

Anyway there is Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for the announcement or we could be up to Four!