St James’s Park – When it’s gone… It’s gone

I unashamedly borrow the strapline from a well known supermarket who enticed us to buy their bargains “now” because they would be gone very soon, those that fell for the line often found that those fabulous, short-lived deals weren’t quite the “bargains” we were led to believe and it is with this in mind that I ask you to consider a move away from St James’ Park

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When I first started work, one of my best mates was a Wolves fan.

Who, in his Black Country drawl, would ask me “does the damn thing work”? whenever I wanted to do something differently. “Andy, does the damn thing work? Yes? Well don’t mess about with it, then!” This was always good advice and saved me from several huge blunders.

Let’s turn that question onto the St. James’s Park relocation debate. Does SJP work?

St James’ Park is our traditional home and is the scene of many famous victories and footballing events going back to the days of Hughie Gallacher and beyond. It has morphed and changed across the decades to become the great stadium that we know today.

We have a stadium that holds in excess of 52,000 spectators; there are still not many grounds around the country that can match that capacity, even fewer that can fill it each match.

St James’ Park is right in the heart of the city, it is easy to get to and one of the most accessible grounds in the country. The benefits of being so central are not simply football-related. Most of us enjoy a pint or three before the match and usually a few more after the game to celebrate the win; or drown our sorrows after a loss.

Based in the city centre, we have a massive choice of watering holes that are the envy of the rest of the country; just read comments lifted from rival fans’ boards that are posted on The Mag prior to any game. These are benefits that we, as home fans, may not fully appreciate. Those of us that do/have travelled away on a frequent basis know that SJP as a venue is unrivalled.

So, as it stands, St James’s Park WORKS! Do we really want to mess about with it?

Arguments in favour of a move seem to be focussed around increased capacity and release of cash for new players.

Let’s deal with the financial argument first. Anyone that believes that selling up and building a new bespoke stadium elsewhere will leave us with a large lump sum to splash out on players: please join me in my office as I have a bridge to sell you. Similarly, an increased gate taking may be welcome, but it is nowhere near the main source of income for any football club; Barcelona, Real Madrid, et al included.

I have taken a brief look at Everton’s new stadium project at Bradley Moore Dock. A project that started out with a price tag of half-a-billion quid is now running seriously over budget. Goodison’s current capacity is around 40,000. The £500m+ new site will give Everton a capacity of somewhere between 52,000 and 62,000.

Even if the new site hits the top end of this range, their huge outlay will only put them 7,000 above the current SJP total. If NUFC were to repeat the Everton model, does it make sound business sense to spend £500m for a 10,000 increase to the gates? I think not.

What size of ground capacity do we want/need? Judging by current season ticket / membership numbers, a stadium holding 200,000 fans would just about do it. A project that size would come with a blistering price tag; plus, where could it be built? Even if we could secure that size of super-stadium, it would just need a drop in form, a subsequent drop in attendance and we could be seeing crowds of today’s 52,000 in a 200,000-capacity arena. At a quarter full, the atmosphere would be more akin to a morgue than a football match.

I remember sitting in the Spurs end when we played Tottenham away when White Hart Lane was being redeveloped. There was a very subdued air around Wembley; which would have been deathly had it not been for the Geordie contingent in the corner.

guarantee that costs will only increase from there. Anyone with any experience of the building trade knows this to be true. The sale of the current SJP site will probably not generate the kind of figure that would cover the cost of a new development. Even if it did, the balance left for players would be meagre at best. Buy a couple of Alexander Isaks at £65million each and any profit from sale of the ground will be gone. That windfall can only be used once and we will have lost our number one asset in the process.

Now the interesting question. Where do we build St James’ Park 2.0?

Option 1: we stay where we are and rebuild section by section. Yes, that will be painful but relocating permanently would provide similar logistical nightmares as staying-put. The bonus being that the club would not need to finance two stadia simultaneously during the transition.

Perhaps a large site towards Whitley Bay? Maybe up at Shiremoor? Wherever a site is identified as suitable, it will NEVER be as accessible as where we are at present. Just look back at comments our fans made after the recent mackem derby game. Their super-duper “new” stadium only has a single road for access. I have family members that have visited Wearside for concerts and made the self-same complaints about accessibility. Now compare to getting into (and out of) Newcastle City centre on match day. No contest.

I mentioned the ritual of downing a few jars prior to/and after the game. Will that part of the footballing experience be available with a stadium elsewhere? Short answer: NO! Good luck getting a drink on an industrial estate, housing estate or leisure park around the new ground.

At St James’s Park, we already have the jewel in the footballing Crown. It may not fulfil 100% of our needs at present but it can be adapted to suit us into the future. For proof, take a look at how the ground looked in the past and how it has changed across the decades.

Engineers seem to be miracle workers these days and I am sure they can/will figure out solutions to solve the redevelopment problems at St James’ Park. I believe that Newcastle United’s current site can continue to change and adapt and provide the footballing experience that ONLY Newcastle can offer.

Returning to the question I posed initially: does the damn thing work? The answer is an unequivocal, yes. Be very careful if messing about with it.

To leave you with some words of wisdom from my father: “be careful what you wish for, you may well get it.”

Be very clear, once we have left, there is no going back to St James’s Park. If it ends up being less than we have now or, God forbid, a total flop, just remember:

When it’s gone… It’s gone… Forever!