JOHNNY Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 I don't know if anyone is aware that in Dundee, there are 2 stadiums located only 100metres apart on the same street. Every couple of years talks take place with a view to the clubs sharing a common ground. Scotland's recent unsuccessful bid to host Euro 2008 raised the issue once more that it was financial suicide for both Dundee and United to maintain separate stadiums. The view was that ground sharing, using one of the existing grounds or building a brand new one, must be the solution. Over the last few years, both clubs have been forced into carrying out ground improvements in order to satisfy SPL criteria, resulting in 2 all seated stadiums with a capacity in the region of 14,000 which remain almost half empty for the vast majority of matches. Wasted money, many suggest. Dundee, who are one of 3 SPL clubs currently in administration, have this week been urged by the bank to look at selling Dens Park and move accross the street to Tannadice with United in an attempt to reduce overheads. Although the rivalry between the clubs cannot be compared to that of the Old Firm in Scotland, the proposal has met with an angry response from both sets of fans who are desperate to maintain their own identities, some stating that they'd prefer their club goes out of business than co-habit with their rival. The alternative is a new stadium built elsewhere in the city, with suitable transport links, parking, room for expansion (sounding familiar Pao fans?). My point is to seek the your views on both ground sharing and relocation, which seem to be very relevant subjects in Greek football today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irlandos Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 So, will the new stadium have blue or reddish seats? :huh: Ground sharing has been common in Greece for many years. Many smaller clubs when promoted to the top league would prefer to share a larger team's stadium than use their own. E.g. Aigaleo have used Panathinaikos' home ground. At one time I remember 3 Piraeus teams sharing Karaiskaki Stadium, the home of Olympiakos: Olympiakos, Ethnikos and Proodeftiki. Olympiakos, Panathinaikos and AEK all have used the Olympic Stadium as their home ground at one time or another. As for relocation, so far we have only had rumours to that effect (Olympiakos to St. John Renti, Panathinaikos to Goudi, etc.) but I can't remember any team actually taking action on the subject! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irlandos Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 Btw JOHNNY: Here in Belfast we have on the same street, less than 100 yards apart, the official stores of both Rangers and Celtic. Do you think there is any chance they'd share accomodation for the reasons you listed? :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tihio10 Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 I agree, this is a waste of money. Dundee and Dundee Untied should merge. It would be terrible if both clubs were to go bankrupt. But I do understand the fans argument. However, if this were to happen, many fans would be in an uproar, and who knows, maybe fans would start to neglect to attend games for the "new" Dundee club. This merge could also cause many protests in and out of the games. When you think of it, both ways look bad. In conclusion, I would like the two Scottish clubs to merge together due to financial problems, and hopefully the fans of these two parties would settle in and become a fan of ONE team. :tup: Best of luck to both teams. :tup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNNY Posted March 21, 2004 Author Share Posted March 21, 2004 Some interesting points guys, but tihio10, I'm afraid you mentioned the unmentionable: MERGER!! This is a route that it has touted on many occasions, in order to produce more financially viable operations. Some examples being: Hearts/Hibernian Dundee/Dundee United Motherwell/Hamilton/Airdrie St Mirren/Morton Brechin/Forfar/Arbroath While the size of these clubs may vary, the fans loyalty to the clubs does not, and resistance will always be strong. The one positive example of a merger took place in the capital of the Highlands, Inverness in 1994. The plan was to merge the two big Inverness clubs Thistle and Caledonian so they could leave the Highland League and join a newly re-structured Scottish League. After months of negotiations and angry public meetings, the merger was confirmed. In season 94/95 Caledonian Thistle joined the Scottish League, and are now established in the 1st Division after winning championships in seasons 96/97 & 98/99. The have a reasonable stadium, decent support and are challenging for a place in the top division. While this proves that a merger can work at a lower level in Scottish football, the gap between the Old Firm and the remainder of the clubs is so vast, that any merger would only serve one purpose - survival. Would fans be willing to support a newly formed club to the same degree, with a 3rd spot in the league still the most realistic ambition for the season? I doubt it! Maybe future generations would be more likely to buy into these 'super-clubs', but for now I feel it would be a disaster. There was a time when a merger could have sparked a serious challenge to Old Firm dominance. This was a time when the smaller clubs and players could resist the lucrative transfer fees and contracts on offer from the Glasgow 'giants'. What has happened to any player of potential with the smaller clubs? The Glasgow clubs wave the cash, and they are gone. While we cannot blame the player's ambition to play at a bigger club or the banks insistance that clubs sell their top players to survive, why do we continue to hear the Old Firm complain that there is no challenge in the Scottish game. How can clubs possibly challenge when they are being stripped of their stars, who more often than not end up warming the bench at their new clubs, before being shipped down south to resurrect their careers. The solution: Let the Old Firm play in England, an ambition they are deperate to fulfill. This leads to another point for another day - How would they fare? The resultant league would be a competitive affair, but some fear may end up similar in stature to the Welsh and Irish leagues. Would the fans turn out in any less numbers than they are at present? With current average home attendances probably ranging from 12,000 (Hearts) to 5,000 (Partick), I doubt it. A level playing field may prove to be the catalyst Scottish football is crying out for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irlandos Posted March 21, 2004 Share Posted March 21, 2004 One thing not mentioned about Inverness Caledonian Thistle was their knack to upset Celtic in the Scottish Cup! "Super Calie go ballistic Celtic are atrocious..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNNY Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 They have developed a habit of knocking Celtic out of the cup, repeating the act at home last season. As for a new stadium in Dundee, what about a dark blue and tangerine tartan effect seating arrangement! One of the practical concerns over ground sharing is the quality of the playing surface, and whether it could withstand the Scottish climate with games being played each week. Dunfermline are currently testing out an artificial surface for Uefa, but this has not proved popular, except with the 'Pars' who have an obvious advantage at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNNY Posted March 30, 2004 Author Share Posted March 30, 2004 The SPL have given ground sharing the go-ahead. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/s...rem/3582079.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNNY Posted April 1, 2004 Author Share Posted April 1, 2004 United dismiss possible move to new stadium. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/s...rem/3584207.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNNY Posted May 20, 2004 Author Share Posted May 20, 2004 Inverness, who finished top of the Scottish 1st division (but who's ground does not satisfy SPL standards), moved closer to gaining promotion when shareholders and fans backed the proposal to play home matches at Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium. Partick Thistle, who finished bottom of the SPL, are planning to mount a legal challenge against the Highland team's bid to ground share, on the basis that the rules have been changed. It really is reaching comic proportions, where another season passes and we again have the possibility of the bottom club escaping relegation due to unrealistic restrictions on lower league clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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