In this week's Gravesend Reporter

[FleetFanatic]

A POSSIBLE site for the new Gills stadium has been chosen in Gravesham, according to council chiefs.

 

Leader of Gravesham Borough Council, John Burden, said on Tuesday that a position had been identified in the area but could not yet confirm precise details.

 

He said: "We have a site available with great transport links and enough land to fill Mr Scally's aspirations to build houses and hotels as well as a stadium.

 

"We won't be able to disclose where it is for another few months as the information is commercially sensitive.

 

"A new stadium and facilities would be built in the next five years and would coincide with the opening of Ebbsfleet which could enable us to bring Olympic events down here.

 

"This is because Ebbsfleet will have a direct link to Stratford where the 2012 Olympic bid has been centered around.

 

But Mr Burden stressed that they would do nothing to jeopardise the future of Gravesend & Northfleet Football Club.

 

He said:"There is an opportunity for both clubs to work together to fulfil their potential and we would like to assist both clubs to do that.

 

"If Gillingham did not come to Gravesham, Gravesend could still use the site to construct a smaller stadium."

 

Gills chairman Paul Scally welcomed the positive response at a meeting to unveil the new plans for the £200million stadium last week.

 

(Later in the article.....)

 

The Gills chairman dismissed suggestions that this might erode Gravesend's support by giving the example of the successful Italian sides AC Milan and Inter Milan who share the San Siro Stadium.

 

Plans include a village complex with 1,000 new homes, a primary school, village green, Casino & hotel. The Fifa standard stadium (meaning capable of hosting internationals) plans include a retractable roof and a pitch that can be moved out so concerts and such like can be hosted.

 

First impressions? Impressive.....

 

.....but far too much for us. £200 million!!!!! Where would the money come from? Personally I think that's one reason why it won't happen anyway.

 

Elsewhere in the article Scally states Temple Marsh is their first choice location, then later states that he isn't convinced that Temple Marsh was a suitable place to build!

 

Nice comparison between Fleet/Gills & the two Milan sides - what a complete muppet you are Scally! (Just gloss everything up and it will look good, eh?)

[Slartibartfast]

Quote:

Nice comparison between Fleet/Gills & the two Milan sides - what a complete muppet you are Scally! (Just gloss everything up and it will look good, eh?)

Bloody ridiculous comparison everyone knows the Fleet and the Gills are like Brazil and the Dog and Duck.

[Unrecognized Genius]

You got in before me. Just seen article & very worried:

 

Our council seem dead set in favour & they obviously prefer a Gillingham or joint venture as first choice because of the sheer breathtaking scale of the project (the very thing that scares the life out of me)

 

Mr Scally clearly wants to go ahead in Gravesham, not Medway

 

One silver lining. The council is very positive. If they can be brought to see the utter folly of backing the Gills' project, they are obviously behind building an emminently more sensible alternative for the Fleet.

 

EC

 

 

[Roy gnfc]

I've told you all along, it's EBBSFLEET,the only logical place

[David Holden]

Where in Ebbsfleet is there the sort of space required to build that sort of complex.

 

In any event the land price there will be far too high.

 

It's much more likely to be at the other end of the borough over by the old sea school.

[David Holden]

I've just come off the phone to Brian, and the position is that we are currently in discussions and as such cannot release any further information at this time.

 

However, Brian has assured me that he does read this Forum every day and is aware of what is said and how the fans feel about this development.

[Vera]

Didn't the Gills nearly go broke at one stage, I seem to remember putting money into a collection bucket for them down at our ground. Let us hope history does not repeat itself. All I would like is for someone to point our what the advantages would be for the Fleet.

[Charles Webster]

To praphrase the Leader of Gravesham Borough Council, John Burden: "We have a site available with great transport links. If Gillingham did not come to Gravesham, Gravesend could still use the site to construct a smaller stadium."

 

Call me simple(most people do) then why do we need Gillingham in the equation? If the Council have a site available and would support a "smaller stadium" construction by Gravesend(& Northfleet FC, I presume)then why don't they just get on with it?

 

With the grants available, Council support, and a club that is going in the right direction, we should be able to stand on our own two feet and not need the "drive" of the project from a neighbouring borough, albeit a unitary authority outside of Kent County Council.

 

If they still wish to invade a neighbouring borough, sorry, I mean, groundshare, or whatever, perhaps our neightbours in the Medway Towns would be better served looking at the superb, but vastly underused greyhound racing facility next to what remains of the once overly ambitious(now there's a salutory tale) Sittingbourne FC.

 

I may be a Luddite but I would rather slide back to what's left of the Ryman league than be the junior partners in a groundshare.

[Vera]

If this is a viable proposition surely Medway Council would be eager to accommodate it. I fear that if this happens our club will lose quite a bit of goodwill money which supporters donate. I only hope the uncertainty doesn't cause people to keep their wallets in their pockets. If we were going to have our own smaller more affordable stadium I think supporters would do their best to help finance it even in small measures which all mount up.

[Blinkjim]

If they were to construct in ebbsfleet surely we'd be swollowed up. i mean the average person who has to choose between to localy based teams will always choose the higher postioned team in the league. Surly we would only stand to lose if a move to gravesham happened.

 

Also if we ground shared in a stadium of the size they are planning, surely the amosphere would be as Jeff King put it "like a F*****G moregue". We only stand to lose if GFC move any where near us.

[Stu M]

Quote:

Unrecognized Genius said:
Our council seem dead set in favour & they obviously prefer a Gillingham or joint venture as first choice because of the sheer breathtaking scale of the project (the very thing that scares the life out of me)

Agree with this - seems to me the council are jumping on this bandwagon cos they see an instant revenue stream/feather to their bow in the form of a First Division club (maybe Second by then!) in the borough.

They've barely been arsed to supply roadsigns to Stonebridge Road and presumably, like a lot of people in the area, consider us something of a joke side and not a 'real team' in the Gillingham sense.

I don't want the Gills anywhere near us in terms of ground sharing in our town, and - if they insist on pushing into Gravesham - I hope they're relegated. Any loss of their fanbase might make them think again about moving so many miles outside town.

Having two clubs in the borough will undermine our future fanbase as a lot of potential young Fleet fans will naturally be attracted by the more 'glamorous' Gills...

[Unrecognized Genius]

Many of us love this club passionately. Unfortunately many football clubs' destinies are shaped by grown men, who've never really grown up, but who have more money than most of us, playing games with what we love, rather like you or I might have a bash at "Championship Manager."

 

I trust Brian. I don't think he's a big boy playing games.

 

I don't trust Mr Scally - I think this is a last desperate Thompsonesque throw of the dice for him; all or nothing.

 

I have reservations about the involvement of our CE. Always polite. Always says hello if we pass in the stand, but I somehow suspect he'll buy into the "wow" factor of the Gillingham scenario.

 

EC

[Vera]

As Unrecognized Genius has been brave enough to mention our CE I will add that this has been one of my main concerns as I am not sure what affinity he has with the club and could this project be seen as a good career move. Can't blame him if it is but my concern is the future of our club.

[KShep]

I cannot see ANY pros regarding the Gills moving to Gravesham (apart frmo the 'leisure centre' which I won't ever use). Comparing Gills and Fleet with AC and Inter is daft. Those two teams are within 5 places in the league of each other, and we are two leagues away from GFC. We attract maybe 1000 home fans each match, they bring in 8'000. Ans where are the Gills, who are falling ever closer into administration and relegation, going to get £200 million to build the complex, when they will fill it to a quarter of it's capacity, when the money could be spent on more local teams, schools and hospitals?

SOD OFF SCALLY

[FleetFanatic]

Furthermore, I was under the impression that after the Wimbledon fiasco, the rules on 'franchise football' were going to be made very strict. Although previously I used Wimbledon as a comparision to the Gillingham plan, this was not the correct thing to do. Wimbledon did not have a ground of their own and could not agree with their local council on a suitable, viable site. Gillingham, on the other hand, have a ground & can't fill it, therefore having no need for an even larger stadium. End of. I'm fully aware that other income streams are a good idea in helping to fund a football club, but franchise football is not and should not be the answer.

[Roy gnfc]

The old sea school had problems with the foundations,having been built on marshland,it began to sink,so I think you can rule that out as a possible site for a stadium

[smithyman]

Sounds like the sea school and Gillingham have alot of similarities.......

[mossey]

if all the fleet fans are against a gills move to gravesend, can you imagine what gills fans think of it?

If fleet were to tell us they are moving to medway all hell would break loose.

it will never happen. scally is a complete knob and lives in cloud cookoo land.

[chris blanc]

If this were to happen, it would take a while I would have thought. We'd just have to hope that the Gills continue their freefall and we continue our meteoric rise so they'd be the smaller team sharing OUR ground lol

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

Quote:

can you imagine what gills fans think of it?

 

The ones that I have spoken too, are not taking the Gravesend move serious as they think that Scally is using it as a ploy to obtain leverage to get what he wants from the Medway council.

 

I think that they are wrong, I think he is serious and Gravesham is his preferred location.

 

NW kent is a rapidly developing and upcoming area, Charlton have latched onto that and Scally wants to do the same.

 

We should be very wary.. But lets not be afraid to go our own independant way, lets stand our ground , and lets build our own successsful league club in the borough. we are close and getting even closer, lets not throw it all away.

 

 

PS. May be wrong but can anyone confirm if the ex Margit chairman is involved with Scally ?