RicoS321

The hardest one for us to get to. Obviously.

Not an issue really is it? He'll go back to the tims after the last league game. Up until that point, any tactics etc. will be obvious from how we approach the league games up to that point. I don't imagine McInnes throwing up any tactical shocks in the final anyway. However, I don't see the benefit to him being here beyond finishing second in the league, unless we can get an agreement to sign him permanently, so I'd send him back if we win our next two games.

What the fuck are you on about? We're discussing the ends. The parking was resolved ages ago.

But is it easier to get to the Tim end for Hibs or not (actual trafficwise)? That's what I wanted to know. If not, then that's a pretty big thing I'd have thought. Easier to police perhaps, in terms of getting folks away from the ground without overlapping/clashing? I'm just thinking of any good reason that they could possibly use to justify it.

Aye, I never even thought. Do the Hibees actually have a specific side of the ground? I just assumed we'd be at the most logical side of the ground for transport for dons fans (before I picked up my tickets). Weird that the club didn't make a thing about it. Stupid kick off time, and further to travel.

We've got a fully functioning existing stadium. We've got the option of a 12K stadium. We've got the location, we could easily sit tight and see if building materials, techniques and options begin to change (do the architects in the audience genuinely not believe we'll move into a completely new era in building design with additive manufacturing and material science within the next decade or so - i.e. whilst we're still paying off a mortgage?). Pittodrie will easily last ten years or more. Accept that we don't need to go full steam into a project for a new stadium just for the sake of having a new stadium if it's nae in the right place and doesn't make us better off in the long term. Have the balls to say it's not the right move and we're not just going to do it because it's been one man's vision for the last 20 years. In the meantime, go full steam ahead with the training facilities and start churning out the next Willie Millers's and such like.

Nah. It's a shiny new thing. At the very worst, the first season is going to be packed. Good performances on the pitch will see another couple of seasons of crowds that exceed the current crowds. I think you're underestimating the fickle pull of a new thing. I think the 40K cup final crowd is an indicator of how folk get on board for something different. I think there's a good chance that we can keep a healthy portion of fans if we play well in our first few years. However, I don't believe that's a good method for basing a decision to move from a city centre location though. We need to be thinking longer term than 5, or even 10, years. I think losing a city centre location should be an absolute last resort. It currently isn't.

The warden kindly showed me to a spot where they don't charge folk last time I was there, which was kind of her (and she wisnae lying). Very close to the grun, but the wrong end this time roon.

Looking forward to the game. Just picked up my tickets. I don't think we've gone into this game in the best frame of mind, especially the way we finished the game against Saints. That said, McInnes has surprised me in the past, with just as many unexpected wins as unexpected losses. Don't know what to expect from the hibees at all, so should be a great game. We're good at fitba, and hopefully that'll get us through on the day. Only changes for me would be Reynolds back in for O'Connor and McGinn for Christie. Back to the winning team that started the year.

Fuck, just as well you mentioned. I'd have felt like a richt tit walking through the hibees with my full strip and shin guards. Think I'll go for the train then, Mount Florida it'll be. Fucking rip off trains these days like.

Fit's wrong wi' hibs like? Also, is that nae the end we're supposed to park at, or have I got it wrong? I haven't actually organised transport there yet. Was thinking of bussing it or taking the wife's car as mine een's brakes are fucked.

Aye, you missed the most important one there Tom, and that's the dons. Re-developed RDS, no relegation, no liquidation, no admin. Of course, there'd be St Mirren and St Johnstone who have been relegated since moving stadium. There's probably no useful evidence either way if we're honest. I suspect most admins were down to huge overspending on players rather than stadium repairs. But I realise you were just responding to a ridiculous suggestion from 100%AK.

No, I missed some words. I meant to say 3K+ for a start tailing off to about +2K after 5 years. I think it'll be heavily front loaded, but I think we'll get that 20% target over ten years. I think we'll regularly sell out in our first 2 seasons and tail off after that. A lean period (on the pitch) after the first 5 years will really see how the location works out.

The question is, is this indicative of the long term natural trend of corporate at AFC? Beyond the initial surge created by a new stadium. I suspect it is. I think we get a good return on our corporate facilities for a city our size.

Nae sure like, probably miss our game, or they'll downgrade to a booking because it's Scott Brown and the ref didnae ken the rules. I was wondering if it was normal though? I'm not suggesting they changed the rules afterwards, I was suggesting that when deciding to re-schedule their easter meetings, they looked at the fixture list and saw a cup semi final weekend - including a scum game - and thought it might be easier to postpone the appeals process so that any team (including Aberdeen and the HIVs) could avoid having an important player missing for such an important weekend. For what it's worth, I don't think league suspensions should carry to the cup (but cup should to league if the team gets knocked out).

Because yer nae really supposed to kick people in fitba.

Cheers. So we're pretty hefty already? My question/point was, perhaps badly put, have we already reached the limit of what we can earn from corporate? In order to answer that, it'd be useful to know the maximum we could earn from matchday corporate and the occupation percentages of the existing non-matchday corporate. I suspect we're pretty close to saturation point as it is based on my experience of the current RDS corporate. I'd doubt we get the RDS and Main Stand facilities used 5 days a week either. I've been to a few seminars and the like at Pittodrie outwith match day and it's been pretty quiet generally, but this obviously entirely anecdotal. To answer 100%NK's concerns, really we just have to determine whether or not the additional corporate, ticket and prize revenue the club feels is possible would cover the cost of the mortgage. We'd probably be looking at about £1M per year over 35 years or something in mortgage. I doubt our prize money is going to increase significantly from the last couple of years. I don't believe we'll get Europa league anytime soon. Sponsorship and advertising should increase, but that may depend on any deals on stadium naming rights, which might prevent other advertiser getting involved (lets say 10% increase for first ten years). Lets say gate receipts 20% (extra 3K fans??) and corporate get 10% increase over the first ten years. That's around £1.5M of increased revenue. Those figures would be heavily loaded toward the first 5 as the shiny new thing becomes less attractive. I think they're ambitious like, but nae impossible. Obviously, there'd be significant reductions in cost too. That'd easy cover the mortgage. We'd really be looking at player sales from our new training improvements to remain competitive and properly improve, which is no bad thing.

I think that vastly over-estimates the ability to pull in corporate visitors. Most offices have the ability to hold small events, with larger ones being hosted in hotels. You get the occasional business breakfast, sales seminar type deal etc. but surely this can't be a huge market? More correctly, surely they've reached saturation point with the existing facilities and they can't expect to get a massive increase in revenue from the stadium move? It seems to me like one of those selling points for the new stadium that isn't really a selling point. Like the sale of Pittodrie, or the training facilities.

Or any of a number of experienced, available managers. It stinks of them trying to employ a former player for no good reason than he's a former player. It'd be interesting to hear what qualities that the Dundee board thought that McCann has that a "time-served" manager like Hartley doesn't? I suspect none. I hope they go down. McCann is a dick.

More importantly, where does that end? All corporate seats? An entire stand devoted to corporate? There's something a bit vacuous about that statement. Arse-licking is probably appropriate, I'd agree. Not necessarily just boss' airse, but at least those of a certain degree of wealth. Basically, the equivalent of the pandering shout out to our "gold club members" that you get on airplanes. We couldn't be where we were today if it weren't for the rich types who turn up to our games once a season in a suit. I enjoy a bit of corporate now and again, don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not suggesting that we remove corporate. But the statement stinks of a sales pitch for the new stadium, and undermines the normal ticketed supporter. It doesn't discuss a percentage of stadium/seat coverage or any other useful measure, nor does it seem to be backed by evidence (it could be, it just hasn't been provided). It also ignores the take-up of corporate at Pittodrie. I think anyone that's been would agree that - despite the state of Pittodrie - the RDS corporate is just as good as you'd expect at a new stadium. Yet, I have been offered in recent seasons (even under McInnes) the chance to take up a corporate table that has not been otherwise filled. This suggests there is a saturation point at which corporate is not only not necessary, but a drain on resource and wasted space, much like our general attendances. The bland "corporate is better" doesn't really count for much without some figures behind it. Nor does it count for anything without the accompanying 12,000 seater design, showing how much corporate we'd be losing or, conversely, how much general seating we'd lose because of corporate. Not to mention the fact that there are two types of corporate: box and general seated. It'd be very interesting to see the margin between the two.

Also, given channel 4's tireless investigation into election spending, I'm surprised they're even allowed to stand in certain seats. This gives them ample opportunity to drop any candidates they think might lose a court case. Wonder if they've had a head's up they might have been forced into bi-elections?

The only new party, will be a UKIP replacement funded by Arron Banks (which will just be UKIP). There's no time for an actual political party to be formed. Haven't heard fae the SNP yet, but a quick regurgitation of May's message that people shouldn't be introducing elections before the electorate have a chance to see what Brexit has to offer will surely be the order of the day. It's a pretty decisive move from the Tories like, with the SNP being their only real opposition I can see them going for Scotland pretty hard. England will take care of itself for them.

I tend to agree. The SNP are running out of time politically. These things come in waves and their time will be up soon enough. They'd have been hoping for an indy ref before any general election, as any drop in seats will be advertised as failure and folk will buy it. They're about as high as they can get at the moment, the only way is down for them. Labour have got no hope. Their policies will be completely ignored. Personality politics will win. They could promise perpetual free cocaine and strippers and that would be ignored.

Hey min, the politics thread nae good enough for ye? Nae that it's a race like, but I announced it first. The tories will get a majority again.

That's not irony.