No 'tangible proposition' for Walton Hall Park stadium

Years and even decades have passed while we’ve pondered the impossible, with the obvious solution under our feet.

Oh yeah, this is Everton we’re talking about... maybe I’m not then.

Never actually thought they were serious in the first place. Heard it all before.

Very sad is the fact that I sincerely doubt anybody connected with Everton Football Club actually thought this would happen. Too many lies under the bridge.

It is far too easy to bring other operating costs to over £20 million a year from a previous figure of £1 million and cry poverty every year.

As we know, there isn't likely to be any time soon, especially by January when Joe Anderson suggests above a final decision will be made, at least from LCC's perspective. We either await new owners or we start putting tangible plans in place to rebuild Goodison Park piecemeal.

As Tom says above, in the time since the collapse of the Kings Dock we could have rebuilt all four stands in stages. I'm more convinced than ever that rebuilding is the way to go – without serious money, we're never going to be able to build anything befitting our great club somewhere else anyway.

How about starting with the facade. Then replace one section at a time with upgraded seating and a few extra VIP boxes.

We all love the place and it has a long and prestigious history. Get building and the modernised ground will still hold that terrific atmosphere that we always used to talk about.

Why can’t we look at Stanley Park? The other lot were going to move there but they can rebuild their stadium as it is younger than ours.

I for one am sick and tired of being in a tennis match as I try to look around the concrete posts!

Maybe this mayor and his council should get off their arse and do something as well? Anyone would think it is Everton’s responsibility to run the city. Last time I looked, it was the Council who is in charge of such things as regeneration and employment for the community!

Everyone knows the club will never do that so the City Fathers come out smelling of roses!

The current ’custodians" of our once great club obviously give not give a flying fuck about moving the club on and progressing it. It’s all short-term hand-to-mouth economics and personal gain; I blame them all and Kenwright in particular. Shame on you, Kenwright... and shame on you all.

Custodians have a responsibility to secure the long-term future of our club, not to piss it down the drain in order to build a trophy stadium and ruin the club in the process.
We need an investor; without that nothing will happen, isn't this obvious?

Twenty plus years have been wasted so far whilst Bill & Co wait for their fairy tale 'investor'. At 70, I am now convinced I will never see his appearance.

I just don’t know why they even get our hopes up with talk of a new stadium when it’s quite clear they will never deliver it.

To me, there seems to be no possible alternative to having a rebuild plan combining innovation on the pitch and innovation in the boardroom. Supporters, players, coach and board following a strategy.

Occam's Razor would suggest we go the way of stadium redevelopement. The simplest, least costly way without political interference. Let the up-coming TV windfall be used to save our club.

Apparently the Old Lady is on Year 8 of a 10-year safety certificate (?) with no plans or money to bring it up to Code... so what happens there? Unless there is serious investment or a buy-out and Blue Boys Pen Bill lets go, then Goodison Park will rot.

The local residents have a very strong pressure group called the Friends of Walton Hall Park. The group have already been successful in persuading Liverpool CC to restrict matchday parking in the car park and surrounding area. This is not because of problems caused by cars but simply a show of strength to illustrate that they will not give up easily.

Regarding the rebuilding of Goodison Park, the Board have said consistently that this is a non-starter, so I just don’t know how this problem is likely to be resolved.

Should the Board change their minds, then I suspect it will have to rebuild at the expensive of massively reduced expenditure on players. The Board either can't afford to or don’t want to invest any more of their money so I don’t think the question of what happens over the ground can be put on the back burner indefinitely.

This is also a non-starter, because, like it or not, our club simply does not have the revenue-raising powers required to service such debt. Christ, people threaten a revolution if they put up the price of a pint and a pie by 50p, so how do we service £150M of debt then, guys?

Without some additional sources of funding, it is hard to see how we can rebuild Goodison Park without a negative effect on the playing side. The extra TV money will simply be swallowed up paying increased salaries to players and their agents.

We could of course decide to sacrifice the playing side in the short-term in order to fund rebuilding but I doubt any fans would want to do that.

You talk of the great atmosphere we traditionally associate with Goodison Park. I fear that all the rebuilding in the world will do little to regenerate that atmosphere as long as Roberto Martinez remains in charge and the atmosphere becomes increasingly toxic with each passing week.

The club needs rebuilding from the manager to the team before any sensible investor is willing to fund even the most basic rebuilding programme.

Cause that’s when next year's season tickets will go on sale.

Goodison can be transformed for a fraction of the cost of a whole new stadium. The total cost, and certainly the individual phases need not require hundreds of millions of pounds. Also, by only adding new capacity, the new or extended stands can be of significantly higher quality and value.

WHP promised to be a very basic stadium at best. A similar or even smaller amount spent on GP would realise a far superior multi-tier stadium – far more in keeping with our history and tradition.

The bunch in charge have been looking for someone to build a free one for them and, shock horror, no one's done so.

Ever since the Kings Dock nightmare, our best option would have been to rebuild Goodison Park.

Eric, I think you've got it bang to rights.

If a new ground is ever going to be built, I would prefer a north docklands locale with a view of the royal blue Mersey, similar to Forest with the Trent snaking its way past the Brian Clough stand. In this instance, though, it would be the Howard Kendall stand.

I can't help but think alas that the dreaded ground share in Stanley Park will be the perceived solution after another 20 years debating and pontificating. Wake me up when it’s over.