Further Anfield expansion in doubt

[Windom Earle]

[article]
Liverpool's principal owner John Henry has suggested supporters' protests over ticket prices have put plans to further expand Anfield in doubt.
Liverpool fans staged a mass walkout in the 77th minute of a game against Sunderland in February after the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), planned to increase ticket prices at Anfield. FSG later apologised and scrapped the plans to increase the cost of tickets.
The recent redevelopment of the Main Stand has taken Anfield's capacity to over 54,000 and has helped close the gap on rivals in terms of matchday revenue, according to chairman Tom Werner.
There is reportedly outline planning permission already in place for an extra 4,800 seats in the Anfield Road end, but Henry says the next stage of the stadium's redevelopment may not go ahead as it might not make economic sense.
"I don't know if there is a next step because ticket prices are an issue in England," Henry told reporters. "That may foreclose further expansion. We'll have to see."

John Henry is the principal owner of Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Henry, who was speaking in New York on Tuesday, believes there is no one more suitable than Jurgen Klopp to manage Liverpool.
Sources told ESPN FC in June that FSG's commitment to Liverpool was waning before the appointment of Klopp in October reignited their engagement.
FSG handed Klopp a new six-year contract in July after guiding the club to two cup finals in his first season in charge.
"He was a perfect fit for Liverpool, for the culture of the club, for the supporters, for the kind of team that we were trying to build," Henry added. "We couldn't have asked for a better fit."

Glenn is ESPN FC's Liverpool correspondent. You can follow him on Twitter@GlennPrice94.


[/article]

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/liverpool/s...st-may-affect-further-anfield-expansion-plans

 

[Woland]

Lizard cunt.

You know the difference between charging 50 or 75 quid for those extra 4800 seats would be 2 million quid? Which in the context of a 298 million turnover, up from 250 million the year before and expected to rise even further this year would be around 0.5%? And also a fraction of the wage bill saved this year already.

But yeah, it's the cheapskate fans that are fucking football up. Cunt.

 

[doctor_mac]

Lizard cunt.

You know the difference between charging 50 or 75 quid for those extra 4800 seats would be 2 million quid? Which in the context of a 298 million turnover, up from 250 million the year before and expected to rise even further this year would be around 0.5%? And also a fraction of the wage bill saved this year already.

But yeah, it's the cheapskate fans that are fucking football up. Cunt.

Yeah, this was my immediate thought.

 

[FoxForceFive]

He's taking the fucking piss.

It's times like this we could really do with an effective press, to dissect these comments & show them alongside the facts. They'll probably just keep repeating the headline ad nauseum though.

 

[Windom Earle]

I don't know. I think the expansion makes us a more saleable asset.

I think Henry might be being a bit naughty here, it reads a bit like he's saying "if the fans want it then they better behave".

He doesn't actually rule anything out there does he, "we'll have to see".

 

[Hansern]

Wont be good news at all if they dont follow through with the expansion.
Hopefully that will change when the naming rights etc for the Main stand is agreed.

 

[manwithnoname]

How does he see anything out of those tiny eyes?

 

[FoxForceFive]

No, what Henry is doing is setting the groundwork for a price increase followed swiftly by an announcement of an Anfield Road redevelopment, as if the two things were linked.

It's the easiest way to stop a majority of less informed fans kicking off & help stop the press piling on the pressure for doing it.

 

[Mystic]

Wont be good news at all if they dont follow through with the expansion.

Will it? I mean I'd love a bigger stadium, don't get me wrong, but 54k is hardly small, and I think the main stand has taken care of the main issues regarding matchday revenue.

 

[Woland]

 

[Mystic]

No, what Henry is doing is setting the groundwork for a price increase followed swiftly by an announcement of an Anfield Road redevelopment, as if the two things were linked.

It's the easiest way to stop a majority of less informed fans kicking off & help stop the press piling on the pressure for doing it.

Unfortunately I think you're right, it's a shame, i'd rather keep prices down and not expand again, not because it particularly bothers me with my one trip a year, but I don't want the main support being priced out, fuck me I don't want a Liverpudlian Emirates.

 

[The Nomad]

No, what Henry is doing is setting the groundwork for a price increase followed swiftly by an announcement of an Anfield Road redevelopment, as if the two things were linked.

It's the easiest way to stop a majority of less informed fans kicking off & help stop the press piling on the pressure for doing it.

That's my take on it too. Setting the groundwork for a price rise to "pay for the expansion". Totally ignoring the Revenue increases from TV deals.

Like it or not Henry is running a business and isn't a fan, or running LFC like a play thing ala Chelsea and Man City, he wants a return on investment in the future. Therefore as fans we have 2 scenarios:

1 - Accept a price rise in the near future to pay for a new stand
2 - Reject a price rise and under JH stewardship the stadium capacity remains at 54k

He's playing a clever game here as he knows the window of opportunity closes within 12 months.

 

[Woland]

It's not really a clever game. He's not having a debate, there's no one to debate with. It's obvious that fan power and the walkout disgust his ego-maniacal sensibilities and he's just having a dig at the great unwashed. Totally unfounded of course but when has that ever stopped a cunt like him coming out with shit like this?

 

[The Nomad]

It's not really a clever game. He's not having a debate, there's no one to debate with. It's obvious that fan power and the walkout disgust his ego-maniacal sensibilities and he's just having a dig at the great unwashed. Totally unfounded of course but when has that ever stopped a cunt like him coming out with shit like this?

No there is no debate, its basically the 'choice' he's giving the fans with a small window of opportunity. Perhaps thinly veiled to create some in-fighting.

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

This was a really cunty statement. They'll still have an extra what 5,000 people paying the already extortionate prices, plus tourists buying stuff at the shop, people buying pie and pints etc.

 

[Insignificance]

I rather keep it as is and keep the ticket prices. I am scared that we eventually turn into a dead theater if prices and capacity rices.

 

[Woland]

No there is no debate, its basically the 'choice' he's giving the fans with a small window of opportunity. Perhaps thinly veiled to create some in-fighting.

There are no 'fans' to make the choice. Is he going to have a referendum? No, he's just spitting in the air.

 

[The Nomad]

There are no 'fans' to make the choice. Is he going to have a referendum? No, he's just spitting in the air.

No, but he can do straw polls, collect data on the interwebs like the lizard that he is.

 

[tony]

It's mental, it will never cost them less to build this, there is a 15% discount since brexit, steel prices are on the floor, ffs it would only cost the same as one decent player.
Is Henry saying this because they overestimated the number of corporate seats they can sell in the new stand?

 

[The Nomad]

No, he's saying it as a businessman trying to maximise revenues

 

[jexykrodic]

I think Henry is just managing expectations and buying time. They would not have gone to the trouble of architectural drawings and outline planning permission if they hadn't thought it viable in the first instance. He may be miffed at uppity fans but if he's viewing the club as an asset for sale somewhere down the line then this is going to increase it's value. In the near term I'm sure he'll get his premium prices by differentiating different sectors of the ground.

 

[FoxForceFive]

It's mental, it will never cost them less to build this, there is a 15% discount since brexit, steel prices are on the floor, ffs it would only cost the same as one decent player.
Is Henry saying this because they overestimated the number of corporate seats they can sell in the new stand?

Nope, the corporate seats & lounges have done better than expected I believe.

 

[Dirty Sanchez]

But wait a minute. I guess on hand you can look at it like Woland did, but on the other you can say what percent of the cost of the new seating does the revenue provide?
Let's assume that the expansion would cost 100 million to build. (Complete guess btw.)
4,500 seats at 50 quid a ticket times 19 home games equals 4.3 million quid a year. plus Concessions etc., lets say 6 million.
That's a breakeven after almost 17 years. Why would you do it?

 

[davud graham]

As others have said he doesn't give a fuck about the football club , just the bottom line. I understand that and didn't expect anything else.
Just look how often he turns up for games. They only changed the ticket prices last season because of the negative press that they received after the walkout, it wasn't even remotely because they realised they'd done the wrong thing.

 

[cloggypop]

Fuck you Henry, I'm not buying an LFC keyring now.

 

[doctor_mac]

Fuck you Henry, I'm not buying an LFC keyring now.

I'm not buying TWO LFC keyrings!

 

[Spionkop69]

This was a really cunty statement. They'll still have an extra what 5,000 people paying the already extortionate prices, plus tourists buying stuff at the shop, people buying pie and pints etc.

If you can actually get served for a pie and pint without leaving to get them 10 mins before half time. Would it be so hard to start pouring the fucking pints before half time starts. It's shit beer anyway and they'd sell more. Or get more blokes with the beers in the backpack.

Do anything so that I can actually watch the whole game and have a pint and pie at half time without missing 5/10 mins of the second half.

 

[Spionkop69]

But wait a minute. I guess on hand you can look at it like Woland did, but on the other you can say what percent of the cost of the new seating does the revenue provide?
Let's assume that the expansion would cost 100 million to build. (Complete guess btw.)
4,500 seats at 50 quid a ticket times 19 home games equals 4.3 million quid a year. plus Concessions etc., lets say 6 million.
That's a breakeven after almost 17 years. Why would you do it?

Naming rights, increased revenue across the shop and concessions inside the ground would increase plus I'm think £100m is too high. The point remains though, when does it pay for itself, if the money is borrowed then interest offsets revenue increases. But it does make us a more attractive purchase.

Like looking for a house to buy which needs loads of work. We won't be cheap, but at least they won't have to invest in the stadium too.

 

[Woland]

They ran out of booze before half time against Leicester. Mustn't have been expecting us. And then the till broke on the beer only till against Hull, so again they couldn't sort booze out.

 

[Spionkop69]

They ran out of booze before half time against Leicester. Mustn't have been expecting us. And then the till broke on the beer only till against Hull, so again they couldn't sort booze out.

Its fucking laughable. They have a captive audience of beer swilling football fans and they can't serve them quickly and efficiently. Plus, most of those serving seem to wish they were anywhere else on earth but behind the counter. I know it's not the greatest job but the lack of enthusiasm or actual organisation is amateur. In fairness it's the same at most sporting venues I've been to. Wembley, despite the overhaul still has massive queues in one part and then round the corner there's no one at the bar. But no one tries to organise people to even it out.

Also at Wembley it's £4.80 a pint. Just make it a fiver you twats, it's easier than fishing round trying to give people change.