As the boardroom trouble at Liverpool FC takes more twists and turns than an Alton Towers rollercoaster one important piece of news seems to have slipped through the net.
Liverpool City Council released a statement on their website announcing that work would start on Liverpool’s proposed new stadium in May.
All seems to have been forgotten in a saga that has outlasted one chairman, and could well outlast another two. However what remains is that if Liverpool Football Club is to progress the new stadium must be built, and it seems that it could soon be on its way.
It did seem that any news on the stadium had gone dead, but the release on April 2nd confirmed that work is almost ready to get underway, but why have we had to wait six years for it to do so.
Remember the main reason that George Gillett and Tom Hicks landed on these shores was to deliver the stadium that David Moores could not.
Liverpool had at first signalled their intention to move to a new 70,000 seat stadium for the start of the 2004/05 season, later revising this to ‘officially’ announce plans for a 55,000 seat stadium to be ready for the 2005/06 season. These plans were announced in May 2002.
Site ideas were thrown around, Speke? No. Kirkby? Defiantly not. Stanley Park? Perfect.
Almost six years later and yet another two re-designs and Liverpool still are yet to even begin building on Stanley Park.
Fans are very much left in the dark over what is happening, but at least we know that the building is going to begin, but until that first shovel is dug into the Stanley Park ground we can never be sure. I wouldn’t hold my breath.
The first impressions of the ‘New Anfield’ Stadium were drawn up in 2003 and you were able to take an interactive tour on Liverpool’s official website. Those same impressions were there four years later and only taken down when fantastic new pictures by the new owner’s own architects were put up. Things were finally looking up for Liverpool’s new stadium. Nearly a year on and once again the plans were subject to a redesign and downscaled. Brand new pictures were again posted on the website.
Liverpool finally seems to have decided to stick on these designs, but with so many twists the delays have been huge and surely cannot go on any longer. After all, the club was only granted a 999 year lease on the site.
Meanwhile fans have stressed the importance of the new stadium to the clubs future plans.
Liverpool fan Paul Johnstone, 20, a regular attendee at home and away matches admits the move has to happen in order for Liverpool to progress as a club,
“Manchester United and Chelsea are miles ahead compared to us in how much they can spend and with Arsenal taking advantage of their stadium they will be too. I don’t want us to leave Anfield but it has to happen if we want to compete.”
Paul believes a new stadium could be Tom Hicks and George Gillett’s saving grace but he ultimately believes they will leave without delivering what they had promised.
“I don’t think they (Hicks and Gillett) will stick around for much longer but if they did build the stadium they showed us then they might be liked a little more. It was a really good design.”
Fans will always be divided on whether or not Liverpool should leave their current home, Anfield, but what is clear is that that ground cannot be redeveloped.
It looks as though Tom Hicks and George Gillett will keep fighting amongst themselves and giving the tabloid easy back pages for a lot longer. If so and you never know, maybe nobody will notice a new stadium being built in Stanley Park.
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