Blackandamber wrote: May 5th, 2022, 12:36 pm Although our primary concern of course is for the well being of Newport County AFC, let's have some sympathy for Gwent's rugby supporters. The WRU once again are showing their true colours. All they are interested in is making money. They got rid of Celtic Warriers, thereby disenfranchising rugby supporters from Bridgend and Pontypridd. They have prevented Pontypool from gaining their rightly promotions over the last few seasons. Now they may be closing down the only professional rugby team in Gwent or merging them with their closest rivals. That would be a real body blow for the region's supporters. The WRU don't care a jot about Welsh rugby supporters. As I've said they're just interested in profits.

I agree. Imagine being a Newport RFC fan - 20 years ago they were getting crowds of 8,000 at Dave Parade and were one of the best club sides in Europe (who let the dogs out?). Now they play at Spytty watching a semi-professional game. Nothing wrong with playing at Spytty, by the way.

Blackandamber wrote: May 5th, 2022, 12:36 pm Although our primary concern of course is for the well being of Newport County AFC, let's have some sympathy for Gwent's rugby supporters. The WRU once again are showing their true colours. All they are interested in is making money. They got rid of Celtic Warriers, thereby disenfranchising rugby supporters from Bridgend and Pontypridd. They have prevented Pontypool from gaining their rightly promotions over the last few seasons. Now they may be closing down the only professional rugby team in Gwent or merging them with their closest rivals. That would be a real body blow for the region's supporters. The WRU don't care a jot about Welsh rugby supporters. As I've said they're just interested in profits.

If the WRU don't care a jot about Welsh rugby supporters, and the evidence would strongly suggest you are right, the the idea that they won't stitch up Welsh football supporters should it be in the WRU's to do so, borders on the comical.

So the question. Do we sit around relying on the WRU or do we accept we have a problem and do something about it?

Remember Ron Noades. A man happy to sell Crystal Palace but too savvy to sell Selhurst Park. Remember Mark Goldberg. A man savvy enough to make a fortune but blinded by his love of Crystal Palace too stupid to see he was about to get shafted.

The point is the WRU or anyone won't get planning, so the idea that this is just designed around building on Rodney Parade, is a complete red herring.

Bangitintrnet wrote: May 5th, 2022, 4:21 pm The point is the WRU or anyone won't get planning, so the idea that this is just designed around building on Rodney Parade, is a complete red herring.

Well that's a hostage to fortune if every I heard one. Right up there with.......

Bands with guitars are on their way out.
Unknown Decca executive turning down the Beatles.

Matthews lacks the ability to succeed in the professional game.
Unknown reporter on Stanley Matthews debut.

Or last night's BBC pundit.
Great to see another all English Champions League final.

Or they won't pay for a new pitch they will throw us out by laying a plastic one. How many times have we heard the same sad one, and his apocalyptic proficies?

Bangitintrnet wrote: May 5th, 2022, 5:17 pm Or they won't pay for a new pitch they will throw us out by laying a plastic one. How many times have we heard the same sad one, and his apocalyptic proficies?

Again you misrepresent that which I have written.

If you care to read this thread you will see I have clearly stated that my concern is having our future dependent on others. Hence my question, which everyone can read, if not this time, what about the next time, or the time after that?

I have been driving a car for over 30 years. I have never had an accident. However I always wear a seat belt. Not because I am making an apocalyptic prophecy but because I prepare for the eventuality that the worst might happen.

Bangitintrnet wrote: May 5th, 2022, 4:21 pm The point is the WRU or anyone won't get planning, so the idea that this is just designed around building on Rodney Parade, is a complete red herring.

How sure are you on that?
Anything can be developed on proviso it isn't a designated nature reserve or opposed to that poisoned by nuclear waste etc.
All County Councils are under huge pressure to allocate an ongoing amount of land for development and a plot of land literally in the city centre will tick a lot of boxes.

Newport County's future has always been dependent on others. We have always rented, apart from a few years just before we went bust.

Even if we owned the ground we would be dependant on the banks. To pretend that owning the ground makes the County less dependant on others, is just another of your Fantasies.

So prepare away, but start by actually doing some research into why owners of clubs like Bristol City, who chuck millions and millions of pounds into the club, are then more than happy to share the ground with the Rugby club.

County-at-the-races wrote: May 5th, 2022, 5:58 pm

Bangitintrnet wrote: May 5th, 2022, 4:21 pm The point is the WRU or anyone won't get planning, so the idea that this is just designed around building on Rodney Parade, is a complete red herring.

How sure are you on that?
Anything can be developed on proviso it isn't a designated nature reserve or opposed to that poisoned by nuclear waste etc.
All County Councils are under huge pressure to allocate an ongoing amount of land for development and a plot of land literally in the city centre will tick a lot of boxes.

Sorry, that just isn't factual. The planning process starts with a need, and each unitary authority has to produce a 10 yearly plan detailing what development can take place, in what area's. Even then an applicant still has to show a need, and that something else that is needed more, or is of more benefit to the community is not being destroyed just for profit.

Think of Tredegar House and grounds. Ideal location for access, adjacent major roundabouts off the M4, A48, and Duffryn Way. Plenty of land for a stadium and parking..............

Bangitintrnet wrote: May 5th, 2022, 7:01 pm

County-at-the-races wrote: May 5th, 2022, 5:58 pm

Bangitintrnet wrote: May 5th, 2022, 4:21 pm The point is the WRU or anyone won't get planning, so the idea that this is just designed around building on Rodney Parade, is a complete red herring.

How sure are you on that?
Anything can be developed on proviso it isn't a designated nature reserve or opposed to that poisoned by nuclear waste etc.
All County Councils are under huge pressure to allocate an ongoing amount of land for development and a plot of land literally in the city centre will tick a lot of boxes.

Sorry, that just isn't factual. The planning process starts with a need, and each unitary authority has to produce a 10 yearly plan detailing what development can take place, in what area's. Even then an applicant still has to show a need, and that something else that is needed more, or is of more benefit to the community is not being destroyed just for profit.

Think of Tredegar House and grounds. Ideal location for access, adjacent major roundabouts off the M4, A48, and Duffryn Way. Plenty of land for a stadium and parking..............

Think of Somerton Park.

As for your assertion that planning process starts with a need and that Newport City Council would not act in purely financial interests tell me what happened to those lovely mosaics created by Kenneth Budd?

Was it greed or was it need that destroyed the murals?

Whatever your thoughts on the murals, they were decoration on a building that was being replaced by a much better one. The murals have been replaced, elsewhere, albeit not as good.
The murals in the roundabout next to the castle may be next, as the roundabout may be replaced with a new junction.

It is the insecurity which is the problem. There is nothing wrong with renting a stadium so long as our tenure is secure. We are worried now, not because we can't pay the rent or whatever, but because we think that our landlord is losing interest in owning and maintaining the stadium and want to cease using it for rugby union.

This situation was entirely foreseeable, we all saw it coming. And as the Dragons' performances got worse to the extent that they can hardly get any more worse, the bottom of the barrel as been reached, the belief that the WRU would axe them rather than another region became reinforced. We should have prepared by researching what options there were for operating RP for football only, including how to raise finance to buy the ground from the WRU. The Gwent area is poorly provided with football stadiums and realistically RP is our only possible home if we are to stay on our own patch and not groundshare miles away again. The WRU may be willing to offer a good deal on the sale of RP if it was seen as a sop to local people as they extricate themselves from Newport but leave the city with a good football ground rather than a derelict rugby stadium.

All the above assumes that they have no use for the ground, and want to sell.

The WRU didn't want to own the Ebbw Vale share of the Dragon's, and then they didn't want to own the remaining 50%, but had a TV contract to protect. If they were to abandon the ground, they could have done that when they owned 100%, and moved lock stock and barrel to the Arms Park. Instead they have invested, along with County and the Dragon's.

While everyone wants security, achieving it is not often possible - ask a Chelsea Fan.

Newport RFC owned RP and did nothing to it for decades and decades of their most successful period. They then started to upgrade (for the benefit of the Dragon's) and lost it.

The only way to give security is for the facility to be used well, and shared, so that all parties have an interest in continuing.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I see more likely hood of the region merging with Cardiff Blues than simply losing the regional club network that oftain initially produces Welsh talent.

A couple of points.

The situation is fluid. It is not static. What the WRU wanted and believed in 2 or 3 years ago is not necessarily the same as they want now. The Dragons continuing failures have encouraged a belief that they will never be right and will continue to be a money pit for the WRU. Whereas originally they might have hoped that new ownership would herald the dawn of a successful period in the Dragons history. Instead they are now a complete basket case with many wanting to read the last rites over them, bury them, forget them and concentrate on traditional club rugby. Also, unlike when the WRU bought RP, they and rugby in Wales are in serious trouble encouraging the belief that resources have to be concentrated on fewer teams with fewer players earning big money. The WRU bought RP to save the Dragons. Without the Dragons the need to own RP no longer exists. They might be only too willing to sell the place to County which might be the key to quitting Newport without too much embarrassment.

Of course, the Dragons region would be merged with Cardiff. The regional system is based on the principle that all of Wales is in a rugby region, with the Gogs being in the Scarlets region. But this would only be a theoretical nicety with no practical meaning and no games being played in Newport as no Dragons games of significance were played in Ebbw Vale.

Stan A. Einstein wrote: May 5th, 2022, 11:04 am Access isn't a problem for anyone not just football fans. As for parking I never had a problem and if the Rodney Parade site were to be developed for another purpose the developers would doubtless develop transport infrastructure.

Let's analyse this. This news story may or may not have legs. If it does the problem I have been going on about for years is about to rear up and bite us in the arse.

If however this time it is a false alarm, what about next time? Or the time after that?

So should our response be live in denial, like George Street Bridge? Should our response be simply to imply that nothing can be done, like Colin?

Or should our response be to accept we have a problem? Admit that we at present don't have the answers? And work together as a fans owned club to find those answers?

This is a potentially crucial moment in our history. And it is possible that we face an insurmountable difficulty. But I think that unlikely. What I do think is that times of crisis can be times of opportunity. If we face up to the problem, if we work together, if we refuse to listen to those content with mediocrity then perhaps we can start being in control of our own destiny.

More grandiose word soup. Far from being in denial, I think potentially this is a thumping great opportunity to cement our position as the city's leading sports team.