[Archived] Revamped Riverside Stand ?

[Tim Southampton Rover]

This would be a very bizarre stand for us to copy:

Or give the away fans this one:

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Conformation Syed will be looking at improving Ewood Park stadium.

[Claytons Left Boot]

I think we could also make more of the fact that the River Darwen is just behind. Perhaps a nice new bridge for the fans to walk across, similar to the Wainwright Bridge. At the back of the newly developed stand, we could incorporate a few shops with a nautical feel, may be selling canoes, yachts, or motor boats for hire, like those you used to see in Queens Park in the 60's. Why not have pre match competitions with the away fans, first to reach Ewood by boat from Jack Keys in Darwen. Perhaps an 'It's a knockout' theme with Stuart Hall making a comeback. How about an Ewood sub aqua club? For those that wanted the club badge altering, why not have the Titanic with a big red rose painted on the side. A bit of forward thinking is all that is required.

[Hughesy]

SSN Article.....

An increase in the capacity of 31,000-seat Ewood Park would also include other developments, according to Syed.

"Right now all of those plans are in the first stage and it would be very premature for me to speak about those plans," he said.

"But you need to create a lot of assets, in and around Ewood Park, in order to make it self-sustainable."

So what will those 'other' things be?

Hotel?? Leisure complex? New train line to help fans get to the ground?

A bigger Blues bar wouldnt go a miss either.....perhaps they could also build a multi-storey for parking space too?? Would help parking problems & the club could charge a reasonable price (£5-7) and get thousands for each home game.....

[DanLad]

SSN Article.....

An increase in the capacity of 31,000-seat Ewood Park would also include other developments, according to Syed.

"Right now all of those plans are in the first stage and it would be very premature for me to speak about those plans," he said.

"But you need to create a lot of assets, in and around Ewood Park, in order to make it self-sustainable."

So what will those 'other' things be?

Hotel?? Leisure complex? New train line to help fans get to the ground?

A bigger Blues bar wouldnt go a miss either.....perhaps they could also build a multi-storey for parking space too?? Would help parking problems & the club could charge a reasonable price (£5-7) and get thousands for each home game.....

Think big!

An extra burgar van, or something?

[Tim Southampton Rover]

A giant happy shopper corner shop

[deryck guyler's spoon]

Unless we can incorporate some kind of finance generating communty facilties in any new development I dont see the point on ground developments. The Riverside might not be the most easy on the eye but it serves it's purpose a is a link back to our more humble days. Until we are turning Rovers fans away from games money would be better spent elsewhere

[Hughesy]

Probably good money in a hotel (Cant think of too many top name hotels in bburn?), with perhaps a northcote restaurant attached and plenty of conference facilities....

Boltons hotel & conference area etc does very well - and gets the darts too!

[tony gale's mic]

Probably good money in a hotel (Cant think of too many top name hotels in bburn?), with perhaps a northcote restaurant attached and plenty of conference facilities....

Boltons hotel & conference area etc does very well - and gets the darts too!

Only thing is the area immediately surrounding Ewood is hardly salubrious. Bolton's place is in a retail park which is a bit away from everything.

A luxury hotel on the way into Darwen would be a little odd!

[Neil Weaver]

Probably good money in a hotel (Cant think of too many top name hotels in bburn?), with perhaps a northcote restaurant attached and plenty of conference facilities....

Aye, they'd go down a treat in cosmopolitan Ewood. What more could punters want after delighting in Primark and the Mall for couple of hours than to round things off with a cocktail and lunch at the Ewood Complex?

[RevidgeBlue]

I think we've well and truly missed the boat regarding a hotel since Jack wanted to do it, since then the Travelodge, Travelinn and Fernhurst have gone up suggesting it would have been a good idea had we got in first.

Can't see any real reason why why a number of state of the art leisure facilities round the ground wouldn't do well though. The town centre's a dump.

[Hughesy]

Another rovers bar, restaurant, hotel with spa facilities, big conference facilities, cinema, shops, rail link - he clearly has plans to transform the area otherwise why would he suggest 'other' when developing Ewood Park.

Perhaps make ewood available for events like concerts? (Hotel would be full then)

Also how about a way to attract the asian community - Bollywood cinema.

Just a load of ideas...dont shoot me down

[RevidgeBlue]

Another rovers bar, restaurant, hotel with spa facilities, big conference facilities, cinema, shops, rail link - he clearly has plans to transform the area otherwise why would he suggest 'other' when developing Ewood Park.

Perhaps make ewood available for events like concerts? (Hotel would be full then)

Also how about a way to attract the asian community - Bollywood cinema.

Just a load of ideas...dont shoot me down

I think a good rail link to the ground would be huge, this has been discussed countless times before and British Rail won't pay hence the cost would fall on Rovers and is very expensive indeed.

But perhaps Mr. Syed could afford it. Who knows?

[tony gale's mic]

Syed's team have people who know a shedload about marketing, a shedload about football (French guy), a shedload about business, but what they don't know very much about is Blackburn as a town.

I just hope some of his ambitious plans don't get dampened when he sees some of the less positive things about the place.

[BuckyRover]

I have been considering exactly the same thing myself.

He seems professional though. He must know already

[RevidgeBlue]

I just hope some of his ambitious plans don't get dampened when he sees some of the less positive things about the place.

On the contrary, the fact the facilities in the town centre are so ordinary could mean that a lot of money spent around ewood might go down very well. I would say the town could desperately use another nightclub for a start.

The main problem might be it is a primarily residential area and the traffic system isn't the best.

[Ewood and I Would]

A bigger Blues bar wouldnt go a miss either.....

Too bad Syed is a tee-total Muslim then who states he will not invest in Alcohol or Gambling on moral grounds.

[tony gale's mic]

Too bad Syed is a tee-total Muslim then who states he will not invest in Alcohol or Gambling on moral grounds.

Where did he say that?

[Ewood and I Would]

Where did he say that?

http://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk/news/8313727.The_man_bidding_for_Blackburn_Rovers/

"Mr Syed, a teetotaller, has said that he has few constraints on investments although he would not invest in alcohol-related businesses or gambling on moral grounds."

[DanLad]

http://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk/news/8313727.The_man_bidding_for_Blackburn_Rovers/

"Mr Syed, a teetotaller, has said that he has few constraints on investments although he would not invest in alcohol-related businesses or gambling on moral grounds."

Rovers is alcohol and gambling related, already, isn't it?

I've bought drinks in the ground and I've seen people have a flutter...

[unluckymorton]

Rovers is alcohol and gambling related, already, isn't it?

I've bought drinks in the ground and I've seen people have a flutter...

Rovers is not an alcohol or gambling business though, there are just franchises within our stadium that provide the betting facilities and the alcohol is big business with a big profit margin within the ground.

You've really planted a seed there DanLad, by the end of the day the doom and gloom brigade on this message board will have Ewood Park alcohol & gambling free!!!

Note to bob fleming; I mean alcohol free, not free alcohol.

[Iceman]

Just to clear up something about the alcohol and gambling bit. I dont think he will have any objections if the club sold Alcohol(part and parcel of owning a football club in the UK and the rest of the world, except for the Arab and other muslim countries). What he says, is that as a Muslim, he will not use his OWN money, to fund alcohol or gambling.

[modes98]

Unless we can incorporate some kind of finance generating communty facilties in any new development I dont see the point on ground developments.

From my understanding there is a significant cost associated with keeping the stand in working order, so doing it up would remove a substansial amount of that cost, whilst also improving fan satisfaction, facilities and the impression the stadium presents on TV.

[Hughesy]

Syed simply needs to build the units & LET them out for use as a pub & gambling then...that way he is investing in property, not alcohol or whatever.

The Rail link is the biggy but surely he could afford it!

[rog of the rovers]

I just hope that if/when a new stand is built, Mr Syed's legacy will rival Jacks and thus the stand can be named after him.