Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer
Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer
Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has made his thoughts clear on proposals to construct a brand new stadium for the club - but some Chronicle Live readers in our comments section think that the club shouldn't rush into a "purely emotional" decision that may not work out in the long term.
Newcastle have been exploring their options to expand their current home or construct a new stadium, and hope to reach a decision regarding the future of St James' Park early next year. Brad Miller, who is Newcastle's chief operating officer, has said that a 'transformed' St James' Park would bring in 'significantly more money', while a new ground 'not too far away' has the potential to earn more than twice as much.
With the club under financial limitations, it's an important decision to make in order to match the ever-growing spending power of the other clubs in the Premier League. Shearer, speaking to World Soccer Talk, said: "If it’s at all possible to extend the ground and stay there, then that would be my preferred choice.
"Even if they’re not [staying], I think it would be really important to keep it centrally located because that’s one of the key things. The great thing about our club is that it’s right in the middle of the city and it means so much to everyone."
Not everyone agreed with the Newcastle United legend. Reader Alan1472 says: “Extending St. James' Park will NOT unlock the financial and commercial benefits the club needs to compete at the highest levels, therefore the only solution is a re-build.”
1Flyingmag writes: "Get a brand new 80,000 stadium, an extra 28,000 places added, still on the hill, still dominating the city, still in touch with the local businesses and pubs, improving Newcastle United's bottom line, attracting more events to the venue and more business for Newcastle and the Tyneside areas. Plus room for the members who can't get in, and still have room for extending if necessary.”
Arko says: “I love St. James' Park, it has loads of great memories for me, of great times with friends, who some have passed on. But I think a move is the only way forward, we need to expand and we need to be in a position to be able to expand the capacity again if needed. Like they say, move with the times, stand still and time will pass you by, and that means we would be left in the past.”
Giveitarestman writes: “I'd like to stay, but the only way that is happening would be to demolish and re-build, as adding a few thousand extra seats to the Gallowgate end just will not be enough. If we want to get to where we want to be, then a state of the art stadium is a must, where the incoming revenue can give us a massive boost to our spending. Anyone thinking we can carry on at St. James' Park is being too sentimental, yes, there are memories, but new memories will be made in a new home.”
Have your say! How much should fond memories and sentimentality play into major decisions like these? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.