That other team in SW5!

[CorkedHat]

It seems that that other team in SW6 might be soon be that other team in SW5.

Chel sea are in talks to quit their 105-year old home at Stamford Bridge and build a 60,000-seater stadium on the site of the soon-to-be-demolished Earls Court exhibition centre.
Full story: The Guardian

[HatterDon]

not far enough away. Have they considered that great stadium in Abu Dhabi?

[Rambling_Syd_Rumpo]

there were rumours of this a couple of years ago that this might happen,make sense really,having a team that did well in Europe playing in an iconic stadium just down the road from them must really be causing them problems!

[michaelread]

The question is.



Do we move in?

[sipwell]

The question is.

Do we move in?

No!

[michaelread]

The question is.

Do we move in?

No!

i love the cottage as much as the rest of you, but complacency comes at the price of progression. There is pros and cons to both

[JBH]

If FFC move to the Bridge then I will not be joining them, it was bad enough going to LoftarseRoad for 2 seasons!!  :019:

[GoldCoastWhite]

I know we were offered the dog track first but I wouldn't be at all comfortable with the idea, even if we bulldozed the stadium
and had a priest perform an exorcism on the rubble  :037:. Craven Cottage, by the river, take me home Al Fayed.

[Burt]

Emotionally, we can't move. Its got to be the Cottage.

Pragmatically, a move makes sense if the club want to expand revenues through increased attendances and more emphasis on corporate entertainment. And its not as if the move is that far from where we are now.

Its a "head v. heart" debate.

And heads normally win in the world of football.

I can't see Chelse.a moving out though, I don't think they will get planning permission for the new stadium.

[Fletchino]

This a hard one to call I'm all for the club going forward and bigger ground is what we need. If they moved out and the ground was empty for a season every think in it Chelsea related burnt on the pitch all the shity blue seats burnt and brand new black and white ones put in all blue paint changed to black the mathew Harding stand replaced with a helicopter and we just might have a deal and a 50 foot johny haynes over looking fulham broadway

[michaelread]

I'd hate to move there. I'd really, really hate to. But to be honest, if we did and it all fell into place for us, we could be pulling 40k crowds and be up there with the Villas and Evertons, hovering around those 5.6.7 spots and pushing for the odd 4th every now and then.

But, in saying that, I'd take guaranteed top flight mid table mediocrity with Craven Cottage than upper mid table mediocrity with Stamford bridge.

Head says yes, heart says hell no

[TonyGilroy]

I think there's a fair chance that Chelsea will build a new stadium at Earls Court but they'd want planning permission for Stamford Bridge to be redeveloped as Arsenal did with Highbury.

The only way we'd be in with a chance is if the planners insisted that the site had to remain as a sports stadium and I think that's very unlikely. Almost inconceivable in fact.

Having said that I have to say that if we could move there we should. Rebranded as ours it would be exactly what we need.

[Peabody]

I can see the economic sense in a proposed move but let me put it this way, what would you prefer, a walk through Fulham Broadway, or a walk through Bishop's Park? Simple really. By the way, no way will H&F sanction us taking over Stamford Bridge, if we move, then we would have to move out of the borough, unless we were to obtain the Earls Court site.

[Fletchino]

What would be funny is if we buy the land and just leave it to rot

[TonyGilroy]

By the way, no way will H&F sanction us taking over Stamford Bridge, if we move, then we would have to move out of the borough, unless we were to obtain the Earls Court site.

Why would that be. I can see the owners of Stamford Bridge wanting a more profitable use but with Chelsea gone why would H&F care if we moved in?

Obviously the future use of Craven Cottage would be up for argument.

[Logicalman]

A move to a larger stadium (without the expense of building it) makes perfect sense, but we are not perfect, and unless the cottage (or replica) came with us, it could tear the central identity out of the club.

The problem I see is that if we don't take the opportunity, there is always the chance that those other jokers down the road just might!!  :010:

[ImperialWhite]

A move to a larger stadium (without the expense of building it) makes perfect sense, but we are not perfect, and unless the cottage (or replica) came with us, it could tear the central identity out of the club.

The problem I see is that if we don't take the opportunity, there is always the chance that those other jokers down the road just might!!  :010:

You mean QPR? They're desperate for a new stadium. If they thought they could fill it I imagine they'd definitely go.

[Peabody]

By the way, no way will H&F sanction us taking over Stamford Bridge, if we move, then we would have to move out of the borough, unless we were to obtain the Earls Court site.

Why would that be. I can see the owners of Stamford Bridge wanting a more profitable use but with the dark side gone why would H&F care if we moved in?

Obviously the future use of Craven Cottage would be up for argument.
.
Because, it is not only our local residents that are unhappy with a football club on their doorsteps, the residents around Fulham Broadway are not too keen either. If this proposed move goes ahead then the locals will not be to happy if we move in.

[epsomraver]

I believe that Bates got the supporters to buy the centre circle at Stamford Bridge so that they can control the future of the club, ( something we should have done)as they cannot sell out their ground these days and Chelski village has a mortage as big as the national debt and loses money the whole thing makes no sense and no way would Fulham ever move into Stamford Bridge, years ago Mo thought about it but I think he wants the quiet life now.

[TonyGilroy]

By the way, no way will H&F sanction us taking over Stamford Bridge, if we move, then we would have to move out of the borough, unless we were to obtain the Earls Court site.

Why would that be. I can see the owners of Stamford Bridge wanting a more profitable use but with the dark side gone why would H&F care if we moved in?

Obviously the future use of Craven Cottage would be up for argument.
.
Because, it is not only our local residents that are unhappy with a football club on their doorsteps, the residents around Fulham Broadway are not too keen either. If this proposed move goes ahead then the locals will not be to happy if we move in.

But if Chelsea move out as we move in the locals aren't worse off.