Tony has laid out his plans for all to see. Less of a risk than some investment group rolling into town, full of promise and charisma but 2 years down the line wanting to raise everyone's rent, not allow them to see any of the bar/food take. And neglected the place in the mean time.

Of course there's a risk. But it's an educated one. Left in the councils hands the skircoat will be left to rot, much like the north stand was, until eventually it becomes condemned. Do we want a return to the days of the Shay Stadium Trust where despite some hard workng folk been involved, lack of cash meant little could be done. How many posts did we see on here moaning about rusting crush barriers, lack of paint on metal, the state of the actual Skircoat Rd boundary, list goes on.

IS IT A RISK? Yes but then so is leaving the Shay in the hands of the Council who cant do a proper job on keeping the shay up to standards and who lack vision and money to do much with the Calderdale area.
DO I TRUST TONY ABBOTT? Not completely but I trust him more than a Council that has taken the area backwards and is happy to sell everything to anybody and everybody. I would rather the ground be sold to Tony Abbott than somebody who has no interest in the area or the clubs. Tony is far from perfect but I want the town of Halifax to finally have something worth talking about and have somebody who is willing to risk everything he has to give something to the area. It saddens me to see that Halifax is a backwater town which offers little. I believe Tony can make the Stadium something for all the community and help give the town something bigger and better than is in existance

Whether we like it or not the people who actually bother to go to the Shay to watch Fax or Town is very small. WHy should the Council pander to such a small percentage of the Calderdale Population? I would hope that TA and the Council can come to an arrangement that will guarentee the best for Fax and also certain legal agreements that protect Fax. I dont like football, nor do I have anytime for Halifax Town and as such couldnt care less whether the deal is good for them or not. But if the Stadium is used by more people and in use 7 days a week that can only be good
The backward thinking on the Town forum who seemingly are now happy with the state of the Shay and dont see the need for it to be a 15 or 20,000 capacity stadium is shocking. The venue could host possibly games involving England ladies Football(as Salford and Warringtons new grounds have done) as well as maybe Rugby League Challenge Cup Semi finals or host Pop COncerts like Huddersfield has done (Brian Adams and Bon Jovi for example have played at Huddersfield. The Stadium HAS to be more than just a stadium for Fax and HTFC. The Stadium should be used as a way to promote the Town and area to far more people as it currently is. The Shay will be an old relic in 10 years time. I dont want that to happen and why I want TA to see what he can do

A great win by Town today, they are now in the FA Cup 1st round.
Wouldn't it be great for them in the future to entertain bigger clubs in a Stadium fit for purpose?
Step up Mr Abbott.

With steel fortitude and fair wind we can help them. We only want to help them Roland.

Well? You've had some answers, you can't just disappear.

Why does the skircoat stand needs redevelopment? Nither club needs it. The only urgent work is pitch drainage which was not addressed.

Firstly - health and safety.

Potential to hold bigger non-Halifax games like World Cup games and finals.

TV requirement.

To name a few.

Its a shame that they are away to MK Dons because even with my limited football knowledge I know that is going to be really tough for them

I would also like to point out to these town fans ,who keep harping on about he isn,t saying how much he is paying, it is this,
if they walked into a car showroom haggled with a car salesman and managed to nail his price to the board, would they then proceed to tell every other customer in the showroom, what they were going to pay for the car no, why, because some one would walk up and and say, i will give you a tenner more than him and steal the deal.

And also lets not forget if he does buy the ground, whats going to attract more investors to the a stadium. A half finished stand looking like an eyesore which needs a million spending on it, or a new stadium. A potential backer would be more interested in coming on board if the shay stands were already completed and the shay was appealing to the eye. Especially when the cameras were down the shay for cup games etc advertising would go through the roof .He is thinking on the right lines give him a chance.

Does anyone know how long Mr Abbott would now have to wait before he could buy the shay?

I believe Bubba has slowed it down to another 6 months, I could be wrong

As I understand it, the 6 months does not start until the council actually announce that it is up for sale which they have not yet done. This then gives any other interested party 6 months to come up with a better offer.

Incidentally, am I correct in thinking that it was the council who granted the Shay it's ACV status? If so then I assume they could just as easily revoke that status should a property developer come in with a "true" value offer which it couldn't resist.

Also, when the FCHT fans say "why bother doing anything with the Skircoat Stand, neither club needs the capacity" don't they realise that it has to be maintained? It won't do much for the image of either club when the "Condemned" notices go up. There are trees growing through the terracing, aren't there?

It`s hardly likely to be addressed either now ,I hardly think the Council are going to be puting any more money in do you?

1. Health and safety - Are you saying the stadium is unsafe well it appears to be open and have a safety certificate.
2. Err Italy v Tonga, NRC final, Huddersfield giants games
3. What TV requirement? FCHT v Charlton, Italy V
Tonga, Championship Play offs all teleivised Whats the problem.
However the match has to go ahead so pitch should be a priority, In fact the current pitch is not fit enough for both clubs hence the Training restrictions etc.

Ok I will play your game.

1. Stands get old and need maintaining. Like previously mentioned by another poster, tree roots under stands, roof gantries need replacing, roofs need fixing and so forth. It may pass now but for how long.

2. errr..... well done but wait, they are using North, South and East - errr.... there is a stand missing...... oh wait its Skircoat!

3. Again gantries, I know from Sky and Premier Sports point of view the current spot for them isn't great and if any unfortunate souls do use the Skircoat stand - their view is impaired e.g. Featherstone Rovers this season. A new complete stand can allow the stadium to be used in different capacities!

Your 4th point - well, I am not in a position to comment but didn't TA mention he would sort this too? It was an issue for the Dewsbury game at the beginning of the year so I am sure he is fully aware.