But Leigh was on a level, prepared site - and not having to be built up the side of a steep bank over an existing concrete terrace, with a cinder underfill, and needing to be at least twice as high as a result. I think that was one of the main reasons why the Odsal crater would have had to be filled in with a million tons or more of hardcore so there was a level site to build on? That said, I guess you save the costs of building the concrete ramped stand...?

I appreciate Odsal is not the easiest of grounds topographically, however construction companies are used to building incredibly complex structures in the middle of city centres surrounded by living businesses & thousands of workers & shoppers. Odsal would be vacated for the duration of the build, obviously the off-season so no loss of income. Any cantilevered construction would have to be piled anyway therefore the poor sub-soil is relatively of little additional cost I would think. Given the number of consultants working on OSV, several who we work with, I would be astounded if the Bulls have not got a reasonably accurate estimate just for a new roof. The devil is always in the detail. There will never be a better time to get competitive costs for construction works, between 30-50% less than 2 or 3 years ago (when Leigh was built).

...and bloody great holes too...

Unlikely.

Since if I could, I would be utilising most of them to jam up the respective 'arrises of the various muppets who allowed that situation to develop...

Valley Parade will be the death of the club.

TBH I don't think the chances of the OSV are any worse (or better) than they have ever been, I don't think the "cuts" affect it a great deal. The big question is and always has been whether there is a real desire on the part of the local authority to push it through, that is what has been sorely lacking in Bradford for many decades and if the current or recent councils had really wanted things to happen then they could have made them happen much quicker. It was and remains at least "possible" as opposed to all the previous "pie in the sky" schemes but was and remains unlikely to progress for the foreseeable. By which I mean REAL progress towards picks and shovels, not six-monthly talking shops.

I remember clearly reading that the big issue with a cantilever on the popular terrace is that Odsal is built on a tip and this would make constructing anything modern ruinously expensive, which is why the cheaper option, apparently, was to fill in the bowl and build on top. One of the biggest shames of the plan was that we would forever lose that magnificent and awe-inspiring Odsal bowl, but as the bean-counters of the OSV plans have decreed that - even if we had the money in place to build it tomorrow - we can't afford to build around the edges, but must fill it in for cost reasons, then there's your answer, the cost of supporting a cantilever stand over the terrace makes it not feasible. Not impossible, if you have enough money you can build anything anywhere - just financially not feasible.

Building a shed roof with supports, a la Coral stand, would just be embarrassing. Thank god there's zero chance of it happening.

It may end up our only option. Odsal in it's present state isn't fit for purpose, that's what the chairman says and he's right.

The club will find it increasingly difficult if it stays in an undeveloped Odsal. It's massive financial millstone as it is and will only cost more and more eventually dragging it under.

As has been said above the Council have never had the will to do anything with it and that means it'll never get re-developed.

I predict we'll be at VP within 5 years.

One of the things I don't understand is the need to fill in the bowl. You have got to have terracing. If the bowl is filled you then need to build new concrete terraces. Unless I am missing something.

The whole site is apparently highly unstable because it is an old tip. Hence (as FA too recalls) why it is apparently not financially practicable to anchor a decent cantilever structure. You need a solid hardcore base, which the filled-in bowl (as PH explained at the last FF) would then provide.

Then of course you would not need to build anything like such high terraces, because your new stadium would have a lower capacity BUT would have terracing (whether covered in seast or not) on all sides. And of course you can put all sorts of useful things under or abutting the concrete trerracing for only modest extra cost, like food outlets, bars, bogs, offices, corporate facilities changing rooms, massage parlours (for Tigertot), baby changing facilities (for Angela powers), creche (for Gledhill)...all of which you would otherwise have to build separately or use what is there now like the far-from-ideal Coral Stand.

I just think that the same could happen with us moving to Valley Parade as the crowds will drop off significantly (history repeating itself again).

Just make sure I have a good view of the pitch.

I still find it difficult to understand why it isn't cheaper to build a simple cantilever over what is there already. Sinking piles 50m into the ground is not unusual. IIRC Trafford Centre is built off landfill. The vital corporate facilities are usually at the back of the stand to give clear views of the pitch, these could be formed at the back of the stand/concourse level. I am so intrigued I will discuss the options with our structural engineering consultants.

Dont worry everyone, in 3 years when i come to power ill build us a nice 50k stadium, ill also say odsal is a home so ill claim expences on it, i will also buy the club and give all my fellow Bradfordians free season tickets, just you wait.

If you run for PM, you have my vote mate