All this talk of 60k+ capacity. I mean, I get that people want us to be the biggest we can be, but let's be serious for a minute. Our current capacity isn't even 40k, so anything above 50k is more than 25% increase. 60k and you're looking at a 50+% increase on what we currently have. Now I'm not saying we couldn't sell 60k tickets every now and then, but personally, I think a packed stadium with tickets being at a premium, rather than a stadium with 10k empty seats most weeks, is better for business and atmosphere.
Everyone saying it shows a lack of ambition by building a new stadium in a prime location with a smaller capacity than Liverpool is living in a dream world. Liverpool, whether we like it or not, are a global brand, along with Man Utd, they are on another level. Maybe we will get that big again, but at the moment, we're nowhere near it, and I'm pretty sure that the people doing the market research for the stadium will pick a capacity that reflects what is best for business. That doesn't make us small time. Also, im sure it said the other week that there would be scope for redevelopment. That is a positive, not a negative.
For those who think we are going for the cheap option, if that was the case, we wouldn't be looking at building where we are,there are much cheaper, less ambitious areas we could've redeveloped, and the location itself will be the true mark of ambition, not the initial capacity. If we improve to a point where we need to expand the capacity, that means we are doing things right on and off the pitch. In many ways, the cheaper option would be building it bigger now, so it's not a cost cutting exercise. It's about strategy, not showing off.
