Grounds for discussion

Last updated : 04 November 2013 By Greg Shaw

Is Brian the right man for the job? Can Sam Winnall really score 20 goals this season? Will we be playing in a new ground come 2020? Do we need an experienced goalkeeper to be serious contenders?

Spot the odd one out.... Whilst in the short-term talk of a new ground may appear fanciful and not important; it's arguably the most pertinent question on the list when it comes to in ensuring a sustainable Scunthorpe United. As it stands, in 2013, Glanford Park and the surrounding land is solid gold real estate for either retail or housing development.

The concept of extending the ground or indeed moving grounds has been floated around seriously now for 6 or 7 years. Looking from the outside at least during Steve Wharton's reign as Chairman it looked like the club never really got past commissioning the ill-fated plans to extend the Doncaster Road End, a short-term expensive solution. However, surely a Chairman and Businessman of Mr Wharton's ilk would've had more than one eye on selling Glanford Park from the moment developers started buying up land in the surrounding area in the early 2000's.

At this time the club was not in a position on and off the pitch to press forward with plans and not even the most optimistic fan could have expected Wharton to have anticipated the extent of the future successes brought to the club by Adkins, Crosby, Sharp, Hooper et al.

For the fans, media and local politicians, the issue of moving grounds grew in prominence between 2006 and 2011. At this time, the club's infrastructure and facilities were creaking under the new found success and they were not in the position to capitalise on potential revenue streams from large contingents of travelling away support in the Championship.

This six year window of success made a new ground look almost required / needed. This was not a window Mr Wharton could take full advantage. The country’s town planning system and the local council (a key delivery partner) would have not be able to cope with bringing forward plans for such a large, complex and important development in such a short time frame. Not to mention the club would've been trying to sell their land during the middle of the recession. This left extending Glanford Park as the only option, one Mr Wharton would be desperate not to pursue due to high development costs (for a modest increase in revenue) and not wanting to substantially invest in a site the club may want to sell in the next 10 years.

In 2013, the fortunes of the club on the pitch look to have plateaued at an all too familiar level for fans and the likelihood of the club being back in the Championship in the near future looks slim. This means the club and it's new Chairman Mr Swann look to have the luxury of time on their side. The club now has the time to work with the local authority to develop plans, and squeeze every last penny out of a developer when selling Glanford Park.

So regardless of whether Brian is the right man for the job, Sam Winnall scores 20+ goals and the club brings in an experienced goalkeeper; it is time for the club to start functioning as a business and move forward with plans for a new ground. In doing so the club must fully engage with fans and the local community in order to bring forward a well-planned and designed asset for the club and the town.

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