Wolves to stall Molineux stadium revamp
Thursday 19th January 2012, 10:59AM GMT.
Wolves owner Steve Morgan today revealed he was delaying the second phase of the £18 million redevelopment of Molineux.
Work would have started on the Steve Bull stand at the end of this season.
But construction has been stalled to plough funds into ensuring the club’s new football academy at Compton Park is up to the top Premier League standard.
That £6 million development work will also include a new training ground.
The Premier League recently recategorised academies, after the initial decision to redevelop Molineux.
Club chief executive Jez Moxey said today: “The stadium redevelopment was always to be constructed in phases, each to be taken on its merits at the time.
“The board felt that if we didn’t proceed with the academy redevelopment we would never be able to revisit it, whereas the stadium was always planned to be a long-term project.”
Last month it emerged work to put a new roof on the Stan Cullis stand has already been delayed until the end of February because high winds were causing difficulties for workers lifting the steelwork into place.
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
The south bank could well end up being used as the away end again but after last nights performance why bother entering the competition at all!
Report abuse
What, nothing to do with the impending relegation then! Even now, they can’t help themselves spinning the truth! Mind you, the Cullis stand looks like it may never get finished; As for the match vs Villa, I bet Muck MuckCarthy is on the dog & bone to Alexander MuckLeish right now saying “Big Al, if we agree to agree on a draw, that will be the least damaging outcome for both of us and we will still be in a job come May,don’t you think so jimmy?” So lump on a stinking 0-0 on Saturday as Muck embarks on the final phase of operation ‘Keep me in my job’;In fact, make that a double vs Scouse Utd !
Report abuse
Preparing for the Championship!
Report abuse
Here we go again. Spend! Spend! Spend! BUT NOT where it matters. i.e. buying players that are up to Premier Standard instead of Ground improvements. What good are ground improvements until we have a team that Warrants Premiership football. The replay against Birmingham was an absolute disgrace. With the exception of Ebanks-Blake (who I marked 5 out of 10 and Docherty 4 out of 10)I gave them ALL 3 out of 10 It was obvious that MM did not want to extend a cup run.
The “top Ten position” JM wanted must be in the Championship. Transfer window over half way through. All other teams in the relegation zone are signing players. Why not us.?
Report abuse
Are we seeing Steve Morgan starting to inch his way out of Molineux as he sees a club that seems to have a curse on it? But maybe he’s been asked back onto the board of his beloved club ‘Scouse Utd’ ?
Report abuse
whats the point in developing an academy when the youth players dont get a game before being shipped out on loan and then sold for a tiny fee?
pure ineptitude from the club AGAIN
Report abuse
You only has to look at the empty seats for the b’ham match to realise why.
Report abuse
To quote Mssrs’ Morgan & Moxey, ” Stating in the Premier League is key to the further re-development of Molineux so our priority is to stay there”; Well we can only deduce from today’s not unexpected announcement that being relegated is the assumed default in the boardroom; Happy now Mssrs’ ‘Noisy’, ‘Sir Billy ….’, ‘John wolf’, those few who were brave/stupid enough to try to defend/mitigate the shambles of last night’s turd-fest and little old ‘Sue’ herself. A big WELL-DONE, you have got your wish, Mick safe at ANY cost;
Report abuse
‘Redrow Homes will build 55 new four-and five-bed executive homes on the remainder of the University’s land, providing a large part of the enabling funding necessary to make the proposals happen.’
“whistles softly, eyes looking upwards . . . ‘
Report abuse
Inept and poor management on and off the field, the current team does not promote the acadamy players due the the eliteism of the premiership status, of the field Both Morgan & Moxey are leading the supporters a merry dance, long term projects my arsenal, the stadium will not be full to capacity whilst we are in the Chumpionship.
Morgan once a RED always a RED
Report abuse
That’s the attitude 1 – 6, why don’t you all move to Manchester, maybe you would be happier there!
Report abuse
Why do we have an academy when the players are never given a chance at first team level?
Report abuse
O no your not going to leave us with that white elephant stuck on its own why didn’t u just fill the corners in and spend the money on the team well the way your running this club the only peeps in the ground will be you and the other 2ms
Report abuse
Well thanks Morgan, Moxey and the rest of them idiots on the board… You have completely ruined the look of the ground and piece by piece, Day by Day, hour by hour your ruining our club, the club that we all love with all of our heart!
Just go… The lot of you… Morgan, Moxey, McCarthy and the other goons who are ripping out the heart of the Mighty WWFC!
Why doesnt Robert Plant buy em… Bet hes got the wonga too!!!
Report abuse
Oh what a suprise that is! With Useless Mick taking us and our Championship squad down is anybody suprised that the directors realise it’s pointless developing the ground any further to only ever see it half full? We all know we should have said “Thanks Mick” and “Goodbye” when we were promoted – now we’re reaping what we’ve sown – last night was utterly depressing! B’ham very totally superior to us all over the pitch. That’s a supposedly Premiership squad! Sadly by the time they wake up and get rid of Mick it will be too late.
Report abuse
oldrocker -9
spot on, i was going to cut and paste same story.
Morgan needs to be careful when making statements and commitments and then retracting them. We all know things change and it might be the right decision but the expectation was set that this was moving ahead.
WWFC need a renovation on the Steve Bull stand as the boxes and commercial are not up to par and not fetching the income.
Charlie
ATLANTA WOLVES
Report abuse
That is the biggest load of rubbish I have ever read, the acadamy was so called state of the art when it was built not to long ago, why dont you just tell the truth Wolves, your frightened you wont fill it.
And with the shambles the world saw last night I wouldn’t blame you, but please tell the truth, we are not all numpties as your Manager likes to call us!!!
Time to invest in the team and you know it, but you wont pay the wages, sell it Morgan, sell it to someone thats wants to build a club with ambition, not a club with the oh well we stayed up didn’t we, that is just not good enough!!!!
Report abuse
Rubbish on and off the field three ms out now .
Report abuse
good old mick, on sky yesterday saying i cant believe itv have put us back on live tv !!!!!!!!!! what an inspiration you are to us all !
Report abuse
My post No (8) has an obvious error that I thought had been caught by me prior to sending, so before the trolling starts, it should have been “staying in the Premier League……” WeeHee
Report abuse
Investing the money to build new houses at Compton is the priority – and making a big profit for Mr morgan. Why can’t they just be honest instead of constantly spinning us a line. They must think we are stupid!!!!
Report abuse
Filled in 10,000 last night, for a FA Cup derby match at a reduced ticket price…what are the chances of us filling the ground.
Report abuse
after that sham performance last night i cant blame him what a embaresement of an attempt to even stay in the cup let alone score shame on you mm and all the team
Report abuse
Number 4 – Ground improvements are good for people who bother to attend matches
All other teams in the relegation zone are signing players but not us?
Who exactly has signed for who? Is Frimpong not a signing? Is Jonsson not a signing?
It’ll be Bring back McGhee next! jeez some people need to wake up and realise the strides we have made over the past 5 years
And as for sacking MM, to bring in who??????
There is nobody better available anyway!
Support the team muppet
Report abuse
I personally hope Wolves get relegated…
Wolves fan all my life but I think the players and fans need a reality check.
Report abuse
This is not a bad thing. With the new Stan Cullis stand open for the next season the attendance will be 31,000, more than enough to bring in fans and make money. There is no point Morgan over spending, trying to do the Molineux, the Academy and finance deals for players all at the same time could skint us. There is no point rushing into it, over spending and ending up with the administrators called in. He said when we first went up that everything would be done slowly to keep our heads above water so that’s fine by me.
Keep the Faith
Report abuse
12 Tipton Mark – the academy is a source of income, take a look a the list of players sold on starting with Robbie Keane.
Report abuse
I think it’s a sensible decision as he’s a business man it’s the right move. Surely securing the 55 new homes will bolster finances for his portfolio, why keep expanding the stadium if the ROI (return on investment) is not as quick as the other project. I think the board have calculated or predicting that 3-4 other clubs will not have as much points as us – yes a risk but we should survive. What I don’t understand is why he’s still got MM and clipboard. Maybe there will be change in the next season if we stay up – which there is a good chance. Most of you guys will disagree with me, but just my opinion.
Report abuse
more lies from the club, Jez Moxey was quoted earlier in the season saying the reason for the possible delays in the redevelopment was down to falling attendances but now the club are saying its down to academy investment etc..
It’s utter rubbish again, why are we so obsessed with off the field when quite obviously it’s on the field that needs looking at. Lets hope the money which was put aside for the new stand can now be invested in the team right now.
Report abuse
Absolutly ridiculous. So now we end up with a lopsided ground with one stand higher than the other 3 and not properly joined in the corners! What a mess…just like the manager & team. If it was always a possibility the development would be halted then why didn’t they start with the Bull stand instead of demolishing a new stand that was perfectly ok? The Bull stand is 33yrs old and is looking decidedly tired. A new larger stand along the length of the pitch would have looked ok. Our ground was attractive, symmetrical & all the stands matched. Now it will look an unfinished mess. I dont care about the training ground. I dont go there, i’m not a hanger on or a sad anorak. They’ve just built a new one havn’t they? And McCarthy cant produce a winning team with the facilities he’s got so why give him better ones? Whats the problem? I go to Molineux like 99.9% of fans and want to see it finished with an attractive winning team. I’m afraid its 1960 & 1979 all over again. Every time we’re promised a decent stadium and a promising future we are badly let down. But most of the blame lies with our dull championship manager. If he’d built a good side and had a good cup run and got the place buzzing and the fans coming through the turnstiles i’m sure the owner, who has placed so much faith in him, wouldn’t be pressing the panic button! Honestly, you couldn’t make it up. Give Laurel & Hardy the job. Another fine mess!!!
Report abuse
well well well ??????
Report abuse
Well said No.14[Bully wully].
Report abuse
‘delayed until the end of February because high winds’
Hmm, maybe I’m wrong but we haven’t had three months of high winds. I want more than £40 off my next season ticket as compensation!
Report abuse
what’s up Doc?
Report abuse
What I dont understand is that the redevelopement of the training ground was announce months ago, this isnt new news? and Morgan had said that this project was self funding. i.e. buildng homes etc, so why now are we having to use the funds that were earmarked for the stadium.
Personally I think the new stand is a bit of a concrete eyesore,…the way the disabled area’s have been built looks ridiculous..no other stand ive seen have big gapping holes in it, for what looks like an accomadation of dozen or so people in each. So now we are left with a disjointing looking stadium, remember the next stage will take 2 seasons so if they postpone for 3years as mentioned it will be 5 years before we see phase 2,..absolute disgrace.
I feel Morgan and Moxey have already resigned to us going down and are now acting accordingly,…no investment on the team says it all.
And one more thing..if by some miracle they do sack MM, it wont be til the end of the transfer window..then they wont have to fund new signings a new manager will insist on.
Report abuse
Reminds me of the days with the old John Ireland stand this.. One part of the ground done 3 parts finished.. We had 4 good stands before this now we are left with a messed up stadium.. Surely proper funding should of been found before starting the whole process of rebuilding the stands, instead of doing a little bit at a time. this reminds me of a neighbour who lives near to me, he decided to do the work on the cheap, and has been left with a half finished house for years on end.. he thought he could get away with paying for a bit at a time.. I think it got to the point that the council was forcing him to finish it or pull the whole extension down.. Why do people start something they are not ready to complete, I will never know. I really cannot understand Morgan starting without full funding.. This just puts our ground and club in jeopardy, we cannot go forward this way.
Report abuse
Morgan is a RED…
Report abuse
!!!READ THIS MR STEVE MORGAN!!!
YA JUST SIR JACK IN DISGUISE BLESS HIM AT LEAST HE WAS A TRUE GENT AND A WOLVES FAN THRU AND THRU, HE GIVE UP AS HE COULDNT TAKE WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS ANY FURTHER AND AT HIS AGE FAIR PLAY TO HIM AND FROM ALL THE WOLVES FANS WE THANK HIM FOR WHAT HE DONE FOR “OUR” TEAM . BUT YOU HAVE COME IN AND REALLY DONE DIDDLY . YA GOT A MANAGER WHO AS LOST THE PLOT HALF THE TEAM AINT GOOD ENOUGH TO PLAY SUNDAY LEAGUE FOOTBALL AND MOXEY WHOS BRAIN IS JUST ££££££ WELL MORGAN GROW A PAIR AND SORT IT ALL OUT . THERES STILL A GREAT CHANCE OF STOPPING IN THE PREM NO PROBLEMS AT ALL WE NEED PLAYERS AND A BIG CLEAN OUT TOP TO BOTTOM
Report abuse
no25
high winds lol thats the only way they was gonna score last night was with the help of the wind lol sunday pub league football
Report abuse
My 13.32 post re Redrow, Morgan, costs and profits, should have been published as it has public interest value; It does no one a favor to hide information that should be in the public domain; If you doubt the efficacy of any of the facts, instead of going to Molineux and fawning over the club, try sending proper reporters who can delve a little deeper in to SM’s true intentions; Turn over a few stones, you might not like what you find !
Report abuse
Please mr plant buy our club so that bird brain morgan can sod of to liverpool we dont want him here niether do we want greaseball or thick useless mick we would all back you robert
Report abuse
The fact is we probably wouldnt fill the ground… but… They had to do either all of it or none of it… Because now it just looks odd and lopsided- I could understand if they said they would do the Steve Bull but leave the Jack Harris- at least then the ground would look good!
Compton is a nice enough training ground as it is without ‘developing it’ its only a couple of years old FFS!
This board worries me and with them in charge Im making a bold prediction now… if we go down it will be years before we come back up!
Report abuse
Mick McCarthy’s methods have surely been exposed now for all to see. He refuses (or cannot see) that to be a Premier league team you need to play and pass the ball to a high standard. Norwich are doing this in their first season in the Premier League. All of this comes down to the manager. Wolves need a manager who encourages talent and not just pointless effort. A new manager would dispense with Henry, Edwards, Elokobi, Ward, Hunt, as soon as possible in order to correct the blatant selection mistakes being made.
Report abuse
4 sale season ticket steve bull upper tier j8
Report abuse
i wonder how ticket sales for next season are going. squeeky bum time for mr moxy i think.
Report abuse
Sean O’Driscoll is only on a monthly contract to the end of the season at Forest.
If we want to watch good footy ie Swansea then get this wolves support in ASAP.
He would play the kids ..not like MM !
Report abuse
22 danny … don’t forget only 7500 of those were wolves fans , at £10 a shot! Though to be fair it was on free TV, we knew a 2nd string would be put out and the first match wasn’t exactly a thriller! …. just hope we stay up and complete the ground, as it looks kinda lopsided now! BTW … good to see Robert Plant at the game, but if he has any sense he won’t be wasting any of his £80million whilst mad mick is in charge! Just think , the led zep legend could blow his lifetime’s fortune on Torres & Tevez (and we’d still be rubbish!)
Report abuse
were all taken for fools
Report abuse
Lets hope that the new north bank does not turn out to be as big a white elephant as when the john irland stand was when it was built back in the late 70′s early 80′s.While it would be great to play in a nice new stadium with all mod cons, can’t help thinking that we needed to be an established premier league side for at least 4 maybe 5 years and selling out games week in week out before embarking on a new stadium.
Report abuse
NUMBER 11: HOW DARE YOU.
No thanks we don’t want 1 to 6 here please
Report abuse
30 – (Wembley 74) Excellent post and I couldn’t agree more with you, mate. Honestly, at times our club looks like it’s being run by a bunch of complete novices. It’s so bloody frustrating!
Given the sheer incompetence that’s being allowed to suffocate this wonderful old club, has anyone -like me- ever wondered just how Steve Morgan made that huge fortune of his? I tell you, it’s beyond me. He’s one of the few people left who seems to think McCarthy and Connor are the answer to our problems. He’s also directly responsible for the start-stop ground rebuild that’s making this club look utterly ridiculous at national level (not that a rebuild was necessary just yet anyway). And why worry about Compton? It aint as if we’re going to bring any new blood through, is it, Mick?
Wembley 74, I share your disillusion. It’s just like watching the old John Ireland Stand being erected, all over again. Both on and off the field we’re in turmoil and it’s depressing the life out of me. Sir Jack got things wrong (he’d be the first to admit that) but I always felt that the club I love was always in GENUINELY SAFE HANDS.
I don’t now. The bunch running the Wolves are seriously beginning to worry me.
Report abuse
11 & 50 – The club is a joke promises of players,ground etc. instead we are ripped off for supporting the club we love and now we are left with a all over the place looking ground. The ground work will not be completed in the next 10 years!
Report abuse
The problem with many of you so called supports is that you don’t really ‘support’ you just moan and complain. We have a team in the Premier League ! Have you forgotten the eighties ? Grow up and get behind the team or do something else with you weekends.
Report abuse
WWFC is one of the smartest run outfits from the 92. It would be wonderful to have smart fans as well. THIRD season in this league,lots of media coverage, good players, GREAT manager
Report abuse