I wondered what will happen to the public sports facilities on site, the changing rooms, the training pitches etc? With the council selling up to the Doc does that mean they have sold that side of it too? I'd be honest apart from us using the facilities on site rather than travel to Leigh it would be nice if the facilities were still there for the use of the locals.

Also wondered if now the club are co owners of the ground if there will be a great emphasis on the club and it's colours around the place, think everyone pretty much agrees that the concourses are pretty drab and for me I'd like too see something like they have at City's ground with pictures of ex players and maybe a nice touch would be to do a competition for junior schools in the area to design a mural of some sort. Think it might be a nice touch too if the bar facilities that have sprung up next to the ticket offices are made more perminant, improved and in honour of the old girl called the Willows.

My immediate thought about Salford now have majority share of stadium would be what happens to the management company? Are they now employees of SCR? The ground should feel a lot more homely this season as they should cater to our needs rather than us being customers to the previous company. I know Rome was not built in a day, but 1st priority has to be to get the club shop arrangements sorted out, then move onto the Fans bar (Anyone think it would be handy to have a ticket kiosk set up in the bar area allowing less time people stood out in the cold) Would like something to be done with the concourse, St Helens have got it bang on at Langtree for me. As I say Rome was not built in a day.


Ps. Anyone notice the cheeky rise they put for the West Stand?

Much more red around the place please.
The Gus Risman stand too. Great idea to have a mural brightening up the inside.

Now the controversial. Assuming Sale stay, what about the East stand being called the Webb Ellis stand.....the infamous school boy attributed with the invention of rugby was born in Salford. Might be nice for us to say we can co-exist and even work together, whilst laying claim to Salford inventing the game in a round about way!?!

No! The whole running with the ball thing is a total myth created by the public school boys who ran the game to seize the sport back from the working classes. The story was never mentioned until many years later. Keep well away I say but I totally agree about The Gus Risman Stand etc.

So who now has naming rights for the stadium ?? I believe Sale had a deal with the council regarding this, but what now.
Could be a nice little earner.
What income streams now belong to the club
Exciting times ahead

Web Ellis' place in rugby may be a myth but its one of those which will never go away. Like "Play it again, Sam" or "Crisis? What crisis?" or "You dirty rat", it will remain part of popular consciousness. So use it.

However I am sure if Dr Koukash is half the businessman he seems to be, he will have his own intentions and will (to use a popular cliche) plough his own furrow.

Let's not count chickens etc.

According to the press statement that is currently being spread on twitter, the talks about teh stadium and surrounding land are ongoing and nothing his sorted yet.

Confirmed in press conference that no deal done yet on stadium in response to question from martyn Sadler
Not right time - most important to save lub and team, discussions will continue

Well done. I'm chuffed for you. Hopefully when we move to our new ground in a couple of years we can attract similar kind of investment to take us to the next level.

We could name that horrible, lingering smell cascading over Barton the Webb-Ellis Current. That's about the extent I'd allow his name attributed to the ground.

I'm made up for Salford fans and J Wilkinson, after years of supporting Salford and doing his best he's been saved from seeing all that come to naught. I hope he now gets to sit back and just enjoy watching Salford gain some success in the new home he helped to provide.it might have taken a year longer and some nail biting nights of worry but Salford should now reap the benefits that a new stadium ought to offer.

I get the feeling that the Doc knows that him at least buying half the stadium is only a matter of time or I don't honestly think he'd have bought the club. He's been at pains to point out he isn't a sugar Daddy and can't see the revenue streams being enough while were paying rent and not getting a cut of the takings.

Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if hasn't got a gentleman's agreement with someone at the Council on the purchase of there half.

Anyone know what the new 5 year deal that they mentioned at the start of the conference relates too? is it just Peel offering a longer sponsorship deal? Was also expecting that there would be mention today of Securitas's involvement but maybe they are being a little savvy from the off and drip feeding announcements to keep the clubs name in the headlines.

great news for the Salford Club, well done to all invoved.

have nothing to do with the people from the dark side and especially the management from Stockport who virtually killed a football club. beware of them.

Was asked if he'd be working with Sale. Answer was a flat 'No'.

I think the council would welcome the sale of their stake in the stadium company as long as the community facilities are not affected. I would imagine any sale to be complex and protracted and I wonder if a preliminary agreement was signed to expedite the takeover.

For Peel I would imagine them to have a totally different agenda knowing their stake offers them security and protects their retail empire/monopoly in the area.

Or perhaps early redemption clauses on the loan taken out by the council to buy the stadium make it not so quite attractive at this moment in time.
Despiute the digs I often have at salford on here I am pleased a satisfactory out come has happened and that you the fans continue to have a club to support. Good luck.

Not sure if their are restrictions to this but i'd like to see the club logo emblazoned on the stadium roof so the high volume of traffic crossing the bridge know who is playing there.

I've been lurking for far too long. Today's news has flushed me out.
I agree with the above: I was driving over the bridge today to get tickets and thought we really need our club's name/logo positioned prominently on the East Stand roof..... and something selling the game of Rugby League to the masses.

As I drove over, looking at the ground, I wanted everybody to know what a fantastic day it is to be a Salford supporter.

My only concern on a glorious day for Salford is that the ownership of the stadium is as yet undecided. I was hoping to hear that Dr Koukash had gained total control of the ground, but expecting to hear that he had got a 50% share.

But, as I consider what has happened, I think we can take encouragement from Jack Dearden's report on Radio Manchester that the good Doctor is trying to buy the stadium and some land round it. I know I am guessing but that makes me think that the Council is prepared to sell its share in the Stadium and the continued discussions would suggest that Peel Holdings have not shut the door on the idea of selling. I do not think Dr Koukash would have gone ahead without at least a 50% share of the stadium.

We will see.

So can someone put me in the picture. I have read this thread and the title suggest one thing, some people suggest another. Does the good Doctor own any part of the stadium or land or around it.

No.

Koukash has said he intends to buy a share of the ground and wants the club to benefit from developments. It was reported somewhere (evening news? Twitter? I forget) that he was buying the council's share. At the press conference today he confirmed that this wasn't finalised yet as they hadn't had time to complete the negotiations and wanted to announce the takeover before the season started. So currently he does not own any of it but the intention remain and discussions continue

Is that signed and sealed that he has the ground?

What does that intail? I was working yesterday night so missed a lot of what went on. I hope he owns the lot and keeps Sale paying in, move Swinton in too, I think that's best for the game.

What have ticket sales been like for tonight? Be nice to kick off with a bumper crowd at SCS.

Salford Star. Dreadful news for them isnt it?

They still get to stir up false outrage at the pretend prospect of a racecourse.