The Hotel End

Melbourne, there are always exceptions to the rule but you are wrong about infrastructure. The point is that if you have a modern well developed stadium with facilities that produce revenue every day all the year you (a) have a stronger business financially (b) have more spending power for players (c) have significantly better prospects of attracting the right sort of owners who don't see the club as speculative or vanity project or a bucket. True, this guarantees nothing if you have a duff management team or owners who have no ambitions or plans but the chances of success on and off the pitch are that much better.

I think that penny dropped for many of us years ago. I’ve argued before that we are possibly exceeding expectations by not going out of the league altogether at some point. There are some that say that by developing the ground and infrastructure we would ensure success? Well I’m afraid that’s nonsense as well. The truth is that no matter the circurmstances you can still suffer decades of decline? If you look at the so called big clubs with associated crowds that are currently in league one (or in Portsmouth’s case last season 2) why anyone thinks otherwise is beyond me? That being said the reverse is obviously also true with clubs that that seemingly have no right to be in the prem making a good job of playing in it. I used to see Sean Dyche quite regularly at the garden centre near the Queen Eleanor. Pop up there and if he’s still a regular ask him the secret? Failing that there’s always hope, we’ve done it before you know?

Beds, I very rarely reply to one of your posts because I am scared of you. But a bigger ground doesn’t bring atmosphere - fans do.

Im the least scary person on here😂
You are  correct, its fans that create the match day buzz but they are more likely to flock to a professional setting that allows and encourages them to join in with the singing and chanting and in doing so attract those that just like to be part of a real match day experience, something present day Sixfields badly lack.
Over the next 5 season we could easily and relatively cheaply fit out the east stand boxes/bar /restaurant  and build up a bank of terracing holding 3000 up behind the seats in the south stand  and a similar terracing at a later date behind the north.
Demand this of those who are currently shying away from the responsibility to do one bit at a time with the full support of the town to make it to work.
Unless we demand these improvements  of Thomas, nothing will ever happen.

Yes, I want to agree with you and I really would like a 12k ground. But I go to a lot of JPT games (due to my s***e life only really letting me go to evening games) and a large ground with no fans is the ultimate in depression.

It unfortunately is like buying sun cream before you see4 the weather forecast. If we stay in league 1 or flirt with better, it will work. When/if we go down, or flirt with worse, we are the new Darlington.

Ian Atkins said years ago that you will only get 2 years of success at Northampton until they can invest over a sustained period. This is why I think the development is STILL the most important topic for the longterm future of NTFC.

At some stage somebody needs a 5 YEAR not 5 MONTH plan.

Zero investment into infrastructure.
Constant subjection to outside speculators with an unhelpful stand off with our council in  attempts to gain vast personal  wealth from land at Sixfields that could be used for our clubs springboard to a better future.

Lack of local pride and feeling distant from their club, generations brought up being told how rubbish the local team are.
 A mind set that could easily be rectified by involving all in a programme of steady sustainable growth throughout the club

If teams like Bournemouth and Wigan can make the Prem there's no reason why we can't.