Newcastle's St James' Park plan is the biggest stadium crime in modern football

A marque caller arena oregon a monolithic redevelopment task seems inevitable astatine Newcastle United but it would beryllium a shame to instrumentality the bulldozers to the existing St James' Park

Eddie Howe thought the ambiance wrong St James’ Park was a large assistance to his squad erstwhile they completed their emphatic Carabao Cup semi-final triumph implicit Arsenal. He mightiness person had a constituent and it was surely not a hindrance.

More decisive factors mightiness person been Martin Odegaard missing a sitter earlier Jacob Murphy opened the scoring, Howe’s tactical excellence, Arsenal’s fatigue and, of course, the first-leg vantage claimed by Newcastle.

But whether oregon not the Gunners were negatively affected by the passionateness and the location broadside positively affected, 1 happening is for sure... it was spine-tingling stuff. It truly was.

You could not perceive the idiosyncratic adjacent to you, ne'er caput referee Simon Hooper erstwhile helium tried to denote that aboriginal VAR determination against Alexander Isak. Microphone oregon nary microphone.

The archetypal happening to state erstwhile discussing the passionateness of Newcastle United supporters is that it is not unique. In fact, it is commonplace.

There had been, for example, a cracking ambiance astatine the Emirates for Arsenal’s erstwhile game, the Premier League romp against Manchester City. And different happening that needs mentioning is that, for each the vibrancy of St James’ Park, it has seen plentifulness of disappointing times.

Even this season, they person won lone six of their 12 Premier League games astatine St James’ Park. Think of long-standing, celebrated stadiums specified arsenic Anfield oregon Old Trafford and you inactive deliberation of occurrence (at slightest you did until precocious with the latter) but that is not the lawsuit erstwhile you deliberation of Newcastle’s home.

But somehow, it feels similar adjacent rebuilding St James' Park connected adjacent crushed - arsenic had been suggested successful the days earlier the triumph implicit Arsenal - would beryllium the biggest stadium transgression successful modern football. And determination person been a fewer of those, haven’t determination West Ham?

There were implicit 52,000 fans wrong St James’ Park for the Arsenal game, the surrounding areas were rocking, the sound was sensational. But the prospective move/redevelopment, it seems, would beryllium calved from the request to summation revenue, truthful that much concern tin beryllium made successful players portion inactive complying with the Premier League’s fiscal regulations.

And careless of your views of the quality of Newcastle’s ownership - and I inactive deliberation it is incorrect - that means those fiscal regulations are not acceptable for purpose. The existent St James’ Park is simply a great, fit-for-purpose stadium that should not beryllium a shot and concatenation connected their ambitions of competing astatine the precise highest level.

The chances are that, careless of compliance with Profit and Sustainability Regulations, the owners would privation a bigger, much modern, much commercially productive stadium anyway. And 1 of the astir unsocial attractions of St James’ Park is its elevated determination successful the centre of the city. A cathedral connected the hill.

It seems a favoured enactment could beryllium to physique a caller stadium successful the precise contiguous vicinity. I americium definite radical volition soon get utilized to it. But connected a febrile nighttime erstwhile the spot shook with excitement astatine the thought of yet parading a trophy there, it was hard to deliberation they would interaction the splendid St James’ Park.

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