Can relegation from SPL be avoided?

[Alex MacLeod]

With County and QoS challenging for div 1 along with us and Dundee is there a possibility that there will be no promotion due to technicality. I think that teams challenging for promotion must have a plan in place to meet the stadium standards by end March. Queens do have plans in place to build another stand and to convert terracing to seated and they believe all the work would be completed before the new season. Does County have a plan in place? As it is they'd need another 3,200 seats and I dont think either terrace has the capacity to put that number in. So that leaves groundshare but with who? Aberdeen? Cant see them wanting tenants. Their trying to nurse there ground as it is till new stadium built. St Johnston? SPL rules dictate they couldn't share with us.

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

Its been well documented that County have plans in place to meet SPL requirements if they look like being promoted .

[Charles Bannerman]

With County and QoS challenging for div 1 along with us and Dundee is there a possibility that there will be no promotion due to technicality. I think that teams challenging for promotion must have a plan in place to meet the stadium standards by end March. Queens do have plans in place to build another stand and to convert terracing to seated and they believe all the work would be completed before the new season. Does County have a plan in place? As it is they'd need another 3,200 seats and I dont think either terrace has the capacity to put that number in. So that leaves groundshare but with who? Aberdeen? Cant see them wanting tenants. Their trying to nurse there ground as it is till new stadium built. St Johnston? SPL rules dictate they couldn't share with us.

I think the "end of March" rule was blown out of the water with a lot else by Caley Thistle in 2004-05 when they firstly groundshared at Aberdeen and secondly then moved back to Inverness in the January.

Yes, County DO have, and indeed have had for a little over five years, a plan to extend to 6000 seats. In fact planning permission has been in the process of renewal since it expires after five years. I think the view was that they might as well have this in place even if it was never used. The extension work could be done in something like 12 weeks. What is NOT clear is how this would be financed but Ross County are very well organised in terms of potential stadium expansion. How big a problem the railway bridge would be is also not clear but they have dealt with capacity crowds v Rangers, ICT etc on a number of occasions.

[Alex MacLeod]

Its been well documented that County have plans in place to meet SPL requirements if they look like being promoted .

Really? I don't recall ever seeing anything official about their plans. All I've ever seen is mention on this site of anything like building similar stands to our North and South, new stadium (not going to be in place in time)

[Georgeios]

I beleve it was in the P&J, or one of our local rags... i remember seing it... with pictures lol

[Charles Bannerman]

I beleve it was in the P&J, or one of our local rags... i remember seing it... with pictures lol

This has been public knowledge for over five years. Maybe not widely known but public knowledge all the same.

[CaleyD]

The Railway Bridge stopped being an issue when the minimum capacity for SPL was reduced to 6000. As I understand it the current capacity would reduce slightly with the introduction of all-seater status, which would (obviously) reduce the burden on the bridge.

[caleykid1994]

With County and QoS challenging for div 1 along with us and Dundee is there a possibility that there will be no promotion due to technicality. I think that teams challenging for promotion must have a plan in place to meet the stadium standards by end March. Queens do have plans in place to build another stand and to convert terracing to seated and they believe all the work would be completed before the new season. Does County have a plan in place? As it is they'd need another 3,200 seats and I dont think either terrace has the capacity to put that number in. So that leaves groundshare but with who? Aberdeen? Cant see them wanting tenants. Their trying to nurse there ground as it is till new stadium built. St Johnston? SPL rules dictate they couldn't share with us.

County were supposed to be building(although never heard anything official) a 2 tier stand at the Jubilee end and building something similar to our stands at the Jailend to take it to 6,000+. They could groundshare with St Johnstone as its their only real alternative and i believe ICT kicked their groundsharing idea with us out before the SPL did.

As to who is financing their plans, it was well documented a few years ago that Mohammed Al-fayed(Fulham chairman) was wanting to invest in County and use them as a feeder team for Fulham as he was buying a place up there. Would summise that that's where they are getting the help financially.