Temporary suspension of work at Southampton FC's Staplewood training ground in Marchwood

Staplewood, before redevelopment began Staplewood, before redevelopment began

MYSTERY surrounds the sudden halt of work at Saints' training ground.

The Staplewood complex has been undergoing a multi-million pound renovation scheme in recent months, after planning approval for a major overhaul was granted earlier this year.

However, it was reported today that work has temporarily stopped due to an issue between the club and the contractors, construction company Leadbitter.

As yet, there is no confirmation of the reason for the delay, or how quickly work will resume.

The first plans for the redevelopment of Staplewood were revealed back in 2009 to form part of the club’s 125th anniversary season, in 2010/11.

However, Saints ditched those proposals and submitted a new “bigger and better” scheme in late 2010, which was approved by New Forest District Council.

The ground work has already been completed, with what the club described as “phase two” of the project beginning earlier this year.

The scheme will see a new football development and support centre constructed at Staplewood.

It will include a medical centre, players’ lounge and offices for coaching and administrative staff, as well as other facilities.

The pitches and stands are also due to be upgraded. The existing buildings have been demolished, with only the indoor pitch, known as 'the dome' remaining as part of the redeveloped facility.

Saints have said previously that the work is set to be completed in June 2013.

Comments(61)

StParks says...
6:40pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Probably a very good reason for it and more along the lines of the contractor slacking or behind schedule and renegotiating contractors rates. Lets hope so anyway!

OSPREYSAINT says...
6:42pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.

Tye-Dye pt2 says...
6:56pm Wed 3 Oct 12

It could be down to the weather, or possibly a rare breed of newt has been found? Or NC has concrete booted someone & is just waiting for it to set? Endless possibilities when you think about it....

mack chinnon says...
6:57pm Wed 3 Oct 12

This is worrying.

saintand266 says...
7:01pm Wed 3 Oct 12

You have to feel sorry for any poopey fans that read this -a multi million pound training ground that is worth more than the entire cow shed of a stadium that their millions of fans watch the bestest team in the world

Velleity says...
7:02pm Wed 3 Oct 12

I reckon it's down to NA's tactical inadequacies.

saintand266 says...
7:04pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Does it not say in the article that there is an issue between the club and the contractor ? Just sounds like NC just putting his foot down about something

saintand266 says...
7:06pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Or maybe NC has finally started to consult Tebourba

angus mc coatup says...
7:08pm Wed 3 Oct 12

this has got fox and gully written all over it,

OSPREYSAINT says...
7:10pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Skate saying we have gone broke!

Tye-Dye pt2 says...
7:16pm Wed 3 Oct 12

OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Skate saying we have gone broke!
You have to really try hard to defy how their brains work, is their definition of broke spending 30mill in the transfer window?

D4n1el says...
7:22pm Wed 3 Oct 12

I was in Pompey today as the misses wanted to go shopping there, and there was a stall selling pictures of footballers with signatures on them... Had one of Lallana but no Pompey players!

arthur dalyrimple says...
7:23pm Wed 3 Oct 12

ugly inside says a whopping great loan has been taken out to buy said players,.

Jannersaint says...
7:35pm Wed 3 Oct 12

This has got to be Gulys fault.

OSPREYSAINT says...
7:46pm Wed 3 Oct 12

OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Skate saying we have gone broke!
Sorry that should have read Skate saying "We have gone broke".

angus mc coatup says...
7:50pm Wed 3 Oct 12

arthur dalyrimple wrote:
ugly inside says a whopping great loan has been taken out to buy said players,.
ugly outside saying, you aint got a clue.

Baddesley Bill says...
7:54pm Wed 3 Oct 12

I'm sensing that perhaps NC ain't happy with the work...."tear itta down and starta itta again!"

Tirau Dan says...
8:01pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Why does the story not contain the words "Leadbitter and SFC have refused to comment on the matter instead of merely saying "As yet, there is no confirmation of the reason for the delay, or how quickly work will resume."

I guess it means no one has asked????

Confucious says...
8:03pm Wed 3 Oct 12

OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
I have it on good authority that Elvis Presley was found living in a hidden bunker.

saintand266 says...
8:26pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Confucious wrote:
OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
I have it on good authority that Elvis Presley was found living in a hidden bunker.
That will create a lot of Suspicious Minds

dadofmy3sons says...
8:52pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Exactly why are people surprised?
We are Saints, we do not do ANYTHING straightforward.
It was not Elvis, it was a stuffed and mounted Poopey fan with the secret code to how they blackmailed 14 footballing servicemen to play for them before the war!

dadofmy3sons says...
9:00pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Whatever happened to montecristosaint, did he change jis name to tebourba by any chance.?
right couple of twaits, but they certainly do liven up any thread!

angus mc coatup says...
9:04pm Wed 3 Oct 12

OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
I personally don't believe it's a conpiracy
but I did overhear someone on the bus
whispering to his mate, that cortese is in fact a humanoid reptile. and is trying to infiltrate the the upper echelons of the premier league,by gettin fellow humanoids disguised as top players in different nationalities into the team. this thing with the training ground is just to throw the media off the scent.

OSPREYSAINT says...
9:17pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Confucious wrote:
OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
I have it on good authority that Elvis Presley was found living in a hidden bunker.
Was it on Portsdown GC?

Strasbourg Saint says...
9:30pm Wed 3 Oct 12

dadofmy3sons wrote:
Whatever happened to montecristosaint, did he change jis name to tebourba by any chance.?
right couple of twaits, but they certainly do liven up any thread!
It's all becoming clear now.

Some time ago, someone on here said that Tebourba is in fact Thomasupton and Montecristosaint's love child and, by a series of unfortunate events, THAT is why NC has stopped the work in Marchwood. The reason being so that the brain which is Tebourba can be consulted about any future work.

Of course, if Jose and Kelv had kept their mouths shut and not blabbed about the above while warming up yesterday morning, it wouldn't have reached Nigel's ear, he wouldn't have mentioned it to NC and NC wouldn't have stopped the work in order to consult Tebourba.

My inside sources tell me that Jose was overheard saying to Kelv that he had been taking a coffee with Guly at the weekend when Guly said that Fox had been reading these posts and had found out about Tebourba heritage.

So, while Kelv and Jose are partly to blame, it's clearly Fox and Guly who are most at fault AGAIN!!!

However, it's all so easy to lay the blame at certain players' feet when, in fact, it's US on here who are really to blame for having encouraged the idea that Thomasupton and Montecristo could together produce the genius that IS Tebourba.

Hang your heads in shame, I certainly am.

Baddesley Bill says...
9:38pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Strasbourg Saint wrote:
dadofmy3sons wrote:
Whatever happened to montecristosaint, did he change jis name to tebourba by any chance.?
right couple of twaits, but they certainly do liven up any thread!
It's all becoming clear now.

Some time ago, someone on here said that Tebourba is in fact Thomasupton and Montecristosaint's love child and, by a series of unfortunate events, THAT is why NC has stopped the work in Marchwood. The reason being so that the brain which is Tebourba can be consulted about any future work.

Of course, if Jose and Kelv had kept their mouths shut and not blabbed about the above while warming up yesterday morning, it wouldn't have reached Nigel's ear, he wouldn't have mentioned it to NC and NC wouldn't have stopped the work in order to consult Tebourba.

My inside sources tell me that Jose was overheard saying to Kelv that he had been taking a coffee with Guly at the weekend when Guly said that Fox had been reading these posts and had found out about Tebourba heritage.

So, while Kelv and Jose are partly to blame, it's clearly Fox and Guly who are most at fault AGAIN!!!

However, it's all so easy to lay the blame at certain players' feet when, in fact, it's US on here who are really to blame for having encouraged the idea that Thomasupton and Montecristo could together produce the genius that IS Tebourba.

Hang your heads in shame, I certainly am.
Strassie...your post is best read whilst listening to the theme tune of the US spoof "Soap" (for those who remember it)...confused?...yo
u will be! :O)

slugger says...
9:41pm Wed 3 Oct 12

angus mc coatup wrote:
OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
I personally don't believe it's a conpiracy
but I did overhear someone on the bus
whispering to his mate, that cortese is in fact a humanoid reptile. and is trying to infiltrate the the upper echelons of the premier league,by gettin fellow humanoids disguised as top players in different nationalities into the team. this thing with the training ground is just to throw the media off the scent.
iv'e read david ike's book too , i believe it all !

mack chinnon says...
9:41pm Wed 3 Oct 12

OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
Cheers for that bit of info last night OS.

Strasbourg Saint says...
9:44pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Baddesley Bill wrote:
Strasbourg Saint wrote:
dadofmy3sons wrote:
Whatever happened to montecristosaint, did he change jis name to tebourba by any chance.?
right couple of twaits, but they certainly do liven up any thread!
It's all becoming clear now.

Some time ago, someone on here said that Tebourba is in fact Thomasupton and Montecristosaint's love child and, by a series of unfortunate events, THAT is why NC has stopped the work in Marchwood. The reason being so that the brain which is Tebourba can be consulted about any future work.

Of course, if Jose and Kelv had kept their mouths shut and not blabbed about the above while warming up yesterday morning, it wouldn't have reached Nigel's ear, he wouldn't have mentioned it to NC and NC wouldn't have stopped the work in order to consult Tebourba.

My inside sources tell me that Jose was overheard saying to Kelv that he had been taking a coffee with Guly at the weekend when Guly said that Fox had been reading these posts and had found out about Tebourba heritage.

So, while Kelv and Jose are partly to blame, it's clearly Fox and Guly who are most at fault AGAIN!!!

However, it's all so easy to lay the blame at certain players' feet when, in fact, it's US on here who are really to blame for having encouraged the idea that Thomasupton and Montecristo could together produce the genius that IS Tebourba.

Hang your heads in shame, I certainly am.
Strassie...your post is best read whilst listening to the theme tune of the US spoof "Soap" (for those who remember it)...confused?...yo

u will be! :O)
Ha! Bill, such happy memories of the early '80s, coming home from the pub half cut and pillaging the fridge for a pint of milk and half a pound of cheese to enjoy as a midnight snack in front of the latest episode of Soap.

Confused? I already am!

Seedhouse the Unrepentant says...
9:47pm Wed 3 Oct 12

I heard they intended to use skunts for the foundations but when the groundworks started they quickly ran out and can't get any more due to there being so Few.

Seedhouse the Unrepentant says...
9:50pm Wed 3 Oct 12

They then tried using Cherries (silly name) but they squidged too easily.

OSPREYSAINT says...
9:52pm Wed 3 Oct 12

saintand266 wrote:
Confucious wrote:
OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
I have it on good authority that Elvis Presley was found living in a hidden bunker.
That will create a lot of Suspicious Minds
I saw you Crying in the Chapel, I am all shook up, I feel so bad, just because there's too much monkey business, and a whole lotta shakin' going on.

Seedhouse the Unrepentant says...
9:52pm Wed 3 Oct 12

So they then went for BHA but they insert into each other and aren't of use.

OSPREYSAINT says...
9:54pm Wed 3 Oct 12

mack chinnon wrote:
OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
Cheers for that bit of info last night OS.
OK Ta!

angus mc coatup says...
9:55pm Wed 3 Oct 12

slugger wrote:
angus mc coatup wrote:
OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
I personally don't believe it's a conpiracy
but I did overhear someone on the bus
whispering to his mate, that cortese is in fact a humanoid reptile. and is trying to infiltrate the the upper echelons of the premier league,by gettin fellow humanoids disguised as top players in different nationalities into the team. this thing with the training ground is just to throw the media off the scent.
iv'e read david ike's book too , i believe it all !
I think it was david Ike that was doing the whispering.I also think that the real humanoid reptile isn't cortese but chanrai. he's from the planet
alpha poopeyshite.you ever noticed that he never haves a full lengh photo of himself.It's because he's got a big scaley tail and legs and feet like t rex.

slugger says...
9:57pm Wed 3 Oct 12

hot off the press ..... nicola is unhappy with the colour of the hardcore, will be sorted tomorrow when the bluestone gets returned .

saintsmurf96 says...
10:01pm Wed 3 Oct 12

i was there about a month ago when nicola was having a row with one of the builders over timings, not too surprised about this tbh

derek james says...
10:32pm Wed 3 Oct 12

not too surpised ether ,the architect is from manchester and has tried to make
the 6 or so internal stairs into a work of art people have walked out of site meetings, even retford could have done a better job

Boutros Boutros Ghali says...
10:40pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Not beyond the realms of possibility that SFC are an extremely difficult organisation for ordinary (sane) businesses to deal with. Lights blue touch paper and retires.

Baddesley Bill says...
10:42pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Jordon Sibley has tweeted to say that this story is making a mountain out of a molehill...simply a pause to work out how to make the best of the ongoing works.

Seedhouse the Unrepentant says...
10:45pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Baddesley Bill wrote:
Jordon Sibley has tweeted to say that this story is making a mountain out of a molehill...simply a pause to work out how to make the best of the ongoing works.
He is the clubs PR guru so he would!

OSPREYSAINT says...
10:48pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Baddesley Bill wrote:
Jordon Sibley has tweeted to say that this story is making a mountain out of a molehill...simply a pause to work out how to make the best of the ongoing works.
Jordan Sibley Tweeted:- Surprised to see a mountain being made out of a molehill regarding the pause in work at Staplewood. SFC and Leabitter have agreed to pause process whilst details of a specific aspect of the specification is confirmed. Project will be resuming very soon and both parties are looking forward to the project being completed ahead of the 2013-14 season. Nothing to be concerned about at all!

Seedhouse the Unrepentant says...
11:08pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Construction projects don't stop unless there is a major problem. Specifications are detailed before commencement, detailing is sorted at site meetings during construction. To stop the site - when labour has been allocated - means it's not a minor problem.

Baddesley Bill says...
11:50pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Seedhouse the Unrepentant wrote:
Construction projects don't stop unless there is a major problem. Specifications are detailed before commencement, detailing is sorted at site meetings during construction. To stop the site - when labour has been allocated - means it's not a minor problem.
You sound like a doubting Thomas (Upton) there Seed! :O)

saintshorse101 says...
11:59pm Wed 3 Oct 12

i think whats happend is that NC has halted the work whilst waiting for hoddle to come in as an advisor to the builders! he has been reading these threads and has laernt so much from the boorer! well he is a wise and powerful sage

St Retford says...
12:26am Thu 4 Oct 12

derek james wrote:
not too surpised ether ,the architect is from manchester and has tried to make
the 6 or so internal stairs into a work of art people have walked out of site meetings, even retford could have done a better job
Oi!

Wozzie says...
1:22am Thu 4 Oct 12

Leadbitter are the contractors building the new cutting edge 'Brewery Square' development in Dorchester. It was meant to be finished in time for the Olympic Sailing and there was to be two hotels in the development. Guess what...........

olddellsaint says...
7:53am Thu 4 Oct 12

News just in............. A UFO was seen there last night, it kept 1 Saints fan and rejected 392 Pompey fans, work can not resume until they return the Saints fan, the Pompey fans were last seen wondering the ground and asking what to do as they are clueless and penny-less.

Alicesdad says...
8:52am Thu 4 Oct 12

OSPREYSAINT wrote:
Conspiracy theorists will have a field day and probably be 99% wrong.
Only 99% ? You are spot on. This will be a straightforward dispute with a builder. It happens. A lot. It will be sorted, either they will finish the work or someone else will.

Building is highly detailed and skilled work, requiring craftsmen and hard working professionals, all of which are reasons that builders shouldn't be allowed to do it.

NC will sort it, there will be no press announcement, just a quick resolution, work will restart and the bodies of certain building executives will be found hanging under the Itchen Bridge.

Churchill Saint says...
9:10am Thu 4 Oct 12

I heard from a very good source that the builders were from Manchester and they were demanding an extra 10 days on top of the 90 days allocated. Apparently - and this is the absolute truth because I have seen the contract - the contract did not allow for delays resulting from injured builders and having to substitute them for other builders.

Licky_Rambert says...
11:50am Thu 4 Oct 12

this has got to be gulys fault...

once a saint says...
12:14pm Thu 4 Oct 12

Maybe the ceilings were too high for the vertically challenged NC so for him to fill the room with his presence he has ordered the ceilings to be lowered .

adamello says...
12:33pm Thu 4 Oct 12

Churchill Saint wrote:
I heard from a very good source that the builders were from Manchester and they were demanding an extra 10 days on top of the 90 days allocated. Apparently - and this is the absolute truth because I have seen the contract - the contract did not allow for delays resulting from injured builders and having to substitute them for other builders.
you aren't possibly suggestiong that the manchester crew will keep requesting more and more time until they get the outcome of their choosing

lowe esteem says...
1:20pm Thu 4 Oct 12

...roughly translated means...Echo insider Tweets on Marchwood bypass during tea break...

NewForestStu says...
1:58pm Thu 4 Oct 12

Oh no, perhaps Nicola heard a rumour that the the Daily Echo had actually done some invesitgative journalism and maybe decided to stop work until the perpertrator was put beneath the foundations?

lowe esteem says...
2:14pm Thu 4 Oct 12

once a saint wrote:
Maybe the ceilings were too high for the vertically challenged NC so for him to fill the room with his presence he has ordered the ceilings to be lowered .
Careful, walls have ears, was nice knowing you

saintlucy says...
3:08pm Thu 4 Oct 12

The footings and ground work at the current dome is not strong enough to support what they want to add , that is all.

CB FRY LIVES says...
5:24pm Thu 4 Oct 12

maybe the contractors dont accept bank of toytown notes.NC better get on to his gnomes of zurich chums pretty quick.

Folkestone Saint says...
5:34pm Thu 4 Oct 12

Will we be told when building starts again though

thomasupton says...
6:21pm Thu 4 Oct 12

Baddesley Bill wrote:
Seedhouse the Unrepentant wrote:
Construction projects don't stop unless there is a major problem. Specifications are detailed before commencement, detailing is sorted at site meetings during construction. To stop the site - when labour has been allocated - means it's not a minor problem.
You sound like a doubting Thomas (Upton) there Seed! :O)
Why don't we all wait and see.

holburyhalo says...
10:40pm Thu 4 Oct 12

The builders are skates and they have built the foundations on sand sounds about right considering whats happening along the M27

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