I remember that model well. In the mid 90s a mate and I learned of its existence. Legend had it that this glimpse of a golden future resided in the foyer, just inside the posh entrance to the exclusive 'high end' suites and bars in the main stand.

If you remember the main stand in the 90s you will know I am playing fast and loose with the words 'foyer', 'posh', 'exclusive' and 'high end'. The area did have heavy wooden front doors though.

Anyway, after one home game us two teenage oiks took it upon ourselves to wander in through those heavy wooden doors and see the future for ourselves. Sure enough, there was the model located on a plinth behind a glass case, cordoned off by some ornamental red and gold rope, like the crown f**in jewels!

We looked at it for all of three seconds before a bunch of overweight middle aged stewards in bright jackets came bundling down the stairs telling us in no uncertain terms to sling our hooks. You'd have thought we had come to steal the ZDS cup or something.

Looking back at it now I thinks its best described as 'a concept model'. The concept apparently being to replicate the Holmesdale on all four sides. And also to build around / over / instead of Sainsburys.

I think Ron was serious about it, as Palace got planning permission for a new main stand not long after the Holmesdale was built, and that new stand was indeed an exact replica of the Holmesdale - literally so, in that the new main stand would have been no bigger than the Holmesdale, and would have run not from corner flag to corner flag, but from from the Whitehorse Lane end to around the edge of the penalty area, leaving a huge void between it and the corner flag. It would have been 2/3rds of a stand!

The reason for this was to protect the amenity of the houses we have now agreed to buy, demolish and replace.

I suppose the prospect of buying up those houses was all a but much for CPFC in the 1990s, even in the halcon days of reaching a cup final and finishing third in the league.

How times change. Those houses are probably worth half a Benteke now. God knows what that says about the modern world, but it has made buying them and knocking them down possible.

Edited by TheBigToePunt (18 Nov 2020 5.43pm)

But how many properties?

The Anfield Expansion (as anyone can see when they go there) is based on buying up properties and leaving them derelict, blighting the area and ruining the property value so that no one except Liverpool wants to buy them.

I am not suggesting we deliberately do that or that Liverpool has deliberately done that however with all the money floating around would that not be a realistic answer - offer those people whose light is taken etc a stupid amount of money to move, buy the property and then sell it once the planning is approved - probably at the same price at what we paid for it by the way.

I sometimes wonder if Croydon Council actually realise what an asset Crystal Palace is to the borough now we are in the Premier League - what the effect could be of a brand new shiny stadium on the surrounding area, that if it was managed correctly how it could benefit the local community - make the stadium multi use so that it is used in some way 7 days a week not just once a fortnight for 9 months of the year - all possible - it just needs planned correctly.

I started working in Azerbaijan nearly 19 years ago. The population here only knew Manchester United and Bobby Charlton back then. 6 months ago I am in a restaurant talking to a friend about football, mentioned Crystal Palace and the waiter serving us said "Crystal Palace? Good team" So okay , he doesn't know much about football, however he had heard of us.

So.......why wouldn't Croydon Council want to see a Premier League club with Worldwide Appeal have a fabulous new stadium that could even be part of a fantastic re development of Thornton Heath.

What else does Croydon have except East Croydon Station (and its quick access to London and Gatwick) that is of any real value to Croydon?

I also remember the Ron Noades model. Does anyone know how he intended to get round the line of site issue with the Park Road residents?