He argued that the current stadium faced increasing maintenance costs and that the board had a duty to look to the future welfare of the club. He emphasised that they were in the very early stages of the investigation of a new ground but suggested that a meeting or two had already taken place.
Although the possibility of a move to the site of the former steelworks has long been the subject of rumour and speculation, this is the first official word from the club that a move is being considered. Boyle felt it appropriate that shareholders be informed of the board's intentions rather than to find out story in a newspaper.
Fans will inevitably fall into two camps. There will be many whose attachment to the traditional old ground lies deep and they will see any thought of a move as some sort of spiritual wrench. Others will argue that a modern stadium will have lower running costs, particularly if some deal can be worked out with the local council. Ten or twelve thousand purpose build stadium could simply be a natural progression from a ground which was designed with terraces.
Although the new chairman used the words 'very initial discussions' and 'early days' it seems clear that our stay at