Mark Regan delighted by Steve Lansdown's takeover of Bristol Rugby
BRISTOL legend Mark Regan believes the takeover by Steve Lansdown will bring the rugby club the one thing it has craved – stability.
The former England and Bristol hooker, now a columnist for the Evening Post, is delighted Bristol City's majority shareholder has taken up a similar role at the Memorial Stadium.
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Not only will Lansdown's financial clout make Bristol a financially stable outfit, his experience in running Bristol City will also be invaluable.
Regan, pictured left, said: "It is outstanding news for Bristol Rugby and it means that no longer will the club lurch from one financial crisis to another. In Mr Lansdown, they have not only a backer with the experience and the financial means to keep Bristol on an even keel, but a thoroughly decent bloke as well.
"I can only see Bristol going in one direction from now on and that's upwards.
"Mr Lansdown's arrival will give the club a real sense of being on the up. Obviously, Chris Booy and Steve Gorvett have done a wonderful job up until now. They have managed to keep Bristol afloat and they deserve massive credit for the job that they have done in really difficult circumstances.
"To get someone involved like Mr Lansdown is a massive coup for the club. The Evening Post revealed earlier in the week how he has been involved anonymously in the background, but now he is publicly involved and that is great news for the club and their fans.
"What it does for the club is it means we can say to these good guys coming through the academy that there is a real future for them at the club.
"We will be able to hold on to them, rather than see them leave for so-called bigger clubs. Bristol will be able to match whatever these clubs will chuck at the young kids.
"We've lost so many players over the years – the likes of Kyran Bracken, Simon Shaw, Garath Archer and Martin Corry. More recently, we've lost Mako Vunipola, and I can see Bristol being able to hold on to those types of players now they have their own sugar-daddy. He is certainly the biggest in the Championship and, hopefully if the club can reach the Premiership, one of the biggest in the top tier.
"We don't know yet where the club will be playing in the long term. Having Bristol City and Bristol Rugby playing in a new stadium at Ashton Vale would be a huge draw for players.
"But then there is always the possibility that Mr Lansdown may outbid Sainsburys and keep Bristol at their spiritual home, which is the Memorial Stadium.
"I would certainly like to see Bristol Rugby remain there; you have the tradition, the atmosphere and, most of all, the Memorial Gates. It is a rugby ground first and foremost and I would love to see it returned fully to the sport, which gave birth to the place.
"The team that Liam Middleton is putting together is one which I think will go up and I think that may have had an influence on Mr Lansdown's decision.
"Middleton (pictured) has 26-28 players that he knows he can rely on week-in, week-out.
"When people come off the bench now they come on and make an impact.
"The intensity does not drop because the players, like Henry Vanderglas and Mariano Sambucetti, want to show they are worth a starting place and shouldn't be on the bench. That's a great situation to be in for Middleton.
"I can't see Moseley upsetting Bristol's record at the Memorial Stadium on Sunday. Even though they've beaten them twice this season, I can't see Kevin Maggs' team making it a hat-trick of wins.
Saracens have agreed to play the Asia Pacific Barbarians team in the Chartis Cup in Hong Kong this summer.
The game will take place at Hong Kong Stadium on June 9.
6 Comments
by manchestergas
Sunday, February 12 2012, 9:49PM
“calm down people it's only a majority shareholding.
SL is a sports fan with a HUGE amount of excess income and little standing in the city. No surprise he's putting money into local sport, which may not end with BCFC and the rugby club.
He's not going to mess around with a planning application on a site he doesn't own and currently has no way of owning. If he wanted to pay the Rovers board a market price for the ground, and gas had planning permission for UWE, and a water tight contract to play at mem until UWE was ready, maybe they would accept it, as the mem is the spiritual home of the rugby club.
anything other than that is in my mind unnecessary and potentially malicious scaremongering that does no one any favours. surely we all want better facilities in our great city rather than childish divisions.”
by MichaelRooney
Sunday, February 12 2012, 3:56PM
“Steve. Mr Lansdown doesn't have to own the Mem to put in a planning application for the site. If the planners say YES we like the idea of a redeveloped sports ground with the war memorial unchanged but NO we don't like the idea of a supermarket what next ?
Rovers directors have to sell the Mem because they are in too deep, the debts are too big and they are growing daily. The Sainsbury & UWE scheme would apparently allow the directors loans to be repaid and provide funds for a new stadium for Rovers. But what margin for error is there, what contingency funding is in place ? We all know these big schemes over run budgets by huge amounts. And what happens when the stadium is built but the losses continue ? Who is going to keep stumping up the money to keep the football club in existence ?
Mr Lansdown has signalled his intent to keep Bristol Rugby at the Mem and it could work in everyones favour. The site is obviously worth much less as a sports ground than a supermarket but it still should be enough to pay off the directors loans, leave the club debt free and provide a little capital to give Rovers some security. As tenants of Mr Lansdown they would be playing in a newly developed stadium with good facilities and have every opportunity of attracting decent crowds. Gates of 6000 - 8000 per week should see Rovers secure in league 1 or 2 with even a possibility of spells in the championship.
What more can we REALISTICALLY ask for ?”
by Roversteve
Sunday, February 12 2012, 11:40AM
“Michael,as Rovers own the Memorial Stadium,Steve would have to buy the ground before he could redevelop it,no,it doesn't have to become a supermarket,as long as the same amount of funds come in from the sale of it from whoever eventually buys it,allowing Rovers to part fund the proposed UWE Stadium. Let's not forget also that Steve was/is a Gashead and wanted to come onto Rovers Board at one time so I don't think he's out to destroy Rovers even if he may hold a grudge with the then Board of Directors at that time! I think,although I am cynical in a lot of things in this Country,that it adds another dimension to Rovers dream of having a purpose-built stadium where ever it may eventually be.”
by Bishop_Stoner
Saturday, February 11 2012, 11:36PM
“As a cricket fan I urge Mr Lansdown to buy Gloucester County Cricket Club. Even if the club had been given permission for their recently proposed stadium development, Linden Homes would only have provided £6m of the £10m needed for ground improvements, but would have build a hideous blocks of flats that would have caused local residents no end of problems. The money required to rescue GCCC would be peanuts to Mr Lansdown. If he was interested the only doubt I'd have is the current management of GCCC who have made a series of disasterous decisions. They've spent a fortune on planning applications that weren't viable and have lost money season after season when they have staged One Day Internationals.”
by MichaelRooney
Saturday, February 11 2012, 8:47PM
“Steve, do you see this article as a "plant" which is part of a process through which the real movers & shakers of Bristol exert their authority over the upstart Mr Higgs at Rovers ?
When Mr Lansdown's acquisition of The Rugby Club was announced I mooted the idea that if he submitted an application to develop the Mem it would put the planners in a dilemma. If given the choice they would surely decide in favour of a scheme to preserve the existing use as a sports ground and war memorial rather than the purely commercial interests of a supermarket group.
If that happened where would it leave Rovers and the UWE Stadium ?”
by Roversteve
Saturday, February 11 2012, 10:17AM
“I would love to see Bristol remain at the Memorial Stadium and for all three clubs to have new or re-developed stadi,if Steve outbids Sainsburys to buy Rovers out you still have the job of taking the current plans for the stadium currently being reviewed along with the battle with the so called Horfield Rose or re-plan the whole thing to suit the locals as well as the rugby club.There is no doubt it can't remain in it's current out-dated state both for spectator match experience and comfort or,indeed,whether it will be up to rugby Premiership standard. There is also the question of Rovers and UWE not getting planning permission for the Frenchay site so a ground share with the Gas may still be on but,again,not in the Memorial Stadium as it is now.”