june construction pictures:
http://www.wembleystadium.com/brilliantfuture/photodiary/june2005/default.htm

new panoramas:
http://www.wembleystadium.com/brilliantfuture/wembley_today/360degreeInteractiveViews/June2005/default.htm

http://commissionair.co.uk/wembley/Wembley220705large.jpg

what a picture :eek2: :drool:

Ye Gods! :applause:

It looks even better from the air in photos than it does from the ground which is amazing as all angles are great. You get an idea of the vastness of this stadium and from the images it looks as if it is capable of holding 120 000; it probably would be but there is going to be masses of leg room and width which will be especially good for our growing obese population.

walked around the area last weekend and my god what a dump the place is. Cant believe it held the prestigious Wembley stadium and Wembley Arena... Just hope they get on with the rest of the masterplan for the area as quickly as possible

yep that was the concern I had when I last went. They've gotta get a move on the rest of the plan.

i was going to say, when is the masterplan for the surrounding area supposed to start?

it looks as if it is capable of holding 120 000; it probably would be but there is going to be masses of leg room and width which will be especially good for our growing obese population.

Yes truely a stadium of the future. :)

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=244053&page=3

:|

Seems like everyone is a little green with envy.

Poeple on there calling Wembley 'Boring' , 'Just like any other stadium' , 'has nothing but its size' etc. etc.

They will have ago at our olympic stadium for being unique...but fall head over heals for the Allianz Arena because 'its so unique'

Well, it is. It may be a glowing beanbag, but it's the onjly glowing beanbag ever seen. Thus, unique.

I wasnt saying the Allianz wasnt unique.

The exterior's run of the mill, but I think it looks amazing from the inside(Wem-ber-lee). As opposed to the Allianz, which has a sexy exterior, but a functional, if not bland interior. That said, I bet it's a brilliant football stadium. The tiers fairly close to the pitch. . . offering great views, which will probably help produce an electric atmosphere.

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/5821/wembleygame7wj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Soccer AM have a new game....'Road To Wembley'

They will play it every show untill the last show of the series...which is FA cup fina day I might add.

which is 40 weeks today.

I made this

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/3406/wembleymymodel39bt.png (http://imageshack.us)
http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/1035/wembleymymodel48kj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

:applause:

I wonder what position the roof is going to be in when the stadiums in use. The website boasts it can be moved out in 15 mins but I'd guess it will be ready extended for non summer games when the sun won't be high enough to cause a half pitch shadow.

The roof will be closed if its raining...and open if its not.

Thats what I belive.

The roof will be closed if its raining...and open if its not.

Thats what I belive.

I doubt its going to be a case of actually waiting for the rain to start during a game then closing it though so I'd expect it to be closed for games in the evening/winter when the shadow is not a factor if theres any risk of rain.

There was something in the mirror today about problems with air bubbles in the pillars and this could seriously delay work. I'll try and dig up the article later.

Indeed MoreOrLess....I didnt think it would be otherwise

If there is a chance of rail...itll be closed

There was something in the mirror today about problems with air bubbles in the pillars and this could seriously delay work. I'll try and dig up the article later.

I've quoted the article in the main thread in the Sports Arena's section.
..http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=5220113#post5220113

and the article is http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/news/tm_objectid=15904459%26method=full%26siteid=106694%26headline=trembley%2dwembley-name_page.html

ah ok. Didn't look there. Dissapointing isn't it, lets hope they sort out the problems asap and come the cup final we can watch the game in our all new wembley.

Hope so, only 9 months to go now :)

Incidently I was looking at the webcam today and noticed this..

http://img173.imageshack.us/img173/2121/wembley3008053pe.jpg

Is it an elevator?? It wasn't there before. ??

yes theres loads of them all around the stadium

Surely you mean an escalator.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? I can picture Norman being a bit of a Willy Wonka

How could they have poured the wrong concrete? A mix up with the suppliers. I can never understand why basic fudamentals like these are messed up. It's not exactly a minor mistake. It is worse than incompetent they must be just plain stupid.

yup it boggles the mind. I'm still confident everything will be sorted in time. Not to keen on the cladding. Hopefully they have projections up on it.

what a pity that the stadiums can`t finished before the match England - Poland

Hmm the cladding is not great I have to agree with you Peyre. I've gone past it a few times and it's failed to impress me with it's colour. Hopefully improvements will be made to it.

Looks like they've got the August pictures up now.

i get a blank page when i go to access them. can anybody post them on here?

They wont show for me either. :?

they probably dont wanna embarass themselves cos theyve been watching the cricket all month and done fuck all! (apart from some escalators)

They should definately be showing now ;)

if this is not ready on time , it will be embarassing

I can see the pictures, but can't link too them. They've done something to the right click option. October pics have been posted in the main topic in the international stadium thread.

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/EA91183C-4B6F-4BA3-BADE-DABEB9D3F9F6/65864/1small.jpg

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/16504227-E8AA-4619-90FA-56D254B04B1B/65873/2small.jpg

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/A6F69956-F53B-4542-84B5-23DCFE24751D/65878/3small.jpg

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/3A78F3CB-4802-4FAC-8689-8DBFEDD797FA/65896/6small.jpg

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/27EDB676-F696-4815-B0BA-9C6EA3787F34/65901/8small.JPG

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/22E96EFD-6439-412D-B29D-1D977369BF6F/65899/7small.jpg

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/9F047719-4889-4142-A94D-9FF2B76F96DE/65890/5small.jpg

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/749D9D0C-141A-4D25-8A59-5925EA063932/65887/4small.jpg

http://www.wembleystadium.com/brilliantfuture/photodiary/August2005/default.htm

Click on the pics here for slightly larger photos..

Not much though, you think they could at least have some decent size photo's.

Yes, you would. They should be able to afford a decent digital megapixel camera. It's your secret I know, but well done JDRS and Sparks for linking to those Wembley Stadium Photo's to this site. Why they try to disable the 'right lclick save picture facility', is beyond me.

This stadium will be wonderful. High-tech stadium... But I wonder wich one will be more beautiful; London Olympic, or Wembley?

Yeah i think Wembley will be the more spectacular stadium due to the spec that has been used for the design everything is of the highest quality, no expense at all has been spared!
Altrhough the final design of the Olympic stadium has yet to be finalised!

Wembley will have the iconic arch...at the moment I don't see anything very originally interesting on the olympics stadium.

nah the roof looks quality, and is unique :) (olympic stadium)

construction firm Multiplex are on course to hand over the stadium on 31 March as planned (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4293602.stm)

construction firm Multiplex are on course to hand over the stadium on 31 March as planned (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4293602.stm)

Excellent,

3 months delay on such a huge project is not bad, except for Multiplex, that's where their profits have gone. Probably because of the conflict with the arch contractors.

At least we the taxpayer will not be paying for the extra 3 month's costs. :)

Yeah seems the govt were very careful in organising the contract!

www.wembleystadium.com

Bon Jovi to rock Wembley

29th September 2005

We are delighted to confirm that we are in the final stages of discussions with Bon Jovi to headline one of Wembley Stadium's first music concerts on 11 June 2006.

Bon Jovi were the last band to appear at the old Stadium in 2000 and this week the lead singer, Jon Bon Jovi said: "The band and I are looking forward to performing at the new Wembley and creating new memories with our fans. Its going to be an incredible night."

Wembley Stadium is committed to bringing the best and most exciting music acts from around the world to the Stadium. Further details of next year's concerts will be announced

once the artists have been confirmed.

I went to see Bon Jovi at Wembley Stadium in 1996, and rather nifty it was too. I remember an amazing guitar solo from Eddie Van Halen as part of the warmup...

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b237/GoonerGetya/100_0603.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b237/GoonerGetya/100_0602.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b237/GoonerGetya/100_0592.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b237/GoonerGetya/100_0597.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b237/GoonerGetya/100_0596.jpg

Wow! How did you get those? Do you work there?

thanks for the lovely pics. How dya get inside?

the cladding doesn't look at all bad from those shots.

I was around wembley on saturday afternoon and evening and at one point underneath the arch. It's truly awe inspiring and the sheer size of the stadium is impressive. I'm still unsure about the cladding they're using for parts of the stadium though.

The area around the stadium really needs the masterplan for the area though. It's a real mess.

they could have got a better band to open the stadium then bon jovi

Do you think that big black square, to the right of the arch and above the Multiplex sign, is one of the TV's they are going to have on the outside?

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b237/GoonerGetya/100_0602.jpg

I hope they have some huge tv's on the outside, that could be really cool. Peole who couldn't get in could still experience some sort of 'atmosphere' by watching the action from the outside.

I believe that black panelling is not a TV screen. This will be where the screen will be mounted if there is to be one.

The BBC are reporting Microsoft are sponsoring the stadium for the first five years for a seven-figure sum.

I believe that black panelling is not a TV screen. This will be where the screen will be mounted if there is to be one.

The BBC are reporting Microsoft are sponsoring the stadium for the first five years for a seven-figure sum.

The Xbox 360? ;)

http://img488.imageshack.us/img488/4924/xbox4qd.th.jpg (http://img488.imageshack.us/my.php?image=xbox4qd.jpg)

The Xbox 360? ;)

Yeah lol, mass multiplayer gaming on giant screen outside Wembley, for fans who couldn't get in. FIFA 2006 will be out next year I think ;)

Great pictures by the way, they look like an insiders job, because Wembley haven't updated their September pics yet. And it's nearly the end of October!!

This Stadium makes the old Wembley look woefully inadequate.

Wow! How did you get those? Do you work there?

I've got a mate who sold the insulation for the building so the lucky bar stool got to go and look at the progress. He was wearing his england top under his suit the whole time :) :)

New photos for September are up:
http://www.wembleystadium.com/brilliantfuture/photodiary/sept2005/default.htm

I think that so far the stadium has certainly lived up to expectations. Although I still wish they could have kept the old Wembley (and refurbished it with the savings they would make from not demolishing it) and built this new stadium elsewhere (e.g, Birmingham). Having two giant national stadiums would be nice...

Refurbishing the old wembley wasn't an option as it would have been near on impossible to do due to the fragility of the structure and the momumental costs. Plus trying to make it economically successful would be a major problem hence the current corporate friendly design of the new wembley. A second national stadium would have just turned Wembley into a museum for a couple of years before property developers would get their hands on it.

I thought they played games in it up until a few years before it was demolished? Surely that was a risk to public safety if it were so fragile...

not keen on anyone sponsoring the national stadium. it is the national stadium. imagine if stade de france was called stade de sony. stupid.

LOL

Are you talking about the Microsoft deal or is someone actually going to be paying to name the stadium? If so, oh dear...

They get 90mins a year for the pitch. Maybe Bill Gates will get a Microsoft Team to play against Directors from rivalling companies, like Apple, Real, Netscape??? lol

All Microsoft will get are executive boxes, and hoardings around the pitch

Went past it today and alot of the cladding is now up. Looking very sexy :)

Do the F.A. get a lot of spondoolies for this microsoft deal?

I hope the F.A get something (it will obviously go towards paying for the stadium though), it would be most unfortunate if they were doing it for free!

First section of the retractable roof was lifted into place today.

I hope the F.A get something (it will obviously go towards paying for the stadium though), it would be most unfortunate if they were doing it for free!


A seven figure sum is what they're getting from Microsoft. Although what Microsoft get out of it I don't know. There would be an outcry if it was called the 360 stadium or Xbox stadium.

We shouldn't be surprised if they call the stadium 'wembley 360' then. :colgate:

or Wembley 98 second edition (with USB support)

Oh no, Microsoft won't be that stupid. By the time the Wembley stadium is built the new Windows will be out, expect the stadiums name to be 'Wembley Vista' :runaway:

Microsoft @ Wembley ...let's just hope they won't have to restart football matches as much as you have to restart a Windows PC.

Microsoft is only one of a number of founding sponsors remember, so expect companies like Addidas, Audi and McDonalds / Starbucks to join the party.

This is fucked up. Ignore this bit
please. :)
Any pics Sparks? :?

http://users.breathe.com/fairbank/wembley'send.html

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/Sparkynufc/stadium101005full.jpg

damn its a fine beast!

Looking good.

Wembley will now cost more than £830m....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4402754.stm

Not one news story on this actually states that the stadium is on a fix priced contract, so people are going to go crazy at the FA.

Very true Sparks. The cost of stadium has long confused me. I have read in a number of places the actual 'construction' cost is £326m. Other costs, purchase of land, demolition and the long term maintenance more than double this figure. If anyone knows for sure how this breaks down I'd love to know because no doubt there will be comparisons with similar projects in other countries that were much cheaper but for which the comparison is probably invalid.

As far as I know, the contract is fixed price with Multiplex insured against cost overuns.

The purchase of the land and early design fees cost £120 million.The basic cost of building the stadium is £352 millionDemolishing the old stadium and fitting out the new will cost £99 million.The contribution to local infrastructure improvements is £21 million.Financing the project, management and other costs amount to £165 million.

They've got the October photos up now (hope no one else has mentioned this, sos if they have), its starting to look very very impressive.

why do they always load so slowly for me. Considering the size of them, its bewildering

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/05B01DA5-0F38-46A7-A202-DCF397CDFBE8/70249/stadiumbowl3big.jpg

oh my, thats big

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/B956CFAE-4632-4586-9FE9-ADB73CD81E97/70223/Stadiumbowlbig.jpg

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/17E4EFBF-D426-4A3C-9D5B-682B8D3DCB45/70206/Aerialbig.JPG

http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/B2FC90F6-7C73-45EF-BE65-710A03362862/70226/WembleyWaybig.jpg

This doesn't look like a stadium that will be up and running for the Cup Final in May?

Hopefully they will have done a lot of the interior work already so the project shouldn't have too far to go. I'm not sure if that is the case however.

It's mad to think they'll be another one of these appearing at the end of my road in 2011 or so.

2008 sees construction of the Olympic Stadium?



Maybe you knew that and are saying it will appear...because it will be completed/near completion.

This doesn't look like a stadium that will be up and running for the Cup Final in May?

most of the interior is done. Nearly all the cladding is done. They've gotta finish the roof and transport the pitch then do all the safety stuff/tests/drills etc.

its gonna be close.

5 months people is the predicted opening.


5 months, nearly half a year.


Don't forget those pics are a month old.

The roof will be the key, they can't get the temporary supports out of the ground until the roof is balanced and with the supports still there they can't work on the pitch or finish the lower tier. Things have moved forward massively though look what the stadium looked like in February compared to now.

Feb

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/Sparkynufc/webcamhome.jpg

Now

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/Sparkynufc/Webcamnov8.jpg

What a difference 5 months makes.


http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/5751/wembley5months2ml.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

^ Wow!

Eaxctly.


I lot can happen in that time.


Leaves are still leaving out trees, leaves will be back on them by the time the stadium opening time rolls around.

April is it?....ages...

Story on BBC.co.uk now saying it might not be ready in time for the cup.

If their is a deep freeze....which I doubt there will be.

it'd be great if it was ready for the fa cup final, but if it isn't who cares? it'll still be ready for the charity shield and we start next season with wembley, the emirates stadium and an increased old trafford. not too shabby if you ask me.

Story on BBC.co.uk now saying it might not be ready in time for the cup.

read the story and its just the same rubbish being spouted off for the last few months.

it'd be great if it was ready for the fa cup final, but if it isn't who cares? it'll still be ready for the charity shield and we start next season with wembley, the emirates stadium and an increased old trafford. not too shabby if you ask me.

Yeh, it's not huge loss if it's not ready in time. It would be great if it was ready for the final but if it's not we're still gonna get the stadium soon after.

Besides teh FA Cup final won't be much of a spectacle. My guess is Chelsea V Arsenal. Lots of prancing about, hambags etc. 0-0 draw, dros penalty shootout.

Well we are due to get some colder weather in the next few weeks, but surely big freeze or not, they would have the technology to heat the place up a little.

It would be good if they could get it ready for next years FA Cup, but even still, it will be ready for that final warm up match for the World Cup send off.

Besides teh FA Cup final won't be much of a spectacle. My guess is Chelsea V Arsenal. Lots of prancing about, hambags etc. 0-0 draw, dros penalty shootout.

:lol:

Besides teh FA Cup final won't be much of a spectacle. My guess is Chelsea V Arsenal. Lots of prancing about, hambags etc. 0-0 draw, dros penalty shootout.


I'ld watch the match just to look at the stadium.

im quite a cute boy from south africa...would someone please send me a ticket and we could watch a match at wembley stadium??? pwetty please....help the poor student out hehe....

The last thing they want to do is rush to get it ready and cut corners. It would be nice to have the f.a. cup there next year but i would much prefer to see the stadium finished off to the highest spec before any events took place. Not a major problem if it isn't ready, i'm sure they could arrange a big international match of some kind to open it up. Or if that fails we can open it up with the rugby league challenge cup where Bradford can be the first to lift a trophy there.

The last thing they want to do is rush to get it ready and cut corners. It would be nice to have the f.a. cup there next year but i would much prefer to see the stadium finished off to the highest spec before any events took place. Not a major problem if it isn't ready, i'm sure they could arrange a big international match of some kind to open it up. Or if that fails we can open it up with the rugby league challenge cup where Bradford can be the first to lift a trophy there.

I'm not sure, but is the problem something to do with laying the turf for the new pitch and there ability to get it ready in time :dunno:

The stadium needs to be ready by the end of march so they can start the safety testing. The have to hold a few smaller low key events to get the safety certificate for the full capacity. That is how I understand it.

Posted it in the international section.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/Sparkynufc/wemnew2.jpg

I didn't know they were soo short of money they had to make the roof of cardboard!

Seriously though, that gives a goodish impression of the impact the completed stadium should have.

taken today, nice n big

http://www.atma83.dsl.pipex.com/Pictures/Wembley/dscf1066copy.jpg

Really impressive. Waow.

That is one big arse stadium breathtaking.

Taken yesterday...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v627/manicants2005/PICT0027.jpg

ah thats from the hill that was mentioned, you beat me too it.

that is simply awesome!

http://www.atma83.dsl.pipex.com/Pictures/Wembley/dscf1102copy.jpg

http://www.atma83.dsl.pipex.com/Pictures/Wembley/dscf1107copy.jpg

http://www.atma83.dsl.pipex.com/Pictures/Wembley/dscf1106copy.jpg

too big for the page lol

Does anyone know if any of the buildings around the stadium as part of the Rogers masterplan are being built at the mo as im sure they said they wanted at least the buildings around the new wembley square be ready in time for the stadiums openeing??

to be honest all I saw last time I was at Wembley Park, was the station being redeveloped, the stadiums dedicated mainline station also, the bridge over it and that was about it, bit of a mess.

Thanks for the great photos. That's a superb spot to see the progress they are making with the roof. Looks like they have put up gantries on the arch ready for when the roof will take the strain.

Does anyone know if any of the buildings around the stadium as part of the Rogers masterplan are being built at the mo as im sure they said they wanted at least the buildings around the new wembley square be ready in time for the stadiums openeing??
I virtually certain that was never said and it certainly isn't going to happen.

I virtually certain that was never said and it certainly isn't going to happen.

The area is due to be a complete building site until about 2012, but a number of elements were supposed to be in place by the time Wembley opens:

1. Upgraded tube - will happen
2. New Wembley footbridge - will happen
3. Cosmetically upgraded rail stations - will happen, but improvements should be minor
4. New Wembley Way - will happen, but again, the improvements should be a bit underwhelming
5. I think he's right and Quintain did say that they intended to have a new public space, outside the remodelled entrance to the Wembley Arena in time for the opening - no idea whether this is still a realistic target.

This was on a press realease on Their wembley website dated 04 June 2004 & it quotes

'It is expected that work will commence on site later this year, creating up to 1,600 new construction jobs. Arena Square (the size of Leicester Square but with the mix and life of Covent Garden), the refurbishment of Wembley Arena and the new 5-star hotel will be completed in time for the FA Cup Final in May 2006'

http://www.new-wembley.com/

So it would appear they are slightly behind schedule then

This was on a press realease on Their wembley website dated 04 June 2004 & it quotes

'It is expected that work will commence on site later this year, creating up to 1,600 new construction jobs. Arena Square (the size of Leicester Square but with the mix and life of Covent Garden), the refurbishment of Wembley Arena and the new 5-star hotel will be completed in time for the FA Cup Final in May 2006'

http://www.new-wembley.com/

So it would appear they are slightly behind schedule then

To be fair, I'm pretty sure the Arena's internal redevelopment is on course, I just didn't count that in the summary cos it's not a public space. As for the 5-star hotel, I'm pretty sure there's no such thing at the moment or near future!

Like with many things, a 5-star hotel will only happen when they have a 5-star hotel operator... and a 5-star hotel operator will only come when there's a market base there for them - i.e. a complete stadium and devleoping masterplan.

The square might be done I guess, but I wouldn't expect buildings around it.

i hope its ready for when spurs are lifting the f.a cup next summer! :)

and chelsea are crying into their champagne glasses!

I can see it now.


The Clubs in the leagues will be fighing to finish 3rd...even the team currently in 2nd place.

So they can go and play at Wembley :D

Looks like there will continue to a fair bit of construction inthe area once the stadium is completed as Quintain have announced in there results (pg 4 of 18) that the arena square & spanish steps will be complete by April. Also a housing scheme will start then as well & they are demolishing the palace of industry & the conference centre & exhibtion halls will close in August to allow demolition & work to start onthe hilton hotel, retail & housing.

http://www.quintain-estates.com/getDocument.aspx?SectionID=18&ReferenceID=157

Taken a few hours ago


http://www.**************************/wembley/wembley001.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley/wembley002.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley/wembley003.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley/wembley004.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley/wembley005.jpg

sweet pics Dave :) Nice and crisp :)

thanks for the update Dave, looks almost finished to me :happy:

Thanks Peyre. Just caught up with your cracking high elevation pics. Were they taken from Barn Hill? :cheers:

Cheers. Twas from One Tree Hill in Alperton. Planning to go up Barn Hill soonish though.

thanks for the update Dave, looks almost finished to me :happy:

they've still gotta finish the roof which will be black, and I don't know, is the arch in its highest position now? Looks like its moved from what I saw of it today.

I think it has been in it's final position for a while now.

nope, sparks mentioned a while back that it still had to be done.

Taken a few hours ago


http://www.**************************/wembley/wembley004.jpg



Looks to me like the arch might be near to it's final position. The temporary restraint cables (in black in this photo) look like they've slackened off, and that the permanent forestay and eyebrow cables have tightened and started supporting the roof structure.

Previoiusly the black cables were tight, in place to stop the inclined arch from tipping over in it's parked position. The backstay cables still look slack though so I assume it's not quite in it's final position.

two things i don't like about the stadium :
1. the cladding looks cheap and boring
2. the seats are too far apart and it'll make for a bad atmosphere. it's football not the opera. they should've squeezed in more seats in the cheap areas.

yes am a bit peeved with the cladding too. That grey stuff is everywhere now. I think even having the glass all the way round would ahve been better!! Perhaps it will be covered in big draped flags or seomthing?

yes am a bit peeved with the cladding too. That grey stuff is everywhere now. I think even having the glass all the way round would ahve been better!! Perhaps it will be covered in big draped flags or seomthing?

perhaps, there's also the possibility of having those big screens on the side, making it look a bit like piccadilly circus. i think that would be grand as long as they dont clutter it up with advertisements, but show the same film on each screen making sure it is football related.

at the mo the cladding and perhaps even the shape of the lower portion just look a bit bland like it could be any suburban office development, especially when compared to the allianz arena!. the arch and the curve of the stands look freeflowing and amazing and artistic and the lower portion detracts from that a bit.

Well it certainly subscribes to the 'anything you like as long as its grey' school of Foster cladding.

I might just have to get Take That tickets for June to see inside.

yes am a bit peeved with the cladding too. That grey stuff is everywhere now. I think even having the glass all the way round would ahve been better!! Perhaps it will be covered in big draped flags or seomthing?
That grey stuff you are refering to is aluminium, although i'm surprised it doesn't look shinier. I like the cladding overall though, i think it looks classy and when it's finished it will be neat. I think the panels are for, as well as aesthetics, to project the England badge on or other things on at night. I'm not certain though. I also think they went a bit mad with the space in between seats, only very few people would need that much room.

That grey stuff you are refering to is aluminium, although i'm surprised it doesn't look shinier. I like the cladding overall though, i think it looks classy and when it's finished it will neat. I think the panels are for, as well as aethetics, to project the England badge on or other things on a t night. I'm not certain though. I also think they went a bit mad with the space in between seats, only very few people would need that much room.

Agreed, it's a football ground after all.

I like to see some safe standing areas, get some atmosphere going.

The arch doesn't really look as though its 450 feet high... maybe its 50 feet or so to go.

I think they built the extra space into the seats with the matches against the USA in mind ;)

^^ :rofl:

Or here is a novel Idea, because the seat are so far apart, you will be able to stand up and shout and jump up and down without worrying about hitting the guy in front of you.

Creating a good atmosphere, cos it is now a standing stadium just with seats.

Clever eh?

Gorgu makes a good point never brought up before.


I know at stadiums I don't stand up because i'm scared to bother the guy sat behind me.

http://images.thesun.co.uk/picture/0,,2005580183,00.jpg

thanks sparks. as usual you're first with the latest news/pics. and jesus christ that is one HUGE stand. it's great to finally see it without a shitty wide-angle lense.

i see they've even begun to mark out the pitch area.

yep great pic. Really shows the scale of the thing

A couple taken this afternoon.

http://www.**************************/wembleydec2a.jpg


http://www.**************************/wembleydec2b.jpg

Wrong time of the day for this pic
http://www.**************************/wembleydec2c.jpg

truly magnificent. i'm salivating at the prospect. salivating!

i've always felt that along the flanks of wembley walk there should feature plinths upon which stand 2:1 bronze statues of england's finest players and managers. it would truly become the focal point of english football and an inspiration to any who visit.

ah you found it then dave :D

ah you found it then dave :D
And it thanks to you Peyre :cheers: :cheers:

It's only about 35 minutes drive (on a quiet day) from my househttp://skyscrapercity.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

http://www.stadionwelt.de/stadionwelt_stadien/templates/neubau/fotos/wembley/20051208/140.jpg

http://www.stadionwelt.de/stadionwelt_stadien/templates/neubau/fotos/wembley/20051208/130.jpg

http://www.stadionwelt.de/stadionwelt_stadien/templates/neubau/fotos/wembley/20051208/120.jpg

http://www.stadionwelt.de/stadionwelt_stadien/templates/neubau/fotos/wembley/20051208/110.jpg

gotta love that first pic, the curve of the stadium corresponding with the road :)

Yeh its a 10min train trip for me. But my mum and her side of the family used to live right near it. Nice area.

I went past the stadium yesterday on my way into London and the sun was just setting behind the stadium. I wish I had a camera, as I could have got some absolutely fantastic pics of this beauty.

http://www.richardrogers.co.uk/Asp/uploadedFiles/image/3860_new_wembley/3860_0003_1_stage_image.jpg
http://www.richardrogers.co.uk/Asp/uploadedFiles/image/3860_new_wembley/3860_0006_1_w.gif

http://www.richardrogers.co.uk/Asp/uploadedFiles/image/3860_new_wembley/3860_wembleynightaerial_W.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/Sparkynufc/PIC_0207.jpg

This photograph shows the Stadium bowl and the supporting structures
http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/6D5865A0-31F3-4ADF-953D-6CE297CA994B/74556/bowl_big.jpg

The towers in the foreground are supporting the southern sliding roof during its construction. The towers supporting the northern roof have been removed and that section of the roof is now self-supporting.
http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/FDEF5DD9-DCE4-4C54-9895-451C667BD231/73610/bowl2_big.jpg

This photograph shows the three seating tiers. Seats are currently being installed in the Club Wembley (middle) tier and structural work continues on the lower tier.
http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/3B36F1EE-BCDC-425B-A726-68878095348B/73613/bowl3_big.jpg

An external view of the Stadium
http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/8F5C7BC7-1FD8-4D3E-BB4D-81596EDF4155/73688/external_big.jpg

This is the split-level Corinthian Restaurant that seats 1,900 diners. The Corinthian Club is the most exclusive package in Club Wembley.
http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/091CB612-07A5-4701-959D-C849463A6D04/73691/internal_big.jpg

There are currently approximately 30,000 seats in place
http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/31A4506A-5267-428E-B2C0-5A81CEA3B4E1/73922/seats_big.jpg

The pitch area is currently being excavated in preparation to lay the under-pitch heating and drainage pipes. When this is complete the turf will be laid.
http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/D4CC0379-2556-4C16-B419-85ECA8C68779/73924/pitchexcavation2_big.jpg

Aerial view of the Stadium
http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/5EDC1B06-24C4-4A86-A1E6-7F285F3C5F5C/73929/293T3379_big.JPG

Born of chaos, new Wembley has sense of purpose

January 4, 2006

ON ANOTHER New Year's Eve, the best part of a decade ago, modern Britain's greatest folly was taking shape. Its long cantilevered arms, tipped with red lights, stretched out to the night sky. Two years to the day away from its opening, and seen at midnight from a deserted and rain-swept East London side street, the Millennium Dome would never look as beautiful again.

We all know what happened next. Conceived in confusion and executed in haste, the dome turned out to be a £750 million ($1765 million) symbol of the vanity of leaders who wanted to put on a big show without having to bother about the little matter of substance. Even before its opening, it was seen as a national embarrassment.

Driving to look at the new Wembley stadium as another year dawned, very different emotions are engaged. The sheer uselessness of the dome was apparent early. At the Wembley site, the half-built stadium lacks the pure aesthetic quality of the incomplete dome; the sense of purpose, however, is unmistakable.

I have no idea whether the 129 days that remain between now and the date of the FA Cup final on May 13 are sufficient to complete the jobs of connecting the 2618 toilets to the London Borough of Brent's sewerage system or stocking the 688 "catering outlets". All I can say is that from the outside, it doesn't look as though the big kick-off can be all that far away.

If the builder, Australian construction giant Multiplex, doesn't make it in time for the cup final, it will have another 16 days to avoid an even bigger humiliation. For by inviting Hungary to become the first international side to play in the new stadium, the Football Association has lodged a hostage to fortune.

Hungary occupies a unique place in the history of English football. It was 52 years ago last November that Ferenc Puskas and his teammates arrived at the old Wembley and became the first team from outside Britain to beat the game's inventor on its home territory (a 6-3 walloping, for good measure).

Like the dome, the new Wembley was born of chaos, uncertainty and indecision. Even after the old twin towers had come down, there was a time when it seemed as though the entire project was in jeopardy. The decision to drive it forward is turning out to have been a brave and far-sighted one.

During a tour of its perimeter at the start of the new year, the stadium's vast cost began to make slightly better sense. At an all-in figure of $1780 million, which is to say a mere $16 million more than the estimated cost of the dome, the bill for the new Wembley will be around three times that of Stade de France. Despite its success in hosting the 1998 World Cup final and the athletics world championships of 2003, Stade de France is not a place that encourages tourists to visit when nothing is going on.

Even in the old days, Wembley offered a worthwhile tour for visitors. Covering an area something like five times larger, and with a vast concourse, the new arena has the potential to become a much greater attraction.

But the real reward is even greater. Once open for business, Wembley will provide a symbol of real achievement to encourage the London Olympic organising committee, whose job is to fulfil the promises contained in the 2012 bid document.

Compared with its task, building the new Wembley may come to seem like putting up a garden shed.

Hungary occupies a unique place in the history of English football. It was 52 years ago last November that Ferenc Puskas and his teammates arrived at the old Wembley and became the first team from outside Britain to beat the game's inventor on its home territory (a 6-3 walloping, for good measure).

Hmm, they've forgot the hiding Ireland (not in Britain) gave England at Goodison:

ENGLAND 0 2 REP. of IRELAND

Goodison Park, September 21, 1949

THE GAME THAT NEVER HAPPENED?

“Mission Impossible” screamed the headline. It continued, “fifty years ago, in an unknown country behind the Iron Curtain, a plan was hatched to create a team of football supermen who would destroy mighty England on their own turf. And it worked.”

Hang on a second, I thought to myself. This is from the revered pages of Four Four Two – one of your better football publications on the market. An in-depth five page article detailing the achievements of those mighty Magyars from Hungary and the enormity of their historic victories over England during the 1953-54 season. If you were to believe all you read, Hungary became the first overseas side to defeat the then mighty England on home soil. Fact or fiction?

Some records will peddle the story as being factual but the truth of the matter is that England’s very first defeat on home soil happened not in 1953 – but four seasons before, on September 21 in 1949, at Everton’s Goodison Park. Who were the opponents that day? Not the mighty Ferenc Puskas led Magyars from Hungary but rather a depleted Republic of Ireland team who included not one but two Everton players in the ranks.

It really has become one of those results buried deep into the distant memory, and away from the public domain. Even the mightiest of sides suffer humiliation on home turf. It’s not as ‘sexy’ to say you lost your unbeaten record to an unfashionable side when you can spin the myth that the legendary Hungarian side of the 1950s became the first overseas side to inflict defeat upon the unofficial “best team in the world” in their own back yard. Take your pick – who would you prefer to see stealing your thunder? The legendary Ferenc Puskas or Everton’s own Peter Farrell?

I have always wondered why the English FA remains reluctant to accept that it was the Irish, and not the Hungarians, who inflicted that first defeat. Was there a sense of national shame with losing to an Irish eleven?

The English language is a wonderful beast; the play on words can sometimes tell one story and hide another. The official website of the Football Association willingly informs the reader that “more remarkable, though, is the fact that it was not until 1953, 81 years after the first international, that England lost at home to a national side from Europe, Hungary winning 6-3.” Okay then, we’ve altered history and killed two birds with one stone – the defeat at Goodison Park never happened and Ireland is now outside Europe! Is it any wonder that the FA is in such a mess?

So, what happened that Wednesday afternoon at Goodison Park, late September 1949? It was the second meeting in three years between the sides. The very first international match between the two nations took place in 1946, at Dalymount Park in Dublin, where the visitors recorded a 1-0 victory, the decisive goal coming from the legendary Tom Finney. The second meeting between England and the Republic of Ireland, at Everton’s Goodison Park, was arguably another home game for the travelling Irish as Liverpool, the city, has always been a home from home for the Irish. With Peter Farrell captaining Everton and playing for Ireland at the time, there was added interest locally.



Despite playing on his home ground, few people gave Farrell and his fellow Irishmen any chance of defeating England. Some things were set in stone in those days - the notion of an English side, laden with quality, being undone at home was not open for discussion.

However, it was to be a famous day for Irish soccer. Johnny (Jackie) Carey, footballer of the year in 1949, was to shackle Preston’s Finney, ensuring there would be no repeat of the previous scoreline between the teams. He was a towering, elegant player whose versatility made the game look easy, always finding time and space to find a team mate. His leadership qualities would help shape the fortunes of Matt Busby’s Manchester United over the coming years and after he hung up his boots he went into management – most famously at Everton of all places, where he managed for three seasons, from 1958 to 1961 before then Everton chairman, Sir John Moores, famously sacked him in the back of a taxi after a meeting in London.



Ireland opened the scoring, just past the half hour, when Aston Villa’s centre half Con Martin scored from the penalty spot. Martin had previously played in goal for Ireland against Spain! Despite constant pressure throughout the entire second half, the Irish held firm and victory was secured with little more than five minutes remaining when Everton captain, Peter Farrell, skipped past his marker and coolly lofted the ball over advancing English keeper, Bert Williams, into an empty net. The Gwladys Street terrace celebrated one of their own as Farrell settled matters. History was made. The unthinkable had happened. England had been beaten on home soil by an overseas team for the first time. A full time scoreline reading England 0 Republic of Ireland 2 was not envisaged but happen it did.

The Liverpool Echo match report indicated the nation’s frustration with England’s shock defeat – “to think that Eire, who had extreme difficulty in raising eleven men of sufficient calibre for such a match should be the first ‘outside’ country to beat us on home ground. It shows plainly how far we have fallen from the all-conquering England of a few seasons ago. They have fairly put the cat amongst the England selectors’ pigeons.”

Goodison Park had witnessed football history. Some record books can state that Hungary were the first foreign conquerors of England but the 52,000 people who attended the international fixture between England and the Republic of Ireland on September 21st, 1949 know otherwise. The original ‘mission impossible’ had just been achieved.

verry small pictures

the tiers still don't look at big or as steep as they do in the main rendering, but i suppose I'l wait until they finish the lower tiers before i reserve judgement. The Cladding looks very cold on dark days, but the stadium looks ever so sharp and shiny in the sun. They should install lighting systems to create artificial sun on it :D I'd love to have a tour of it. Sky News were doing their review of the year from inside wembley, and it looked gigantic. Gives a bit more perspective than the small, and sometimes wide angle lenses being used by the project photographers.

There are currently approximately 30,000 seats in place
http://www.wembleystadium.com/NR/rdonlyres/31A4506A-5267-428E-B2C0-5A81CEA3B4E1/73922/seats_big.jpg


You wait 2 months and then end up with a picture like that. :bash:

Did anyone read the Wembley brochure in the Times earlier? Every footballer seemed eager to play in it come May, but did you get the impression that the builders would rather spend longer to get the job done properly than to rush the construction before the FA Cup Final? I haven't got it on me now, but there was a quote something like 'as all new kitchen owners will tell you, they would rather wait longer for the job to be done properly'. I sure hope for the stadium's construction to be finished ASAP, but don't want to hear any negative feedback about it on it's opening day. I know this is an ongoing story, but any comments?

When it is ready to be used, it will be test used to see how it goes. There are bound to be some problems, as with all new things, so expect to see "Scandal of new Wembley" stories in the press when there is a minor problem, (like some of the bogs don't flush, or a couple of escalators aren't working.....yet...!). So the stadium could be complete before the cup final, but time is still needed to test the stadium before a full use, (H & S Standards are very high in the U.K.).

The builder is under immense pressure to finish on time, and i guess the longer the period the less it will cost the builder, i.e. less workers and overtime to pay to get it built on time.

Can't wait to see this heaving with fans, hopefully LFC fans, come F.A. Cup final day. :)

yes, I want it to be done properly, imagine the embarrasment if something goes wrong. You won't have to wait long for the England-Hungary match after the FA Cup. Or pehaps the players could return to it after world cup triumph ;)

And yes the media will clutch onto straws, trying to make it political, blaming Blair etc.

Rushing on a project which will hold in excess of 90,00 people, isn't a good idea.

Don't rush this at all. If it ends up even over a month late but finished in brilliant condition it will be worth it.

How much have Multiplex lost on Wembley?

757mln? Sir Bobby for that money I am sure it is phenomenal indeed!

Singidunum - indead, and you are not the only person to raise their eyebrows at the cost.

Sod the cost the UK will have the world's best stadium for only 120 million pounds of public money. Bargain.

Its the National Stadium, its only logical that it should be built in London. I mean with France, Germany and Italy the National Stadia are in their respective capitals.

Whats the German national stadium then?

Italy has a national stadium???????

Italy has a national stadium???????


Stadio Olimpico?

well heres wikipedia's take on things http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_stadium

Italy - Stadio Olimpico (football and athletics)

Germany - Olympiastadion (football and athletics) - I thought it was Allianz Arena for football?

Sod the cost the UK will have the world's best stadium for only 120 million pounds of public money. Bargain.

Its the National Stadium, its only logical that it should be built in London. I mean with France, Germany and Italy the National Stadia are in their respective capitals.

exactly :)

How much have Multiplex lost on Wembley?

The current figure is $109M. No doubt subject to change (ie get worse).

Germany - Olympiastadion (football and athletics) - I thought it was Allianz Arena for football?

I guess its the Olympiastadion, as the WC Final is being played there. The Allianz arena will host a Semi Final.

Oh from the public's point of view the new Wembley stadium is an absolute bargain. And it is unlikely that the financing would have been possible for a stadium of Wembley's size because the whole stadium is leveraged on a highly complex syndicated loan by, ironically, a German bank, WestLB, who stepped in when Barclays gave up because it was too difficult.

It would have been very difficult to raise the capital for a stadium of this size outside London and, in all likelihood, more rather than less public money would be needed.

The catch with the new Wembley is that 13,000 of the seats are effectively closed to the public as they have already been bought as premium yearly tickets for football diehards or and corporates. It is predominately this massive projected revenue stream that made the financing possible.

I went to an open evening at WestLB and actually chatted to a banker who had worked on the syndicated loan for the Wembley Stadium.... it was fascinating stuff but to get 31 different banks to agree on how much they'll each stump up and what interest rate to pay on the bonds must have been a herculean task.

Sod the cost the UK will have the world's best stadium for only 120 million pounds of public money. Bargain.

as much as i hope it will be the world's best (i'm guessing you meant) football stadium, the jury's still out on whether it actually will be.

externally i'd say the allianz arena is currently the world's best modern football stadium - far better than the new wembley in that respect. internally we'll have to wait and see.

as much as i hope it will be the world's best (i'm guessing you meant) football stadium, the jury's still out on whether it actually will be.

externally i'd say the allianz arena is currently the world's best modern football stadium - far better than the new wembley in that respect. internally we'll have to wait and see.

Will the Allianz arena look as good in 30 years?
Wembley is more reserved in it's design externally than the Allianz, but i believe Wembley will age better.

Oh from the public's point of view the new Wembley stadium is an absolute bargain. And it is unlikely that the financing would have been possible for a stadium of Wembley's size because the whole stadium is leveraged on a highly complex syndicated loan by, ironically, a German bank, WestLB, who stepped in when Barclays gave up because it was too difficult.

It would have been very difficult to raise the capital for a stadium of this size outside London and, in all likelihood, more rather than less public money would be needed.

The catch with the new Wembley is that 13,000 of the seats are effectively closed to the public as they have already been bought as premium yearly tickets for football diehards or and corporates. It is predominately this massive projected revenue stream that made the financing possible.

I went to an open evening at WestLB and actually chatted to a banker who had worked on the syndicated loan for the Wembley Stadium.... it was fascinating stuff but to get 31 different banks to agree on how much they'll each stump up and what interest rate to pay on the bonds must have been a herculean task.

Indeed thats why it was always going to be in London, not just the lease seating but also all the corporate hospitality facilties are obviously going to bring in more in London than they would have elsewhere, the markets larger and the Wembley name carries more prestige. The brum plan was for an 80,000 seat stadium which I'd guess would have had more than a few corperate seats aswell so really the number of seats avaible to the average fan wouldnt have been very different, a few of the better off hardcore fans have probabley taken on leases aswell.

How much multiplex lose on the project is surely irrelivant to everyone but their shareholders aslong as they complete it. The constant harping on about it is really just the media playing to the publics ignorance on the stadiums funding.

Wembley v Millennium Stadium

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/Sparkynufc/stadium.jpg

Best update your ever going to get :)

http://www.multiplexcapital.biz/uploads/filelibrary/Response%20to%20ASX%20201205%20V9.pdf

Totally awesome! Thanks Sparks! :)

I don't understand how the footprint can be so much larger yet the bowl volume is smaller?!

You Just need to look at the stats for bars, toilets, resturants and merchandise outlets to see where that extra space is.

Also the huge concourses.

The figures must be wrong. I would be very suprised if they weren't!

Pinched these from the pdf, for the benefit of the forum. Thanks to Sparks and whoever actually took the pics.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88/faggotbrain/Wembley2.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88/faggotbrain/wembley1.jpg

The stands aren't as high as I'd imagined they would be.

I guess the render is quite deceptive. There are three layers as you can see in both images below but in the render they look alot steeper. perhaps it is the way they used the seperators to look like there were more stands?

http://www.the-english-football-archive.com/images/pictures/new_wembley~2.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88/faggotbrain/wembley1.jpg

These are the first shot where you get a real sense of scale.

Pinched these from the pdf, for the benefit of the forum. Thanks to Sparks and whoever actually took the pics.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88/faggotbrain/Wembley2.jpg




5 + weeks old aswell, I wonder how much has changed since.


I just want to see that lower bowl completed.

Then i'll be happy.

Someone should wait outside Wembley...catch a worker going in...give him a camera, and offerhim a few squid to take a few pics.

They went to the ground on the snooker tonight and they said they would be amazed if it is finished in time.

I must admit, there seems alot to be done in the 5 weeks remaining before deadline time.

They went to the ground on the snooker tonight and they said they would be amazed if it is finished in time.

I must admit, there seems alot to be done in the 5 weeks remaining before deadline time.

That was the deadline time like...a year ago.

Gone back 2 month I think.


The FA cup final isn't till May anyway...4 months away.

That was the deadline time like...a year ago.

Gone back 2 month I think.


The FA cup final isn't till May anyway...4 months away.

I'm not sure on this, but isn't the first dead line for hand over the end of March? :dunno:

I don't know for sure.

Other people will.

Lets just wait for them to show up.

I guess the render is quite deceptive. There are three layers as you can see in both images below but in the render they look alot steeper. perhaps it is the way they used the seperators to look like there were more stands?

http://www.the-english-football-archive.com/images/pictures/new_wembley~2.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88/faggotbrain/wembley1.jpg

The bottom tier is still missing a fair bit there remeber. The thing that pleasantly supprizes me is the angle of the bottom tier, on the renders it looked like it might be a bit shallow but its actually pretty steep considering the size of the stadium.

The stands don't look that far off completed to me as we've seen how quickly they can go up at Twickenham its the roofs that still looks like it needs the most work.

It'll never be finished....

By the way the Vase or Trophy wont be held there (for the practise games) as they have been scheduled for St.Andrews and Upton Park (respectively).

It would have been nice to see the second tier a bit larger to give the stadium a better sense of uniformity maybe? I suspect it won't really matter much once it's finished and all the seats are in place. Could you guys tell me if the second tier is reserved entirely for club seats/executive seats? Shouldn't they have made some seats below these available for general sale on matchdays? Also, i've said this before but don't you think it would have looked good with white seats spelling out the name Wembley and maybe England, to break up all of the red? Appreciate your replies on both my points.

Also, i've said this before but don't you think it would have looked good with white seats spelling out the name Wembley and maybe England, to break up all of the red? Appreciate your replies on both my points.

Not so much the Wembley, but I like the England flag idea. Take it one step further, I would go for white seates with some red seats making a cross on two sides of the stadium.

It would have been nice to see the second tier a bit larger to give the stadium a better sense of uniformity maybe? I suspect it won't really matter much once it's finished and all the seats are in place. Could you guys tell me if the second tier is reserved entirely for club seats/executive seats? Shouldn't they have made some seats below these available for general sale on matchdays? Also, i've said this before but don't you think it would have looked good with white seats spelling out the name Wembley and maybe England, to break up all of the red? Appreciate your replies on both my points.

Yeah the lease seating is on the second tier and in a line going down to the halfway line on the arch side. From the looks of it though theres very little difference in view between the top of the first tier and the bottom of the second. Personally I think stadiums tend to look bigger with space deivided unequally between the tiers(Nou Camp, Da Luz, Invesco Field) rather than more equally(Allianz Arena, Fedex Field).

I'm supprized they didnt go with a cross of st george on the seats, maybe a PC (over)reaction to racism? It would have been most effective with the middle tier white then two lines from top to bottom at the sides so the screens down get in the way.

It's quite scary yet awe-inspiring that one of these will be being built in Stratford in a few years.

Oh my word, great pics there whoever took em. Not quality wise of course, but a good viewpoint. This is going to be AWESOME

I think wembley (wnsl) are embarassed about the lack of progress in the last month (partciulary on the inside) or so and don't want to put the photos on their website for december or january. They'll probably update us when it's close to completion. I reckon it's going to be delayed by a good few months, unless they are prepared to open it unfinished which would be a mistake. I can't see it been ready for the f.a. cup or any of the football league matches. The first high profile match might even be the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final, which would be fantastic, especially if the bulls are in it because i'll be there cheering them on.

The updates have been all over the place since 2004. I remember the June or May update was nearly 2 months late then the updates for the next month appeared 3 weeks later, so I doubt the actual progress has anything to do with when the updates appear.

They have already sold out a Bon Jovi concert on June 11th and have just agreed to a concert on the 10th, so they must be confident on it being finished very close to the deadline.

I couldnt agree more with the comment about putting the St Georges cross or at least "wembley" on the seats. It would have been very effective. Still, they can always change it in the future at some point.

i reckon that kind of thing looks dated and tacky nowadays, and if it's done wrong (as it is more often than not) it interferes with the impact of the stands.

keep it simple, classy, big, bold and red. red is angry. i want opposition teams to walk out and be in absolute awe - not be like, oh wow, look at that cute little pattern they did on the seats. they should be scared: we are england, this is wembley, be afraid.

Yeah writing on the seats is a bit tacky, for maximum impact keep it simple and elegant like Mr.Inglis (the godfather of football stadia) himself states.

The new December photos are up! They're not bad but they really should be better, its the national stadium guys, you shouldn't be hiding it from us ;)

Written last week

Next week Multiplex will update us on the Wembley project which could mean it’s curtains for its FA Cup chances.

Work will not be completed by March 31st with the biggest issue being the roof, however the bottom and upper tiers will be complete enough to hold a test event of around 25,000 between 10/15th April, a safety certificate will hopefully be granted around 8th April giving the go ahead to use the stadium. The Southern side (opposite of the arch) is the most complete side so it’s likely most people will be put here largely in the bottom tier with a fair number in the middle and upper enough to reach the minimum number required for the certificate, the changing rooms will be complete for the test game. Slightly worryingly is that this test game has yet to be announced so multiplex can’t guarantee the stadium being ready for even the test event yet even so I expect within a couple of weeks a test event will be announced. The roof will not be complete for this test event but should be waterproof and do it’s job for the people in the upper tier at least whether the retractable part is finished or not will be questionable however all sections of the roof will be in place. The roof isn’t the only problem despite the south side being largely guaranteed to be finished in time the 3 other sides are lagging somewhat behind therefore the second test event could be more complex I assume it will be planned around the end of April allowing time to finish the lower and upper tiers on the other three sides. A lot of the corporate hospitality sections such as the restaurants will only be operating at a very small level however with hope these can be fully finished no late than a week before the game. I guess the video screens will be installed around mid February and work will continue on the roof on both the southern and northern sides up until at least the end of April, but even if the retractable section isn’t finished by May the cup final could still go ahead as it wouldn’t be a danger to fans, lets just hope it wouldn’t rain! Chances of it being ready for the cup final are 50/50, on the plus side the pitch will certainly be ready on time despite previous concerns and the walkway should be completed by March despite Charles Sale in the Daily Mail saying differently.

Big file but worth it!

http://www.multiplex.com.au/uploads/filelibrary/Wembley%20Update.pdf

Yeah writing on the seats is a bit tacky, for maximum impact keep it simple and elegant like Mr.Inglis (the godfather of football stadia) himself states.

Especially if you hope to hold things like the World Cup

hating all this negative coverage of the stadium, just because its going to be late.

I was in there earlier today. Can't see it being ready for the Cup Final :bash:

31.12.06
http://www.**************************/wembley001.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley002.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley003.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley004.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley005.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley006.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley007.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley008.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley009.jpg

http://www.**************************/wembley010.jpg

great pics, what were your overall views of the stadium?

I was in there earlier today. Can't see it being ready for the Cup Final :bash:

31.12.06
http://www.**************************/wembley001.jpg

It's still not going to be finished on New Year's Eve?! :)

wow, they let you in. Strange decision, thought they were trying to hide it. They didnt let the media in.

And nope, it won't be ready :(

They say 70% I say 25%

One more piece lifted into place this afternoon:
http://i1.tinypic.com/mwbf2s.jpg

1) i love scouserdave
2) it won't be ready for the fa cup final
3) it looks absolutely fucking massive
4) those video screens are huge
5) i doubt it'll be ready for the last england friendly before the world cup as well.

It wont be ready for the cup final unless everything goes EXACTLY as planned with absolutely nothing going wrong which put simply means it wont be ready. Still it's no big issue, and wont be costing the taxpayer. It wont be long now :)

1) i love scouserdave
2) it won't be ready for the fa cup final
3) it looks absolutely fucking massive
4) those video screens are huge
5) i doubt it'll be ready for the last england friendly before the world cup as well.

1) Hmmm not sure about that, but great pics Wembley need to get a new photographer.
2) Doesn't seem it will be ready but hope they dont use it if it isn't fully finished to host the cup.
3) Does look bloody massive, some idiots will get a shock
4) Yep
5) Nah i think it would be ready for the final friendly, probably better time to officially open the stadium.

http://www.**************************/wembley006.jpg

:eek2: :eek2: :eek2: :eek2:

Great photos.

The issue really is not the quality of the official photographer but the resolution of the images on the official website.

Looking at that last photo with the big red crane in it i noticed they have executive boxes above the middle tier and then MORE boxes above these that spoil the smooth lines from the top tier to the middle one. I mean why have they got so many? This means less space for the average sports fan who wants an ordinary ticket and decreases the atmosphere.

Great pics, cheers scouserdave. I think most of us are in agreement that it seems highly unlikely it will be ready (fully complete) for the FA Cup final. It looks like the big daddy of them all. :)

double post (delete)

1) i love scouserdave
Luv u 2 edennewstairs mate :kiss: :)

I've put 99 pics on www.**************************/wembley rather than post them all here :cheers:

http://www.**************************/wembley/images/image063.jpg

feck me!

What were you doing there anyway?

Didn't people get a bit uptight about you taking photos they seem to in the past.

thanks again to dave for this - we're building one of the most awe-inspiring stadiums on earth. look at the size of these stands!

http://www.**************************/wembley/images/image073.jpg

best photos ever! having just looked through them

Thanks for the pics scouserdave. You, the pics and the stadium are bloody awesome

thank you dave, thank you :master:

:happy:
Looks like it's going to be magnificent! Nice Liverpool philosophy behind the use of blue plastic covers for red seats ;) Remove what's needed and have a seat.

I'm going against the flow and reckon it will be ready on time! Well at least useable but missing some of the retail outlets, a few toilets closed etc. But I think it will be open.

I'm hating the negative coverage on this too. Did anyone see the comparison with the Alianze stadium London tonight did? Absolute drivel. A basic rule is compare like with like and construction of a 67,000 seater cannot be compared with a 90,000 seater one! . And they always compare construction cost with wembleys total cost. Alianze cost £250m, Wembley construction£326m which puts it in a favourable light really. grrr. we all know this though

yah, I'm with everyone else, a big well done to scouserdave for these pics :applause:

This is my fave pic because you can see some England flags put their by the workers at the top and some cheeky so and so has tried to even things up by putting their Irish flag on it :)

http://www.**************************/wembley/images/image073.jpg

Oh wait....Dave did take them.

I was sat here thinking 'god, averyones acting as if he took them himself'

When he did :D

Thanks Dave.

I have been literally salivating over these photos.

Simply brilliant. Just the kind of photos we have always wanted from the official website. I especially like all the close up photos of the roof. An amazing piece of engineering.

If i am ever lucky enough to attend a match at the new stadium I will probably just spend the entire 90 minutes taking photos, sad but true.

PS I wonder which side of the stadium the trophies will be presented?