You are looking at this in an arse about tit kind of way..
Firstly.. Blackpool FC has done two significant stadium alterations of note (excluding Temporary Stand) in the time I can remember... Both of those developments have resulted in a step change (increase) in the attendances. Both times we heard exactly the same kind of nonsense spouted about the need to fill the stadium regularly first... It will never happen...
Your attendances in the Championship will pretty much always average at a certain level of your capacity. That's just how it is, however typically speaking that percentage tends to remain constant (notwithstanding size of catchment).. I can't recall what it was now, but maybe it was something like a typical championship club might average 75 - 80% of capacity... One might assume that by increasing the capacity that would have the knock on effect of reducing the percentage, but in reality that isn't the case... Essentially by limiting the peak capacity you also limit the average capacity as in essence only 75-80% of those who you might attract to your once in 10-20 year fixture will attend regularly.... However fail to be able to accommodate them for that one off game or fail to show the kind of ambition that drives fans on the periphery to feel motivated to support the club and you'll reap the rewards of your own lack of ambition and foresight..... Ultimately people (beyond the bare minumum) are only going to be motivated to support this Club if they feel it is a Club that actually has some ambition... As things stand Blackpool FC has a 'Treading Water' feel about the place... Whether it's on the pitch, with regard to these development plans or simply in the way it communicates with the public.... That's not going to attract fans I'm afraid... So to my mind... If 3,600 is where we are at... I'd just spruce up the Temporary Stand and not even bother, because its a waste of money.
We already have filled the current stadium when we were in the Championship (2014 was the last time) and that happened under a regime that was widely hated in the town. Since that time we have lost a generation of fans that needed to be rebuilt... That's a whole generation who just don't get the Preston North End rivalry... Blackpool could easily drum up 15-16000 home fans in a local Derby Game, but it's going to take time and the will to build and regain the trust of the community.... To expect that to simply happen overnight, when thousands have completely cut themselves off is naïve in the extreme.
I think for many existing fans the East Stand is going to be a major line in the sand really.... I think it's also a way to make a massive statement about the future ambitions of the Club to the Town as a whole. As such this has the potential to really create a massive buzz in the Town and to gain 2-3000 extra home fans in the right circumstances. A small development of 3600 would show a real lack of ambition and I think for many it would be a final straw.... Fans like myself have probably pinned our last hopes for having a proper football club on this most recent change of ownership and frankly if we simply get (yet another) half measures type approach, I think that many will just thrown in the towel....
Go Big or Go Home would be my advice.... I genuinely think that we'll lose a whole bunch of our existing fanbase if we get this decision wrong....
I agree with much of that, however I don't think we'll lose existing fans, as you don't give up on your team because of a stand. I think you are also slightly underestimating the more professional feel of a completed stadium. Whenever you see the N, W&S from the E it looks miles better, so seeing that all around will finally give that proper stadium feel, not looking at a shite east.
But it'll be a show of intent whatever happens. Sadler has already said he prefers it smaller, so the 4600 was it we thought. Possibly no corner.
It could be great to make a statement no doubt and people saying we haven't sold this much before etc have no vision about where we could be long term or even short term, you have to build for the future and we haven't tried that hard yet, also under odd circumstances. 1st Championship season was post covid and many were cautious. 2nd season under Appleton, hardly going to inspire the masses under a hated man at the high prices we chose too. So we could have done far better even if we wet up this season.
I could though accept the 4600 east, although definitely better with a corner too, but on it's own would take us only slightly higher capacity wise than now, but would allow maybe 14k home fans and 2.2k away, or whatever splits.
That would be enough for now, but under the right circumstances if things went well it might not be long before that was filled.
I don't doubt SS when he says we could add to it in the future, which is good to hear, but obviously you need the fans to be able to attend when the occasions call.
I would love to see though, a 2 tier north, as I wonder if you'd be able to get a large part of the steelwork etc done over a slightly longer summer, then populate it below still whilst it's finished...
Probably just a pipe dream anyway.
1 more thing to mention, the reason we wouldn't be going any higher than 24 rows high is someone said that's the limit of ground entrances we have, any higher and you need them tunnels mid stand or something.
So for me just max out the 24 rows high from east to NE corner.