Yahoo Sport 
Stoke City told what ambition should be as grand design praised and questioned
Stoke City have started work on a new state-of-the-art training facility, the club’s most expensive individual project since building the bet365 Stadium .
What started out as a £20m five-year infrastructure plan has now grown to be a £30m investment over seven years, and contractors from Speller Metcalfe are beginning work on a new two-storey development for the first team at Clayton Wood on what has previously been used as a warm-up area.
The club hopes to open doors for players and staff before Christmas 2025, with the existing building then being used solely by academy and women’s teams.
Supporters have been having their say on the most significant investment in facilities since the club dropped out of the Premier League in 2018. But even though better facilities should in turn attract better players to the club, supporters have tempered their reaction.
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SOTForever came up with the most comprehensive response to our original story, writing: “Some of the most committed players did their ice baths in wheelie bins (under Tony Pulis), the team of the 70s had no such luxuries and they were 100% committed on Saturday afternoon. Soft times produce soft men, as we see in society today. Think of the men that worked in the pits, on the pots and in the steel works at Shelton.
"Clearly the game has moved on in all aspects, and I am not saying anything bad about the investment, it is a wonderful achievement and we will benefit. But make sure we get the right characters through the door to start with, too.”
Jeezus arguably made a similar point, but more succinctly when he asked: “You can have a £100m worth of facilities. If all you can bring in is rubbish, what’s the point?”
It was a comment echoed by OK, who responded with: “Will the training get better too or just be the same rubbish but in fancy new digs?”
But Chumley had a clear message for the naysayers, hitting back with: “Some very bitter and negative people about - their lives must be very grey. Well done, Stoke. This is great news.”
Similarly, Dobinghattrick wrote: “Expansion and investment into the club’s infrastructure for the future is a sensible and sound business decision.” While Iceman1979 added: “Keep up the good work John Coates, we’re very lucky to have a chairman like yourself.”
Several supporters were concerned about the awarding of the contract to Speller Metcalfe, with Apal asking: “Why haven’t Stoke City awarded the construction works to a local company? We have a number of very good companies in Stoke that can do this work.”
Referring to one of the original partners in the building of the bet365 stadium, Dizzident asked tongue in cheek, “Would they have got a better deal if they'd gone to St Modwen?” while IronED queried: “Are SOT council chipping in again towards the costs?” The local authority was another of the stadium's original partners.
But more negative responses came from the likes of Potterissimo and Stoke63, who declared respectively, “We would also welcome some 'state of the art' players to go along with the works” and “Complete waste of money - it’s like buying a Ferrari to do taxi work”. Justgetsbetter added: “Be well received in div 2, won't it?”
Steelwolf is obviously aiming high from his seat in the bet365 Stadium, asking: “Can we have heated seats in the stands and more leg room please.”
Corky123 added: “Just a pity the team will struggle to get there again. What's the old adage… all the gear but no idea?” To which Ayupmarmite replied: “That's the spirit!”
