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I'm hoping for an emphatic victory to make up for our dismal performance at their place.
I know there were problems with traffic etc so a reasonable excuse, but lets show them the reason why we are higher up the table.

I think the relocation thing is partly down to the unplayable surface and partly down to the need to move in to to 21st century.

Recent trips to Kidderminster and Solihull show just how far behind the curve we are. Any expansion at Moss Lane would involve eliminating the parking area behind the pop side which in itself would bring new problems.

As far as ground sharing goes there used to be a requirement for premier rugby teams to have a 12,000 capacity. In the light of Worcester and Wasps going belly up I'm not sure that will still apply but certainly Sale would be looking at a venue that could hold 10 - 12K as a minimum.

I think if we had a better stand / stadium we would get bigger crowds. They're never going to be massive because of Old Trafford / Ethiad but no reason why we can't be looking at 5,000 - 6,000. 5000 in the current setup is not a good customer experience imho.

That particular solution doesn't solve the problem of the water table being only a few inches below the surface.

As for ground sharing, County fans used to complain that they couldn't play our style of football because the pitch was being churned up by the rugby games. At the time the rugby club held all the aces.

The pitch is still better than it was before the drainage went in. There was often standing water in the quarter by the fan zone when we were in Conference North.

I'm wondering if there has been some heavy equipment on the pitch during the off season to put up the Atlantic Timber hoarding on the main stand and that has damaged the drains. They had similar problems at Edgeley Park.

Covers might help but you've still got to be able to get rid of the run off. Water tends not to go uphill.

Were the photos doing the rounds on Facebook?

That's interesting Saughall Robin. I was monitoring them during the Covid seasons. They were pleading poverty and applied for a a grant rather than a loan during the second round of handouts.
Maybe the local money men have come on board since then. 

Looking at The Shay, you would think that the infrastructure is there to do well. We are doing well despite the infrastructure!

OK. Thanks for that. It explains why the council expected our club to address all the H&S issues.

I am party to a similar lease. 25 years in our case. The rent is adjusted every five years. An opportunity for the landlord to turn the screw.

I'm surprised that the feeling at Halifax is that the council should find a third party who is willing to buy the ground and lease it back to the sports clubs. At the moment the council are running the ground at a loss.
Any third party will most likely be wanting to make a handsome profit.