West Ham have won Olympic Stadium

[SpurSince57]

I think that Levy has massively called a 'bluff' here. David Lammy has been quiet in the last two weeks. Mad Boris Johnson needs to rubber stamp both decisions, with THFC getting go-ahead for the revamp of WHL.

On reflection, thank gawd the spammers got the OS.

http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/spurs-stadium-plan-gets-boris-boost

http://www.hornseyjournal.co.uk/new...rs_stadium_plans_for_white_hart_lane_1_737954

http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/f...n-light-develop-white-hart-lane-boris-johnson

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...et-approval-to-redevelop-White-Hart-Lane.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/9228658.stm

Comment seems just a little redundant.

 

[BigRed]

Whoa! Random special guest appearance!

I like to think of myself as the Jonathan Woodgate of SC.

 

[bigturnip]

Daniel Levy has come in for a lot of criticism for this but I think he deserves credit for sticking to his guns and refusing to leave the running track in. West Ham fans have been absolutely shafted by their owners and will be burdened with this horrendous stadium for decades.

That did make me laugh, Daniel Levy sticking to his guns? He's changed positions more times than a porn actress on speed.

 

[BigRed]

That did make me laugh, Daniel Levy sticking to his guns? He's changed positions more times than a porn actress on speed.

Not really. As chairman of a PLC he is legally required to go for whichever deal represents the best value for shareholders.

Nevertheless, he might be some sort of Machiavellian genius. After all, we are exactly where we were before this Olympic bidding nonsense, but West Ham are saddled with a useless stadium with a great big running track and Levy is working to make sure that they are legally bound to keep that running track forever.

 

[JollyHappy]

Agree totally about the lack of any public grant. If we stay we re regenerating one of the most deprived areas and if Spammers get a grant via central government then Harringey can show they want the same. If we build the scheme we'd go a long way to repaying the grant in providing construction employment for the area and the longer term jobs and save the State millions in benefits. (assuming they don't just employ Poles!)

 

[Spurger King]

Not really. As chairman of a PLC he is legally required to go for whichever deal represents the best value for shareholders.

Nevertheless, he might be some sort of Machiavellian genius. After all, we are exactly where we were before this Olympic bidding nonsense, but West Ham are saddled with a useless stadium with a great big running track and Levy is working to make sure that they are legally bound to keep that running track forever.

I love the image of Levy - through his love for Spurs - orchestrating this entire charade just so West Ham get lumbered with a soulless, atmosphere-sucking stadium...all for his own warped amusement :lol:

 

[SpurSince57]

I assume this is where people get the idea that Arsenal got public funding from.

I assumed it was too. I just didn't want to say. None of that funding came from Islington Council, though. Jeremy Corbyn wrote to their chief executive on Lammy's behalf and got a categorical denial. As for TfL's trumpeted £50m' worth of improvements to Finsbury Park, if the work that's been done since cost that, someone wuz robbed. TfL also wanted nearly £8m from Arsenal for improvements to Holloway Road and Drayton Park, then dropped the idea of installing escalators at the former and putting in Saturday/off-peak services at the latter, much to the Gooners' relief, I imagine.

 

[FITZ]

Whats up with TFL? Surely its in their long term interest to invest in new infrastructure and transport links feeding a regenerated Tottenham area with a massive new football stadium?

The problem with TFL is that they have no competition, so no need to fight for passengers or to commit to unplanned projects.

TFL even have adverts on the tube asking people to walk where possible.

The tube is overcrowded at peak times and also falling apart in places. So the money is being spent on replacing new rails, trains, signals and station refurbs, whilst they are already cutting back on every other cost. Staff can't even order stationery!

So why would they want to take on building new stations or extensions when people already walk to their stations or get on their buses.

 

[Bobbins]

This is why it's all very well the club releasing a statement which, let's be honest, is pretty much pleading for public money, and citing examples of our rivals getting it - but if you're not going to go into details (either on what they got, or what we want) all it serves to do is rile up fans into thinking that the Arse were just given the Emirates on a plate while Lammy demands golden palaces and underground sugar mines.

Not very responsible.

 

[SpurSince57]

This is why it's all very well the club releasing a statement which, let's be honest, is pretty much pleading for public money, and citing examples of our rivals getting it - but if you're not going to go into details (either on what they got, or what we want) all it serves to do is rile up fans into thinking that the Arse were just given the Emirates on a plate while Lammy demands golden palaces and underground sugar mines.

Not very responsible.

Indeedy-doody.

 

[Bruts]

The problem with TFL is that they have no competition, so no need to fight for passengers or to commit to unplanned projects.

TFL even have adverts on the tube asking people to walk where possible.

The tube is overcrowded at peak times and also falling apart in places. So the money is being spent on replacing new rails, trains, signals and station refurbs, whilst they are already cutting back on every other cost. Staff can't even order stationery!

So why would they want to take on building new stations or extensions when people already walk to their stations or get on their buses.

As a fellow met line traveller from Croxley i totally agree !! :grin:

 

[thfcsteff]

David Lammy tweeted this about half hour ago...

@DavidLammy David Lammy
Club has to articulate exactly what made the NDP unviable in 1st place & we will work from there to fix things with Council, Tfl, Mayor etc

@DavidLammy David Lammy
Of course I'm going to do whatever I can to keep the club in Tottenham, I'll happily fight for funding from local authority/gov't/Mayor

I'm sorry, this arsehole continually does things to cover his own, er, arse. I don't trust a word he says. Less tweeting you mouthy fucking ****, and more ACTION as it's been very VERY fucking obvious for a few years what the issues have been unless he is Helen Keller's twin!

 

[Chinaspur]

I think those who are criticising Daniel Levy should take some time to reflect on the facts as we know them. We lost the bid, because we refused to leave the running track in. It seems that was THE crucial point. Daniel Levy cared enough about the ordinary fan to know that the experience would be much worse, and therefore compromised a lucrative opportunity in order to ensure the best possible experience for the fans. If he was the soulless lying money-grabbing arse that some on here would have then he would have done what the Porn Barons have done and put in the strongest possible bid regardless of fan experience.

If it was just about profit he would have won this bid, and then with significantly increased value in his asset sold up to some random billionaire. One who had no knowledge of football and how potentially the bad atmosphere could affect results in 7 years time. But one who could do the maths and see 60,000 seats to be sold every week with very relatively little debt burdening the club. One who could also see the value of having a brand new stadium, with naming rights, within view of Canary Wharf and the money makers in London.

We don't know the exact financials - as much as some have speculated - but if it wasn't lucrative then I'm confident Levy wouldn't have gone for it.

You could counter with 'was he thinking about the fans when he cared so little about our heritage', but equally compelling is the argument that he cared about the 20K fans who can't go to games because the stadium is so small, or the fans who struggle to get to WHL because of the crap transport. How you value heritage is a subjective matter. Some might see it more important than 1000s of fans stuck at overcrowded tube stations each week, some might not. The fact he looked to the OS does in no way prove he doesn't care what the ordinary fan thinks.

Finally the 'viable' issue. Anyone who has been involved in this kind of bid and negotiation would have said the same about the NDP. We already had a weak bid because of the track. Levy probably was lying about the viability of the NDP. And fair play to him. If it had swayed the decision at all then as a negotiator it was the right thing to do.

I write all this as someone who is very happy we didn't win the stadium - perhaps I value heritage more than Daniel Levy - or perhaps I haven't seen the figures and don't really know the implications of building in N17. But I do know this Daniel Levy is a bloody brilliant chairman, and if you can't appreciate him after this then you never will. He has clearly put the fans ahead of a short term profit and we should all be very grateful we have him and not King and Queen Dildo.

 

[Tottenham_OZpur]

Well said Chinaspur !!!

 

[lifeof...]

I saw this comment posted on another forum:

"West Ham under current legislation cannot move into the stadium, nor can anyone other than Leyton Orient as the stadium is less than 900 yards away from Orient's current home. So unless the FA are going to buy Orient a new stadium further away it isnt going to happen."

Can anyone verify this?

 

[ryantegan]

I saw this comment posted on another forum:



Can anyone verify this?

I think Barry Hearn is negotiating a slice of the pie so he can take the orient elsewhere.

 

[piedpiper]

i am gutted we did not win the bid for the staduim. in 4 years from now WH will be able to attract better players than spurs because of their financial muscle. Levy has mentioned that the NDP is not viable so it is back to the drawing board then. we will have to identify a new site then go through all the planning regulations and then start to build. that is upwards of 6 years i reckon. shit i really wanted us in the OS and competing by 2014 with the bigger clubs for players. i hope this does not set us back for the next 10years.

still love spurs and think we have the best chairman in DL. In Levy I Trust !!!!

 

[SpurSince57]

I think those who are criticising Daniel Levy should take some time to reflect on the facts as we know them. We lost the bid, because we refused to leave the running track in. It seems that was THE crucial point.

And yet many SC members, and, far more importantly, Levy and the board, ignored what should have been crashingly obvious.

 

[lifeof...]

I think Barry Hearn is negotiating a slice of the pie so he can take the orient elsewhere.

Interesting, would suggest he would therefore have a rather a "strong" hand then

 

[Chinaspur]

It's easy to say that in hindsight - they proposed what seems like a much more viable alternative in Crystal Palace, but it all came down to whether the 'Legacy' had to be based on the site of the actual stadium. Most sane people would say 'Legacy' can be demonstrated in a number of different ways...just not the sentimental OPLC. I don't think that we can blame Daniel Levy for trying.