Olympic Stadium Fiasco

[Led's Zeppelin]

It doesn't matter how strongly you were opposed to the idea of Spurs moving to the OS, this article highlights what a travesty the decision to award it to WH was.

I'm infinitely happier that we're building our own stadium in Tottenham, but it annoys me that WHU will get such a large benefit at tax-payers expense when THFC made a far more sensible proposal and were rejected on the most specious of grounds. At the very least WH should have to pay the real costs, or stay where they are if they can't afford it.

Grrr....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33214058

 

[punky]

It doesn't matter how strongly you were opposed to the idea of Spurs moving to the OS, this article highlights what a travesty the decision to award it to WH was.

I'm infinitely happier that we're building our own stadium in Tottenham, but it annoys me that WHU will get such a large benefit at tax-payers expense when THFC made a far more sensible proposal and were rejected on the most specious of grounds. At the very least WH should have to pay the real costs, or stay where they are if they can't afford it.

Grrr....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33214058

The best thing about it all is that there is a good chance West Ham could be homeless in 99 years. Given the nature of property in London, they will probably never own land near London again once they sell Upton Park. When the council come to renew, they know there won't be any suitable alternative sites in the area and can really fleece West Ham knowing they won't want to be forced into humiliating and costly ground shares. They'll either have to move deep into Essex or continually lease (possibly different) stadiums.

100 years sounds like a long time but we've been around 133 years and probably in the strongest position we ever have been and imagine we will still be here in another 133. Whatever happens, barring any Pompey-style madness, the ground will always be ours. It's a nice thought i'll have when I shuffle off this mortal coil.

 

[thinktank]

Shady, shady, shady.

 

[Lilbaz]

The best thing about it all is that there is a good chance West Ham could be homeless in 99 years. Given the nature of property in London, they will probably never own land near London again once they sell Upton Park. When the council come to renew, they know there won't be any suitable alternative sites in the area and can really fleece West Ham knowing they won't want to be forced into humiliating and costly ground shares. They'll either have to move deep into Essex or continually lease (possibly different) stadiums.

100 years sounds like a long time but we've been around 133 years and probably in the strongest position we ever have been and imagine we will still be here in another 133. Whatever happens, barring any Pompey-style madness, the ground will always be ours. It's a nice thought i'll have when I shuffle off this mortal coil.

There is no fucking way I'm waiting a hundred years to see West Ham fucked. 5 years max.

 

[Khilari]

Bilic was a bit of an underachiever in his club career. One can only hope he continues in that vein and they go down!

 

[michaelden]

Shady, shady, shady.

shady, shady, Brady I think you meant

 

[class of 62]

shady, shady, Brady I think you meant

no he didn't.. her name is bucket****!

 

[thinktank]

no he didn't.. her name is bucket****!

 

[StartingPrice]

Love the way the Spammers are all over this, pleading their innocence - ignoring the fact that Conservative politicians have played a significant part in their club being given such incredibly favourable terms, while their owners donate to the Conservative party

They don't mention that the people who were encouraging THFC to spend time and money putting an application together were allegedly secretly assuring the Spammers that they would not lose and the Spurs bid was only being encouraged for the public to see a facade of competition.

Unless I just imagined that bit in the whole sad sorry shenanigans.

 

[PT]

Another club disowning its roots heritage.
So pleased our Club is only moving 500 mitres down the High Street.

 

[llamafarmer]

Totally agree with LZ. As a Spurs fan, I'm glad we're staying in Tottenham and building our own ground, but from a tax payer's point of view, I always thought the Spurs bid for the OS was a far better solution. West Ham have come out of this with a ridiculous public subsidy, the OS will only be used very occasionally for athletics and an existing athletics centre in Crystal Palace now faces demolition. Cluster fuck.

 

[tommo84]

In the event that West Ham use this massive windfall in the shape of a new stadium to establish themselves in the Champions League (which I don't think they will but many do) then along with City we'll have 2 clubs in there who have been gifted their new stadiums by the government, which is akin to a £400m government subsidy (at least).

Never really understood how such a thing can be permitted under FFP. The fact that it is presents a legitimate reason to ditch FFP - you can't say external funding is fine but only provided it's from the taxpayer's purse.

 

[jurgen]

You only have to look at the Garden Bridge process to see Boris and his cronies can push through things regardless of public process and award projects based on factors other than good value for the country

 

[Lilbaz]

Another club disowning its roots heritage.
So pleased our Club is only moving 500 mitres down the High Street.

Bit less than 500m. But agree with your point.

 

[StartingPrice]

Another club disowning its roots heritage.
So pleased our Club is only moving 500 mitres down the High Street.

500 MITRES you say? That's one hell of a lot of Bishops!

 

[Mouse!]

Bit less than 500m. But agree with your point.

500 MITRES you say? That's one hell of a lot of Bishops!

He meant 500 feet, but given that this is a football forum...

 

[have_it]

Another club disowning its roots heritage.
So pleased our Club is only moving 500 mitres down the High Street.

500 ball widths you say!

 

[michaelden]

Why haven't a load of people lost their jobs over this?

 

[Dharmabum]

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...challenging-west-ham-s-olympic-a2917206.html?

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham supporters amongst London fan coalition challenging West Ham’s Olympic Stadium move

• JAMES BENGE
• Wednesday 19 August 2015 19:35 BST

Fans of eight London football clubs have united to call for a full public inquiry into the awarding of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham.

Supporters groups of clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Leyton Orient and Charlton Athletic have published a petition in which they demand further scrutiny on the agreement between the east London club and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), which will see West Ham rent out the 54,000 capacity stadium.

The petition comes in the wake of a BBC documentary earlier this month which claimed that much of the stadium’s running cost would not be paid by West Ham.

The following supporters trusts are supporting this call: Arsenal, Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Leyton Orient, QPR1st and Tottenham Hotspur.

A spokesperson for the coalition said: “The fact that so many supporter groups have come together to call for this inquiry shows that the issues raised go beyond football tribalism.

“As football fans and as taxpayers, we want to see the preservation of fair competition and full transparency in public finances. This shady deal is not in the interests of the game of football and does little to promote public confidence in the way our money is being spent.”
In the petition, which currently has over 1,000 signatures, the coalition said: “West Ham has only contributed £15m towards the £272m conversion costs of the Olympic Stadium, with the taxpayer footing the rest of the bill.

“Considering the cost to the taxpayer, and the effect of this taxpayer subsidy on competition between clubs, a full public inquiry into the deal is needed.”

West Ham have confirmed to Standard Sport that they will not be issuing an additional statement in response to the petition. After the documentary had aired a club spokesman said: “It should be remembered that during a fair, open and robust process that was open to any party or organisation in the world, West Ham United were chosen as the group that delivered the best long-term, viable future for the Stadium and the best return for the taxpayer.

“Our presence underwrites the multi-use legacy of the Stadium and our contribution alone will pay back more than the cost of building and converting the stadium over the course of our tenancy…

“Without us, the Stadium would lose money. With us, the public purse will see a return on the hundreds of millions of pounds that were committed to build the Stadium, long before West Ham's association had begun.”

In the wake of the BBC programme shadow culture secretary Chris Bryant called for details of the agreement to be published “as a matter of urgency”.

 

[Lilbaz]

What was the programe?