This whole ‘Naming Rights Available/Stratford’ business has become a mess.
As I understand it, the Primark Massive have had their dream to be the Bingo club with the biggest premises in the Championship potentially gazumped by Levy & Co.
Spurs started off with airbrushed images of a brave new world. Boulevards scattered with happy smiling Client Reference numbers, a village of 21st century consumer contentment with searchlights beaming a feel good factor into the heavens. Not a Rasta having a purple can of Tenants for breakfast to be seen for miles.
So that was then, this is now. Let’s examine the bids.
West Ham’s bid comes cleverly packaged. The way they operate their football club, as is their bid.
Fundamentally skint, they are using the prospective sale value of their current luxury cowshed in conjunction with anticipated future revenue streams, foremost of course being gate, broadcasting and merchandising, crotchless panties and five lighters for a pound monies to achieve the required funding figure. This will be fronted by Newham Council.
Their financials are largely in guesstimate territory. In an attempt to distract from this potential danger area, Karen Brady is making much of the ‘Olympic Legacy’ element. This is quite cunning of the Pikeys and they are only to be applauded for latching on to it.
Athletics is a rum gig. Regarded by all and sundry as an essentially ‘good thing’ , forever wrapped up in some romantic notion of good old fashioned exercise, character building, team spirit and all that jazz. The reality of course is that interest has been on the wane for some time as the age of Playstations has all but killed youngsters kicking a ball against a wall, let alone going for a jolly good run to get some refreshing fresh air or practicing the shot put like some 1950’s comic book character.
But crucially, West Ham’s willingness to embrace the ‘Legacy’ will give them by default the support of UK Athletics, Lord Coe, The Lord Mayor of London and a whole barrel load of middle class hoo-ray Henrys who only attend stuff that befits their world, opposed to the real one.
The Tottenham bid is as you might imagine commercially solid. Not backed by a local Council but by 02 Arena operators and entertainment giants AEG. The ‘Legacy’ element from the Hotspurs will be billed by those who like the West Ham bid as, ‘an afterthought’.
The idea is to rip the existing stadium apart, specifically binning the idea of a running track. Good news for watching footy. A real deal breaker for those wanting to have a pop at the 800 metres. This ‘callous’ attitude is tempered with a strategy to contribute to an alternative athletics to be arranged, ‘elsewhere’. Of course it isn’t callous. It’s realistic.
So what went wrong with the Haringay deal? At this moment in time their about fifty million reasons to discourage Spurs staying local. All with the Queen’s head on. The threat of Tottingham walking has prompted Haringay council to revisit their compulsory purchase orders to see if they can be wooed into staying.
The Haringay option will deliver a stadium so far removed from what we are used to, that if it happens you’ll spot folk glancing wistfully at Chick King, smiling kindly at white dog sh*t on the way down from Seven Sisters as they prepare enter into what will be not dissimilar to an Industrial Light & Magic movie set.
The Stratford option will alter the dynamic of being a Yid forever. It will be a purposeful stride upon the path of globally recognized branding. All the transport aggro will be in less than an instant, ‘gone’. Spurs fans will be underground, overground Wombling free. Tottinghamization awaits.
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Wow this one really does have the faithful divided. Just wish to throw my tuppence worth. Does anyone even remember Lord Sugar or plain Alan as was then? Back when he was at the helm there nearly wasn’t a THFC some would say that it was down to him but there nearly wasn’t a football ground a lot of negotiating had to be done to stop what we know and love as White Hart Lane from becoming a carpark to quote lord Sugar. Now we have the situation where instead of Haringey Council doing what it can to help boost the area their actually pushing a huge chunk of the revenue away with the add ons to the stadium proposal. If they think fifty million is going to sort the problem newsflash it won’t. Quite simply we as a club have outgrown our home and yes I previously wrote on another site that we should stay at WHL but I am warming more to the idea of this move. Yes it is a huge wrench to leave our spiritual home but the pros far outweigh the cons most of which have been covered on this site. I love my spurs to my core but as I said the simple fact is we have outgrown our home and for another 22,000 more people to enjoy Spurs in our current house its not gonna work on 50 million try adding another hundred million to that and you might be about right. Can’t blame Harringey council either they see the chance to do this and do that without having to dip into their own pockets, why wouldn’t they if someone else will do it for you at no cost to you? No Spurs will always be Spurs no matter where we live and this way more of us can go and enjoy it. I live in Milton Keynes and would love to take my boy to the game but because of the length of time it takes for that last three miles and the stupid time we get home from the games it puts me off I have to consider my son is only six. I drove past the new Olympic building site and I must say it was very very easy to get to. Let Harringey have the old site because I’m pretty sure we will come out on top with the sale and let’s do this move and put Spurs up where we belong. Lillywhitetilidie.
Mp Lammys comment as the move to the olympic stadium is “outrageous:…..looks very weak…..if only Harringey had stopped all the usual red tape noises and local politic in the beginning of the Northumberland project and sat down with Enic in the Early days and ironed out pereived issues /problems ..transport etc it would not leave the business decision fo a new stadia as attractive to leave the heritage behind etc….i for one want white hart lane….but…in modern sport a super stadium is difficult to turn down for all the right reasons in a bad economic climate ….the suggestion athletics could be best served elswhere is probably a better solution ,west ham finances are weak compared to THFC/Enic….and its difficult to not see the new spurs at as in american football being reborn in an amazing stadium ….levy is shrewd….A new beginning?.difficult to accept for territorial reasons….but its a global sport and the post olympic facility would make money in other ways….so we may have to pack our bags and move….expect all the usual red tape though which could get ugly…
I am suspiscious.
Would an MP have an important meeting with a key local stakeholder and then splurge the contents of that meeting all ovet twitter.
Lammy has got on the Spurs PR bus. Stratford is still a bargining chip, many saw it is a simple attempt to negotiate with the Council & “saw through it”, but now it looks like maybe the Council are on board and its THFC + Council vs Government/Boris.
so it seems it will be a rebuild of the olympic site with aeg involved to make awesome stadium …who would not want it?.easy great fans facility….the athletics will be supported with an alternative……end of
lammy and his pals are asking thfc/enic to pay for the transport issues attaching financial clauses etc whereby they have kept the problem the same for many years also english heritage and other parties have views which have meant a run down area is too much hassle to rebuild……which is a harringey problem caused by themselves by a lack of vision/investment and politic without over the years helping the THFC/enic business issues.(their fault)…..we,ve got to be bigger with more revenue/players monies etc…..Boris will want the best for london and development….as with the EPL……its about money!…..so stratford it is