Olympic Stadium

[roadrunner]

Welcome to your new home West Ham.



Gr8 views.

With the final piece of turf being laid at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, West Ham fans can now finally get an impression about how their new home will look.

One of the principal reasons why the Hammers were awarded the stadium was because they promised to keep the athletics track around the ground but looking at the photos of the completed stadium, some fans might be thinking of investing in binoculars as well as a season ticket.

According to The Guardian, West Ham plan to spend £90m "on a stadium upgrade in an effort to fix the problems suffered by other football-club tenancies of Olympic stadiums", which will involve "retractable seating and a new roof, in an effort to keep the noise in".

However, the track is going nowhere, so the club have their work cut out if they hope to recreate the famous intimacy of their current home Upton Park.







Retractable seating is all well and good for down the sides of the pitch, but how on earth do they manage it behind the goals? They surely can't leave fans with those views?

[TBM]

I think they should just let people stand round the edge of the pitch like its a Sunday morning kick about down Palmer Park

[Stuka]

I saw an interview conducted there earlier today and I thought for a moment the TV signal had gone black and white!

[Barry the bird boggler]

Bit of a way to go on this saga yet....

Apparently Spurs are going to take the FA/FL to court over them preferring West Ham's bid

And also Leyton Orient are going to take the FA/FL to court over allowing another club to move in about a mile down the road from Brisbane Road which I believe is in contravention of their own rules...

[Fox Talbot]

Bit of a way to go on this saga yet....

Apparently Spurs are going to take the FA/FL to court over them preferring West Ham's bid

And also Leyton Orient are going to take the FA/FL to court over allowing another club to move in about a mile down the road from Brisbane Road which I believe is in contravention of their own rules...

Go for it Orient.

TYpical of football to want to break its own rules when it suits the big boys; typical to try and stick with the football creditor rule.

The best outcome for football is that no-one moves into the stadium.

[Jerry St Clair]

I think they should just let people stand round the edge of the pitch like its a Sunday morning kick about down Palmer Park

TBF, West Ham have been there before.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Bit of a way to go on this saga yet....

Apparently Spurs are going to take the FA/FL to court over them preferring West Ham's bid

And also Leyton Orient are going to take the FA/FL to court over allowing another club to move in about a mile down the road from Brisbane Road which I believe is in contravention of their own rules...

Go for it Orient.

TYpical of football to want to break its own rules when it suits the big boys; typical to try and stick with the football creditor rule.

The best outcome for football is that no-one moves into the stadium.

Except it's not quite that simple. In November Barry Hearn sent the Pl a letter saying he recognised it was inevitable that a Pl club would move to the Olympic Stadium, and please could it be Spurs not West Ham.

That letter meant that when the PL considered a club moving there, their rulebook meant that they couldn't object - if the only club affected had said he agreed to a move, then there was nothing to stop a move being approved.

Everything now from Hearn is just sabre-ratting - he's signed away all their rights with that stupid letter!

[Fox Talbot]

What an idiot Hearn is then.

Unless, I suppose, he was right about the inevitability.

[Svlad Cjelli]

What an idiot Hearn is then.

Unless, I suppose, he was right about the inevitability.

Yes.

Yes - but even if he was right he's written away any hopes of decent compensation.

[Hoop Blah]

As was mentioned last time this came up, I think by paps, a preference over X or Y doesn't mean you're happy with either of them moving in.

I don't think that letter really matters a jot in the bigger scheme of things, it's just an excuse they'll try and use.

[Svlad Cjelli]

As was mentioned last time this came up, I think by paps, a preference over X or Y doesn't mean you're happy with either of them moving in.

I don't think that letter really matters a jot in the bigger scheme of things, it's just an excuse they'll try and use.

When it comes to explaining the PL rulebook to me, I'll take Scudamore over Paps any day

The PL Board Meeting on 21st December decided that, in view of the fact that they were in receipt of a communication from the affected club stating that they had no objections to a PL club moving into their immediate locality, there was nothing in the PL rulebook which could prevent the move of any PL club in that way.

The FL rulebook, however, is quite different - and it'll get very interesting if WH are relegated.

[ZacNaloen]

Where are West Ham going to get 90million pounds from?

[TBM]

Where are West Ham going to get 90million pounds from?

the sale of upton park?

[Svlad Cjelli]

Local council loans also (but not direct loans)

How much is Newham Council proposing to loan to the Stadium Company?
The council has agreed that it will provide a loan to the Stadium Company of up to £40m.

Are we loaning money to West Ham United FC?
No. Newham Council will not be lending to West Ham United or its owners. A stadium company would be set up to run the stadium and this company would loan from Newham Council. West Ham United would rent the stadium from this company.

Where is the funding coming from?
The proposed loan of up to £40m is capital expenditure, which it is assumed will need to be funded from borrowing. To be affordable the cost of borrowing (interest and providing for the repayment of the loan) will need to be at least matched by the interest and repayments by the Stadium Company. The risk of non repayment has been managed through the development of a business case that has undergone due diligence

Lots more here : http://www.newham.gov.uk/2012Games/OlympicStadiumbidFAQs.htm

[Hoop Blah]

As was mentioned last time this came up, I think by paps, a preference over X or Y doesn't mean you're happy with either of them moving in.

I don't think that letter really matters a jot in the bigger scheme of things, it's just an excuse they'll try and use.

When it comes to explaining the PL rulebook to me, I'll take Scudamore over Paps any day

The PL Board Meeting on 21st December decided that, in view of the fact that they were in receipt of a communication from the affected club stating that they had no objections to a PL club moving into their immediate locality, there was nothing in the PL rulebook which could prevent the move of any PL club in that way.

The FL rulebook, however, is quite different - and it'll get very interesting if WH are relegated.

Name dropper.....

To be honest though, just because that's what the PL Board let go through doesn't mean it's actually right though does it?

It was in their interest to allow it and it'd be interesting what view a court or tribunal would take on it as opposed to the vested interests of those on the PL Board.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Absolutely not - about 90% of what the PL do isn't right. But this does meet their rules, so no-one can acuse the Pl of breaking their own rules on this one.

[Once were Biscuitmen]

One thing I am looking forward to is the Poisoned Chalice that is West Hams move to the OS.

If they stay in the Prem, within about five years their crowd is going to have pretty much the exact same composition as that of a Snow Patrol gig at the O2.

It will contain more middle-class, day-trippers and graduate management consultants than even the emirates.

[Jerry St Clair]

It will contain more middle-class, day-trippers and graduate management consultants than even the emirates.

Except when they play Millwall.

[Hoop Blah]

Absolutely not - about 90% of what the PL do isn't right. But this does meet their rules, so no-one can acuse the Pl of breaking their own rules on this one.

As I have no idea on the wording of the rules or the letter I'm sure your right. I would imagine however, that unless Hearns letter said yes I have no objection to Spurs moving in (as opposed to the way you've described it as rather Spurs than Hammers if we have to have one) a they'd have a decent case to say their 'non-objection' was nothing of the sort.

Either way Orient won't have enough clout to stop the PL doing whatever they think will generate more money for it's clubs, and having a new bigger ground in London for one of it's members will do just that.

Personally I think both teams are mad for wanting to move there.

[Friday's Legacy]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/16022012/ ... tball.html



London's Olympic Stadium is not fit for football and risks turning into a white elephant after this year's Games, the chairman of Leyton Orient warned.

Barry Hearn, whose club is close to the £500-million stadium in a previously rundown part of east London, has long been against a bigger side like second tier West Ham United moving into the venue and his patch after 2012.

A football tenant for the stadium, which will retain its athletics track after the Games and will host the 2017 athletics world championships, seems the most likely.

"The more I look at the stadium, the more and more convinced I am is that it is not fit for football purposes," the businessman told Sky Sports News.
"...I have to say after my tour of the stadium, wonderful stadium though it is, I don't think it is good for football."

His club were involved in a legal challenge against West Ham taking over the stadium and although an initial deal collapsed, the Hammers are still widely expected to eventually call the arena their home once capacity is cut from 80,000 to 60,000.
A new process has started to find tenants for the stadium.
Hearn, whose small club are still interested despite his reservations, said he hoped the goalposts would not change again before the bid process concludes next month.

"No-one has actually taken responsibility or admitted they have built the "wrong" stadium. They didn't listen to advice five years ago when everyone was telling them what kind of stadium can work," he added.
"We have to face these problems and be honest. Let's use some common sense otherwise it is going to be a horrendous white elephant. We have seen that happen around the world, let's hope it does not happen to London."