We all laughed this week when Ledley King wrote his children's story for BBC school report, saying that Spurs could win the league - where have we heard that before? - But with West Ham securing the Olympic Stadium that Spurs desperately wanted a couple of years ago, could they actually go on to surpass Spurs in the next few years ? With a 54,OOO capacity stadium, being used as a music and events venue over the summer, this could swell West Ham's coffers to the point where they might be able to start challenging for the top players. They have a way to go before they can start competing with the clubs above them, but like Spurs who were bottom of the league when Harry took over, they could , with the right management and investment, begin to climb the table and overtake teams like Spurs.
Well, playing at a "new" stadium will have benefits both on and off the pitch, we will just have to wait and see. In the meantime we need to not do something stupid like getting relegated (again!). We are pretty tedious to watch right now but we are a bit better than the rest of the dross in the league which is a small comfort.
I am touched by the concern on here and on the Chelsea board. I like Lee's comment on the Chelsea thread, that the layout of the new stadium means he will have to get in practice for throwing coins further. Lampard and Defoe will be miles away now!
It's an interesting point even if a WUM Arsenal (and Chelsea) are big enough to withstand lack of CL football whereas Spurs/Everton and now Liverpool aren't. The reality is for Spurs, Everton and Liverpool is they are going to have to finish in the CL spots to keep their best players and build on the talent they already have. If that doesn't happen they are arguably in the same boat as West Ham, especially when FFP comes in. If West Ham could get in somebody with commercial nouse they could be in a position to pull in higher revenues than Spurs and therefore have higher levels of expenditure. Anything can happen, but obviously now Spurs are on a different level to West Ham.
The way I read the deal, West Ham are not really being "given" the stadium. They have to pay 2M/year rent and share concession income. They don't exactly"own" the stadium and so I don't think they will own any event income from use of the stadium as a concert venue. I'm not sure that they will be making that much on the deal. Plus, I think many people think that the stadium is not an ideal place to watch football, with the running track and everything. They might not fill the stadium every week.
As HIAG keeps telling us 'How can it be a WUM if I'm posting it on my own board' In all seriousness though, this move could act as a catalyst to propel West Ham up the league and to compete with the likes of Spurs. As SJW mentioned in another thread, West Ham, with a new stadium are ripe for investment and could prove to be a tempting proposition for a rich foreign owner to invest their money into.
Over the past few seasons we've been close to you...I think you've finished 1 place above us in 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and we are close again this season so if west ham are going to compete with us then that means they'll also compete with you...or is this just me not getting into the spirit of this thread?
Yes it's the later, this is just for ****s n giggles. Although in the interests of clarity and accuracy, Arsenal have finished above Spurs for the last 16 seasons
Also posted on a similar thread on the Chelsea board but will put here too: It was only 4 seasons ago that we finished level on points with Spurs. Since that time we have been badly run with bad managerial appointments and we have suffered a relegation. We have also been held back by the Tevez repayments to Sheffield Utd. We have been the subject of two takeovers in the last 5 years and quite frankly, the club has been a complete circus. Things appear to be gradually improving now though. Allardyce, despite his faults, has come in and stabilised us. I dont know how long he will stay with us. I would imagine he will still be with us when we move. With yesterday's stadium announcement and the potential for investment, bigger attendances and a higher profile, there is no reason why we can't catch up with, and even surpass Spurs over the next decade.
Yeah. However both Allardyce and David Gold have stated that a new contract will be discussed as soon as we are mathematically safe.
Fair enough, I genuinely thought they were going to ditch Allardyce and get HR. With the new stadium coming in, from a footballing perspective it makes no sense to get rid of Allardyce until the new stadium has come to the fore.
It takes an awful lot for a club to improve to the level that Tottenham are currently at, and by that I mean a CL challenging club, you need a proper infrastructure throughout and remember WHU aren't playing at the Olympic stadium for another 3.5 years. It seems unfair that WHU will get a valuable asset for a few quid which will give them an unfair financial advantage over others so immediate improvement is possible, but a 54k stadium only helps if it's filled and I'd be surprised if this WHU team could attract more than 35k fans and a stadium around 35% empty helps only the opposition. Slightly off thread but people forget that Man City also benefitted from the Commonwealth games stadium (City of Manchester stadium) for pennies so anyone could have walked into that club and inherited a club with huge financial potential, so I question the WHU owners intentions, they were Birmingham fans for years now suddenly WHU fans ? And they've been desperate to get their hands on the Olympic stadium, perhaps when the books looks a million times better than they do today the club is ripe for sale and they benefit from taxpayers money ? I wouldn't blame them, I would blame the system, and I certainly don't blame WHU fans (I played for them at youth level many many years ago so always had a soft spot for them) for being excited at the future, but as a tax payer it raises questions....
Yes, West Ham will overtake Spurs the season after next. West Ham will get better sponsorship and kit deals by then. Spurs will lose Bale to Real Madrid at the end of this season. Madrid will be looking to build a new team under a new coach, and Bale will top the shopping list. Next season, Spurs will drop down the 7th-8th, but won't be overtaken by West Ham. At the end of the season, the mercenary Adebayor will seek CL football and high wages with PSG after being disappointed with Spurs' league position. Dempsey will also leave to retire in America. Lennon will decide it's time for a change, probably ending up at United or Liverpool. Gallas will retire. After these exits, Spurs will be a mid-table team again, and a West Ham squad infused with money will probably finish above them.
West Ham could and probably will overtake the spuds in a few years time. If Leyton Orient get their ground share scheme they want it would be great to see them overtake the spuds as well. I have got to admit to feeling a little aggrieved that Arsenal have had to pay £100s millions to get a new stadium and West Ham have been given a whopping stadium for a paltry amount. It will generate millions for them which could see them become a major force in football for the first time in decades at the taxpayers cost. I doubt they will get the revenue for other events at the stadium though as the owners would retain that, but I haven't seen that so they could. That would be even more annoying.
