Ground redevelopment twist: The Calling of the Bluff
Monday, July 26, 2010 at 9:18PM Just seen this on the BBC. Apparently Spurs are in informal talks about the possibility of making a bid for the 2012 Olympic Stadium.
Hmm.
Hands up if you think Levy is doing this to force the hand of Haringey, who continue to drag their feet with our ground redevelopment plans? Sure, there are financial positives (i.e. less money to spend) if we took the 2012 option. But considering the effort and design of our original proposal to remain where we are - it's time for the local authorities in swanky N17 to get their fingers our of their collective arses and stop with the hurdle placements (which we seem to be jumping over every time regardless).
The recent police and heritage issues reported in one paper appeared to be a little mis-informed (the suggestion was that the new ground would not pass safety regulations and gain it's security certificate). The reality is - everyone involved is hopeful. Every supposed issue can be worked around. And do Haringey really want the best thing about visiting Tottenham gone forever? They'll end up with that lush kebab house on the high street just past the Paxton on the opposite side of the road, where they wrap up the meat. Awesome. But not worth visiting if there's no football to watch straight after.
So I applaud Levy's game of silly buggers. Get stuck in guv.
Reader Comments (58)
agreed, great article
I dont think it would be the end of the world if we got the olympic stadium anyway. A bit of redevelopment would make it a good footy venue and the transport links and surrounding facilties would all be brand spanking new and plentiful.
Would there be enough pubs though??
I sincerely hope this is silly buggers. Seeing the approach of Levy I am sure it is. He understands the value of our heritage. Leaving N17 is handing it to the Scum. NOT GONNA HAPPEN
Agreed. It is high time we played hard ball with the council they are taking the piss now at this stage. Tis put up or shut up time.
Fucking bureaucratic shit, every time I read an update on this they are asking us to change this and change that and we bend over backwards and I'm not so much complaining because the revised plans are better than the original but fucking hell, just approve the fucking thing so we can start building it. There is nothing in Tottenham other than the club, no offence to anyone who lives there.
I'd shed a tear for all the pubs that have been homes away from home for many a year pre and post game.
True enough, and I LOVED the new designs. But he has to draw the line with the council somewhere - and why settle for a watered down version of a great design?
Good post.... My thoughts exactly.... It's a bluff. It would take big cash to change the Olympic Stadium to get all the benefits of the new WHL, like crowd close to the pitch, a Kop-style end etc and they have to keep a running track for 1 event a year. Having said that, I live in Kent and drive right past it on my way to WHL every week so the journey would be much better.... COYS....
Levy knows that we need the new stadium to bring in more profit for the club and to reach the next level. He must leverage anything he can with the Haringey Council at this point.
Good move, but I would be sad to leave the area.
I have to say that going to a Spurs home match anywhere else other than the present location would just not be right. For me it would spoil the whole match day experience and I'm not sure I could get over it. I am now seriously worried that (football) life, for me, could change drastically after 40+ years.
It better only be a bluff or I tell you now when we move in I will personally be chasing Levy round the f'in running track before we kick off!
I mean seriously if I wanted to watch my football from a distance I would stay and home and watch on TV!
I fear for the future of Tottingham, the place. Bureaucracy will kill the area.
I think we should trust Mr Levy. He's making a good job of running our club in my opinion and as much as I'm not looking forward to finding somewhere to park when there are nearly 20,000 more people at home games, I really like the new stadium....
Its about time this action was taken. They are taking ths piss. Im in the masterplanning business and undersake the the planning process. Levy would have spent over £ 5 million minimum to date to get where he is. Harringay needs to understand the options. If they want tottenham without WHL then they should continue to course they are taking.
The decision on the 4 buildings is also a joke. They will be demolished within 5 years of the ground being finished. Look how stupid they look within the context of the stadiaum development.
What has Harringay done for the area in 20 years. Oh yes, made the Tottenham Gyratory system a one way and now they are looking to convert it back to a 2 way system.
Levy, call their bluff and if we go to the Olympic stadium for a year or two then so be it.
Time to up the ante. Look for a site on the M25 next to a railway line. Somewhere near the new training complex.
Most of the Seven Sisters Road is a complete toilet.
What better way to compliment and blend in with the surrounding area than to build a massive, shiny, state of the art toilet bowl?
Are they mad?
Also the small matter that the Stadium is going to be in Stratford. As in (very) East London. Not North.
Stratford Hotspur just does not have the same ring to it. We might need to go that extra step and become the Newham Rangers, or the Hackney Rovers. Or God help us, West Ham United.
Its a bluff, but the prospects for the area if we move away are grim and the local council must know this.
Levy is playing hardball to get the current plans through without any more objections/ delays.
I wonder how the cost of the 2 projects compare ?
Any financial experts out there ?
If moving to the Olympic stadium means we save a lot of money which we can use to buy players, would we supporters object to the move ?
Sod Haringey then. Let's build our new stadium right over the road from the Library v2.0. See how those caravan towin' nomads like it when we lift the League Title right under their noses.
We could then get a massive inflatible cockeril (or cock, whichever suits the occassion), and fly it high above the ground so that those gooners will always see it and know we're there.
Surely enough is enough, we're talking about the future of our club here, the only decent thing in that godforsaken shithole of a borough. My pride swelled when hearing that name broadcast in the recent New York games, if only they knew what a crap hole the area actually was, and how that same bunch of non entities are destroying any chance the club has of ever being amongst the elite. Why of course they get our parking fines every fortnight, because of their callous deployment of parking restrictions, and of course they dont give a toss, because most of us have moved out a long while ago, leaving it to the scum-bags, drug dealers and whores what seem to benefit mostly from our own enforced donations. Move out to Enfield or beyond, a new site totally, keep the name but relocate to somewhere where our endeavours are more appreciated.
"What better way to compliment and blend in with the surrounding area than to build a massive, shiny, state of the art toilet bowl?"
Obviously I meant 'complement', although the proposed new stadium will be so cutting edge, it might actually be able to speak to the surrounding area.
probably a bluff. but the olympic stadium has advantages. i.e move in very quickly and much cheaper. If we don't there is a big chance that lot down the road would have paid off their debt by the time the new whl is completed.
As a football team we need to start to compete and maybe, as much as it might hurt that might be the sensible option...not what the heart says, but the one the head tells you is right.
staying at the lane is the only way of keeping alive the soul of the club! although playing hardball will be a must as well, maybe packing up and renting /ground share for a season would soon show what the worst fears for the area could be and open all doors to us for the future.... tottenham with out hotspur??? they'd be mad!
Spooky, I'm not sure your mate Levy will appreciate you giving the game away.
David, No because the Olympic Stadium comes complete with mandatory running track. No thanks!
It's bollocks. But I'm afraid that Levy doing this might backfire. A local authority has to be above reproach etc and have a transparent planning process. This 'threat' could be seen in a similar light as a bribe. Anyway as you've all already said the place is fuck all without the club. I don't want to be anywhere else. The scum would have a great laugh at that.