I'm surprised they haven't gone the whole hog and moved us onto a bloody gypsy caravan site. Brady would look the part in one of those pink blancmange wedding dresses (she's heavy enough now to carry it off) and Sullivan looks like he should be laying dodgy drives for a living.
Just listen to the spin! Brady keeps telling us that the seat FURTHEST from the pitch in the Olympic Stadium is ten yards CLOSER than the seat FURTHEST away from the pitch at Wembley. But that's not the bloody point! That's like judging two brothels on the basis of the ugliest whore in the house. Funnily enough, if Avram was calling in after a successful trip to a casino, he would be buying the best looking tart, not the resident Karren Brady. So, the question is, how much FURTHER away from the pitch is the NEAREST seat at the Olympic Stadium than the NEAREST seat at Wembley. Well that's easy to answer; how wide is an eight lane Olympic running track exactly?
Brady fails to understand that West Ham is all about intimacy. How can we go from the chicken run to this battery farm of a stadium?
Sugar is right of course, the decision to use the stadium for two sports is wrong. We don't want a running track and the stadium is far too big to host athletics outside of the Olympics. So, it is the wrong fit for both sports and, as my Mum always told me, "Two wrongs don't make a right".
What is this all about? Money. Your money, my money, government money, council tax money and Sullivan and Gold's money. But Sullivan and Gold are pocketing the dosh that all the other mugs are shelling out.
Why did they buy West Ham? Because they saw they could make a killing! As pension plans go, this looked like a bloody good bet as soon as the Olympic Stadium became a possibility.
32 comments:
There may be trouble ahead,
But while there's floodlights and turnstile's and maybe a chance.
Let's face the music and ...make loadsamoney! (sorry ain't sure where to put the apostrophe!)
Excellent article, have you seen the mock up of the inside of the stadium; what's missing? There's no bloody running track!
Very good Irving! The apostrophe apart!
I know Berlin's close to your heart!
Maybe it will be a sad day to leave upton park, and maybe the running track isn't going to create the best atmosphere... But if we get 60k in there and everyone sings and gets behind the team it will F***ing rock, no question. It's the right move for us, so I'm going o get behind it and support our club!! COYI!
Nobody seems to of mentioned that West Ham could be out of the Premier league and that stadium could look very empty. I went to the old Wembley once to watch England and it was horrible being so far from the pitch. I just don't see how it will work for West Ham.
If that is so wrong then how else do you think could West Ham have acquired a 60,000 capacity stadium only within a few miles from its present base? No other way and never come to mind.
I beg to differ with you. In my opinion this is a great day for West Ham. My only worry is to keep our premiership status. The future is bright. When Abramovic finally gets tired to spend his millions in the black hole at Stamford Bridge I can see West Ham with Arsenal becoming the main clubs in London. Tottenham will remain a mediocre and most hated club in North London.
We are struggling to get 35,000 into Upton Park at the moment. Where are these extra 25,000 fans going to come from exactly?
Sav, I don't mean this in a spiteful way but when did you last go to Upton Park? Have you ever lived in Newham? Did you Dad take you to the ground to watch Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters as a kid? Were you on the terraces in 85-86 when we so nearly won the title? How many memories do you have of the ground? Is it part of your childhood and part of your father's childhood too?
You may be happy to exchange the club's heritage and soul in return for Sullivan glitz, but for many of us, this is a dark, dark day. The club I supported as a child has died today. There will be a club that calls itself West Ham United but it will be as much Bobby Moore's West Ham as the MK Dons are the same club that Vinnie Jones and the Crazy Gang played for! They might as well change the name to Newham Olympic as far as I'm concerned! The Irons? Nah, The Golds! The Hammers? Nah The Discuses!
I am not that interested whether SULLIVAN and GOLD make a killing or not with the sale of UPTON PARK,all I am concerned with is WESTHAM UNITED going forward as a club.Moving to this top stadium will be great for the clubs future,we will be the envy of the football world having one of the best stadiums.I can only see good for this move,it will attract not only a new influx of supporters that will swell the home support but it will attract big name players who will want to play in it.HF you have got to move with the times, UPTON PARK is an old,pokey, tired looking stadium that needs massive renovation to make it look even half decent.Sure it has many memories for all us fans but this new stadium is a beginning of a new era that will bring new found success.
Stop crying man, you sound like a spud. You can live in the past mate all you want but us hammers are moving up and onwards. This move will take us level with Arsenal as the best club in London. Your spuds are hated and Chelsea are in decline. Now go and tidy your room cry baby.
I have been going to Upton with and without my father as a teenager and have also taken my sons there more recently. Moreover, I lived in West London and had to travel for almost an hour and I had hardly missed a home match for about 10 year when I was living in London. Upton Park has sentimental value to me as well HF. The fact that I live abroad now has nothing to with it. It is because I love West Ham and I want it to move on to become a great club that I want to see us having a 60,000 seat capacity stadium. It is the key success factor for the future. Memories of Upton Park will still remain and treasured by all. But new ones will be made at the Olympic stadium. Maybe with time we can even win the Premiership there. With your logic Arsenal should have remained at Highbury rather than moving into the Emirates. I knew you were going to hit below the belt with this silly argument that I don't have the right to have an opinion on this issue. I disagree. I want what is good for the club. I am not selfish to want them to stay there despite that meaning that we may perish in the future. I am happy that we move into fantastic new stadium and I don't make any apologies for this to anyone. Least of all you.
"Today is a Momentous Day " is the headline on the OS.
Well did anyone see the artist picture of the new stadium on the right of this page ?
Where is the running track we are meant to be keeping ???
HF you are so wrong on all counts. Yes it is a shame to leave Upton Park, your experiences since childhood are similar to mine, except I am not yet fifty, and my Dad hated sport. So I actually chose West Ham as a youngster.
Anyway, the new stadium is a fantastic opportunity for the club to really establish itself in the elite of football.
Life and football moves on. If you are a Luddite, you are going nowhere fast.
If G & S play this right, we will have 50-60k fans every match....obviously cheap tickets are a must. And we could finally become the club we have all hoped for our entire lives.
This is a new dawn, no doubt about it.
JC
Unfair Sav, I preface my reply with "Sav, I don't mean this in a spiteful way".
Tell me, why have Sullivan and Gold NEVER asked the fans' opinion on the move?
JC, I may be a Luddite but Id gladly smash up the machinary to stop a team of Asset Strippers from selling it on for their personal gain. Tell me, what's the point of having a 60,000 gate if you have to charge less to achieve it? What's better, 35,000 paying £50 or 60,000 paying £20? Do you really think Sullivan and Gold are doing this to help the poor man attend football matches? Do me a favour!
Now, answer the big question, if you don't own your ground, how can you raise loans to finance team development?
Get real Fanno, why do you think we struggle to sell out regularly these days? The sheer cost of going has stopped many a passionate Hammer going week in week out and they now have to pick and choose games.
Given all the crap that has surrounded the club these past few years I think we have done bloody well to get the gates we do. Pot calling the kettle black me thinks with regard to your question re how often Sav goes, how often do you actually put your hand in your pocket these days?
This could be a fantastic opportunity for our club but it has to be done right but it doesn’t surprise me that there are a few old dinosaurs that won’t even give it a chance. I’m not saying I don’t have any concerns and of course I will be sad to leave the Boleyn but this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was too good to turn down even though it seems some amongst us would have been more pleased to see thousands of Spuds tramping over our manor every other week.
the extra 25,000 will come in to Stratford, either via the many different railway, dlr and underground connections. Or they'll drive and park outside.... it's going to be much, much easier to get there and more importantly much easier to get away after games. It's going to be MEGA!
Not sure why you don't go to games HF but I'm sure that the OS will be a more attractive proposition - bet you'll be at the first game at our new and shiny stadium.
The OS will probably have the best access facilities in Europe, The entrance fees will be less, hence more people will travel to see our team, with one proviso, the D's pay up for retractable seating so the viewing area becomes oblong rather than round.
People need to understand that UP is a lob-sided stadium following the construction of the new West Stand. The Upper tier is too far back so you're up in the gods and the money charged for season tickets and seats is obscene for such a long distance away. Older fans will recall the chicken run being in touching distance but that is no longer the case as there now is a gap the size of a running track between the East Stand and the pitch. Parking has become increasingly difficult and the District Line is either jammed out or out of action so it's not appropriate to try and extend the Boleyn. The facts are; many traditional West Ham fans have moved out of the East End and the logistics to get to there is a nightmare and the ethnic locals are not into following West Ham and the area is run down and dangerous especially at night. Despite the fantastic history, West Ham has outgrown Green St and Upton Park has outgrown West Ham. Fans are turning in their droves to the internet or illegal satellite TV coverage so having a team that is able to compete, safety, logistics and costs are paramount. What is certain is that we have a huge fan base of circa 700k covering not only the East End/ Docklands, but moreover Essex & Home Counties and even further a field. Therefore the OS with its superb park & ride facilities, fantastic transport links and other superb attractions, can turn watching West Ham into a family day out like American football & baseball and no doubt SUGO will make it affordable to do so to ensure sell outs. It is an incredible opportunity to relaunch West Ham in an amazing iconic stadium so that we can realize our true potential. Yes the running track is an issue, but retractable seats will address that, but the current stadium is well passed it's sell by date and the club were already losing their way and identity!! Not even The Emirates will be able to compete with our added attractions and transport links.. that is why Spurs were prepared to lose their soul for it!!!
A 250 year lease is as good an ownership as any freehold. Of course they can use this lease and the contract they have to raise loans. I know finance is not your thing so please do not worry about that. West Ham is in a much better position to raise loans from having the Olympic Stadium on lease than from owning Upton Park. Beleive me.
And yes, on a personal level, I am happy that my Club has moved nearer to my place in London. But the personal does not count in any of my previous comments. What matters is whether it is good for the Club or not. I am glad G, S and B did not ask the fans. The true fans will soon realise that this is the best for their beloved team. Change is never easy, but is necessary if you want to move forward.
TMFD mate - you words nearly made cry COYI!!!!!!
Totally agree with TMFD. Well said mate!
In a previous article HF, you stated that West Ham could easily have gone into liquidation without SuGo's intervention, and I agree with you. I also agree, that leaving Upton Park will be a terrible wrench. However, I think you will admit moving is far better than the club vanishing altogether.
If people like Levy, and Alan Sugar, thought it would be a good deal for Spurs, who get about 4000 a match more support than we do, to go there, then whether it is rebuilt or not there must be a lot of good business sense attached to the move which hopefully will generate cash for new and better players. Hopefully there will also be cash available from the sale of Upton Park for new players. What ever you think of SugGo they are not idiots, and they must realise that success for the whole scheme of things depends upon a successful team
Bloody hell HF, what's happened to you? :) Not only are you beginning to agree with me on stuff, you're using my arguments too!
Love the way he ignores all the posts when they go against him - Mmmmwwaaaahhhhaaaaaahhhaaaaaaaaa
I'm sorry HF but I have to go with the pro-OS lobby here for many of their justifications. Although a life long Hammer I have not got the every other weekend memories of UP, just fleeting but great memories of odd games here and there. Living someway from East London and being often away the cost of even considering a season ticket is restrictive so I have to pick the odd game. Of course the "big matches" are a sell-out long before I get a chance and therefore it’s the "harder to sell" matches that are open to me. Travelling up is either a nightmare on public transport or a gamble by car, and then paying £50 for a view up in the Gods of the West Stand is not the pitch side view you may enjoy, so much as I agree about the sadness in the loss of our heritage it will make supporting the team I love that much easier and maybe now I can more readily join in a new heritage being built over the years after 2014. Again sorry to disagree but I think the move is excellent, of course the downside will be leaving the wife shopping in Westfield Stratford City on a Saturday afternoon!
No need to apologise mate, you are entitled to your opinion! Trouble is, Sullivan & Gold never actually got around to asking the fans if this is what we wanted!
Hammersfan, sorry to point out a fact that will no doubt not make it through your self defence mechanism but...
You do not support West Ham. You do not attend Upton Park. You have no grounds to make any argument for or against a move.
What you think matters to no one, you will not be missed.
All that being the case, you really should relax before you get blood pressure problems. Find something you actually have a connection with to demonstrate your personality problems to the world with.
You are a complete moron 1755. I do support West Ham and do attend Upton Park. So everything you say after that is redundant. Foolish boy!
Still trapped inside The Game I see. Why do you keep returning?
What on earth are you talking about??! What the heck...I'll play along...season ticket holder are you?
No. I would have been had my son not landed a Saturday job. As you know, I was a mini season ticket holder at the end of last season and we woulld have owned season tickets this but for his job. It was important he worked sadly.
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