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West Ham, the new stadium and Boris







Blue Valkyrie

Not seen such Bravery!
Sep 1, 2012
32,165
Valhalla
SEATS
The 'retractable' seats were put in by a company who quoted £300K every summer to remove and replace. This company, unsurprisingly, have gone bust. Another company have looked at the system and said it will take £8 million and at least two weeks to remove the seats and another two weeks to replace them. This four weeks means that the venue cannot be used for four out of the ten weeks it is meant to be empty in the summer, thus losing revenue from athletics and live music.
So unless they can make 8 million over the summer it is cheaper to leave the seats there ?
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,780
Location Location
But just imagine if the they were religated or just stayed up, those season ticket sales will only go one way! For me their success if build on a very brittle foundation. Again they don't own their home, with the volatility involved in football i think this will always come back to bite them, but the owners would have sold up by then!

But we’re not talking about a Darlington-esque folly when they moved from a 7k Feethams to that 25k Reynolds Arena. West Ham have always been a club with huge support, they knew they could EASILY get north of 35k there in the Premier League. You can’t pass up an opportunity to expand on the basis of “but what if we’re relegated”. In commercial terms, West Ham have got the deal of the century there, it was a no brainer. They’ve almost doubled the footfall, and even if numbers DO drop back after the initial “novelty” wears off, or if the team is gubbins, its unlikely they’ll dip much below the Upton Park levels even in a worst case scenario. It might be a horrible place to watch football, but it’s a big opportunity to take the club on to another level.
 


GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,794
Gloucester
Have they started demolishing Upton Park yet? Demolishing the Olympic Stadium and replacing it with affordable rented housing (with some infrastructure - health centre, shops, pub, etc.) would be a better 'legacy' than creating a football hooliganism legacy centre. Or use the stadium for a variety of sports - athletics, American football, hockey, whatever.
 


Doc Lynam

I hate the Daily Mail
Jun 19, 2011
7,204
But we’re not talking about a Darlington-esque folly when they moved from a 7k Feethams to that 25k Reynolds Arena. West Ham have always been a club with huge support, they knew they could EASILY get north of 35k there in the Premier League. You can’t pass up an opportunity to expand on the basis of “but what if we’re relegated”. In commercial terms, West Ham have got the deal of the century there, it was a no brainer. They’ve almost doubled the footfall, and even if numbers DO drop back after the initial “novelty” wears off, or if the team is gubbins, its unlikely they’ll dip much below the Upton Park levels even in a worst case scenario. It might be a horrible place to watch football, but it’s a big opportunity to take the club on to another level.

The expansion of their capacity has made a larger season ticket club but they wont be able to compete with the new breed of owners some having state backing. They certainly have the platform to become a larger brand as a club but given the ongoing negative press and violence at games it may well damage that brand long term. I think we'll find out the veracity of the gamble when it comes down to them putting their hands in their own pockets! Sadiq Khan and the OSC have put paid to the idea of a gravy train!
 




Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,780
Location Location
The expansion of their capacity has made a larger season ticket club but they wont be able to compete with the new breed of owners some having state backing. They certainly have the platform to become a larger brand as a club but given the ongoing negative press and violence at games it may well damage that brand long term. I think we'll find out the veracity of the gamble when it comes down to them putting their hands in their own pockets! Sadiq Khan and the OSC have put paid to the idea of a gravy train!

They're in the Premier League chap, with a free stadium, no running costs, and crowds of 50k+. They're already ON the gravy train !
 


Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,603
What is the name of the person responsible for negotiating - on behalf of the taxpayer - an annual rent of £2.5 million from West Ham?

The latest accounts show West Ham's gross income was £122million, so a £2.5 million rent is the equivalent of someone on an annual salary of £40,000 paying rent of just £800 A YEAR!

And if they get relegated the rent HALVES to a mere £1.25million per annum.

This surely has to be the worst ever deal in British sporting history?
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,780
Location Location
What is the name of the person responsible for negotiating - on behalf of the taxpayer - an annual rent of £2.5 million from West Ham?

The latest accounts show West Ham's gross income was £122million, so a £2.5 million rent is the equivalent of someone on an annual salary of £40,000 paying rent of just £800 A YEAR!

And if they get relegated the rent HALVES to a mere £1.25million per annum.

This surely has to be the worst ever deal in British sporting history?

Probably.

But it was the only deal in town, and the Brady Bunch knew it. Hence, Newham Council were bent over a barrel with their trollies round their ankles, and duly received a brutal corporate shafting that's left them walking bow-legged ever since.
 












jevs

Well-known member
Mar 24, 2004
4,345
Preston Rock Garden
Don't you regret it now, knowing just what you've swapped with the Boleyn ground?

Tricky one as we've only played a handful of games there. Most people who went to the Chelsea match last week said it was the best atmosphere they've ever known.

Hindsight is a wonderful gift and looking back, it would've been better to demolish the existing stadium and build a new one. Even though it was home, we'd outgrown the Boleyn and the only way to really keep up in the prem is to go bigger (even though we're in a relegation scrap)

Im sure if Brighton were to establish themselves as a consistant premier league club.....which i hope they do, i'm sure there will be many on here who will be crying out for a bigger stadium
 


Green Cross Code Man

Wunt be druv
Mar 30, 2006
19,726
Eastbourne
Tricky one as we've only played a handful of games there. Most people who went to the Chelsea match last week said it was the best atmosphere they've ever known.

Hindsight is a wonderful gift and looking back, it would've been better to demolish the existing stadium and build a new one. Even though it was home, we'd outgrown the Boleyn and the only way to really keep up in the prem is to go bigger (even though we're in a relegation scrap)

Im sure if Brighton were to establish themselves as a consistant premier league club.....which i hope they do, i'm sure there will be many on here who will be crying out for a bigger stadium
I guess it's wait and see how it all pans out. Regarding atmosphere, although nasty and edgy, crowd trouble always raises the atmosphere at a match. Suddenly, people seem to care more. I have always found that a little disturbing.
 


Neville's Breakfast

Well-known member
May 1, 2016
13,423
Oxton, Birkenhead
Don't these politicians have teams of people doing the negotiation and they are just the figurehead who gets all the credit or otherwise

Exactly, Boris' role would have been one of co-ordination. He has legal obligations to listen to advice from all interested parties and experts. Whether it's Boris, Jeremy Corbyn or anyone else there is a limit to the options open to the politicians. Simply piling in to attack the politician is just point scoring and makes people feel good without adding to the debate. The whole of this process needs to be examined, specifically the evidence presented to justify the terms and costings. In my opinion Siddiq Khan has called this one correctly in calling for an enquiry.
 




ewe2

Well-known member
Mar 14, 2008
2,673
Hailsham area
Gold etc need to solve the segregation and standing/seating confrontations soon or else the stadium capacity will hardly be higher than Upton Park!!!!
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,780
Location Location
Hindsight is a wonderful gift and looking back, it would've been better to demolish the existing stadium and build a new one.

Not really hindsight though is it.

We could've told you that watching football at an athletics track is absolute SHITHOUSE.
 












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