West Ham’s Vice-Chairman Karren Brady has again criticised the motives behind Spurs proposed move to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, labelling any such move as solely ‘money-making’. But it does beg the question, if West Ham’s motives aren’t to do with making money, then what are West Ham’s motives? And with Leyton Orient today stating that they are considering a move to the Olympic hockey ground in a bid to survive – could you accuse West Ham of being guilty of hypocrisy?
Brady’s somewhat disingenuous comments were: “Harry Redknapp was told to do his best to scaremonger. But, for my mind, his words ended up being a form of Harry-kiri that sounded the death knell on any credibility Tottenham had of getting support. Theirs is a Spur of the moment money-making bid.”
The former Birmingham Managing Director was of course reacting to the comments made by Harry Redknapp in his weekly Sun column, whereupon he described that any West Ham move to the Olympic Stadium would leave the area becoming little more than a ‘graveyard’. Redknapp’s strong stance is controversial, namely because of his involvement for years in various capacities at Upton Park both as a player and a manager.
While I don’t agree with Redknapp’s sentiments, neither do I with Brady’s. She is of course at West Ham, the club that accused Spurs’ pursuit of David Beckham as a ploy to secure favour for their Olympic stadium bid – a ludicrous suggestion. The bidding rivals have both become increasingly dirty in their tactics and distasteful in their comments of late and no matter who the winner is, neither party will emerge with much credit to their name.
Interestingly, Spurs Chariman Daniel Levy has stated that Spurs, should they lose the Olympic stadium bid, will still have to pursue a move to a new stadium. Levy stated that: “I think the problem with the current situation that we are now in at White Hart Lane is that the project is currently not viable so we would have to go back to the drawing board and that would obviously mean looking at other locations again.”
He went onto say: “I’m totally confident that we would have no problem selling out a 60,000-seater stadium (at Stratford). As far as the fans are concerned, I have to say that it is a very, very small group of individuals that are making it clear whatever happens – even if we couldn’t build a bigger stadium – that they would want us to stay here. There is always going to be competition between London clubs – we are all London clubs – so wherever we are located, there is still going to be rivalry.”
What becomes clear from this statement is that Levy and the Spurs board aren’t bidding for the Olympics stadium out of some spiteful money-making move as West Ham would have us believe, but out of a necessity to grow and attempt to take the club to the next level. Moving is of huge importance to the club‘s future, it’s just that this realisation of their ambitions has only coincided with the opportunity to bid for the Olympic Stadium.
If truth be told, West Ham are just irksome that until a few short months ago, their bid looked to be the only one on the table until Spurs came in with a viable alternative. That both their bids are hugely different, so much so that the Olympics Legacy Committee, the committee that will decided upon the stadium’s new owners after the Olympics, have requested an extension to make their final decision is worth noting. The competition has surely improved the professionalism and quality of ideas floating around of both bids for the better.
Also, returning back to the original comments made by Brady, surely any move to a new, bigger stadium, in it’s principle aim, is to make more money for the club. West Ham have a geographical claim to the site, but little else makes their bid any more worthy or right than Spurs. The notion that their bid is any more valid because they are simply closer to the site is a very basic way of looking at things and a deeply romanticised viewpoint. Geography has little to do with this bid, it’s all about the legacy each club will propose to leave behind them after the Olympics is over.
Brady’s words to have a sanctimonious air about them. West Ham are moving because they see financial benefits in moving to a bigger stadium, it just so happens to be in East London which strengthens their case somewhat. If the roles were reversed, would West Ham turn down the opportunity to move to a larger and newer stadium, just because it happened to be in North London? I very much doubt it.
With West Ham trying to portray themselves as the victims in this latest twist, that they are somehow bravely fighting off the behemoth that is Spurs football club, the true victims, the ones often overlooked amongst all the Premier League banter, are League One’s Leyton Orient.
Leyton Orient have never fully laid claim to the Olympic Stadium, the idea itself is somewhat preposterous, but they have today claimed that they are toying with the idea of a move to the Olympic Hockey Stadium. They currently reside just a stone’s throw from the Olympic Stadium at Brisbane Road, just 2 miles away from the Stratford site, closer than either of the Premier League bidders.
Their outspoken Chairman, Barry Hearn referred to them as “the forgotten tribe of East London” and the arrival of a Premier League club so close to their door will only strangle what passing trade Orient achieve on match day. He also accused West Ham’s co-Chairman David Sullivan of hypocrisy over the whole bidding process and West Ham’s complaints over Spurs moving to East London stating : “This is total hypocrisy on his (Sullivan’s) part. This is a case of Tesco’s moving next to the little sweet shop around the corner. It means a death-knell for Leyton Orient, London’s second-oldest club(behind Fulham).”
Karen Brady’s latest comments are disingenuous to say the least. Both clubs are moving with the aim of making more money, pure and simple – at least Spurs are being up front in stating that this is the primary reason for their bid, not the primitive territorial allegiance that West Ham currently subscribe to, whichseems to mask their true intentions of financial gain.
Hearn is right in saying that it’s hypocritical of West Ham to accuse Spurs of moving closer to them, when that is exactly what West Ham propose to do to Leyton Orient – potentially driving them out of business. The irony that the knock-on effect of a successful West Ham bid shall force Leyton Orient to move elsewhere to survive seems to be completely lost on Brady.
I’d have more respect for Brady and the rest of the West Ham board if they were just a little more honest in the reasons for their bid and the motives behind their move. With the financial benefits of a bigger stadium in the Premier League palpable, it’s clear for everyone to see what their true motives are. This holier-than-thou act has to stop.
The next time Brady wishes to talk about death-knells, perhaps she should look a little closer to home as opposed to casting an eye towards North London. For Spurs’ move is one made out of necessity, their move off the pitch can only help sustain success on it – the sooner West Ham stop acting bitterly to the fact that they’re not the only bid in town anymore, the better.
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