WHIFC.com
A legendary figure for his country, John Carew ensured UEFA EURO qualifying
ended on a high
11.10.2011
John Carew scored and got a valuable 90 minutes under his belt as Norway
signed off their UEFA EURO 2012 campaign with a 3-1 home victory against
Cyprus. With Norway having finished behind Denmark and Portugal in their
group, Carew was hoping a good performance would stand him good stead
personally as well as giving the Norwegian fans something to cheer. In Oslo,
Morten Gamst Pedersen opened the scoring before Carew struck just after the
half-hour mark. Cyprus pulled one back before Tom Hogli made it three in the
second half. Carew's confidence was already up after his first Hammers goal
off the bench in the 2-2 draw away to Crystal Palace before the
international break and he is eager to get a starting berth at home to
Blackpool this Saturday. While away with his country, the 91-times capped
Carew has pledged to extend his national-team career and will help Norway in
their attempt to reach the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil when qualifying
begins next year. "I would like to play as long as I am still involved in
football," he told Norwegian media, although is also mindful that coach Egil
Olsen has said he intends to only pick those players turning out regularly
for their club sides. Elsewhere, Marek Stech played the full 90 minutes for
Czech Republic as they won 1-0 in Wales in UEFA European Under-21
Championship qualifying.
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Blackpool in Baldock's sights
WHUFC.com
Young forward Sam Baldock is hoping to get another goal against Ian
Holloway's men this weekend
11.10.2011
Sam Baldock is eager to face Blackpool this Saturday and repeat his feat
from last season in the process. The Hammers No7 scored in the first minute
when former club MK Dons caused a Carling Cup shock by defeating Ian
Holloway's men in a 4-3 thriller. That goal helped set Baldock on the way to
a terrific campaign, which he continued into 2011/12 and earned him a
big-money move to West Ham United. "I think that goal against Blackpool was
inside the first minute," recalled Baldock when speaking to West Ham TV. "We
went on to cause a bit of an upset and knocked them out of the Carling Cup.
Hopefully a repeat performance will be on the cards and we will get a
victory."
Having started his first game for the Hammers in the disappointing last home
outing against Ipswich Town on 27 September, Baldock wants an instant chance
to put things right this weekend. Although the team began that contest in a
4-4-2, the formation soon changed and the young striker was unable to make a
real impact.
"I would like to show the home fans what I can do. I am itching to get out
there and play, and score goals for the club. There is still a case of
people getting to know the way I play and me getting to know the way the
team plays and other people play. "I think that is coming, it is getting
better. We will be all right."
Helping him along was an invaluable 45 minutes against Thurrock last week to
keep him ticking over, although he was given the weekend off and did not
figure in another friendly played at his former club last Friday. The
Thurrock run-out was more than welcome, however. "It was just about getting
the minutes. We coped well, we got our minutes in and got the win."
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Vose loaned to Braintree
WHUFc.com
Promising midfielder Dominic Vose has joined Alan Devonshire's Braintree
Town until 7 November
11.10.2011
Academy midfielder Dominic Vose has joined Blue Square Conference National
side Braintree Town on loan until Monday 7 November. The 17-year-old, who
signed his first professional contract with the Hammers in November 2010,
could make his Iron debut at Kettering Town on Tuesday evening. Vose, who
has been in superb form for both the Under-18s and development squad this
season, will link-up with Braintree manager and former West Ham and England
midfielder Alan Devonshire at the Amlin Stadium. Braintree have been going
great guns under the 1980 FA Cup winner, gaining promotion last season
before starting the current campaign in fine style. They currently sit
seventh in the table.
Vose becomes the ninth young Hammer to go out on loan this season, following
Jordan Spence (Bristol City), Olly Lee (Dagenham & Redbridge), Ahmed Abdulla
(Swindon Town), Callum McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon), Frank Nouble
(Gillingham), Robert Hall (Oxford United) and Jordan Brown (Aldershot Town).
Cristian Montano has returned this week from a successful two-month spell at
Notts County.
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Matt Fish keen to see Frank Nouble stay at Gillingham
BBC.co.uk
Gillingham defender Matt Fish is hoping his side can keep hold of West Ham
loanee Frank Nouble. The striker's one-month spell at Priestfield ends after
Saturday's game at Torquay and boss Andy Hessenthaler wants to agree an
extension. Fish told BBC Radio Kent: "He's a top player. Obviously he's
played at the top level in the Premier League. "It helps my game playing
with players like that. He's still only young, he's got a massive future
ahead of him." Nouble, 20, has scored twice in four games, and has recently
switched from striker to play just in front of Fish on the right wing. "He's
a big threat for us and he causes problems," said Fish. "He's going to get
watched but he still manages to produce, so I keep giving him the ball -
that's all I can do really."
Fish also admitted that Gillingham's back four had to take the blame for
their recent winless run. Gills have now gone three games without a victory,
although they created more chances than their opposition in both games
against Barnet and Port Vale. He said: "With the amount of chances we
create, we always know we're going to score. "If we keep a clean sheet, then
we'll win the game. But obviously we're not keeping clean sheets at the
minute. "I think the gaffer's looking at it in training and obviously the
boys are trying to dig in together. "But if we keep playing like we are -
then we'll definitely be in the mix come the end of the season."
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Football fans united in opposing Olympic Stadium move
Page last updated at 15:19 GMT, Tuesday, 11 October 2011 16:19 UK
BBC.co.uk
Fans of West Ham, Tottenham and Leyton Orient are united in their opposition
of a move to the Olympic Stadium. They want to remain in their own stadiums,
claiming an athletics track will affect match-day atmosphere. West Ham
looked to have secured a switch to Stratford following the London 2012 Games
but the stadium will now remain in public ownership. Hammers fan Nigel Kahn
said: "What I'm against is the aesthetics of the Olympic stadium." The board
of the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) decided to end negotiations with
West Ham because of delays caused by ongoing legal disputes. West Ham
season ticket holder Mr Kahn set up a petition against the club's proposed
move, which has been signed by thousands of Hammers fans. Mr Kahn, 41, said:
"I'd be happy to leave the Boleyn Ground and go to Stratford. "But at the
Boleyn Ground you're up close to the action but the Olympic Stadium is
oval-shaped and the distance from the track to the nearest seat is 35m."
Mr Kahn also points out that West Ham would only be able to half-fill a
60,000 seater stadium. But he's not against the prospect of Tottenham moving
from the north of London to the east - an area traditionally associated with
the Hammers. Mr Kahn said: "I've never gone with the argument that Spurs
will take our supporters. Most West Ham fans don't live in Newham any more.
"But most Tottenham fans don't want to go to Stratford and Leyton Orient
will only get gates of 7,000 at best."
Spurs fan Paul Smith, of the spursodyssey.com website, said: "Hopefully
Spurs are definitely out of the running now because most Spurs fans don't
want to leave White Hart Lane. "My from-the-heart reaction is I want Spurs
to stay in Tottenham and White Hart Lane. "I look forward to us filling a
new stadium there without a running track and maintaining a proper
atmosphere."
Mr Kahn said he would not be completely opposed to a ground-share as long as
it was "neutral colours, with no crests or writing". But Leyton Orient fan
Barney Nash said on Twitter: "If there was to be a ground-share agreement,
it simply would not work. We hate West Ham. Simple as that." Rory Sheen,
assistant editor of West Ham fanzine 'Over Land and Sea' urged the club's
vice-chairman Karren Brady to reconsider the move to the Olympic Stadium.
The 24-year-old, from Buckhurst Hill, said: "I never wanted us to move from
Upton Park. It's a proper old-fashioned ground in the streets and a lot of
West Ham fans would agree that the ground has acted as our 12th man."
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Brady ready for re-match
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 12th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
Karren Brady insists that West Ham's board are looking forward to a second
round of bidding for the Olympic Stadium. United's vice-chair, putting on a
brave face in the wake of yesterday's news that the club's plans to move to
Stratford had suffered a knockout blow insisted that the Hammers remain the
only football club able to fulfil the criteria required for a potential
tenant - whilst welcoming the decision to re-stage the bidding process. "The
uncertainty over the future of the Olympic Stadium, with the prospect of
months and even years of continued legal wrangling, has been taken away,"
she said in a column for the Sun. "The best way to move forward is this new,
streamlined process that will shift the focus from the courtroom to the
playing field. "We are the ones who understand the area and its proud
people. There is no doubt our legacy plan is the right one. We are committed
to the borough of Newham."
Brady then added what could be perceived as a dig at Tottenham Chairman
Daniel Levy's plans to move Tottenham from Haringey to Newham, stating that,
"We will never turn our back on our history and heritage. We embrace it and
recognise we must make sure the stadium works for our fans first and
foremost." Regardless of who eventually wins the rights to call the Olympic
Stadium 'home' after 2014, the whole shambolic affair is estimated to have
cost the UK taxpayer some £95million.
Today's Guardian claims that the cost of converting the stadium into one fit
for football once the Olympic Games has concluded will now come from the
Government's own budget, rather than be funded by the West Ham/Newham
Council partnership.
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Gold: 250 years at the OS
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 12th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
Hammers co-Chairman David Gold has refuted suggestions that should the club
win a new bid for use of the Olympic Stadium it will be for a short-term
period only.
Gold, speaking to fans via his Twitter feed last night in the wake of news
that West Ham's bid to move to the Stratford site has been halted insisted
that should United win a second round of bidding, pencilled in for the
beginning of next year, it would be for a period in excess of that agreed
for the previous bid. "If we take the Olympic Stadium it will be on a very
long lease. Probably 250 years," said Gold. "It would become our home in
every sense of the word."
Following what the 75-year-old described as "a really frantic day" and "an
incredible saga" to boot, he stoically continued to respond to questions
relating to the collapse of West Ham's move - whilst rebuffing the odd
dissenter. "How dare you insult me and DS like this," he stormed in
response to one unhappy fan. "Remember this is our club as much as it
yours." That in reply to a suggestion that the two Davids were "asset
stripping" the club by selling the Boleyn Ground to developers in order to
rent at Stratford. When asked to what extent he was forewarned about
yesterday's remarkable developments, Gold admitted that he had always feared
the worse. "There was always a possibility," he admitted. "Our opponents
have been relentless."
The possibility of remaining in Upton Park and re-submitting previously
accepted plans to re-develop the East Stand was also raised - and apparently
dismissed.
"The Council, the Police and Highways are all opposed to any further
development at Upton Park," replied Gold to that particular suggestion -
although that much has been patently obvious for the past few seasons, when
travel to and from the Boleyn Ground has been constantly difficult. Yet
despite what has no doubt proved to be an extremely tiring day for a man who
just six months ago was seriously ill in hospital, Gold still had time to
thank those who have supported him throughout yet another trying episode -
before calling it a day. "Thank you guys, it's good to read a bit of
support," he said. "It's been a long day."
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Di Canio: never known for his pace
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 11th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammer Paolo Di Canio has claimed to have run a 13-mile race by
accident. The current manager of Swindon Town - and still a firm favourite
at the Boleyn - was due to complete the Swindon Fun Run on Sunday, a short
trip that encompassed the first two miles of a fully-fledged half-marathon,
after being appointed as the race starter. However having completed his
duties and finished the planned two-mile run, Di Canio claims that he was
swept into the main crowd who were running the full race. "There were three
options," said the bemused Italian. "I thought I should start with the fun
marathon but unfortunately we followed that [main] group and then we changed
direction. "I kept going and followed the first group who were doing the
half-marathon. Unfortunately I ended up doing a full half-marathon plus 800
metres or so - so more than a half-marathon! "To be honest, I wasn't ready
but I never stopped running. At the end I was very happy because I finished
without stopping, even for one second. I'm very happy, but it was very
tough." Di Canio, whose Swindon side are currently 13th in League Two is
reported to have finished the event in one hour and 49 minutes - more than
half-an-hour behind race winner Dave Roper.
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Stratford: the Dale Farm of football?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 11th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United could be without a permanent home should the club's board
decide to push ahead with plans to move into the Olympic Stadium. As a
result of the OPLC's about turn earlier today, any successful bidder in the
hastily re-arranged bidding process will have to re-apply for tenancy on a
regular basis, according to reports. All of which means that should West Ham
prove successful with any forthcoming bid - which, according to vice-chair
Karren Brady this morning, the board intend to make - the club will never be
more than a matter of seasons away from being potentially homeless, should
they sell the Boleyn Ground to developers as planned.
Also in serious doubt are the club's plans to make the stadium suitable for
football; limited to a short-term lease, it is extremely unlikely that the
club would consider spending the millions it would have cost to add a full
roof and make other essential adjustments, such as introducing temporary
seating and branding the stadium in the club's colours.
This will also have to be done without the £40million previously promised to
West Ham by Newham Council in the shape of a loan on favourable terms - the
agreement that Sports Minister Hugh Robertson admitted this morning was at
the heart of the decision to re-start the bidding process.
Already Hammers supporters who previously supported a move have spoken out
against the club's new plans, citing the lack of a secure, long-term lease
as the main reason for objection. Meanwhile others are calling for the club
to ditch plans to move to Stratford and instead focus on redeveloping the
aging East Stand.
To date, West Ham fans have never been consulted over the move by the club's
owners. Since this morning's decision was announced, a 'No To Stratford'
campaign has begun on Twitter whilst the tag #savetheboleyn is also trending
on the popular social network.
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Hearn delighted at end to 'illegal' move
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 11th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
Orient chairman Barry Hearn has expressed his delight at the news of the
OPLC's about turn with regards to the Olympic Stadium. Despite having
already awarded United use of the stadium back in February, the Olympic Park
Legacy Committee confirmed this morning that the decision had been reversed
and that bidding shall begin again in the near future. That news was
welcomed by Orient chairman Hearn, who called the decision 'one of the
greatest days of my life'. "You can issue as many statements as you like
and try and whitewash the whole situation but basically we've won, haven't
we," a smug Hearn told Talksport this morning. Basically they've turned
round and said, 'Yes, youre right. We don't want to go to a judicial review,
we know you're going to win, your case in unanswerable, we messed up and the
whole process is flawed'. "Little Leyton Orient can hold their head up
becasue we fought our corner and came out on top. I thought we were going to
win on points at the judicial review - but we've won by knockout, which is
even better. "Basically what they [the OPLC] are saying is that they don't
want the legal wrangles to go on because they're going to get beat - and
they know they're going to get beat. The expert advice that Leyton Orient
have submitted on the Newham Borough loan [of £40million to West Ham] means
it's certainly illegal and something they should have thought about before.
"The whole bid process is stopped; West Ham are stopped; everyone else is
stopped and they have to start the proecss all over again. West Ham have
every right to bid for it; so do Orient, so do Tottenham, so do cricket and
rugby. Everyone has a chance now; all bets are off and we have a chance to
be heard."
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Newham withdrawal the catalyst, says Robertson
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 11th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
Sports minister Hugh Robertson has claimed that Newham Council's decision to
withdraw from the Olympic Stadium bidding process was 'the straw that broke
the camel's back'. Robertson confirmed this morning that speculation
surrounding West Ham's aborted move to Stratford - a joint bid with Newham
Council - was indeed correct. The basis for the change in policy was said
to be triggered by a letter from Newham Council who, despite backing West
Ham all the way previously, said they were ready to withdraw from the
bidding process. "The key point is the action we have taken today is about
removing the uncertainty," Robertson said. "The process had become bogged
down in legal paralysis. "Particularly relevant has been an anonymous
complaint to the EC over 'state aid' - and the OPLC received a letter from
Newham Council yesterday saying because of the uncertainty they no longer
wanted to proceed. "That was the straw that broke the camel's back and we
thought it better to stop it dead in it tracks now. "We know there is huge
interest in the stadium out there from private operators and football clubs
and crucially we remove any uncertainty. This is not a white elephant
stadium where no one wants it, we have had two big clubs fighting tooth and
nail to get it."
As a result, should United wish to continue with the move - which will
almost certainly have lost any large-scale backing it had from supporters of
the club - the board will have to re-apply for tenancy on a regular (to be
confirmed) basis, instead of holding the previously-agreed 125-year lease.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Orient interested in renting
Hearn not ruling out possibility of ground share with West Ham
By Rachel Griffiths - Follow me on Twitter @SkySportsRachG. Last
Updated: October 11, 2011 12:22pm
SSN
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn says the club intend to look at the
possibility of renting the Olympic Stadium after West Ham's proposed deal to
take over the venue fell through. The Olympic Park Legacy Company announced
in February that the Hammers were their preferred bidder to move into the
£537million East London venue after next summer's Olympic Games. However,
legal challenges by Tottenham and Orient, plus an anonymous complaint to the
European Commission, have led to fears that court action could drag on for
years while the stadium remains empty.
Lease
The stadium will now remain in public ownership and be leased out to an
anchor tenant following a new tender process by the OPLC. Hearn says West
Ham's collapsed move is a victory for Orient and has revealed the League One
club intend to bid for tenancy of the arena. "It puts the whole thing back
in the public domain, as it should be," Hearn told Sky Sports News. "The
system of deliverance was fundamentally flawed and now they've got to go
back to the beginning and start again. And we will be an interested party in
that bidding process."
Hearn has not ruled out a potential ground share with East London neighbours
West Ham, who will be encouraged to bid again after their initial deal fell
through. "I am definitely interested in being part of the tender process,"
added Hearn. "If that involves ground share, we'll have to look at the
situation and see if it makes sense for everyone. But you have to bear in
mind we are a small club. "We've got to be creative and we've got to look at
every opportunity. There are lots of things we've got to think about and
it's got to be done at the appropriate time and with the appropriate
timing."
Prospective tenants will be asked to bid for the 80,000 capacity stadium
with the athletics track that circles the pitch still in place. Hearn says
Orient would have to find a creative way to overcome the issue of the
running track if they were to rent the venue, while they would also like to
reduce the seating capacity to 25,000.
Flawed
"The stadium is fundamentally flawed in its design because of the athletics
track, but they've said that's got to stay so we've got to look at ways to
make this into an operating business that doesn't drain the public purses,"
he said. "There are ways of looking at perhaps digging down and making sure
we can cover the athletics track and make a proper stadium. Hearn added:
"Perhaps it makes more sense to go back to the original plan of 25,000
seats, which is fine for athletics. "In a perfect world I'd like to see
Leyton Orient in the Olympic Stadium, in a 25,000 seater stadium, serving
and being owned by the community, without thinking about Premiership
big-bucks."
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Karren Brady: Only West Ham can get it right
KARREN BRADY - First lady of football
Email the author
Published: Today
The Sun
LET'S get back on track. With one Hammer blow, the uncertainty over the
future of the Olympic Stadium, with the prospect of months and even years of
continued legal wrangling, has been taken away. The best way to move forward
is this new, streamlined process that will shift the focus from the
courtroom to the playing field.
Before this news, the prospect of being able to use the fantastic
achievement of securing the 2012 Games to create a lasting legacy for
generations was in real danger of being lost. Despite the court action and
other tactics used, our position at West Ham United never changed and the
merits of our legacy commitment have never been challenged. And they never
will be. We won preferred bidder status and, despite the best efforts of our
rival bidder, we carried on regardless. We have never dropped the baton and
we won't now. Our unanimously supported proposal was for a multi-use,
multi-sport stadium that provided a real home for football and athletics. It
would have been open in 2014-15 and would have been a destination for
national sport — certainly a fitting stage for the 2017 World Athletics
Championships. We will tender again with the same energy, vision and
determination.
We welcome the positive words from the Sports Minister and the Mayor of
London. It is great to see a collective determination for the Olympic
Stadium to live up to the promises rightly made by Lord Coe and his team
when the Games were won back in 2005.
If we are allowed, we will deliver the right legacy for the East End and the
wider community, ensuring that the vibrant Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park,
with its thousands of new jobs and homes, is well served.
We will need to travel only just over a mile from the Boleyn Ground to the
Olympic Stadium. But in that small journey within our own borough, we would
be taking giant strides for sport in this country.
Of course, rivals may now realise the only way forward is for West Ham and
athletics to be allowed to deliver the legacy promised in the Queen's name.
We believe we are the home team. We are the ones who understand the area and
its proud people. There will not be many, if any, who have moved to a new
stadium closer and who have been able to carry so much goodwill with them.
There is no doubt our legacy plan is the right one. It was the right one
when we took part in the first fair and open bidding process and no one has
found fault with our community-based vision that offers hope to so many.
The people of London, and particularly the East End, want a flagship stadium
that will create jobs, opportunity and a community home for all.
We are committed to the borough of Newham. The area has been our home for
more than 100 years and we understand the needs of local people.
We will never turn our back on our history and heritage.
We embrace it and recognise we must make sure the stadium works for our fans
first and foremost.
We know, given the chance, we can deliver a stadium capable of top-class
football that will be up there with the game's finest arenas.
If the other clubs concerned felt the same passion and commitment for their
own supporters and areas as we do for ours, we could all still achieve the
wider economic, sporting and cultural boost for London and beyond that was
promised with the awarding of the Olympics to the capital.
It is now mid-October and the Games are less than a year away.
When the New Year comes around and Olympic fever really takes hold in 2012,
we will be ready, if allowed, to deliver in 2014. We remain on our marks.
After all, when I stand in my office at Upton Park, I can see the Olympic
Stadium.
The money has been spent, the venue is there and it is ready for action.
It is a magnificent structure that represents the very best of British to
the world, right in the heart of a community that just needs a sporting
chance to thrive.
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West Ham v Leyton Orient for Olympic stadium
By VIKKI ORVICE
Published: Today
The Sun
WEST HAM must fight Barry Hearn's Orient for the right to move into the
Olympic Stadium. Hammers were told yesterday they can no longer buy the
stadium once the 2012 Games are over. Instead they have to apply to become
tenants paying £2million-a-year rent. But Orient owner Hearn last night
insisted his club intend to move in. He said: "West Ham have every right to
bid for it but so do Leyton Orient, so do Spurs, so do cricket, so do rugby.
Everyone has a chance now. All bets are off and we have got a chance to be
heard. "I am definitely interested in being part of the tender process. That
process starts now. "It is one of the greatest days of my life."
Yesterday's announcement came after a protracted legal battle to stop West
Ham taking ownership of the stadium. Tottenham and Orient were furious
Hammers would get £40m from Newham Council to help them move in. The Olympic
Park Legacy Committee were faced with the prospect of a bitter court battle
lasting years which could scupper London's bid to host the 2017 World
Athletics Championships. The final straw came late on Monday when Newham
pulled the plug on their £40m loan. That pushed the Government into
yesterday announcing the showpiece arena will remain in public ownership and
rented out after a fresh tender process. Any tenant will be required to
retain the athletics track for 125 years under the terms of the lease — the
legacy promised by Seb Coe when London won the 2012 bid.
That effectively rules out Spurs, who planned to rip up the track. They have
already been offered £8.5m pounds by London mayor Boris Johnson to redevelop
White Hart Lane. The taxpayer — and not West Ham — will now be left to pick
up the cost of transforming the stadium into a 60,000 seater-arena after the
Games. Sports Minister Hugh Robertson insisted: "The action we have taken
overnight is about removing the uncertainty. The process had become bogged
down in legal paralysis."
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Barry Hearn exclusive: "I couldn't be happier if we had beaten West Ham in
the Cup final!"
Published 22:30 11/10/11 By Mike Walters
The Mirror
Barry Hearn claimed his Olympic triumph against West Ham was sweeter than
beating them in a Cup final. Leyton Orient chairman Hearn was performing
cartwheels in his Monte Carlo hotel room after learning West Ham's takeover
of the the Olympic stadium had collapsed yesterday. Tottenham and the Os had
both vowed to take the Government's handover of the London 2012 venue's keys
to the Hammers holy trinity of owners David Gold and David Sullivan and
vice-chairman Karren Brady to judicial review.
Now the stadium, which cost more than £500 million of taxpayers' money to
build, will return to public ownership after next summer's Olympics after
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson was forced to pull the plug on West Ham's
proposed tenancy because it faced years of "legal paralysis" in the courts.
Last night Brady was putting a brave face on West Ham's setback, insisting
the Eastenders planned to lease the stadium from 2014. But Brady's bravado
was drowned out by Hearn's triumphalism after the Os chief admitted he had
mortgaged his club's future on restoring a "level playing field" to the
bidding process.
West Ham's redevelopment of the Olympic stadium, costing £95m, was to be
propped up by a £40m loan from Newham council and £35m from the Olympic
budget.
The deal was doomed, however, by an anonymous complaint to the European
Commission that West Ham's receipt of state funds, at preferential interest
rates, was illegal. And Hearn, who did not make the complaint to Brussels
although he shared its sentiments, crowed: "It's a fabulous day - I was
doing cartwheels in my hotel room this morning, and I couldn't be happier if
we had beaten West Ham in the Cup final. "From the start, my motivation has
not been to scupper their plans but to make sure that little old Leyton
Orient were not trampled underfoot by giants muscling in on their territory.
"Basically, West Ham were being handed ownership of a £600 million stadium
for £30m based on public money funding their private enterprise, which has
now been proved to be against the law. "In boxing terms, I was always
confident that we would win the legal arguments on points, but this is a
knockout. The Government and Olympic Park Legacy Committee have asked for
the fight to be stopped to spare them further punishment. "We gambled
everything on the belief we would be proved right - we mortgaged the
existence of Leyton Orient on winning this case, but we stuck to our guns
and refused to be bullied by the big boys. "All I ever asked was that the
little guys' voices should be heard, and at last someone is listening to
us."
So what now for the centrepiece of London 2012? Before the OPLC deadline for
new bids in January, West Ham are expected to submit a revised proposal to
move in - but Orient, whose current Matchroom stadium is only 800 yards from
the Olympic Park's boundary, will put together their own package. Hearn
added: "Now we're back to square one, but more importantly it's not just a
clean sheet of paper - it's a level playing field. West Ham will bid again,
we will bid again and market forces will determine what happens next. "It is
possible that Leyton Orient will end up as the anchor tenants in a
25,000-seater community stadium, it is possible that we will end up
ground-sharing. "But everything I've ever done in sport has been based on
sustainability, and if we can come up with a deal, it will not be a drain on
the public purse, prop up someone else's business or leave us with a white
elephant."
Hearn's preferred solution is thought to involve scaling down the
80,000-capacity Olympic stadium to a 25,000-seater venue, excavating beneath
the existing floor to accommodate an extra tier of seats or the running
track which OLPC insists is a non-negotiable element of any tenancy
agreement. West Ham, relegated to the Championship last season, would need
to fill a £40m black hole in their financial blueprint to make their
solution workable. But defiant Brady insisted: "Our bid is the only one that
will secure the sporting and community legacy promise of the Olympic
stadium."
And Tottenham, whose plan to demolish the Olympic stadium and replace it
with a custom-built 70,000-seater football ground was thrown out earlier
this year, are thought to be quietly satisfied that their rivals will not be
able to take over the venue for peanuts. Spurs have since announced they
intend to stay in north London and build a new ground on Northumberland Park
next door to White Hart Lane.
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Taxpayer left to foot bill as deal to sell Olympic stadium collapses
By Robin Scott-Elliot, Sports News Correspondent
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
The Independent
The Government has called an abrupt halt to negotiations to install West Ham
United as the owner of the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games. Instead the
stadium will be kept in public ownership and leased to a number of tenants –
probably including West Ham – in a decision that could require an extra £60m
of public funding on top of the £500m spent on its construction.
Hugh Robertson, the minister for Sport and the Olympics, said that the
judicial review sought by Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient against the
decision to award the stadium to West Ham had been further complicated by an
anonymous appeal to the European Commission. That was "the straw that broke
the camel's back". The review was due to be heard next week.
Mr Robertson said: "We had a process that was mired down in judicial
wrangling. This could have gone on for months if not years. It is time to
end this legal wrangling. This is the best way of stopping this becoming a
white elephant. In order to stop this legal paralysis that is rapidly
overtaking the whole process and to bring some certainty we decided
overnight to suspend it."
The Olympic Park Legacy Company will now restart the bidding process with
the aim of having tenants secured by January. That would allow them to meet
the March deadline to have a planning application in place in order to have
the stadium ready for its new use in 2014 as desired. London is bidding to
host the 2017 world athletic championships and has given assurances to the
IAAF, the sports' governing body, over the future of the stadium. That
decision comes next month.
West Ham are almost certain to still move into the stadium – and could be
allowed to buy it in the long term. They are likely to have to pay rent of
£2m towards a predicted annual running cost of £5m. It is a deal that will
appeal to the club. It is similar to the one Manchester City agreed with the
city council in 2003 to take over the stadium built for the Commonwealth
Games.
The remainder of the Stratford running costs will be met by hosting
concerts, athletics and other sporting events, with the Government
determined it will not prove a long-term drain on the taxpayer. But it will
have to find extra funds to convert the stadium for post-Games use. It will
still be scaled down to a 60,000 seats from its 80,000 Games capacity, a
cost that was put at £95m under the original deal.
That was made up of £35m in the original Olympic budget plus £20m from West
Ham and £40m from the local authority, Newham Council, which was West Ham's
partner. Newham may still make some financial input to the reconfiguration
of the stadium but it may also need public funding.
Q&A
Q. Why has the whole process had to begin again?
A. The threat of legal action by Tottenham and Leyton Orient – claiming the
£40m put up by Newham Council to support West Ham's bid constituted state
aid – threatened to drag on for months, leaving the stadium with an unsure
future. There were concerns it could become the dreaded white elephant.
Q. So what is going to happen now? Are Spurs back in the running?
A. No. West Ham remain almost certain to be playing in a 60,000-seat stadium
come 2014. But they will be just one of several tenants – "winter tenants" –
and have to pay an annual £2m rent. UK Athletics, Essex county cricket club,
and concert providers could be others.
Q. Why has it become such a mess? And who is going to pay for it all?
A. There is money in the Olympic budget but that will not be enough to
convert the stadium. It could cost the taxpayer an extra £60m while annual
running costs of some £5m could see a further hit if suitable tenants aren't
found. The entire process is suffering from muddled thinking at the outset.
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Olympic Stadium road still clear for Hammers, insists London Mayor Johnson
By JONATHAN MCEVOY
Last updated at 2:36 AM on 12th October 2011
Daily Mail
West Ham have emerged as unlikely winners in the race to move into the
Olympic Stadium despite their plan to buy it collapsing. It will remain in
public ownership at an additional cost of up to £60million to taxpayers but
London Mayor Boris Johnson said: 'We will effectively rent it to a football
club, almost certainly West Ham.'
It appears certain that the Government stopped West Ham buying the stadium
because an anonymous complaint about the controversial process had been
lodged with the European Commission, a development that could have subjected
the parties to years of legal wrangling. The upshot of the machinations is
that West Ham remain favourites to be awarded the stadium — as indicated by
the Mayor — without spending any money of their own. But now taxpayers will
foot the bill for the stadium to be converted for its post-Olympic use with
West Ham, who were going to pay £20m, no longer contributing towards the
remodelling as previously planned. Their partners, Newham Council, are not
yet committed to spending £40m as originally intended.
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady said: 'We will tender again with the
same energy, vision and determination. We believe we are the home team. We
are the ones who understand the area and its proud people.' An anticipated
rent of around £2m a year is a more palatable price for a club who are £80m
in debt. Moving to the Olympic Stadium would also allow them to sell Upton
Park. The decision, which will keep the athletics track, is a boost for
Britain's bid to host the 2017 World Championships. UK Athletics chairman Ed
Warner welcomed the bold and decisive nature of the move, adding: 'I'm very
hopeful that we will get the nod for 2017.'
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Taxpayers 0 West Ham 1: Club could still move away from Upton Park without
having to stump up £20million
By JONATHAN MCEVOY
Last updated at 11:05 PM on 11th October 2011
Daily Mail
The news was good for West Ham. It was bad for the taxpayer. And, for all
Barry Hearn's tub-thumping rhetoric, it was probably irrelevant to the other
interested parties. Those were the conclusions at the end of a topsy-turvy
day in the endless and embarrassing story of the Olympic Stadium's
post-Games fate. Eight months to the day after the showpiece venue was
awarded to West Ham, Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson announced that the
whole process would start again. This time, the stadium cannot be bought but
leased out under public ownership. The reason for going back to the
beginning was the fear of what Robertson called 'legal paralysis'.
Tottenham and Hearn's Leyton Orient were objecting to the process though the
British courts. The bigger problem was an anonymous complaint filed to the
European Commission about the £40million West Ham's partners, Newham
Council, were contributing towards the scheme.
It was alleged that it amounted to 'state aid' and broke competition rules.
The potential for intractable red tape was too much. So, embarrassingly,
here we go again.
The deadline for new bidders is tentatively set for January. The exact
criteria are not yet known but one stipulation is that the running track
must be retained.
'Non-negotiable,' said Robertson, in recognition of the promises Lord Coe
made to the IOC about leaving an athletics legacy beyond 2012 and a
prerequisite for London's bid to host the 2017 World Championships. The
mood at West Ham was bullish, and no wonder when London Mayor Boris Johnson
made the prejudicial utterance that 'almost certainly' West Ham would
prevail once more. Karren Brady, the club's vice chairman, wrote to fans to
assure them that the collapse of the original deal was not a mortal blow.
In a joint statement with Newham chief executive Kim Bromley-Derry, she
said: 'Our bid is the only one that will secure the sporting and community
legacy promised - and an amazing yearround home for football, athletics and
community events of which the nation can be proud after 2014.' That is the
date by which West Ham, or whoever, will move in. Shame we have to go
through the same procedure - at public expense, of course - to reach the
near-certain conclusion Johnson hinted at.
The same conclusion that the Olympic Park Legacy Company reached by a
unanimous vote of 14-0 back in February. Shame, too, that the taxpayer will
have to pay more: the old deal saw £95m being spent on turning the stadium
from an 80,000-seat arena into a 60,000-seat multipurpose venue. The same
reconfiguration is planned this time, but West Ham (who have debts of £80m)
will not contribute a £20m share. It remains to be seen if their partners
Newham will still hand over their £40m.
The £35m already committed in public sector funding stands - though, minus
West Ham's old share alone, that will rise to £55m. But Robertson said: 'It
is a little bit which way you cut it. The (£20m gap) will be replaced by an
annual rental charge by whoever the tenant is.' The rental rate is expected
to be around £2m a year, meaning the stadium reconfiguration will not have
paid for itself until a decade after the Games. Even then the money will go
into the Mayor's coffers rather than refund taxpayers. If it is such a good
idea, why go through the original tender by different rules?
For all that negativity, though, a similar policy was implemented at the
City of Manchester Stadium, home of the Commonwealth Games in 2002, where
Manchester City pay the council rent for calling it their home. Tottenham
appear near certain not to bid again. They announced in the summer their
intention to stay in north London, next to White Hart Lane. The insistence
on a track legacy would seal their withdrawal. Nonetheless, they issued a
gloating statement: 'We welcome the OPLC decision to end the current Olympic
Stadium bid process. We firmly believe that the bid we put forward was in
fact a realistic sporting solution for the stadium, along with a substantial
return to the taxpayer, community programming and athletics provision (the
redevelopment of Crystal Palace).' Hearn was more rumbustious. 'It is one of
the greatest days of my life,' he crowed. 'We gambled our future on
believing in our case. You can issue as many statements as you like but
basically we have won. They have turned round and said, "Yes, you are right,
we don't want to go through a judicial review. We know you are going to win.
Your case is unanswerable. We messed up".
'The whole process is flawed and little Leyton Orient can hold our heads up
because we fought our corner and came out on top. I thought we were going to
win on points at the judicial review but we have won by knockout, which is
even better. 'We will definitely be making an application. We have to look
at the cost of doing that.'
UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner naturally welcomed the 'bold and decisive
move', with an eye on the 2017 bid. But Andrew Boff, the Conservatives'
Olympic spokesman in the London Assembly, was less impressed. He blamed a
Tory peer. 'This catastrophe is entirely down to Sebastian Coe's insistence
that the stadium should retain an athletics track,' he said. 'Coe's
masterplan has turned the Olympic legacy into the Millennium Dome Mk II but
with a financial climate that gives it a less positive future.'
The blame should be spread more widely. There is plenty to go around.
Sorting out the mess - what happens now?
So, what exactly is happening with the Olympic Stadium?
West Ham will not be allowed to buy the stadium after London 2012 because of
legal challenges from Tottenham and Leyton Orient.
And that means they won't get the stadium?
Well, they can enter the new bidding process and are still favourites to win
- even if Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson says there is 'huge interest' in
taking up the tenancy. Tottenham, who are potentially their chief rivals,
are likely to stay put in north London, but Leyton Orient say they will
re-enter the running.
And the tenants are still obliged to keep the running track?
Yes - it's needed for London's bid to host the 2017 World Athletics
Championships and to fulfil Olympic legacy promises.
Why all this mess?
When the plans for the stadium were first drawn up nobody admitted there
would be problems covering the cost of running the building after the Games
unless a football club was involved. A proper solution would have been to
install retractable seating to cover the running track when needed - but
unfortunately that solution was never seriously considered.
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