West Ham supporters back move to Olympic Stadium, insists club vice-chairman Karren Brady
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady claimed that the supporters who had seen the detailed proposals to move from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium were “100 per cent” behind the switch if their 99-year lease tender to become the anchor tenant succeeds.
Olympic Stadium - Supporters back West Ham move to Olympic Stadium, insists vice-chairman Karren Brady
Big attraction: West Ham moving to the 60,000-seat Olympic Stadium would attract an extra million visitors a year to the Olympic
Brady said she had shown scores of supporters on an advisory board, representing a cross-section of the club membership, the detailed plans for the move, the finances underpinning the optimism for a switch from the 35,000-seat Upton Park and the opportunities to grow the club and the area.
She said having West Ham at the 60,000-seat Olympic Stadium would attract an extra million visitors a year to the Olympic Park and bring a global profile to the stadium. Importantly for the supporters, such a move would bring about reduced ticket prices, even though the club’s owners were injecting around £30 million a year to underpin the club’s finances.
“They are persons of substantial wealth,” said Brady of David Sullivan and David Gold, noting that they were personally committed to the club having taken on £100 million of debt – an amount since whittled down to £70 million – and were fully behind the proposed move.
Brady said all of the supporters have had to sign a strict confidentiality clause before hearing the plans but claimed “all of them have agreed with what I have presented, there hasn’t been a single dissenting voice”.
She was slightly frustrated that the plans could not be divulged to the wider fan base until a decision had been taken.
Dear Karen,football supporters just love sitting up to 100 meters from the actionwatching stick men run around. We already have FIFA and UEFAinflicting these types of stadia on football supporters for big games. Rome's Olympic stadium, Japan's Yokohama joke. Should all be banned. Now you want to do it to bread and butter fans. Should be rules against making paying punters pay for
What a treasure West Ham are. The easiest short-term way to get the club out of debt is to take on the Olympic stadium lease and sell Upton Park. Especially if they don't get promoted this season.
Another season in tier two will see many of the current side's best players leave. Sullivan has already said that Upton Park can't pay the club's way anymore if they want to play top-flight football.
But you just know once they move that after four or five years of dwindling attendance and recurring moans of financial worry, the 2017 world athletics event will be finished and the club will then claim that the stadium is unsuitable for football and has to be rebuilt. And with no profitable sporting option remaining to justify keeping the White Elephant Bowl operating, there will be calls for it to be humanely pulled down. Just as Spurs said should happen in their initial bid for the site.
Installing retractable seating for the lower bowl is folly because the slope of the seats will still be far too shallow to afford good sightlines for most fans. You 'd be far better off staying home and watching on HD-3D TV.
Unless Brady's proposing to use lawn chairs and brollies on the track, the expense of installing these dream seats and the extensive re-roofing needed to comply with Premier League stadium regulations is beyond any of the ridiculous estimates being bandied about.
Honestly, if you were a current WH season seat holder, what possible motive could you have for renewing your tickets in the new ground? It will be a gawdawful place to watch a game in. You'll be able to stroll up minutes before kickoff and get seats in any section you like. And you'll be able to put your feet up properly because there'll be plenty of empty seats around you. West Ham's cash flow will take a terrible downturn and good players will not be affordable.
It's been a good laugh thus far watching this corrupt, cockamamie stitch-up with the OPLC fall apart. So go on then, get in there and give us an encore.
funny because everyone i know and talk to do not want to go there how do we know this it is not as if there has been a vote and independent people have counted each vote i think we are being stitched up
lbc
West Ham Fans Don't Understand Olympic Move
Karren Brady has told LBC 97.3 she doesn't think the West Ham fans "understand" why the club wants to move to the Olympic Stadium - but once they do they'll fully support it.
She's also blamed the way the competition is being run for not allowing them to show off their plans to fans.
The Hammers vice chair, who can see the Olympic Park from her boardroom window, has been leading on the East London's clubs plans for more than 2 years. West Ham were nominated as preferred bidders last year to takeover the Stadium from 2014 before a legal challenge from London rivals Spurs & Leyton Orient forced the process to start all over again. Now they're one of four bidders looking to become 'tenants'.
Asked by our Olympics correspondent John Cushing whether she thought West Ham fans want to go she admitted many still need persuading but its not their fault.
"I think the fans don't understand what it means to go. I think if their view is that what West Ham will do is pick up goalposts on a Friday and play there on a Saturday then I don't think they do want to go. If they could see the vision we have for it that makes it a world class football stadium - I mean a stadium for football as well as stadium for athletics and that would mean certain different configurations in winter compared to summer months then I think if they understand the facilities, the views and the easy location in terms of transport they would understand that, but because of the way competition is run we're not allowed to visualise for our supporters what the stadium will be if lucky enough to move their."
A spokesman for the London Legacy Development Corporation (formerly the Olympic Park Legacy Company) said it was to make sure the competition was "robust" and fair to all.
The Olympic Stadium will become the home of British Athletics after the London Olympics and will stage the 2017 World Athletic Championships. The University of East London and Essex Cricket Club confirmed to LBC 97.3 last week they are also jointly bidding to use the stadium - but Ms Brady is quite clear West Ham and Athletics are the perfect permanent match.
"In terms of sharing the stadium I think as many uses as possible will make it very viable but I think there needs to be anchor tenants. It has to centre around football as the winter sport and the summer sport being athletics and then if can slot in pop concerts and one off large sporting events then I think that helps make stadium viable as well as community use."
And fans used to going to the Boleyn Ground or Upton Park will also have to get used to a new name. The Legacy Company are looking to seel 'naming rights' but "as long as looks and feels like home for West Ham that's all we care about - and I mean look and feel - we've got certain traditions we'd like to take with us and that will be important to us."
Karren was speaking as her book 'Strong Woman - Ambition, Grit and a Great Pair Of Heels' which is now.
Roma and Juventus are both eyeing summer moves for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who cost the club £22m in January 2011.
talkSPORT
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has instructed his chief French scout Gilles Grimandi to compile a dossier on Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud, who is rated at £50m.
Daily Mail
Wenger is also set to go head to head with Paris Saint-Germain over the signing of Sunderland striker Stephane Sessegnon.
Daily Mirror
Newcastle target Douglas has told FC Twente boss Steve McClaren that he is ready to quit the Dutch club to pursue his dream of playing in the Premier League. The 24-year-old is also a target for Ajax and Bundesliga side Schalke 04
The Chronicle
Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero is set to leave the Italian giants in the summer after 19 years at the club. China seems to be his likely destination.
Goal.com
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has been urged to sign for Real Madrid in the summer, by his father-in-law Diego Maradona.
talkSPORT
Aston Villa are set for big changes in the summer with former England striker Emile Heskey expected to lead the exodus out of Villa Park.
Daily Mirror
Liverpool are keeping close tabs on Fulham forward Moussa Dembele with a view to a summer transfer, as they look to bolster their goal-shy front line.
Caught Offside
Arsenal striker Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is ready to gatecrash England's party for Euro 2012 and believes he can help the Three Lions win the tournament.
The Metro
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady claims the Hammers fans are fully behind the club's proposed move to the Olympic Stadium.
The Telegraph
Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh is determined to prove his worth to the Gunners, despite being photographed smoking a Shisha pipe at the weekend.
talkSPORT
Striker Jermaine Beckford's future at Leicester is in doubt following a bust-up with manager Nigel Pearson.
Full story: Daily Mail
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli makes the And Finally section again. This time he's got a new BFF in the form of the rapper Drake, who he took out for a curry!
WOLVES have been dealt another blow as Jamie O’Hara and Jody Craddock are out for the rest of the season.
Both players have had surgery — key midfielder O’Hara on his groin and centre-back Craddock on a hamstring.
It is the latest in a long line of injury problems for bottom-placed Wolves.
MICHEL VORM believes Brendan Rodgers should be manager of the year.
The Swansea keeper said: “We play some of the best football in the league — I think Brendan is manager of the year.”
ALEX McLEISH will rush Charles N’Zogbia back against Liverpool on Saturday.
The under-fire Aston Villa boss had expected to be without the winger for a month with a knee injury.
Championship
THE Football League have given Millwall permission to wear a white kit this weekend against Hull in tribute to Barry Kitchener.
The Lions legend died last Friday, aged 64, after a short cancer battle.
Kitchener made a club-record 602 appearances in defence — many in the all-white 70s kit.
HERITA ILUNGA, 30, wants to remain at Doncaster.
The ex-West Ham left-back’s short-term contract expires after the Easter double-header with Leicester and Burnley.
NIGEL CLOUGH has offered Jamie Ward and Paul Green new deals at Derby.
Clough is keen to persuade winger Ward, 25, to sign a contract extension and kill off interest from Leicester.
Republic of Ireland midfielder Green, 28, is a free agent this summer and has been offered a two-year deal.
But Clough faces selling defender Jason Shackell to lower the wage bill.
WREXHAM defender Nathaniel Knight-Percival, 25, will jump from non-league to the Championship after signing a pre-contract agreement with Peterborough.
Posh have transfer listed midfielder George Boyd, 26, and striker Paul Taylor, 24, because they rejected new offers.
League One
REECE BROWN is set to stay at Oldham for the rest of the season.
Manchester United have agreed to the deal for the defender, 20, who is the kid brother of former player Wes.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY striker Gary Madine has been watching Sheffield United’s 31-goal Ched Evans to pick up tips.
Madine, 21, who has 17 goals this season, admitted: “I’m trying to learn from watching Ched.
“He’s got all-round ability, and if I can be considered in the same bracket I’ll be delighted.”
sorry people will have to give babe of the day a miss i do not understand how to get the link up as it comes up different on this sack of ****
