Wednesday, October 12

Rent boys

"TAXPAYERS 0 WEST HAM 1" is the Daily Mail's take on the stadium fiasco. "Club still set to move away from Upton Park WITHOUT having to stump up £20 million."

Several papers cite Manchester City as an example of the type of deal that may take place. Their stadium is owned by the council, which receives rent and gets a cut of all revenues above 35,000 fans.

Yes, we save £20m plus on the £95 million cost of conversion if we rent and we won't need a loan from Newham Council. But the fans need to know what length the lease would be, what security we have and what happens if we get taken over by another dodgy Icelandic banker and end up Brassic and unable to pay the rent. And what happens if we are a success there and Spurs then decide to then offer more rent? And do we get retractable seats?

Meanwhile the Times suggests West Ham might still be offered a deal to buy the stadium at some future date once Upton Park has been sold and economic conditions have improved.

What is clear is that we have a strong bargaining position with the Olympic Park Legacy Company, which would struggle to organise a fake tan in a Buckhurst Hill beauty salon. If we withdraw, then the government ends up with a very costly white elephant.

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