You have got to be ******* kidding me
Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 1:15PM http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12909326
Tottenham Hotspur are taking Olympic chiefs to court over the decision to hand the 2012 stadium to West Ham after the Games, the BBC has learned.
The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), which chose West Ham ahead of Spurs last month, confirmed Tottenham are going ahead with a judicial review.
Tottenham informed the OPLC of its decision this week, as construction on the Olympic Stadium was completed.
A judge will now review the lawfulness of the decision.
More follows.
Official club statement here. A slight twist. Looks like Levy is flirting again.
At this stage the Club has not issued any proceedings against the Olympic Park Legacy Company (the OPLC) or any other party in respect of the decision regarding the award of the Olympic Stadium.
The Club’s lawyers have written letters to the OPLC, the Mayor of London, the Minister of Sport and the Secretary of State for Local Government and a separate letter to the London Borough of Newham raising a number of concerns with the processes which led to the award.
The letters also requested - in the interests of transparency - for the provision of certain information concerning the processes, which the Club considers that it is entitled to. Tottenham Hotspur will determine its next step as and when it receives a response to these letters.
Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in...
Reader Comments (92)
Why can't the club move on? - we lost, end off. The club will spend needless money on employing the best legal team for an action that, if successful, would lead us into a high court battle for years to come. Levy may be a good businessman, but this time he should cut his losses and run.
i think this is more to do with stopping stratford spam from being able to confirm 100% that they will be resident in the OS
something to do with investment going there way
while legal intervention continues they cannot guarantee the tennancy in the future years
COYS!
This entire season has been ruined by Daniel Levy.
its more likely that to do with a compensation claim then pi55ing WHAM off. At the end of the day, we spent a lot of money on the bid on the back of encouragement from OPLC (because they needed an alternative rather than just handing it to Newham United.
yes there seemed to be allot of people with West Ham interests involved in the process but that might be because it is closer to the spammers, can we get over it and look at N17 or at the least Enfield!
Not too sure about the reasons why Levy is taking them through a legal task.I 'm sure that all fans are concerned to know.
However, for the sake of sport, Spurs should not have any animosity against WHU for winning the bid.Going into any legal arbitration does leave a bitter taste in the minds our opposition.
What a complete sad case and an embarrassment to the club he owns. Just drop it and move on ffs
It will probably cost the club about £50m in greasy lawyer fees. Isn't that about the amount the Northumberland development project was too costly by. The logic please mr levy?
It's a clever move. Forces them to offer cash towards WHL development to save face on OS. Watch as Government and BJ fall over themselves to try and help us now.
Embarrassing and it won't work. Not that I want it to anyway.
I heard they were appealing Nani's goal against us, Pedro Mendes's Goal against United, and a bad throw in decision against stoke last season too.
@Davet. Judicial review is usually a very speedy process, and even allowing for appeals, it is likely to be concluded before the end of the year.
If you read the BBC story on this, and the preceding linked stories, it does seem as if LBN were involved in some questionable tactics.
Regardless of whether or not you support the Stratford bid, Spurs are entirely in the right to take action against a decision that was based on the lie of West Ham keeping the running track when David Sullivan had promised, 12 months earlier, to remove it.
by and large levy doesn't make stupid decisions so let's just wait and see. barry hearn doesnt like wasting money etiher and he's taking action as well. anything to wipe the smirks off brady and the davids is fine by me.
legal fees will cost less that 1 week of first team salary. it might soften them up for a more support in N17. It might well be that a panel stacked with WHam season ticket holders was not unbiased. It might well be that someone will decide that all that should have mattered is te saving to the tax payer. The process was badly run, Levy is clearly annoyed that he was encouraged to participate to make it look like "market pice" with two bidders when the answer was in the bag before we got involved. Don't whine about it, the one time Sugar did we got 12 points back. Anyway about a thrid of legal fees have already been spebnt. the lawyers have been poring over rthis for weeks and he would not be doing it if he cleary loses.
I thought the club were being unusually quiet on this! Now I know why! Wonder what Levy's dug up. trust me, he wouldn't gamble on something that will drag the clubs name through the mud, if there wasn't A) A damned good reason to and B) some major financial compensation that outweighs the potential cost of legal action. We were definitely used as a bargaining chip in the whole process, and I'm wondering whether Levy has managed to get hold of some evidence that prejudicially favoured West Ham....
personally, I wish he'd concentrate on the NDLP and quick! I never want to have to go through another morning like last friday, trying in vain to get Madrid home tickets. Waiting in the online queue since 8 AM and phoned over 50 times!
@Stoney. The more likely cost will be in the region of less than £500k to the loser.
The court will not be able to order that the OS be awarded to Spurs. All they can do is rule if thetre was anything illegal in the process, and if they rule yes, they can then order that the process of awarding the stadium be reconsidered. Even if Spurs won the case, it does not prevent the OS being awarded to Wet Sham again.
As an example, it might be ruled illegal that LBN are making a loan which might cost the council tax payers in the event that the porn boys default. In that case, the bid process would have to be considered again without that loan being available.
Unknown over at GG just said something that struck a cord. Perhaps this process is affordable and all we're doing is trying to guarantee the running track has to remain in the OS for good.
psiber - regardless we're not going to 'win' anything as the counter arguments already support WH and East London. If anything Levy wants to highlight the invitation to bid - but Christ, this is business and I'd hate to think Levy was naive enough to actually believe we had a chance to win the stadium site in the first place.
I bang on about him bluffing and his Machiavellian ways and that he's playing EVERYONE and there are valid reasons for the good of THFC in every strategic move he makes. But sometimes I doubt that.
This is another one of those doubting moments.
The 'poker game' continues.
My point exactly. At least I hope its a game of poker and not snap.
All in!
i think levy thinks he can still get it. he knows that it has great transport links, from the city and canary wharf (arsenal's gate receipts exceed ours by a mutiple bacuse of corp entertaining and there is no one in the city taking clients to enfield for a night game, and its hardly attractive on a saturday.
i think he is ruthless, he has a different vision to many of us, we are happy in our roots and not being at the top table on a regular basis, he isnt. and his desire for that is strong enough for him to sacrifice the "history". who knows, but i will enjoy hearing of the stitch up jobs and the dinners and deals done by the concillors and the west ham lot. embarrassmen to them should be worth the price of admission
It's obviously a tactic. The thing was only finished yesterday and the IOC boys are still here. They won't want the embarassment so will do all they can to try and make it go away.
"This entire season has been ruined by Daniel Levy."
I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry! Or maybe I'm thinking of the wrong Daniel Levy? - the only one I can think of has put together a football club that is sitting in the top 5 of the Premiership and is in the last 8 of the Champion's league - certainly the best season I've every experienced in my 25 years supporting them.
No wonder everyone hates us.
Maybe this is just a clever ruse by Levy. Perhaps the idea is that we'll be offered more financial help for stadium development in return for dropping this action.
@spooky. I agree with you about the doubts. And this is a big one. but I can't get away from the fact that he'd have to be monumentally stupid to sanction a legal bid if he didn't have a smoking gun... And one thing love him or hate him you cannot call Levy, is stupid!
@WeAreTottenham.
I read that comment too and nearly replied but just don't have the energy to argue with a moron!
"This entire season has been ruined by Daniel Levy." What a muppet.
someone give him a slap!
Well said WeAreTottenham.
The Authorities are in a mess over the Games. They cant even agree how profits will be shared out. Now they face the risk of being humiliated further by having dirty deals and backroom stitch ups exposed in the High Court. Levy & Hearn have a strong hand and the best lawyers money can buy. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
It was never gonna be easy to extent WHL or or realize NDP but if anyone can, Levy can. And if we get dragged around the houses in the meantime, so be it. He jumps every hurdle and I, for one, am grateful and fully behind him.
dixta
i agree, altho the idea of profits is amusing. that suggests income exceeds costs, and it doesnt and it wont. we are all paying for little seb to be invited to sit on lympic committees in the furture where he flies around on private jets and is spoiled rotten by people in other cities who are desperate to get his vote, and we are paying billions for that
Spiffing.
Zoned land for stadiums must be scarce in order for Levy to want to continue battling for the Olympic Park.
Feeling nostalgic. Hope it's ok to share this link about Grounds in the context of this thread.
http://footballgroundguide.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=13962&st=0
WHL is listed. Ossie and Ricky... Those were the days...
Still, looking forward, the task is to make our present so memorable that our children grow nostalgic for it when they, too, grow old.
Mar 30, 2011 at 1:58 PM | Roy
It's a clever move. Forces them to offer cash towards WHL development to save face on OS. Watch as Government and BJ fall over themselves to try and help us now.
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Exactly. Lots of people, myself included, reckoned this OS BS was all just a very clever tactic in Levy's game of poker with Haringey.
One can conclusively say that Levy has not blinked yet.
Lets see what is dug up (oohh the pun) in this latest process.......be warned...I've a feeling its gonna be a craking outcome for us. NDP will be viable by year's end.
As was already mentioned the review process cant award it to us (we dont want it) but can get us over the line (pun city today!) in terms of our future plans.
Is drwinston001 a gooner?
Levy = Best chairman in the league
There have been a few blights on this season, Wigan, West Ham, Wolves, Blackpool, Everton.......Don't know how they can be blamed on Levy!
Here is an aerial pic of WHL:
http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=white+hart+lane&fb=1&gl=ie&hq=white+hart+lane&hnear=white+hart+lane&cid=0,0,9549706922932907218&ei=4UmTTdORMJOxhQe65ZyhDw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=11&ved=0CGwQnwIwCg
Forgetting about the transport links for a moment, what is there to stop us rotating the pitch 90 degrees and demolishing the West Stand. The area in front of it is mainly for parking.If we were to rebuild the West Stand 50 yds nearer the High Rd, we could also build an underground car. All we need to do then is extend Paxton Rd and Park Lane and and add a another few tiers of seats, and we are probably well over 55k capacity.
We could play at Wembley in the interim.
I am sure someone is going to tell me that this idea has been considered and dismissed, so I am sorry if I appear thick. It looks too obvious for someone not to have considered it already. I appreciate that there are preservation orders on some of the buildings that would be demolished, but if you will excuse the pun, these are not cast in stone.
I've no idea why so many of you are up Levy's arse. One Carling cup in 10 years! What amazing success!
Yes this is a 'successful' season in comparison to the doldrums of the early 2000's (though I never had any problems getting tickets then?).
That said there does appear to have been a lot of 'Dicking about' regarding the Olympic Stadium. End of the day I think Levy is just trying to get us a bigger stadium on the cheap? It would be possible to build the NLDP now, would just cost more money though. He wants 60,000 seats for the bare minimum outlay. Fine business sense, but I don't want THFC to become 'just a business' thanks! Sometimes the right thing for business is not the right thing to do?
Reacting to the news, David Lammy, Member of Parliament for Tottenham, said: "I'm deeply disappointed that Spurs are still looking to move to Stratford.
"A judicial review is a costly and lengthy process that will only line the pockets of lawyers, leaving the club, its fans and the Tottenham community in limbo.
"We have made real progress in the last few weeks to kick start the redevelopment at White Hart Lane.
"That is what fans want, it is what Tottenham wants and it is what London wants."
If you ask me Lammy is in bed with Levy and the whole Stratford episode is conspiring to get Boris to help fund redevelopment of Tottenham. This is another ploy to leverage it.
The club statement from earlier today says:
At this stage the Club has not issued any proceedings against the Olympic Park Legacy Company (the OPLC) or any other party in respect of the decision regarding the award of the Olympic Stadium. The Club’s lawyers have written letters to the OPLC, the Mayor of London, the Minister of Sport and the Secretary of State for Local Government and a separate letter to the London Borough of Newham raising a number of concerns with the processes which led to the award. The letters also requested - in the interests of transparency - for the provision of certain information concerning the processes, which the Club considers that it is entitled to. Tottenham Hotspur will determine its next step as and when it receives a response to these letters.
TMWNN - Success on the pitch cannot be directly attributed to the chairman.
Levy has always tried to bring us the best available. Despite our modest ground, we have consistently outspent our rivals but managed to remain on a stable financial footing. His negotiations have meant we have secured some fantastic deals both on the playing side and commerically. His dual sponsorship deal sums up how clever Levy is.
We could do far worse than him as a chairman. In fact I can't think of many better.
This whole OS thing needs our faith in him. He cannot come and admit his motives but seeing this as purely black or white is naive.
i think Lammy is just desperate to be perceived as significant in this process. as far as i can see he is a very small, almost insignificant player at the moment. hence why he's coming out with ruhbarb like this:
"A judicial review is a costly and lengthy process that will only line the pockets of lawyers.." - it might also unearth corruption, illegalities and flaws in the decision to award the OS to west ham. So nothing important then.
".. leaving the club, its fans and the Tottenham community in limbo." - first up, the Tottenham community is not THFC's responsibility. Maybe he should check his own job description! Second, the club can wait a few more months before
deciding where to spend its 400m + thank you very much.
And spare me the fans stuff - you'd have sorted out that daft CPZ if you gave a toss about us.
"We have made real progress in the last few weeks to kick start the redevelopment at White Hart Lane." - really? I must have missed that one.
"That is what London wants." - cafe owners and pub landlords on the High Road + Spurs, West Ham and Orient fans care; the other 7 million people couldnt care a tin of beans about where our football club is located.
Lammy may ultimately prove to be useful in getting us what we want but at the moment imho he is a joke.
Alan, what is naive, is to think that Levy will always do what's right for the club opposed to what's right for him and ENIC. The two aren't always intrinsically linked.
This whole Stratford thing has been, and still is, a complete waste of the club's time and money.
TMWNN @ 18.25.
I think you have failed to understand that the team is no longer a club. A club is generally owned and managed by it's members. We are not run like this. It is a PLC which is owned by shareholders, and we are customers. The first duty of a director of a PLC is to maximise the value of the company for it's shareholders.
Other than protesting, and ultimately, voting with our feet, there is very little that can be done if ENIC believe that it makes best commercial sense to move to Stratford.
you all misubderstand, a judicial review will force west ham to keep the running track for a certain amount of time, which they are currently not obliged to do! this is a good thing it will mean that they cant get rid of the trac and simply do what we were gonna do, so dont dispair we will not be moving there but west ham will have to pay for their underhanded lying tactics, which in my book can only be good :D
Steve, no doubt if this is affordable and Levy is basically attempting to fuck up the Brady bunch and it doesn't upset any other plans we may or may not have then sure, let it happen.
I think I've proven more than most how easy it is to ride on the crest of this political wave in the sense that one thing (like this) might not be what it seems even if the club present it as something and its reported in that way.
I guess one clue is how quiet Spurs are and how much they avoid answering questions head on.
Today, after my initial WTF when this news broke, I'm finding myself once more thinking that Levy is playing games.
As someone said, poker.
Snap is more West Hams thing.
Steve @ 7.32 pm.
I think you might be jumping the gun on the running track being the reason.
Another explanation would be questions over the loan by LBN. Given that the council is now admitting that if it goes "tits up", and they could lose this money, the possibility is that this loan might be seen as an illegal subsidy. There is nothing to stop LBN giving a subsidy, but they mustn't do it to the detriment of the subsidised businesses' competitors. In order to get around this, they would have to offer us a loan on similar terms.
Personally, I think that this is definitely something to do with LBN. I first picked up the story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12909326?
I found the related stories, especially about the decision making process at LBN, to be very interesting.
As I have said elsewhere, if we were to win the Judicial review, that does not mean that the court will give us the stadium. All it means is that the court will order the process to be reconsidered, and eliminating anything that might be illegal. It might well be that if the loans are ruled illegal, the porn barons will have to put up their own money.
Spooky @ 7.47
Take my word for, this is not gamesmanship, or brinksmanship. It is a genuine attempt to get the OS.
I personally think that we might win the review, because of the conduct of LBN in this matter. But if we do win the review, all that will happen is that the OLPC will have to reconsider their decision, and avoid the areas which the court said were illegal.
If the issue is illegal subsidies, which is my guess, Sullivan and Gold can well afford to put up their own money. So the OPLC could re-award the OS to Wet Sham as long as the dirty duo show that they can fund the stadium without subsidy.
Personally, I would be a lot happier with that outcome, rather then see that pair of ponces benefit from public subsidy.
If that's the case then Levy is placing business above and beyond the fan. I know securing a stadium is important and fighting our corner is equally honourable, but this is no entering the realms of discomfort.
I refuse to believe there are no other options. Said it a million times before. Is the Stratford site that much superior to anything else out there? If you're right, then promises to the club have been made and Levy seems to think it's worth pursing in order to get the treasure pot AIG have in store if that potentiality played out.
being led up the garden path and then having the door slammed in your face ..losing the club x amount of pounds..in its bid?.......is rightly challenged......due to bad process and political expediency.......it seems the bid was flawed by a lack of transparency and manouvering........and biased media coverage from the BBC who do like a bit of labour etc.......the real insult to THFC is by harringey Lammy Mps gang ......who's posturing and lack of real support for the obvious issues being met resolved as in accordance with other clubs local support being given in the past examples of rebuild.......etc........lammy .standing outside the club with a load of schoolkids on or about the decison day of stratford was the act of a two faced mule........levy would better serve his dinner elsewhere and tell them all to go where the sun dont shine