A Machiavellian migraine: Levy, the NDP and Stratford

Okay, so let me see if I have this right.

Northumberland Development Project is presented as a viable option to redevelop the surrounding area White Hart Lane currently sits on to build a stadium nearing 60k capacity.

Then, thanks to unforeseen (and failure to forecast) rising costs the viable NDP became not so viable as it was apparent to the fans via the club and the walls being built by local government (the only thing being built) stopping progression and leading us instead to a near fatal conclusion that it was now far too expensive - bordering on the crippling - and thus not feasible.

Out of nowhere, Stratford and the Olympic site became a priority. By 'out of nowhere' I mean it was always an option for the club and slowly slowly crawled into our future stadium landscape by becoming a 'backup plan' because business wise it made sense to show an interest, to then taking over as the plan.

Even though logistically in terms of borough and geography there was a suggestion the Premier League would frown upon a club moving into another clubs territory (West Ham's - not Orients, because nobody appears to give a sh*t about the Leyton team), with each passing day the club's stance became stronger and their commitment to the OS completely and unequivocally 100%.

The NDP was dead in the water. Legacy details of the dream eventually being removed from the club site. Why keep plans for a project that was not viable? Why keep plans for a project that would undermine the clubs push to claim the OS site? Tottenham had to be seen to be a one-stadium bidder - with no apparent 'second' option. The NDP had to be far removed from being tagged viable. No questions asked. Even if most of us scratched our heads at it's demise.

Local government aided Levy's argument and course of action. Although it's not as clear cut to some as it's easy to lay the blame with politicians (Haringey easy pickings at times for criticism, although it's worth remembering in the case of public sector funding, a rich football club asking for tax payers money can appear to be a tad cheeky, but not so when the project at hand is to regenerate the surrounding area).

For Levy, the board of directors and the shareholders - the OS made perfect business and fiscal sense in terms of saving the club up to or around £200M. From what we understand, we were invited to bid. Told we would stand a chance (I'm reading between the lines, but few would argue against the fact that someone lifted their skirt up to reveal crotchless panties...and it wasn't the porn barons from Upton Park. Neither was it Karren Brady, so you can all stop puking now).

Plenty of twists and turns played out. On paper, no doubting the fact Spurs had a far stronger far more fiscally powerful plan for the OS compared to the West Ham bid. Plenty of chat about the Olympic legacy - probably a political reason for Spurs being told to get involved, so that emphasis and pressure would be placed on the WH bid to include all the niceties certain interested parties would want to be safe-guarded. Like the ridiculous post-Olympic games running track.

West Ham win the bid (recommendation). 14-0. That's as comprehensive as you could possibly wish to hope for. Well, for pro-N17 supporters and most of West Ham's. Question here would be whether Levy genuinely felt we had a chance. You would think, with him being shrewd and immensely clever (they say that) he understood the probability of it going to WH would always remain the obvious outcome.

Perhaps, purely from a business perspective he had to make the bid for the OS and deal with any consequences in terms of fan disapproval. To him it would have been collateral damage. The club would have hit the ground running. Alas, 14-0 and ended.

So back to the drawing board. Since the decision, Levy has continue to appeal against it via a judicial review - rejected out of hand once, with a second hearing pencilled in. Reasons for the continued push is perhaps to reclaim some of the money spent by the club on the bid. Perhaps to prove a point that the process was unfair. Perhaps even to mould a negative into a positive for reasons of leverage. The Olympic committee would rather mud slinging not drag on into the summer and beyond. In addition an OPLC member with West Ham links has been suspended (and allegations of secret payments). Whether anything is proved to be relevant or damaging remains to be seen. But now it becomes that slightly more clearer why Levy has persisted.

Slowly slowly, the NDP begins to make its way back into the stadium landscape. Mentions of the club working hard to make it viable again. Mentions of other sites being looked for the sake of an alternative location. It's still not quite viable.

Which brings us onto the bid for a Regional Growth Fund. My understanding is that there's money in the pot. You make your case why you would deserve (let's say £100M) and why it would benefit more if the total sum is given to you rather than it being shared amongst various projects. A small cut of the total sum the club are going to ask for will probably not be as dramatic as the whole of the sum of money we would wish for. Which is why we might not be stepping back into that viable tag just yet.

But to even apply for a RGF - you can only ever hope to win if your project is deemed to be a non-starter in the first place. We are back to requesting help with the costs of the regeneration.

I guess perhaps the original plans and costs of the NDP way back, deep down, the club always knew it was not quite a feasible project and that mounting costs would push it beyond that. Hence the reason for the OS bid. We (Levy and co) had to prove to everyone they gave N17 a go - and it simply could not work to the point of it being boxed up and stored under 'never'. But if the OS bid failed, which it did, removing it from the box and re-introducing it whilst building up various pockets of momentum in terms of grants and pressures on the Mayor and friends...I can only go back to something I've always been desperate to cling onto even when I began to doubt it.

Levy = Machiavellian

We don't know every detail and we don't understand every decision because we're not meant too. Not clearly. Every move, every contingency if something doesn't go his way is mapped out. Given sometimes it's out of good fortune (RGF is a relatively new option).

Although that's not to say he's always pulling in the same direction we want to go. He's doing what he believes to be best for THFC. That, was at one point, Stratford. And had it worked (God forbid the West Ham bid ever collapsed) we'd be looking to move there. In the grand scheme of things, the chances of sharing those fourteen points was zero. I can't help wonder if he knew from the start that the only chance Spurs ever had of building a 60k all-seater was to generate money, support from the government meaning:

NDP - never truly viable from the offset (unforeseen costs were not unexpected and help from Haringey hardly viable in its self due to them having no available monies at any given time)

Stratford - never achievable in hindsight, but the clubs number one choice, and at one juncture 'someone' hinted and flirted with us that it could happen

Post-OS NDP - the only true option if the right level of cost support is there, and viable 'in time' now the OS is done and dusted by pushing the emphasis back on 'redevelopment', because it's about the area as much as it is about the club - which means the people obstructing previously might just wake up to the concept of holding our hand

There was never a contingency plan for the possibility of the NDP failing because its not the clubs intentions to allow it to fail. Might be fantasy on my part, having already made clear if the OS was given the go-ahead we'd be on our way. By virtue of losing out in the East End the contingency plan for the NDP has turned out to be the...NDP.

I always asked what would we do if the OS never existed? I'd hazard a guess that Levy would still have eventually deemed the NDP not viable to apply pressure to bring down costs anyway possible. Where we are now, is where we would have been in that scenario. Probably would have even flirted with the idea of leaving N17 too.

The RGF (information here and here if you want to read up on it) is simply a step in the right direction, one that looks perfectly natural with everything that's happened up to this point. We are talking about the NDP again. There might be another twist or turn around the corner, it's hard going attempting to second guess any of this because I'm sure someone will claim the RGF means very little in the long run - and that might be the case if we're awarded very little of it. We'll see how it all pans out.

Let's hope we bid for £100M and we get £100M. That's £100M to go towards investing in local people and the regeneration of the area to aid us with costs with the stadium. The crux of it will be whether we can prove the NDP can generate more jobs under the roof of redeveloping Tottenham than perhaps the money shared to a variety or projects could produce.

As for everything else I've mused, it's all just a theory. I'm sure there are holes in it. I'm sure you're going to point them out. More prevalent to the hear and now for most would be to consolidate on field progression so there's a team in full flow to match the ambitions of the redevelopment. No need for the Machiavellian here, just decisiveness of the swift variety.

All of us had our emotions pulled to the left and right whilst this has played out, questioning ethics and loyalty and what defined progression via revenue and the sacrifice of geographical history with the potential for a new chapter to be written elsewhere.

The pro-N17 people, screaming 'Say no to Stratford' at least wore their hearts on their sleeves. No different to the ones who simply accepted a move and supported it in their own way (can't really be that pro-active if you're supportive of moving). Just accept all at face value - i.e. Stratford is the only choice, let's get out of the sh*thole. Pro-move people simply tunnel visioned into the facts presented. NDP not viable, OS fiscal heaven. Far easier to accept it all than to jot something down on a bed sheet and wave it around outside White Hart Lane with ten mates keeping you company.

But then it was never about bed sheets was it? Or organised demonstrations. Some of the blog articles, the comments and and on-line discussions were far more powerful than the demonstrations could ever hope to be. Same in the stands and in the pubs. It was about the discussion and debate that unfolded with so much passion and fire, displaying how loyal all Spurs fans are no matter their opinion on the subject. Say no to Stratford, we are N17...it was more than just sound-bites and websites.

There were some that remained far more angry and belittling than others on the subject. Most agreed to disagree. Others anchored themselves to N17 no matter what, even though they had more to lose than those who did not mind moving.

In the end, we all want the same thing: THFC marching forwards. The ones that preferred only to do so without turning into a fully fledged franchise will have to unite with the ones that didn't even blink when the OS became 'available'.

I've already cited that business is business and it's more than obvious that Daniel Levy has to work diligently to safeguard the club (and the investment made). You don't really need me to point that out. The club will not be placed into a position of weakness financially. And the NDP - on the current costing - would do just that. But then it was always going to cost us.

I'm more than glad we are back to where we started this journey, still a long road ahead of us and this time no roads turning to the east. Tottenham is Tottenham no matter where the club plays it's football, some said. Well actually no, Tottenham is Tottenham in Tottenham.

Hopefully that's a reality we can all agree upon now. The supporters, the club and the local government who in-turn should embrace the potential of redevelopment in N17 to aid the area and the people who reside there along with the club.

Spurs have the key to the door. Lay down the welcoming mat, step aside and allow us to unlock it.

You have got to be ******* kidding me

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...

Now that the dust has settled...

In the aftermath of the clusterf**k that was the Olympic Stadium bid, how do you feel now? Glad it's over? Regretful that we didn't 'win'? Patiently waiting for our clubs response regarding what we do next thanks to the clear message that the Northumberland Development Project is still non-viable?

If there was any time for In the Know to make itself known, its probably now. Not just in terms of how Levy plans to progress our ambitions with a bigger bolder stadium. Although we might not find out or care for the reasons that led to us being interested in Stratford, being invited to show an interest and then going fully fledged head first into bidding for it only to lose the vote emphatically. Even if on paper our bid was the stronger of the two.

Was Stratford ever really viable itself? Do you feel foolish for throwing your heart at it? Or do you see the positives of leaving behind history and creating a new chapter on new territory?

I guess somebody was required, a fall guy, to highlight what it would mean to the OS if the legacy (running track) was removed. We served our purpose. Landslide. Hence the reason why you can look back and scratch your head at how obvious a choice we were for some, but not for the ones that mattered (the ones making the decision).

This has been done to death I know. I don't want to cover old ground. Just want to gauge your gut reaction now that the dust has settled. Whether you were pro-N17 or pro-moving out of N17. Because statements were made that were evidently clear that leaving N17 was a necessity to survive and evolve.

Would the same statements be made if we now looked to move further away from N17? Would people that are pro-N17 validate such a move if we moved towards the deeper north rather than the east of London? If NDP remains non-viable, will there be a further demonstration of disapproval if we had to move out of Tottenham completely or would it be acceptable if hands remained tied politically with the local council? And if so, was Stratford really such a bad idea in logistical terms?

Personally, yes it was. But that's my opinion. My main issue was always with the way all eggs appeared to be placed into one basket, with the previous basket thrown out with the garbage. I guess Levy and the club saw an opportunity and went for it. As an investment, it was the best fiscal move the club could make. Who are we but just fans who need not fully understand the art of business and political negotiations. We get told one thing that might well be spoken out loud to disguise the truth. Which is fine. I'd like to believe Levy was not as giddy and blind to failure as it appeared on tv and in the press in the lead up to the OS bid decision. That he was simply playing the game, a gamble - had it paid off he'd have made ENIC proud. As it hasn't, it allows him to shift back to Plan B which is now Plan A again - whatever that might be.

One thing I know for sure is, our future did not rest on having to move to East London. If the Olympics were in Paris, what would we be doing right about now? Not wondering about Stratford, I'd hazard a guess.

We're not naive to think business is played out any differently in any other industry. On the surface its one thing, behind the scenes the agendas altogether something else. Which is why the bane of frustrations weighs us down so much. We want answers we wont be given because we can't have them. The club does have to protect itself outside of the bubble we exist in, I understand that.

Now that we're back to square one, and a slice of transparency will go a long way. Although I'm happy to wait until after the season ends before the next bout of in-fighting kicks off.

Leave it out

Final thoughts on Stratford.

Not that all Hammers fans would agree, but there's certainly a percentage of them that wanted to win the bid just so that Spurs didn't and they could claim some ilk of moral victory over the ethics of moving into their patch (fair enough). However, now the realisation is sinking in that they've got an athletics stadium for a football home with the closest seat 45 meters away and the furtherest over 200 metres. Better hope Gold and Sullivan leave a jazz mag under each seat to keep the ICF busy with their fists.

Spurs were obviously used (you don't lose a vote 14-0) to make certain that the bid that won retained the legacy rather than see North Londoners demolish the stadium and rebuild to fit it's primary footballing objective.

Whether Levy genuinely knew this, p*ssing in the wind or otherwise (on the off chance of winning because our bid was more viable on paper) or simply spent time and effort to make sure Haringey understood his threat of leaving N17 - is all fairly redundant now. I think it's fantasy to think this was about local politics and the non-viable NDP. He wanted the OS. Hoping he wasn't fooled into believing he could actually get it. Because that would suggest weakness rather than Machiavellian traits.

Hindsight, so wonderful. Did we all get a tad too giddy and defensive (whether you were pro or anti?). Did we really need to protest by blog, petition and demonstration? Yes. Of course. Although I found far more people in favour of moving on-line than I have IRL.

We all entertained the idea because of all the rhetoric in the media and the resulting knee-jerks required to work through it all in our minds. It made us question what progression meant and what sacrifices were required if any and whether we would actually accept them. You couldn't ignore the lack of transparency, Brady mouthing off at any given opportunity and the hard sell from Levy. Even with the in-fighting within the Spurs fanbase, the debate (name calling aside) was pretty good - on both sides of the argument.

Sadly, much like if a club wants a manager out and a couple of hundred people turn up for a demo outside the front gates, you find there's always a majority bulk that let the minority do all the complaining. Much like when a bloke on a train doesn't bother getting up for a pregnant lady because he expects someone else to do the right thing. It's a trait this country does very well.

Easier for others to fight the fight than to commit above and beyond. And in addition you'll unlikely to have thousands turn up outside WHL to rally in favour of leaving N17, are you? You would just sit in your seat and wait for it to pan out.

Initially found myself trying to process the potential when it became apparent that the club believed it was the best option to move to East London. Tried to justify it until it was abundantly clear that I had no faith in the move. Was hardly even an epiphany to be honest. I just listened to my heart. It's how I'm built. Others were more pragmatic, logical in terms of the fiscal aspects - all based around the apparent immediate necessity to take advantage of the OS because we were made to believe the club believed it was this or nothing.

Very little, it seems can be taken at face value.

Onwards once more. No other choice. If the whole Stratford argument did not exist, the club would still need to progress (by expanding) so nothing has or should change just because a decision was made a few years back to award London with the Olympic games. The club should retain it's ambition. Onwards.

So here's hoping there is no more in-fighting, sitting on the fence and petitions. Just Tottenham Hotspur.

COYS.

Show me the way to go home

Most would agree that we could probably/possibly build the NDP but not remain competitive on the pitch, but could do so (remain competitive) if we moved to East London. Hence the reason why Levy wants Stratford. It's viable in terms of planning and fiscal reasons compared to the NDP. I'm sure we'll learn more about the reasons in the coming weeks. Perhaps the NDP is a complete non-starter because Levy failed to forecast the present day in terms of property development/value and sponsorship. Inconvenient truths and half-truths and assumptions wherever you look at the minute.

So hypothetically, if there was no Olympics and no site/stadium, if it simply was not an option (just work with me on this) - what would Spurs do to resolve the progression problem?

Levy has reached a stage where the club (on and off the pitch) is doing superbly well so he has to make a move (metaphorically, calm down) to consolidate. Mainly because football has changed and staggering progression by building on success on the field was something we completely missed out on in the 1990s and that particular brand of template is no longer on offer in these ridiculous EPL days of excess.

(It's going to bottleneck at some point I guarantee it, and we're fortunate enough to have such a loyal fanbase because other clubs have already began to suffer on the pitch and in the stands)

Anyways...

There has to be another way, right? It might not offer the immediate fix Stratford does or perhaps it's not as easy as a move to East London would be - but we're talking about a club that has been around for almost 130 years. A few more years will not cripple and kill us. We've competed at the top level every decade since the 50s and the reason we've not done better ( the upper tier top level in terms of the title) is because of the monumental cock ups that lead to us almost going under back in '91. We lagged behind and yet we are doing mighty fine now considering we were also half crippled by on the pitch bad management and lack of direction at times from the board.

Obviously we all agree we've never been a title challenging side. But to retain the ambition to be one is a good way to look ahead. Hence the reason for the NDP and (sadly) the reason why Stratford became Levy's number one choice. The emotive issue is something I want to side step for a moment.

Levy fixed us. Made mistakes, learnt from them and now we're at a crossroads where we are threatened with having to leave N17 if we don't get the OS, which according to everyone, we wont.

So surely Levy has a Plan B? And no I don't mean asking Crouch to lay down and build a 60,000 all-seater on his back.

It's become so cut-throat all this - move or be doomed - that I wonder how much of it is based on second guessing what Levy's strategy is and people accepting sentimental sacrifice for the sake of the apparent sudden urgency to be able to afford to pay someone 200k per week to play for us - because that's what it will take to compete with certain other clubs if that's the ilk of club you want. If that's what it takes to compete.

Just throwing it out there. No Stratford (in this pretend world I've created which might well transcend into our world from tomorrow morning, what with it already turning up a little early late last night).

Just a hypothetical based on Stratford never being an option. What and where do we look to take the club if WHL can not serve our ambitions? Stick or stay?

One thing I'm hoping for is that whatever happens tomorrow (11am press conference) Levy takes us forwards as one entity of Spurs fans rather than everyone playing percentages on what side of the fence the majority allegedly sit on whilst the rest.

Hypothetical. For today.

(ps - excuse the roughness of this blog article, stinking headache)

New leaked image of proposed Spurs Stratford stadium

Exclusive.

I've managed to get hold of an exclusive 'leaked' ITK mock-up of what the Olympic Site redevelopment will look like if Daniel Levy and the club win the bid and progress with their plans. Exclusive. Not sure how much time I have before this blog article will be removed on advisement from my solicitors. Will fight the THFC lawyers and their court injunctions for as long as I can. I've also included the descriptions of the proposed additions to the area surrounding the OS which was included as part of the stolen image pack.

click on image to expand

1  - Chirpy Towers. To dare is to Cock-a-doodle-doo do do do. Visit the state of the art Spurs Shop and enjoy delightful Michelin quality three course meals in Chirpy's slow rotating head allowing you to enjoy the amazing view of Canary Wharf and Newham, including our deadly rivals home ground; Upton Park. The exclusive Chirpy's EyeBalls penthouse dinner rooms can be booked in advance (premium required) where you can watch the whole game whilst sat at your table...if you prefer to avoid the hustle and bustle of the crowds down below.

2  - The World Famous Home of Stratford Hotspur® and Nandos. The Nandos Stadium. Our new sponsor and club badge thanks to a multi-million pound long term deal means you'll never go hungry for football...or chicken! You can find Nandos outlets inside the stadium and be sure to order the 'take it to your seat*' bucket before the game kicks off (*take it to the seat meal deal only includes a medium coke, for large coke, extra £4 charge, fries not inclusive). The controversial inclusion of red in the stadium name and team shirts is nothing to worry about. Remember, we wore red in our badge back in 1882/83 and a red shirt between 1890-1896. Both the replicas of these shirts are soon to be available in the club shop with our new clothing tagline: Hot for Spurs and proud of our heritage.

3  - Stratford Hotspur®. Home is where the Strat® is, and Spurs is stratting it's hot stuff all over North (eastish) London. You voted to move and we've embraced our local community, repaying their hospitality with a gentle nod of approval to our new surroundings. Location? Geography? Booooring. Why tie ourselves down to a place or a name when the Spurs brand is worldwide?

Stratford Hotspur®. Refined and redefining the game of soccer®. To Revenue is to Do®.

4  - Abercrombie & Fitch / Apple Store. Stylise your lifestyle, pre and post match. Sit down, stand up and look sexy doing so by picking up the latest trends in A&F. Or if you're tech savvy or wish to be, visit the Apple Store and download the Spurs application so you can get all the very latest information after you've already seen it on tv and the internet.

5  - Paul Smith. Another one of our exclusive partnered retail shops for essential football clobber and motifs. Use your season ticket 'card' for special discounts on a wonderful range of ties, shirts and shoes so you're always looking dapper whilst taking in the atmosphere.

6  - We are N17 Land. History is important and for those that wish to live in the past, wipe that tear away you melter and rejoice! We are N17 Land brings you the very best of the olde Tottenham High Road including Bill Nicholson's Gates*, the heritage buildings, littered covered and p*ss stained roads and shut down pubs and grubby food establishments. Win a free copy of The Opus here. Honestly, we have hundreds of them to give away so don't miss out!

*Gates open at 10am on Saturday match-days and 5pm for midweek for access to car park.

7  - Starbucks. You can have a coffee and a muffin on the day to calm those pre-match nerves in one of our coffee house outlets. Free wireless included in-store for the disconcerting fan who wishes to get fierce and do battle online via blogs and forums. So don't be forgetting your ipads!

8  - Slug and Lettuce. Pre-match drink? Over-crowding? Struggling to get to the bar? Look no further than the Slug! And to make certain, we have more than just the one for you to enjoy an alcoholic beverage and give you ample time to tweet your thoughts on the team selection. Pub crawling has never been this crisp and clean!

9  - Harry Hotspur statue. Remaining true to our rich heritage, included on the grounds is an amazing tour de force iconic bronze talking statue of seasoned traveller and warrior entrepreneur Harry Hotspur, who looks East towards Upton Park with menace and an ever so subtle hint of marching fearless into battle. Listen to him sing 'Glory Glory Stratford Hotspur' (debit card charge of £5 per chorus) and point towards deepest West Ham territory. The epitome of glory and progression standing the test of time, a true echo to our past that also retains a place in the future much like Hotspur's legacy that has enriched Northumberland, Tottenham and now Stratford.

10 - Replica Town. Be sure to visit the old fashion pre-match traditional walkabout. Get yourself some Caviar to go or a tuna salad at 'Seastar Fish bar'. Enjoy a sit down meal at Pavro Ocakbas Vegetarian Restaurant or if you've already eaten at home just order yourself a cocktail at the Bricklayers Wine Bar.

11 - Monorail. For our exclusive 'Platinum True Fan' members, get to and from the Docklands in the super fast Monorail sponsored by Bloomberg that will take you from your executive box straight back into the hub of the banking world within minutes. All other season ticket holders, club members and tickets purchased via general sale and on the day - please head towards Stratford station with plenty of time to spare to avoid congestion.

12 - Canary Wharf. Majestic, just majestic! The amazing backdrop on the horizon that will light up the sky on those Glory Glory nights making them that extra special.

Footnote:

You'll note all the Chirpy heads that are located around the ground. They crow if we win, and sing 'Can't smile without you' if we lose. Making sure we are pampering the emotive side of your journey into our world class arena experience. Directions to local shopping centres and words from our sponsors are also subliminally whispered from his beak.

Also, to commemorate the move to the new stadium and the soon to be concluded deal that will see AEG purchase the club and a proposed future franchise merger with LA Galaxy, Daniel Levy will present to loyal Spurs supporters a Monolith at the first home game to be played in Stratford as a thank you and a remainder of services rendered.

COYSH!