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Khan Has Karen In His Sights

nevillenixon's picture
Submitted by nevillenixon on Fri, 01/12/2017 - 12:01

If you thought 'Tevez Gate' was damaging for West Ham United just wait until London Mayor Sadiq Khan gets stuck in! He has a dual agenda and not withstanding his undoubted desire to do his best for Londoners, one has to remember he wants to give former Mayor Boris Johnson a 'damn good kicking*', not only that but he has Lady Brady and the two David's firmly in his sights as he begins to unravel the complex and mind blowing finances involved in trying to turn Lord Coe's white elephant in to a stadium fit for purpose. An independent review says the conversion cost £323m, the original estimate was £190m. Shocking enough, but Lord Coe's written promise and insistence that there be a 'legacy' have ensured a real pig's ear of a situation where the London Stadium is neither fit for football or easy to convert for athletics!

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has agreed to take over the former Olympic Stadium amid "financial challenges" Mr Khan says a "catalogue of errors" by his predecessor Boris Johnson led to the costs of transforming it into West Ham United's new ground soaring. In a strange shift of loyalties Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales said Mr Johnson left the stadium's finances in a "dreadful mess". Mr Khan claims Mr Johnson's decision to make taxpayers foot the bill means Londoners will have to shoulder a predicted loss of £24m this financial year. He will now take control of the London Stadium in order to "renegotiate deals" and "minimise ongoing losses".

Mr Khan said: "I ordered the review into the finances of the London Stadium to understand how key decisions were made about its transformation and why costs were allowed to spiral out of control. What has been presented is simply staggering."

Ironically this new found interest in 'renegotiating' deals that are written in stone is a lot of show and no go, however there is a distinct possibility that West Ham United will be offered out right control of the Stadium much sooner than the end of the original 25 year period that the current operators contract is for. They are losing money hand over fist, the only way the London Stadium is going to stop hemorrhaging tax payer's money is if the Stadium is completely redesigned as primarily a football stadium but one that can host other events. Of course the costs will be outrageous but eventually the Hammers' rented home could become their own property but it would take pockets deeper than either of the owners have, perhaps that is why there has been a consistent amount of covert activity with regards to bringing in new investors, the problem at the moment is that the team's woeful Premier League performances. Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has seen the value of his club drop by £60 Million in the last six weeks due to poor form, so what price would West Ham be given the club's current precarious position? Maybe Sadiq Khan knows! - Ed

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andycarrollstyle's picture

This could destroy us... as Nev said, Khan has a dual agenda and will want to make an example to help secure his mayoral tenure - the taxpayers already baying for our blood and I fully expect us to be on the end of a public martyring

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151 users have voted.

We are in a stadium that any westham fans with a sense of our history,dont want to be in.we as a club are public enemy no.1 because of the amount of taxpayers money its cost & how much we are renting it for.now a statement has come out today saying the club signed a deal for 2.5 mill rent a year for 99 years & even thought its losing 20 mill a year they are not budging on this!!we use to be known as other fans 2nd team,we are now just a laughing stock & an embaressment...

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123 users have voted.

Summed up very well 65 as long as i can remember we seemed to have respect every where even with our infamous element of fans in the 70 s and 80s its so sad to see whats happening to us

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111 users have voted.

Burkie 1

moore 6 legend's picture

Spot on dave,It just gets worse and worse by the day,who knows where this will take us,we could end up doing a ground share at the orient;)

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162 users have voted.
nevillenixon's picture

One day I joked with youngest son little ed that Charlton rose from the ashes and reclaimed their heritage in the shadow of the 'millenium dome', it was not fit for it's original purpose but then became a vast money earner, if the government and the mayor can get real a new deal could be struck with west ham to make the original stadium fit for purpose

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137 users have voted.
moore 6 legend's picture

Charlton done the right thing in the end staying put and rebuilding their ground,unlike us, I think the only way to get that ground fit for football purpose,is to dig down into the bowl,so the seats can come nearer, instead of being in different post code from the pitch ;),if sully does end up getting the LS for a song,he's got to find some serious money to put that place right,which I doubt very much.

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108 users have voted.

There is no way this board will renegotiate their contract on the stadia. So the only way Khan can get a moral win is to offer them the stadium for next to nothing so they can make even bigger money. Maybe they even thought that at the time they signed the contract? Sullivan only understands the power of money. So the only way we MIGHT get a place fit for purpose is if Khan practically gives us the place.

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121 users have voted.

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