West Ham United's incredible David Moyes inspired rise from relegation battlers to Champions League contenders has not gone unnoticed by those NOT associated with the club, both domestically and globally. New investor and board member Daniel Kretinsky's money will help stabilise the club's finances and provide a firm base for the club to move forward, success on the pitch will however eventually HAVE to be matched by success OFF the pitch.
One bone of contention that is bound to be increasingly raised the more Moyes' Boys succeed is the elephant in the room, namely the Stadium that the club calls home! The atmosphere at the NOT fit for purpose stadium has been transformed in the last year or so, it has gone from being a caustic "you sold your soul for this shit hole" opposing fan chant, to being a "we are massive" home fan blast retort!
Sooner rather than later, the funding of the Stadium is going to come under increased scrutiny, the better the team do the more questions that will be asked as to why West Ham should be 'sponsored' by the tax payer. On the face of it, it is a scandalous misuse of public money, Hammers should 'cough up' more towards the running costs, shouldn't they?
Well sandwiched between the words of the last sentence is the main reason such a scandal exists, 'RUNNING' or to be more exact, a sports and track legacy which was promised as part of the original hosting of the Olympics. Lord Coe and his sporting cronies, completely detached from any form of reality, 'enshrined' the provision of lasting sports facilities, including the London Stadium in their bid.
It is bewildering how the stadium was constructed, ahead of the preliminary work West Ham had already been in contact with the Sports authorities and the government with regards to using the stadium as it's home after the Olympics had been staged. All attempts were rebuffed, not just once but on a continuous basis by the blinkered quango appointed 'officials' in charge of the process during it's entirety.
The obvious course of action would have been to build a stadium that could then be EASILY converted for the more realistic AND profitable purpose of staging 'elite' football, funds could then have been generated to construct a more realistic purpose built venue that could house athletics, that usually draw vastly significant fewer numbers than football, on a constant 365 days per year platform much more cost effectively.
The perpetrators of this 'fiscal crime are long gone from public awareness, their legacy has been to waste a vast amount of public money soley in order to massage their own sporting egos and keep hold of the gold rolexes handed out around the time of the Stadium's design and bidding process.
There is no use in crying over the spilled financial milk and pointing fingers at those who are historically to blame, it cannot change the past, however with some intelligent thinking the best CAN be made out of a bad situation. But ONLY if ALL parties are prepared to draw a line under the past and constructively try to move forward, WITHOUT recriminations but with a purposful resolve.
Knocking down the Stadium and building a new one might be the most logical progression, but it is a course of action the authorities including the government simply will NOT countenance, despite it probably being the best course of action on paper. The only practical option that might get approval is for West Ham to take over the loss making stadium hook line and sinker in order to prevent the continued haemorrhaging of public money, re-engineering the Stadium would be costly but NOT impossible, IF the venue was geared soley for football, other 'contact sports' and music concerts, it could become financially viable.
Let's face it, no one seemed to actually think what was going to happen to the Queen Elizabeth Stadium after the Olympics with any sort of clarity, it is as if they were so pre occupied with winning the bid to host the Olympics to such an extent that they became 'host blind' to the costs. Crash test dummies could have come up with a better exit plan, travellers should be thankful THAT committee wasn't involved in any air or road safety guidelines!
Hammers have already turned the QE Stadium into a vibrant venue on match days, but given the opportunity and judicious investment the Stadium could become a 365 day per year attraction, seamlessly switching between football and other types of entertainment, especially music. Hopefully Kretinsky's wing man can do the job others have failed to do, and if it requires a bit of 'Fisc washing' so what? because Hammers are no longer coming in on just a wing and a prayer? - Ed
