Danny and Joe…who are ya?
Man those pictures of the new stadium are cool, it’s as if White Hart Lane got sick of what it saw in the mirror, decided to pump itself full of steroids, eat nothing but grilled chicken and smash up the gym for 12 months. It must be what Mrs Smith feels like when the husband she already loves decides to model his body on Chris Evans (not the speccy one) rather than Jim Royal…jackpot!
But ladies, if you want your man to be ripped like Captain America, then you need to be prepared to make some sacrifices. All that money he used to spend on little presents for you, well that now has to go toward his gym membership, paying the personal trainer and hell those supplements (the good ones) don’t come cheap. I think I have stretched the analogy far enough…you get the point.
I'm not against progress, it's necessary, crucial and it's exciting. However is anyone else a little concerned as to how little we are now being told?
Things on the pitch these last few years have been fantastic, the HR saga, tweets from VDV, hiring AVB and a shiny new training centre have all been more than adequate distractions from what is going on with the wider future of the club. I’m not against progress, it’s necessary, crucial and it’s exciting. However is anyone else a little concerned as to how little we are now being told? What’s happening and when? How much is the stadium going to cost now? How are we paying for it? And…drum roll…how will it effect our activity in the transfer market?
Here’s what we do know (If anyone can add to this I’d much appreciate it). It was a communications whirlwind a couple of years ago, we were given a special area on the website, community regeneration was all the buzz and we were shown the near pornographic pictures of our single tier ‘wall of sound’. Then we had the Olympic Stadium posturing, the Tottenham riots…Levy had leverage and he promptly got the public sector investment and the planning permission we needed. Levy continues to be a monstrous business man. Then there was a fairly quiet move, THFC PLC was removed from the Stock Market and taken in to private ownership with the quiet message being that this would make it easier to fund the new Stadium.
Since then we have had the occasion rumblings of a Kuwaiti take-over, and well…nothing. I get down to WHL a few times a season, a while ago I remember being really surprised to see that work had started – buildings were missing and I’m told the obligatory supermarket is already being built, yet the club’s media machine has sat muted on the subject…”here’s some pictures of the boys training…again”. Nothing on the website, nothing on the FB page, Twitter feed…radio silence. In fact the area on the website has been ‘tucked away’ somewhat and the last update was nearly a year ago.
Personally I’m not sure the club could be in better hands, but I would like to know what people think about how quiet it has gone. Perhaps Levy is keeping it the down-low for tactical reasons? Maybe it’s about avoiding further legal challenges from local residents and business owners. Maybe it’s to avoid meddling from local councillors out to make a name for themselves (read Lammy). Also it should be said that our squad development and transfer policy is measured, largely cost neutral and looking at the last few years’ league performance, highly effective.
Personally I'm not sure the club could be in better hands.
I hope this sets the scene for my question. Levy’s stock is high with fans right now, I remember when our support for him was less than whole-hearted, particularly after the Jol sacking. But is our club’s current success a by-product of Levy doing what he does best for himself and Joe Lewis (ENIC) before they sell us off for huge profits to anyone who can front the cash? OR do Daniel and Joe want ‘their club’ to win the league? Maybe I should shut up and count my lucky stars (see Leeds, Portsmouth, Birmingham etc)
Author: Leo CapernarosAre you interested in writing for The Fighting Cock?
Who’s Mrs Smith, Chris Evans and Jim Royal?
What have they got to do with, little being mentioned about the stadium? Considering not much is happening at the moment, what do you expect the club to be saying?
And, what difference does it make if Levy and Lewis are doing it for the money or for the love of Spurs? (Incidentally, the answer is the first one).
Sorry about asking you to use your imagination in relation to the pop-culutre references, it may happen again.
The point of the article is that things ARE happening and the club are being silent, really I just wanted to see what people thought the reasons for that might be, why would the club keep such an exciting new venture so quiet?
It may not make a difference what our owners motivations are, unless they honestly dont care what happens after they’re no longer involved…then we could end up with anyone in charge. I think what motivates these men will subseqeuntly influence their decisions and actions, for me it matters.
To be honest the article is a little disjointed; I had to re-read the first few paragraphs to understand what was being said.
On the actual content well i guess whether it is about money or not (it is about money) a sustainable business model is what is being desired. I personally don’t mind cutting back on transfers for a new stadium.
Sorry for being harsh, I did enjoy reading it, and it is better than anything i could do.
Thanks Manning, point taken…a few different ideas that could of been stitched together more coherently. The real point is, we are at a MASSIVE juncture in the history of our club and it is noticeable that we have stopped being told anything about it. I just wanted to put that out there and ask…why?