Beware Tottenham Hotspur, the NFL Only Cares About Itself

If Dublin Spur is wrong about this being a negotiation tactic by the NFL in pursuit of the Wembley venue and instead our new stadium is the one, then what remains for me as the most interesting component of the potential deal is what the effect will be on the Tottenham Hotspur brand as seen by the millions of NFL fans here in the states? I think it could be to make the club a vastly more attractive target for potential buyers and for the current owners a vastly richer exit strategy. (If I were in the NFL owners association I would push for Wembley because of the name recognition advantage from with another sport popular in the USA.).

As a yank I'll say I think the business and culture around the NFL reflects some of the worst that we are as a country. Naked greed, monopolistic business model and twisted ethical behavior. Compared to FIFA though the NFL is just a babe-in-the-woods (not relevant to the discussion I know).

In my opinion, our ownership will agree to a deal with the NFL if it offers a path for our continued profitability and potential for growth with minimal shareholder risk in the quest to stay withing sight of our more well-funded rivals above us in the table. Unfortunately we struggle in the transfer market due to the cold deal-making cut-throat culture I think Levy has established at Spurs. We are not attractive to top transfer targets because Levy doesn't like to splash the cash on them and the sideline is a managerial merry-go-round. As a result we often end up with players who desire a good pay packet if they can't play for a "winner". That said, I think all the supporters for top clubs have to live with some compromise in their core values to remain in contention.

Whether you support it or not, I believe a potential NFL revenue stream fits right in with our business model. Is it a compromise? I think so. Is that compromise going to help us to escape the common "not sh*t but not great" territory of footballing opinion? Only time will tell, but if it does and we achieve the seemingly impossible of the occasional PL title and regular CL football, then I don't think any of the griping here will be remembered. If it doesn't, ownership won't care because they will have sold out at very tidy profit and we will be left with new ownership and our association with the NFL. Potentially worse yet is that we become the home of a new permanently-based NFL team. Worse than that? That new London team becomes a perennial loser in the NFL.

 

Just to clarify: I don't say that this a negotiating tactic. I say it could be.

I am extremely suspicious of the deal. I can't understand why when the franchise is frequently selling to full houses at Wembley, they would want to move into a stadium that is 30k smaller. I might be wrong, but if it does go ahead, I don't see it as a golden goose either. I think maybe £2 mill a year which we could just as easily earn from a couple of pop concerts/boxing matches etc. Regarding my last sentence, that was the reason Levy wanted the Olympic Stadium as he intended to have multiple events there over the summer.

But this now raises another concern for me. So far, Levy has (quite rightly) been opposed to subsidising the team. I cannot rule out the possibility that Spurs may start an events division with a view to keeping these profits separate and they will not be re-invested in the team. The longer I look at this, the harder I find it to believe that we will see any benefit.

 

Good evening Dublin Spur......a couple of points.

(1) if the stadium is well on, I am a Chinaman. It isn't, not by a long way. A few offices at the Northern boundary of the site, little else. I assume you have been to the ground to form your view. If you look at the space between Lilywhite House and the Paxton Road wall there is some open ground but no substantial steelwork, at least there wasn't eight weeks ago. You cannot start any real steelwork until you have taken down ALL of the existing ground. All the b*****cks that has been put out is just window dressing. The additional work to accommodate the NFL requirements are substantial. Bear in mind less than two weeks ago the Club were apparently granted permission for an underground car park, to allow for the revised plans, then a few days later there is to be a retractable pitch......underground car park, retractable pitch.....this is non trivial.

(2) Putting all that to one side, assuming all permissions, all NFL contracts are in place, all Finance is there, the build time for a 60,000 seater stadium of this spec and complexity has got to be close to 3 years. It is IMPOSSIBLE to only be away from WHL for one season. Any public utterances from the Club to the contrary are p**s taking bu****it.
Say we start in anger with the demolition in May 2016. To pass a stadium for public occupancy in August of 2018 is just not going to happen, hence it will be August 2019, as you can't move grounds mid season. 3 years in my book.

COYS

 

Further to my post above, burning in Dublin Spurs quote that I tried to paste.......

The club have drip-fed various stories about the new stadium for close on 5 years. Wasn't there one where they were going to turn the pitch around having part built the stand. In recent times its been the MK plan, or now the Wembley plan - which one is it.

Drip feeding us with the latest piece of twaddle, playing us along in truth - you know "we can't blame it on Archway now, so we need another story to buy us time"....something like that.

I've stood at the northern end of the site, with a copy of the artists impression, forming my own views of where the stadium footprint is likely to be, and am convinced Levy is basically fibbing, and even if he isn't, we're still away from The Lane for 3 years. Alternative opinions greatly received.

COYS

 

Sorry for the misread. I think your statement is well within the routine business practices of the NFL when a franchise wants something from a particular locality. I think that at this point Wembley would serve the NFL's wishes far more than the new WHL ever could. Should Levy work out a deal wit the NFL, how much the brand recognition for TFC here in the states translates into competing for titles is up for grabs. It's also perhaps one of the more interesting aspects to the rumors for other stateside supporters.

 

Love all the conspiracy theory's guys but the stadium will happen and is happening but more importantly needs to happen. Whether its by 2018 or 2019. Clearly
It will be more than a season away. Who cares. I'm sure the project isn't dependent on the NFL link up so if they pull out they pull out. If it does happen I'm sure it will be very lucrative for all concerned otherwise why would levy take the trouble to add a retractable pitch and secondary change rooms?

 

I hope the project isn't dependent on the NFL link. Professional sports franchises over here have been known to make additional demands which in this case may seem insignificant in the context of the agreement but which can add significant extra cost, delays and even scuttle a deal. Maybe I'm just suspicious by nature, but I think there's much more drama and intrigue as this all unfolds. Overall the stadium plans on paper and in renderings are amazing, as they usually are for any project of this scale at this stage of development. It will be interesting to watch what happens from over here. I hope to be proven wrong and this thing flows relatively smoothly to completion. COYS

 

You are quite possibly right. I've relied on THFC media releases.

Not to use this as an excuse to dispute you, but we are all familiar with stories of major building projects that are over time and over budget. I see no reason why this might not be different.

 

Just to add to my earlier reply on this subject, the pics I've seen recently, show plenty of debris still on site. You are talking about steel erection, but before that, there will need to be a lot of concrete poured into a very large hole in the ground. I don't know how long these things take and as I said, I am not disputing your opinion of if and when this will finally happen, but it looks like they are some way off steel erection as we write.

 

Afternoon Dublin Spur. Sorry not been on the site to see your responses. A view would be that you really cannot undertake any serious site works until you make it secure from an Elf & Safety perspective, so whilst he area to the north of Paxton Road is to all intents and purposes clear, that's about all it is...or it was last May. i'm there at the weekend - I'll give you a view on whether it's any more substantial than that. COYS