<p><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/news/london-2012-marks-the-two/image/9433372?term=London+Olympic+stadium" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view2.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9433372/london-2012-marks-the-two/london-2012-marks-the-two.jpg?size=500&amp;imageId=9433372" border="0" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 27: A general view of the continuing construction work on the Olympic Stadium in Stratford on July 27, 2010 in London, England. Today marks two years to go until the London Olympic Games in 2012 and the London 2012 organising committee are launching their appeal for up to 70,000 volunteers to assist in the running of the Games. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)" width="500" height="333"></figure></div></a><br>
Tottenham Hotspur today made a surprise bid to move into the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 London Olympics. The bid now means that two Premier Leagues will be going head-to-head in a battle to be homed in the stadium after West Ham United also submitted a bit.</p>
<p>Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy admits the club are simply covering themselves as they continue to look for a new home, &nbsp;saying: “It is only prudent and good management that we ensure that we investigate all possible options.”<strong></strong></p>
<p>But Karren Brady, Vice-Chair at West Ham feels that the Hammers are the most sensible choice. Earlier this year she told BBC Sport: “We are a natural, logical solution. We want to create a positive, vibrant ongoing legacy.</p>
<p>“We’ve made no secret of the fact we would be the best tenant and make the best use of the site where we can not only incorporate Premier League football, we can add athletics and we’re in discussions with international cricket and rugby as well.”</p>
<p>It is the fact that Ms Brady feels that a football stadium should incorporate other sports that is causing the debate. Lord Sebastian Coe, the man behind bringing the games to London, has already insisted that the Arena will be used as the countries number one athletics venue after the games, meaning the running track will remain in place.</p>
<p>I can understand why Lord Coe is insistent on the Stratford stadium retaining its Olympic heritage after the games, and for this reason both West Ham and Tottenham would be foolish to move in to the stadium.</p>
<p>Yes the facilities would be a vast improvement for both clubs, and I’m sure they would be able to attract more fans by moving in to the new arena, but the fact is that the spectator will only lose out with a running track in place.</p>
<p>Away from the pitch it is hard to generate an atmosphere; you almost become detached from the game itself. The atmospheres at Upton Park and White Hart Lane are amongst the best in the country. If either club moves in to the Olympic Stadium, you can guarantee that the fans would suffer, and this impressive vocal support would be diminished.</p>
<p>What do you think? Would a multi-use stadium really work in the Premier League?</p>


Why The Olympic Stadium Should Not Become A Premier League Stadium

Why The Olympic Stadium Should Not Become A Premier League Stadium - World Soccer Talk

<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/West-Ham.jpg"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/2015/02/West-Ham-600x414-600x414.webp" alt="West Ham" width="600" height="414" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-128932" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></figure></div></a></p>
<p>In a refreshing change of events, former Birmingham City owners, David Gold and David Sullivan took control of the Hammers and admitted straightaway the mess that West Ham United have been battling with. Since the crashing collapse of the Icelandic banking system, West Ham had been financially stricken and the true extent of the footballing debt is now apparent. The Hammers owe £110 million out. One Hundred and Ten Million pounds.</p>
<p>Only in November did C.B. Holdings claim that the Hammers were in debt to the tune of £38 million, misleading the fans in to thinking that the situation was nowhere near as bad as some in the media had reported. In fact it was almost 3 times as bad as they made out and the new owners/controllers made clear exactly where they debts lay. They also confirmed that the club were going to have to sell players in this transfer window, contrary to the clubs previous stance. An immediate cash injection of £8 million was needed to keep the club going.</p>
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<p>The list reads like a what not to do in football, or to put it another way, how to run a club like Leeds United. It’s as if someone wrote a business plan based on what went wrong at Elland Road and it was mistranslated into Icelandic to make it seem positive. It’s madness to see the debt and borrowing going on at West Ham over the last 3 years.</p>
<ul>
<li>£50 million owed to banks.</li>
<li>£40 million owed to other clubs for transfers.</li>
<li>The £40 million owed to other clubs, includes £20 million compensation to Sheffield United.</li>
<li>Alan Curbishley is still owed his severance deal after winning his case for constructive dismissal</li>
<li>No-one owes West Ham any money, all player transfer fees that were received paid the bank debt immediately</li>
<li>C.B. Holdings had borrowed money against the next two seasons season ticket revenue</li>
<li>There is no money for strengthening the squad.</li>
</ul>
<p>Now this paints a completely different figure to what the West Ham fans believed, rightly or wrongly what the were being told. The previous regime were filling there heads with nonsense. It is a very real prospect that relegation would have seen West Ham implode financially. No ifs, no buts, they were immediately into administration. After all the information about Leeds United, C.B. Holdings were following exactly the same route.</p>
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<p>It seems like absolute madness that not one lesson from the Yorkshire clubs demise has served to teach anyone anything it seems, as we see with the issues at Manchester United, Portsmouth and Liverpool in the last week. Regardless of the riches awash for the Premiership clubs, you still have to cut your cloth accordingly. Someone sooner or later is going to fall over the edge, which is a subject I’m going to be looking at in more depth for EPLtalk.com next week.</p>
<p>Gold and Sullivan have acted quickly in bringing in their trusted lieutenant, Karen Brady as vice chairman and she’ll be quick to install some much needed pragmatism at Upton Park. They are now going to talk to Newham council about moving to <a href="http://www.london2012.com/" target="_blank">the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Olympics</a>. That could be&nbsp; a challenge as Tottenham enquired about taking it over and were plainly told it was not available. The Olympic stadium is set to be reduced from its 80,000 capacity down to a pointless 30,000, for which there is neither the use nor the need.</p>
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<p>The NFL could still play a part in the stadium’s future use that could play into West Ham’s hands. The NFL have earmarked that the often mooted London franchise’s potential base could be there. It would certainly make more sense to use it as a dual sport stadium than a white elephant for athletics, which is the current plan. There is neither the inclination or support for that size of athletics venue in London, they should sell it and use the money to redevelop Crystal Palace Athletic Stadium.</p>
<p>So now, West Ham have to focus on the future and the fans will be thankful that regardless of the criticisms that could be placed at Gold and Sullivan’s door during their tenure at Birmingham City, they still have a club to support. The work is now on to bring in fresh investment to try and work off the remaining debt and crucial to that is the fact that West Ham United need to stay up.</p>
<p>Gianfranco Zola has been nothing but a gentlemen throughout this difficult period for him and he needs to make sure that he can keep his side together for one almighty relegation scrap. For a first job, he has certainly been earning his money, of that there is no doubt. In the next six games, West Ham face Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, Birmingham City and Hull City. Come the end of February, Gold, Sullivan and Zola will know exactly the size of the task to keep West Ham United in the Premier League.</p>

Breaking News: Gold And Sullivan Reveal West Ham's True Debt

Breaking News: Gold And Sullivan Reveal West Ham's True Debt - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/cache.daylife.com/writeitfiles/Promotion_Birmingham_CityC3.JPG" alt="" width="455" height="500"></figure></div>
<p>They seemed as if they’d thrown it all away, but they pulled themselves together on the last match of the season to gain automatic promotion. Birmingham City always seem to do things the hard way and they just about squeezed over the line. The fact of the matter is that they should have never been relegated from the Premiership, but the board have continually refused to accept the blame for the Carson Yeung fiasco.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2319202/Carson-Yeung-warms-to-Birmingham.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yeung hilariously rolled in to Birmingham</a> in the summer of 2007 claiming to have the financial muscle to make them one of the top teams in the world. “Next year Birmingham will be the most popular team in China,” he said. “The whole of China and Hong Kong know very well about Birmingham City, and want this club to be successful.”</p>
<p>Of course it never happened and the main ramification of this dalliance was that Steve Bruce left to join Wigan Athletic. Alex McLeish came in to replace him, but Birmingham couldn’t hold on to their Premiership status and were relegated. Last season, they were expected, quite rightly with the squad they had, to run away with the league but it never materialized.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I saw plenty of Birmingham City last year and they never blew me away football wise. On paper, they had a fantastic team that simply never got going throughout the season, they spluttered and stuttered. They only scored more than two goals in a game on five occasions in the league and for a team that boasts the firepower they have, that simply wasn’t good enough.&nbsp; Kevin Phillips was the only player to hit double figures in the league, with 14.</p>
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/cache.daylife.com/imageserve/039L9QX4Rh3qa/520x.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="292"></figure></div>
<p>The Blues have looked to bolster the attack by signing Ecuadorian Christian Bentitez, breaking their transfer record to do so, but it’s a hell of a risk.Fair enough, the lad is 23, scored 10 goals for his country and hit 31 league goals in the last two years in the Mexican League but doubts persist over his fitness and his build. With Birmingham struggling to kill sides off in Championship, can they honestly hope to score goals in Premiership?</p>
<p>Yet, maybe I’m being too negative, but when your top scorer left West Bromwich Albion when they got promoted citing that he didn’t want to be in a relegation struggle, it makes you question why he feels Birmingham City will be in a better situation. If anything, Phillips would have had a hatful of chances for the Baggies and would have possibly been the difference for them last season. Are the Blues such a superior team? With 3 International strikers at his disposal in Benitez, O’Connor and McFadden, McLeish now has to get them scoring more goals.</p>
<p>Or will he finally release Cameron Jerome and give him a real run of games. There is no doubting the boys pace, he is fast, and he has had a taste of Premiership football before with Birmingham, netting 7 goals. He now needs to respond to signing a new 5 year contract with consistency and increasing his goal tally.</p>
<p><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignleft" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/cache.daylife.com/imageserve/04eLdPzdudegk/340x.jpg" alt="" width="313" height="380"></figure></div>The rest of the side has Premiership experience running all the way through it, from the two Lee’s, Carsley and Bowyer, to the back line with Franck Queudrue, Stephen Carr and Martin Taylor. Of McLeish’s new signings, only Bowyer is a midfielder, but that concerns me. Carsley and Bowyer are players that are not afraid to put it about a bit, so having the quality in reserve will be paramount to cover for those two when serving the inevitable suspensions.Of course, bringing another quiet soul in Barry Ferguson may be more <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/scotland/5099853/Barry-Ferguson-and-Allan-McGregor-banned-for-life-from-playing-for-Scotland.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trouble than it’s worth</a>, but maybe Ferguson can actually try and save his career with this move. It surely can’t get any worse for him can it?</p>
<p>At the back, is probably where Birmingham are at their strongest. The loan signing of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/mancity/5621697/Joe-Hart-joins-Birmingham-City-from-Manchester-City-on-season-long-loan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Hart is an inspired piece of business</a>, Hart is easily the best of the young English goalkeepers out there and he can really add a bit more quality for the side. The big changes for the team will be at Centre Half. Liam Ridgewell broke his leg in April so he’s not due back until October at the earliest and Raidhi Jaidi has been released. In for them have come the Cardiff City defender Roger Johnson, who looked impressive for the Bluebirds and another risky international signing, Giovanny Espinoza.</p>
<p>Yet Espinoza has 80 caps for Ecuador, showing he’s no mug and one season in European football already under his belt. A big, uncompromising defender, if he dovetails with Johnson, it could be an inspired signing. The full back positions are full of Premiership experience and shouldn’t need much tinkering with. Carr and Queudrue, once he recovers from a calf strain, have seen it all before and can be relied upon to keep it simple.McLeish has made no secret in his attempts to cover the left back area, so he knows Queudrue has to eased back.</p>
<p>Overall, Birmingham have a sprinkling of experience but need to make sure they score. They have the fan base and financial strength but the biggest task will be scoring more than they concede. That may seem obvious, but the Blues strength will see them hard to beat, so for them to stay up, they have make those draws victories.If they can get one more season out of Phillips, Benitez and Jerome scoring in support and the two Scottish enigma’s, O’Connor and McFadden finally begin to deliver, they’ll be fine.</p>

Premiership Promotion Preview No.2 : Birmingham City

Premiership Promotion Preview No.2 : Birmingham City - World Soccer Talk

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Premiership Promotion Preview No.2 : Birmingham City