The Political Economy of Football V2

Spurs think they got the better deal in the end when they were not named as preferred bidders for the London Stadium, but West Ham think they came out on top: Tottenham triumphed Spurs face a period of austerity, but clearly have an iconic stadium. The White Hart Lane architect says that Daniel Levy was the most demanding client he ever had, taking an interest in every detail: Most demanding client

Liverpool are in discussions over the possibility of hosting a pre-season friendly at Tottenham Hotspur's new ground. A date of July 28th has been proposed for a game against Napoli. Other venues are being considered including grounds in Scotland. Concerts by Take That, Bon Jovi and Pink are being held at Anfield in June, after which the ground will be relaid. As they seek to meet the cost of the new ground, Spurs have already announced that the stadium will host two NFL games in October.

Spurs are close to getting White Hart Lane station renamed as Tottenham Hotspur. Transport for London originally wanted £15m for the name change, but a memorandum of understanding has now been signed which implies a more reasonable price. Any name change would be subject to a public consultation. Spurs see the name change as the key to unlocking a naming rights deal for the stadium. They have denied reports that talks have taken place with Nike. Arsenal were able to get Gillespie Road tube station renamed after them in the 1930s.

Tottenham Hotspur are close to announcing the required two test events at their new stadium. One is likely to be an under 18 game and the other a legends match: Stadium progress The first match is likely to be either against Brighton or Huddersfield Town.

Tottenham Hotspur are optimistic that they have played their last home game at Wembley. They hope to stage the required two test events before the end of March: Stadium optimism The first fixture could be the home game against Brighton, although if they progress to the FA Cup semi-finals the honour could fall to Huddersfield Town. These are not high profile fixtures, but Uefa have reservations about opening with a Champions League game.

The new Tottenham Hotspur stadium at White Hart Lane will not be ready until at least March (2019): Another delay The required test events are yet to be scheduled. The club fears that they will not be able to move into the stadium until mid-March at the earliest. It might be possible to open the stadium for the match against Crystal Palace on March 16th, but certainly not for the Arsenal derby on March 2nd. A club statement read, 'We have now received a post-Christmas/New Year update from the contractors involved in the critical safety systems at our new stadium. The past month has seen remedial works take place, software issues resolved and corrected safety equipment installations increase. Testing has also continued.'

Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to hear a move in date for their new stadium at a meeting between Daniel Levy and contractors today: Move in date Levy was due to meet Mace, the project’s building manager, and leading contractors to discover if testing on the ground's critical safety systems has been successful. The club need to successfully hold two tests events, the latter at close to full capacity, before being issued with a safety certificate from the FA.

The South Stand at Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium is so high that the club are planning to station first aiders with oxygen in the top few rows. This is not because of the altitude but because of the climb fans will face. The 17,500-capacity stand, which has been modelled on Borussia Dortumund's 'Yellow Wall', and will become the largest single tier stand in the country, extends to more than 80 rows. Newcastle United might have thought about this for their away seats - and perhaps provided binoculars.

Tottenham Hotspur have said that a roof leak at their new stadium is a minor problem that can be easily sorted out and won't delay the opening date. This is the second water leak to affect the stadium after a mains water pipe burst in August flooding an underground area. Pools of water have appeared in the single tier stand modelled on Borussia Dortmund's so-called 'Yellow Wall'. With a capacity of 17,500 it will be the biggest stand in the Premier League when it opens next year. The familiarisation event for 6,000 fans on Sunday went well with many glowing reports. Fans particularly liked the proximity of the stands to the pitch, a drawback of West Ham's London Stadium. The club's main focus now is to get the stadium open for their Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on February 13th, which will require special dispensation from Uefa as their group stage games were played at Wembley. The league game against Manchester United on January 13th w...

Mauricio Pochetinno has admitted that Tottenham Hotspur may not play their first game in their new stadium until February. They had hoped to open the 62,062 capacity stadium with a game against Manchester United on January 13th. After the manager toured the facilities earlier this week, he felt that the opening date may be too soon. He commented, 'There are a few things that need to be sorted and we hope that the people who need to sign the permission will be nice and [sign] as soon as possible.' The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust recently commented: 'The bottom line remains that we do not have a date confirmed for when the new stadium will be open, and that Season Ticket holders are paying match day pricing for seats in a completely different stadium from the one they bought seats in. They are paying more than last year to sit in a stadium they shouldn’t be in.' 'Many fans who have contacted us remain pragmatic about the delays on a project of this co...

Tottenham Hotspur will not play in their new stadium at White Hart Lane until January at the earliest. The club has confirmed that they will play at Wembley until at least until the end of December, but could not say when the stadium would be ready. The next update will be in early December. In addition to problems with the fire and evacuation systems, other contractors have not delivered on time. It means that Spurs will use the national stadium for at least nine of their 19 league fixtures this season, having initially asked permission to stage only one in August. The first match at the new stadium was meant to be on September 15th against Liverpool. The first possible opponent at the new stadium is Manchester United on January 13th. It is believed that the limit on full capacity events at Wembley has nearly been reached, but they could host matches with a reduced capacity of 50,835 with the top tier of the stadium closed. The further delays have pushed the cost of the stadium...

Jacksonville Jaguars will never play at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium despite the collapse of Shahid Khan's bid to buy Wembley: Jaguars rule out games White Hart Lane has been built with NFL games in mind. However, Jaguars club president Mark Lamping said: 'We believe that the infrastructure, the public transport around Wembley is far superior to any other stadium in London. We believe the prestige and the image of the national stadium is far superior to the home ground of a Premier League team. We preferred an alliance with the [English] game as a whole through the FA, rather than an alliance with an individual club.'

Opposition to the sale of Wembley to Shahid Khan is hardening ahead of the FA Council meeting in a week's time. In the minutes of the latest meeting of the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust with the Spurs board on October 9th chairman Daniel Levy was asked whether Shahid Khan’s potential purchase of Wembley Stadium would impact on THFC’s plans for the NFL. Levy said it wouldn’t but he was against the sale of Wembley regardless. He felt any London franchise was a long way off but the NFL still had the International Series so there was ample opportunity for Spurs. He pointed out that the second pitch wasn’t solely an NFL pitch. It was a multi-purpose pitch that was suitable for the NFL. Khan is the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team and wants to use Wembley for more of the team's matches. Spurs agreed a ten year partnership with the NFL for their new stadium but delays in completing the ground meant that the Seattle Seahawks played Oakland Rangers at Wembley on Su...

When I look at which other clubs friends support, Tottenham Hotspur comes top of the list. I have therefore taken a particular interest in the delays to their new stadium. Let me say first that I think that Spurs made the right decision in going ahead with this project and rebuilding the stadium at its existing location. However, they were not realistic about the delays that invariably arise in big construction projects (think Crossrail) and they have not been sufficiently up front with their fans about the extent of the delays. 3,800 workers, some of them on premium rates, have been working on the project, but it may still not be ready for a game on Boxing Day. There is a serious skills shortage in the construction industry which is pushing up pay rates and leading to delays and cost overruns. There are just not enough workers in London with the right skills and of sufficient calibre. Moreover, the Spurs site is in competition with Crossrail. Electricians on the site are being ...

There is considerable uncertainty about how far the Tottenham Hotspur stadium project is over its financial budget as well as its time budget: Final stadium bill inaccurate When it is finished, it will certainly be a splendid stadium. However, there is now some speculation about whether the club might be put up for sale. The club is still in talks over a naming rights deal with a number of companies and a sum of £200m would certainly help to offset any additional costs. However, there seems to be less commercial enthusiasm for such deals than was once the case. West Ham have been unable to secure one for the London Stadium, although, of course, they do not own the stadium.

There is no firm news about when Tottenham Hotspur's new stadium will be completed. It could be 2019, but there has been speculation that it might not happen until next season. A report by Construction News suggests that site chaos, confusion and ill-discipline lies behind the delays: I've never in my life worked like that The allegations include drink and substance abuse and fights between workers. In some cases the same electrical work has been done three times, staff felt they did not have the right tools for the job and materials were not available. Much of the blame is placed on the club's decision not to appoint an overall contractor which has led to poor communication and mistakes. The contractor Mace emphatically denied the claims, pointing out they carry out regular random alcohol and drugs testing.