Furthermore, for all that the Gunners can – and do – point to a gargantuan increase in matchday revenue and other money making opportunities at Ashburton Grove, simply paying for their 60,000 seat monolith has been a financial millstone around the club’s neck. Most significantly for supporters, repayments on the debt incurred have proved a bar to competing at the desired level in the transfer market and – particularly painfully – retaining star players. The last time Arsenal could parade new silverware – the F.A. Cup triumph in 2005 – they were still housed at Higbury.
Regardless of a multitude of warning signs, West Ham United are celebrating being granted ‘preferred bidder’ status for tenancy of the capital’s Olympic Stadium by the London Legacy Development Corporation. If the Irons’ long-term occupation of the amphitheatre which hosted so many of this summer’s unforgettable moments comes to fruition, English football will bid farewell to yet another of its iconic cathedrals.
Upton Park, where 1966 World Cup winning heroes; Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters made their names, will be consigned to the annals. The East End venue, for many football watchers, is associated with a fierce and passionate home support. It serves up a test of nerve for any visiting player, and indeed any Hammer not considered to be giving their best. That raw feel to matches at the venue has been diluted slightly by relatively recent re-developments which have resulted in a more detached spectating experience.
With that example of a softening to atmosphere happening in front of their own eyes, it must be with a little trepidation that the West Ham hierarchy are pressing ahead with their great Olympic Stadium plan. The upshot could well be a fine club taking away something held dear to many thousands of loyal claret and bues, and fulfilling fixtures in a soulless bowl – all while being obliged to share any financial gain achieved through use of the stadium.
Of course, not all ground moves have been condemned to failure. It is extremely unlikely that the champions of England, Manchester City, would be wearing that crown without having been granted permission to utilise the stadium in the Eastlands area of the city which was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Wealthy investors from afar rarely invest in English football clubs with their eye anywhere other than on the here and now. Having a ready-made state-of-the-art ground allowed Abu Dhabi money to be instantly pumped into creating a team at City that would quickly be competing at the very pinnacle of the game with more familiar names in the elite bracket. As earlier exemplified by Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, the sole priority for any newly arrived ‘money no object’ benefactor is for their new team to become cemented among the big-hitters. Only then can the wider club infrastructure be considered.
Conversely, Everton for all of David Moyes’ wonderful body of work over ten-and-a-half years and their startling on-pitch progress, remain unlikely to attract heavyweight backing while they are restricted by the environs of Goodison Park. The ground is arguably the most charged and atmospheric in the country. Elevation into being a consistently recognised force, however, cannot be achieved by fervent support alone. Without a cash generating stadium, Everton will continue to hit a glass ceiling in their pursuit of loftier climbs.
The Merseysiders predicament therefore spells out the formidable conundrum that is posed when the ‘should we stay or should we go’ dilemma rears its head. The debate splits fans of any club and engenders extremely fervent feelings. There are those who can’t bear the thought of the ground – and accompanying Saturday afternoon/week night rituals – which have been a constant part of their being, no longer existing. The contrasting standpoint is that the team’s results are the only consideration, and if a change of playing venue is pivotal in improving these then the creaking old home is simply collateral damage.
A personal view is that I would be loath to see the team I follow playing anywhere but at their famous old location. I feel absolutely for the many Hammers who would wave goodbye to their splendid old home with a heavy heart. Similarly, it would be churlish not to wish well all those who carried with them to Stratford the belief that the venue of dreams during a glorious 2012 summer could provide similar stimulation for West Ham, so enabling their heroes to be faster, higher and stronger… and consequently win some gleaming new trophies.
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