I would not have bothered with this topic but for two things:
1 – the number of indignant comments from Spurs fans on previous blog posts saying how public spirited their club is in building a new ground in an area that needs facilities, coupled with their bizarre insistence that Arsenal somehow fleeced the taxpaying public to build their own stadium (evidence please)
2 – being alerted on twitter to a paragraph in the Guardian pointing out the disparity between the wealth of Spurs’ owners and the threats to Haringey council to ship out if the little stadium project wasn’t subsidised.
So I did a quick search through the Guardian web archive and here’s what they’ve said:
Aug 2011:
Oct 2011:
Feb 2012:
Mar 2013:
Apr 2013:
August 2013:
Over to you Spurs fans. Can’t wait for your justification.
Twitter: @AngryOfN5
angryofislington 
Quite simple, we leave our spiritual home and the area will have nothing! The area is not the best and the chance of bringing business to this part of North London is needed, the council should pay something or they will see the team leave and the area suffer.
Disgusting that they can spend £85m or so on players, yet expect the public to pay for their stadium. I don’t understand how they’re allowed to have Ade’s wages subsidised by City either?
So underhand, yet we always get the “Same old Arsenal, always cheating” crap every time we play them?!!! Slightly hypocritical!!
How’s about a new chant…. To the tune of Who’s that team we call the Arsenal…
We’re not paying for your stadium.
You’re not paying for your team.
But we don’t give a $hite,
Cos the Arsenals outta sight.
And Levy’s a cheating little whoooooooooooooooore!!!
You should do a bit of research before you make stupid comments…spurs spent 0.5 million pounds in the last transfer window and the reason that council are paying part of the cost is not towards the stadiam but towards the infrastructure around the stadium which is expected to create jobs and keep current business afloat….same old gooners….full of bullshit
But you didn’t have to have a low net spend. You should have opted not to spend big on dross like paulinho and Capoue. You already had enough cloggers in midfield
Dross like Paulinho and Capoue? Cloggers?
Arf!
….Flamini.
This is to do with tax payers,not about slagging off.to me your mentality,is of a 3 year old.Or is it too do with the team you support.we make that area,and also will bring in money and jobs.So to the Arsenal fan,speak about related things.Or should i remind you of 1 thing.Your team and Manager like ,wearing ladies under wear
‘my’ mentality….that of a 3 year old?
Yet you go on to say our team and manager like wearing ladies underwear!!
Is your 11 year old’s mentality any better?!
Here’s a revised chant for you (since i’d just woken up, that was a weak effort on my part)…
We don’t want to fund your stadium.
You don’t pay for Adebayour.
But we don’t give a $hite,
Cos the Arsenals outta sight.
And Levy’s a dirty little whoooooooooooooooore!!!
@ Phillythekid – I would guess that the “mentality of a 3 year old” slight was referencing your inability to comprehend that none of this public money is for Spurs’ new stadium. The entire amount will be used to improve local infrastructure and the prospects for local jobs.
By the way, your second effort at a chant was as lame as the first – not least because of the inherent contradiction it contains. On the one hand, you you don’t want to fund our stadium. On the other, you don’t give a $hite. Which is it? Can’t be both. Not to mention that your claim not to care is betrayed as a lie by your taking the time to respond in this thread and to compose not one but two embarrassing, little ditties.
Furthermore, point of fact, Arsenal did indeed use to be out of sight. But that was years ago now. Very little to choose between the clubs over recent seasons. And only goal difference to separate them now.
Yawn!
Dunno. You gave us 42m, so, how about you explain it?
I suppose Spurs are to blame for the UK decision to exit the ERM. You would rather Haringey council forfeit their grants from central govt to have the money re-channeled into one of the bankrupt EU nations. I suggest you read the comments you post and if your knuckle-dragging cohorts need an explanation, enrol at Tottenham Tech for an education.
The money is to improve the infrastructure in a borough that has seen very little money spent on it ever. It’s not actually for any part of spurs new ground or any of the actual new build plans that were drawn up by spurs. Why should spurs be willing to open a new area which will attract trade, people and jobs in a less desirable area of London if those people will find it difficult and a pain to actually get to it. The area arsenal was building in already had this in place and had money spent on the area.
Exactly. Why would we invest £500m in a stadium if the area can’t support it. All Spurs are asking is for the government to actually fund infrastructure upgrades that have been needed for a decade, regardless of whether a new stadium comes in.
I bet the first reply from a Tottenham fan will still be that Arsenal were given taxpayers’ money to build the Emirates.
And I also bet it will have no punctuation.
Tip, don’t bet!
Or an unnecessary use of an exclamation mark
Andy,
I’m still on the floor laughing at your wit, humour an insight !
Please don’t post any more comments I fear I may not last the day.
Surely that should be “wit, Humour AND insight”
Whoops. You don’t make a lot of money gambling, do you?
They probably would have written off the removal vans to re-locate to Stratford, and that Costa Del Sol cup must weigh a ton.
Arsenal weren’t given taxpayers’ money but, with the collusion of Islington, they did serve a raft of CPO’s on a multitude of small businesses – many of which didn’t want to / couldn’t afford to move to new premises and subsequently folded.
I think you’ll find supported housing grant was used to pay for the supported housing that was developed on the Highbury ground. I guess as this funding stream came from central government this equates to tax-payers money.
You lot are becoming as bitter and twisted as your one trick manager.
I’m an Arsenal fan.
Good on them. These players are getting payed but also taxed a ridiculous amount of money. Im sure Islington contributed to emirates in some way and so should the councils and government of which PL clubs make employment possible for thousands of public servants from police to garbage men and everyone in between.
Dont have a go at Spurs for being savvy/good negotiators, just have a go at them for being a shit football club….
You’re missing the basic fact.
Spurs will build the stadium with their own money. The public funds are for regeneration around the stadium and improved transport links. There has been 0 investment for years. Businesses up and down the country are given incentives to stay in run down areas to keep jobs there and create more. Why should Spurs pay a premium to stay in a run down area when the tax payer is funding West Ham’s move to the Olympic stadium? The figures involved there make the paltry sum Spurs are receiving pale into insignificance.
Quite. Man City also had considerable public assistance, and the Arse had significant assistance from Islington eg identifying the site and kicking out viable businesses. Spurs are investing £150m in the community with the project, over and above the stadium itself.
Who needs justification?
Levy is just an outstanding negotiator, doing the best that he can for his club.
It was a simple matter of quid pro quo. If Spurs were going to commit £450 million of their own money to investing in the area then Levy felt that it wasn’t much to ask Haringey / the mayor of London to commit the comparatively piffling £17 million or so to local infrastructure that they were also demanding of Spurs. Why should Spurs have to pay for what successive governments (local and national) had failed to pay for? It is, after all, government’s responsibility to pay for such things and Spurs have paid taxes (local and national) so have no further obligation to contribute.
Incidentally, you seem to be somewhat confused about this added £27 million. Or, at least, the sources that you quote are confused. It has nothing to do with Spurs making any kind of demands. It has everything to do with the riots that consumed the area two summers ago. Maybe you missed them?
Finally, what point are you trying to make about Levy drawing an income from Spurs? Something along the lines of “Man earns money in exchange for working”? How very dare he! What a shocker! My guess is that Levy’s contribution to Spurs is actually worth rather more than the 15th-20th highest annual salary on the payroll (or whatever his £2.2 million is).
Oh, and, yes………………you are obsessed. Bless.
On top of that if Haringey financially take part its own regeneration this may expedite the various permits and other documentation that need completion before certain works can commence.
You know, i’m an Arsenal fan – alway have been always will be – but I have to say that this is the most intelligent comment on this string. Don’t think for one minute that Arsenal were whiter-than-white during their stadium move. Put in the same position the Arsenal board would have done exactly the same thing. Direct your Islingtonager elsewhere to the benefit of Arsenal football club and stop making yourself look petty and obsessed!
And?
The Government has been wasting tax payers money since it was created and will continue to do so until people have had enough.
If “Spurs” taking tax payers money is what makes you “click” then you sir have a lot to learn in regards to understanding money and even understanding what truly should make you angry or annoyed.
This is a drop in the ocean of corruption in reality and you only get outraged because is Spurs, lol… everything is corrupt and it wont be fixed until more people understand the corruption and who’s behind it.
Did you know? all through history you find governments who used big sporting events to distract the masses… but somehow the present is meant to be different? Football is a beautiful sport, the Premiership is a wonderful league… but at the end of the day they are just distractions to keep the masses ignorant, most people who love football are incredibly ignorant about how the world works.
Agreed.
”Corruption is how we win’
(Syriana – go watch it)
You’re obsessed with spurs.
You’re obsessed by Spurs. But it’s understandable, like a man married to a Kathy Burke lookalike being obsessed with Angelina Jolie.
Ha ha now thats funny.
YAWN
Ozil at ARSEnal is like Messi at Hartlepool United.
I am a Spurs fan and did look into this as the headline grabbing information you have posted is not great, however upon closer inspection you will see that Spurs worked with the community on a project and have simply utilized all of the grants available to them. Much like Arsenal did upon building the Emirates. The sale of Bale, the signing of players to replace him all has no consequence on the stadium over than giving poor excuses of journalists a sensationalist headline or two.
Do I think companies, sporting organisations who turn over hundreds of millions should get access to the same grants as companies turning over a fraction of that. No I dont. Have Spurs done anything wrong though, the answer is no they havent.
The system is broken. Hate this expression but in this instance; “Dont hate the player, hate the game” as if the grant wasnt available neither Arsenal nor now Spurs would have applied for it.
Alisher Usmanov and Stan Kroenke disapprove of this article as it might lead to them being asked to spend money on Arsenal and local regeneration
You’re obsessed !!!!!!!
Get over it FFS!!!
At least THFC are not bribing wandering cheats.
You cannot help your history although your obsession is becoming tedious.
Go pick on the chavs as they are more likely to appreciate the attention
Bribing wandering cheats. Great expression. Happens to be fact. The only club in the PL That never earned the right on the football field to be there.
Hehehe, look at all tha angry yids barking up, its a joy to behold, good work. LOL
Forever in our shadow, and dont the bitter jealous bacon dodgers know it. hehehe
AFC (north London is RED)
Dear Y words,
May I be the first to congratulate us on our knowledge, integrity and grammatical eloquence in responding to this article. At no point so far has any esteemed member of the online Y word army used the word or indeed ‘bollocks’..
The article itself, albeit a refreshing new point of discussion after all the transfer window nonsense and usual Arsenal are better than Spurs drivel, was, all the same, provocative and posted under the impression that the online Y word army is in someway full of white trash shit kickers from Hertfordshire. How wrong this assumption has now proved to be.
We may have come of worse in the recent NLD, but surely there can no longer be any doubt that when it comes to the written word and the mother tongue we are leagues ahead of those utter from Woolwich.
Kind Regards
The reason there isn’t swearing all over the place is that I filter out the comments that are filled with F and C words.
The idea that simply havering a stadium in an area offers any significant advantage to that area is plainly false. Anyone that has ever been to Anfield can attest to that.
Government requires that large scale building projects of this sort include community improvements in their plans specifically to stop areas become ghettoes devoted to single, occasional uses–a game once a week can’t support business or community. THFC are saying: we don’t give a crap about the area as we’re the only important thing in it, but you should still subsidise us in building a stadium that will increase our earning power, because we’re the only important thing in the area.
Instead of defending the clubs behaviour blindly, Spurs fans should be far more angry about this than any Arsenal fan. The club isn’t being asked to do anything that any other large building project wouldn’t be. To claim poverty is an absurdity that should not be allowed to stand. Like any fans, I’m sure Spurs fans like to talk about the traditions of their club: have a think and decide whether sticking up two fingers to the local community is part of that.
You are clearly ignorant of what actually goes on between developers and local government is such cases. There isn’t a general rule of thumb covering them. The level of contribution is negotiated on an ad hoc basis.
In this case, the developer isn’t some multi billion pound property giant. It is a football club that will be straining every financial muscle just to get this project built. If it was forced to pay for local infrastructure (that has long been neglected by successive governments), then the project would have been unviable. That’s no good to Haringey. North Tottenham won’t get £450 million of investment from any other source. So the council agreed to reduce the level of contribution demanded of the club.
As to Spurs sticking two fingers up to the local community, they’ll still be investing more than ten times what government is prepared to invest in the area. Not to mention Spurs’ multiple award winning Foundation, which does an extraordinary amount of good work in the community.
If you live in the boroughs of Enfield or Haringey you will have noticed the amount of community a tion that Spurs do for free as part of this government investment.
I have heard from my arsenal supporting neighbour that some these have brought people who would never talk to each other together regardless of the colours of their team.
It would have being nice for all top clubs to ‘re invest in the community without being forced to but there is a real world where we all live.
Ask yourself this, why would Haringey put up any money if they thought that they would be losing out on the deal? They aren’t trying so hard to keep Spurs around because they are feeling charitable or because they like the short walk to home games…they are doing it because Haringey CANT AFFORD to lose THFC. The amount the club brings / will bring in to the area in revenue far outweighs the money they are offering.
Haringey originally wanted Spurs to fund the infrastructure upgrades (that are clearly required anyway, let alone with increased traffic) to the local road and tube network! Why should we do that?! Spurs will only upgrade their stadium if the area can facilitate it – just common sense. At the moment, it can’t – and the upgrades necessary are being paid for mostly by Haringey (where a large proportion of the above money is going).
If you want to get angry, get angry at HS2, or even West Ham being given a £600m stadium via only £5m of their own cash, £20m in loans from their local council and £100m in loans from the government. Spurs are self-funding the VAST majority of their project, and are just asking the government to make that investment in the local area worthwhile. There is no point in us funding a new ground if no-one can get to it.
Also, the personal fortune of an investor in our parent company is irrelevant.
Biased, ill-informed load of old tripe. But then I expect nothing less…
Levy, you gotta love him. Im hoping he holds out for more county cash. The town needs spurs more than spurs needs the town. With the tv deals the way they are stadium takings are an ever reducing percentage of a clubs turnover. Why bother with the stadium at all. Hasnt helped the goon show one little bit. Declining squad, sad atmosphere, and spending each season scared of dropping out the top four dont sound like fun to me. Spurs player trading makes more profit anyway.
My god. What a idiot.
Joe Lewis owns ENIC who own Spurs. Spurs are run as a business, and not as Joes Lewis’ personal play thing into which he pours millions. We are a self sufficient business and you will see from our transfer dealings over the last 5 years or so that we are a well run buisness (Net spend in the transfer window of £5m since Redknapp’s appointment).
The Spurs stadium and wider development project will create jobs, housing and drastically improve the area which is hugely run down and neglected. It will be the catalyst for regeneration & Spurs will be investing 100s of millions into the area with the benefit Arsenal had of being able to build a very attractive residential development in a affluent part of town.
The planning system is set up (rightly or wrongly) to extract as much money as possible from developers to pay for infrastructure – schools, roads, play areas, health, affordable housing etc. Such contributions are often negotiated away where viability is critical/at risk or off set by other significant community benefits…..such as with THFC.
If the project was not viable, to suggest that Joe Lewis dips into his personal fortune to fill the gap simply demonstrates your total ignorance.
I wish Danny & Co had persuaded Islington Council to cough up instead of loading repayment on supporters. (Or hadn’t you noticed the ticket prices?) And Stan is as rich as Joe – much richer if you include Anne’s money. And certainly Haringey ought to contribute if the money is spent solely on improving the area. Take a look at how West Ham have got the OS on the cheap. And guess who pays? London taxpayers.
Stan is as rich as Joe, but he wasn’t around when the funding was put in place. Joe is.
So what?
Why should Joe Lewis pay for local infrastructure upgrades in Tottenham?
This article is a perfect example of just how ignorant (In this case it’s deliberate, but no less thick) some people are. It’s the most ill informed and desperate piece of writing ever.
Don’t exaggerate.
I can’t see any reason to call out Spurs on this.
The rebuttal from Spurs fans on here is mostly on the mark.
If it takes football rivalry for some of us to question the machinations of councils & governments that I’m grateful for that. I can only hope that we continue to pay attention and not only when it gives us point scoring opportunities against the spuds.
You seam a little pre-occupied by Spurs for an Arsenal supporter. Perhaps you should try a different focus? Its eating at you!!
Nobodys obssesed with you little spudies, you’re just fun to poke with a stick every now and then, and the way you jealous soap dodgers race over here to vent your anger is just too funny to miss, cheers Morrie. LOL
AFC
Totteham fans are just a joke. I see them as a good giggle, I think it’s been good having them around over the past 5 or 6 seasons to laugh at come may. Because let’s face it goners we have had a bit of a harsh time over that period not winning any cups and all. But let me thank all the spuds out there for helping us through it and putting a smile on all the gonners faces. Just remember tho spuds..two league titles in 130 years..big club hahaha
freudian slip maybe – gonners !!!!?
At least we don’t get promoted and relocate with the aid of brown paper envelopes. Perhaps Lewis and Levy could give you a brown paper envelope that would get you to relocate back to Woolwich
I’ll translate it for you Tone…..”Grrrr, you gooner slags, you’ve been humiliating us for years, its made me the bitter, jealous, hate filled yid you see before you now..GOYS”
Tonys angrrrrrrry. hehehe
AFC (13 times)
As an Arsenal fan I would say it is all about the area. Arsenal are a great team in a great area. We have greater income, far more success and a much bigger fanbase than Spurs. Islington is a lovely place and doesn’t need Arsenal. They could afford to bargain hard for what is highly sort after land. Tottenham is an unmitigated shit hole. The area has no bargaining power. Even a small time club helps the local economy. Having been to this dump several times as an away supporter I think the area warrants public funding.
But at least tottenham is a place on the map unlike arsenal!
Your a stupid person who has no idea, the facts are Tottenham has more listed mansions was the most affluent part of London till 1916 and has a history islington could only dream about, do your research Isaac Walton’s book the compleat angler tottenham was mentioned in the dooms day book Bruce’s castle, harry hotspurs the list goes on and on, yes your closer to the city thats why the price rocketed in N1, and the only place where i’ve seen million pound houses on one side of road and ghetto estates on other.
my verdict > You’re a Dick head
It’s ‘you’re a stupid person’. And Tottenham wasn’t in London until 1965. Also there’s a thing called a full stop that looks like this: . Stick one in occasionally, it makes it easier to grasp what you’re talking about.
@ Phil – if you’re going to go down the route of acting as the grammar / punctuation police, you deserve to come unstuck.
Where was the full stop when you wrote: “Stick one in occasionally, it makes it easier to grasp what you’re talking about.”? You have an imperative followed by a statement but no conjunctive adverb to join them. A comma doesn’t suffice.
Was it clear what I was saying? Yes it was. You can take grammar ‘rules’ too far – and you have.
@ Phil – I was able to understand what the other guy was saying perfectly well. So did you, I’m sure. You were just desperate to score any little victory because, let’s face it, your article has been torn to shreds by pretty much everyone posting here (including some of your fellow gooners).
As far as I’m concerned, anyone who needlessly turns to point scoring over grammar, punctuation, spelling or vocabulary has taken rules too far. So they deserve to have their own mistakes pointed out to them.
It’s not immediately clear of the meaning when a sentence is about eight times as long as it should be, so don’t pretend it is. You have a very skewed view (or can’t count) if you think nearly everyone has torn the blog post to shreds. Do you want to join some of the others in claiming that Arsenal bribed their way into the first division as well?
We never know if Arsenal fans come to Tottenham or not as they never carry a scarf or make a noise. Or do they just sit at home drinking skinny lattes and toasting their warm kalamati olive salad, feeling so pleased they come from Islington and have an urbane
manager who can say “I did not see it” in 5 languages. So get back to wetting yourself over The Guardian but this time try to understand the big words like infrastructure and transportation.
It’s reassuring to know how agitated Arsenal supporters are getting at spurs activity. Just like the busybody neighbour who is constantly green with envy and invents all sorts of malign stories to tittle tattle about.
How about getting a life and worry about your affairs and leave us to ours.
We know you nothing about football but now you’ve shown you dont understand public finance or even have the ability to read accurately. To make it simple…….there is no public money being used to build the new stadium. Understand? The figure you quote is the cost of infrastructure improvements in the area such as transport links and social housing to replace the housing that Spurs BOUGHT to get the land it needed. Understand?
I can read what’s in The Guardian perfectly well. Perhaps if you think there’s an inaccuracy, you should take it up with them.
Understand?
So reading through the responses to your blog, it seems you just regurgitated an article verbatim, without actually doing any of your own research. Might I suggest if you are attempting to publicise your thoughts (rants) online, that in the interests of your own reputation, you possibly should delve a little deeper into an allegedly controversial subject as it seems you have completely misunderstood the facts of the situation.
If as has been pointed out, the money from the government will be used as investment for the locally deprived area and to help with infrastructure (something that is definitely needed in that part of London), then is this a good or a bad thing? Putting aside your loyalties to that club from South London, how do you feel about this?
It would be noble of you to now respond, swallow your pride, take your meds, and humbly admit that you didn’t have enough foresight to actually investigate the true situation ahead of time, and that you are not quite as clever as maybe you think you are. It’s okay if you do. So please do respond objectively and like a grown up. We’re waiting….
Spurs fans are all Neanderthal, the rest is irrelevant.
I have no other point to make!
You accidentally added the word “other” in your second line there. Easy mistake to make.
accept your a prick ! lol
no…. accept your a prick !!
You kind of missed the point by targeting the football club, and not the local council. With cuts being made across the country for public services, it is scandalous that such allowance has been made. Spurs are hardly going to look a gift horse in the mouth. But on top of its poor record for social services, housing, schooling and health – this is just another own goal for Haringey. That’s the key here.
I thought the money was to help rebuild the tube station , as i cant take the influx of supporters,
what do i know , but all the reports at the time were regarding the transport to the ground , which with the figures quoted makes sense . But then then trust an arse-supporter to have to comment again about us , and not on the £42M that subsidized part of our transfers this window .And from all the reports back in the day , your own stadium was part subsidized by funds from the tax payer and nothing was mentioned about that, or the fact the wetspam are getting a subsidized stadium , again by the tax payer ?? . I think ill go back to reading about things that actually matter , and stop commenting on things that dont , and wasting my thoughts and feelings about something that does not need it. I personally dont have to much against your team , other than the fact that as fans of both sides , we should be concentrating on our own teams and just wind each other up over our results in the league and have a good rivalry ,and not this old school crap that keeps showing its ugly head . So , ill leave you all with my thought and feelings on that matter , and wonder just how many of you all feel the same way . Not many probably , so surprise me and tell me differently ….COYS……
I don’t think you should waste your time and money building a new ground in Tottenham. Go to Milton Keynes and make the rest of London happy
Bit like moving from South to North London and then pretending to be a North London team. Hey someone’s done that!
Moved right in, took it right over, painted the place red, there was only a shite small club called spuds there anyway, easy pickings, 13 titles later..hehehe
AFC (the kings of North London)
But that’s the point you’re not from North London. Neither were you promoted from the 2nd division.
1984 (*) style you re-write the many years of boring/ off-side based football and claim some kind of superiority. Still I’m sure you’ll win something again one day.
(*) As in the book by Orwell (not any pictures I’m afraid)
The buildings around tottenham planned stadium are listed and so english heritage trust are funding there renovation too with lottery money !
clever aye lol
By the way Obsessive of Islington. …..if you want to lokk at a dodgy deal which really is bankrolled by taxpayer and ratepayer money look at Wet Spams deal over the Olympic Stadium. £40m from bankrupt Newham Council and a knockdown price from Boris so long as the Spammers guarantee “community use”. They get a new 50, 000 seat ground at virtually no cost once they sell off Boleyn. Now that really is a scandal and as Arsenal will be competing with Wet Spam to be Londons 3rd best team you should be concerned. OK ….I am joking about the last bit…..you’ll win that London’s Third Best title easily.
Businessmen don’t give a flying fig about the poor. And Tottenham is a very, very poor area. This is what happens when you rip the heart out of football and replace it with a big ball of cash. Would love to see Levy wander into Broadwater Farm with any watch flasher than a Casio on a Thursday night…
I haven’t read this article. But I just wanted to comment that any man woman or child who is associated with sp*rs in any way, has monkey pox.
LOL, top work.
AFC
I get it now, we’ve all misunderstood that the great social benefactor and philanthropist Joe Lewis cares about the area and it’s regeneration. Word is he’s considering buying a flat, sorry, apartment on the Broadwater Farm Estate as he’s that focused on improving the lives of locals and their business’ he’s going to be holding workshops.
He’s donating to homeless shelters, drug rehabilitation centres, schools and apparently the North Mid Hospital is going to benefit to the tune of a new Pay and Display ticket machine…..Do me a favour, he doesn’t give a f
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