Why I Think Jordan’s “Little West Ham” Rant Was Utterly Wrong

Yesterday on TalkSport, Simon Jordan set about underlining why, in his view, nobody will take over ownership of West Ham and build a new stadium.

Jordan was debating with Dan Lawless, who recently got the better of Jordan and his co-host Jim White during a featurette over fan frustrations with the Hammers’ ownership. One can only assume the former Crystal Palace boss was still a little bruised by that encounter, as he launched into a rant at WHUTV’s Lawless, declaring:
“Nobody is going to build you a new stadium.”

Jordan’s Hyperbole in Full Flow

Jordan — who often likes to preface his regular defences of West Ham’s owners with “I’m no fan of David Sullivan” — became increasingly desperate as he used extreme examples to argue why the club is stuck at the London Stadium, irrespective of fan frustration.

“You guys are away with yourselves. You’re deluded. What, you think someone’s going to come in and buy your football club and go and build you a new stadium?”

He wasn’t finished there:
“Grow up. It’s not easy to build new stadiums. Think about it, right? Chelsea have… Spurs have just told you they couldn’t build this stadium again for any less than two and a half billion quid. Are you seriously going to have a grown-up conversation on a radio station?”

Jordan then claimed it’s difficult to find land in London and within a couple of sentences raised his cost estimate from £2.5 billion to £3 billion, adding:
“Anybody coming into your little football club and spend three billion quid on West Ham for a football stadium… It’s not going to happen.” Ouch.

Why Jordan’s Wrong

This is Jordan all over: an articulate, intelligent man who resorts to hyperbole and insults when challenged. Unfortunately for him — and fortunately for West Ham fans — he’s wrong.

Firstly, while land might be scarce in much of London, there’s plenty of it on the current Stratford site. The Athletics warm-up track would need to be demolished, but the footprint of the London Stadium is so vast that three Tottenham Hotspur Stadiums could fit within the current plot.

As for cost, it’s unclear where Jordan is getting his numbers. The recently completed Hill Dickinson Stadium cost £800m and is hugely impressive. AC Milan and Inter are set to rebuild the San Siro for around £1bn.

With a more efficient reconfiguration of the Stratford plot, additional retail and residential development could spring up alongside the stadium, making the site economically viable — unlike the current situation, which sees annual losses of over £20m.

Apples and Oranges

Jordan’s comparisons with Manchester City’s post-Commonwealth Games stadium conversion are clumsy at best. City were involved in the Etihad’s planning, and it was always designed to be converted into a football stadium.

The Olympic Stadium, on the other hand, was designed to have the upper tier removed and be reduced to a 25,000-capacity athletics venue. At the planning stage, West Ham were invited to get involved in the project — just as City had — but the club’s Icelandic owners at the time declined.

So, to use one of Jordan’s favourite phrases, he’s comparing apples with oranges.

Investors Could Still See the Potential

To be fair to TalkSport, there may not be a queue of investors lining up to buy West Ham and build a new stadium. But that assumes club ownership is the only interest.

There would be significant interest in the Stratford site itself, and judging by PAI Capital’s previous discussions with the London Stadium operators, they’re not averse to striking a deal.

If, as Hammers fans, we ever find ourselves in the promised land with ambitious new owners, recent evidence suggests a new ground would cost nowhere near the astronomical figures Jordan is claiming.