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Aspire-Hammer 9:44 Tue May 22
Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

West Ham's latest bid to move into the Olympic Stadium is "fundamentally flawed" and should be disqualified, according to Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn.

West Ham recently declared their renewed application to move from Upton Park after the collapse of their original attempt following legal challenges from Orient and Tottenham Hotspur.

But speaking to BBC Sport's Dan Roan, Hearn believes the club "do not have the permission of the Football League".

With West Ham back in the Premier League his waffer thin case is now a dead duck in the water.


Update 30/05/12

Evening Standard

Leyton Orient bid to ground-share with West Ham at Olympic Stadium

League One club want talks with east London rivals after plan for retractable seating over track gathers pace

David Smith

Leyton Orient are to approach West Ham about ground-sharing the ­Olympic Stadium, it emerged today.

Orient chairman Barry Hearn will seek talks with West Ham owners David Gold and David Sullivan as, it is understood, retractable seating can now be laid over the running track in a cost-effective manner.

The track has to remain a feature of the stadium under the terms of a legacy agreement and if the deal went through it would be the first time two London clubs have shared a stadium on a permanent basis.

A source close to the idea told Standard Sport: “It ticks all the boxes. Why not ground-share? It already happens all over the world.”

Hearn had been a vocal critic of transforming the Olympic Stadium into a football venue. “The stadium is a magnificent athletics stadium, it is just not built for football,” he said.

However, West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady recently revealed the club had examined the possibility of including retractable seating in plans to turn the stadium into a football-friendly arena and put the cost at £10million.

Crucially, it is an option that could appease Hearn who had threatened legal action to prevent West Ham moving to within one and half miles of Orient’s Brisbane Road ground. West Ham’s presence so close to League One Orient would, he said, “kill our football club”.

Earlier this month the London Legacy Development Corporation announced it was extending the tenancy bidding process for a 99-year lease on the Olympic Stadium until after the Games.

LLDC chief executive Andrew Altman added that it was hoped contracts for converting the Stadium would be signed by October, with the intention of re-opening the venue in 2014.

Joke Whole 9:05 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Don't think Harlow Orient works; no local interest. Now...Harlow Yardies...that might have legs.

20 benson 9:05 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

I thought that us moving to the Olympic Stadium was going to put them out of business ?

So the question is who are we going to ground share with exactly?

Gavros 9:03 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Honestly, why would D&R merge with them? They're a team on their way up whereas the Os have been going nowhere for years. As a west ham fan, I'm much more likely to go and watch D&R than them. Plus of course there's plenty of old bad blood between them, with D&Rs old incarnations being fucked over by orient in the past. Let them move to Harlow and slowly die.

Takashi Miike 8:58 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

its great to hear the two davids taking the piss out of the massive cunt

pdbis 5:30 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Hearn should either ground share with Dagenham or merge the two teams together then they might manage to get 4,000 crowds on a regular basis.

Leatherhead Hammer 2:20 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

"We do not wish to comment on recent statements made by Barry Hearn not least because we can't keep up with his ever-changing position.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ha ha ha haaaaaa
Quality response

Joke Whole 11:35 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

OLAS - I think (but am not 100% so somebody please correct me if I'm wrong on this) that the revised bid criteria no longer include the need to get approval from the sport's governing body.

If that is the case then maybe the Olympic Committee were tipped of that there was a strong possibility that approval might be delayed or not actually forthcoming at all, (possibly due to some obscure 19th century rule they forgot to revoke,) they thought Hearn still had a strong case, or a late bidder requested that clause be removed before they submit a bid.

ALL speculation on my part, but there will be a reason for the changes - even if it's simply to protect the Olympic Committee's collective arse.

At the end of the day though it may simply be that they (the committee) didn't want any potential outfall from the award hanging over the games themselves and so simply cooked up an excuse to delay making the announcement.

OverLandandSea 11:14 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Hearn suggested our application was invalid as we did not get approval from the FL. Now we are no longer a member of the FL, I guess we'll have to re-submit our application to shut him up?

I do hope it includes a clause which states our interest is only valid based on sole occupancy.

It'll stop Hearn's nonce sense.

E12Hammer 11:03 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Absolutely delighted with the response from the club. Witty, demeaning and down-right abusive, everything that Barry Hearn has tried to be for the last two years concerning the OS.

Joke Whole 10:50 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

JayeMPee 10:42 Sat Jun 2

They've put back the decision yet again. They announced the delay at roughly the time Chelsea were making their last lot of serious noises about moving out of Stamford Bridge...not that the two could in any possible way be related.

JayeMPee 10:42 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Love it, no doubt the cretin hearn will come up with something new in an effort to deny us the OS. When is the announcement due, must be days rather than weeks?

13 Brentford Rd 9:07 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Love it, good to see the club standing up for themselves on the OS & all the previous slurs on us, at last.
Levy & Spurs are still owed one though!

percyd 1:21 Sat Jun 2
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

World-class brush off. Love it.

Chalkie the Ponce 10:34 Fri Jun 1
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

West Ham have dismissed suggestions they could share the Olympic Stadium with Leyton Orient.

Orient chairman Barry Hearn, who has previously criticised the Hammers' plans , told BBC Sport he would be interested in a possible ground share.

But West Ham insist they are not considering such an arrangement.

"West Ham United has not held talks with Leyton Orient in respect of ground sharing and nor is it our intention to do so," their statement said.

"We do not wish to comment on recent statements made by Barry Hearn not least because we can't keep up with his ever-changing position.

"They continue, however, to provide us with a constant source of amusement.'

Stranded 8:42 Fri Jun 1
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Lily Hammer 5:37

Cheers Lily! You too!

Texas Iron 6:26 Fri Jun 1
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

I'm sure G&S know what they are doing financially...

They bought the club as an investment...but a risky one...

If they make a profit...Good luck to them...as long as it doesn't come at the expense of ruining the club...

Which I doubt as they are basically long time fans...Gold more than Sullivan I'd guess...
AS a public company...all their transactions will have to be above board...and reported in the annual accounts...

COYI...Back Where We Belong...!!!

prince kropotkin 6:25 Fri Jun 1
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

If, and its very big if, over the next few years the Davids escape with the shirt they arrived in (ie. repayment of the fortune they've sunk in) or even making a tidy profit, I don't think we can begrudge them a penny of it.

Steve P 6:20 Fri Jun 1
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Quite right, is it 2 or 3 million a year, I forget?

How much interest would the Club be paying on £90 million worth of debt?

1964 6:16 Fri Jun 1
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

As for paying rent, are you seriously comparing Orient to West Ham United?"

No not at all but we will be paying rent for the OS, whereas before we were not.

Steve P 6:02 Fri Jun 1
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Haven't the owners just funded £30 million odd to keep the club afloat?

My guess is that they will use the proceeds to pay down creditors, which they may be forced to do if the land was used as security for any debts.

As for paying rent, are you seriously comparing Orient to West Ham United?

1964 5:47 Fri Jun 1
Re: Barry Hearn looking to ground-share

Gavros 5:28 Fri Jun 1
That's quite an interesting comment from them, but what about us?

If G&S get their way and we move into the OS they will then sell Upton Park! But where wuill the money go? to them or the club.

Os fans said:

"the prospect of paying rent on what used to be ours."

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