Tottenham Hotspur should have been playing in their new, state of the art stadium by now. But there have been stadium delays due to safety issues.
The date for the opening of the new stadium has come and gone and come and gone again. Tottenham have now confirmed that further stadium delays mean football will not be played at the new stadium until 2019.
Last Word on Football looks at the latest and the impact on fans and the club.
Spurs Fans Left Frustrated At News of Further Stadium Delays
Tottenham fans are once again left frustrated as the new stadium is further delayed. There is a feeling that the delays should have been known about sooner and that the club have been less than transparent with the fans.
As games are played at Wembley, Spurs are giving fans partial refunds but that system is messy. Fans are having to rebook tickets for Wembley and then get a partial refund. The fans are already having to change travel arrangements and against Cardiff City, it was clear that some fans are staying away.
The upcoming game against Manchester City at Wembley will be near to a sellout but fans are getting fed up of being told one thing, then another and just want clarity. The latest statement from the club and chairman Daniel Levy does at least seem to address those concerns.
Costs Continue to Spiral
Contractors are being ‘given extra resources’ to assist with the completion of the new stadium. It is expected that Tottenham will have clauses in the contracts of the contractors meaning that compensation will be expected to be provided to Spurs.
Whilst Tottenham have been keen to maintain that the stadium delays have no bearing on transfers, some Spurs fans see the two issues as intrinsically linked. It will be interesting to watch and see how and if Spurs conduct any business in January.
As it stands, Tottenham have said they will update fans on the stadium in ‘early December.’
Is There any Impact on the Squad and Manager?
It is hard to think that the uncertainty is not having a least some effect on the squad and manager. Mauricio Pochettino talked about the club ‘taking risks’ at the end of last season which led many to think the manager wanted funds to improve his squad.
That didn’t happen and then the stadium delays have added to the work of the manager. Pochettino is trying to keep everything consistent but playing away from home cannot be easy.
Pochettino has been prickly in his pre and post-match interviews this season and that could be a sign of him being unsettled. Just how much Spurs have really been affected may be better judged after they play Manchester City on Monday 29th October 2018.
Spurs have had their best-ever start to a Premier League season but against Liverpool at Wembley were not in the game.
Homeward Bound
2019 is now the time when Spurs will finally play at their new home. There is no dispute that this will be one of the best stadiums in Europe. Incredible facilities, a retractable pitch and a stadium designed so the fans are close to the pitch in an attempt to keep the atmosphere of the original White Hart Lane.
Spurs are heading home, it’s taking longer than planned but for the fans and players the move home surely cannot come soon enough.
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