Revealed: Fulham owner Shahid Khan wants to buy Tottenham and relocate Jacksonvi

[Logicalman]

Standard Sport understands Khan's plan is at an extremely formative stage, with only informal discussions having taken place with advisers over the possibility of a dramatic deal that would change the football landscape in London.

No contact has been made between Khan and Spurs, while a new stadium has been part of chairman Daniel Levy's grand plan for the north London club since he took over in 2001 and he has no desire to sell.

Slow day for gutter news then? I am amazed at how this rag set the bar for standards so low, and still manages to creep underneath it.

[Wimbledon_White]

From the Official Club Website:

Evening Standard Reaction
Friday 10 July 2015 14:13

In response to the inaccurate stories in today's Evening Standard, Mr Khan's spokesman Jim Woodcock issued the following statement:

"These reports are total nonsense and complete fiction."

[HamsterWheel]

So, if you're ace businessman Khan, which would you want most - the NFL franchise for Jacksonville (population 853,382), or the franchise for London (population 8,630,000) ?
Being NFL World Champions might actually mean something then !
This story has got legs, won't be put down with this denial.

[Logicalman]

I suggested two years ago that Khan's ultimate ambition might well be to own a UK football club and utilise the playing area to its maximum by combining the football with a US  franchise at the same ground.
Seemed to make sense to me then and it still does.

And unfortunately your suggestion from 2 years ago has gained no further traction by the release of this piece of tripe journalism (I use the latter word in it's very widest sense) has it?

It might make sense to actually own a footie ground that's both large enough to maintain both sports and has the ability to expand and provide a reasonable profit off it's own back, but as Khan is not a man known to be stupid with making money, and likes to turn a profit of at least some kind, then his purchasing FFC and the Cottage would fly in the face of such ambition, wouldn't it?

[FFC1987]

So, if you're ace businessman Khan, which would you want most - the NFL franchise for Jacksonville (population 853,382), or the franchise for London (population 8,630,000) ?
Being NFL World Champions might actually mean something then !
This story has got legs, won't be put down with this denial.

Are you a full time wind up merchant?

[snarks]

"These reports are total nonsense and complete fiction."

Well they would say that wouldn't they ?
No proper denial.

?

:plus one:

[Horse]

So;

No talks
No desire to sell Spurs
No one in the NFL realistically thinks London can have a permanent team
Khan's said time and time again that he doesn't want to move the Jags
The lease on matches at the new WHL is for 10 years
Would Khan really spend 1/3 of his wealth on a team?
Is he that much of an idiot to buy us at a sky high price when we were still in the PL, then sell us at our lowest after only 2 years and when we now look on the up?

I'm annoyed with myself that I spent the time to justify why that article's clearly a load of nonsense.

Don't be so sure about that, Roger Goodell, who is the commissioner of the league (the head guy) sees it as his legacy to put a team overseas. He is all in favour of it

Gooddell works for the 32 owners of the teams in the league, it would take a lot for the owners to agree to such a move.  Logistically it doesn't make sense and most fans are adamantly opposed to the idea.

Imagine being a Jacksonville fan and being told that your beloved club is moving across the ocean to London. Astonishing such things are allowed to happen.

You obviously have no idea how sports fanchises work in the USA.

[ToodlesMcToot]

So, if you're ace businessman Khan, which would you want most - the NFL franchise for Jacksonville (population 853,382), or the franchise for London (population 8,630,000) ?
Being NFL World Champions might actually mean something then !
This story has got legs, won't be put down with this denial.

So, if you're an ace businessman who supposedly wants to move his NFL football club to London, which would you do - buy a London club and ground with no hope of ever meeting the qualifications of hosting an NFL team while simultaneously spending approximately $200 million in upgrades on a stadium in Jacksonville that you plan on abandoning, or forgoing all that unnecessary spending to get a deal that would actually make some sense?

Being NFL World Champions wouldn't mean anything more than it does now.

The story has stubs at best and has been walking on them far too long now. It drives page hits and retweets for the Standard which is the whole point.

[HamsterWheel]

Of course Khan wouldn't waste $200m on stadium improvements. He didn't pay, the local council did.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EverBank_Field

[WayneKerrins]

Actions speak louder than words. Get us 2 CBS, a LB and a DCM shad then we'll all be happy.

[Ordar]

If I were Khan I'd sue the evening standard

[ToodlesMcToot]

Of course Khan wouldn't waste $200m on stadium improvements. He didn't pay, the local council did.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EverBank_Field

My mistake. I know that I've seen that number, or something similar, related to the Khan, the Jaguars, and development. Perhaps it was in an article related to the shipyards development that he is proposing to the city.

So, that aside, would you have bought Fulham and Craven Cottage, knowing that it couldn't possibly be developed in a way that would support housing an NFL team....if the London NFL team was your end game?

[Denver Fulham]

Having one NFL team permanently in London is basically impossible due to scheduling/time zone issues. There's no way for a team to play eight games there without creating competitive disadvantages.

[HamsterWheel]

So, that aside, would you have bought Fulham and Craven Cottage, knowing that it couldn't possibly be developed in a way that would support housing an NFL team....if the London NFL team was your end game?
[/quote]

Yes, because what Khan 051 thought he was buying was a Prem franchise. No doubt thought he could shift the team to Wembley in combination with the Jaguars and flog the Cottage for housing. Or develop a new stadium for both in West London. But now that Spurs has become available....

[Fulhamerica23]

So;

No talks
No desire to sell Spurs
No one in the NFL realistically thinks London can have a permanent team
Khan's said time and time again that he doesn't want to move the Jags
The lease on matches at the new WHL is for 10 years
Would Khan really spend 1/3 of his wealth on a team?
Is he that much of an idiot to buy us at a sky high price when we were still in the PL, then sell us at our lowest after only 2 years and when we now look on the up?

I'm annoyed with myself that I spent the time to justify why that article's clearly a load of nonsense.

Don't be so sure about that, Roger Goodell, who is the commissioner of the league (the head guy) sees it as his legacy to put a team overseas. He is all in favour of it

Gooddell works for the 32 owners of the teams in the league, it would take a lot for the owners to agree to such a move.  Logistically it doesn't make sense and most fans are adamantly opposed to the idea.

Imagine being a Jacksonville fan and being told that your beloved club is moving across the ocean to London. Astonishing such things are allowed to happen.

As a Jaguar and Fulham fan (Jags long before Fulham, and Fulham long before Khan), I have no fear of the Jags moving from Jacksonville any time soon. Ain't happening.

[Fulham76]

"These reports are total nonsense and complete fiction."

Well they would say that wouldn't they ?
No proper denial.

Sounds like complete denial to me!

[snarks]

Having one NFL team permanently in London is basically impossible due to scheduling/time zone issues. There's no way for a team to play eight games there without creating competitive disadvantages.

They would have to either play all their home games first or all of their away games first, the time zone travel week and week about would be impossible.

I can't see any owner agreeing to that kind of advantage for a home team. Also if they won home field advantage in the playoffs, that really would be an advantage.

[YankeeJim]

Big Foot is roaming the Rockies. Area 51 has a crashed UFO. Nessi is alive and well at Lock Ness. Hillary Clinton is honest. Iran doesn't want a nuke. Greece will pay the money back. The Easter Bunny is busy coloring eggs. Santa is is packing his sleigh. And Chicken Little is running around the Hamster Wheel.
fp.gif

[valdeingruo]

I like the statement, i think its more forceful than a long drawn out one.

Its nuts, lets move on.

Instead of you know like 6 paragraphs emphasizing how it wont happen, I always think the longer ones are less truthful, you know like the 5 paragraph ones clubs release in support of their manager.

[MasterHaynes]

"These reports are total nonsense and complete fiction."

Well they would say that wouldn't they ?
No proper denial.

They would say that if it was nonesense. So it is a very proper denial. If untrue what else could they have said to convince you?

I thought it most unlike FFC actually coming out with an timely and unequivical response killing the story dead. Most unlike us in the past when the club just sat on its hands until the story slowly died away, so refreshing this new engaged approach long may it continue