The London 2012 Olympic Stadium has undergone major reconstruction since the Games (PIcture: AFP/Getty Images)

Strong fences make for good neighbours – but science has yet to come up any barrier sufficiently strong to make West Ham and Tottenham on anything other than the most snarling of nodding terms. So the suggestion Spurs might be lodgers at the Olympic Stadium is sure to provoke some strong opinions.

Over the years, the rivalry between the two sets of fans has been intense, as have some of the matches, but things took on a whole new life when the Battle of Stratford began over the future of the Olympic Stadium.

West Ham, unsurprisingly, thought if anyone should move into the new venue down the road, it should be them. Out-of-towners Tottenham, whose efforts to resolve their White Hart Lane accommodation problems seem to have lasted longer than their rivalry with Arsenal, also took a shine to the place and the ensuing set-to was something that even Dave Mackay and Julian Dicks might have regarded as feisty.



After allegations of dirty tricks, a mountain of legal papers and oceans of bad blood, the squabble ended with West Ham’s tenancy being confirmed in March 2013, and Spurs being sent back to the drawing board, literally.


The news that chairman Daniel Levy had tried to buy Upton Park after West Ham have left seemed one last Carrie-like grab from the grave, but when Spurs announced earlier this year that they hoped to have White Hart Lane redeveloped by summer 2017, finally they seemed to be moving on. Until this week’s revelation of a legal hitch, as a result of which for one season, THFC will stand for The Homeless Football Club. Which, of course, begs the question – where to decamp to?

Wembley would seem obvious – not the most convenient, but big enough. However, Brent Council has strict limits on the number of events permitted there, and Spurs’ requirements would eat into that list significantly. Next.

Milton Keynes? The MK Dons’ facilities are top class and the ground has room to expand, but at 48 miles from White Hart Lane, the travel inconvenience and expense would be huge impositions.

Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium is just four miles down the road, but – seriously… Which leaves Stratford. Any such move would be a diplomatic minefield – not just in terms of PR, but also on a personal level, considering how heated the battle for the Stadium became. As tenants rather than owners, the decision would not be West Ham’s to make but they would have a major say, and it is hard to see anything that they would have to gain from Spurs squatting.

Also, in August 2017, the stadium will host the World Athletics Championships, so it is not unrealistic to think West Ham might need to start the season with several away matches, making the prospect of doubling the number of games staged even less realistic.

At times of crisis, it would be nice to think the neighbours might rally round. But after how that strong fence was created, what inclination do West Ham have to reach over it?

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