Do you imagine for a moment that Lomtadze, who is an intelligent, business savvy multi-billionaire, couldn't find a competent property lawyer to examine & negotiate the lease from UCL?
At the end of the day Harlington is owned by UCL & is their principle sports ground, so it makes sense that they would wish to retain some days for the student sports societies to use it, equally we are unlikely to need to use it at weekends for obvious reasons.
Dan was clear that we retain our rights to use Marlow Road, he was also clear that we will continue to explore opportunities to protect the club, which I took mean continuing to look for a plot of land the club can buy to build our own training & Academy facilities (hence the interest in Bearwood & London Irish).
I think we should at minimum respect their commitment to developing & protecting the future of the club.
Harlington is owned by Imperial College not University College. It's been their sport ground for a very long time, I doubt they are going to allow us to re-negotiate the lease to allow us exclusive use at any time.
I have a great memory of meeting Gianfranco Zola (my footballing hero) and Dennis Wise at Harlington as a youngster. As a young school student they made me look really tall in the photos!
He said hello as he sat down opposite me. I recognised him and mentioned this and he made a joke about having no security. Bit of general chat about the day ahead and we both got on with reading what we were reading.
Seemed like a decent bloke, didn’t listen to music without his headphones on and wasn’t eating a tuna sandwich. Which is all you can hope for.
In the 90s, I sat opposite then Tory MP and bearded 'character' Jerry Hayes on a train once. He was reading Private Eye and laughing indicating perhaps his reputed 'soft right' views.
I never sat opposite any MP called Harlington, though.
Early Noughties I was hurrying either from or to somewhere while carrying a heavy box, turned a corner and nearly flattened an oldish guy coming the opposite way. I apologised before realising it was Tony Benn. He was very cheery and we had a brief chat about being busy.
If only Jerry Hayes had been the MP for Hayes & Harlington.
He was one of the first to get on the publicity hound trail, regularly turning up on late night shows like ITV’s Night Network and the James Whale show. Also Ch4’s Under the Moon (bringing it back to football at last).
Comments
Not having first dibs, especially at weekends, I think has been mentioned before?
So we’ve spent a tonne of money, and we don’t have exclusivity! Someone didn’t read the small print in any contract agreement
Wasn't there talk on here recently of us trying to buy the old London Irish training ground?
Yes I believe so. I always assumed Harlington was a temporary solution but we have chucked a lot of cash at it.
Dan Rice was asked about this on the call and said we were no longer pursuing that option.
This is a non-issue.
Do you imagine for a moment that Lomtadze, who is an intelligent, business savvy multi-billionaire, couldn't find a competent property lawyer to examine & negotiate the lease from UCL?
At the end of the day Harlington is owned by UCL & is their principle sports ground, so it makes sense that they would wish to retain some days for the student sports societies to use it, equally we are unlikely to need to use it at weekends for obvious reasons.
Dan was clear that we retain our rights to use Marlow Road, he was also clear that we will continue to explore opportunities to protect the club, which I took mean continuing to look for a plot of land the club can buy to build our own training & Academy facilities (hence the interest in Bearwood & London Irish).
I think we should at minimum respect their commitment to developing & protecting the future of the club.
We are very likely TO need to use it at weekends for obvious reasons. I.e. that’s the time academy football is played.
I believe there are 18 grass pitches on the site so I'm sure ONE would be available for our Academy use at weekends!!!
Harlington is owned by Imperial College not University College. It's been their sport ground for a very long time, I doubt they are going to allow us to re-negotiate the lease to allow us exclusive use at any time.
@Twizz my bad - you are abolutely correct it is Imperial not UCL & as you say they are unlikely to offer exclusivity
UCL own Watford’s training ground, which was also previously leased by Arsenal, and have the same type of arrangement.
I also know for a fact that even Chelsea didn’t have exclusive use when Harlington was their training ground.
This shouldn’t be a problem at all with the number of pitches available. No story here at all.
Now might be a good moment for me to say that I've played (very badly) at Harlington, many many years ago when an undergraduate at Imperial College.
I’ve played there too, remember the wind howling across the big open spaces and the roar of jet engines every minute.
Maybe the youngest, but the serious business of u17s upwards are midweek daytime
I have a great memory of meeting Gianfranco Zola (my footballing hero) and Dennis Wise at Harlington as a youngster. As a young school student they made me look really tall in the photos!
I have never been to Harlington, but I did once have a brief chat on a train with Hayes & Harlington MP and Jeremy Corbyn sidekick, John McDonnell.
What was he like?
He said hello as he sat down opposite me. I recognised him and mentioned this and he made a joke about having no security. Bit of general chat about the day ahead and we both got on with reading what we were reading.
Seemed like a decent bloke, didn’t listen to music without his headphones on and wasn’t eating a tuna sandwich. Which is all you can hope for.
In the 90s, I sat opposite then Tory MP and bearded 'character' Jerry Hayes on a train once. He was reading Private Eye and laughing indicating perhaps his reputed 'soft right' views.
I never sat opposite any MP called Harlington, though.
Early Noughties I was hurrying either from or to somewhere while carrying a heavy box, turned a corner and nearly flattened an oldish guy coming the opposite way. I apologised before realising it was Tony Benn. He was very cheery and we had a brief chat about being busy.
Once had a slash next to the Beast of Bolsover, Dennis Skinner MP, at the Quad cinema in Derby
No words were spoken, of course.
Massive thread derail this.
93 and still going despite bladder cancer in 1999 and a double heart bypass in 2003.
Sat next to Gerry Adams in business lounge at Belfast Airport - decided against trying any conversation though.
In the business lounge? Traitor to his people.
If only Jerry Hayes had been the MP for Hayes & Harlington.
He was one of the first to get on the publicity hound trail, regularly turning up on late night shows like ITV’s Night Network and the James Whale show. Also Ch4’s Under the Moon (bringing it back to football at last).
In the 80s and 90s his words would have to be spoken by an actor anyway.
Probably wasn't an actor on hand to say his words for him anyway
Damn it!!!