In the aftermath of the clusterf**k that was the Olympic Stadium bid, how do you feel now? Glad it's over? Regretful that we didn't 'win'? Patiently waiting for our clubs response regarding what we do next thanks to the clear message that the Northumberland Development Project is still non-viable?
If there was any time for In the Know to make itself known, its probably now. Not just in terms of how Levy plans to progress our ambitions with a bigger bolder stadium. Although we might not find out or care for the reasons that led to us being interested in Stratford, being invited to show an interest and then going fully fledged head first into bidding for it only to lose the vote emphatically. Even if on paper our bid was the stronger of the two.
Was Stratford ever really viable itself? Do you feel foolish for throwing your heart at it? Or do you see the positives of leaving behind history and creating a new chapter on new territory?
I guess somebody was required, a fall guy, to highlight what it would mean to the OS if the legacy (running track) was removed. We served our purpose. Landslide. Hence the reason why you can look back and scratch your head at how obvious a choice we were for some, but not for the ones that mattered (the ones making the decision).
This has been done to death I know. I don't want to cover old ground. Just want to gauge your gut reaction now that the dust has settled. Whether you were pro-N17 or pro-moving out of N17. Because statements were made that were evidently clear that leaving N17 was a necessity to survive and evolve.
Would the same statements be made if we now looked to move further away from N17? Would people that are pro-N17 validate such a move if we moved towards the deeper north rather than the east of London? If NDP remains non-viable, will there be a further demonstration of disapproval if we had to move out of Tottenham completely or would it be acceptable if hands remained tied politically with the local council? And if so, was Stratford really such a bad idea in logistical terms?
Personally, yes it was. But that's my opinion. My main issue was always with the way all eggs appeared to be placed into one basket, with the previous basket thrown out with the garbage. I guess Levy and the club saw an opportunity and went for it. As an investment, it was the best fiscal move the club could make. Who are we but just fans who need not fully understand the art of business and political negotiations. We get told one thing that might well be spoken out loud to disguise the truth. Which is fine. I'd like to believe Levy was not as giddy and blind to failure as it appeared on tv and in the press in the lead up to the OS bid decision. That he was simply playing the game, a gamble - had it paid off he'd have made ENIC proud. As it hasn't, it allows him to shift back to Plan B which is now Plan A again - whatever that might be.
One thing I know for sure is, our future did not rest on having to move to East London. If the Olympics were in Paris, what would we be doing right about now? Not wondering about Stratford, I'd hazard a guess.
We're not naive to think business is played out any differently in any other industry. On the surface its one thing, behind the scenes the agendas altogether something else. Which is why the bane of frustrations weighs us down so much. We want answers we wont be given because we can't have them. The club does have to protect itself outside of the bubble we exist in, I understand that.
Now that we're back to square one, and a slice of transparency will go a long way. Although I'm happy to wait until after the season ends before the next bout of in-fighting kicks off.
