Source: Daily_Mail
Patrick Collins: We must not sacrifice our dreams for the great god football
If Andrew Altman should feel thehand of history weighing heavily on his shoulder this morning, then hehas our sympathy. For the recommendation which his Olympic Park LegacyCompany make on Friday will tell us important truths about the honour,the dignity and the credibility of British sport.[LNB]Superficially,the chief executive of the OPLC and his colleagues have been presentedwith a straightforward decision. Do they entrust the Olympic Stadium toWest Ham, who will preserve both the arena and the track? Or do theyturn it over to Tottenham, who will promptly demolish the place, inshameless contravention of the explicit promises made when London wasawarded the Games of 2012?[LNB]Thatthe question can even be asked is depressing. That the answer may be indoubt is terrifying. After all the toil and ingenuity which secured theGames, and all the genius soaked in sweat which has inspired a miraclein east London, it is seriously suggested that we flatten thecentrepiece of this towering achievement.[LNB]Andwhy are we contemplating this cultural atrocity? To appease the greatgod football, to save the Spurs board something in the region of£200million and to improve the sight-lines for Tottenham ticketholders.[LNB]For such trivial benefits, we should be sacrificing the place in which history was made.[LNB] Protect the legacy: The Olympic Stadium must not be sacrificed[LNB] [LNB]Imagine the reaction of our childrenand grandchildren 25 years from now. They will have read the accounts,watched the movie, heard the testimony of those who were there. Andthey will demand to know how commitments could have been so easilydiscarded and a magical place so casually erased. How did we stand byand let that happen? And for what? We are told that others have beencriminally careless with their Olympic legacy: Atlanta, Sydney, Athens.That is their affair.[LNB]These are our Olympics, hard-won and brilliantly prepared. [LNB]Andthis is our stadium, built and paid for with half a billion pounds ofpublic money. And we are expected to hand it to a bunch of calculatingmain-chancers, so that they might pull it down for profit? The verynotion is insulting.[LNB]Infairness, the sheer effrontery of the Tottenham bid has raised the oddchuckle this past week. Harry Redknapp deployed the spiel of asecond-hand car salesman.[LNB] More from Patrick Collins... Patrick Collins: How lucky England are to be led by sensible Strauss08/01/11 Patrick Collins: Even now, KP cannot resist picking at an old scab01/01/11 Patrick Collins: From the fall of Wayne Rooney... to the rise of Graeme McDowell25/12/10 Patrick Collins: Hughton still a Toon hero, not Batman and Robin upstairs11/12/10 Patrick Collins: No wonder Ricky Ponting's feeling all shook up11/12/10 Patrick Collins: England's World Cup fiasco and those who were 'buyable'04/12/10 Patrick Collins: Captaining Australia used to be the easiest job in sport...04/12/10 Patrick Collins: Tale of two centuries recovers serenity and self-respect28/11/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE He spoke of his 'genuine feel' forWest Ham. 'It's just that in my heart I dread to think what couldeventually happen to West Ham if they moved to the main Olympic Stadiumand do not heed the warnings', he said. 'I hate going to grounds wherethere is a running track to get past before you see Subbuteo-sizedfootballers through your opera-style binoculars.[LNB]'Andwhat if West Ham are relegated this season and then find themselves ina 60,000-capacity stadium in a Championship match? Half the seats wouldbe empty and it would become a desolate graveyard for a once-greatclub.' [LNB]And after that eruption of purple prose, he insisted: 'I'm speaking merely as a passionate football person. I'm not just banging the company drum for Tottenham here.'[LNB]Butof course. Perish the thought that he was doing his bit for the peoplewho sign his cheques. And, in the same spirit of concerned candour, mayI say that his self-serving claptrap fully merited the derisionit received. But if Redknapp was worth a dismissive chuckle, then EdsonArantes do Nascimento rated a full-blown belly laugh.[LNB]Pele, for it is he, has endorsed more products than almost anybody in the history of advertising. An endlessly agreeable man, he has agreed to act as the public face of just about everything from the Shopping Channel to Viagra. When Pele smiles, cash registers tinkle.[LNB]Anyway, on Friday morning, just in time for the final bidding process, Pele sent a letter which started: 'Dear Mr Altman, I write to support Tottenham Hotspur Football Club's legacy proposals and bid for the Olympic Stadium site. I understand they are based on creating a dedicated athletic legacy at the original home of athletics (as I remember it!) Crystal Palace.'[LNB]He concluded: 'The Olympics is special, too, and it would be good to see a decision taken which means that we see excitement and great sport experiences follow it, too. Yours, Pele.'[LNB]Now, I have no clue what all that means. I am pretty certain that he did not write it and fairly certain that he has never heard of Crystal Palace or, quite possibly, Spurs. I am also aware that Pele played a leading role in Rio's successful bid for the Olympics of 2016, a bid whose spin doctor was Mike Lee.[LNB]Mr Lee is a man of many parts. He is currently spinning like a demented top for Spurs and once, rather poignantly, did an excellent job in helping London win the 2012 Games, when he was party to all of those legacy promises he may now have forgotten.[LNB]I have no particular love for the people running West Ham but it is essential they win this race. And[LNB]Lee's most recent efforts give me real cause for hope. Because if Pele's artless prattlings and Redknapp's risible sales pitch really do represent the best Tottenham can offer, we should have no cause for concern. [LNB]Our credibility is still at stake, along with our honour and dignity. They rest in the hands of Andrew[LNB]Altman and the Olympic Park Legacy Company. I truly believe they will do the right thing.[LNB] Oscars all round in the Darren Bent affairThe experts tell us that Colin Firth has practically secured this year's major Oscar for his portrayal of King George VI. But the past week produced two contenders for best supporting actor for their performances in The Darren Bent Affair, a drama of passion and betrayal, high stakes and lost love.[LNB]Steve Bruce tugged at the heart strings in the role of jilted manager: 'I would have liked a phone call from Mr (Gerard) Houllier, for whom I did have the utmost respect. [LNB]Lead role: Darren Bent[LNB]'We know in football it happens but we are disappointed with somebody of his magnitude. It's left a sour taste.' [LNB]So tapping happens but it should not happen to Steve. Houllier has transgressed the football managers' code: Don't do it to your mates. When Aston Villa next visit the Stadium of Light, do not be surprised if the cork stays in the Chateau Margaux. [LNB]Niall Quinn delivered what the critics call a more 'nuanced' performance: 'They tempted him and he took the bait... He will have got a very, very big pay rise to go to Aston Villa... I would be more motivated to try to get the club into Europe first and then say, 'Look, lads, would it be OK if I went off?'. But anyway, that's neither here nor there.'[LNB]In other words, Bent is greedy and Villa are predatory. Now, when Niall was a player, he would have[LNB]put his club first. Why, he would have asked permission from his team-mates before requesting a transfer. Loyal, you see. And humble. And a tiny bit spiteful, but that is neither here nor there...[LNB]It was splendidly bogus, a transparent piece of grandstanding by both men, aimed at keeping the[LNB]Sunderland fans onside while the club trousered £24million. But in the end, the best line went to Bent: 'I can't worry about what my ex-manager or chairman is saying about me,' he said. 'The fact is, if they didn't want to sell me, they didn't have to.' Spot on. Give that man a statuette.[LNB] PSJose Maria Olazabal is the new captain of the European Ryder Cup team. On his appointment, he spoke of the lessons he has learned in his long involvement with the event. As ever, he had serious things to say. 'Everything is black or white,' he said. 'There is nothing in between. It's not the way it should be but it's the way it is. If you win, you're right. If you lose, you're wrong.' That is the stark reality of modern sport. It is also its greatest tragedy.[LNB] PPSStrauss is apparently out on his feet, likewise Prior, Trott, Pietersen, Bell, Bresnan and Tremlett. The England bowlers are falling like autumn leaves and the batsmen have lost both form and interest. Results are dire and there are still two miserable weeks to go. It wasn't easy for the men who run English cricket to conjure an anti-climax to the glories of that Ashes triumph. But with two Twenty20s and seven one-day games inside a month, I believe they've worked the trick.[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People: Steve Bruce, Harry Redknapp, Colin Firth, Mike Lee, Niall Quinn Places: Athens, Sydney, London, United Kingdom, Europe Organisations: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
