|
Grounds For Concern
|
|
Underhill, politics, etc
|
By:
Eric Hitchmo
|
27/01/2012
|
|
|
|
"Is it any coincidence that the day after Downhill Second Half called for a statement from the club regarding our short term future, lo and behold appeared said statement the next day? Of course it is, the internet and irony are two very difficult entities to bind together, so I shall make sure to emphasise that was a little joke there.
It would be fair to say that it is once again, a very strongly worded and bullish statement. The club appears to have had enough of the council and while you can certainly empathise with that view after seventeen years of trying to find a ground, to shut them out completely would be pretty foolish if you ask me, especially if you consider the dire options that are presented to us if we are unable to start next season at Underhill.
The options I speak of are pretty limited to groundsharing. As I alluded to last week, I feel that this would have a terrible effect on us. Our already suffering fanbase would be asked to travel to a fair old distance to any of the more realistic grounds we could share at. Let's face it, it could either be The Chavs, Orient or Watford. Boreham Wood has also been touted but we'd have to do some work there. None of these grounds are exactly on our doorstep are they? A club which averages less than 2,000 would see its gates slashed heavily. Who in their right mind would travel to The Chavs on a Tuesday night in November to watch a home game against Macclesfield Town, for example? Sub-1,000 crowds would become the norm, and for a club on such a tight playing budget anyway, who struggles to survive in League Two every season...well you can work out the rest.
It leads me to believe that there must be something bubbling away under the surface that we cannot be told yet. I cannot believe that we would go through with a groundshare without something more concrete in the pipeline. TK has been accused of several things in recent times but I do not think he is as naive as to leave Underhill without something solid to fall back on. People will theorise as long as the day ends in a Y, but I think there is a masterplan somewhere. The gripe for many is that it is being strongly suggested that the masterplan does not involve the town or the Borough of Barnet.
Ah, politics. If only matters were easier than embroiling ourselves in this world of egomaniacs and personal agendas. My view of politics is one of indifference and contempt. I can't stand it. My experiences with the KBA several years ago ensured that my interest in politics would continue no longer. Having had such a monumental battle with such adversaries for so long has done the club, the chairman or anyone for that matter, no good. We have been offered ""talks"" as we have been in recent weeks before, and they have got us nowhere, so it is no wonder that we approach with such trepidation. On the other hand, slamming the door in their face and walking away would be counter-productive and would wrangle with many who believe that we should stay in Barnet. Of course we should stay in Barnet, I'm not sure anyone would disagree with that, but the trials and tribulations of the years that have past have left bridges burnt and ties severed. Whether the relationship is repairable and workable remains to be seen, but from the tidbits that slowly filter out of the club, it would appear not, especially when half a mile over the border we have a council who appear willing to work with us.
At the moment, all we can do is speculate. For all we know, Barnet Council and Barnet FC could have been working merrily together in order to secure a short-term future at Underhill before we sail off into the distance. Maybe there is nothing to tell at all, but people are still getting restless. Last week's statement didn't really say anything about what we are going to do in the future. I interpreted as an aggressive article with an intention to call the council to action, perhaps. Either way, we are three months away from what was ""set to be our last game at Underhill"", so you would think that we should be hearing an awful lot very soon.
Until then, we'll have to be a bit more patient..."
|
|
|
All Articles By This Author:
Other Articles By Category
|