NEWS
28 January 2007
The fightback starts here, both on and off the pitch. More on Eton 4 Harrow 2 later, but as SW19 hoped, we ain't taking this lying down.
The big news is that we're having a word with the CAS, or the Court of Arbitration for Sport, about this. Now, they're basically a big legal mob based in Switzerland, which means they're all good and proper. However, try not to get excited at the moment. I know we want them to come over here, grab the FA, ram their head down an unflushed toilet and give them a well deserved kick in the bollocks for good measure.
I know we also want the CAS to not only give us our FAT place back, but about a zillion pounds in compensation. In addition, we'd like them to retrospectively look at Franchise where they find it was illegal, ensuring they are closed down with immediate effect and all monies transferred to us. Furthermore, we'd also like them to take legal action against every single person who fucked us up, ensuring some more money and the eventual financial ruin of people like Raj Parker, who will have to become the personal sex slave of Kris Stewart just to make ends meet.
However, their remit doesn't quite suggest they have the power to do so, though they may have the ear of UEFA/FIFA. They won't get back our place in the FAT, and would probably only be a "recommendation" issued anyway, if we even get that far. So you know what the FA's reply will be.
I think what we're doing here is shitting the FA up. They really don't expect teams to come back at them (and by the fact that you can't appeal - highly iffy IMO - shows they don't want you to come back at them), so I await their reaction on Monday when they receive our letter. It's a real shame we're not in the fifth round of the FA Cup, especially with the draw live on TV...
I briefly went to the post-game open meeting, and I hope I didn't write down what ES said wrongly, but it appears that the FA tribunal didn't take into account any of the mitigating circumstances we submitted (together with evidence of cases where teams were kept in). If this is true, how untouchable are the FA? They really deserve every single swearword aimed at them. Again, a certain date in the middle of 2002 springs to mind.
What this does also suggest is that we're issuing a very strong message to the Ryman. Don't even think about screwing us over. We have the backing (over £2k raised in bucket donations yesterday alone) and just as importantly we have the stomach to fight. Do not underestimate how pissed off we are at the moment..
I know the RP have to apply the rules, but I wonder if their collective arses are going a bit at the moment? One would hope they're trying to find a way out of annoying us any further, or at least ensure that they don't have to dock us 18 points. Perhaps in the long run we may be doing them a favour?
I think I must be feeling charitable towards the Ryman right now, as I seriously doubt they really want to make that all-important decision. Perhaps they're good people really, only applying the law because they have to? Perhaps they really will use common sense and decency in dealing with an issue becoming increasingly surreal and stupid each passing day? Of course, if the bastards deduct us 18 points....
One thing that apparently came out of the pre-game open meeting is that when we do eventually meet the Ryman, the people looking as us "won't have vested interests". I would seriously hope so.
Final thoughts for now? One day, just one day, we will get to give the FA the smack they richly deserve. I hope that time comes sooner rather than later.
Speaking of smacking, considering everything that's gone on this week we were quite composed yesterday. Even more so with nine players out (and for those wondering, JD was on his holidays. Hope he got international clearance for that). When they went ahead though, I did fear the worst. We looked a little bit shaky (probably because it was quite makeshift in parts) and somehow you had floodgates of doom in your head when they went 1-0 up. Would the frustration boil over? Were we going to freefall?
Luke Garrard's free kick answered that. So did Steve Goddard (twice) and Lewis Cook. OK, they hit back to make it 3-2, but when we went up a gear to go further ahead a minute later, that told you all you needed to know.
I know we are mightily fucked off with the past week, but what of the players? They don't get a chance to prove themselves against R&D now, their bonuses are in doubt, and as soon as they appear to click they could be forced to scrap it out with people like Hendon and W&H. If they were demoralised, they didn't show it. Is it true two of our players were helping out with bucket collections before the game? The ones not playing, obviously. If so, there may be a bit of faith in humanity restored.
The best thing to do now is keep winning. Everyone, and I mean everyone, must take the opportunity to stick a suitable one-fingered salute up. We do what we need to do, the top brass do what they need to, and the players should kick onto that top spot. The league table right now shows we are six points behind Margate with a game in hand. This league is here for the taking. And yes, if we get deducted 18 points, that would cease to become an issue. But think of what it would do in the propaganda war.
Feeling suitably aroused? There are other sites for that sort of thing. For the rest of you who have taken a cold shower, here's....
Plus points: Great end to a difficult week. Reduced strength team, non-reduced strength performance. Went up that necessary gear when we scored. Goddard. Steve Ferguson
Minus point: DG's injury.
The referee's a..........: Some bloke near me asked if he was from the FA. With a comment like that, I need not begin to describe his performance.
Them: Jesuz christ, what dirty bastards. Had an air of a Ryman One side that couldn't match us for skill so went for the physical approach. Scoreline flattered them a bit. Hardly any of their lot turned up either, but HB are one of those sides who you have no real reason to dislike -a bit like a Folkestone or a Slough.
Point to ponder: This may ultimately be irrelevant, but how good is it that we are now kicking into life? If timing is everything we could have done a lot worse...
Truth is stranger than fiction: The whole day just seemed strange, although surreal may be a better word. Two open meetings in one day? Players helping out with collections? Even El Presidente, snr Ricardo Guy gave about £4 of his own money to the fighting fund. Mind you, I only gave £3.40...
Franchise watch: They must have really been building up to orgasmic pleasure this week. They've been waiting four good years for us to fall flat on our face. The FA kicking us out of the FAT. Possible point deduction. Trigger going to jail (justifiably IMO - I don't believe just because he scored our first ever goal means he should escape justice). And of course, a trip to lowly Rochdale would end the perfect week for them. Well guess what - the cunts got stuffed 5-0. Karma, and just goes to show what happens when a fake football team with fake fans tries to get one over on real sides.
I would like to say I want them to freefall and get relegated. The truth is, I don't. I just want to see them dead. Preferably slowly, in a lot of agony, every passing minute of their phony, miserable existance thinking about what they've done and their choice in life. If they're capable of individual thought, which is highly debatable. But for now, enjoy the fact that they really, truly, spectacularly fucked up big time in their best ever week...
Anything else? Yeah. Is it me or was 2481 a bit disappointing? Mind you, we've been slipping towards the sub-2k for a little while, so perhaps attendances will perk up again. For whatever reason.
So, was it worth it? In the long run, yes. Though to paraphrase Bill Clinton, it depends what your definition of "it" is.
In a nutshell: The war continues.
26 January 2007
Another update, and finally somebody's written me an article (see Articles). Thanks, OI.
Further thoughts since I've had a decent night's sleep. The FA are still sluts, prostitutes, cunts, whores etc. If you're still feeling angry, down some valium now. Done that? Good. Somebody sent me a rule from the Welsh FA this morning :
"Rule
7. Qualification of Players
(a) All players must be contract or non-contract players. Football Association
of Wales rules will apply to the signing and transfer of contract players.
They will be registered on Form J of the Football Association of Wales and
Transfers of the said contract player will be on Form L. The registration
and transfer of non-contract players will be on forms provided by the League.
The registration of all players will be valid for one season only."
Note the last sentence. If the "one season" was 2005/06 then it makes the whole thing seem even more petty and disproportionate. I would comment further, but I'm worried that I'm going to get a stroke. If I did, perhaps I ought to sue the FA for it?
I'm sure we'll find out what the RP has in store for us in due course. I would hope that we submit(ted) the FAW's rule 7 yesterday, and will give the RP it again when they deal with us. This might be why we're being done under the open-to-interpretation 6.1 as opposed to the far nastier 6.8. As I gather the RP would let us appeal, I would hope we're getting our negotiation skills up to scratch.
As for AFCW, once the dust settles, it needs to do what OI suggested in his article. There will never be a better time to make sure we iron out everything so it never happens again. Procedures for checking this sort of thing should either be introduced or reinforced. While we won't ever make the IC mistake again, I wonder what other little rules we haven't got to grips with as yet.
The one thing the club must adopt is a less sentimental attitude to its staff. While we still don't know who's mistake it was, it may yet have pretty damaging consequences. And here lies AFCW's dilemma : at most other organisations something like this (however unintentional) would be at very least a massive censure. With us, there's a real sense of "protecting your own", that things are more lenient because they're the people we have stood with at games from time to time.
In the long run, the cult of personality does nobody any good. It encourages factionism, it makes people harder to shift if they're not doing the job they (often) get paid to do, and leads to the Old Boys Network. The club has to be brutally honest with itself over this. It may mean more staff to check these things out. It may mean a change in procedures. And there may have to be casualties : that might not be the "Wimbledon way" but I don't fancy a repeat of the last nine days anytime soon.
Personally, I get more annoyed at the comments that "I'd like to see you do a better job". Actually, that's only relevant if you're applying for the job and openly challenging the incumbent. Otherwise, it's an attitude that people are beyond criticism - and that is never a good idea. Nobody likes being slagged off, but you are allowed an opinion. Especially if it directly affects you as a paying customer.
The bottom line is responsiblity : if you're employed to do a job, even if voluntarily, you have a responsibility to do it accurately. Yes, everyone makes mistakes, but some mistakes are worse than others. I know for a fact if I wrote an article and made a mistake - however unintentionally - I could possibly get sued. Something I'm sure you'll agree isn't exactly trivial. More importantly, if a medic, or a bus driver, or anyone in safety makes a mistake, we all know the consequences.
Now is a very good time for AFCW to sort out how it does things. We need to get beyond the "these people have worked hard for us for the last four and a half years" mentality. Yes, we appreciate it, but that's becoming less and less relevant. We now need to be more mature in our approach, and perhaps a bit more hard-hearted. It may hurt some people, but won't hurt as much as losing 18 points.......
25 January 2007
I'm going to try and be calm when I type this. I claim diminished responsibilty caused by extreme provocation in case I get into trouble.
As much as we deep down expected it, I cannot begin to type how utterly pissed off I am. It's not so much the fact that we're out of the FAT it's the fact that now we have our season ruined. Why? Because a retired player who hadn't played for six months is worthy of destroying a club's campaign.
All that hard work in the FAT. The epic against Eastleigh. The joy against Aldershot. The reaction of everyone against Gravesend. All gone. Vanished. Irrelevant. Angry? Upset? I fucking am. It seems that no matter what we do, no matter how we try to better ourselves, to do things by the book, some cunt comes and throws a barbed wire fence in front of us.
Reading the statement, we're going to have to return all the prize money. Which is going to be a bastard, but nothing a few whiprounds will sort out. Already, people are talking about fundraising.
Also, "The committee concluded that further FA sanctions would not be appropriate and therefore there has been no fine imposed and the club is free to enter the FA Trophy in future seasons". Good of them. Guess what, we can come back next year out of the kindness of the FA's hearts. They're not such bad people after all. How considerate and kind on this otherwise lousy day. I feel better already. Cocksuckers.
As for "The decision is final and binding and there can be no appeal.", doesn't that remind you of some past event?
If any outsider wonders why we get so pissed off with the FA, including today, read this. "Rules are rules", some may say. No they fucking well aren't. Remember that Koppout used Rule K for the first time ever? After he hadn't exhausted all options? When we were fighting MK, Koppout could go to appeal after appeal after appeal. Once he got the go-ahead, it was shut up shop time, no further appeals. Today was a reminder of how the FA really thinks. Any organisation that suspends you for taking it to court for whatever reason is nothing short of dodgy.
In future, AFCW may as well instruct our players to go round breaking legs of oppo players. We might as well bully the ref every single game, and try to get 11 men sent off in one game. We might as well decide to go into administration to ensure we can write off every single debt. There's a rather tidy six figure one outstanding. We sure as hell will stay in the competition and we certainly won't get deducted 18 points.
The FA pick on small teams like us and Altrincham because they can. They want to appear forceful, and manly. "Ooh look", they purr, "We're able to fine and deduct points. Aren't we authorative?". Fuck off. Suck my fucking cock. The FA are cowards. Yellow streaked, spineless, gutless cowards. If they weren't, they would be giving possible 18 point fines to those clubs who have been dealing with dodgy agents.
But no, that's too difficult. They want to suck up to the big money teams so they can go on rather nice free jaunts and look good. That's all they're interested in. They're prostitutes, hookers, whores, whatever you want to call them. Though I think sluts is a better description. Beat up on the AFCWs, the Altrinchams, the Swindons etc. Even though the rules they've been done under are so minor and just need a bit of tweaking and a lot of leniency. What have any of us actually gained, apart from a load of grief? Apparently, the FA are "tightening up". Yeah, taking the easy option once again. Got to do something, pick on the more defenseless ones. They haven't got the guts to do anything harder.
The likes of us and the rest are easy meat, we're relatively poor and can't afford to fight back. But when Chelski taps another player up, just roll over and let your tummy get tickled. £1k fine, sir? That'll do nicely. Who knows, next time a big club gets into trouble, the FA will drop their trousers and let the Premiership Giant ram its pork sword of power into their flabby chutney tunnel, like they usually do. And get rammed nice and hard in the process, they'll love that. They obviously don't really care about football, they only want the good life. And at our expense.
I don't quite know
how best to get revenge on the FA, but I hope the next secretary they shag
employ has a harmful STD*
* - I should mention about a certain ex-England manager here, but I'm pushing the libel/slander laws enough as it is.
No, we're not pissed off with the FA for getting chucked out the trophy. We expected that, deep down, the omens weren't good. We're pissed off because the things that really damage football get swept under the carpet. If there was an alternative football authority, we'd be applying to join it right now. And I bet many others would be as well.
OK, I've calmed down. If truth be told, I did think that about the FA anyway before today, I just needed a good reason to vent. Probably get me into trouble though.
We now face the important task of dealing with the Ryman. You just knew they were high-fiving themselves after that verdicts, and couldn't wait to stumble along with their laminated charge sheet with glee. Fucking cunts (hang on, I said I was calmed down...)
Anyway, we've been charged with something under rule 6.1, which somewhat vaguely states : "It is the responsibility of each Club to ensure that any player signing a registration form for that Club has, where necessary, the required International Registration Transfer Certificate". Vague, because it doesn't quite specify what would be the likely punishment.
I believe it isn't as serious as rule 6.8 which relates specifically to ineligible players. So that's a good start, maybe. The general vibe now seems to be that we'll be deducted points. How many is open to interpretation, and I explored losing 18 yesterday. But yet again, we could go into admin and cheat people out of money and still get docked less. Again, for any outsider reading this, why do you think we're so angry?
There may be common sense applied here. I'm not holding my breath though. The FA won't let us appeal because they know best and we should accept it. Integrity of the game, dear boy. So now we're at the whim of the Ryman commission. I suppose I'm holding out hope that the FA put something in to tell the RP that it isn't worth ruining a club's season over it.
After all, the handbook of the FA states: "Any team playing an unregistered or otherwise ineligible player or players may/shall have the points gained in the match deducted from its total and may be fined and/or otherwise dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee". The word here is discretion.
If the RP decide to take off the 18 points, I would hope we would fight them. Really, really fight them. The vibe I'm picking up is that we want a scrap. If they take off 10 points, I still think we'd go at them. It really depends on whether the RP would relish a costly fight with an angry AFCW who will have some decent backing behind them. Naieve I know, but again, we've already been charged under the "lesser" offence, apparently. Perhaps that is a glimmer of light?
Should we get a fine and JD gets suspended for a couple of games, so be it. It would be a proportionate punishment by anyone's stretch of the imagination. But as I've said, nothing is like that in this game.
In a way, I think we're better poised to deal with the RP than the FA over this. Unlike the FA, we are allowed to appeal. I know that we had some pretty decent legal types dealing with our case today, and with luck they'll return to help out some more.
I want us to go tooth and nail with the Ryman if we can, and if we need to. I think we owe it to a lot of people. As a non-AFCW fan put it today, we're considered a headache just like Aldershot. Well great. Give us automatic promotion and we'll happily fuck off. This season, preferably. I keep hearing that they'll want to keep us in the RP because of our money - in that case, surely they don't need to rile us up? Surely if that's what the Ryman thinks of us they should just keep the beast placid? We hopefully won't take an 18 point deduction lying down, especially over something like this, and if we ever need to use Rule K to get them back, I would hope we will.
As for us now? We're pissed off but we'll come back. We all know that the club has needed a period of renewal, and this may be the catalyst. Already, everyone seems to have gone from despair to "fuck you". Hopefully, the players will as well - they know they've been denied their bonuses, and it will be a test of their own character. Those who bail now wouldn't help us in any playoff situation. And being deducted points didn't hurt Altrincham or Bury's attendances either - depending on how the RP see fit to do us, this could be the motivation for the final push. A one or two point deduction (yeah, I know) could even ensure us promotion.......
Anyone down just needs to look at this. Or this. Or this. And certainly this. Even at their worst, the RP could never go down to those levels.
One thing I will guarantee whatever happens. I would certainly not like to be Harrow Borough on Saturday....
24 January 2007
It's less than 24 hours before D-Day (2007 version), so a little bit of an update.
Firstly, we beat Met Police last night in one of the coldest nights I can remember for a while. Annoyingly it went to extra time, and even more annoyingly we scored two minutes after the restart. Thanks guys, we really appreciated the half hour extra of fresh air. Still, Goddard and Shroooooooooooot getting on the scoresheet is good.
Special mention goes to the Met Police catering division, for supplying us with some of the best burgers and hot dogs (proper frankfurter style ones as well) and at non-RP prices as well.
Anyway, we play Egham next round. If we're allowed to still be in the competition.
Which neatly leads us on to tomorrow. I'm not too sure how much more needs to be said. Everyone seems to have pored over every tiny nook and cranny and drawn their own conclusions. Most people seem to assume the worst, that being kicked out of the FAT, 19 point deduction and worst of all - possibly not being able to go to Woking for our traditional end-of-season cup final. There'll be bloodshed...
Let's examine the worst case scenario : out of the FAT. OK, it happens, and we won't be the last to ever have this happen to. I doubt if we can't afford any fine either.
What is shitting people us is what the Ryman will do to us, if indeed they do anything. While 19 points is extremely excessive (especially as you can effectively discharge yourself from your financial problems and "only" suffer 10 points lost), plenty have concluded that it's all the Ryman can do.
So, what would happen if we did lose 19 points? Well, a cursory glance at the table would put us 18th, one place below the possible drop zone (ie if we have the worst record of the other step 3 divisions we'd be down). That would suck big time, but if the season was to end then we would be safe.
Now, what would happen after that is anyone's guess. What we do know is that we would have 18 games or so to get out of trouble. Our success/failure would come down to how we would respond as a team and as a club. Worst case is that we'd have to use contracted players and some of the youth/reserves to do that. And that assumes the non-contracted players suddenly decide to bail out. If it comes down to money issues, expect a couple of donations from a few people, fund raising etc. Never underestimate the power of the aggrieved football fan, least of all ours.
One of the most outlandish theories of the past few days relates to what will happen to our crowds should the worst happen. Basically, it assumes that should we get done crowds will slump (a couple even suggesting a few hundred, though I think the local drug rehab unit are currently on the lookout for some missing patients).
If that really was the case, then AFCW is in massive trouble anyway. It would show that our fanbase is so fickle and spineless that there's no point carrying on with running the club. Would 1700 people really turn their back that quickly? A few people may tail off, but most people I see about won't give up just because of something like that. Christ, we can even muster 300+ for a SSC cup game away in extremely cold weather when other teams would get about 50.
Of course, all this is speculation. The club are saying nothing, and if truth be told we don't even know what the procedure is tomorrow. We don't know whether or not we can appeal either. If it goes against us, and we can appeal, you can bet we'll go for it. I would demand sackings if we didn't, and I wouldn't be alone.
My feeling is that if things can be drawn out by us, they will be. It's too disproportionate a potential punishment for us to sit back. Unlike most other clubs in non-league, we could afford to do it. We would win without contest if it was spirit of interpreting the laws, certainly. And take it a step or two further, it could cause grief for the Welsh clubs generally. As much as we fear the RP's response, the FA would fear anything beyond being able to close this situation off once and for all tomorrow. Especially if we could invoke Rule K.........
Finally, the whole thing is a direct comparison to 2002. Back then, we were confident of the outcome. We "knew" the rules by reading them up, pointing out any and all possibilities. We applied logic. We knew what we were doing. No similarities to today, obviously.
Anyway, now I've written all this, what's the betting we get cleared?
21 January 2007
Before we start, more on the sodding ineligible player saga. I did a little bit of late night research and just figured something if JD is the guilty one.
(disclaimer for all of the below. I am no lawyer. I am only making layman assumptions here. I won't be held (legally) responsible if I get any of this wrong. I will of course claim 100% of the credit if I get it right)
Basically if JD signed for us from another club in the 2006/07 season we could be buggered. This is exactly what happened with Altrincham (read this to check the timeline). However, and perhaps very importantly, he didn't. JD left Cardiff on the 8th May 2006, and agreed terms with us in November. In effect, he was out of the game for six months, rendering himself a free agent when he joined us.
And this is where it would get horribly technical - does being out of contract (and therefore registration to a club, or in short "inactive") for that amount of time void this international clearance lark? The FA's website on it is as much use as a condom in the Vatican for finding out that info, and it won't let me download the full regulations. Though it helpfully tells us that one "window" for normal transfers is up to 31st August, two and a bit months after JD joined us. Confused? Let's hope the club aren't. This could get messy.
What's telling is that JD played yesterday. For those thinking that we've gone and sought IC (fed up with writing it properly) pretty damn quick may like to know that it's the FA who have to seek it on our behalf. And I can't see us effectively admitting guilt by doing that. I can't see us risking a further three points either...
Personally, I'm far more inclined to think that it's PL, especially considering the rumour currently doing the rounds that it was Fi$her grassing us up. I can well imagine them doing that, having heard what one or two of their board think about us at first hand. Without them knowing, obviously ;) And there is still a great deal of tall poppy syndrome about...
It would make life a lot less fraught if it was PL. There, the worst that could happen would be that we're chucked out of the FAT. Whether it'll anger or depress us I don't know - if yesterday was anything to go by it would rile us up - but we could make shitloads on t-shirts that said "AFCW : Unbeaten in the FA Trophy 2006/07".
There is a third, under-the-radar, option - Wes Daly. Something to do with suspensions I think. Forget where I heard it, or what the ins/outs of it are, but again being chucked out of the FAT is the worst that can happen. It does seem that people are taking the worst possible option and treating it as a given. I think it's only happened once (Altrincham) and as explained above, their circumstances aren't the same as what ours would be. Ours is a bit more grey-area.
Usually when this happens, it's either expulsion from the competition (almost always a cup) or a replay. It's almost unheard of in the league. And I believe when Bury got done earlier this year, it was their second such offence. Rules may be rules, but I bet a lot of it comes down to how much the FA "likes" you. Which needless to say could cause us grief...
The problem is of course that because the club won't squeak over this, the rumours range from the plausible, to the semi-plausible, to the unlikely to the ones as espoused by crack smokers. Me, I think we're in trouble because somebody has spelt Roscoe's surname wrongly.
All of this has unfairly detracted from perhaps the best result of the season. Yup, Claret 0 Chardonnay 3, and they were lucky to get nil. Well, maybe not, but at times it was hard to tell who was 2nd and who was 9th.
OK, there were spells that we looked shaky in defence, but when Roscoe went and scored (a bit unexpectedly TBH) that kind of kicked the stuffing out of them. And despite being made to walk out early for the second half, if anything we got stronger. I dare anyone to look at Donsonline and not be impressed by SG's composure. Can't remember if he's one of our products or not, but thank fuck we've got him on contract.
Want any more? Here's...
Plus points: Steve Goddard. Taking the sting out of the game. Pressing forward even when 1-0 up. Ability to kill game off - and they knew it.
Minus points: Collective fan minds not 100% on game.
The referee's a......: Shortarse. Seriously, he looked like somebody who would hang around dodgy ex-pat bars in Southern Spain, having just "done a deal" with a couple of friends of his. Not too bad, though any player who argued with him would have been found mysteriously killed in a car accident that night.
Them: Chelmsford are what WFC would have been had we not gone up into the league. I didn't realise just how well supported they used to be. Their ground is weird though - it felt like a pre-season tournament in Austria (the sort they show on Eurosport), even down to the Germanic-type buildings behind the big stand. Still, they're back in Chelmsford, and that will outweigh any and all inconveniences. As for their team, is this really the same mob that pissed all over us a couple of weeks ago?
Point to ponder: Doesn't this just make Worthing feel all the more worse? What this does prove though is how we can bounce back from our own misfortune. In fact, this isn't the first time - after all, we lost at Billy Ricky, and then did Aldershot.
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Their mascot, which looked like a Lunn Poly promotional outfit. No wonder they got bought out by TUI. Seemed to show as much energy as Chelmsford's players anyway. (2) Their ball boys must be fit. Just imagine them having to rescue kicked footballs by doing 50 metre dashes all the time.
Anything else? Sorry to bang on about the albatross currently around our neck, but three Wombles were handing out flyers repeating the OS story on Friday. Good to see. I was however made aware of a story where one individual took one look at the flyer and immediately had a go at.... wait for it....... DA. Yup, you read that right. And you wonder why I get fed up with the reaction every time we don't win.
So, was it worth it? I'm sure getting four points out of Worthing and Chelmsford is well worth it. Just didn't expect it in the order it came in.
In a nutshell: Let's hope Thursday is as kind to us as yesterday was.
19 January 2007
You know it's one of those sort of weeks. First came Worthing, in a so-predictable-it-hurts draw. I can't recall a last minute equaliser that hurt quite so much. Especially as we were seriously on top for most of it.
But it's nothing compared to what we have to put up with next. From the OS:
Late this afternoon, the FA notified the club that we are being charged with fielding an ineligible player in the FA Trophy game against Gravesend & Northfleet. The hearing will be on Thursday 25 January and it is likely, but not certain, that the result will be announced the same day or on the following day.
The FA has written a letter to Gravesend & Northfleet and to Rushden & Diamonds, with a copy to us, explaining the situation so that they can plan for all possible eventualities. Their letter says that there are three possible outcomes:
. The
result stands
. The game is ordered to be replayed
. We are ejected from the competition and Gravesend and Northfleet are re-instated.
We will be making no further statement on this matter until the hearing is decided.
Typical. Just fucking typical. Somehow, we were doing too well in the FAT, and now once again our fate is in the hands of the FA.
Who it is, we're not sure. Logic dictates that it's Lorraine, as he's the only loanee playing. However, others may hint that it's JD, because of what the FA press office calls "international clearance". In other words, he was registered with the FA of Wales last season.
Already, the paranoia is reaching fever pitch. Scare stories that we'll be found guilty through JD, the Ryman League will get in on the act and we'll be deducted enough points to have to fight relegation abound. The fact that JD has been with us since Eastleigh may not have hit the radar.
The truth is, very few AFCW fans have enough faith in the FA to "do the right thing". It is impossible not to feel that the FA have already decided that we're guilty, and that all our documentation has been "mysteriously" destroyed in an unfortunate fire at FA HQ. Subsequently, we'll be forced to play the game again with only five players. Or even worse, get chucked out, repay the money owed and get fined again for denying R&D a nice payday.
Am i going OTT? Probably, though after THAT day in May 2002 I wouldn't put anything past them. Be honest, this feels exactly like the week up until the FA Commission were greased up. We have more reason than most to distrust anything the FA does. Once bitten, and all that. This will test whether the FA have forgiven us for disproving their "not in the wider interests" comment. And I thought that AFCW was to ensure that would never happen again?
Trying to be rational, we've not been found guilty as of yet. The worst that is likely to happen is that we'll be thrown out of the FAT. In a way, I would prefer that to a replay, as it would mean we'd be unbeaten in the competition. Doubtless we'll lose any rearranged fixture, the football gods will decide that.
What will concern me is how we will respond afterwards. Assuming we're found guilty, I would hope that the stinging injustice of it all (and let's face it, we will feel as though we've been picked on again) would spur us on to finish top at the end of the season. On the flip side, the whole saga reflects our whole season - nearly, but not quite. It could lead to a feeling that absolutely nothing will go right for us, and the season will just fall splat on its face.
Anyway, testing times. It's like WFC era days. You may have forgotten we're away to Chelmsford tomorrow. Let's go and stuff them while the Ryman still allows us to win matches.
13 January 2007
Dare we dream? Dare we think the unthinkable? Dare we put that one thought into our mind? Dare we even consider it? After Medway 0 Club Med 1, dare we?
Yes, it's possible. Yes, it may happen. Yes, we're closer now than we ever were before. Enjoy the anticipation. Savour what may yet be. Yes, we may finally get a long Northern away trip that leaves at sparrowfart, to places with Thwistle in their names and to cheap beer, hostile locals and chips with gravy.
The FA Trophy final? Oh yeah. I don't think we'll be in it, but I bet Oxford United will be slightly cacking themselves at having to meet us. Maybe.
Oh, all right. This might have even outdone Aldershot. In many ways, it did. No, it wasn't nearly the freeflowing football that Aldershot saw, but unlike the game at the Rec AL wasn't working overtime for his win bonus. While you can easily see the gap between a part-time Ryman Prem side and a full time Conference side in places (ie they're sharper and probably much more match fit) at other times, you couldn't tell which division was which.
I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting much out of this. There was certainly no obvious buildup, although having to go back to pikey Kent again might have seen to that. I felt for the last two games we were slipping a bit again, and surely we couldn't repeat Aldershot? I was tempted to put money on the draw though.
When Rosco...E scored though, in the back of my mind I didn't think we'd lose. I did expect them to come back at us, and I suppose they did. But apart from their one off-the-liner, they were as good as us. Suffice to say, I now regret writing just before Rosco..E's goal that "I don't think either team can score"....
Was it a corner for our goal? Dunno, but the ref certainly was trying to help them equalise. Five minutes injury time that suddenly became eight? Their players moving the freekick, taking them before our player had a chance to get back and then booking our player for not being able to retreat in 0.0004 seconds? PB being poleaxed and nothing given, yet Rosco...E does similar and nearly gets sent off? No idea whether their effort was over the line or not, but in the mood he was in the ref really must have been sure it wasn't.
By the sounds of it, they were really pissed off afterwards. Know what? Great. The shitty Ryman Prem team called KFC Norbiton upsetting the odds against a side known in some quarters as the Arsenal of the Ryman. It's not as though our goal was scored directly from the resulting corner, they did have a good chance to clear it beforehand but didn't. So it's their fault.
I understand we were given absolutely zero credit by the local radio station. For those "fortunate" enough to have listened to the partisan crap called BBC WM or BBC Lancashire in the past whenever we won oop norf, it really is olden times. Too big to be liked by the Ryman teams, too lowly for the Conference teams. Hey, this is deja vu.
Dare I get any more frenzied? Probably not. Here's....
Plus points: We won. Away. Beating a Conference side. Clean sheet. AL not having that much to do. PB returning. Generally closing them down (if occasionally a bit too zealously.).
The referee's a......: I reckon you can gather what I think. I'm convinced he had a spread bet on to see how many AFCW players he could book in the second half. Let's hope he lost money.
Them: Do you think I can mention them without the fact they're based in Kent? And the mandatory slaggings off which that part of the world usually gets? * Well, let's give it a go. I've been to the rough areas of Warsaw and Leipzig and Union Berlin's ground, so I felt in familiar territory.... D'oh. At least it wasn't me who said that it was like a "downmarket Portsmouth" ;) Expected much more from them to be honest. Claimed we were dirty, and obviously they were 100% clean themselves. Their fans were very quiet, except for the 15-strong chav army who wanted to stick Haydon up their arses. Perverts. And of course, an oh-so-original "MK Dons" chant. Piercing or what?
* - For those who think I need help over my obsession with hating Kent, I should explain : I used to work a couple of times in the county, near the Aylesford Newsprint place. I consider myself well-travelled and quite broad minded, but I've never experienced a place or people like it. I think "provincial" is the word. Further trips to places like Dover, Gillingham, Ramsgutter and even Maidstone have given me a prejudice I will likely never shift. One plus side for Kent - at least it's not the North....
What the papers say: Picked up a copy of the Gravesend Messenger, and it seemed to have a fair bit on..... wait for it...... Charlton Athletic. The Addicts are known for being a community club, though not necessarily their own. Mind you, I'm reliably informed that Gravesend used to be mainly Chelski. I suppose we can be but thankful for small mercies....
Meanwhile, their manager Liam Daish said about the contest: "It's going to be a tough game. They have got some players with a lot of experience who have played at a higher level". Nice words - what he said afterwards will be different :) - but I have to laugh. Why? Well, I've interviewed him quite a few times, and I'm sure that's as much as he says in every interview. I wonder if he goes for interviews with his bank in the same way?
Bank: So, Mr Daish, why do you want this loan?
Daish: Well, it's going to be a tough decision to make, but I'm confident I can make it.
Bank: Er, right. Can you pay it back within 5 years?
Daish: I'd like to think I can strengthen my situation. I'm struggling at the moment with financial injuries but I'm confident for the future.
Bank: Look, why do you want this money?
Daish: Well, if the right situation comes along I'll try and strengthen in that area.
I hope for his sake Gravesend are paying him enough.
Point to ponder: Thought just occured to me : it seems that DA can really get the team playing well for Gravesend/Aldershot/Eastleigh yet not so much for RP. Perhaps we ought to give DA a Director of Football position for the while we're in RP. Then, should we get promoted he becomes our manager again?
Truth is stranger than fiction: (1) Apparently, this is the highest placed team we've ever played competitively as AFCW. Not only that, we're the lowest ranked side left in the competition. And we've got further than D&R and Burton. We rule. (2) G&N had a tie-up with Austrian Airlines. Thing is, why? It's not near an airport. Does Gravesend have anything in common with Austria, apart from the fact that neither place has English as a first language? (3) G&N came out to Black Box's "Ride On Time". Oh dear.
Anything else? Yes. Out of the crowd of 2016, we must have had 900+ there. Not only that, but I know at least one person who couldn't make it because the Northern Line was buggered. And they missed out on our best ever result :) Wonder how we'd do if we actually did make it into the Conference? Would we take 900 or so? Less? More?
So, was it worth it? When you see a certain Womble who regularly appears all sober and intelligent on BBC News acting like we'd just won the trophy, it's impossible to respond negatively.
In a nutshell: Fuck yeah.
10 January 2007
Gah. Stone Island 1 Canvey Island 2 and the Most Important Week Of The Season is ruined by the worst 20 minute spell of the campaign.
No, it wasn't must-win, but the task for automatic promotion becomes much, much harder now. For the second year in a row, we are definitely at a lower level than the top team(s). Is that good enough? I know that financial prudence is the order of the day at AFCW, but I wonder how long people will be happy if next season we're second best again to yet another moneybags outfit?
Right now, it feels like an old scab wound has been re-opened. After the heroics at Bromley, and a well-earned draw at Gutter, it seems like roles were being re-affirmed. As soon as a big spending team comes along with a bit of planning, we're stumped. There seems to be a level that we just can't go up to, at least on a regular basis.
I think in the medium/long
term we're going to have to make a bold decision. If we're going to match
Chelmsford-type teams stride for stride, we really will have to build a team
that is of Conference level in the Ryman. Yes, it'll cost money, but all the
while we're in a division where only one is automatically promoted, it might
be a decision we simply have to take. We're nearer than we were last season
to that Braintree/Canvey Chelmsford level we need to be, but at some
point somebody at AFCW has to have the guts to take us that significant step
further.
To be honest, I can see it getting harder and harder for us unless we're prepared to compete with the big spenders. I dunno about anyone else, but I don't fancy spending season after season in the Ryman having to constantly play second fiddle to yet another team on short-term gain.
OK, Chelmsford fans may crow that they're putting in the infrastructure. But they're effectively a transplanted team, which means they could bugger off for somewhere with bigger money at any time (hey, if they can do it once....). Bromley are the same. All these teams would struggle if the plug gets pulled, as the tangible support of these sides isn't big enough to bail them out should the shit hit. Ask Canvey Island fans. Ask Hornchurch fans. And we can now add Weymouth to the list.
If somebody pulled the plug at AFCW, we would have a difficult season or two but would steady ourselves again pretty quickly. We wouldn't collapse as from what I've seen of other clubs, we are really that strong as an entity. Be honest, if our fanbase can generate £1m within six months, we would be able to repeat that if a major financial crisis hit us. With this in mind, perhaps we ought to be less conservative?
You're now muttering to yourself "he wants to mortgage our future". In many ways, that's exactly what we're doing at the moment. Granted, we're not exactly pleading poverty, but it appears we're taking a bit of a halfway house approach. I can't say we're spending no money (especially if figures of £6k per week are to be believed) but it's apparent it's not nearly enough.
If anything, we could slash the budget by half and still end up 9th in this division. Maybe we need to use the funds a lot better? We know if we went up to the CS we'd have to look at spending more anyway, so why not be bold now?
I've said it before and I'll say it again : the biggest danger AFCW faces is stagnating in the Ryman Premier. Last night, I saw where we wanted to be, with a team doing exactly what is needed. Unfortunately, they weren't wearing blue and yellow. And be honest, weren't you jealous of them?
It's a shame that I'm thinking this right now, it's as though I'm suddenly ignoring every game since Billy Ricky. We have been playing well recently, and as said above in all that time we've had one utter shit 20 minute spell. So I'm not throwing the piss-stained baby out of the stagnant bath water just yet. Even if I sound like I am :)
On reflection, we are still very much in the playoff hunt, with lots of games and lots of points to be won. Only thing is, should we really be hoping to scrape into the playoffs?
Anyway, very briefly:
Plus points: At least we made a fist of it in the second half. DG returning
Minus points: We lost. First 20 minutes. Taking corners as well as a Suzuki Jeep. Defence, as ever, shit.
The referee's a......: To be fair, one of the linesman seemed to know what he was doing.
Them: Conference level outfit, nuff sed. Bloody loads of them turning up as well, even though we took more to a boycotted Ramsgutter game. Which shows not only the very real gulf in actual support between us and everyone else, but also how much of a pisser it is at the on-pitch gulf. Are they as good as Braintree were last season? Hard to say, though I don't recall Braintree pissing all over us.....
Point to ponder: Last night, we had to play JD and SF not quite fully fit, and boy it showed. Perhaps that shows the fundamental difference between the two sides? In more ways than one..
Truth is stranger than fiction: Canveyford bought down their mascot for the evening, a parrot-looking thingy. Seemed to run around a lot, flapping every so often and with occasional lapses in co-ordination. Rumours that he's going to sign for our defence are as yet unconfirmed
Anything else? I had an idle thought last night, and one that isn't entirely joking. Bearing in mind we struggle against teams from Essex, the constant short-termism of the other sides at our expense etc etc, why don't we join the Southern League next season? I believe it's an "easier" league than the Ryman, and they don't seem from the outside nearly so snotty. OK, going to places like Rugby Town and Merthyr Tydfil might be a little way to go, but more importantly they'll have to travel to us. It'll be new grounds aplenty, and might even rekindle the general enthusiasm that has been lost. Historically, it's not as though we're strangers to the Southern League, and best of all we wouldn't have to go to Ramsgutter or Billy Ricky. Really, what's stopping AFCW from doing the right thing...? ;)
So, was it worth it? Cough
In a nutshell: Let's see how many Gravesend will put past us.
7 January 2007
Sometimes, things happen for a reason. If I was to tell you that Rams 1 Taylor Mades 1 may be as season-defining as Bromley was on Wednesday, you would probably de-bookmark this site and send my contact details to the nearest funny farm.
On the surface of it, it's two points dropped in the Most Important Week Of The Season. Cue gnashing, snarling of teeth and calls for DA to go, right? Well, strangely enough, no. Out of the four games in this vital period (Gravesend is a nice end-of-term bonus) this one was always likely to be the fuckup one.
The fact is, we didn't play as well as we can do yesterday. This was certainly no Bromley or Aldershot. When we went 1-0 down, when we hit the post twice in one move, when we over-hit or under-hit set plays, when we just quite do it, you just knew it wasn't going to happen. Same old tales, usual two-steps-forward-one-step-back routine.
But when Darlo's shot inadvertantly hit DG's head and deflect into the net, perhaps that's a sign? Last season, or even a couple of months ago, I would be complaining about how shit everything was, and how horrible it was that we lost. Right now, nobody's complaining too much.
Did Lady Luck much smile on us? At the time, it felt more like unbuttoned she'd the top of her shirt, bent over measuredly and gave us a knowing wink. But to me that was just reward for having to go to the damn venue in the first place.
The actual game itself wasn't too much to write home about, although we did well in the conditions, but there is some other stuff. Read on...
Plus points: We didn't lose. Potential banana skin avoided. DG returning. DG nominally scoring. Kept pressing.
Minus points: We didn't win.
The referee's a........: Fuck me, did he want to get out alive or what? If I'm being polite and neutral, he seemed to let the home side get to him with their vociferous discussions with him. In other words, he shit his pants.
What the papers say: I picked up a copy of the Isle of Thanet Gazette. Here's what was going on with the Margate fun/games. Draw your own conclusions.
On a lighter note, their over-excitable assistant manager Danny Ward supplied us with the quote of the week. I really am saying nothing:
"I thought
[AFCW] were the best side we've played this season. We were holding on by
our fingernails when Shaun Welford went through in the last five minutes and
should have scored.
"I keep reading on websites they're a bit like us - either good or rubbish,
with no in between".
Them: Timewasted about 25 minutes before the end, up to our goal for some strange reason. Their manager and coaching staff were, cough, "over-excited" and their players had a nice little way of intimidating the ref. Miserable ground, miserable atmosphere, Somme-esque pitch. Vastly over-priced refreshments. Shit floodlights. Fans charmingly singing "you'll get a boot wrapped around your head" at us, from behind the safety of a few stewards naturelment. And it's in Kent. All this made DG's goal even sweeter.
To be fair, they
did have the security situation under control this time, and as far as I know
nothing untowards happened afterwards. And had they done this a year ago they
would have had far more of us there. Still, their loss.
EDIT: The crossed out stuff was the original text written on Saturday night. Since I wrote that I found out that one of our photographers was hit in the back by a guy from the home end running 20 yards into the directors box, with the stewards apparently doing/caring fuck all about it. I kept it in to show that I was prepared to give the benefit of the doubt. Quite simply now, I can't be arsed.
I put the newspaper link up above deliberately, and here's why. I'm fed up of Ramsgutter pleading innocence, of "poor old us". I'm fed up of their chairman claiming that people are blackening his club's name. The fact our snapper was unhurt is irrelevant - it was a massive breach of security and directly affected a professional doing his job. We all know what the fallout would be if it was at KM, with an AFCW fan doing the same to the Ramsgutter club photographer.
If the Gutter chairman wants to know why people are having a go at his club, it's because of the incidents at our game last season. It's because of what allegedly happened at Margate. It's potentially serious incidents like yesterday. There is a good reason why Gutter are being victimised. It's because they're cunts.
"But we put in CCTV yesterday and got police in" they will doubtlessly claim. Great. So why did Ramsgate police fuck off half-way during the first half? Does keeping them for 90 minutes cost more? Why was there a more noticable feel of aggression in the second half after they'd gone? Left in the hands of stewards who would probably join in the fighting given half the chance? That's the impression they give me, certainly.
And what of these troublemakers, the Ramsgate ICF (Inbred Cock Farmers)? Don't tell me - they're a tiny minority, they're not real Ramsgate fans. Bollocks. They seem to get about 3-400 regularly, though 200s aren't unusual. And how many of their toxic waste by-products are there? 25? 50? That's not a "tiny minority". Yeah, yeah, I know they're probably hangers on, and they only turn up for the big games. But guilt by association, as it does with every other club with an "element". And again, I bet that their money is quite welcomed. Ooooh, wait, I'm blackening Ramsgutter's name. Fuck off.
Fuck Ramsgutter. Fuck their excuses. Fuck their ground. Fuck their stewards. Fuck their on-the-cheap attitude. Fuck their chairman who goes on about banning people, pleading for leniency and then not allegedly bothering to answer emails from AFCW fans last season. Not your fault, Ramsgate? Course it fucking is. The fact that it was OUR local police contingent that had to chase after the alleged assaulter yesterday says it all. Did the Ramsgutter stewards help? By the sound of it, they were probably laughing their heads off.
And I suppose they'll blame us. They probably think we should just shut up and take it. Yeah, you're right. We're their milk cow, a punchbag for their own inadequacies. Did you know many of them think we're gloryhunters? Ah, I really feel fake for not supporting a tinpot club with tinpot ambitions, who like to be pure and real. Until we come along of course, then they drop their knickers and screw us for our money. I can't wait until we finally get out of this league and leave shit like Ramsgutter behind. Ooooh, I'm being a gloryhunter again. Cunt stains.
As for their hoolies, I think they need to do something more useful with their time. Develop new skills, like learning how to dress unaided, or how to wipe themselves after a shit. Or learn something they've never know before, like who their real fathers are.
The league ought to stop pussyfooting around with Ramsgutter and tell them this - any more trouble and that's it : ground closure and points deduction. If the club won't sort themselves out, the league should do it for them. And if they don't like it, tough shit. Quit their club, sell the ground off for housing as far as I care. I'm certain there'll be plenty of us willing to help lay the first brick....
(and for the record, I am now in two minds whether I want to go back there again. Chances are I will, but that's only because I think it will punish our side. Cutting your nose, and all that. But if I was prepared to accept that promotion may not happen this season, I would kill for it now)
Point to ponder: Is it true that if we beat Chelmsford on Tuesday we go something like second or third?
Truth is stranger
than fiction: (1) The pitch. If the Germans had attempted to invade Britain
in the second world war, and ended up in Ramsgate, Southwood would have been
a big war grave right now. (2) Kent International Airport. Why? It makes Knock
airstrip West of Ireland International airport look like Heathrow. (3)
Big "Keep Out" sign painted on the side of the stand. Hardly a way
to welcome visiting supporters, somehow. (4) How many players called "Schultz"
did Ramsgutter have? Must have been at least nine. Certain the referee was
a relative....
Anything else? Yeah. About 50 Wombles singing "Happy Birthday" to El Presidente himself, Sir Richard of Guy. And take your hat off when you say that name. He looked a bit, well, sheepish...
So, was it worth it? At least I'll never complain about going through Mitcham again.
In a nutshell: Now, these Chelmsford type chappies...
4 January 2007
So, the second game in our Most Important Week Of The Season, and where are we? Well, if the reaction to Mark Goldberg 1 Ron Noades 3 is anything to go by, we've gone from making voodoo dolls of DA to planning our promotion party in May. Well, almost.
While we obviously shouldn't be getting carried away, this was deffo the league performance of the season so far. It feels as though we reached a watershed after Billy Ricky then suddenly it all starts clicking. Passes were made that should have been made. Tackles won. Heads kept. And even one or two goals.
Dare I say we're the Liverpool of the Ryman Premier? No, I don't mean the brother of one of our players allegedly shagging John Terry's mum up the wrong 'un. What I mean is, a crap start is balanced out by almost championship winning form in the second half of the season. We saw it of sorts last season, and it looks like it could be happening this time around.
OK, it's all premature to get all excited. We still have Ramsgutter away, and those sort of games kill us, not the Bromleys. But for this week, let's just relax about it.
Last night felt old skool Wimbledon in so many ways. Going to a ground we've never won at and doing it quite comfortably (let's be honest, it could have been at least 5-1). Pissing rain, and us pissing on them. Oppo fans a bit POed at us, using the two insults they know best (what do you mean, the only two insults they know?). And even a good old fashioned style slagging off of us on Radio Dive Live afterwards, apparently.
Know what I think? Fuck them. There's a real Old Boys feel at times in the Ryman, and I don't just mean in boardrooms either. You can sense it when they slag us off for being "nothing special", or in one or two cases when I've read that they think we've got ideas way above our station*. Funny how they all raise their game at least 30% against us isn't it? And especially funny how they like our money. It's attitudes like that which makes results like last night sweeter. Plenty of people miss the CCL in one way. When we eventually move up (taking our unfeasibly massive bollocks with us), I don't think there'll be so much heartwrenching...
* - for those who like historical context, check this out. There's nothing like progress, eh?
Back to the action. When Roscoe tapped in, after a little bit of a shaky start, it was as though we thought "hey, this lot aren't much cop really". And really, they weren't. I know that Byron Bubb and Barry Moore were on the field, but were they playing? Their player getting sent off for injuring SF made things easier, though if truth be told we were on top anyway. It just felt the penalty (ably converted by Insane) was a bit of just reward.
Second half, as all team with 10 men do, they were a bit better, but even so their goalie still kept the score down. But what summed up last night was this : they scored with 5 minutes to go, and immediately we went up that gear. It was never going to be 2-2 (and would have been such an injustice that they would have ordered the match to be replayed with us having a 3-0 start). Goddard scored, and if he can keep his feet on the ground (not literally), he could be a goodun. In fact, it could have easily been 4-1 at the end.
OK, I should write a bit more. But like you care. Enjoy the rest of it...
Plus points: Winning. Playing well. Controlling for most of the game. Going up a gear as/when needed. Goddard's somersault.
Minus points: Letting a goal in. SF's injury.
The referee's a.......: I dunno. I think "mixed" is the expression.
Them: I admit
it, they're not my favourite team. Don't think anyone notices though. Credit
where it's due though, they seemed a bit better organised than previous visits.
Informal segregation, and quite a few police there last night. Only little
incident I'm aware of was when some stuck up bitch well-to-do Bromley
fan got a bit annoyed with two Wombles behind her talking a bit. Just console
yourself with the knowledge that she's probably mortgaged up to the hilt to
make herself appear better than what she really is - no wonder she was stressed.
As for their team, they seemed far happier counting their money.
Point to ponder: Is there one right now? Apart from "can we keep this going"? I suppose though you could argue the ins/outs of trying to keep hold of SF, and whether or not it's time for a John Fashanu-esque splashout. Can we afford to? Or just as importantly, can we afford not to?
Truth is stranger than fiction: The weather. No further comment necessary.
Anything else? Yeah, I was told about the programme seller(s) being quite popular for some reason. Sadly, I missed them, so any photographs willingly accepted. Nowt wrong with one of the barmaids though......
So, was it worth it? Reliving old-style WFC days? Surely you jest?
In a nutshell: Now watch us lose to Ramsgutter