You don't get passion like this in pro cycling

rick_chasey

http://www.darlofc.co.uk/forum/viewtopi ... 20#p194184

Some post.

For those of you not sure of the context, Darlington (football team) are circling the drain...

martinwitnam

I've just looked at the link posted and thought what a fantastic format for a forum.
No adverts. No pop ups. Just like this forum used to be. When it was good!

GiantMike

I don't understand this kind of passion. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, just that I don't understand it.

This kind of passion comes from regionalism and a desire to have [insert team name] do well. It's not about the players, and most fans would happily see their players swapped for much better ones who would improve the club's chances. And that's a bit like wanting to have different kids so you look better at the school sports day.

It was different in the old days when a team meant something because it was made up of locals.

Bobbinogs

[rant]
I have zero sympathy for football clubs that either go bust or are on the brink of it. Any business that has a wage bill of 85% of revenue is always going to be in trouble. I use the term 'business' correctly although a lot of fans think that a club is about more than that...perhaps they should talk to the players, the vast majority of whom don't even know what club they are playing for.

Wayne Rooney: "I'm leaving Utd...what's that?? Double my salary to over £200 grand a week, basic, plus win bonuses and image rights?? ...I'm staying, I love this club". The fans still all chant his name as though he is some kind of superhero. Sums up modern football for me.

[/rant]

pb21

I also find it slightly strange.

If Darlington does go bust, what’s to stop another new club starting up called Darlington and all their existing fans all supporting this new club.

The club only exists collectively in the minds of the supporters. I remember a joke from Only Fools and Horses, by Trigger I think, he said he had the same broom for 20 years or something, but during that time it had four different handles and five different heads.

CyclingBantam

Bobbinogs wrote:

[rant]
I have zero sympathy for football clubs that either go bust or are on the brink of it. Any business that has a wage bill of 85% of revenue is always going to be in trouble. I use the term 'business' correctly although a lot of fans think that a club is about more than that...perhaps they should talk to the players, the vast majority of whom don't even know what club they are playing for.

Wayne Rooney: "I'm leaving Utd...what's that?? Double my salary to over £200 grand a week, basic, plus win bonuses and image rights?? ...I'm staying, I love this club". The fans still all chant his name as though he is some kind of superhero. Sums up modern football for me.

[/rant]

This is the thing that winds me up though. Football isn't about the likes of Man United, Wayne Rooney etc, that level of 'football' died years ago. Real football is about the lower divisions and non league where fans DO have a connection with the club.

I watch Bradford week in week out and you are part of the club, you meet the players around the town, talk to them and they are normally more nervous about talking to you than vice versa. These smaller clubs generate a community, a reason for a town or City to be proud and that is a great thing. Absolutely clubs make mistakes and suffer financial difficulties but these are not reasons to think the clubs are faceless businesses.

The Premier League and the rest of football are totally different things.

Yossie

CyclingBantam wrote:

Bobbinogs wrote:

[rant]
I have zero sympathy for football clubs that either go bust or are on the brink of it. Any business that has a wage bill of 85% of revenue is always going to be in trouble. I use the term 'business' correctly although a lot of fans think that a club is about more than that...perhaps they should talk to the players, the vast majority of whom don't even know what club they are playing for.

Wayne Rooney: "I'm leaving Utd...what's that?? Double my salary to over £200 grand a week, basic, plus win bonuses and image rights?? ...I'm staying, I love this club". The fans still all chant his name as though he is some kind of superhero. Sums up modern football for me.

[/rant]

This is the thing that winds me up though. Football isn't about the likes of Man United, Wayne Rooney etc, that level of 'football' died years ago. Real football is about the lower divisions and non league where fans DO have a connection with the club.

I watch Bradford week in week out and you are part of the club, you meet the players around the town, talk to them and they are normally more nervous about talking to you than vice versa. These smaller clubs generate a community, a reason for a town or City to be proud and that is a great thing. Absolutely clubs make mistakes and suffer financial difficulties but these are not reasons to think the clubs are faceless businesses.
The Premier League and the rest of football are totally different things.

Agree 100% - the P/L is fantasy football (although I do follow a certain west London club, but less and less so each week as I get more and more disillusioned with the abysmal shenanigans of P/L footballers and their egotistical self centered stuck their own backsides lives).

I used to have to live in Crewe - the days of watching the Alex at Gresty Road followed by a bag of chips and a fush cake and a few pints in the Earl with Dario G are well remembered. The amount of times I've queued up in Asda with the players and had a laugh - I don't think you'd find that at Moan U somehow ......

CiB

Well it was all going magnificently till we hit this train crash of a grammatical error - "wave your scarf’s one last time". Come on man; it's scarves, not scarf's. That's it. I'm blowed if I'm going to Barrow now.
</irony>
V Good.

CiB

pb21 wrote:

I also find it slightly strange.

If Darlington does go bust, what’s to stop another new club starting up called Darlington and all their existing fans all supporting this new club.

Maybe AFC Wimbledon could pop up to take their place, much like the last lot at Wimbledon gave up the ghost and resurfaced as the MK Dons soon afterwards.

andy46

There's been quite a bit about this in the local papers and news, I for one hope they can get this sorted before it's too late.

I don't really follow football (I used to as a schoolboy) but I do like to see Darlington do well. It must be with them being local.

One other thing which was in todays Northern Echo, these players are not on an amazing amount of money. They are on around £200 a week. I'd like to see a Premier League player perform on them kind of wages.

There's more about it here http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/9 ... home_game/

It seems the club doesn't own the stadium or the ground its built on.

Frank the tank

Bobbinogs wrote:

[rant]
I have zero sympathy for football clubs that either go bust or are on the brink of it. Any business that has a wage bill of 85% of revenue is always going to be in trouble. I use the term 'business' correctly although a lot of fans think that a club is about more than that...perhaps they should talk to the players, the vast majority of whom don't even know what club they are playing for.

Wayne Rooney: "I'm leaving Utd...what's that?? Double my salary to over £200 grand a week, basic, plus win bonuses and image rights?? ...I'm staying, I love this club". The fans still all chant his name as though he is some kind of superhero. Sums up modern football for me.

[/rant]

Sorry mate, premiership football is about as relevent to non-league as the TdF is to local cyclo-X.

I support my local club Hucknall Town FC and we came very close to going bust in the summer due to financial mis-management over several years and (it was an unpaid tax bill, bang out of order, everyone/business should pay their dues) the thing is the club was in danger of going bust and the supporters were prepared to do whatever was required to keep the club solvent by doing whatever was required. I'VE BEEN GOING DOWN THERE 30 YEARS it is in my blood, my soul. The chairman, manager, players mix with us after games the fans of both teams stand together and have "banter" it's about community,brotherhood, it's a different being to the prawn sandwich super-rich that drive the top tier. We have our ups and downs and moan like censored but it's our team, it's my team and if they were to die part of myself would.

Ben6899

Great post, Frank.

Anyone not involved with football at that kind of level - Unibond, North Counties etc - is really missing out on something. In my humble opinion.

Yossie

Agree with both of the above 100% - I take my 2 1/2 year old son down to every home game at our local non league team - if we have the car for the afternoon we also headoff as following support.

We chill out, laugh at the crapness of the game, banter with the opposition fans (who generally just ply him with sweets) and all head off at the end having a really good natured bicker.

It's a great afternoon, great father/son bonding and much more entertaining than watching 99% of Premiership games.

Utterly different levels skill wise obviously, but for entertainment (ie as in crying with laughter/shock at appalling technique, yet another shot taking out the window of a car in the car park, collar bone breaking high tackle) count me in at my local please.

Ben6899

Yossie wrote:

Agree with both of the above 100% - I take my 2 1/2 year old son down to every home game at our local non league team - if we have the car for the afternoon we also headoff as following support.

We chill out, laugh at the crapness of the game, banter with the opposition fans (who generally just ply him with sweets) and all head off at the end having a really good natured bicker.

It's a great afternoon, great father/son bonding and much more entertaining than watching 99% of Premiership games.

Utterly different levels skill wise obviously, but for entertainment (ie as in crying with laughter/shock at appalling technique, yet another shot taking out the window of a car in the car park, collar bone breaking high tackle) count me in at my local please.

It sounds like we're talking slightly different levels of non-league, Yossie, but all you said still stands!

Frank, ever followed HTFC to Frickley?

rick_chasey

Yossie wrote:

Agree with both of the above 100% - I take my 2 1/2 year old son down to every home game at our local non league team - if we have the car for the afternoon we also headoff as following support.

We chill out, laugh at the crapness of the game, banter with the opposition fans (who generally just ply him with sweets) and all head off at the end having a really good natured bicker.

It's a great afternoon, great father/son bonding and much more entertaining than watching 99% of Premiership games.

Utterly different levels skill wise obviously, but for entertainment (ie as in crying with laughter/shock at appalling technique, yet another shot taking out the window of a car in the car park, collar bone breaking high tackle) count me in at my local please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... NeRoSFZWbs

Frank the tank

Ben6899 wrote:

Yossie wrote:

Agree with both of the above 100% - I take my 2 1/2 year old son down to every home game at our local non league team - if we have the car for the afternoon we also headoff as following support.

We chill out, laugh at the crapness of the game, banter with the opposition fans (who generally just ply him with sweets) and all head off at the end having a really good natured bicker.

It's a great afternoon, great father/son bonding and much more entertaining than watching 99% of Premiership games.

Utterly different levels skill wise obviously, but for entertainment (ie as in crying with laughter/shock at appalling technique, yet another shot taking out the window of a car in the car park, collar bone breaking high tackle) count me in at my local please.

It sounds like we're talking slightly different levels of non-league, Yossie, but all you said still stands!

Frank, ever followed HTFC to Frickley?

I've been to loads of places with town, being honest I've never had the particular "pleasure" of Frickley as we were formed out of the old Hucknall COLLIERY welfare club the supporters have not always been given the warmest of welcomes due to a certain miners strike.

griffsters

I remember going to Darlo on a wet Tuesday night as a Rochdale fan many, many moons ago. Its sad to hear they are in such strife, it could so easily be The Dale in that position one day. I can totally understand the passion, and the sadness surrounding their problems. Good luck to them.

NervexProf

Fans raise £50k!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012 ... saved-fans

briantrumpet

pb21 wrote:

I remember a joke from Only Fools and Horses, by Trigger I think, he said he had the same broom for 20 years or something, but during that time it had four different handles and five different heads.

The 'joke' is much older than that.. And it's not really a joke, if you're a philosopher. But then, I don't know if philosophers really do jokes.

Stone Glider

When you take the 'passion' away it all turns into a sordid story about property speculation. The supporters may rue the loss of the £50K if it all goes down the drain and the inevitable is postponed for only three weeks. £50K would have been a useful sum to set up a 'Phoenix' club based back at the original ground?