You may take our clubs................

Over the past couple of weeks, the FC Forum has been visited by fans of Crawley Town regarding the situation there. Basically the club was taken over by two brother and has been run into the ground. Basically they have:
- sacked the most successful manager in the club's long and proud history
- sacked dedicated office staff
- A tribunal declared four dismissals were illegal and the SA Group failed to even attend the hearings
- the club slashed the wage budget in half and incurred a three-point deduction for bringing the Football Conference into disrepute
- Having gone into administration, the club have also incurred a ten-point penalty for next season
- the financial problems have caused great anguish to players and their young families, as well as to fans
- the club's public relations are at rock bottom, with supporters continually being fed mistruths
- Known SA Group heavies have attempted to threaten a teenage fan who was organising a democratic protest against their regime
- while the players and fans suffer, the Majeeds have purchased a new £350k sports car and announced plans for new nightclubs and restaurants
This comes on the heels of what happened to the fans of Wimbledon, Manchester United, Wrexham etc etc. (I know there are more, these used to show the point.) Whilst these are all different situations, all have their merits and should be supported by people who have the interests of the future of football at heart.
The direction the game seems to be taking, is all too familiar, people are seeing football as a cash cow, whether they are from the USA or from the local community. Clubs are being run down to the ground, grounds are being sold for profit for club owners, profitable clubs are being put into debt and the fans are being expected to pay that off. Basically the fans are being sold down the river.
Its time to fight back, AFC Wimbledon, FC United etc are proof that things can be done, the status quo can be changed and the fans will only take so much before they start to act and fight back.
The revolution has begun people and it will not be televised.
Please support the Crawley Town situation and sign the below petition, it may make some difference, it may not, but the more people who sign it, the more it shows that the fans won't take this stuff lying down.
Sign the petition Support the Crawley Town fans

BBc Photographer of the year

Vote Here people!!!
There are 2 of FCs budding photographers shortlisted. The photos in question are nos 2 and 11.
Please vote for one of them.
Pretty please.
Pretty please with sugar on top.

Blah Blah Blah

Well we are into the 2nd week of the World Cup series championship(sponsored by Vodaweiser) or whatever its called and to be honest the football has been decent. Apart from England. Though that is no suprprise. Is it?
Anyway, there has been one thing that has really got on my goat. The bloody know nothing, smug presenters and pundits. You know the ones, the guy (and girls) who go on a jolly up for 4 weeks at our expense to give us their "expert" views on the matches we are watching.
The BBC has wheeled out the usuals, Lineker, Hansen, Lawrenson, O'Neill, Wright, each one with as little to say as each other, but with a lovely line in dodgy jokes (Ol Big ears dig at Poland invading Germany being a particular fave of mine.) Though to be honest, O'Neil gave me the biggest laugh so far, when in mid flow, he just stopped having totally lost what he was saying. He was floundering around for about 30 secs, before finally giving up the ghost. And don't start me on Wright and Crookes, they could have a blog on their own. As for Motson and Pearce, don't think I need to say anything else on those two.
As for ITV, well they have really pulled out the stops. Poaching Steve Rider from BBC seems to have made him even more pompous as he was before, and it has proven that, despite having a footballer dad, Gabby doesn't actually know much about the game. El Tel seems to be turning more and more golden by the day, and that includes his hair, and as for the insightful views of Gareth Southgate and Stuart Pearce, well I am glad I am aint a blue or a smoggie. Big Sam hasn't been too bad to be honest, though you know he is itching to get out there and tell John Terry to get the ball up to Crouch at every opportunity. Then again, did you see how tight his trousers were during one of the England games (I didn't to be honest, I saw it mentioned on another site.)
Though ITV excelled themselves during the OZ v Brazil game, when they brought on Shane Warne for his expert views. SHANE WARNE for Gods sake, who next, Alf Stewart (Kewell you bloody galah!!!), Lou Carpenter and Harold Bishop, Kylie, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo? I mean come on....
It just makes me pine for the days of Big Ron, I say bring him back now!!

Manchester...so much to answer for..

10 years ago today, The IRA blow up the largest bomb on mainland Britain since the war in Manchester. Whilst there was many injuries, no one was killed. Since that day, the city has gone through great change, some for the better some not. But one thing that stood out was the spirit of the Manchester people to say "Fuck you, you may have blown our city centre to pieces, but you will never beat us, we will rise" (Well maybe no-one apart from Alan Partridge will probably have said that, but you get my drift), but that is the one great thing about our city, you can do as you like, but if you try to take the piss, you will lose. Simple as.
From the reformists at Peterloo, to Pankhurst, through to the IRA bomb and the Glazer takeover, the spirit of Manchester has always been to fight for what you believe to be right, not to give in, to stand up and be counted. FC United and the continued fight for United is further proof of that.
So be proud of what you are doing. In fact a quote that I saw on Red Issue this morning sums it up perfectly
"Manchester has always been a bit of a revolutionary place and FCUM is just another step in the History of Manchester and how the people in Manchester will only be pushed around so far before they start pushing back."
Come the day people.....come the day............

Dearly beloved

There has much debate (some would say mass) recently about who should and shouldn't be welcomed to FC United games. It has often been said that we are a broad church but how broad is broad.
Should the crowd just be made up of ex and current MUFC matchgoers, any football fans who buy into it as long as they aren't scouse, ciddy or lids, or do the Gigg gates get flung open and all let in (the jibbers amongst us would be happy with that!!)
To be honest, there is merit in all 3.
The club was set up by "disaffected and disenfranchised Manchester United supporters" and so, there is a sound argument that that is what the crowd should be made up of. That's all well and good, but that rather limits the potential for future crowds. The 2nd also has merit. Surely any football fan who agrees with the ideals and principles of FC should be welcome to watch the shirts (and there are more than you think, that agree with it all) but of course, coming from a MUFC background, some things transend this, and standing next to a scouser or lids fan should fill us with dread and loathing. Of course this is true, but how do you know the background of the guy standing next to you at the Bar in the Pack Horse. Lets remember that one of our regular matchgoers comes from the wrong end of the A580, ok he is a red (and a sound guy to boot) but if you had never met him before and didn't know his background, you would hear him speak and would probably be quick to judge him.
The 3rd is the one causing most concern and debate, that anyone should be allowed onto the hallowed terraces of Gigg. This would include haters of M16. There are two sides to this, that as our doors are open to all, they should be welcome as long as they buy into the ideals of the club and leave their hatred and predjudice at home. The other side is that they should never be welcome and should stay away. I would say there are two ways of looking at this.
a) If someone has some much hatred for all things United, they wouldn't give it time of day anyway.
b) If they do come along, and shall we say, don't exactly play along to our rules (remember our club, our rules), then maybe a little "self policing" could be used.
And the upshot of all this?
Well there is no right or wrong answer to be honest, and as long as that is the case, the debate will rumble on and on.
Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.