Rage Online

&quotAncient Colin&quot wrote:Can anyone think of a precedent where a successful appeal altered the make up of play-off or promotion?

I am sure our friends down at Slumdon can remember one...

I am pretty certain I remember them going all the way to Wembley and winning the play-offs for promotion to the premiership before having it gloriously snatched from their grasp by the Football League.

&quotSteMerritt&quot wrote:dumpdon

haha like the swear filter being applied on that!!!! I have never tried to enter 'Slumdon' before so didn't know that would happen!!!

&quotAncient Colin&quot wrote:I know I am one of the world's great pessimists, but I can't help feeling that, once the play off lineups are set after Sunday, there is no way that the FA will intervene and there is, realistically, no time for any legal action before they start. Can anyone think of a precedent where a successful appeal altered the make up of play-off or promotion?

Realistically, there has been no chance of there being any adjustment to the penalties applied for a number of weeks now.

Even with three or four games to go, changing our total would have caused uproar amongst other playoff chasers, whereas doing anything now or after the weekend would lead to all kinds of complaints from teams who went into games under the impression that one set of results would allow them to acheive the playoffs, only to find that they were not good enough.

Any intervention by the FA needed to have happened a month or more back, at which stage the full extent of the incompetence with which this whole issue has been handled had not come out. Had they known then what we know now, then they might have stepped in, but there is no way they can step in now without causing more uproar.
In short, Lee could now admit that the Hutch issue was known about in August and the points totals for this season would not be changed!!!

The best we can hope for (apart from being promoted despite his efforts) is for Brian Lee i sremoved from his position and someone with an ounce of professionalism put in his place.
I'd like to believe that any points deemed unfairly docked by an FA/independent review could be awarded at the beginning of next season, but I suspect that would never be allowed either.

Basically, Lee's whitewash has succeeded in dragging the whole affair beyond a point of no return leaving us the victims, regardless of any future developments...... sorry!

&quotSteMerritt&quot wrote:

&quotAncient Colin&quot wrote:Can anyone think of a precedent where a successful appeal altered the make up of play-off or promotion?

I am sure our friends down at dumpdon can remember one...

I am pretty certain I remember them going all the way to Wembley and winning the play-offs for promotion to the premiership before having it gloriously snatched from their grasp by the Football League.

Sunderland were promoted to old first division as losing play-off finalists, and Shrewsbury to old 2nd division as losing div3 play-off finalists.

An interesting set of precedents

&quotGodalmingYellow&quot wrote:

&quotBaboo&quot wrote:

&quotGodalmingYellow&quot wrote:[
If I were Kelvin Thomas now, I would be on the phone to my solicitors, Brian Lee, The FA and everyone else involved to have the points reinstated immediately.

The story is getting worse by the day.

Yes, there has to be an angle somewhere doesn't there.

Here's a tip for Brian - give all deducted points back, immediately resign, leave the country, assume a new identity and never go within 100 miles of anything to do with football again.

100 miles?

Can't we get him on the ExoMars Mission?

I was trying to be kind.

&quotMooro&quot wrote:[
Even with three or four games to go, changing our total would have caused uproar amongst other playoff chasers, whereas doing anything now or after the weekend would lead to all kinds of complaints from teams who went into games under the impression that one set of results would allow them to acheive the playoffs, only to find that they were not good enough.

So what if there is uproar. There deserves to be uproar.
We went into games with Hutch in the team under the impression that the points won would be safely banked.

Yes, what exactly would the other teams complain about? &quotThey won and drew more games than us, it's not fair that they get a playoff place.&quot

Not going to get a lot of sympathy from your average footie fan, that.

What is really sickening is the way that they have kicked this into the long grass. We now know:

1. There was never a written review with clearly stated aims and conclusions, just a cosy set of chats between Lee and the chairmen of Burton and Southport. They took from November to March to cover up as much as possible and protect their own positions. It is significant that Crawley, seen by Burton as the biggest threat to their promotion challenge at the time were initially unfairly punished by deducting extra points for substitute appearances, unlike the the other 3 clubs.

2. The Conference Board never discussed or approved the change away from a tried and tested player registration system to the farce of the random spot check system. This was done by Dennis Strudwick and his staff and only discovered when the shit hit the fans in November. No club was ever informed of the change of procedures.

This clearly demonstrates that not only had the competition been administered with staggering incompetence but the resulting mess has been investigated in a dishonest way by people who had a vested interest in keeping the status quo. The fact that this has come to light so late in the season should not prevent a proper investigation and a just settlement for the unfairly punished clubs.

&quotSideshow Rob&quot wrote:What is really sickening is the way that they have kicked this into the long grass. We now know:

1. There was never a written review with clearly stated aims and conclusions, just a cosy set of chats between Lee and the chairmen of Burton and Southport. They took from November to March to cover up as much as possible and protect their own positions. It is significant that Crawley, seen by Burton as the biggest threat to their promotion challenge at the time were initially unfairly punished by deducting extra points for substitute appearances, unlike the the other 3 clubs.

2. The Conference Board never discussed or approved the change away from a tried and tested player registration system to the farce of the random spot check system. This was done by Dennis Strudwick and his staff and only discovered when the shit hit the fans in November. No club was ever informed of the change of procedures.

This clearly demonstrates that not only had the competition been administered with staggering incompetence but the resulting mess has been investigated in a dishonest way by people who had a vested interest in keeping the status quo. The fact that this has come to light so late in the season should not prevent a proper investigation and a just settlement for the unfairly punished clubs.

There is also the major issue that the conference is not a fair competition due to the invovlement of Weymouth. So not only did we lose 5 points on our rivals, but they also we're basically gifted 3 points by the fact each of them still had a game left against weymouth. So really there is an 8 point difference between us and our rivals. Which would mean we were going in to tomorrows game with a chance to knock Burton off the top spot...!

Excellent post from BarryA on the Bognor FC message board.

http://bognorfc.proboards.com/index.cgi ... hread=1336

&quotYellow River&quot wrote:Excellent post from BarryA on the Bognor FC message board.

http://bognorfc.proboards.com/index.cgi ... hread=1336

A very good post indeed, can somebody send it to club please.

An excellent summary.

&quotA-Ro&quot wrote:

&quotYellow River&quot wrote:Excellent post from BarryA on the Bognor FC message board.

http://bognorfc.proboards.com/index.cgi ... hread=1336

A very good post indeed, can somebody send it to club please.

You can!

The inconsitency with which rules have been applied (or not) and he utter lack of transparency suggests a prima facie case for judicial review on the basis that natural justice has been denied .

&quotScience Parker&quot wrote:The inconsitency with which rules have been applied (or not) and he utter lack of transparency suggests a prima facie case for judicial review on the basis that natural justice has been denied .

Except judicial reviews only apply to the powers of a government authority - not a tin pot football competition.