James Constable

[Jimski]

Eh? Are you talking about the all-seater stuff? That only applies to the top two flights. We haven't been anywhere near that level since the move.

[Snake]

Eh? Are you talking about the all-seater stuff? That only applies to the top two flights. We haven't been anywhere near that level since the move.

It’s triggered as soon as you go there. Dropping down a division or three does not allow you to re-introduce terracing. Not my rules so go and argue with Justice Taylor!

[Hog]

I drove past the Eastleigh FC ground during the week and popped in to remind myself just how poor it is. On their website they are reminding people that as a member of the supporters club (£15 per season with various benefits) you can renew your season ticket for £105 which equates to £4.56 per game. Last season they had an average crowd of about 600. I know Bridle (are believed to) have a few quid behind them but I wonder if EFC can last long enough for Beano to collect his full two years salary?

[OUFC4eva]

By the first week of May,Eastleigh FC had sold 100 season tickets
of which around 40% were new sales.

[Jimski]

Eh? Are you talking about the all-seater stuff? That only applies to the top two flights. We haven't been anywhere near that level since the move.

It’s triggered as soon as you go there. Dropping down a division or three does not allow you to re-introduce terracing. Not my rules so go and argue with Justice Taylor!

That's only true, I believe, if you're starting a fourth season in the top two tiers since August 1994. e.g. Peterborough would have been forced to go all-seater had they been promoted this season, but as it is they don't have to, having spent just the three seasons in the second tier. We fall under the same category, three seasons in the second tier since 1994. (See final paragraph of this article, for example: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26357525)

(It is true though that once you've converted a ground, you can't convert back whatever level you're at.

[Snake]

Eh? Are you talking about the all-seater stuff? That only applies to the top two flights. We haven't been anywhere near that level since the move.

It’s triggered as soon as you go there. Dropping down a division or three does not allow you to re-introduce terracing. Not my rules so go and argue with Justice Taylor!

That's only true, I believe, if you're starting a fourth season in the top two tiers since August 1994. e.g. Peterborough would have been forced to go all-seater had they been promoted this season, but as it is they don't have to, having spent just the three seasons in the second tier. We fall under the same category, three seasons in the second tier since 1994. (See final paragraph of this article, for example: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26357525)

(It is true though that once you've converted a ground, you can't convert back whatever level you're at.

Fulham played in the Prem with terracing so that BBC article is sloppy. Nothing against safe standing at all (I love it), and in fact there are large sections at EVERY top division ground when a blind eye is turned to that rule and for away fans it’s more or less compulsory to use your hind legs.

[Jimski]

Yes, but Fulham were still using up their three years' grace period at the time. They had to convert to all seater for the start of their fourth season in the top two tiers (which was their second Premier League season). It's all completely consistent.

Also *legally* there is no requirement for supporters to sit, just for seats to be provided. The ground regulations can state that you have to sit (i.e. the owners can choose to throw you out), but it's not part of the law (i.e. not a criminal offence to stand).

[recordmeister]

GY, don't forget that in spirit we are Headington United; a team who cynically changed their name in a marketing bid to get into the football league (which worked) so your argument of staying within the city limits is a bit off. If you wanted to be true to the spirit of the club, you should be insisting that we stayed in headington.

Sorry, but that's a daft point. Our name change simply reflected the fact that by that point we had superseded Oxford City as the county's predominant side and as such should have a name that reflected that (Headington being a suburb of Oxford and all that). Implying that it was in some way comparable to MK Dons or similar to what Hull City are doing is frankly beneath you.

KE: I don't recall mentioning MK Dons nor Hull City. I mentioned Man Utd's move to remove their status of 'Football Club' from their badge in order to grow their business; the same reason we changed Headington to Oxford, for the betterment of the club. I also mentioned Woolich Arsenal and their move from one part of a city to another, similar to Headington nee Oxford United's move from their 'home' to elsewhere in their city, also for the betterment of the club.

Your a bright lad, apt at politics, but to misquote me and add in examples such as Hull city and MK Dons, which are not only different to the ones I have used, but represent a different side of football altogether, is beneath you, Sir.

In the papers this would demand a published apology and withdrawal of the comments. But as this is a message board, I'll let it go... ;)

[SmileyMan]

If anyone can fit a fag paper's worth of argument between the cases of [Woolwich] Arsenal and <M.K>[Wimble]don<s> other than "a century ago there weren't self-appointed fans' spokespeople desperate for attention" I'd love to hear it.

Clubs have changed locations, strips, names, grounds and even sports plenty of times over the last two centuries, and all the self-righteous 'anger' that we get about it nowadays is utter bullshit. If you don't like it, buy the club and invest millions in it, then change the name yourself. Or stop watching. Any response between those two is meaningless noise.

[Jimski]

Damned right. Anyone should be allowed to buy up a club, change anything they want about it, treat it as a plaything, saddle it with debt, move it to another town, and when bored close it down if they want to. After all it's theirs. Hell yeah.

[recordmeister]

If anyone can fit a fag paper's worth of argument between the cases of [Woolwich] Arsenal and <M.K>[Wimble]don<s> other than "a century ago there weren't self-appointed fans' spokespeople desperate for attention" I'd love to hear it.

Clubs have changed locations, strips, names, grounds and even sports plenty of times over the last two centuries, and all the self-righteous 'anger' that we get about it nowadays is utter bullshit. If you don't like it, buy the club and invest millions in it, then change the name yourself. Or stop watching. Any response between those two is meaningless noise.

I think there are fundamental differences between moving a team from one side of the same city to another, and moving a club to a totally new location.

[Kairdiff Exile]

If anyone can fit a fag paper's worth of argument between the cases of [Woolwich] Arsenal and <M.K>[Wimble]don<s> other than "a century ago there weren't self-appointed fans' spokespeople desperate for attention" I'd love to hear it.

Clubs have changed locations, strips, names, grounds and even sports plenty of times over the last two centuries, and all the self-righteous 'anger' that we get about it nowadays is utter bullshit. If you don't like it, buy the club and invest millions in it, then change the name yourself. Or stop watching. Any response between those two is meaningless noise.

I think there are fundamental differences between moving a team from one side of the same city to another, and moving a club to a totally new location.

You beat me to it - exactly the point I would make. Moving from one suburb of a city (Headington to Blackbird Leys, or Woolwich to Highbury) is clearly different from moving 60+ miles away (a la Franchise FC).

And RM - quite right to pick me up on your previous post. I think I misunderstood the point you were making and - in my haste to post - conflated it with a seperate discussion in an unrelated thread. Apologies for that.

[slappy]

Going even further off topic, there's the question of a club's history where they've gone bust and/or reformed. Rangers got to keep their records, AFC Wimbledon have taken the old Wimbledon history up to when the club moved to MK. But do MK have a history prior to this date? It was the same players who'd been playing for Wimbledon that moved to MK.

Was there an issue with Gravesend and Northfleet renaming as Ebbsfleet FC?

Should West Ham have moved to the Olympic Park, when this is more Leyton Orient's turf? Four miles doesn't sound very far, but in London I feel that clubs should aim to stay as near as possible to their roots. Rotherham managed to return to their city after the exiled years in Sheffield, Arsenal's Emirates stadium is a few hundred yards from the old ground. AFC Wimbledon's long term aim is a return to Merton.

[SmileyMan]

If anyone can fit a fag paper's worth of argument between the cases of [Woolwich] Arsenal and <M.K>[Wimble]don<s> other than "a century ago there weren't self-appointed fans' spokespeople desperate for attention" I'd love to hear it.

Clubs have changed locations, strips, names, grounds and even sports plenty of times over the last two centuries, and all the self-righteous 'anger' that we get about it nowadays is utter bullshit. If you don't like it, buy the club and invest millions in it, then change the name yourself. Or stop watching. Any response between those two is meaningless noise.

I think there are fundamental differences between moving a team from one side of the same city to another, and moving a club to a totally new location.

13 miles across London, from South East to the North, might as well be 100 miles anywhere else in the country. And done specifically so the owners could attract bigger crowds.

[Snake]

I loved the way (T)otal (N)etwork (S)olutions changed their name to (T)he (N)ew (S)aints.

Anyone on here have any objections when either a ridiculous or unethical company blazes their name across the official club shirt? It’s not compulsory is it but clubs all do it? You can’t even buy a replica top from the club without the sponsor’s name on it!