The myth of Sheffield football

[SheepdipBlade]

I'm a bit torn on this one.

Having loose links with Northwich Victoria, I know how events like this feel to real football fans who have supported a historic club for many generations. As always in today's game it's the fans who take the pain and hurt - not the over-paid players or the fly-by-night board. As Broomhill said at the top of this thread, the real problem lies in the way the entire game is run by the PL and FA.

IMO the best thing for the game would have been Pompey going out of business. Unfortunately that didn't happen and the powers that be can now keep their heads in the sand. Unfortunately for DJ - our Piggy neighbours nowadays carry about as much influence with the FA as do Northwich, and their ending would do little to change the way the game is run. Wed***day are expendable.

I think DJ is probably right in that someone will come in to save his club once the bank agrees on a knock down price to save what it can from the debacle - and the twisted world of football will continue onwards with no regards to the real world where the rest of us have to pay taxes and bills.

However - clubs gaining unfair playing advantages by running up unsustainable debt should be stopped. It's not as if boards can claim ignorance; it's not that these things have never happened before and the Piggy board must have known the game they were playing and the risks they were running.

If it were any other club I'd be happy to just see a points deduction, and to see an unimportant club survive for the benefit of it's fans as it's loss won't change anything. But this is Wed***day and my feelings get twisted by a childhood of barbed put-downs by fans of the "Big Club" - and I dream of what could happen if there was only one club in town. Maybe KMcC's comment about playing in Europe may even come real?!?

Would I be happy to see us play in Europe at the expense of DJs club going out of existance - Too bloody right - and if DJ's honest their fans would feel exactly the same way.

 

[oldblade]

I agree that we should try to keep football clubs in business.

But when they are run in such a way as what is happening at such clubs as Wednesday something HAS to be sorted.

It is cheating the rest of the clubs who are doing as they should.

To pay rich footballers a wage and default on council tax is quite frankly outrageous!

And I seem to recall many Wednesday supporters feeling very hard done by that Crystal Palace stayed up after (in their eyes) cheating by having a squad that they could not really afford and only maintained by welching on payments elsewhere. Now it seems their club are guilty of exactly the same behaviour!

I still wouldn't like to see them go under though.

 

[happyhippy]

I still wouldn't like to see them go under though.

My head agrees with you; my heart couldn't be further away

 

[oldblade]

In regards to us being run as we are, i completely agree.

My exact thought today was if that judge gives us any more time he's a bigger moron than the people who have been running this club. We deserve to be where we are now (not the fans, but the club as a whole). We have had this coming for 10+ years, what difference is 28 days going to make.

While ever the likes of Grierson, Addy and Hully are in charge, we are screwed. The sooner these are gone the better.

It wasn't meant as a post earlier on to rile you guys up, nor to stir or cause hassle for Foxy n Linz, but it's just so frustrating. To be run like we are after spending so much money on them and feeling for them.

I love the rivalry between us, some of you will know it (i've even met a few of you when going to the local for you for a United Match, and i've even had a drink bought for me by Silverfox )

Anyway, hope we get through it, i'm sure we will. Someone will sort us out and one day we'll be decent again. I've said it before and i'll say it again, i would love nothing more than Wednesday and United to be in the Premiership.

RIP SWFC.

ps - any reason why i'm still banned foxy and linz from 99% of the forum

Out of interest, do you think you would be in this position if Mr Allen was still at the helm?

 

[Bridlingt blade]

If they go under who will i hate, when a day is going wrong i can honestly think at least am not a Wednesday fan.

 

[oldblade]

My head agrees with you; my heart couldn't be further away

When we hit our disasterous times of the late 1970s and early 1980s, we were ridiculed mercilessly by their supporters. We were second best in every respect and we were made to feel it in no uncertain terms. Had we gone out of existence at that time, many of their supporters would have celebrated with glee.

People should remember that for most clubs the wheel of footballing fortune can turn very quickly, and a position of invincibility can soon turn to one of impending doom.

With regard to Wednesday's position I look at it as "There but for the grace of God". We have a pretty large debt ourselves, falling attendances, falling revenue and a faltering side. I don't imagine that it would take a great deal to push us into a similar position.

 

[dj_uk_1234]

Out of interest, do you think you would be in this position if Mr Allen was still at the helm?

Definately, in fact i think this would have come out a lot sooner than now.

 

[Mad Mick]

All my life and there's a lot of it, I've enjoyed giving t'pigs some stick. That also includes members of my family that are or have been Wednesdayites. But it will be a sad day if Wednesday are obliterated imho.
I know some people hate the very thought of Wednesday and all they stand for. But nothing compares with a piss up after stuffing the pigs, and it's even better after doing the double. Even if we aren't playing I look at Wednesdays result and it cheers me up no end if they have been stuffed. I hope they survive and we can play more derbies.

 

[Deleted member 1486]

Anything that is bad for them is good for us.

Not too sure about that. Maybe in the long term but in the short term I can't imagine our gates/income suddenly rocketing. If the situations were reversed would you suddenly start going to the sty? I know for a fact I wouldn't. We'd maybe pick up a few fans but I'd bet my bottom dollar a FC Wednesday or something will be created from the ashes from the hardcore fans (Wimbledon style) and the other Sheffield non-league teams will see a (comparatively) larger attendance.

 

[Selly]

Good call Foxy.

However, although I don't necessarily disagree with dj. I have a loathing right now of what they have tried to do and what they are still doing.

This.

It annoys the hell out of me that clubs like Chester are going to the wall for the sake of 50k, and yet clubs like Portsmouth, Cardiff and, yes, Wednesday, are able to continue on as if nothing happened, and get chance after chance.

I'd relegate clubs who end up in admin 2 divisions. It's the only way that the directors will start thinking about what they are doing.

Fact is that pompey paid 20p in the £ to St Johns, Local schools etc, and then signed Liam Lawrence on 20k/week. THAT IS NOT RIGHT. They wouldn`t be in a spoition to do that if they were playing in L2 now would they???

 

[DP8789]

My dads a self employed joiner, he's not had the busiest of years but he's paid bills and done his tax returns, if he didnt he'd lose his house, which would make it impossible for him to get another one and get a criminal record if he didnt pay his taxes! Its an absolute disgrace that this is going on, they should just sell their assests and make them pay all of the money, never mind bloody 7mill settlements and 1.5mil for 10% of shares but no interest repayments. They should have to pay the whole lot, every penny. we wouldnt get away with this and neither sufc.

And those tools, nick clegg and the blind bloke should keep their noses out of it and worry more and the financial state of our country and not those morons. Its wound me up to my bones that they havent paid their taxes and yet the players get theirs, especially when so many people are out of work, the 1.5 mill in tax they owe could pay for nearly 7000 peoples job seekers or incapacity benefits.

They wear that sponsor on their shirt, yet the dont pay the money that used to benefit those places, disgraceful. They owe council tax and money to other local business', their irresponsible workings could not only ruin them but others who may be reliant upon their business.

let them burn and build a tescos at their training ground and flats out of that death trap they call a ground. DISGRACE.

 

[Yossarian]

Blimey. That's a bit strong. But I'm inclined to agree.

 

[alcoblade]

Not too sure about that. Maybe in the long term but in the short term I can't imagine our gates/income suddenly rocketing. If the situations were reversed would you suddenly start going to the sty? I know for a fact I wouldn't. We'd maybe pick up a few fans but I'd bet my bottom dollar a FC Wednesday or something will be created from the ashes from the hardcore fans (Wimbledon style) and the other Sheffield non-league teams will see a (comparatively) larger attendance.

The take up would be slow, agreed. But over 5 years I could see 5K added to our gates. A few (not many) would turn. The uptake would be young blood. If the 5K were enough to give us sme success, it could become 10K, etc etc.

It's purely academic anyway. They wont go out of business.

UTB

 

[BladeFisher]

Agree with that. Personally I'd like to see Wednesday in the Conference. Don't know if it will happen though.