Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2008 18:22:27 GMT
It's all in the Non League Paper today....
Northwich Victoria owe the tax authorities £300,000 and face a winding-up hearing in January. "No crisis" insists the chairman.
Add Rob Matthews - off to Havant and Waterlooville - to that list of Salisbury departures.
Meanwhile deeper in Hardy's Wessex, Eddie Mitchell (Dorchester chairman) is giving the line that the Weymouth merger is a done deal. Not sure if 2+2 is making 4 or 5 on this one, but the NLP says Mitchell will only continue funding Dorchester if gates double. This means hoping to pick up 400-500 Weymouth supporters should the merger happen.
Yes, the Dorchester ground couldn't be better located for Weymouth people (other than being in Weymouth of course) but it's a big ask to expect the supporters of the larger club to do the travelling - remember Weymouth's crowds are usually 2-4 times those of Dorchester.
To have any hope of making it really "take off" (whatever that might mean to whom) somebody has to provide someone else with something they've not had before. In other words, a place in the Football League. This will cost a fair few bob and would need gates at Dorchester to quadruple. Or are we talking about a slightly-bigger Dorchester club yo-yoing between the Conference South and Conference National?
The trouble here is distinguishing between what's best and the respective agendas of a pair of challenging chairmen. It's a fair expectation that a "fan's club" would be formed in Weymouth - AFC Weymouth, Weymouth Town, Weymouth Olympic or whatever - which (if a pitch was available) could slice off 500+ fans. Good Luck to them!
Meanwhile in the Midlands, we have the possible merger between Bromsgrove Rovers (playing in the Southern League Midland Division) and Redditch (Conference North). Apparently Bromsgove are only keen if the new club is known as Bromsgrove Rovers and plays in Bromsgrove as a member of Conference North. Brilliant!
And, elsewhere in the NLP, a warning from the chairman of Solihull Moors that mergers can be tricky. Solihull Borough (Southern Midlands) and Moor Green (Conference North) ground-shared and then merged. Two clubs into one - and the gates are down 33% on last season.
|
|
Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Nov 30, 2008 18:38:00 GMT
Barton, you have on one hand the owner of Weymouth, who would be more than happy for the clubs to merge. It solves all his problems what to do with the club.
His only real interest is selling the ground and plans are in place for new industrial units to be built there. Saves him having to find Weymouth a new home, no costs to build any new stadium, for him a dream come true.
Dorchester's ground is only on a 5 Min's drive on a good day, but while a new road has been approved between Dorchester and Weymouth, the current one is often a traffic nightmare.
You can see why the Dorchester chairman would welcome such a merger, it could get his club where we wants it. Not sure about the 500 you say could be sliced of the gate, if a AFC Weymouth, was formed, as you will know the biggest problem would be finding a pitch to even play on.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2008 19:02:04 GMT
Yes, the lack of a suitable pitch for a new club in Weymouth could be crucial to what may or may not happen. If the Dorchester bloke knows this he could be on to a better deal than might otherwise be the case.
The irony is that fans will travel when it is their choice - look at the new Scarborough club playing in Bridlington which is a far more tortuous trip than Weymouth to Dorchester. In a different set of circumstances you could almost imagine a new Weymouth club as tenants - albeit reluctant ones - at Dorchester.
I guess the main options might be Bridport which is a pig of a journey (unless you're a tourist) or - without forgetting your previous posting - Portland United (which looked decent when I was there). Checking the books, Weymouth's other relatively senior clubs - Chickerell United and Weymouth Sports - both play at Weymouth College which possibly reflects the shortage of venues.
Isn't it strange that, if things had gone wrong at Plainmoor, a Torquay Town (or whatever) could now have moved to Coach Road? I would have taken that.
|
|
merse
TFF member
Posts: 2,684
|
Post by merse on Nov 30, 2008 20:29:47 GMT
To have any hope of making it really "take off" (whatever that might mean to whom) somebody has to provide someone else with something they've not had before. In other words, a place in the Football League. This will cost a fair few bob and would need gates at Dorchester to quadruple. Or are we talking about a slightly-bigger Dorchester club yo-yoing between the Conference South and Conference National?  However it's dressed up, it amounts to Dorchester taking over Weymouth..................mergers are only true mergers when both parties bring something to the table. What are Weymouth bringing? Some fans that's all and I wouldn't bet on there being too many of them getting all starry eyed over being taken over by their "junior" neighbours. As far as Weymouth and professional football in the town is concerned it seems almost curtains - the club has been appallingly run for years, and Dorchester is just sleepy old Dorchester; a cracking little set up with just a bunch of wurzels to draw on as potential punters.................they'd be better off putting on tractor pulling in that area! Messrs Mitchell and Curtis ARE property developers first and foremost and will only be in it with realisation of assets in mind, if the two communities fail, and consistently fail; to produce a business like working party and thus boards of directors to take their individual clubs on then they will lose them. If communities consistently fail to produce bodies of football minded people who are capable of behaving in a business like way (such as having the vision to construct a business model that will support the loss making venture of professional football in towns that do not provide sufficient fiscal support) then they can have no choice nor voice little dissent when the only people prepared to put their money where their mouths are turn out to be property developers. |
|
Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Nov 30, 2008 20:39:42 GMT
We had one such property person take over TUFC merse and many supported him, its far to easy to blame local people for clubs falling into the wrong hands. We just need to feel how lucky we are, that we are owned by people who are real fans like us.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2008 17:29:53 GMT
To bring this thread up-to-date, Eddie Mitchell the Dorchester chairman called off the "merger" about ten days ago. Tellingly, Dorchester's secretary had voiced his concerns the day before. Mitchell is now asking the local community to raise £20,000 quickly to keep the squad together. The team has won its last three games but crowds have now slipped under 400.
"Over the Ridgeway" at Weymouth, today's Dorset Echo reports "provisional but positive" discussions over the club's future btween chairman Malcolm Curtis, ex-director Dave Higson and Terras Trust representatives. There will be no further statement until discussions reach a conclusion. Over the weekend Curtis had warned the end was nigh.
Earlier, Curtis's critical comments about John Hollins were condemned by all and sundry. Last week's NLP found plenty of recent ex-Weymouth players prepared to speak on Hollins' behalf. Curtis has also complained of lack of support from the community following the 800 crowd against Oxford.
According to the NLP, this week's basket case - it always seems to find one - is Lewes which is, apparently, facing administration. Sounds like the club is available for £150,000 so long as buyers are prepared to take on loans worth £235,000.
I've a lot of time for the NLP but it doesn't always get things right. For instance, this week's story about Truro City - and how "vandals" recently stole advertsing boards - omits to say the police won't be investigating because it's considered to be a "civil matter". Now that's a story that may run and run...
|
|
Dave
TFF member
Posts: 13,081
|
Post by Dave on Dec 16, 2008 19:06:24 GMT
As you may know Barton I'm call in Weymouth twice a week and drive along the coast road from Bridport to Weymouth. My drive takes me through Portesham, as you will know that by turning at Portesham you can head for Martinstown and come across Hardy's monument. It is open to the public and is a National Trust site and I have been to see it before. I always believed it was for Hardy the poet, but it seems this is not the case, or so it says on this site. Yes hardy the poet came from Dorset, but the monument is for admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy , same name different man. www.weymouth-pictures.co.uk/dor/sth/bla/pic_hardysmonument.htm |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2008 22:24:48 GMT
Yes, as in "kiss me, Hardy" - or "kismet Hardy". Like yourself, Dave I'd assumed Thomas Hardy until I visited the monument fifteen odd years ago. Fantastic views.
Here's a question: when you travel through Dorset when do you feel you are leaving the West Country? Lyme Regis is in the West Country, I reckon, but certainly not Poole.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2008 12:11:08 GMT
I was at Taunton Town on Wednesday night to see an entertaining game against Windsor and Eton (1-3).
Another poor crowd (102) and further player departures - including the captain to Bridgwater (somes referred to as "Bilgewater" in those parts) - as a result of the proverbial "cut in the playing budget". Judging by the financial director's programme notes, the club was none too happy when the local press described it as "cash strapped".
Well, you could say it's a pleasant change for the local media to pay the Town more attention than the Tuesday night skittles league - there's a malicious rumour the club plays on Wednesdays because the secretary skittles on a Tuesday - and it's certainly brought transparency to the table: The paper was wrong to say we are cash strapped but, yes, we don't have any money.
One revelation is that £195 of the limited income from a recent game went towards the referee's and linesmen's fees and
expenses. Taunton are suggesting the FA pays the officials' fees; the club the expenses (saving £100 per game in the process). Taunton also suggest the officials come from within 30 miles. That wouldn't impress the Windsor and Eton manager who complained that last night's officials were local anyway - they came from Wincanton, Weston and Wellington. "They're not locals" piped up one of the, er, locals suggesting that the definition of "local" is a pretty tight one.
Meanwhile speculation at last night's game that Berkhamsted (Spartan South Midlands) - who Taunton beat to win the Vase - may be on the verge of folding. That animated the prophets of doom who sagely predict more clubs going to the wall. We'll see.
|
|
