[ Tue 23rd Apr ] v Eynesbury Rovers, KO 7:45pm UCL1 HOME

[Pigman]

As I said earlier in the thread, I didn't really want to give them breathing time to be honest because they're not worth it, but I think you're missing the point Stalin. They had been abusive to hardworking volunteers, generally obnoxious and acting like idiots all evening, running on the pitch and then abusing the volunteer stewards was the straw that broke the camels back frankly.

I know what you're trying to say Stalin, but if volunteers - let me repeat that, VOLUNTEERS, start to have that kind of abuse thrown at them, and then have to deal with the fall out from the FA/Authorities etc afterwards, then why should they bother?

I'm all for people having a drink and enjoying themselves (I quite enjoy to do that as well when I get the chance), but no-one is being paid to deal with this kind of rubbish, if they can't do that and behave like decent human beings then I for one don't really want to see them there again.

Volunteers (and I'm not just talking about Board members here, but I do include them) do what they do out of love for the club and our footballing community, they give their most precious commodity - their free time, which all of us have less and less of these days !! If people who claim to be fans behave like that, why should they bother? Its like a slap in the face to them, a total insult !! If our volunteers don't bother, we don't have a club - simple ! If you want to excuse them and pass it off as "a bit of fun", then be prepared for the club to suffer. That could be by having fewer volunteers and having to pay staff to do jobs, which will ultimately mean less money to put towards getting a home of our own etc. It will put the football club in a worse off state - we have no money man to make up the difference !!

All we're asking for is for people attending the games to act like decent humans, we don't expect Choirboys, but they were out of order and you saying what you have is just making excuses for them frankly.

[sussexdiamond]

Perhaps we should get the four miscreants to do some community service at the ground during the close season. There is still plenty to do, new turnstiles and toilets etc. I am quite happy to get the blue paint out again and supervise them!!

Alas I do not really believe they will show any contrition.

[Trek]

Perhaps we should get the four miscreants to do some community service at the ground during the close season.

I doubt we'll see them again at the Dog and Duck. I hope not anyway. Idiots like them do our club no favours. Some old guy at BPW on Wednesday remarked about trouble at our match the previous night and I took great delight in giving him the true facts. ;)

[Everyweeker]

Perhaps we should get the four miscreants to do some community service at the ground during the close season. There is still plenty to do, new turnstiles and toilets etc. I am quite happy to get the blue paint out again and supervise them!!

Alas I do not really believe they will show any contrition.

Maybe that could be a way of avoiding a ban if they were truly sorry ;)

[Stalin]

I totally get that volunteers are just volunteers and they shouldn't have to put up with being abused but I have always felt there was (old club) and is (new club) an under laying part of the Diamonds DNA which makes some fans look down on the type of fan who would either cause trouble or have too much pop and sing naughty song.

I feel everybody who isn't normal is tarred with the same brush (old and new club).

The old club was family centric and I still feel this is one of the reason for its demise; when push came to shove when the shit hit the fan or in the few seasons leading up to the trouble there wasn't enough fans left who cared for the club.

The people who created AFC Diamonds have to be congratulated for what they have done but once the families fucked off from Nene Park there wasn't enough fans left to make if financially viable.

Over the years I felt the atmosphere changed; after we won the Conference the club and the million of blazers which ran it all seemed on some sort of vendetta to get rid of any fans who didn't fit within that family centric ethos.

The club never felt the same again once we got into the League; not because we were a league club or a small fish in a rather large pond but because of the atmosphere around the club and the treatment of some fans by it.

I'm pretty sure this has gone off topic but what I'm just trying to say is we need all sorts of fans supporting the club and not just families or mature middle aged adults.

Any fans causing proper trouble should be banned but I do think some fans need to lighten up when it comes to people having to much to drink and messing around inside the ground.

I've got a hundred drunken stories from away grounds around the country but if I was 18 or 19 doing that now at the Dog and Duck or at any other UCL away ground Im pretty sure I'd be tagged as a trouble maker.

We are always going to be under much more scrutiny because of the crowds we get but lets not forgot people we were a Football League club; we've had drunken morons removed from grounds like Hillsborough or Oakwell so any behaviour at a ground which normally gets 4 people is always going to look worse than it is.

Pretty sure that is totally off topic now; I just don't want the same ill feeling at the club again.

Fickle families don't keep clubs alive, football fans (all sorts) do.

[Pigman]

I kinda get what your getting at Stalin, but we are a "community" benefit society, we're a community club with lots of kids from age 6 upwards playing in our colours and under our name, do we really want it tarnished by that kind of behaviour? We're NOT a league club anymore, we're a Step 6 club with aspirations to go as high as our members can take us, but we have to take the whole community with us, thats kids, parents, teenagers, young adults, middle aged people (oh my god, thats me ), older people !

As you know, I work in the community development field, I see people behave anti-socially all day long, I've dealt with oiks like these for the last 10 years, they think their behaviour is cool. Football is generally the same as society, but do we just let them run riot and do what the hell they like? No, of course we don't, that way lays anarchy! I'm sure if you had anti-social people living next door to you you've soon want something done about it? Or you'd deal with it yourself.

I stand by what I said, this kind of behaviour has no place at our club and if I'm in the minority thinking that then I'm sure people will stand up and vote for what they believe in, thats the beauty of being a members club, thats democracy in action. I believe being rude, arrogant and obnoxious has no place in society generally or at our football club, or any club for that matter. If I'm wrong, maybe its time for me to give up on football full stop.

Enought of this anyway, as AK said, lets draw a line under it. Onwards to Potton and hopefully 3 points and a well behaved but VERY vocal 12th man - I'll be having a few drinks tomorrow and proving that you can do that, have a damn good time with your mates and not act like a moron................well, I'll try my best ;)

[Stalin]

I totally agree, I'm in total admiration of the volunteers and board members; I barely have time some weeks to see my own family because I run my own business so anybody who gives up there own free time to help run the club deserves all the plaudits in the world.

I think what I was trying to say was not every drunk is rude, arrogant or obnoxious; I'm just worried that there are some very vocal people on this forum who seem like they want to remove anybody who doesn't tow the community line.

I may be totally wrong but that's how it comes across.

[Three of Diamonds]

As youngsters we've probably all done something we later regret, even our board members have no doubt. What's important is that we learn from it and grow as individuals. If these lads have anything about them they'll be big enough to come forward and apologise in person. How does that saying go? To err is human to forgive is divine.

[Formic]

Back to the game - Mal's pics from Tuesday evening are now online - some excellent reminders of the atmosphere in that last 10 minutes - http://www.afcdiamonds.com/afc-rushden- ... y-rovers-2

[BartonRaz]

Picture no: 38.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: