The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

He can change the name but it will still be called the Diamond Center, the sign posts around the local road network will still say the Diamond Center and if they ever change the name of the Ground, that huge stone at the edge of the roundabout will still say Nene Park.

This season could not have gone better, from the minute I saw those hateful pictures in the ET of Ladak gloating with the keys to Nene Park and then seeing Ketteting Town Football Club plastered on the DeBanke terrace I've been desperate for them to get a taste of what we went through. I just hope that relegation is but one particularly heavy nail in a coffin about to get stuffed with nails.

What amazes me is the fact they're just carrying on as if there's nothing wrong. They're still £400k in debt, with less income, smaller crowds, a close season with little booked and might need a £300k bond in order to compete in the BSN/ BSS. Where do they think they're going to "magic" this money from? It's like they're going around with their heads buried in the sand. You have to hand it to Sausage, there's huge cracks all over the place & he's successfully papered thick enough for them not to see.

weren't we told, if you go into administration, conf north/south wont take you?
surely those that are playing now, need to be paid in june.
where's the money coming from to get a new squad and to keep them going over the summer.

Alot of the fans are saying that they can now draw a line under this awful season, im afraid i feel that this miss will rumble on into the summer. Im not 100% convinced that they will line up next season yet!

They now get to live through a similar summer to that Leeds fans enjoyed in 2007, not knowing if their club will be around to start the new season.

Fantastic, the six hundred ex diamonds fans must have been well entertained.

wewantourdarbyback wrote:They now get to live through a similar summer to that Leeds fans enjoyed in 2007, not knowing if their club will be around to start the new season.

... or even what us Diamonds fans went through last April / May / June ?

Interesting comment about Marcus Kelly on Ploppynet and whilst at times they have thought he was one of their better players someone has finally twigged what his problem is and why he never fulfilled the potential that many of us saw when he played against Manchester United back in late 2003 and was thrown into the 'deep end' by Barry Hunter after the fire sale in March 2004. I know that I and many of my colleagues on the PDB used to get really frustrated when Marcus, for whatever reason, refused to take on his man and usually preferred the negative option ala Ray Wilkins who was always regarded as the ultimate crab!

"Regarding players for next season - and I know I'm going against the grain here - I wonder about Kelly?
There is no doubt he always put's a shift in and gives 100% - justified todays MOTM... but he reminds me of a crab - when he gets the ball in forward midfield postions, invariably his shoulders go down, holds the ball and then turns 180 degrees and passes either back or sidewards, there seems very little creative forward play.
There is also no doubt that with a dead ball - either free kick or corner he can deliver - just wish some coach in the past had encouraged him to be more creative...who knows, he is still relatively young and it might be the next manager will get the best from him.

Good luck Marcus for next season wherever you might be - I suspect still in the BSBPD."

For me the highlight without a doubt was the Marna-Ashikodi incident. Sutton knocking them out of the FA Cup is also up there, if they'd have won that game, which on paper they should have, I'm not sure the season would have panned out as it has, certainly not from the comedy value perspective.

The appointment of MM was certainly good for a laugh during the dark times of last summer, but when they beat Newport on the opening day I feared the worst given that they had been a decent side last season. After the Marna-Ashikodi incident it really did become a-laugh-a-minute, on and off the pitch.