[valemadness]

First of the gang, on 28 April 2018 - 06:33 AM, said:

Went to Blackpool a couple of years back and remember going into a near empty ground just before kick off.
There was a large gathering of home fans outside the ground playing music with large banners and loud hailers protesting against Oyston and handing out leaflets.
I agree media coverage is essential and a Blackpool type of law abiding protest could work.

Doing anything outside our ground is no good as the people it's aimed will not be there, however there are at least 3 other places in Sheffield where it may cause more of a disruption and get their attention.....

[Oldtimer]

MDCCCLXVI, on 28 April 2018 - 07:48 AM, said:

The players didn't sign themselves.

However we continue to witness not one jot of humility from those responsible or their dwindling number of apologists...

I began to think some months ago that this sorry lot couldn't do anything themselves.

We know others higher up the food chain are more accountable for our demise. Personally I think that was their plan from the outset so they won't feel humiliated. However are we asking too much from our supposed players to show desire, commitment and pride. Then again maybe in football paying someone £3,000 per week doesn't get you an awful lot

[Bakewell Jim]

I can really sympathise with your feelings about the club. It is hard to stop doing something that you have done for years to make a stand for what you believe in. Change is never easy. I haven't been to a Blackpool game for four years now despite having a season ticket before that and watching them around the country. We always believed that the Premier League would change the club forever, and it has certainly done that, despite not being in the way we imagined.

In the four years, I have found that there are other good things to do on a Saturday. Oyston has now paid for me to go on some great family holidays, the money for which would otherwise have gone in season tickets, travel, merchandise etc.

I believe in the saying "the darkest hour is just before the dawn" - I cannot wait to return and sit with life long friends once the club is free from the family.

One final thing to think about though. The press and TV will be at Chesterfield today (look at what Blackpool did with tennis balls or the Huddersfield game). Jeff Stelling will be interested on Sky Sports, you will have a platform. That is why you need to think about how you are going to approach the day today. The press quickly move on to new stories, and it is harder to get their interest back - although we have tried really hard to keep giving them stories. Protests outside the ground, Wembley non-attendance etc.

I read that some of you think that the Blackpool and Chesterfield situations are different. Maybe they are in some ways - but the clubs are linked in the fact that owners have taken away the supporters dream that things will one day improve, and they have taken away our ability to support clubs that we love.

My last visit to Saltergate was a rainy New Year's Day, when you beat us 2-0 (like you always did!). We had a good team that year, and Simon Grayson eventually took us to the Championship through the play-offs. I would rather have my club like it was back then and at an old ground, to what we have today. I look forward to the glorious day where we all return to our own clubs again. Up the Pool and Up the Spireites!

[Tha Knows...]

gordon_brittas, on 28 April 2018 - 06:41 AM, said:

There will be no clapping of any players from me, all the lot of em can go fook themselves...

If that applies to ALL, including Drew, I hope you are in a small minority.

[SALTERGATE]

bigdbh2, on 28 April 2018 - 06:36 AM, said:

I think our situation and Blackpool’s are different. Oysten has been proven in court to have taken money out.

Unless someone can prove otherwise, our reluctant owner put £700,000 in last year. The club isn’t paying back any of DAs loans including the mortgage on the ground.

We may have no direction, mis-management/incompetence from our board but the maths eliminate anything similar to Blackpool.

My opinion won’t be popular on here but I think the best way to kickstart a revival is to bury the hatchet and get behind the club next season. Our only advantage in the NL could be our attendances therefore increased revenue.

And before the conspiracy theorists start with they wanted to send us in to oblivion I have one question: if you were trying to send a club out of the league and into oblivion, would you spend the 4th highest amount in the league on player’s wages?

The football managers and back room staff mismanaged....they have left the building......Carson employed them....he allowed cart horses to be given large wages......anywhere else and he would have been fired.....Allen has a lot to answer as to why Carson is still here

[metallilad]

First of the gang, on 28 April 2018 - 06:33 AM, said:

Went to Blackpool a couple of years back and remember going into a near empty ground just before kick off.
There was a large gathering of home fans outside the ground playing music with large banners and loud hailers protesting against Oyston and handing out leaflets.
I agree media coverage is essential and a Blackpool type of law abiding protest could work.

How many years ago? Who still owns the club? Does a protest against stubborn owners on any scale really work?

Blackpool’s average home crowd this season has been approx 3,500 and Oyston still continues to run the show even after being proven to have taken money out and mis managed the club. But the one thing he got right was to employ a manager that got a team together that got promoted into league one playing infront of crowds smaller than ours. He might not have given them a decent budget either (I don’t know) but if he’s been proven to have taken money out of the club would he want to put it in?
So we go back to the managerial appointment again. Now that is something that we can definately say that Carson has got a zero percentage on.
Now, I agree with Bigdbh2, we (as a club) are about to embark on a journey into a non league adventure that not one of us wanted to endure but non the less, we are having to and nobody wants to see the club go under (which going by what I’ve read on here shouldn’t happen cos DA would lose money) so why not turn this f***ing great negative into a positive. Go to watch them, I’m not saying buy a season ticket but just keep going when you want to, let’s not just have teams come and play their cup finals here but be intimidated by the crowds noise here. Carry on despising Allen & Carson all you want and protest to your hearts content against them but let’s make the atmosphere in the ground so good for players of Chesterfield FC and get under the skin of all opposition.

Get that ground bouncing again despite of the top men not because of them! Please.

This post has been edited by metallilad: 28 April 2018 - 10:09 AM

[azul]

metallilad, on 28 April 2018 - 09:49 AM, said:

How many years ago? Who still owns the club? Does a protest against stubborn owners on any scale really work?

Three seasons ago and it had been going for a while then

The Oyston era is coming to the end but is more to do with court cases than mass protest. Why people hold that up as a success story is beyond belief

[Bakewell Jim]

Protests certainly work but change doesn't happen overnight. Things that are worth getting in life are not easily given - they take time, work and effort.

A few years ago, Oyston was suing fans - now he owes 32 million pounds. If he had worked sensibly with Valeri Belokon then he would be a richer man today.

We have supporters at Blackpool who have blindly followed the status-quo. If they want to keep giving the owners their hard-earned money, then that is their choice. The NAPM group at Blackpool have made their choice too. We were laughed at to begin with, with all the normal "anti-change" arguments that are given in the UK. However, the laughing isn't as loud now.

If the worst happens and Oyston tries to hang on to power, then the NAPM supporters will never go again. Simple! The lines have been drawn.

[Bakewell Jim]

Be careful with attendance figures that are announced at Blackpool. It includes all of the freebies that are given away each week, whether or not people attend the game.

If you want a non-biased view, then have a look at Matt Scrafton's twitter page. He writes for the Blackpool Gazette and takes a picture of the crowd each week. Judge for yourselves then what the attendances have been. It is in the club's interest to massively inflate the attendance figures.

A figure of 3500 would still be shocking when the averages a few years ago were well over 10,000.

[azul]

I'm expecting sullen silence punctuated by short periods of personal abuse

I'm wearing black today

[Benno Spire]

azul, on 28 April 2018 - 10:38 AM, said:

I'm expecting sullen silence punctuated by short periods of personal abuse

I'm wearing black today

Can’t get excited for the game, feels like I am preparing to go to a funeral so wearing black is apt

[azul]

martatcross, on 28 April 2018 - 07:39 AM, said:

I am going because its Saturday and if I never see league football on a Saturday in Chesterfield again which is possible then at least I was there. I don't expect us to win and just to add to the hurt the Wycombe fans will be celebrating. Yet more humiliation for the fans who did decide to be there

Only reason I'm going - at my age it is a distinct possibility

[Goku]

metallilad, on 28 April 2018 - 09:49 AM, said:

let’s not just have teams come and play their cup finals here but be intimidated by the crowds noise here.

lol

not gonna happen

[Pedro 66]

azul said:

1524911928[/url]' post='1386430']
I'm expecting sullen silence punctuated by short periods of personal abuse

I'm wearing black today

It won’t happen but, I reckon total silence from beginning to end from town fans would be a powerful message. It would be a weird atmosphere indeed.

[Middle East]

I have absolutely no enthusiasm, fully expect us to get hammered, half my season ticket holding mates aren't going so I'm not even looking forward to my pre match pint but....

...I am dragging myself along and will be using a free ticket to take my daughter (who is looking forward to it because she's too young to understand how truly bad it is) but as others have said I'm going because it may well be the last Saturday ever that 3 generations of my family will be able to sit together and watch Chesterfield FC play in the football league!!!

Christ that hurts...

This post has been edited by Middle East: 28 April 2018 - 11:11 AM

[LuSiVe]

I'm going today because I've been sick for the last few games and this is likely the last time I'll see the people around me. Can't go Tuesday cos I'll be at Calow.

Thinking of switching to doing away games only next season - not been to away games for 2 seasons due to not wanting to pay the club for transport.

[h again]

MDCCCLXVI, on 28 April 2018 - 07:07 AM, said:

Who says - people who've been proven wrong time, time and time again?

And the good people of North Derbyshire did get behind CFC, in the largest numbers since the Cox era; but what did it get them? Players sold, the Club's reputation trashed, the brink of bankruptcy and non league football. All of which was then blamed on those same good people of North Derbyshire.

I've no problem with folk going to games. Well, as long as they don't flaunt their attendance as some sort of badge of superiority, of course. I've no problem with folk buying season tickets. Hell - several of my best friends will be doing so. However what happened to SJL was the final straw and I've joined the 'NAPM' lobby until those responsible for trashing our club have gone.

Must have been all the bad ones who stayed away, eh?
Have a look at Burton's budget for the season. It's bought them an even worse home record than we have, which is remarkable. Then ask yourself how many people would stick with watching that for a season, with the only possible measure of success being scraping out of the bottom three. It makes our home season look like a bundle of laughs.
Which is what DA could see coming. So could many others. Difference is, DA was the one standing to lose a lot of money - it concentrates the mind wonderfully.

[Westbars Spireite]

Bakewell Jim, on 28 April 2018 - 10:26 AM, said:

Be careful with attendance figures that are announced at Blackpool. It includes all of the freebies that are given away each week, whether or not people attend the game.

If you want a non-biased view, then have a look at Matt Scrafton's twitter page. He writes for the Blackpool Gazette and takes a picture of the crowd each week. Judge for yourselves then what the attendances have been. It is in the club's interest to massively inflate the attendance figures.

A figure of 3500 would still be shocking when the averages a few years ago were well over 10,000.

That midweek game there (when me and a couple of others asked to be let out at half time it was so awful) it was doubtful there were many more than a thousand home fans.

h again, on 28 April 2018 - 11:24 AM, said:

Must have been all the bad ones who stayed away, eh?
Have a look at Burton's budget for the season. It's bought them an even worse home record than we have, which is remarkable. Then ask yourself how many people would stick with watching that for a season, with the only possible measure of success being scraping out of the bottom three. It makes our home season look like a bundle of laughs.
Which is what DA could see coming. So could many others. Difference is, DA was the one standing to lose a lot of money - it concentrates the mind wonderfully.

I've already told you. If we had got up every game would have been close to a sell out as we'd have shifted six thousand season tickets easily.

[isleaiw1]

h again, on 28 April 2018 - 11:24 AM, said:

Must have been all the bad ones who stayed away, eh?
Have a look at Burton's budget for the season. It's bought them an even worse home record than we have, which is remarkable. Then ask yourself how many people would stick with watching that for a season, with the only possible measure of success being scraping out of the bottom three. It makes our home season look like a bundle of laughs.
Which is what DA could see coming. So could many others. Difference is, DA was the one standing to lose a lot of money - it concentrates the mind wonderfully.

Ah, we deliberately didn't go up as would lose too often. Good plan. Let's forget the massively increased to rights, increased ticket sales (and associated concourse and shop sales). We could have not strengthened the squad and come straight back down and he would have been better off.

His business acumen might be as bad as yours but I doubt it!

[Middle East]

h again, on 28 April 2018 - 11:24 AM, said:

Must have been all the bad ones who stayed away, eh?
Have a look at Burton's budget for the season. It's bought them an even worse home record than we have, which is remarkable. Then ask yourself how many people would stick with watching that for a season, with the only possible measure of success being scraping out of the bottom three. It makes our home season look like a bundle of laughs.
Which is what DA could see coming. So could many others. Difference is, DA was the one standing to lose a lot of money - it concentrates the mind wonderfully.

Hmmmm....now let me see!!!

Would I sooner us be in Burton's position of avoiding getting relegated from the Championship instead of dropping out the entire football league????

Decisions decisions....

This post has been edited by Middle East: 28 April 2018 - 11:42 AM