To start is it just me or the past decade has there been more and more clubs existence at threat due to dodgy owners. Currently we have Southend who it is looking very likely they will be wound up in court next week. Today looks like Scunthorpe are the next club. Links to two statements made today. https://www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk/news/2023/september/club-update/ https://fanbanter.co.uk/another-twi...KwkKkdGl9zYfKAeBWhBCFM2Z0EH9s3NGZcVX_qgTF405s The most worrying part of the Scunthorpe situation is this owner has passed the so called fit and proper test, despite convictions for fraud. Serious questions have to be asked of the FA allowing the game we all love to be treated in this way. Sadly I do not think anything will change until a high profile club find themselves in trouble. Maybe it is time for fans of all clubs to come together to demand change in the way the game is run, to make it more sustainable at all levels, sadly I don't think this would happen or if it did wouldn't make a difference. It actually does anger me the way those supposedly in charge of football and those who use clubs as a play thing treat the game in such a awful way and don't get me started on the media not covering the situations of those further down the pyramid. Some say it's just a game. But really it is more than that isn't it?
No real shock. The authorities are happy to dock points from clubs over and over and over again because of an owner without looking at the context of what has been done and whether an owner is running the club into the ground deliberately. Same happened with them up the road. Wigan was the same. Bolton. Reading currently going through it. The powers that be in the English game couldn’t give a toss about teams like Southend. Nor could most of the wider football fanbase. Why would anyone support Southend that didn’t come from there? Same goes for the likes of us. How much money do we or Southend bring in to the wider coffers? Zero. Younger fans will support the big boys as they want to see a team win for the bantz, or so they can watch a YouTube show of some moron watching a game in an empty room with a green screen. Not going to get an AFTV for Southend. Game is dying, soon it’ll be just the major city teams all populating a relegation free league where the game is played for a few months a season shown live on a £50 PPV not included in your £30 a month subscription. But not on Saturdays at 3pm as it might make small clubs like Bury, Southend and Scunthorpe go bust. And every football fan will have contributed to it. I’d say Watford fans should pick a new team to support now but considering how religiously the Premier League thread is updated by the pwopa old school type fans on here, I’d suggest the wider fan base already have one or two.
I have watched non league football regularly for about 12 years now. Have followed Berkhamsted up to where they are now step 3 of non league. Has been a very enjoyable experience, especially getting to know players and owners. Made more friends watching non league football than I have watching Watford.
The fit and proper test is not fit and proper. The FA is not fit and proper. It's like most organizations in the UK run by idiots who have neither the aptitude or merit to do so. Just been appointed on the basis of connections. It's disgusting that these clubs which form a large part of the community are left vulnerable by this. Perhaps it's time fans actually ran even owned clubs again certainly at the lower level.
Don't forget the gurning faces when they open their next FIFA or whatever the crap is called now pack. What has the world come to ?
It beggars the question as to why someone with absolutely no affiliation with a football club, many times not in their own country (ie the Reading owners) would buy a football club other than with the idea to line their own pockets!
Particularly when they have no real money to make it work like at Man City and Newcastle. And it's not like they would get a high profile and attention to boost their ego like you might at a big club.
