Left the school 8 years ago (Christ!). Played football in games years 10, 12 & 13. If I have a son I would try hard to get him into that school. I came out of it a well rounded person, made life long friends and enjoyed it far more than uni. (And at uni there were girls to....talk to). I think 'exams factory' is just a way to make good academic results sound like a negative thing.
Quite. LKT. What is this forum? Simply a meeting room for WBGS Fullerian alumni? Michael Rosen writes very well on the old place.
Well I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed the place and benefitted from it. It does appear then, from the evidence you and others younger than me have provided, that the policy re: no football is at least being chipped away at. But it's still all 'rugger' and hockey all over the sports section of the WBGS website. Your experience also begs the question 'what happened in year 11'? If you'd played football throughout might WFC be currently better stocked in the wing-back position? I have no objection to academic excellence, but in my time that was pretty much it. Oh - and rugby and hockey. I enjoyed uni. (the UEA) far better than WBGS. They had square holes for square pegs in Norwich, an infinitely greater number of football pitches and an infinitely greater number of women.
Well I'm pleased you enjoyed it and hope your son potentially does as well. Yes it's good to offer a range of sporting options but not at the expense of the world's favourite sport if that's your student's preferred option. No, the football option wasn't available when I was there in any year. No, I don't want all schools to be 'lowest common denominator' clones. What's bizarre and almost beyond comprehension, is Stanley Rous's role in all this. His illustrious career variously included being a goalie, a Canaries supporter, a ref. (including an F.A. Cup final gig), the sports' master at WBGS who first denied the pupils the option to play football, Secretary of the F.A., President of F.I.F.A. and apartheid apologist although not necessarily exactly in that order. So at what point along that journey did he suffer his epiphany and decide that reffing, watching and administering football was OK for the likes of him but that actually playing the thing should be left to secondary modern failures? You couldn't make it up. Now call me cynical if you like, but I'm gonna plead Occam's razor on this one. For those that may not know, that's the rule that suggests there's no need to invent a complicated reason for an observation until you've managed to comprehensively rubbish the simple one. So I've seen 'rugby's more character forming than football' and there's more opportunity to play football outside school than other sports (the latter at least being true) as explanations for no-football. But as for the reason for WBGS's anti-football policy, which obviously continues to at least some extent, it's just simply elitist. End of. Look who introduced it! Bizzarely I have a mate in Kelso who went to Wallsend Grammar School in Newcastle. He liked rugby but was forced to play football! I've never heard that one before. But then Wallsend Boy's Club, whose alumni include the Charlton brothers and Alan Shearer et al, is just down the road. So four questions particularly seeing as the common denominator for us all on here is a love of football and the local professional club: 1. Is it really OK for a school to discriminate against the world's favourite sport? 2. Are you entirely happy to send your boys there knowing that? Wouldn't you rather the school had a high-profile, positive policy to playing football? 3. Does it perpetuate the situation that still persists in this country, that football remains largely a 'working class' sport, particularly at the professional level? and 4. What the hell's any of this got to do with Watford v Notts. Forest? That bloke from Nottingham who just wanted to park his motor's got a lot to answer for. P.S. I know this isn't really the place for this post but, seeing as so many had commented on their WBGS experiences, judged it would be OK on this occasion. Shoot me down in flames mods ...
:sign8::sign8::sign8::sign8::sign8::sign8::sign8::sign8: I'm sure it's very interesting for some but this is a thread about Watford vs Forest
I was there 67 till Oct 75 (after taking CCJE exams) & my parents were 5h1t poor & when we got a council house in 1970 it was a massive step up in our circumstances. I had no experience of any attempts at 'cloning'...maybe because it had run its course by the time I got into the 3rd year. I DO remember significant numbers of teachers giving up plenty of their time to take music/drama/sport/chess etc etc to offer a very wide range of experiences that could only expand the horizons of those who wanted to get involved, often in stuff they'd never come across before. As for offering more 'marginal' sports, it could be called inconsistent to criticise attempts at militating against diversity of experience & the complain about the possibility to participate in sports that are different to what the pupils may have experienced before. As for elitist, the next stage of my education convinces me just how fundamentally normal you were on leaving that school.. educated to a level that gave you an excellent chance in life, but basically very normal. (*pace* GT Knight).
from the dressing room: "We're hoping to keep up momentum, but there are no easy games in this division and Forest will be no easy game, proving once again that the maxim about this division and easy games is true. Having said that, the lads are hoping for a 10-0 win." I left WBGS in 1996. I ****ing loved the place. Someone should start an old Fullerians thread in the general chat section. I would do it but I don't know how because Mr. Nicholson never taught me how to use a computer properly.
I really think Forest are there for the taking. Pearce is not a good manager, the feel good factor has worn off and they have quite a few injuries. It looks like the bubble has finally burst for them and I expect them to start sliding down the table.
What do you mean? The man who put a goalkeeper up front instead of the striker on the bench isn't a good manager?
Just watching their highlights from earlier (http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/9522542/cardiff-2-1-nott'm-forest) the amount of space they gave Cardiff just outside the box is crazy, from watching it i'm guessing they'll set up for a 0-0 on Tuesday and try and nick a goal on the break.
In terms of how the league can go, this is a big game. Forest are decent, but they have a habit of starting well, only for their form to drop off. This season they started brilliantly but their current form is not so good, just the same as last season. Watford have a real opportunity to stamp their mark on the league and this could finally be the moment where we take it by the scruff of the neck and accelerate away from other clubs. If we win the next two games, with the squad we have, we will take a lot of stopping from a very strong position. If you give good players confidence, then there's no reason (barring a bad run of injuries) why we cannot be dominant for the remainder of the season.
I left WBGS in 1983 having hated almost every day of the preceding 4 years. As Kelso has said, square pegs in round holes and very little space for individuality. Anyway, back on thread. Forest haven't won for over a month and that was against Foolham, they've got some of their better players out, their fans seem pessimistic about their chances against us and I sense we're about to hit a purple patch. 4-0 to the Golden Boys.
Huge game this, Forest are still going to be a dangerous opposition despite missing Reid and Lansbury. Looks like David Vaughn will play in CM with Osborne and Tesche. Their front three will cause our back four problems time and again especially with Antonio or Burke attacking Pudil. It may be worth playing Doyley on the left with Paredes on the right. I think if we neutralise their wing play we win the game. Let Forestieri run at their centre halves and we should do fine.
If we are at our best then we will win, if we are just a few points off I can see a Forest smash and grab.
