Harrogate Town Supporters Forum

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Harrogate Town Supporters Forum

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paulstreet
The Kaiser
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    Good luck from South Wales

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    The Kaiser


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    Join date : 2012-11-26

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    Post by The Kaiser Mon Nov 26, 2012 9:55 am

    Hello,

    I am a Cardiff City supporter - although I am not sure that will be the case for much longer!

    I have to say that, having watched Cardiff rise from Division 4 to the brink of Premiership football, being a Cardiff fan is never boring.

    However, as you know, Cardiff are the latest casualty of "modern football". A Malaysian billionaire who has attended 5 games think that it is important that Cardiff City are rebranded. Our new fans have accepted this because the generous nature of Mr Tan means that he is loaning a debt ridden club £100m at 7% interest. Our fans are desperate to play Wigan, Reading, QPR, Swansea, Stoke, Fulham - all clubs that we used to play in the lower leagues. Far from making Cardiff City unique, the rebrand makes us look like a cheap version of Manchester United.

    I am disillusioned with the way that football is being run at the top levels. The lack of respect to referees, the lack of respect to each other, the cheating, the diving, the moaning, the tunnel fights, the Sky Juggernaut. Yes, football at the top level is nicer than it used to be, but is it better?

    I used to take in a few Merthyr Tydfil games (now Merthyr Town), but having a young family means I am not able to watch them - but maybe next season I will, once I have painfully cut the ties with my old team.

    Anyway, enough of my problems. I was looking at the lower, so called non-League, tables a while back and noticed Harrogate had 6 or 7 games in hand of other clubs. Well, it is as good a reason to become "interested" in a club as many. I have read about your drainage issues, the fact you played a recent cup game at Harrogate Railway was a bit strange. Is it something that happens regularly?

    I also noticed that, with the terrible weather coming, you have called off the Bishop Stortford game for tomorrow.

    Is there any rivalry with Harrogate Railway (I know them only from their cup run a few years back)? Is their ground much smaller than yours?

    I wish you good luck against Hastings - I really hope you get to round three. Cardiff probably wouldn't be a dream draw for you, but I would love to see you get someone at home. And I hope that you play that game in your own stadium.

    I also hope your game goes ahead on Saturday.

    Good luck!!!
    paulstreet
    paulstreet


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    Location : Kirkstall/Headingley

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    Post by paulstreet Mon Nov 26, 2012 11:50 am

    Thanks the Kaiser, yes the obsession with getting into the Premier league is becoming a bad joke. And for what? I sat through two numbingly boring 0-0 draws yesterday from God knows how many million pounds woth of 'talent'. At least Man City were entertaining last season!

    Railway are our I suppose 'friendly rivals', altho there are 2 leagues diffeence so we only play them in a pre-season friendly. Mind you a few years back they knocked us out of the FA Cup (4th Qualifying round) and I still havn't fully recovered! Their ground is I guess you would say 'basic', altho' they have a new club house.

    Thanks for the 'good luck' Kaiser, its raining the proverbial cats and dogs here at the moment so God knows what our pitch is like: at the moment I'd put Saturday 50/50.

    Our previous regime changed our colours last year, but we are now back in our favourite yellow and black stripes. Hope to see you at the CNG one day (good hotels in Harrogate!).
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    The Kaiser


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    Post by The Kaiser Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:01 pm

    Cheers Paul.

    I didn't realise you had gone through a colour change. Poor research on my part.

    Hopefully I can get to see your boys on TV on Saturday evening.

    As for "Sky's Super Soccer Sunday" Sleep
    JackHTFC
    JackHTFC


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    Post by JackHTFC Mon Nov 26, 2012 6:07 pm

    Am I right in saying Benitez got brought in to try and get the best out of Fernando Torres?
    crowbar6753
    crowbar6753


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    Location : Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada

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    Post by crowbar6753 Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:28 pm

    Hello Kaiser,
    I am a Reading FC fan as well as a Harrogate town fan who now lives in Canada!!!! yeah pretty confusing.
    Im from Reading originally and joined the Army and somehow ended up living in Harrogate.
    Anyway, Reading and Cardiff have always had a little bit of a rivalry, but i always enjoyed our games against each other, always a good atmosphere when you guys came to town. I really feel for you regarding the take over, all your history, colours gone in an instant, its not right and no way to respect the fans, without the fans there would not be football !!!!!!!
    It happens all the time over here in Canada and America, they just move teams to a different city and rebrand their name.
    I wish the bluebirds, or redbirds whatever you are now called all the best and hope to renew our rivalry in the top flight, thats if we can survive, its been a tough start so far.
    Again, i hope Harrogate can win on Saturday, and you just know its gonna be Harrogate v Reading or Cardiff !!!!!!!!!!!
    Take care all.
    Dan_Gleebitz
    Dan_Gleebitz


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    Post by Dan_Gleebitz Tue Nov 27, 2012 8:47 am

    Hi Kaiser.

    Like crowbar, I ended up here in Harrogate through a bit of a torturous route. And like crowbar and you, I have a "home" team in the football league. It's the town where I was born - and it's a pretty long way away.

    "We" can only dream of the EPL thank goodness. From what I've read and heard from other fans, I think that once your team gets to the EPL, forget it, because they'll forget you. Matches at peculiar times to suit the TV schedules (*ahem*), overpriced seats and merchandise etc. A lot of the real fans give up eventually as they become fed up with just being commodities, bought and sold as part of a package that includes big debts (to be written off against tax?).

    One thing I am finding is that I'm taking more and more notice of the goings on here at Harrogate Town than at "my" league club. I didn't realise until 5 on Saturday that "my" team were playing within striking distance and I could have gone. Why should I when I've got a cup match here to think about (and "my" league team are in the 2nd round too). It's funny how I don't watch MOTD any more (never could stand the Football league show). And I really look forward to the walk to and from Wetherby Road - even when we're playing crepe Wink. Truthfully, I feel more a part of something than I have done for a long time.

    It's what football should be about - and what it will become again, mark my words.

    Regarding the pitch, it's (in my opinion) a good move by the new owner to try and give the club what it should have had many years ago - a decent playing surface. Unfortunately it's coincided with the wettest summer for 100 years (I believe) and persistent rain since then. We've got decent drainage now, I dread to think what would have happened if we'd had our old pitch with the big dip in one corner.


    Last edited by Dan_Gleebitz on Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:00 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : couple of trypos and a bit added)
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    Post by Guest Tue Nov 27, 2012 9:51 am

    Just to add to the views above, although some things at the club are not exactly as I'd like, isn't it great that I could go to the clubhouse after the game and seek the manager's / owners feedback? It's stuff like that that contributes to making supporters feel involved. A couple of seasons back my good wife got hold of some Newcastle united tickets and I have to admit, whilst the atmosphere and stadium was great, I prefer my experience watching harrogate town. At the Newcastle game, they were losing one nil and a good number of supporters were moaning (much like I do at times!) started making their way to the exits - I couldn't believe it, paid all that money, there's 10 mins to go and their off. Pretty much summed up everything about supporting a premiership club if you ask me.
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    The Kaiser


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    Post by The Kaiser Tue Nov 27, 2012 11:18 am

    On Sunday sections of Swansea fans booed a manager that won them promotion to the top division. That was followed by Chelsea fans booing a new manager, but not once criticising their billionaire benefactor.

    I remember Chelsea getting sub 10,000 crowds in the Premiership. Swansea were 90 minutes from Non-League football.

    Fans are just season tickets now. Swansea are a very well run club, and would probably break-even just from the TV money. Swans fans say the journey to the Premiership is the best part - suddenly you're playing WBA, Stoke, Fulham, Reading, Norwich, QPR, Wigan, Sunderland with the odd big game chucked in.

    The games I've seen at Merthyr have always been enjoyable, hearing fans and players having "banter" is refreshing. For some reason, as you go up, the word "club" at the end of every company's title is meaningless.

    I can see you guys having 6 games a week in April! Hopefully it is going to dry out up there. I hope you play the game before the cup draw - knowing who your opposition is can have a strange effect on players sometimes.

    The FA Cup is a great competition, I've seen Cardiff beat Leeds, Man City, and lose to Bath and Hayes. When we drew Chasetown in 2008 (en route to the final), Cardiff helped Chasetown to get the match staged at Chasetown. Chasetown took the lead in that game. To this day, the clubs still enjoy a friendly connection, Chasetown were our first opponents in the new stadium.

    I have no reason for backing Harrogate over Hastings, but I am backing Harrogate over Hastings. Whoever wins, I hope the cup draw is kind.
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    TheNeil29


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    Post by TheNeil29 Tue Nov 27, 2012 3:43 pm

    If we did pull a EPL team, at home. I would be inclined to give up the TV money, and take it to the EPL club's ground, purely from a financial sense.

    How is the FA Cup money split between teams these ways recently? I'm just wondering from a hypothetical sense, as if we do beat Hastings, and pull a Top 4 club, at their ground, or Wetherby Road, how much can the club realistically make?


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    The Kaiser


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    Post by The Kaiser Tue Nov 27, 2012 4:11 pm

    I think the gate receipt is split 45-45-10 - with the 10 going to the FA.

    75,000 at Old Trafford, paying £20 each is worth about £500-£600k once matchday costs have been subtracted. A TV game used to be worth £235000 under the old Sky/BBC contract. But, that is now down to £123,500. Round 2 television games are worth £72,000 and a replay £36000. There are 5 live 3rd round games.

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