Cod Almighty | Postbag
Letters be 'aving you
19 January 2016
Rich Mills' recent piece on why we should learn to love the FA Trophy has got you all thinking while Andy Freeman's monumental piece on the Main Stand is still bubbling under. There's other stuff too but you'll have to scroll down and read it for yourselves.
Rattling
You need some atmosphere at a football match surely? Unfortunately the Trophy games are sadly lacking.
I remember us criticising York for their poor turnout in the quarter finals a couple of seasons back but their fans had lost interest in it. There just isn't the edge you get in the league. Attendances prove this throughout the competition.
To be quite honest the Auto Windscreens Trophy felt like this until you got to the latter stages. A match with 1,000 souls rattling round a freezing BP does not appeal I’m afraid.
from Martin Robinson
Letters Ed responds: Edge you say? There's edge on the pitch with both teams wanting to win and many of fringe players trying to catch the gaffer's eye and edge themselves near a first team place. Maybe there's not as much edge surrounding the game as with say a tie with Lincoln or Scunny. We've had no reason to develop much of a chip on our shoulders about such Blundell Park débutantes as Weston-super-Mare or Solihull Moors but give it time though. I'm sure we'll find something bothersome.
a bit more on the Main Stand
Great sentiments, well articulated!
from I Anderson
Letters Ed responds: Thanks, I!
Balls
Nice piece about the Trophy today. In a similar "Am I the only one to notice" vein, The Trophy and Vase finals are a double header this year. What chance a Grimsby/Cleethorpes double? We can dream!
Disclaimer: last time I heard it was a double header, but unable to check before I press send.
from Andy Lumbard
Letters Ed responds: Good spot, Andy. We could share a coach! Two coaches! Rich's article also provoked a blog from Too Good to Go Down
Shakey
There's definitely less "tinpot"; "we should be beating these"; "pointless Trophy" comment this season compared to last.
from Richard Hallam
Letters Ed responds: As Shakespeare pointed out in Hamlet, "The essence of a witty statement lies in its concise wording and delivery." This was of course long before Twitter forced us into jamming our thoughts into 140 characters or less but Shakey had a point didn't he? As does Mr Hallam. We're getting better.
Yeah, but..
Attendance for the Western-super-Mare tie will say what fans think about the FA Trophy. League games average a 5,000 attendance at full price; tomorrow admission is £10.
from Beany Tony
Letters Ed responds: And another Twitter reply. Of course, Tony was right but that's kind of the point of the original article isn't it? It's a cup competition at our level so we should get behind it because we want our team to win, right?
Oi Oi, Saveloy!
Well done Rich Mills. Another good write-up and spoken from the heart. Just hope all follow your example and support Paul Hurst and the squad through good and bad times. (from Debbie Cassidy)
Totally agree - this can be a positive in terms of momentum, fringe players and potentially a dress rehearsal for another Wembley match if that's the way things pan out. Whatever my mates who think they support Man U or Liverpool think, I can guarantee that they will never feel the pride for "their" team that I did when I saw GTFC taking to the pitch at creaky old Wembley in the AWS final in '98. Many will say that the Football League Trophy is a tinpot cup, much like they would the FA trophy, but they are wrong. Right now we are a "conference" club and we have the right and responsibility to compete in and respect every competition that this chucks our way. Many of our loyal, brilliant fans have jumped on the fun-bus only during the recent past, and for them, including my 8-year old, the chance to see their team walk out at Wembley in the black and white is massive - with no harping back to the club we used to be/deserve to be. Remember, before 1998 we'd never played there.... And back then you would have snapped off your saveloy for just one chance to see the Mariners tread the hallowed turf. So, I for one say lets see where the Trophy takes us and use this as a positive. UTM. See you at Bromley. (from Mark Middleton)
I agree with it lock, stock and barrel. We are in this position and league because we deserve to be. You have to earn the right to be anywhere else and for fans to say, "I want us to lose" ... how times have changed. If we get to the final but don't win promotion they blame the trophy, not that over 46 games we were not good enough. Just look back over the season and you will see where we lost promotion and it is usually because of our slow start, long before we enter the Trophy (from George Holness)
I agree with much of the article but surely the fans turn up home and especially away because of the expectation that we do not belong in the Conference or the FA Trophy. (from Nicholas Richard Bray)
from GTFC Black & White Army facebook page readers
Letters Ed responds: This is a round-up of comments after the GTFC Black & White Army facebook page posted the FA Trophy article. Thanks to everyone for reading and replying!
Billy Big Spud
I've always had a lot of time for the Trophy as I spent many years living in High Wycombe and had a rellie play for Wanderers. Back then Wycombe were still a conference team and the Trophy was a high point of the season (especially when winning it).
The Billy Big Spud brigade in Town's support need to get to grips with the fact we AIN'T a league club at the moment and we should not be disrespecting this competition just because they don't like it. I used to go to the final every year regardless of who was playing and loved it because of the feeling of "It's our cup final" from the supporters.
from Darryll Easden
Letters Ed responds: Thanks Darrell. Going to see FA Trophy games where Town aren't playing? You sound like a football fan, sir, good on you!
Scott McGarvey
A few years ago Scott McGarvey and I used to frequent the same local on a fairly regular basis and he used to tell the tale of being introduced to the press as the player who would get Town out of the 1st division and as he says, he certainly did! To be fair he used to get me complimentary tickets to all Town's games in the North West so he can't be all bad!
from Richard Huntley
Letters Ed responds: This is a response to Dave Holmes letter in the last postbag where you offered us examples of good and bad January transfer window business. Feel free to chip in with more.
Cricket
The late Fred's actual quote was: "I don't know what's going off out there."
from Steve Bierley
Letters Ed responds: Thanks Steve, we'll stick to the football. We can't promise we'll get that right either but there's probably more chance of it.
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