The fightback starts here, both on and off the pitch. More on Eton 4 Harrow 2 later, but as SW19 hoped, we ain’t taking this lying down.
The big news is that we’re having a word with the CAS, or the Court of Arbitration for Sport, about this. Now, they’re basically a big legal mob based in Switzerland, which means they’re all good and proper. However, try not to get excited at the moment. I know we want them to come over here, grab the FA, ram their head down an unflushed toilet and give them a well deserved kick in the bollocks for good measure.
I know we also want the CAS to not only give us our FAT place back, but about a zillion pounds in compensation. In addition, we’d like them to retrospectively look at Franchise where they find it was illegal, ensuring they are closed down with immediate effect and all monies transferred to us. Furthermore, we’d also like them to take legal action against every single person who fucked us up, ensuring some more money and the eventual financial ruin of people like Raj Parker, who will have to become the personal sex slave of Kris Stewart just to make ends meet.
However, their remit doesn’t quite suggest they have the power to do so, though they may have the ear of UEFA/FIFA. They won’t get back our place in the FAT, and would probably only be a “recommendation” issued anyway, if we even get that far. So you know what the FA’s reply will be.
I think what we’re doing here is shitting the FA up. They really don’t expect teams to come back at them (and by the fact that you can’t appeal – highly iffy IMO – shows they don’t want you to come back at them), so I await their reaction on Monday when they receive our letter. It’s a real shame we’re not in the fifth round of the FA Cup, especially with the draw live on TV…
I briefly went to the post-game open meeting, and I hope I didn’t write down what ES said wrongly, but it appears that the FA tribunal didn’t take into account any of the mitigating circumstances we submitted (together with evidence of cases where teams were kept in). If this is true, how untouchable are the FA? They really deserve every single swearword aimed at them. Again, a certain date in the middle of 2002 springs to mind.
What this does also suggest is that we’re issuing a very strong message to the Ryman. Don’t even think about screwing us over. We have the backing (over £2k raised in bucket donations yesterday alone) and just as importantly we have the stomach to fight. Do not underestimate how pissed off we are at the moment..
I know the RP have to apply the rules, but I wonder if their collective arses are going a bit at the moment? One would hope they’re trying to find a way out of annoying us any further, or at least ensure that they don’t have to dock us 18 points. Perhaps in the long run we may be doing them a favour?
I think I must be feeling charitable towards the Ryman right now, as I seriously doubt they really want to make that all-important decision. Perhaps they’re good people really, only applying the law because they have to? Perhaps they really will use common sense and decency in dealing with an issue becoming increasingly surreal and stupid each passing day? Of course, if the bastards deduct us 18 points….
One thing that apparently came out of the pre-game open meeting is that when we do eventually meet the Ryman, the people looking as us “won’t have vested interests”. I would seriously hope so.
Final thoughts for now? One day, just one day, we will get to give the FA the smack they richly deserve. I hope that time comes sooner rather than later.
Speaking of smacking, considering everything that’s gone on this week we were quite composed yesterday. Even more so with nine players out (and for those wondering, JD was on his holidays. Hope he got international clearance for that). When they went ahead though, I did fear the worst. We looked a little bit shaky (probably because it was quite makeshift in parts) and somehow you had floodgates of doom in your head when they went 1-0 up. Would the frustration boil over? Were we going to freefall?
Luke Garrard’s free kick answered that. So did Steve Goddard (twice) and Lewis Cook. OK, they hit back to make it 3-2, but when we went up a gear to go further ahead a minute later, that told you all you needed to know.
I know we are mightily fucked off with the past week, but what of the players? They don’t get a chance to prove themselves against R&D now, their bonuses are in doubt, and as soon as they appear to click they could be forced to scrap it out with people like Hendon and W&H. If they were demoralised, they didn’t show it. Is it true two of our players were helping out with bucket collections before the game? The ones not playing, obviously. If so, there may be a bit of faith in humanity restored.
The best thing to do now is keep winning. Everyone, and I mean everyone, must take the opportunity to stick a suitable one-fingered salute up. We do what we need to do, the top brass do what they need to, and the players should kick onto that top spot. The league table right now shows we are six points behind Margate with a game in hand. This league is here for the taking. And yes, if we get deducted 18 points, that would cease to become an issue. But think of what it would do in the propaganda war.
Feeling suitably aroused? There are other sites for that sort of thing. For the rest of you who have taken a cold shower, here’s….
Plus points: Great end to a difficult week. Reduced strength team, non-reduced strength performance. Went up that necessary gear when we scored. Goddard. Steve Ferguson
Minus point: DG’s injury.
The referee’s a……….: Some bloke near me asked if he was from the FA. With a comment like that, I need not begin to describe his performance.
Them: Jesuz christ, what dirty bastards. Had an air of a Ryman One side that couldn’t match us for skill so went for the physical approach. Scoreline flattered them a bit. Hardly any of their lot turned up either, but HB are one of those sides who you have no real reason to dislike -a bit like a Folkestone or a Slough.
Point to ponder: This may ultimately be irrelevant, but how good is it that we are now kicking into life? If timing is everything we could have done a lot worse…
Truth is stranger than fiction: The whole day just seemed strange, although surreal may be a better word. Two open meetings in one day? Players helping out with collections? Even El Presidente, snr Ricardo Guy gave about £4 of his own money to the fighting fund. Mind you, I only gave £3.40…
Franchise watch: They must have really been building up to orgasmic pleasure this week. They’ve been waiting four good years for us to fall flat on our face. The FA kicking us out of the FAT. Possible point deduction. Trigger going to jail (justifiably IMO – I don’t believe just because he scored our first ever goal means he should escape justice). And of course, a trip to lowly Rochdale would end the perfect week for them. Well guess what – the cunts got stuffed 5-0. Karma, and just goes to show what happens when a fake football team with fake fans tries to get one over on real sides.
I would like to say I want them to freefall and get relegated. The truth is, I don’t. I just want to see them dead. Preferably slowly, in a lot of agony, every passing minute of their phony, miserable existance thinking about what they’ve done and their choice in life. If they’re capable of individual thought, which is highly debatable. But for now, enjoy the fact that they really, truly, spectacularly fucked up big time in their best ever week…
Anything else? Yeah. Is it me or was 2481 a bit disappointing? Mind you, we’ve been slipping towards the sub-2k for a little while, so perhaps attendances will perk up again. For whatever reason.
So, was it worth it? In the long run, yes. Though to paraphrase Bill Clinton, it depends what your definition of “it” is.
In a nutshell: The war continues.