Franchise and football.

[dell boy]

I was hoping the nice person from Bletchley might have wanted to talk about railways, what with Bletchley being a noted trainspotters paradise in the past.

Bletchley is a railway town...in much the same way as New Swindon was railway town..just sort of stayed a backwater...nevertheless interesting for all that.

When you stated the above Reg, I had to look it up:

The London and Birmingham Railway, now the "West Coast Main Line", was officially opened from Euston to Denbigh Hall, approximately one mile north of Bletchley station, on April 9, 1838, where a temporary station was built. The line was fully opened in September 1838, and there seemed no apparent need for a station in the Bletchley area at all. It was not until 1847 that Bletchley station was built following the opening of the line from Bedford. Originally a major intercity station, that role passed to Milton Keynes Central in 1982 when the latter was built, long after the east/west route had been downgraded, taking Bletchley's importance as a junction with it. Today, no Virgin inter-city services stop at Bletchley.

[Spencer_White]

Reading are new football though. They get unbelievable gates at home, and take no fans away. The money making way. Fammilies not blokes spending the money in pubs and having a community around a football club. How do you keep alive the rivalry and fan culture with fans who wont travel?

Reading fans views on football are boring and predictable. They have an out of town ground, with fans who will not go against the grain (because why bite the hand that has fed you?). But 70 Readings in the football league is my idea of football hell.

The sanitisation of football and the out of town grounds will in time be regarded as a massive mistake (in my view). The sanitisation of football has to end sooner or later, because some of these clubs are nothing more than hollows shells to me now. Lots of money and no soul! Can it last? If people dont really care about it, then whats the point?

You take the money out of the game and you watch the passion flood back into football, but it might take another generation. Young kids now see the money more as a motivation than the glory and raw excitement that attracted a lot of us to the game as kids.

The irony of ironies is that once upon a time we were derided in Europe because of football hooliganism. But the football authorities have become so obsessed and paranoid about it that they have failed to see the NEW reason we are hated in Europe. Because of our clubs rampant commercialism and obsession with scooping up revenues from other countries.

Eternally teasing us with the World Cup will be their perfect way to get their own back.

[Ardiles]

Agree with some of that - especially the part about the out of town ground.  (The Green Park/Whitley area around Reading's ground bring's a new meaning to 'soulless', and I'm glad our board seem to be making the right noises about keeping STFC in the centre of Swindon...where it belongs, in my view.)

But some sanitisation is inevitable, I think.  As it happens, I was shopping in Reading yesterday morning and whenever I'm there I do notice how embedded Reading FC has become locally in a way that STFC isn't in Swindon.  It's the number of RFC shirts being worn by children, the fact that you can buy the shirts in John Lewis, the level of coverage they get in local media (their games are often covered simultaneously by two different local radio stations).

Yes, it's all a bit sanitised and middle class...but they've embraced all that and it's brought them success on the pitch.  They've also had a fuck of a lot more to cheer about during the last decade than we have...hundreds more moments where they've cheered a goal or a win or a promotion.  Unfortunately, I think the two go hand in hand to an extent.  If the 2010s is going to be a more successful decade for us than the one about to end, we'll need to accept a little more sanitisation.

[I'm rambling.  Apologies.]

[flammableBen]

This has turned into a good rambling thread. Some good views being aired.

Anyone if mind if I split it off somewhere a bit before my effort into a new thread so all this interesting stuff about football as a whole doesn't get lost at the end of this match day jobby?

[Spencer_White]

Yeah, I do, dont sanitise the thread!

No to thread sanitisation!

[BletchleyDons]

I was hoping the nice person from Bletchley might have wanted to talk about railways, what with Bletchley being a noted trainspotters paradise in the past.

Bletchley is a railway town...in much the same way as New Swindon was railway town..just sort of stayed a backwater...nevertheless interesting for all that.

I think you'll find the Bletchley legend centres around the fact that our decoding genius population bailed out you carrot-crunching hicks from the prospect of nazi invasion during the second world war. Probably a much better contribution to the enemy threat than being sat on a hay bale threatening to shove your pitchfork up some German fellas backside.

[suttonred]

Agree with some of that - especially the part about the out of town ground.  (The Green Park/Whitley area around Reading's ground bring's a new meaning to 'soulless', and I'm glad our board seem to be making the right noises about keeping STFC in the centre of Swindon...where it belongs, in my view.)

But some sanitisation is inevitable, I think.  As it happens, I was shopping in Reading yesterday morning and whenever I'm there I do notice how embedded Reading FC has become locally in a way that STFC isn't in Swindon.  It's the number of RFC shirts being worn by children, the fact that you can buy the shirts in John Lewis, the level of coverage they get in local media (their games are often covered simultaneously by two different local radio stations).

Yes, it's all a bit sanitised and middle class...but they've embraced all that and it's brought them success on the pitch.  They've also had a fuck of a lot more to cheer about during the last decade than we have...hundreds more moments where they've cheered a goal or a win or a promotion.  Unfortunately, I think the two go hand in hand to an extent.  If the 2010s is going to be a more successful decade for us than the one about to end, we'll need to accept a little more sanitisation.

[I'm rambling.  Apologies.]

Most of this has happened in the  last 10 years in reading, since they flattened the bus depot and built the oracle, when i lived there you could go all day without seeing a reading shirt, investment in the town kicked it off, and everything else followed, not saying out of town bowl is the answer but for the club to progress, Sbc needs to get their act together and start making the town what it could be.

[Spencer_White]

I think you'll find the Bletchley legend centres around the fact that our decoding genius population bailed out you carrot-crunching hicks from the prospect of nazi invasion during the second world war. Probably a much better contribution to the enemy threat than being sat on a hay bale threatening to shove your pitchfork up some German fellas backside.

Haha. What the fuck?

Stephen Hawking in the house!

[BletchleyDons]

Haha. What the fuck?

Stephen Hawking in the house!

Your appreciation of my genius is duly noted. Thank you for your honesty.

[mexico red]

I think he meant more of the deacon than genius. I was embarrassed looking at your fans yesterday, I just dont get how you can be passionate about a brand.

Its like cheering on diet coke.

[BletchleyDons]

I think he meant more of the deacon than genius. I was embarrassed looking at your fans yesterday, I just dont get how you can be passionate about a brand.

Its like cheering on diet coke.

As opposed to cheering on a bottle of piss that'll be a step closer to their AFC Wimbledon buddies next season?

[flammableBen]

What has Reading's attendance retention been like since they dropped out of the Premier League? With all the talk about people getting second half season tickets in their promotion year for the purpose of getting a season ticket in the prem and not going until then, it'd be interesting to know if attendance have dropped back down again much.

[Rich Pullen]

I think you'll find the Bletchley legend centres around the fact that our decoding genius population bailed out you carrot-crunching hicks from the prospect of nazi invasion during the second world war. Probably a much better contribution to the enemy threat than being sat on a hay bale threatening to shove your pitchfork up some German fellas backside.

I think Reg really did want to talk Railways

Football is developed in the UK and therefore doesn't need clubs to move from town-to-town in search of popularity. Personally I find it baffling that fans switched teams so easily!

I've long accepted that Franchise are a part of the Football League but I'll never recognise them as anything other than an ghastly franchise and even if/when they make 20/30 years I'd still feel the same. Nothing against the supporters, it's Winkelman and the Football Association that are to blame here

The "Americanisation" of football in England really isn't welcome and hopefully never will be again.

[STFC_Gazza]

As opposed to cheering on a bottle of piss that'll be a step closer to their AFC Wimbledon buddies next season?

I will love the day the real wimbledon pass you cunts in the league.

[chalkies_shorts]

Just don't interact with the cunts. Let them spout their shite to ears that don't listen. Don't encourage them ,even if it is to give them a gobful. Basically slag them off , call them whatever but don't interact with them. Don't try and legitimise them by engaging in debate.