| February 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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With the last month's atrocious weather conditions the call has again gone
out for a winter break in football. Do you want one Many non-league clubs have their highest gates in the Christmas and New Year period, and they would not want to lose that income. It has been suggested that a mid season break, possibly mid January to mid February, would be of benefit to English Football in general. However this time of year is usually a busy one for non league clubs. By now the FA Cup and FA Trophy are running side by side. A good run for a club in either means a fixture backlog, even without a proposed break. Local FA competitions and League Cup competitions are also running at this time of year, with many clubs already playing reserve teams to avoid the drain on their players. Plus traditionally large League structures mean normally in excess of 40 games in a season as well. To accommodate a mid season break League Cups, Local FA competitions and League structure overall must be addressed. First the objective of a break must be addressed. Is it to prevent postponements, or for a rest for players, or maybe both? If the former, then there is really not much of an argument. Hinckley have only had one game cancelled because of the weather and that was due only to the rain after the recent snowfall. Other re-arranged games have been due to teams being involved in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy. If the latter then that can be achieved by better means than a break. Players at the top level are involved in National and International football and there is a great deal of physical stress on the body. However governing bodies do not help themselves by not synchronising their close seasons, where possible, and arranging International competitions, including friendlies, in the close season. The African Nations Cup being a prime example. At non league level though these are not considerations to be had. Apart from the extra cup competitions it is business as usual. If the players need to be rested it would be a lot easier just to lessen the workload on them already. League Cups and Local FA competitions mean nothing anymore. Let's face it, unless you're out of both the National FA competitions, nobody cares. Imagine, had we been still in the FA Trophy over the last month, does anybody think we would have played our first team in the Leicestershire Challenge Cup or even the DM League Cup? So let's scrap meaningless competitions that just drain the resources of the players and financial resources of the fans. That leaves us with 42 plus League matches to play. Why 22 teams in a league? Why not 18? That's only 8 less games but could effectively reduce the season by 6 weeks. With the restructure of the Conference it would have been the perfect time to reduce the number of clubs in each league, introducing a brand new league at level 3 so as not to effectively relegate clubs trimmed off the Conference feeder leagues. Doing away with the traditional Northern, Southern and Isthmian Leagues and having 4 regional league in their place. Politics between the governing bodies means that will never happen, however much sensible it would be. Then if the above problems are resolved, comes the matter of financial impact on clubs. Contract players will need paying during any proposed break. With no games comes no income, so where will these wages come from? Clubs at our level already operate at stretched financial capacity (well apart from Weymouth who can buy football league players at the click of Claridge's fingers) for example take Nuneaton's problems arising from gates below there expectations and a recent drop in cash flow. Where would another month without any income leave them, as it would many clubs at our level? Mid season, Winter break, do you want one? Nope, not me. "Can you hear the Cambridge sing?" Well no, actually, and that's because the Football Club have been told by their Council to keep the noise down. Now I couldn't let a Cambridge match go by without mentioning it, especially as every 'two bit' rag tag tabloid and his dog have already had a pop. I mean even Jonathon Pearce and his shrieking baritone have been down to Milton Road. So I might as well milk the cow. As Cambridge City are situated in a residential area and there is an old folks home nearby they have been given a directive by their local Council to keep noise levels to a minimum. Last season their stewards were having kittens when the Hinckley faithful appeared with a drum, only to be told that they weren't "bringing that thing in here." This season opposition supporters have been told not to cheer or chant to loudly. Hang on though, exactly how do they decide what is too loud? And do they have a steward who follows supporters around going "shhhhh!" Even worse, now there are plans to introduce stewards with the authority to hand out on the spot monetary fines (as if professional stewards don't already think they are judge, jury and executioner!) will they be looking to generate extra income by placing ringers in the opposition supporters and starting a loud chant. On an excellent, ground breaking and strangely forward looking note (strange for our club anyway), Hinckley United have achieved the Community Club FA Charter standard for their work, and future plans, with the local youth of the Hinckley area. The presentation of this award is scheduled for today, so everyone involved with the youth set up of this club deserves a round of applause for bringing the club forward. In conjunction with this award, Hinckley United have announced that each under 16 year old accompanied by an Adult will be allowed admission to Middlefield Lane free of charge. Yes, free of charge! You probably know this by know as it was announced before the Moor Green match. If you've been reading me in the programme or on my website you'll know that this kind of thing is what I've been waiting to happen for some time. With the appointment of a commercial manager the club are beginning to catch up, off the pitch, with the strides taken forward on the pitch. With our new ground due for next season I expect the commercial manager will be seeking to get as much publicity, and create as high a profile for the club, in our area as he can. A perfect way to start, as children are everyone's future. Next season the 'Junior Knitters' membership scheme will be in full swing, the exact details are not yet finalised but it will be a member scheme for juniors (obviously), which will see benefits of reductions in costs for juniors. The future is bright, the future is |
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| February Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Oh jebus let's just forget about this month altogether. Every team has to have a bad spell, let's hope this is ours, and that it is only a spell. Yeah that's what I put last month! It just seems to have gone totally pear shaped. This is the team that took us to the top of the league before Christmas and now cannot score, let alone win matches. The midfield is being completely overrun at the moment and the forwards are just not getting any service. We seem to be continuing with this 5-3-2 formation, when it doesn't work all we do is change the strikers, which solves nothing. We end up hoofing it, just to get it in the oppo half. It was evident against Merthyr and Cambridge that our strikers were having to drop very deep to get the ball and when they did, there was no one to play it to except space. Sadler is getting dragged wide where the supposed wing back should be, and Lewis is getting pulled back central where Jackson should be. Poor Jacko (I would say that though!) seems to be having to do the work of 2 men in midfield. We need to stop the rot before we can move forward. Switching to a 4-4-2 formation with Crowley back in is the option to take at the moment, I think, just to bring some stability to the team. This team is good enough for Conf North as they have proved before Christmas, but they are just overwhelmed in midfield. The defence is one of the best in the league as regards conceding goals but they cannot hold out to a relentless onslaught, brought about by conceding possession in midfield. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In out, Shake it all about | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hinckley United signed John Burns on contract this month, from Ilkeston Town.
The midfield player has played first team for Nottingham Forest, Notts County
and Bristol City. This season having been let go from professional football he
has been playing with Hucknall Town before moving to Ilkeston. He saw a deal
with Leek Town collapse and then turned down a short term move to Carlisle
United before settling for an 18 month deal at Hinckley. Hinckley also signed another midfielder after Steve Marriner joined from Dartford. Steve, who has moved to the area recently from Dartford, had been captain of the club for the last 2 seasons and was recommended to Dean Thomas by Dartford boss Tommy Samson. Steve is a graduate of the US college system where he played for Louisburg College, he was also Region 10 player of the year and played for All Southern State Select XI. (Whatever that means, but it sounds important and probably is to Americans.) After he graduated from college he played for Nashville Metros in the A League, before returning to England where he signed for Dartford. |
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| World of Football Stuff | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Manchester United's pampered supposed stars have been complaining that their toes
were getting too cold. (Too cold? They should come down here for a night match
and stand in the blowing gale at the Richmond Park end!) So what have Man U'
done? No they haven't said: "we pay you �50000 a week now shut up and get on with
it." What they've done is install heated boot pegs. An insider (it's always
an anonymous insider isn't it) said: "A lot of the overseas players were
complaining that the boots weren't comfortable when they put them on because they
were cold." The players also have a full time attendant to make sure their boots
fit correctly. (I suppose the only good thing about that is when Fergie's in
a boot kicking mood, when the Puma hits you in the face, at least it will be
warm!) In other news, (he says in his best Ronnie Barker voice) it appears that Gary Lineker is not just the only person in the family with the footballing talent, but also the only person in the family with any money sense. Ex Atho' player, Wayne Lineker, has been accused of 'conspiracy to defraud' the British and Spanish Tax Authorities. The charges relate to his bar in Tenerife that he opened after he stopped appearing as a substitute for the Atho'. (That's what you get for hitting the bar in 1985, against the Boro, in the Cup. Lawyers please note that all charges are alleged and this article in no way implies guilt, erm or humour for that matter.) If you thought we were pretty bad at the moment what about this: Indian footy team Sangolda Lightning have been suspended from their league after losing a game 61-0! With a half time score of 1-0, the team they were playing required a huge win to boost their own goal difference and thus win the League. Second half the Lightning conceded 60 goals and with it claims of dollars changing hands in a FIFA 'who wants the world cup' stylee. (Seems they went too far, they should have taken a leaf out of David Pleat's book and only concede the 4 goals. That way they get to keep the cash. Erm, allegedly. I'll just say allegedly again.) |
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| Coming next Month: A brace of teams down the bottom with Bath and Dorchester coming to the Lane, plus away to in form teams Dover and Welling, a small matter of Leicester City in the LCC, and then finishing at home to new boys Eastbourne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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