Quote:
Originally Posted by Willie Miller
Its one thing after another.... Player registration fiascos, club mascot fiascos, tax bill fiascos, ground grading fiascos, ownership fiascos, more player registration fiascos, players not being paid, managers not being paid, small companies not being paid......
There is nothing to feel proud of about being Stanley, bar Coley & Bell
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I find the last sentence of this post haunting, mainly for the brutal truth that resonates so loudly from it. After taking a step back from the immediate defence of our club when we were presented with the hateful post from the Stevenage lot, I found myself in total (albeit begrudging) agreement with the majority of their (obviously not well put) points.
We
are an embarrassment. Whereas before we could laugh off such accusations and ridicule the jealousy of established clubs, now we can only nod our heads in shameful agreement.
More and more I feel like our rise to the Football League was a swindle; our story of the phoenix forever tainted. It is simplistic but not unfair of other clubs to state that we only got to the Football League (and stayed in it) by not paying our tax or other creditors; that we were effectively bankrolled by money that did not belong to us.
This ownership saga that has gripped our club for almost two years has seen brothers and sisters shy away from the Stanley family. We have a person who was once worshipped as the saviour of our football club seemingly trying to kill it. We have people who have given their all for the club in their own respective ways either pushed to the fringes or totally banished. We find ourselves on a never-ending trail of lies and disappointment. The two gallant knights who we thought could save us all in one-fell-swoop are faced with a deep and dark forest of thorns (also known as Accrington Stanley's past accounts). The fans' organisation, though well meaning, seem powerless, even with a seat on the board.
Is it time to bite the bullet and start over?
I'm talking about the club folding and starting anew; a brand new company started with what is left of the pure soul of Accrington Stanley, probably applying for membership of North West Counties.
Obviously, this would mean incredible sacrifice. It would mean losing our God-given management duo. It would mean losing the best players to ever take the field in the name of our club. It would mean undoing the hard work of all those who fought from 1968 to 2006 to get us 'back where we belong'. It would proabably mean losing some 'fans' who don't see a non-league team as worthy of legitimate support.
However, the gains to me at this moment in time seem immeasurable. We'd drive out the rats that bring such a plague to our club, we could regain the pride of the town, the respect of local businesses, we could be a real community club... But above all, we could regain the love and pride for
our club. No longer would we be ashamed.
Please know that I am a Stanley fan through-and-through and would not suggest such dramatic action flippantly. The Football League is indeed the holy land, but some things are more important; pride, honour and truth. These feelings have been building up for a long time and perhaps today's events of the Southend faithful being allowed to travel all that way without warning has been the proverbial 'straw'.
I'd appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
