AFC Rushden & Diamonds Programmes V St Andrews 18/01/2014 | Page 17

RUSH V ST ANDREWS PROG

16/1/14

07:24

Page 17

view fromTHE TERRACE
HELLO AND WELCOME BACK TO THE
WOOF & QUACK FOR OUR FA VASE
CLASH WITH ST ANDREWS FC.
I would like to wish the supporters, players
and officials from St Andrews a pleasant
stay with us today, but I hope they don’t
enjoy it too much!
Recently there have been a few things
happening in football that I would like to
comment on today. The former Aston Villa
midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger ‘came out’
recently as being gay.
Why this is still classed as ‘news’ in 2014, I
have no idea. Why should being a gay
anything be a massive story? The only thing
I can put it down to, is that the football
fraternity has not moved forward as quickly
as other sports.
Basketball, rugby, tennis and even boxing
have seen sportsmen and women declare
their sexuality without any major hoo-ha. I
do fear that it will still be some time, until
football catches up with the real world.

There also seems to be some surprise that
Manchester United are currently struggling
to reach the heights of the last twenty five
years under the stewardship of Sir Alex
Ferguson.
Well hello people, this has always been the
case with club ‘dynasties’. Nothing lasts
forever, blimey, I can remember when
Liverpool dominated the old First Division
and I can remember Aston Villa and
Nottingham
Forest
as
European
Champions, but players and managers all
grow old and have to retire at some stage.
I see it as a good thing that other clubs have
their place in the sun, otherwise it would be
boring, just like the Scottish Premier
League!
People naturally don’t like change, but we
have seen lots of changes in football over
the past 40 years.
We now have automatic promotion from
the conference, whereas clubs that won
that division used to have to apply for
election to the old Fourth Division.

one fan, one vote, one community, one club

This meant that the ‘old boys’ network’
would usually keep a league club, rather
than pick a non-league to join them. In some
cases the non-league clubs where better
run than the old guard, who had been saved
from relegation for years.
We also now have play-offs, which I believe
have kept the excitement of who could go
up alive. I can remember in the past in some
seasons, that leagues were over and done
with in March.
With the play-offs, a team finishing in 6th
place still has the chance to gain promotion.
So let’s hope that the play-offs reach down
to the UCL and other leagues at level 5.
This will take another set of changes, but
you never know, it could happen in 100
years time, or will football stay the same?
Just leaves me to say, enjoy the game
today and get behind the lads. You are the
twelfth man.
COME ON YOU WHITES!

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