The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Coalville Town on 22nd March 2005.
Tuesday, March 15th and the visit of Westfields brings heartache for lovers of the The Racers. Despite the best efforts of our intrepid band of grounds men, the pitch is hard and bumpy and close control is difficult. OK so the same is true for both sides but that doesn’t make it any easier to bear. The game is awful, the result is awful and, with a number of teams bunching around the middle of the table, Racing Club remain in the bottom half. Marcus’s goal of improving on last season’s twelfth place finish (when the league comprised twenty-four clubs) means that this season will require a tenth place finish (or better!). Come on boys! You can do it!
Saturday, March 19th and, with Warwick away at Barwell, I decided to take the opportunity to see one of my other favourite sides, York City who were in the vicinity visiting Tamworth in a Nationwide Conference fixture. For those of you who haven’t been following York’s results of late (well that must be just about all of you!), City dropped into the Conference last season and have struggled to adapt. The club is one of the few to be owned outright by the supporters and money is extremely tight. Whilst there is a lot to be said for supporter-owned clubs in terms of democracy and genuine fan-participation, money is always a real problem. Most traditionally-owned clubs enjoy some form of boardroom-level benefactor but, when the fans are in charge, there is little to be gained for the average loaded-entrepreneur in waving a load of cash at a democratically run outfit. The Minstermen have therefore been unable to match many of their full-time Conference brethren and, going into the game against Tamworth, were in the lower reaches of the league, albeit ten points clear of the drop-zone. That said, all York fans would be able to remind you that City were eighth in League Two last season in mid-January and ended up finishing bottom with the worst run of results in the club’s history. So being only ten points clear of relegation remains a real worry!
Tamworth? Well I’ve got a bit of a soft-spot for them on account of a couple of the guys at work being supporters of The Lambs. Tamworth’s ground (named The Lamb Ground on account of a now-demolished public house which used to stand on one corner) is rather endearing, with its tin shed along one side although it’s not really up to the calibre of most Conference-level accommodation. The club rose from the Southern League to the Conference two seasons ago and many Racing Club followers may recall matches against the Lambs during the early 1990’s (perhaps you even had a pint in The Lamb?). Former Birmingham City stalwart Mark Cooper is Tamworth’s player manager and they also boast former West Bromwich Albion legend Bob Taylor up front. In a game of few chances, Taylor was sharpest to a low cross into the area after half an hour and Tamworth were one-nil ahead. One-nil it remained to the final whistle and City’s travelling fans were unanimously unimpressed at the showing of their heroes. You can always tell a club in turmoil when fans are not united. City’s supporters are currently divided into two camps: those resigned to a poor performance but hopeful that the club is about to turn the corner and those who tend to sing “We’re sh*t and we’re sick of it”!
There is an often-espoused view that every paying supporter has the right to say whatever they think because they’ve paid their admission money. Well I’m afraid that those so-called supporters who choose to yell obscenities may have that right but surely do no good whatsoever. Whilst I do understand that there are some players who need a metaphorical arm around the shoulder whereas there are others who need a kick up the posterior, does vicious personal abuse actually motivate anybody to play better? Would you feel pride in wearing the shirt if subjected to foul mouthed vitriol from some scum bag low-life? My view is that, whilst 100% unquestioning positive encouragement is not the be-all-and-end-all as far as vocal support is concerned, those that are only negative contribute little to a team’s fortunes. I believe that it’s worth remembering that confidence is easily knocked by out-of-turn comments and that moans and groans from the sidelines hardly help the players.
Am I turning into a holier-than-thou football fan? Perhaps! To play devil’s advocate for a moment, I’m sure that the pressure that discontented supporters put on the Board at many clubs ensures that there is a constant sharp focus on forward progress. Without such pressure would a Club strive as hard for success? Is it better to have vocal criticism or would you prefer fans to vote with their feet and stop attending? Big clubs are big clubs because their supporters attend through thick and thin. Thin is not very pleasant and, given the shelf-life of the average supporter (a lack of success after three or four years of attending is a lifetime for many), waiting ten years is simply just not good enough!
Whatever your viewpoint, keep the faith!
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