davetscfc
Steaming Bovril
......and it's Salisbury City......
Posts: 457
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Post by davetscfc on Sept 22, 2009 13:42:02 GMT
Am a week or so late at posting this but I'm rubbish at remembering to come on here regularly.  In a League not known for its friendliness (despite travelling by public transport and arriving in away towns a good 2 or 3 hours before kick off, we can count the number of away fans we've conversed with over the past 2 seasons without needing to resort to using our toes), the bunch of Gateshead fans we met were top notch. A few of us flew up for a weekender and I left a message on their forum. Was welcomed on there and given a name of a pub they'd be in saturday lunchtime. Got over the river for 12, met up and it was immediately like bumping into old mates. Took us on a tour of Gateshead drinking holes, sorted out the taxis to the ground, and had a beer after. Hopefully going to return the favour at the end of next month. For you Conference South/North and below lot it's probably not a strange story but in the mostly soulless, segregated, Billy Big Time world we currently inhabit, a pleasant change and something to restore a bit of faith. |
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Post by robotsmfc on Sept 22, 2009 14:11:47 GMT
The Gateshead fans were well known for their hospitality (and passion) last year. I suppose they have to do that to make up for their ground being an athletics stadium!
I've only ever met a couple of Gateshead fans but they do seem to be genuinely a very nice bunch of supporters.
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Post by J Esaj PRA on Sept 22, 2009 17:19:53 GMT
They are a good bunch up there and at least indirectly responsible for the existence of this very message board.
If you'd have left a message on the Tamworth Fans' Forum prior to last weeks game, you'd probably have been kidnapped by the club's alcoholic contingent and forced to drink in the White Lion. Actually, with a bunch of those faces taking part in match sponsorship, you probably would have been given an invite to the sponsors lounge. There's no segregation at the Lamb until the number of visiting fans make it necessary on safety grounds.
I haven't bothered with any away games this season, mainly for the reasons you mention Dave. The few I've been interested in have been midweek, on days I've had to work. I'm considering Eastbourne on Saturday, but as they are a plastic club with no soul on the edge of a crap town to start with, I might choose life instead.
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Post by robotsmfc on Sept 22, 2009 18:39:09 GMT
If you'd have left a message on the Tamworth Fans' Forum prior to last weeks game, you'd probably have been kidnapped by the club's alcoholic contingent and forced to drink in the White Lion. Now there are some ex-Conference North fans that I am acquainted with  |
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Post by ambersalamander on Sept 22, 2009 21:51:16 GMT
Gateshead fans are awesome ;D By the way Dave, can you get Malx to post something on here? He's not been on for aaaages. Tell him I didn't mean it when I told him to eff off  |
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davetscfc
Steaming Bovril
......and it's Salisbury City......
Posts: 457
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Post by davetscfc on Sept 24, 2009 10:31:29 GMT
Gateshead fans are awesome ;D By the way Dave, can you get Malx to post something on here? He's not been on for aaaages. Tell him I didn't mean it when I told him to eff off Whoops! I shall try but only see/hear from him sporadically these days.  |
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Post by Col ISIHAC. on Sept 24, 2009 21:43:04 GMT
I have been humbled by the generosity and attitude of Gatesheed fans on two occasions before now - and would agree Dave; they are a great bunch. To the extent that I would even consider a trip to the Raymac for the return! Not seen the buggers for a while. |
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Post by loy PRA on Oct 11, 2009 16:25:21 GMT
Thank you Dave, I'm greatly humbled when somebody mentions s Gateshead fans in a positive light and all the more considering our fantastic result yesterday. It certainly gives us a reason to be cheerful on monday morning.
I haven't been to any games this season as I've been abroad, however I must admit if there's an accolade for 'footballing community' it must go to every club in the North East from Stockton to Berwick. Despite low turn out and the much publicised recession, committed fans and staff alike have continued to keep local leagues and professional teams in very healthy shape; a premiership team in the top half of the table in Sunderland, a fantastically celebrated club despite relegation in Newcastle, an emerging talent in Hartlepool and the survival of troubled Darlington. Not forgetting our non league talents such as progressive Gateshead and Blyth Spartans who deserve to be vaunted for their high turnout and engagement with the local community over the years and finally, the Northern League which continues to be attractive to local playing talent and fans alike (despite much criticism for their conservative approach to the footballing pyramid.)
The town itself is still struggling to shake off the perception of itself as footnote of a footnote to Newcastle City, and despite a fanatical approach to football in this part of the country turnouts remain low. Hopefully one day it will be as fashionable for Gatesider youths to pull on the white shirt instead of the current appearance of many Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United tops currently on parade following Newcastle's fall from the top of the regional footballing perch. Gateshead Metropolitan Borough is actually bigger than Newcastle and contains a similar population to a town the size of Macclesfield but despite this we continue to have a crisis of identity; Gateshead fans have always perhaps though the club should have a higher profile than the lower reaches of the pyramid and a return to the Conference glory days (some even say to the football league) but despite recent successes the solution of giving the club a new lease of life beyond the chairman's positive influence remains far off.
Either way, I will focus on survival for this year as and be happy if we achieve that, and probably won't even be too upset if we're unfortunate enough to relegated as Ian Bogie's leftfield thinking has proved very successful, but the Blue Square Premier is a whole new step up in terms of quality and the culture of professionalism. I checked the messageboard shortly after the season started to see one deluded fan who never seems to have been to a game and is based around the Blyth area (of all places) who wanted an inquiry into the three nil defeat to Histon. This of course was preposterous given it was the team's first foray into the toughest league outside of professional football in England.
Anyway, thanks for the kind comments. Hope to see you again soon.
Loy
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Post by robotsmfc on Oct 11, 2009 18:38:07 GMT
a fantastically overrated club despite relegation in Newcastle Fixed your typo there. You forgot Durham City too! Although I suppose they'll soon be back under the umbrella of the Northern League though. |
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Post by ambersalamander on Oct 12, 2009 12:01:25 GMT
Know what you mean Loy - non-league clubs always seem to struggle in that respect in larger cities that have league clubs. We have a similar problem although of course it isn't quite the same.
My parents used to live in Gateshead and had no idea it had its own club. Not that they're footbally people, but it still goes to show.
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