I think I've just done it.. Hit send, but then nothing changes.. Is it supposed to tell you its been sent?
Great work on this too, guys.. Well done!
I think I've just done it.. Hit send, but then nothing changes.. Is it supposed to tell you its been sent?
Great work on this too, guys.. Well done!
Scroll up after you hit send
It should show you what it's doing
Subscribe to The Jetstream Podcast http://www.newcastlefootball.net/podcast
E-mails sent.
May have clicked the send button twice, but whatever. Done.
Middleby Gone
Lawrie Out
there will probably be between 30-50 supporters going off last seasons turnout
Subscribe to The Jetstream Podcast http://www.newcastlefootball.net/podcast
Apparently there is a meeting tomorrow for the Board of Directors at FFA Headquarters tomorrow.
Will be interesting to see if there are any new develoments. Most of the football media is onside with the supporters now, the likes of Bozza, Simon Hill, Ray Gatt, Cockerill etc and Ante Covic as Vice President of the PFA issued a statement (in the SMH) on behalf of the players backing supporters actions.
The ball is now in FFA's court, only they can resolve this now or prolong it....their choice.
Some of you who know me know I've been part of this Football odyssey as a fan for quite a long time now.
There has never been a better opportunity for fans in the history of our game here in Australia to stand up
and be counted. Watershed moment people. Be part of it...boycotts, emails, banners etc.
If the outcome out of all this is more power to fans, more publicity to the game and a stronger football
community...the irony of Rebecca Wilson's article being the catalyst for all this certainly won't be lost on me, because I can assure
you, she wouldn't have the best interests of the game, OUR game in mind when that article was published.
Said article filed away for posterity now...
Am I boycotting? Well, I hardly make it to away games anyway but yes, if that's the status quo with the majority of
supporters/stakeholders to make a statement? I'm in. I won't put my season ticket under the bar code scanner on match day 10 if it's dragged out that long.
Imagine the egg on FFA faces if only around 5k (or less) turned up this Friday night. Nobody in the Cove or Away end...empty bays. The silence would be deafening.
The FTA match day publicity is also an enticing opportunity to make a public statement. I can hear David Basheer now...
"The crowd have obviously voted with their feet tonight" etc. And btw, FFA couldn't blame the weather either.
http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/sydney.shtml
Desired outcome? Before 2 weeks ago??
Before Nov 22nd, I had no idea that some fans had been completely f***ed over by the lack of a process that never existed.
If this course of action creates change in that department, then I'm all for it. There isn't much else a fan or collective of fans can do that really
makes a statement that is heard or acknowledged. Vote with your feet...literally! I think the A-League fan base is really onto something here.
It's certainly shown the true colours of a few of those FFA pencil necks too.
I'm not that naive to think that there's quite a few turds on that list that don't belong there..because I've heard the stories from direct Boz about sh!t
Newy fans have copped...and it's a lot worse than what we copped 20+ years ago. Would I go to a Wanderers away game in the past and current
climate wearing my colours knowing my livelihood could literally be on the line because some jobless wanker with anger management issues wants to take it out on opposition
supporters? Stuff that. So, do I want a match day experience to change? Well in that department, a resounding yes.
Here is my take on it the whole situation.
The Wilson article and subsequent Jones diatribe may not be a bad thing in that they have put this issue in the spotlight so it at least gets addressed. Unfortunately the way it is being addressed by the FFA and Fans is really playing into the hands of people like Wilson.
The FFA have shown themselves to be pretty weak this week. They have shown nothing in the way of leadership and their appeals process looks to be nothing more than a tick a box affair to say they have one, with no real interest in having a fair process.
While I completely agree with the fans in that there needs to be greater transparency in the banning through an appeals process, I also think some of the fans groups are responsible for this escalating to the point it has. By all accounts, things like Flare ignition make up a major part of the ban list. I'm yet to hear, or see, any group self police and remove or even publicly criticise the lighting of flares. If groups themselves aren't going to curtail their use, then yes the governing body is going to come down like a tonne of bricks.
I'll use the RBB as an example. When they travel, flares travel. We know the media loves a good story on them. Everyone knows they are illegal, but when they come to newcastle, they keep getting ripped. FFS, last season they had something making small explosive sounds (I've heard they were railway detonators but I'm not convinced). If you are going to pull stuff like this, you are going to attract increased security and policing.
Same with people in the crowd acting like dicks, throwing shit or wanting to punch on.
There are tossers in the crowds, yes they are very much the minority, but until I see some of the bigger groups making obvious moves to remove the or ostracise them, then they are also complicit in whats gone on. They are a part of what has created the crap that is going on now.
With the 198 on the list, it would be naive to think that the majority of them are squeaky clean. Thats not to take away from the fact that we need an appeals process, a fair appeals process, to make sure the process is transparent. But, to the outsider it really does look like fans are condoning the actions of all 198.
I won't be boycotting anything, I don't agree with the FFA's stance in this issue, but I don't see the groups who appear to be leading this in being squeaky clean and they as much as the FFA need to have a change in culture.
Last edited by sammydog; 03-12-2015 at 09:20 AM.
well said, pretty much exactly what I think too.
just an example off how ****ed this is and this has legitimately happened to 5-10 people;
you go to to coast away and stand in the squadron. old mate next you rips a flare and drops it. CCTV footage doesn't provide clear enough viewing and it looks you ripped the flare. you receive a 5 year ban. You immediately try to dispute it and are met with the claims that there is no appeal process.
New appeal process announced
same situation, you go to appeal your ban but you have to provide evidence to why you shouldn't be banned. unless someone near you happened to video old mate ripping the flare you have no chance. The FFA won't allow for you to see the CCTV footage and the ban will stick.
I have no doubt 140 maybe more are deservedly banned, but there are people on that list who have been banned wrongly.
so for me this boycott is for those people and future people who are banned wrongly.
I agree, in that scenario, thats wrong and there should be an appeals process. The FFA should also make available any evidence they have that was used to hand out the ban. If its good enough to ban people with, its strong enough to hold up to scrutiny.
But in the same situation, where is the leaders of whatever supporters groupie is outing the dickhead that ripped the flare, the same dickhead who is ****ing careless with it and drops it not giving a flying **** who gets burnt while its on the ground. the same dickhead who doesn't care that someone else copped a ban for their actions. This is where it all falls over.
I've heard the argument before, don't dob in your mates. But the tool who caused the issue doesn't cop a ban while some innocent person takes the flack. If they don't care about the impacts of their actions on the people around them, why should the people around them care about him.
Everyone feels sorry for the people wrongly evicted and banned, as we should, but no one is condemning and outing the very people that created the situation. Its a self perpetuating problem (granted, given the numbers it is minor in scale) and the supporters groups as much FFA and security have a role to play. Respect is a two way street.
Sammydog, no one at any level is suggesting the 198 are squeaky clean.
Everything I've read from all levels of the issue admit there's a problem.
The only thing making this look like boycotts to support ALL the 198 is lazy journos who haven't looked into the issue simplifying for an easy sound bite or headline.
I agree more needs to be done by bigger groups (especially the rbb) to weed out their trouble, and denounce flares, but a active Groups lack of leadership on this particular issue shouldn't excuse innocent folk from being banned, and then not able to see the evidence against them.
Agreed is a case for the rbb at least of wanting to have the cake and eat it too.