The Thurrock situation is nothing short of scandalous and yet another example of the pettiest of rule book applications by those who supposedly administer football at all levels. There have been more and more seasons wrecked by off pitch interference from the FA and their puffed up counterparts who run individual leagues.
It took this collective of clowns two years to deal with Thurrock's minor infraction (which I think they were unaware of anyway?) and while in most circumstances, deducting three points wouldn't have made much difference, in this case it had a massive effect. Surely, what was a minor thing that got what was a minor slap on the wrist would have had no such repercussions - with possibly more to come for other clubs as they await the outcome of Thurrock's appeal - if the sensible solution had been taken to deduct those three points next season.
Football's administrators never cease to amaze. At the highest level - the head in the sand approach to goal line technology, the scandal that is Sep Blatter, a sport riddled with cheating and con artists who continue to get away with their antics despite multi camera coverage showing what they get up to, the ludicrous money these players get - and then as you wend your way into the semi pro game, the mini empires at the head of each league which seem to want to find different petty rule book ways to deny a club promotion or to relegate them. As Hastings Town found in 98/99, when a combination of Mark Gardiner and the Southern League saw them relegated despite a fifth place Premier Division finish after a season of huge upheaval. It took Town three long years to regain their Premier Division place and to this day I remain amazed Dennis Strudwick had the front to come to the Pilot Field to present the Eastern Division championship shield to Tony Burt - having used the Southern League's rulebook to relegate the club in the first place.
15 years on and football is still run by these clowns. The very best of luck to Thurrock in their appeal.
Dennis Strudwick presented the trophy because he was invited to do so by the Club. Also the club resigned from the league, they were not demoted by the Southern League. Once they had resigned they were outside of the pyramid and could easily have been placed in the Sussex County League.
Yes I remember this very well, Mark Gardiner resigned the club from the Southern League because he wanted to join the Ryman Isthmian Premier League as he thought it would be an easier league to win to get to the Conference.
When he found that they couldn't join the Ryman Premier he tried to retract the resignation but was unsuccessful and they were very lucky to be placed in the Southern League Eastern Division as they could easily have been in the County League as powels22 quite rightly says.
Spot the difference between the Southern League's rule book for the year they relegated Town - “…..Any club having previously given notice of termination of membership seeking to withdraw that notice, and subsequently being reselected, shall be treated as a new club for the purpose of Subscription and Entrance Fee.”
And a year later - “…..Any club having previously given notice of termination of membership seeking to withdraw that notice, and subsequently being reselected, shall be treated as a new club IN ALL ASPECTS.”
Coincidence that it was changed after what happened to Hastings Town? Obviously there was lots going on at the time, all that post Gardiner upheaval, in administration and the very real threat of the club folding altogether till Mick Maplesden and Co came to the rescue - but looking at that particular rule, it looks as if Town might've had a valid case to take that a lot further given the way it was applied - and then changed a year later.
I always thought that the" withdrawal of resignation deadline" rule was pretty pointless - and is even more so today given the state of the semi pro game. Football clubs need all the support they can get from those who administer the sport - I stand by everything I said in my first post about rules and regs, those who enforce them and how they go about it. Hence my backing for Thurrock. All this over a £16 unpaid fine from several years back.
Grateful we didn't end up in the County League for 99/00? I don't think so. It was all about needless, petty rule enforcement - badly done at that. What a club achieves on the pitch over 42 games should be sacrosanct unless there is a very good reason to deduct points, or even worse, enforce relegation - hence my earlier words about cheating not getting the treatment it deserves. Now, THERE is a case for points deductions if ever there was - you win a game unfairly through cheating - you lose points. A rule that would hardly ever have to be enforced at the higher levels of the game because once the message got through to the penalty box hang gliders etc etc that their shenanigans would be dealt with post match, then they would stop. And behaviour at the higher level has a habit of filtering through to the levels below - most importantly to where our kids start out.
On one hand - pettiness and needless rules'n regs - on the other, a major blight on football that is tinkered with. And as for Dennis Strudwick turning up at the Pilot Field three years after inflicting rule book relegation on Hastings Town - the Queen could've asked him along for all I cared at the time.
Dennis Strudwick is a very good friend of Hastings United/Town FC as was evident when he took the trouble to look people out at Harrogate Town last season.
I agree with SS, the rule book is applied when it suits. Football is in need of the application of common sense or we wont have a game worth watching. As for someone being a "good friend of Hastings United/Town" why was he not able to stop our relegation when we ended up fifth. That would have been a better sign of friendship than shaking some hands at Harrogate.
Last season, a Conference keeper wanted to promote breast cancer awareness by wearing a pink jersey - a thoroughly worthwhile cause. And it came to nothing when the Conference rules'n regs enforcer poopooed the idea. Dennis Strudwick... While the Thurrock farce cannot be laid at Strudwick's doorstep, it nicely sums up the priorities of those who administer football.
Hallo Powells22, how you can say dropping into a lower division isn't being relegated - however it comes about - is beyond me. Yes - Gardiner resigned the club from the league but then withdrew his letter of resignation. But Strudwick and Co had introduced a pointless rule that set a 31 Dec deadline for resignations from the Southern League. Gardiner missed that deadline.
This was all about one man - Mark Gardiner. A combination of him and the rules'n regs (that must be obeyed without question) book of Strudwick's lot caused all the damage. What was so frustrating at the time was that the team had played so well and had they won their last game of the season at home to Merthyr Tydfil, they'd have finished runners up to Nuneaton Borough. Even having lost many of the big bucks Gardiner signings, there was still a team left that could've held it's own in the 99/00 season in the Southern Premier.
Please don't lose sight of my original point though - that is that rule books are full of far too many nit picking, needless and over the top regulations that are invariably enforced without question. The Thurrock situation could have been avoided by taking those three points off them at the start of next season.
That just about sums up the clowns in charge. I hope Thurrock take their appeal as far as they can go. If someone sitting behind a desk at FA HQ can see a club be relegated over an issue like that then the whole sport is in a dark place. But then it has been for years - the pointed hats merely get taller the higher up the game you go.
I definatly backed thurrocks appeal SS but if they take it as far as they can we will quite possibly still be waiting for the season to start in October!
European court of arbitration in sport can takes months to decide.
Thurrock have tonight confirmed they are entering arbitration talks, if that fails and they appeal then the crap really hits the fan.....
Potentially and ironically could put other clubs out of business due to lost revenue in lost Saturdays due to delayed start and also having to pay player wages without any income to pay for them..
What a sorry old mess !!!! Makes you realise how lucky we are having Tony as our club Secretary though. He never gets the credit he deserves .Can't ever remember us having points deducted for ineligible players ! Hats off to him for that .I expect someone will prove me wrong now.
Just a few points,
The guy claims because he was in jail he did not receive notification, this would not have happened unless the address he had entered on his signing on form for his club had changed as that is the address that would be used. He would have also been contacted twice once by the league itself and the the county FA concerned.
If it was forged as Thurrock are saying again it should be easy to show as signatures on forms will be different to those on other documents.
Whatever, is said and done he was still ineligible to play, and the Ryman league have a rule with the punishment detailed in it. If its not adhered too carshalton could lodge a counter claim against the league.
What is wrong is that it took so long to come too light, but Thurrock would still have lost the 3 pts but they would have known about it sooner.
And as the whole shambles has dragged on sooooo long, the sensible option would've been to deduct those three points at the start of next season. But then common sense and football administrators never were happy bedfellows.
This whole sorry mess has been caused by the FA and the Ryman clowns failing to deal with the issue for so long. Lay the blame at their doors.
Looks like this could cause a whole lot of people a lot of agro, I agree the best thing to do would be clock them the points next season and move on they the powers that be seem to be a rule unto their own. I can recall one of my sons managers getting reported and hauled up in front of the Sussex Fa once for foul and abusive language. Despite a number of statements from parents the I opposing manager and a grew of us going over to give evidence on his behalf they still found him guilty and I still to this day would go and defend him as he said nothing foul or abusive to the referee what so ever.
They all think they're above everyone else regardless.
Thurrock lost their appeal and are duly relegated. I trust that those who administer football are at home this evening content with their collective day's work. Bit like the clown in chief - Blatter - how do these people get elected year after year. Commiserations to Thurrock - all that graft to stay up only for a rule book desk jockey to wipe out the effort over 42 games. There is room for common sense and flexibility and deducting those points next season would've been the best solution.
