More Hatter Troubles

Discussion in 'Prem talk, Those Other Leagues, and International' started by nevzter, May 14, 2008.

  1. nevzter

    nevzter Well-Known Member

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  2. SteveM19

    SteveM19 New Member

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    Ouch. Sorry to see this.
     
    #2
  3. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    thanks, guys. It just gets worse and worse. Will Luton be the base for another appeal like there have been in the past for Port Vale and Wrexham?

    All I know is that if they (a) start with a minus 15 and (b) sell all their good players as is likely, they'll most likely be in the Conference in 2009-10. Sad
     
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  4. nevzter

    nevzter Well-Known Member

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    I find the second 15 point penalty harsh. That's 30 points deducted in a calendar year and not many clubs at any level could survive that.
     
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  5. nevzter

    nevzter Well-Known Member

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    More on the Hatter troubles with a good article. Besides HD's interest, I find the 'falls from grace' in English football (Leeds, Oxford, Wimbledon, etc.) to be interesting stories because nothing in the U.S. sports system compares.

    http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/ ... h_pri.html
     
    #5
  6. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    As my late mom used to say, "wouldn't this cock your pistol?"

    I appreciate how you guys have kept track of Luton's fortunes -- or mis- as the case may be -- over the last couple of years. I think that this will be the last season you'll have to do it in. I read the article twice and I can't for the life of me see where "the punishment fits the crime." Never mind. Luton are dead or as close as is possible. Soon, all that'll be left of the club is my FUSA handle.

    Here's a nice summing up from one of the comments appended to the article.

    I guess all that's left now is for FFC24 to post something along the lines of "Good. I'm glad it happened. I only wish they'd line those flag-waving SOBs up against the wall!" :?
     
    #6
  7. BarryP

    BarryP New Member

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    Part of what I like about Fulham is the local club feeling. It reminds me of going to Bosse Field as a kid to watch our Triple-A Detroit Tiger affiliate the Evansville Triplets play. Bosse Field is a great old stadium. It is currently the third oldest stadium in the US being used regularly and I watched some great players come through this town. Mark Fidrych was a big attraction and if my memory serves me correctly Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris, Lance Parrish and few others had stints with the Triplets. It seemed like the place was always sold out and it was always a great time when my dad and I went to the ballpark.

    Alas, like many other things over the years the almighty dollar took my Triplets away at the end of the 1984 season. The park was not nostalgic it was just old and would cost too much to renovate. The sell-outs were not enough because the stadium did not have enough seats. It became financially impossible for the team to stay so the Triplets were sold and moved to Nashville to become the Sounds.

    After the Triplets moved Bosse Field fell into disrepair. The local School Corporation invested some funds into maintaining the field and I played some of my high school ball there. The players loved playing on a field that one-time major league wannabes played on and I grew to love it even more than I did as a child. Even with the school corporations help it was feared for a time that the stadium would be closed down due to the costs of renovation that the stadium required just to keep it going. We got lucky as a city and the producers of "A League of Their Own" decided to shoot the movie at Bosse Field. The old place was given a face-lift and I can now say the Tom Hanks and I have shared a dugout.

    Why am I rambling on and reminiscing about an old baseball field on a thread about Luton? Because all I have left of my Triplets are memories and the same was nearly true about the stadium I grew to know and love. What I wrote is my memory of a time and place that I cannot ever fully return to. I am lucky in that today I can once again go and watch independent league baseball at Bosse Field but if the FA continue to take such a hard line all the Luton fans and other future clubs that fall to these deductions and fines will have is memories. In the end it is the fans that pay the price and are left with nothing but fragile memories of a team or club they once dearly loved.
     
    #7
  8. quickdraw

    quickdraw New Member

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    To kind of piggy back on to what Barry said, I'd be crushed if the Crew left or MLS went belly under. Which, sadly, worries me more and more these days. They are starting to lose sight of the plot and are rushing things.

    Sorry to hear about the hatters, Don. I love a local team as much as the next real sports fan not from NY or Cali.
     
    #8
  9. SteveM19

    SteveM19 New Member

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    Ouch, I have nothing in my past anything near this.
     
    #9
  10. RidgeRider

    RidgeRider Member

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    The only thing that even comes close for me is when the Giants almost moved to St. Petersburg Florida. I cried when the team was saved.

    Don, mucho condolences. I hope this, somehow, someway is worked out by some kind of small miracle.
     
    #10
  11. Optimizer

    Optimizer New Member

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    This is horrible news. If, somehow, LTFC2020 gets the team out of administration prior to the coming season, they are still down 30 points?
     
    #11
  12. FulhamAg

    FulhamAg New Member

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    Luton Town fail in points appeal

    No real surprise here, but disheartening nonetheless.

    Don, with all the converts you've pulled into the LTFC fold, I'm beginning to think you've missed your calling.
     
    #12
  13. Hard_Drinkin'_Lincoln

    Hard_Drinkin'_Lincoln New Member

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    It reminds me of Wolves, Sheffield United, or even Fulham back in the 1980s and 1990s. The difference is that none of those clubs had to face starting a season at -30. Almost as if the league are sacrificing Luton as a warning to the rest of the clubs. If they wanted to go there, then they should've started with West Ham in 2007.

    It will be a test of loyalty for the new owners and the core of the Luton fanbase who will follow the club through thick and thin. Fulham had Jimmy Hill and others to save it at the right place at the right time. I'm hoping these new owners are like that for Luton.

    They say Kenilworth Road isn't financially viable. But with the emphasis at this point being on survival, I wonder if that ground should become the rallying point and foundation of that survival. I've had the good fortune of catching a few FA Cup matches on FSC involving Kenilworth and I think it is a great ground for fan atmosphere. It kind of reminds me of Cameron Indoor with Duke basketball because of how close the fans are to the match action.
     
    #13
  14. SteveM19

    SteveM19 New Member

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    Every time I see a bump in this thread I wince.
     
    #14
  15. shinerbockguy

    shinerbockguy New Member

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    Wow. That stinks, Don.
    Seems disproportionate to the infractions. HDL rightly points out the slap on the hand the Hammers received.
    Just demote them now (a la Juve) and get it over with.
     
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  16. Hard_Drinkin'_Lincoln

    Hard_Drinkin'_Lincoln New Member

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    If the information some of the Luton fans are receiving from the owners is on target, then the Luton Town supporters are taking this as a challenge. Season ticket sales are going well for them so far.

    The fans are the essential element here. If they can support Luton through this tough season and the next one to follow, then the club will be well-positioned to thrive in the years to come.
     
    #16
  17. shinerbockguy

    shinerbockguy New Member

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    Think about what Juve did to get relegated (and rightly so).

    The 30-point penalty essentially dooms Luton to that same fate over a two-yr stretch (prolonging the agony, I think). Seems a bit harsh.

    I just might have to become a Luton fan...
     
    #17
  18. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    you guys are diamond geezers, one and all.
     
    #18
  19. Hard_Drinkin'_Lincoln

    Hard_Drinkin'_Lincoln New Member

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    HatterDon, how solid do you think the Council is behind finding Luton a new stadium site?

    I hope they aren't like Barnet or, using an earlier example, Charlton authorities: putting up roadblocks to Luton finding a new site.

    Still think living within the confines of Kenilworth Road may be the best course of action to take right now. But if the Council own the ground, then that might not be a choice Luton have right now.
     
    #19
  20. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    I've been a Luton Town fan since 1967. During that time, there have been three new sites identified by various Luton directors/boards. There was one in the decade before I became a fan. In each instance, fear of marauding fans on matchday and a general concern about property values put paid to the move and the side stayed at Kenilworth Road. They did this even though expanding the neighboring railway lines wiped out half of a stand and cut their capacity significantly.

    All this is by way of saying that the Bedfordshire and Luton councils didn't provide any support for upgrading the franchise when things were good. I don't see them doing more now that they're almost dead.

    Martin-in-Nashville, if you're checking this out, did I miss any proposed relocations that got zapped in the 80s?
     
    #20
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