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Remember Hereford? They CERTAINLY remember us...







NMH

NMH

Banned
Jul 6, 2003
29,540
Walk-in fridge loaded with hot blondes - Stockholm
Because they went down and we sorta survived at their expense (which wasn't our fault!), I often look for their results and anticipate congratulating them when they regain a league status.
They shouldn't hold any grudges, being bottom of the league is down to their players and manager, not the clubs who beat them to the points!


Their demise is practically an example to what might have been, a ghost of what could have been us. For that reason, I would like them to do well again.
 


T

Turkey

Well-known member
Jul 4, 2003
15,583
NMH said:
Because they went down and we sorta survived at their expense (which wasn't our fault!), I often look for their results and anticipate congratulating them when they regain a league status.
They shouldn't hold any grudges, being bottom of the league is down to their players and manager, not the clubs who beat them to the points!


Their demise is practically an example to what might have been, a ghost of what could have been us. For that reason, I would like them to do well again.
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I've always felt exactly the same way.
 


G

Göttingen gull

Member
Apr 4, 2004
155
New York City
we sent them down 2 the conference! out of the football league! if it had been the other way around, im sure we wud still b f***ed off wid them 2 this day!! thank god it was them and not us!
 


Robot Chicken

Robot Chicken

Seriously?
Jul 5, 2003
13,154
Chicken World
Turkey said:
I've always felt exactly the same way.
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Fair point, but they will believe we are patronising them.

Wonder how many Hereford fans actually hate us. We don't gloat, we don't rub it in their faces how well we've done etc etc. That must make it 10 times worse, seeing that we don't give a damn what they think.

If it's between Hereford and Crawley, I think I'd prefer Crawley to go up...
 
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Y

Yorkie

Sussex born and bred
Jul 5, 2003
32,367
dahn sarf
NMH said:
What have crawley ever done for us?

Didn't they snub their noses at us when we were desparate for a groundshare situation?
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No that was Crawley council not Crawley football club.
 


T

The Laughing Bluebird

New member
Jul 5, 2003
3,245
Cardiff
I found the Hereford fan's observation about the first Fans United day interesting, as exactly the same thought that has struck me before.

When I asked a couple of months back if Fans United days really had any effect on the clubs concerned, the only answers which made any sense said that in Brighton's case the players were lifted by the occasion, went on to win the game and your season turned around from that point. A couple of people said: "If it hadn't been for Fans United we wouldn't have stayed up."
 






K

king Wombat

Well-known member
Nov 9, 2003
2,008
wombat world
The Laughing Bluebird said:
I found the Hereford fan's observation about the first Fans United day interesting, as exactly the same thought that has struck me before.

When I asked a couple of months back if Fans United days really had any effect on the clubs concerned, the only answers which made any sense said that in Brighton's case the players were lifted by the occasion, went on to win the game and your season turned around from that point. A couple of people said: "If it hadn't been for Fans United we wouldn't have stayed up."
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but the wrexham one last year ended up in them getting a thumping tho so not sure if it can be put down to that.
 


T

The Laughing Bluebird

New member
Jul 5, 2003
3,245
Cardiff
king Wombat said:
but the wrexham one last year ended up in them getting a thumping tho so not sure if it can be put down to that.
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Dunno. Just going by what a number of Albion fans said on here a while back. They flagged up the Fans United day as a turning point in the team's on-field fortunes. I think Tim Carder said pretty much the same in 'Build A Bonfire' if memory serves.
 




Zeitgeist

Zeitgeist

New member
Jul 5, 2003
1,485
Worthing...on loan to Canada right now.
I've had little sympathy for Herefords plight after their chairman used every trick in the book to get us thrown out the league after we'd beaten them fair and square. ( Ok, drawn fair and square then). I remember an interview with the Hereford secretary some weeks after in one of the dailys. The most bitter and twisted piece of spite against the Albion that ranks alongside some of the poison from the Withdean & Falmer anti's. Ok, we got lucky that season thanks to league points being seperated by 'goals scored' rather than 'goal difference.' I believe it reverted to the later the next season? If thay get to return to the league then good luck to them. If they stay in the conference, I won't shed any tears for them.
 


W

Wardy

NSC's Benefits Guru
Oct 9, 2003
11,219
In front of the PC
robbo_gull said:
we sent them down 2 the conference! out of the football league! if it had been the other way around, im sure we wud still b f***ed off wid them 2 this day!! thank god it was them and not us!
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But WE didn't send them down. WE ended up on more points then them at the end of the season. As the guy puts in his post it was a twist of fate that had us playing each other the last game of the season.

Would they still be thinking that way if we had been away at say Doncaster the last game of the season and they had been home to Colchester or something?
 


F

Fran Hagarty

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
2,412
Mid Sussex
The point is, they blame us for being relegated but it was the combination of results throughout the season that was responsible not just the one against us.
 




E

Ex Shelton Seagull

New member
Jul 7, 2003
1,522
Block G, Row F, Seat 175
Those sad, sad bastards. I guess watching your team getting humped by the likes of Welling United and Stalybridge Celtic would probably make you a little warped. Same as if you were locked up in solitary confinement for 10 years, you probably wouldn't come out in a cheery mood.

Hereford fans have wallowed in self-pity and bitterness ever since they returned to the non-league obscurity they came from. I'd say that their obsession with us is damaging to their own team. Isn't "closure" an important part of the healing process? Any counsellor will tell you that. If you can't put a hurtful experience behind you, you'll never recover.

Thay have NEVER been able to grasp the concept that their team got relegated that season by failing to win a sufficient amount of games. They were relegated because they failed to beat a team that had only won ONE away game all season. Because they failed to beat Torquay United at home. Football's a pretty simple game, you are relegated over the course of 46 games during a season. Most people understand this, Hereford supporters obviously don't.

I'm very interested with their claims that it was the "media" that kept us up that season. And there was me thinking it was the goals of Ian Baird and Craig Maskell and the management of Steve Gritt. I can't recall any journalists scoring winning goals against Wigan, Cardiff and Swansea that season. I don't think Paul Hayward scored the equaliser at Edgar Street.

These media claims that form the main part of Hereford fans obsession with us is very interesting. Let's go back to season 1971/1972 shall we? Barrow AFC were having a poor season in Division 4, they had only been relegated from Division 3 two years previously. They eventually finished 22nd out of 24 and had to apply for re-election.

Meanwhile Hereford United had captured the publics imagination with an incredible win over Newcastle United. The images provided by the BBC along with John Motsons commentary are still shown every year. The press couldn't get enough of Hereford United and reporters and TV cameras were all over the town before they played West Ham. They lost that game but people all around the country were aware of Hereford United after that television footage. They failed to win the Southern League that season (runners-up to Chelmsford) but they applied for league membership.

When the vote came, the other chairmen remembered that television footage. OK, Hereford hadn't been very succesful in the Southern League but everyone knew about Ronnie Radford due to that media coverage. Who knew about Barrow? They had only been members of the League since 1921 but they hadn't been on TV. After a second vote Barrow were kicked out into non-league oblivion, never to return. They have never forgotten the way the media helped to get Hereford United into the league. It appears Hereford United supporters have.

Still they are currently 5th in the Conference whilst we are 17th in the Championship. We've moved on since that day in 1997. Hereford United never have.
 




sully

sully

Dunscouting
Jul 7, 2003
7,909
Worthing
Good reminder Shelton. I'd forgotten about poor Barrow not finishing bottom (my excuse being I was 9 at the time). A travesty of justice if ever there was one.

I have to say, however, that I was impressed with the size of Hereford's travelling support at Crawley this season, and the support they gave their team. The fans are league quality even if their team isn't.
 










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