[Albion] U18s game postponed after Arsenal team goes to Bournemouth by mistake

[SeagullsoverLondon]

The thing is, if you're heading for Lancing for (at the latest) an 11am arrival, and you take (just say) the M3 instead of the M23, you'd have to be a long way down the M3 before realising that it's impossible to double back, or hang a left onto the A272, and still make it.

It's very odd. Presumably you are timing your trip to allow for hold ups on the motorway anyway and planning to get there an hour early for warmups etc. Therefore even taking a wrong turn on the motorway doesn't stop you from getting down to Brighton to start the game, even if you are a little late.

 

[tigertim68]

I thought failure to fulfill a fixture was , the loss of points and a big fine by the FA
no excuse , I think the story of going to the wrong city is so amateurish it is unbelievable

 

[HeaviestTed]

The coach driver was a spurs fan!



(I’ve entirely made this fact up)

 

[Thunder Bolt]

View attachment 169191still shit driving but not quite as bad as first reported

About 50 miles to the west, wide?

 

[el punal]

The thing is, if you're heading for Lancing for (at the latest) an 11am arrival, and you take (just say) the M3 instead of the M23, you'd have to be a long way down the M3 before realising that it's impossible to double back, or hang a left onto the A272, and still make it.

You would have two choices - carry on along the M3 to the first available exit (Lightwater) and go back on yourself to the M25, or, continue on the M3 to Camberley, then Guildford across to Horsham then down the A24 to Worthing. I doubt any of those options would work as the coach driver would take everyone to Weston-Super-Mare instead.

 

[Bodian]

Arsenal's own twitter feed initially (11.17am) said that the kick-off had been postponed till 12.30. So, even if they'd just taken a slight wrong turning, they had 90 minutes extra to turn around and take the right turning - or cut across country. I reckon they maybe did go to Bournemouth after all.

 

[Uter]

I don't see how awarding the 3 points to us, as many here have suggested is what should happen, rather than playing the fixture at a later date, benefits the development of our players.

 

[tedebear]

I don't see how awarding the 3 points to us, as many here have suggested is what should happen, rather than playing the fixture at a later date, benefits the development of our players.

Possibly, but sending the team bus to Bournemouth, posting about it on social media, then back tracking and changing social media posts and the story, seems to suggest some sort of incompetent management, that can't be good for the teams either? There needs to be some penalty for this?

 

[Algernon]

That's embarrassing. An absolute disgrace.

I demand they release the audio.

 

[AZ Gull]

Possibly, but sending the team bus to Bournemouth, posting about it on social media, then back tracking and changing social media posts and the story, seems to suggest some sort of incompetent management, that can't be good for the teams either? There needs to be some penalty for this?

That wasn't the club though. The original story was posted by Jeorge Bird who runs the "Jeorge Bird Arsenal Youth" website. He is independent of the club.

 

[East London Exile]

I don't see how awarding the 3 points to us, as many here have suggested is what should happen, rather than playing the fixture at a later date, benefits the development of our players.

The 3 points should go to us and Arsenal offer a friendly at a later date for the development of the players.

If the rules are not correctly applied, how long will it be before a team bus for a meaningful competitive match goes to the wrong town and the match played at a later date. The fact that the team on the bus happened to be missing a few key players through injury is overlooked and by the time of the rearranged fixture they have miraculously recovered!

 

[Albion my Albion]

When your coach driver has a binge the night before with many of the players it's a lot easier to drive the coach to Bourneton, Brightmouth, Bournemouth than have half intoxicated players play a match on the south coast.

 

[GT49er]

Awarding us the three points does not mean that they cannot be made to to fulfill the fixture later (with no points available to the Arsenal team).

 

[maltaseagull]

So the driver goes the wrong way thats really funny but surely someone the coach must have seen signs for Portsmouth and Southampton as they were driving along the motorway yet no one thought to check

They were probably all looking at their phones