Dead Duck!

The I.F.A. plans to revamp the C.I.S. cup proved to be a 'dead duck' as a paltry crowd turned up to watch the first leg between Ballymena and Glentoran at the Showgrounds last night. Even the home team's attempt to boost the attendance by allowing season ticket holders in 'free', was largely unsuccessful. It's hard to see what can be done to boost this competition, they've tried to sell it to fans over the years without any great success and I think this just goes to prove what we've known for some time now, midweek football is a 'bridge too far' for most fans. Admittedly it was a bad night and the visitors have an important game away to Cork on Saturday, but football fans will go to the 'ends of the earth' to see their team play under normal circumstances, but not last night. I wasn't expecting a massive visiting support last night, but surely I thought the league leaders will bring 3 or 4 hundred fans with them. The fact of the matter is they couldn't even have made the old O'Kane stand look full, I don't know the official figure of visitors, but I reckon there were no more than 80 Glens fans in attendance and probably half of them were locals. In the home stand Ballymena fans were as scarce as 'hens teeth' and one could argue the point that our fans expect them to lose against top teams and have lost their optimism. What then if the game had been played to a finish last night, with extra time and penalties to decide the winner if necessary? I suppose for one thing visiting manager Alan McDonald may have been reluctant to rest so many top players, but it's only conjecture if the 'gate' would have been boosted or not. There's little point in playing this competition if it costs more to put it on than the income from gate receipts. The away leg next week will hardly excite too many fans either unless the Glens can force an unlikely win in Cork or Ballymena can unearth another 'Paul Malone' or 'Jimmy Martin' (to the uninitiated these were two formidable goal-scorers at the Showgrounds in times past), to give our long suffering fans some hope. Miracles they say happen every day, the impossible just takes a little longer!

Empty Promises!

Just read an article in the local papers that three Intermediate clubs, namely Clough Rangers, Raceview and Wakehurst are to get grants for upgrading of their facilities. These grants will in fact go straight to Ballymena Borough council, who will then submit plans for the work to be carried out. I would like to caution these clubs about having a written undertaking from the council of the exact nature of the work to be carried out. I'm sure many United supporters recall the 'empty promises' made verbally to Ballymena United when our club handed grant money straight to the same council. Two of the main points were, the removal of the Stock car track and a new entrance for supporters through the E.C.O.S. centre. Admittedly there were other stipulations and these for the most part have been carried out, but what's the point of having a ground the envy of most other clubs, but being unable to stage European football, because of the proximity of the Stock car track to the playing surface. There's also the thorny question of access to and from the ground, by Warden street, Summerfield street and Suffolk street, three streets which were in existence long before the amount of vehicular traffic that we have today. In fact these three streets should possibly be on a one-way system, as movement in both directions on match days is a nightmare. In fact with such a narrow ground entrance and exit, where home and visiting fans converge, this is surely a catastrophe waiting to happen. We did have limited access by the E.C.O.S. last season, but this was not widely advertised and with the amount of activity going on in the complex on a Saturday parking close to the ground was not an easy task. That option has been denied to spectators now as the council is constructing two more pitches which will probably reduce parking spaces yet again. There's three points I'd like to make here, first and foremost there's the club, denied the possibility of playing European football on their own ground, secondly there's the supporters, denied seeing their team and possibly representative games at their own ground and then there's the 'bad publicity' that this 'shoddy' management gives out about our Borough council and our ground. This is after all the 21st century, is there any chance of us being able to embrace it, at least before 2010!

White Lies!

Why can't people just say what they mean, or should that be mean what they say? Take for example that 'bigot' David Jeffrey, after United's victory last Saturday, he couldn't even give them praise for the victory, dwelling on Linfield's missed chances, while trotting out the expected condolences to the Stewart family on their sad loss. Come on David you're allowed to say that Linfield were second best on the day, there's no harm in admitting the truth. Howard Wells on the other hand was maybe a wee bit outspoken and he like many before had to give way to Raymond Kennedy. Maybe saying what you mean or meaning what you say isn't always the best policy. How many of us having been 'caught' leering at a member of the opposite sex (or should I say gender), by our wife/partner (wags for short)and immediately denied we were thinking any such thing. What do we do in this situation? We tell a wee white lie. So it is with football managers, they trot out the usual comments like, 'we've done a lot of work on the training ground', or 'we're carrying a lot of injuries', wouldn't it be better if they just admitted that their players were pretty useless and couldn't pass wind never mind to each other. Of course they'd probably be out of a job fairly quickly for what board of directors are going to tolerate an 'honest' manager, yet another 'wee'white lie rears it's ugly head. Then there's the players themselves, you just can't separate the 'flannel' from the truth. Someone once told me you never ask a player if he needs money, they always answer in the affirmative. How many times have we watched a player 'feigning' injury, or pretending he 'stubbed' his toe when he just missed an open goal or giving a lame excuse for turning up late for the team bus, when we all know he was in the bookies! Maybe we have to put up with the white lies, but god save us from pure bloody lies, their-in lies anarchy!

Red Lines!

I read in the national papers yesterday that E.U.F.A. are threatening to insist on participants in the Champions league, making a conscious attempt to reduce their 'excessive debt'. I then thought what would happen if this was to become law for all European clubs, where would the current Irish league clubs be (up the proverbial creek without a paddle I'd warrant)? Of course knowing E.U.F.A. they wouldn't stop there, they wouldn't only want to know the extent of each clubs debt, they'd also want to know where their money comes from. On the one hand clubs like Glentoran (at least £1 million in debt), Coleraine, probably if they had to pay back what they owe the taxman and creditors, they'd be close to the magic Million too and Cliftonville, would be hard pressed to justify their continued existence, as Cliftonville exist on a shoestring budget, I assume they've exhausted their credit limits also. While some other teams, like ourselves, Newry City (or is it Town) and the mighty Linfield wouldn't want someone prying into where their finances came from. Linfield freely admit to being subsidised by their supporters clubs, but where do they (the supporters clubs) get the money from I wonder, one can only make so much money from members subs I think. We at Ballymena are backed by some astute businessmen (no sorry rich businessmen), if they were astute they'd put their money somewhere else, instead of throwing it into the black hole that is our finances. Then there's Newry (or as Roy McCreadie called them, Neu-ray), just where their money comes from is anybody's guess. The biggest home gate I've seen in my trips there is about 80 and I'm sure when the likes of Institute, Dungannon Swifts and Distillery breeze into Town (sorry City), they'll struggle to double their gate, in fact let's face it if they broke the ton (100 to any morons accidentally on the site),it'd be a bloody miracle. Newcomers Bangor (who I must say are doing very nicely), are another whose finances might not bear close scrutiny, in fact is their any club, in the black, who can say with their 'hand on their heart', there's nothing underhand going on here? Maybe in fact as the old saying goes, 'there are some stones, that are best left, unturned'!

Dreaded Derby!

This Saturday it's 'Derby day' in the Irish league, the day that form goes out the window. There's a couple of meaningless ones in Belfast, the Blues and the Glens, Cliftonville and Crusaders, but the 'real' Derby takes place at Coleraine Showgrounds, where my beloved Sky Blues, take on the 'gas' men. As I said form generally goes out the window and nobody hopes that more than Roy Walker and the Sky Blues.If the Coleraine 'scum' were to inflict yet another defeat on this 'clueless' United team, then I think it might have serious repercussions for everyone at Ballymena. Roy Walker has somewhat surprisingly escaped the wrath of United fans, but yet another disjointed display against the 'team we love to hate', could well be the last straw for United's loyal followers. Will the 'buck' stop with Roy Walker and his two assistants, I ask myself? The one thing that has been constant for United during the last 8 years of non-performing, has been Chairman Robert Cupples and the United board. Maybe we (United fans), will be demanding a complete reshuffle, not just in management, but among the board members themselves. United have one of the biggest squads in the league, with cover in almost every position, but and I stress the word 'but', they have no 'top performers' in any of these positions. Looking objectively at our team one by one doesn't make for interesting reading, but United fans will be looking for that little spark this Saturday that might give them a good day out. All we ask at the end of the day is that the team play with a wee bit of pride, not the 'couldn't care less attitude' so much in evidence so far this season. So come on Sky Blues, hold your heads high and let's obliterate this Coleraine 'scum', or at least give them a bloody game, you owe us at at least that I think!