WHAT was supposed to be a pre-season friendly is starting to feel quite the opposite as fans have called for the game between crisis-club Hereford United and Grays Athletic to be called off.
As we reported last week, Hereford United are in free fall and crisis. Essex businessman Tommy Agombar is at the centre of negotiations regarding the future of the club. Tommy has a connection with Grays Ath as his son Harry once played. Grays chief executive, Joel Nathan has, according to reports, been to see Tommy to offer advice.
Hereford fans, worried that their historic old club may disappear have been very tense and that tension has been expressed on their unofficial fans forum. Mr Nathan started discussing matters with fans on the forum. This soon descended into a war of words.
Hereford fans warned Grays Athletic not to come down to the friendly, set for July 19th, as they indicated their would be protests.
The war of words spilt over onto Grays fans forum. The end result seems to be many Grays fans have indicated that they will not be travelling to the game.
But as of today (Monday)
1. The friendly is still set to go ahead.
2. Grays Athletic have indicated that they have reported “intimidatory and abusive posts..to the authorities.”
Thank you for bringing this story to your readers’ attention.
Despite Mr. Nathan’s wincing comments about ‘intimidatory and abusive posts’ I an assure readers that the reason the loyal fans of Grays Athletic should refuse to participate in this undignified spectacle is because of SOLIDARITY between the beleaguered fans of the lower league/non league football that makes our national game so special.
Fans considering making the trip should really ask themselves WHY after a dozen or more clubs have refused to participate in matches with Hereford United (RIP), their club of all clubs, has been chosen to journey 187 miles all the way across the country to participate in the match that nobody else would touch with a barge pole, why their club is having its reputation unnecessarily tarnished by Mr Nathan and his unsavoury associates.
Greetings to all Grays fans and members of the Gary Hooper Appreciation Society.
I thought Cardiff City were playing at Edgar Street the previous weekend?
I don’t really see why Grays shouldn’t come to you and play an important pre-season match as part of their build-up to the season.
You are due to be playing in the same level of the Pyramid as us, albeit in the Southern League rather than the Ryman League. Good test for both squads I would have thought.
We will see, WRT the Cardiff match. Obviously a club of their size is and famous lack of respect for their own fans (Cardiff Red Dragons, remember?) is a little harder to communicate with. Cardiff fans are already starting to spread the word that it is a match to be avoided.
Ask yourselves is it normal to travel 187 miles for a pre season friendly with a team that has no players, no manager, a team which is under boycott by its own fan base? Is it normal to be railroaded into playing a match which, amongst others, Plymouth Argyle, Gloucester City, Ledbury Town, Weobley FC and even Belmont Abbey Sunday League team have declined to play?
The answer is of course that it is not at all normal. It is politics, and shady politics at that, just the sort of thing us normal football fans prefer not to have to get involved in. Unfortunately for us Hereford fans, we have been very much forced into the politics and alleged criminality seeping into non league football, Grays fans are simply being tarred by the brush of their irresponsible CEO, Mr. Nathan – a man who likes to associate with lorry thieves, hooligans and fly tippers. A CEO who feels it appropriate to log on to a crisis club’s message board and label its supporters ‘aspiring bumpkins’ and ‘d***s’. Frankly, not the sort of ambassador I would wish on any club.
We went to ITALY for an end of season “friendly’ in May this year.
We are a fairly cosmopolitan Club.
Pre-season trips to Whitley Bay ‘up north’ and other “bonding’ exercises are not that uncommon at our level.
I read earlier that Margate are playing in Ireland today.
Mr Nathan is not ’employed’ by GAFC – I don’t think our pockets are deep enough these days. If he chooses to offer help to someone he knows, that’s his business really. he has certainly served our Club very well over the last four years since we lost our ground.
From Harmonica Frank
What a true philanthropist and “football man” Mr Nathan must be. You
are lucky to have him around your club. Incidentally, I have made no
mention of his being ’employed’ or not, but he is ‘Chief Executive’,
which I think qualifies him to be described as an ‘ambassador’ of the
club.
I am interested to know if the Italian club in question had also had
its other friendlies cancelled on moral grounds by local teams before
reaching out to Grays Athletic?
Is it true that Whitely Bay were under a fans’ boycott when the
‘bonding’ exercise took place?
I heard that Margate have also chosen to visit an Irish club with no
players and no manager, whose owner refuses to pay his debts and lies
continuously to the fans, the press, the council and his own staff, am
I right?
Anyway, enough point scoring. The simple point remains: Hereford
United fans respectfully ask all Grays Athletic fans to stand in
solidarity with their fellow non league club, its fans, its unpaid
players, staff and local businesses in not attending this fixture.
Pre-season was always my favourite time as a football fan. It’s
tragic to have nothing to look forward to.
For more info on the scandal unfolding at Hereford, I hope I am
permitted to post a link or two to outside blogs and websites:
an outsider’s perspective:
http://thesportsbreakfast.co.uk/hereford-united-just-when-you-think-it-couldnt-get-any-worse/
[3]
“Two More Clubs Turn Down Hereford Friendly Chance”
http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/clubs-turn-Hereford-fixture-chance/story-21285319-detail/story.html
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