Editorial

The league fixtures are almost complete, and like last year, we finish up with an end of season edition of North West Side Stories.

It’s a time to look back at the previous nine months, and there have been a number of notable moments since last summer for me to look back on. First of all, being asked to take on the role of League Media Officer and write the news stories for the website wasn’t something that I anticipated doing at this time last year. It’s been a largely enjoyable task throughout the season, except for some weeks where it seemed that no matter how hard I tried and how many people I spoke to, news was as scarce as volunteers to write articles for North West Side Stories.

One of the more interesting issues to arise was the reaction to the article I wrote for the newsletter and website about referee’s expenses. The most noteworthy response came from Neale Barry, the Head of Referees Development at the FA, in the form of a letter to League Secretary John Deal, although I also had other communications about it too.

Dealing with the letter from Neale Barry first of all, a statement in the opening paragraph was made that “The Football Association is disappointed in the inaccuracy and negativity of some of the content”. At the start of the season, being reprimanded by the FA wasn’t exactly high on my hit list of objectives, and as the author of the article, getting my own personal copy of that letter through the post left me momentarily in need of a sense of humour transplant.

The particular issue I have is that the whole purpose of the article was as follows. Firstly, we wanted to highlight a general issue along with some specific points that our member clubs had raised. Secondly, we invited comments from all parties to contribute, we always intended to publish them, and we did just that. Finally, the points stated in the article are correct as far as I’m concerned, a view shared by the various League Management Committee members who I consulted when writing the piece.

We do not intend getting into a public slanging match with the FA, so the League’s response to the letter has been to write to the FA stating our case, and our justification for writing and publishing the article. There may be more to share on this matter over the summer, watch this space.

The other point I’d make is that I have, while doing the rounds and watching games, spoken to a few officials since the article was published. I am told that the general view from referees is that they were not impressed with the article, and that there was implied criticism from me and others in it.

Two responses to that. First, it was an article about the rising costs of match officials expenses, not one aimed at criticising the officials themselves. Secondly, and more to the point, if there is general unhappiness about anything I’ve written, why did we only get a handful of responses from match officials? If I have a view on something and I’m invited to air it, I will do. So, if there are referees out there who didn’t respond but disagreed, I’m at a loss to understand why.

I did also receive two responses that we couldn’t possibly publish. All I can say is that they were supportive of the comments in the article, and I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. If the FA got upset about my comments, then one can only wonder what their response would have been had those two e-mails ever seen the light of day. The e-mails did give me a good laugh mind you, it’s just a pity they couldn’t be shared more widely.

Finally, on the subject of refereeing appointments and the incurring of unnecessary expenses, I think it’s worth pointing out to anyone not aware that the referee who took control of the Vodkat League Challenge Cup Final between Maine Road and Bootle came from – Nottingham. Yes, that’s the same Nottingham that’s near junction 25 of the M1, where that Robin Hood bloke came from, and a place not known for its proximity to the North West.

Perhaps all the North West based officials who have officiated in our league this year might like to share their thoughts with me on that appointment. Incidentally, in case I’m running the risk of another letter from the FA by daring to mention this, the gent in question refereed the game very well, just for the record.

Going back to onfield action during the season we have just enjoyed, I reckon it’s been a good one. Obvious highlights include Trafford’s record breaking march to the Division One Championship, New Mills doing likewise in Division Two, Kirkham & Wesham in the FA Vase, and Bootle reaching the final of both main cup competitions, the Challenge Cup and the Division Two Trophy.

In the latter case, it’s the first time a team has done that, and the Bootle squad came very close to the hat trick. They only lost after extra time in the semi final of the Reserve League Cup at Glossop, so it was almost a unique treble.

I know I’m always going to punt a positive view about our League anyway, but there are many other good moments that spring to mind as I look back over the last nine months. Candidate for best game must be a terrific Division Two Trophy semi final second leg, with Kirkham & Wesham just edging past Ashton Athletic after extra time, in a game that could have produced far more goals than the three we saw.

I’ve seen some excellent passing football from a number of sides over the course of the season, Maine Road and Squires Gate spring to mind, although there were certainly others.

As always, I’ve enjoyed great hospitality wherever I’ve gone, thanks to everyone who has taken time out to have a chat to me and pass on news about their club and football in general. One point I’ve already covered in the League newsletter, but I’d like to mention again, is the support and assistance I’ve had from many of the managers in the league this season.

Talking to me after a game must often be a pain rather than a pleasure, but the many managers I’ve spoken to were all willing to give their time, and in many cases gave fascinating insights to their plans and methods, which I was able to share with everyone through the website and newsletter. It’s unfair to single out anyone out so I won’t, but my grateful thanks go out to everyone I’ve spoken to.

On a more serious note, the problems in society today have touched our league in various ways too. The sickening murder of Bacup woman Sophie Lancaster last August has been covered on the national news again recently, with her attackers being sentenced to a minimum of 15 and 17 years respectively. No doubt their lives behind bars will involve plenty of recreational activity, television watching, computer games and other niceities. Meanwhile, her family are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

The memorial day that Bacup Borough organised to raise funds for her family will live long in my memory, and I make apologies for saying once again that the efforts of Brent Peters and his colleagues at Bacup were a fantastic example of how a football club can make an outstanding contribution to supporting and helping their local community in a time of need, and it is an honour to be associated with a league that has clubs like them.

Vandalism continues to be a problem for some of our clubs too, one of the worst instances being at Blackpool Mechanics a couple of months ago. Some local reprobate decided to use the floodlights for airgun target practice, the cost of which was devastating to the club. Seven panes of glass, at a cost of £154 each, had to be ordered, and they then had to find someone to install them at further cost. I know it isn’t politically correct to say this, but I’m sure that many of us wouldn’t mind a few moments alone with those who commit such acts.

Anyway, moving back to more positive matters, we once again have a club in the FA Vase Final, and I’ve been lucky enough to have been with Kirkham & Wesham during the latter stages of their amazing cup run, stories from which are covered elsewhere in this latest edition of NWSS.

It’s been a pleasure to have been with the club’s players, management and officials during such a newsworthy few months for them, and I’ll be at Wembley to see the final, as will the majority of the League Management Committee. The mental picture of the utter dejection and the body language of the Needham Market players immediately after Matt Walwyn’s goal in the last minute of the semi final second leg sealed a Wembley place for Mick Fuller’s men is one that I’ll remember for a while.

One subject I’d like to broach before I finish is the future of this online magazine. This is now the end of the second season of its existence, and I’m beginning to wonder if it’s time for a rethink.

Now that I am responsible for sourcing and writing news stories for the League website, there are times that I feel the difference between that and North West Side Stories is a bit blurred at times. Not only that, the amount of time I have to spend on putting NWSS together is an issue as well. Like many people, I have the problem that working for a living gets in the way of football.

Two years of doing NWSS have certainly confirmed there are no long queues of people offering to write articles, so Richard Bailey and Alan Farnworth apart, it’s usually down to me to write the whole thing. Thanks incidentally to Martin Haworth from the Northern League who has helped with a contribution to this issue.

So is there still a need for NWSS? Should we just incorporate the interview type of stories we have in here into the main League website and forget about having the other stuff published? Or is there still a case for having NWSS as a separate entity with more opinion based items? Rob Hurst is planning a bit of a revamp of the League website over the summer, so is now the time to be looking at having a review of the situation. I’d be interested to hear everyone’s views.

That’s it for now. Have a good summer, and roll on the beginning of August when we start all over again.

Ian Templeman

Editor

North West Side Stories

2nd May 2008

The Vodkat League on-line magazine