What's £155,000?

[dave.woodhall]

At the risk of getting pelted down here, while I feel sorry for the fans, and it is horrible to see such an old sporting institution up against it, spending money you don't have, and can't find, is a bit iffy isnt it? It tends to lead to businesses going to the wall.

Are those who did the reckless spending benefitting from the collections / goodwill we're seeing now?

It was the Premier League who started the whole insanity of spending, so the least we can do is try to help the victims. The money is going to their Supporters Trust, who will make sure it's spent appropriately.

[pauliewalnuts]

At the risk of getting pelted down here, while I feel sorry for the fans, and it is horrible to see such an old sporting institution up against it, spending money you don't have, and can't find, is a bit iffy isnt it? It tends to lead to businesses going to the wall.

Are those who did the reckless spending benefitting from the collections / goodwill we're seeing now?

It was the Premier League who started the whole insanity of spending, so the least we can do is try to help the victims. The money is going to their Supporters Trust, who will make sure it's spent appropriately.

Is it that clear, though?

I'll make a donation happily, but I'm a little cynical that it's entirely a hard luck story and not self inflicted, albeit by the owners, not the supporters.

If they're victims of the PL spending insanity, why aren't all the other non league clubs in the same boat? As Dave C explained it, seems like their board started spending money they could ill afford.

[dave.woodhall]

Is it that clear, though?

I'll make a donation happily, but I'm a little cynical that it's entirely a hard luck story and not self inflicted, albeit by the owners, not the supporters.

If they're victims of the PL spending insanity, why aren't all the other non league clubs in the same boat? As Dave C explained it, seems like their board started spending money they could ill afford.

And we never have?

Very often clubs get into debt not because they're paying wages they can't afford but because income has gone down. In Kidder's case I would imagine now having four Premier League clubs close by has caused them problems. 

[pauliewalnuts]

Is it that clear, though?

I'll make a donation happily, but I'm a little cynical that it's entirely a hard luck story and not self inflicted, albeit by the owners, not the supporters.

If they're victims of the PL spending insanity, why aren't all the other non league clubs in the same boat? As Dave C explained it, seems like their board started spending money they could ill afford.

And we never have?

Of course we have, we are now, but if we went tits up in the process, it wouldn't just be hard luck - that sounds like something which is beyond anyone's control - it'd be self inflicted by the people running the club, and few of us would have complained during the process.

Don't get me wrong, I understand why people feel so strongly, if I was a Harriers fan, I would too. I do anyway. I just don't accept that it was entirely hard luck, and certainly not that it's in some way our fault.

They've always had big clubs around them, so I don't see how that is a factor of influence recently - it's not something you can pin on the Premier League (and believe me, I'm happy to blame the PL for pretty much everything).

A ST for this season, seated, at Kidderminster was 320 quid. You can get a ST at Villa for that.

[dave.woodhall]

Is it that clear, though?

I'll make a donation happily, but I'm a little cynical that it's entirely a hard luck story and not self inflicted, albeit by the owners, not the supporters.

If they're victims of the PL spending insanity, why aren't all the other non league clubs in the same boat? As Dave C explained it, seems like their board started spending money they could ill afford.

And we never have?

Of course we have, we are now, but if we went tits up in the process, it wouldn't just be hard luck - that sounds like something which is beyond anyone's control - it'd be self inflicted by the people running the club, and few of us would have complained during the process.

The main difference, though, is that someone will always buy the Villa.

There's a Premier League Uber Alles mentality now which never used to happen. More marketing, more TV, it's much easier to take the easy option and watch your football on the telly than it is to go out and watch a game. There's also probably 50% (a rough figure) more people watching the biggest four local clubs than there was ten years ago. These people are coming from somewhere and often it's grounds such as Kidder & Halesowen. 

Conference ticket prices are a big problem, which has been exacerbated in one way by the increaed promotion & relegation from the league. More traditionally bigger Football League clubs have been relegated and been able to stay full-time, so smaller clubs have had to try to maximise revenue in an attempt to compete. 

[Chris Smith]

In the irrational world of football fandom I have always hated Kidderminster. It's based on the usual flimsy reasons but it is stopping me feeling the sympathy that I know I should. I'm hoping to find another club in trouble that I can show a gesture of support to in order to assuage my guilt.

[nodge]

Just seen Laura ,pissed up, upside down in the corner of the King and Castle with about £13,500 hanging out of her back pocket!

[Risso]

I

Just seen Laura ,pissed up, upside down in the corner of the King and Castle with about £13,500 hanging out of her back pocket!

With her other half, Jay Forsythe?!

[PeterWithesShin]

As a Bromsgrove Rovers fan, fuck them, arrogant inbred twats. Hate them far more than I ever did Redditch

Marvellous, I love non-league rivalries, they are so much more random than your classic ones!
Anyhow, are you now a Bromsgrove Sporting fan or what?

To be honest, no. I guess i'd like Sporting to do well if Rovers never make a comeback as I class Bromsgrove as my hometown, despite only being there 10 years. But it was Rovers who were my team. I watched them whenever I couldn't afford the Villa, I bunked off school to go to midweek aways, sang for Chrissy Hanks (far better than that twat Casey), getting threatened by some ICF when at Tring's ground for a game against Aylesbury (Aylesbury had no ground at the time IIRC), the Big Mal, chasing Newport, getting chased by Redditch blah blah. The same kind of memories I have of following Villa and every fan has of following their club. With Sporting, I have no affinity for them, no memories, never seen them play etc.

I bet your glad you asked now, and are thinking "a simple yes or no would have sufficed!"

[eamonn]

Nah, Coops revels in all-thing Non League, even moreso of its' anecdotes of days gone by.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Personally I have always thought football as a whole should have some sort of redistribution of wealth policy.

Bit socialist I know and it would never happen. 

[TimTheVillain]

Anyone know how much they've raised so far ?

It's not really worth analysing why it's happened - it has, and can happen to any football club.

Kidderminster needs Harriers, perhaps the locals will go to more games if they survive.

I must say, £320 for a season ticket at that level of the game is steep mind.

[Dave Cooper please]

As a Bromsgrove Rovers fan, fuck them, arrogant inbred twats. Hate them far more than I ever did Redditch

Marvellous, I love non-league rivalries, they are so much more random than your classic ones!
Anyhow, are you now a Bromsgrove Sporting fan or what?

To be honest, no. I guess i'd like Sporting to do well if Rovers never make a comeback as I class Bromsgrove as my hometown, despite only being there 10 years. But it was Rovers who were my team. I watched them whenever I couldn't afford the Villa, I bunked off school to go to midweek aways, sang for Chrissy Hanks (far better than that twat Casey), getting threatened by some ICF when at Tring's ground for a game against Aylesbury (Aylesbury had no ground at the time IIRC), the Big Mal, chasing Newport, getting chased by Redditch blah blah. The same kind of memories I have of following Villa and every fan has of following their club. With Sporting, I have no affinity for them, no memories, never seen them play etc.

I bet your glad you asked now, and are thinking "a simple yes or no would have sufficed!"

Not at all, that's a marvellous answer.
I always enjoyed Tamworth's trips to Bromsgrove, a few decent pubs on the way to the ground and we nearly always won!
The last visit will have been in the FA Cup in 2002, a hard fought 2-1 win, Scott Rickards with a late winner. Well over 1000 in the ground as well.

[PaulTheVillan]

Kiddie had £14 off me earlier this season. I'm not giving any more.

[not3bad]

I wonder how difficult it is to set up one of those text message services where you can send something like "KIDDY" to a number and it would give them 2 or 3 quid.