TerrasBlog 13/11/2008

Welcome back to TerrasBlog! I can reveal that the truth behind the site being down was something far less sinister than originally thought.

Ole Ole had problems behind the scenes and some of their blogs went down as a result. On behalf of them and this site, apologies for that. We hope that now we are back online your enjoyment will continue unabaited (although the TerrasBlogger is off to Amsterdam this weekend on a jolly so there may not be too many updates until Monday)...

So what a day, another tumultuous day in the history of Weymouth FC and another day where the genuine fan of the club is left shaking their head and looking miserable. 

I'll tell you how bad things are with our f**king club... I am getting emails from Newcastle fans telling me what a shambles we are...

Our manager gets put on "gardening leave" and it is left to the Crawley Town Manager to inform the world? not good enough Weymouth FC, shame on you. 

We are turning into this lot in terms of the comedy/terrible situations that befall us and the wider world's patience with us is starting to wear thin. JHMBE has been a miracle worker for this football club. He kept us in the Blue Square Premier last season when I had given us up as relegated. In having to get rid of most of that team he has put together a side that is comfortable in mid table albeit with the disapointment of the FA Cup exit. He has done this against a back drop of his better players being up for sale (only Michael Malcolm has left granted) and the various scenario's surrounding who actually owns the football club/land/ground/who knows what the hell else. 

And he has done this by being savvy and canny and all the good things we know he is. If he has done something wrong to breach his contract then of course the consequences are there, but most free thinking individuals will be crying foul. A club so bereft of money cannot afford to pay a high profile manager off to get him away from their wage bill. This is so convenient that it is hard to find it a coincidence. I wait to be convinced otherwise. 

But for the job the man has done for the club, against some very long odds I would say he should be entitled to some slack if he has made a mistake... we shall see. 

Its just so unsavoury and leaves even more of a bitter taste in my mouth. Because let's be honest, he isn't coming back. Northwich did the same with Dino Maamria the other week. Maybe we saw it was possible to get rid of the manager without massive outlay and thought it was the way forward. Maybe.

The other big news surrounds Conference South minnows Dorchester Town FC's chairman Eddie Mitchell saying he would like to buy the Terras and merge them with his club. The Wessex would still be sold off for housing, which let's face it is going to happen anyway and we would move to their Avenue Stadium.

Dorchester & Weymouth FC could be a step nearer after todays article in the Western Gazette. Strategically coming out on the same day JHMBE gets suspended... you can always hide news if you want to.

Now you may be surprised to hear that I am not altogether against a merger. I know this gets up a number of peoples noses, but I have held this stance for about 10 years now and feel that if done right we could benefit. 

Dorchester and Weymouth are too close together for both to have successful sides in the Conference/Conference South, in my opinion. A proper merger with everyone on board would make the sum of both clubs greater than the individual parts. I think we can all see that. 

The issue is that football supporters dont think with a clinical business mind. They allow emotion into their thoughts (you can see I am doing that in tonights post!!), which is why Liverpool and Everton will never ground share even though both clubs will spend tens of millions of pounds more than they need to in getting identical stadiums (one blue, one red) a few hundred metres from each other... in any other part of business or life that would be seen as ridiculous. 

Ahh, but I hear you cry the old cliche "football isnt like every other business"... maybe that's why so many clubs are in such a bloody mess then?

The same thing applies to us (on a smaller scale than Merseyside), would people rather support an AFC Weymouth in the Dorset league or merge with that lot over the hill and still be in the Conference structure? 

Me, I am sorry, I would take the latter at this precise moment. Maybe Eddie Mitchell knows that, maybe he wants to swoop in and save us and our lowest ebb...