Mental not to self... do a whole blog without mentioning off field shite.

Ok, let's do it.

Weymouth will look to put their off the field troubles behind them (bugger!!!) as they travel to Barrow in the Blue Square Premier tomorrow. The Terras need a win against the new boys as they continue to work towards mid table obscurity. 

New boy Jordan Collins has joined from Caretaker Manager Alan Lewer's former side Cambridge United and the utility man will go straight into the depleted Terras squad. 

The absentees include Chris McPhee (who hasn't scored since we said how impressed we had been with him this season!), Santos Gaia (no comment) and possibly James Coutts who continues to not get a game, but continues to score regularly and bail the team out. 

Barrow have struggled a bit on their return to the top flight of non-league but have a lengthy unbeaten run at home. Barrow dropped out of the Conference due their owner running out of cash... sound familiar!?

It will be a brilliant achievement to come back from the north of England with a point tomorrow and I am sure that Lewer will have his side pumped up for the challenge. 

Phew, got through it with minimal references to non-football stuff.

We are getting towards Halloween and the trotting out of the regular TerrasBlog posting that has been used on three previous occasions. It still makes me laugh though, so no doubt it will get used for another 31st!

All has gone a little quiet in Terrasland at the moment. Our recent good run of results was brought to an end by Cambridge at the Abbey on Saturday and (through the six (or seven) stages of seperation thingy) it was a former Yaxley players brother who delivered the killer blow. 

Jon Challinor scored early doors for the U's and in doing so proved to be better than his brother Richard who worn a lace round his long hair and did step overs. 

I, like many Weymouth fans are still haunted by the 7-0 drubbing we took over there a couple of seasons ago and having to face people at work on the Monday (Peterborough United fans, who of course hate Cambridge, especially) was a very unpleasant experience. 

Now, most of my office chums have got used to Weymouth losing regularly so the amount of stick I take is minimised. Good times!

Before I stop waffling and get on to the latest TerrasBlog interview,  after Assistant Manager Alan Lewer (click here if you missed it) and Chairman Malcolm Curtis (part 1, part 2) , I would like to agai draw your attention to our internet radio show (or podcast) and let you know that the first full edition will be available to download this week. Maybe even as soon as tomorrow, so if you have any points you want to raise, please ensure you email them over to jimmythecuckoo@hotmail.com as soon as possible. 

Ok, right onto the latest in our occasional series of interviews with the personalities behind Weymouth FC and a man known to us all for his knowledge of the club. 

Today we chat with Nigel Biddlecombe 

For those of us who don't know, when did you start following
the Terras?

My first game was an FA Cup match at the Rec against Coventry City on 15
November 1958 to be honest I was only a kid on my dad's shoulders! The
first game I really remember was another FA Cup match at Welton Rovers
on 14 November 1964, been hooked ever since.

Obvious question, but who has been the best player that you
have seen at the club during that time? and why?

There are a few I think, a chap called Ray Gough back in the 60's who
seemed to be miles ahead of most people at our level, Tommy Henderson in
the 70's who was quick and skillful (he could also score a goal or two),
Anni Iannone who would have walked through a brick wall if he had too
and - of course - David Laws in more recent times, for obvious reasons.
If I had to pick one, however, it would probably be Bryan Lawrence - a
full back - who seemed to be "Mr Consistent" and was always prepared to
go that extra mile to do his job.

There are a few people I know who look back on the late 90's
through rose tinted spectacles. What I mean is although the standard we
played at was crap, the spirit amongst the team and camaraderie on the
terraces (if there were any!) made following the club a wholesome
experience. When would you say the golden era for following the club
was?

The 1964-65 and 1965-66 seasons were incredible, or seem to be looking
back, as WFC were damn near invincible in Southern League circles. But I
reckon the early Alliance years -1979-80, 1980-81, must have been my
"Golden Years" We had a team that worked hard for each other and the
team, we had a manager in Stuart Morgan who could get the best out of
players others saw nothing in. Off the field the club was buzzing with
the supporters not only turning up for matches, but social events to at
the old Terras Cotta Club.

Do you look back over the last decade or so and think about
what we have achieved? Or think about missed opportunities?

To be fair we have acheived a lot in different ways, the Terry Bennett
era when everone worked together to keep the club alive, Ian Ridley who
installed a new ethos into the club and Martyn Harrison who - although
in hindsight may have been too 'gungho' certainly brought us the success
we craved for. I only hope that the present board can stabalise the club
and keep it moving forward.

Enough of the history, on to the current Terras side. Where do you think
we will finish in the BSP this season?

I am not sure we can make the play offs, but I think we are certainly
too good to be dragged into the bottom zone. I said pre-season I thought
we would be a bit above mid table and I think results so far indicate
that this might be about right.

Who is the player in the current side who will make the
difference and get us results?

Stephen Reed is a great passer of the ball and I think he has made a lot
of difference to the side, but - if we can keep him fit Chris McPhee has
the alround capability to help those around him progress.
 

With that we thank Nigel for his time and bid you goodnight... David Laws eh?what a player!!!

As ever with Weymouth FC, you wouldn't believe it but a game of football is going to break out sometime around three o'clock this afternoon.

The latest off feild drama surrounds current Chairman and Owner Malcolm Curtis and whether or not he is looking to bring one of his property developing mates on to the board of the club. Rumours have circulated for a couple of weeks now that additional finance is need to keep the Terras functioning at their current level, but the guy who is being linked is remembered by his last clubs' (Bournemouth) fans as the man who took them to the verge of extinction. 

If he is joining the board at our club anytime soon let's hope he has learned his lessons. 

The club itself is denying that the two individuals involved are anything more than friends which is plausible. The problem is that in the goldfish bowl and complexity that is the behind the scenes at the Terras even two mates watching a match together is always going to be amplified. 

And whilst all this gets played out in the papers and fans argue with each other on the clubs message board, people who have followed the club for years and years are drifting away and finding something else to do on a Saturday afternoon...Of course they will be muttered about as their absence at matches is noted "not true fans if they dont go through thick and thin" is the most likely comment from people who may not have shared as many seasons of hope and then pain. 

It's easy to say that the fans should pull together for the sake of the club and to keep sponsors interested. But the truth is that so many divisive decisions have been made recently that are likely to keep fans squabbling. 

When I logged on to the message board this morning before starting the blog some of the apathy shown by some fans usually steadfastly behind the club (if not neccessarily those running it) makes me wonder if the conspiracy theorists have some substance to their arguments. 

Running the club down?

So far none of my personal deailings with anyone at the club has given me that impression, but in the last few weeks the number of people contacting me to say that the club doesn't return correspondence and seems generally less interested has increased. 

Again, I repeat, I am not moaning without trying to offer some form of assistance and solution. In fact I am one of the correspondents awaiting a reply from the club about some voluntary time I am willing to offer. 

It is all very sad (again).

Oh we are playing Cambridge today.

Thank goodness we have some football to talk about and three matches in 7 days kicked off at the Wessex Stadium against Cambridge United.

The U's are the nearest Conference club to my Huntingdonshire hidey hole so through the local media I get to hear ad nauseaum how brilliant they are, how wonderful their fans are and on Friday morning the hysteria reached fever pitch as I am positive they referred to us as "little Weymouth" in their preview. 

And as I drove back from Yaxleys unlikely FA Cup win at Spalding on Saturday evening I was treated to a display of similar bias and small time reporting as their failure to hold on to a two goal lead against 10 men was discussed. 

Manager Gary Brabin was keen to blame the referee for everything that went against his team. Including his team selection I should wager. 

Now I wasn't at the match so I can't comment too much, but it would appear that their certain penalty wasn't so certain and we were also denied a clear cut one. So that is equal in my eyes. The chance in time added on may have some cause for complaint. Whereas a Cambridge fan calling the phone in didn't believe that the ball had crossed the line, by all accounts it was hand ball. 

Well sorry Mr Brabin for rattling on about you being cheated out of two points by the ref, but the fact remains that you lost a two goal lead against 10 men. So you only deserve a share of the spoils. 

And, of course, I am realistic enough to know that we will get some dodgy decisions over the season and that we should take our luck when we get it, so I am not going to bitch about those decisions when they come... Maybe.

It's been a weekend of laying slabs and sorting out the new extra room on TerrasBlog towers... hope you had a relaxing one! Let's do it all again for Salisbury on Tuesday eh?!!

A whole blog and not a mention of rugby clubs and buildings!

The Weymouth FC official website has broken the story that Stephen Reed has joined the club on a permanent basis from Cambridge United after a loan spell at the Wessex Stadium last season.

Reed is described as a utility player (but I have to shamefully admit I don't ever remember seeing him play!). Still welcome aboard Reedy, I hope you have a trophy laden stay at our club. 

Tonight sees Weymouth meeting Championship (just) side Southampton. Reports earlier in the day suggest the team from just east up the Solent would be fielding a resaonably strong outfit and as I understand it Jhon Viafara and Jason Euell are playing. 

It will be interesting to see how we get on, as we seem to do better against stronger opposition (hence why we lost to that shower from over the Ridgeway). 

Report tomorrow...