Re: game off
 

I can't believe it took until 7pm to decide to cancel the game, it is a complete and utter farce! It doesn't take a genius to look at the weather forecast and realise that we had some bad weather coming. The pitch was in a bad enough state last Tuesday and with al the rain we have had in the past week I am sure this won't have helped. I feel sorry for any Barnet fans that have forked out to come up and have had another wasted trip. The drainage situation needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency, the club have already messed Burnley Reserves around too many times and it wouldn't surprise me if they lost the contract for next season.

Re: game off
 

What's really worrying me now is that rain is forecast right over the Easter Weekend...and I was really looking forward to an Easter Monday tipple in the Oak Lea, followed by a thrashing of Cleethorpes Town. Will we be denied that, too? :(

Re: game off
 

Likewise - that was my exact plan too. Last time I came down the Macc game got cancelled, so I've been looking forward to the Grimsby game for some time - and now there's a chance it'll be off too! Think I may be a Stanley curse! If its off, I hope its known (several hours) in advance. In event of a late call off then I think we should all head to Oak Lea!

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That won't be a problem because Rob Heys says we have a plan 'B'

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So what if we do? No offence to LancsDave and his burnley mates here, but I for one wouldn't mind keeping our pitch for us for a couple of seasons especially if we're gonna spend a bit of money on the pitch to get it right. A pitch needs time to bed in and one less friendly won't do any harm. I mean no offence to burnley but they don't exactly come out in their droves anymore for the friendly at our place I think the gate is usually between 2500 - 3500 now, which don't get me wrong is a good gate but if its a tenner to get in and 2/3rds pay full price (baring in mind the amount of concessions), it works out at approximately £20,000 less costs (including a considerable and costly police presence).



Now factor into this that over the past 12 months we've played burnley not just in preseason but also at the Turf for the SOS game, I anticipate that the turn out for any friendly with us, at the beginning of next season at least, would be poorly attended, maybe between 2000 - 2500.



So my suggestion is this, if the club can find a stadium sponsor, then why not cancel the Burnley friendly for this season and use some of the sponsorship money to offset this (this would also save us the costs)? Ask burnley if they would mind playing their reserve games elsewhere this season (something I don't think will be a problem after this season), and for this season at least give our pitch a rest. Letting our pitch get some rest, will in turn save us money throughout the season on postponing games and groundworks such as vertidraining and the like. If you then add up the savings made on the pitch by giving it time to rest and add this to the costs we would incur through various channels by staging the burnley friendy, it seems pretty fair to assume that the total monies we save, would be similar to the amount used from the sponsorship moneys to allow the cancellaton of the burnley friendly in the first place.



This essentially means the club breaks even on the sponsorship deal and we have a pitch that is in reasonably good nick for the entire of the 2010/11 season.



Not a bad trade off for me really.

Re: game off
 

But Burnley's money is revenue, altho cant see them wanting to extend their next season with us as the weather and pitch have let them down, but if bfc did renew for next season i cant see stanley refusing it - money talks.
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Re: game off
 

No offence taken and if by my mates you mean other Burnley fans then I think it's safe to say they would be pleased to see the reserve games moved and the pre-season friendly cancelled. As you say the numbers are going down and the reasons for that is that people have become bored with it. I'm sure Stanley fans would like to see a change of pre-season opponents too.

The only thing I would say is that it comes across that the number of games we have played there this season have contributed to the problems. From memory we have only played 2, and one of those was last September. On behalf of me and my mates I plead not guilty :D

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Yeah I appreciate that, I realise that this season you have only played twice on the crown this season, but its more the fact that both teams plus the stanley under 18's have played considerably more than that over the last few years. How the pitch is now has been contributed to by over use not this season but in seasons previous, without the necessary funds being made available to do the much needed repairs each close season. This isn't burnleys fault, that lies at the feet of the cardboard one again i'm afraid. Combine this with the almost freakish weather we've had over the last 6 months and ta da!! We have opened accy open air swimming baths!!!

To be fair dave I think you're absolutely right and its not only the burnley fans that would like to play someone different. I haven't been to the burnley friendly for a few years now, I just don't see the point of watching football, whilst wondering if its gonna kick off between a few 'so called' burnley and rovers fans. It just spoils the experience for me.

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Just been ont t'internet looking for companies that specialise in sorting out waterlogged areas. I managed to find one called Combined Stabilisation.........hmmm, sounds familiar.

Re: game off
 

but what is better for the club?

£20,000 less costs for one game, plus club house revenue for burnley reserve games. Take away the cost of extended repairs to the pitch and loss of revenue for postponed games when the weathers shocking

or

No preseason friendly and no bar revenue but the club not having to pay out thousands and thousands to repair the pitch throughout the season and in the close season.

The first one will cost us money the second will see the club break even. Simples really.:D

Re: game off
 

Man Utd game postponed last week just been moved to Turf, so thats one less to worry about :)

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Yeah, I might be inclined to go back to the Oak Lea for a few more scoops. However, I've calmed down a bit now and put things in perspective - it's just nice to at least have a match to be called off in the first place. If things had gone differently last November, I could be faced with the possibility of never seeing another live match in my life. :eek:

Mind you, I wouldn't be feeling so philosophical about it if I was a travelling Barnet fan!

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Why not the Crown? . All the money goes back into the club.

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Perhaps he don't like it much?

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well im hoping mondays game will be on .. spugs is down and wants to go .. my nephew who is a burnley fan has never been to accy stanleys ground and hes said he'll go with spugs ..