Exeter down!

[Stu B]

Its official,they are down!

[Stu B]

What are they like then?how good is their ground?from the comments on the confguide forum its not very good!

[kmj]

I have a friend who supports them. Although he lives in Berkshire and is an Arsenal season ticket holder ( his first love in football), he allows a friend a quarter share in his ticket so that he can also see the Grecians play. The club have flirted with relegation for a number of years. He was fearful that dropping out of the Football League would send them to the wall financially, but I recently read that their chairman thought that overall they would only be about £30,000 per year worse off. This seems unlikely to me and the losses will be greater if they don't get good gates. If they do well in the Conference they may actually get higher attendances as fans adjust to not being perpetually near the foot of the table! Their ground shares the same name as Newcastle Utd but there the similarity ends. It is very run down. However it does also share something in common with Arsenal- it has its own railway station, St James' Park which is on the branch line from Exeter St David to Exmouth. This is immediately next to the ground. It remains to be seen if many of their better players like Sean Devine stay or move on. Personally I am looking forward to these fixtures and hope to see my friend at least one of the games.

[Hirsty]

Sounds like a good weekend away....providing it's not in the middle of winter !!

 

[Alan ( GNFC )]

I think Exeter could be one of those clubs that dont survive the summer .

Russell , the chairman , is the guy who asset stripped Scarborough and Swansea , and the infamous Uri Geller is the only director in the football league not registered with the football league ,ie. has no financial involvement .

Apparently the Russell family are "employed" at the club who pay their accommodation expenses .

Get the general theme ?

Oh , and Michael Jackson is a mate (?) of the never to be seen Uri Geller !!

[I.C.@G&NFC]

Since January of 2002 our home gates have slowly increased to an average of 1250 by the end of the 2002/2003 season. I wonder if the reverse will happen to Shrewsbury and in particular, Exeter. How many 'League' fans will refuse to demean? themselves by following a Conference club. Exeter's average gates are 4600 home and 4100 away. Although they're not in the same county, but are in the same general area of SW England; how many Exeter fans will fade away or worse, become Yeovil fans?

[I.C.@G&NFC]

In reply to Fleet boy, taken from the Fan Zone site. It doesn't look promising.

 

Quote:

I visited this ground a few years ago for a league cup tie and left with an impression that some grounds were still living in the 1930's! This is the worst ground I have ever visited. The 'away' terrace if you can call it that is a slightly rising piece of concrete that backs up to a corrugated iron fence.

 

Ironically local residents who live behind this terrace can watch the game from their bedroom windows whilst us away supporters are left exposed to the elements and everything else. The toilet facilities, and I use the word facilities loosely were appalling. You had to stand against a brick wall in the open air, doing what you had to do into a gutter, where only 5 yards away a residential road ran past. Quite embarrassing. A fast food van provided some warm comfort but overall a lot of investment needed. I understand there has been some redevelopment at St James Park but not for the away supporters so go wrapped up and with your own port-a-loo!!!

[smithyman]

Between 1974 and 1978 I was at University in Exter and so used to go and see all their home games. Sounds like the ground hasn't improved any since. In those days there was no covered terrace at either end of the ground - the only covered terrace was along one side of the pitch so all the hardcore Exeter fans stood there. Will the The Halfway Liners want to/be able to stand in their normal position when they go down there?

 

Looking forward to the trip down memory lane all the same.

[Slartibartfast]

 

 

Quote:

The toilet facilities, and I use the word facilities loosely were appalling. You had to stand against a brick wall in the open air, doing what you had to do into a gutter,

 

Thats disgusting...fortunately some of us have been practising in just those conditions at Stonebridge road for 30 years now on the off chance that we might have to visit Exeter one day.

[kmj]

Exeter had a gate of 9,000 for their final home game in Division 3, including my City supporting friend. He has told me that many more were locked out. The club are reputedly £2 million in debt and he fears for their future and has doubts that they will survive to even play us. I suppose that some of their fans may support Yeovil instead , but that is a big commitment as they must be 50 miles apart. More likely, if they can put aside their rivalry, some may support Torquay instead. As my mate said, " I hope it wasn't a giant funeral".

[NYFLEETFANNo1]

30 YEARS......the toilets at Stonebridge Road have been like that since i was taken to the ground on my fathers shoulders in the 50's. When i brought the subject up at a Supporters AGM, i think i heard the Chairman mumble.......hard luck......my toilet has a heated seat!!

[Hempstead Gaz]

You can't beat urination "al fresco". And when it rains you have an automatic, natural flush!!!

[NYFLEETFANNo1]

You can't beat going to the toilet in the dark(lights turned off again) on a cold winters night and suddenly getting that warm wet glow because someone has peed on your leg either...