Bedford FC

[Rhodes]

Cue Karen ?

[RallyInRaleigh]

18 hours ago, Rhodes said:

Cue Karen ?

Uh oh, did I step in it here?

[View from the Boundary]

I think he means the rules are a bit complex and randomly applied, e.g. RR's position last year. On footballing grounds they should have gone up, on grading grounds they should have gone down. A compromise saw them retain their place, controversially. Its a bit of a minefield. Unlike their pitch, which is a cow field.

[RallyInRaleigh]

So it's entirely possible to earn promotion by finishing top of the table but not actually move up because of the quality of your grounds. Knowing that, how much time do they to get ready. Realistically, do you already need to have the grounds ready in advance of earning that promotion?  Or is there a bit of transition window? I've never been to Bedford or Real Bedford specifically, but from what understand, it's tiny and they have a lot of work to do. I guess my question is, when might that bite them? As soon as next season if they earn promotion? Thanks for educating me--I'm enjoying diving deep into this world. 

[Mark S]

The requirements for the grounds at each Step level are here  FA National League System ground grading documents (thefa.com)

Step 6 is Grade G in the docs above. 

I have no idea on the costs etc for making the relevant improvements so I'll leave that to people more qualified.

[Rhodes]

See Real Bedford's first two match programmes of the new campaign at McMullen Park, against Rushden & Higham United on Saturday 6 August and last night's game against Letchworth Garden City Eagles:

https://issuu.com/realbedford/docs/real_bedford_v_rushden_higham

https://issuu.com/realbedford/docs/the_white_paper_2

Edited August 25, 2022 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

Sorry to quote Oprah Winfrey but I wonder whether RaII‎yInRaIeigh is siIent or whether he has been siIenced by Karen. It is common knowIedge that Karen wants to see the Forum die a death so she can ruIe the SSML roost and she hates new bIood arriving on the scene such as RaIIy InRaIeigh and Mark S recentIy. As for ReaI Bedford, you have to hand it to their Maverick Chairman Peter McCormack for putting his money where his mouth is and I wonder whether Bedford Town are regretting unceremoniously showing him the door of The Eyrie when he came caIIing before going next door to McMuIIen Park to cross former Chairman Lui La Mura's paIm with sillver. 

Edited August 25, 2022 by Rhodes

[Savagebee]

1 hour ago, Rhodes said:

Sorry to quote Oprah Winfrey but I wonder whether RaII‎yInRaIeigh is siIent or whether he has been siIenced by Karen. It is common knowIedge that Karen wants to see the Forum die a death so she can ruIe the SSML roost and she hates new bIood arriving on the scene such as RaIIy InRaIeigh and Mark S recentIy. As for ReaI Bedford, you have to hand it to their Maverick Chairman Peter McCormack for putting his money where his mouth is and I wonder whether Bedford Town are regretting unceremoniously showing him the door of The Eyrie when he came caIIing before going next door to McMuIIen Park to cross former Chairman Lui La Mura's paIm with sillver. 

? ?

[RallyInRaleigh]

Fear not, I am alive and well! Getting ready to come in and fire off questions about why Real Bedford are not in the FA Vase? Us Americans love a tournament and I'm impatiently counting down the days til the GCT and Division One cups!

[Rhodes]

1 hour ago, RallyInRaleigh said:

Fear not, I am alive and well! Getting ready to come in and fire off questions about why Real Bedford are not in the FA Vase? Us Americans love a tournament and I'm impatiently counting down the days til the GCT and Division One cups!

I think it is to do with the recent name change of the CIub to ReaI Bedford but Karen might want to confirm, it is certainIy a shame they are not in the competition.

[LondonEagle]

13 hours ago, Rhodes said:

 I wonder whether Bedford Town are regretting unceremoniously showing him the door of The Eyrie when he came caIIing before going next door to McMuIIen Park to cross former Chairman Lui La Mura's paIm with sillver. 

Peter said he would have changed the club's colours (but not the name) if he had bought Bedford Town.. Presumably to Bitcoin colours, like he has done with Real Bedford. That wouldn't have gone down well with fans old enough to remember watching Bedford Town beating Newcastle at St. James's Park and drawing with Arsenal at Highbury wearing blue and white.

The other thing is that Peter has loads of enthusiasm, great at marketing and social media, and seems to have a lot of cash behind him. But he's never actually run a football club and don't think the people working alongside of him on the off-the-pitch side of things have either.

Bedford Town and other local clubs at least have Club Secretaries, fixtures secretaries, Chairmen etc. who have been in the game for years and know all the rules about ground gradings, cup entries, player registration etc. Real Bedford, or Bedford FC as they were then got deducted a point in the early days of the new regime last season due to fielding an ineligible player v Ampthill, which could have gone on to cost them a place in the play-offs. There is an awful lot to learn about non-league rules and regulations if you have never run a club before.

[Savagebee]

On 26/03/2022 at 11:02, Rhodes said:

I wonder whether the noveIty is aIready starting to wear thin for new Bedford Chairman Peter McCormack as he has quit Twitter and the Club's Iive stream of every game appears to have suddenly stopped, I wonder whether he has thrown, sorry, chucked in the toweI after pointing out in a Podcast that he is still going through the process of acquiring the Club due to some 'complexities with the purchase'. It's aIso interesting that Mr McCormack tried to purchase Step 4 Bedford Town before Bedford but was unceremoniousIy shown the door of The Eyrie by Chairman Ralph Allen, that wouId indicate that Bedford isn't his first love and he had his sights firmly set on the bigger Club in the town: 

 

Peter McCormack 

@PeterMcCormack·

21. mar.

I’m quitting Twitter.

They all say that ?

[RallyInRaleigh]

6 hours ago, LondonEagle said:

Bedford Town and other local clubs at least have Club Secretaries, fixtures secretaries, Chairmen etc. who have been in the game for years and know all the rules about ground gradings, cup entries, player registration etc. Real Bedford, or Bedford FC as they were then got deducted a point in the early days of the new regime last season due to fielding an ineligible player v Ampthill, which could have gone on to cost them a place in the play-offs. There is an awful lot to learn about non-league rules and regulations if you have never run a club before.

Ah, very interesting to consider it may not be that a name change automatically comes with a hold out year from a cup or something but it might have just been a missed deadline. Maybe not, and they are held out due to the name change but I hadn't considered that. To be successful, he'll certainly need to surround himself with smart executives in addition to quality players. So far, it seems he has done a quality job of getting the players though we haven't seen them against another contender just yet. The executives are yet to be proven. 

[Rhodes]

It was interesting to get a Bedford Town perspective from LondonEagle, thanks for that. I have it on good authority that Mr McCormack was frogmarched off The Eyrie premises before, like I said earlier, walking the 100 yards to McMuIIen Park to make Bedford's former Chairman Lui La Mura an offer he could not refuse, the rest is history.

[Cruz]

I am another person that resides overseas and supports Real Bedford. I started watching them as Diemer and Reynolds in the UCL before they became Bedford Utd and after the demise in the early 80's of Bedford Town I became an ardent follower of Bedford Utd. Jim McMullen invited me to become a committee member in the early 90's and I gave them my services for several years until my two sons were older and played regular UCL football.

 

I still have a soft heart for this club and hope they make into the Southern League. I am now retired and decided to relocate to Bolivia, I still watch all Real Bedford's live matches via Youtube, the highlight of my week. Thank you Mr McCormack

[LondonEagle]

It's all interesting stuff. I don't really have any particular inside knowledge from a Bedford Town perspective. I do know that the Bedford FC takeover was not straightforward though. Lui did the deal but I know the rest of the Bedford FC committee were not happy with the change of name, colours and the Bitcoin angle. 

Hence why none of them are involved with the Real Bedford set-up.   

Basically Peter McCormack is probably a nice guy, good company, but certainly not someone I would want anywhere near my football club. 

Edited August 27, 2022 by LondonEagle

[Rhodes]

On 27/08/2022 at 01:31, LondonEagle said:

Lui did the deal but I know the rest of the Bedford FC committee were not happy with the change of name, colours and the Bitcoin angle. Hence why none of them are involved with the Real Bedford set-up.   

LondonEagle - Thanks again for posting, you find that a lot with Non League Clubs where most Committees are made up of dinosaurs and hate change, Peter McCormack is a breath of fresh air and I think everyone is starting to warm to him and admire what he is doing, or trying to do at McMuIIen Park. I wonder whether they will be meeting Bedford Town in the Southern League Premier Division Central in 2025/26, if Bedford Town aren't reIegated that is ? .

Edited August 28, 2022 by Rhodes

[LondonEagle]

55 minutes ago, Rhodes said:

Peter McCormack is a breath of fresh air and I think everyone is starting to warm to him and admire what he is doing, or trying to do at McMuIIen Park. I wonder whether they will be meeting Bedford Town in the Southern League Premier Division Central in 2025/26, if Bedford Town aren't reIegated that is ? .

More chance of Bedford Town being in National League (North) or South by then than being relegated. 1 point off the play-offs currently!

Hw is certainly making a few waves. However if you were much higher up the pyramid or in the FL you probably wouldn't get away with buying a club, changing its name, colours and badge and retaining the club\s same position in the league set-up. Agree about committees not liking change etc but for those few people the club was a big part of their life.

Edited August 28, 2022 by LondonEagle

[RallyInRaleigh]

2 hours ago, LondonEagle said:

More chance of Bedford Town being in National League (North) or South by then than being relegated. 1 point off the play-offs currently! 

Hw is certainly making a few waves. However if you were much higher up the pyramid or in the FL you probably wouldn't get away with buying a club, changing its name, colours and badge and retaining the club\s same position in the league set-up. Agree about committees not liking change etc but for those few people the club was a big part of their life.

Right, but I don't think he would have made those types of moves if higher in the pyramid. He wanted a hometown team and set his sights on Bedford town because of it's history and cache. He couldn't close it. Had he, I expect he'd have left the name, badge, etc alone. With Bedford FC, there was both less history to overwrite and fans to be upset about it. Of course, there were SOME fans and some of them would be upset by change. I'm not surprised the committee was against any changes of any kind--they had been the stewards of what was. But I think it's upset to hold it against him what he didn't actually do to a more well known club. Of course, I'm speaking from my point of view which is someone with no sense of the history of the club, league and culture. Just my ever depreciating American two cents!

Oh, and I don't care if the first time Real Bedford and Bedford Town is in the actual damn Premier League--I want to be there for that one! Pints on me for that matchup. 

Edited August 28, 2022 by RallyInRaleigh

[View from the Boundary]

Two words of warning. Glenn Tamplin.