Bedford FC

[LondonEagle]

7 hours ago, Rhodes said:

LondonEagle - Thanks for that, it was a good listen. I noted that Bedford Town were criticised by Mr McCormack for 'giving up' their ladies team saying that 'they just didn't look after them', is that correct as I thought Bedford Ladies were still playing in the Eastern Region League, at The Eyrie..

 

No Bedford Ladies are now wearing Real Bedford kits and play at McMullen Park. Real Bedford have partnered with their Ladies and girls sides.

[Rhodes]

13 hours ago, LondonEagle said:

the more you realise it is basically built on sand. Pete has no money to build a new stadium with         

LondonEagle - you don't appear to be a big fan of Peter McCormack and what he is trying to achieve at McMullen Park, is that due to jealously and worry knowing that if he succeeds with his ambitious plans Bedford Town would no longer be the biggest Club in the town, you can't say they weren't given first refusal can you. you say, or suggest, that Mr McCormack has no money, or big money, but what about his supposed Bitcoin 'empire' and millions, I'm not really sure how Bitcoin is supposed to work so maybe it's 'tied up' somewhere.

[LondonEagle]

I don't think he has millions in Bitcoin. It's worth less than half what is was when he first came on the scene at Bedford FC 9 months or so ago. He seems pretty clear himself that the success or not of the club is basically dependent on sponsorship and merch sales. That is pretty tall order to guarantee those at current levels or better in a big crypto crash such as we are experiencing now.  

[RallyInRaleigh]

There is absolutely no way any of us can sit here and comment with any real knowledge of how much money he has. We can be confident in that he's not oil tycoon wealthy or impoverished but anything in between is on the table. Will he need to continue to earn big sponsorship money to reach the lofty goals he aspires to, I think you can say yes pretty emphatically. Correct me if I'm wrong, that's true of any football club. Last year he got public commitments of somewhere in the range of 750k from various supporters--chief among them the Winklevoss twins of facebook infamy. We do know that those guys have unbelievable wealth. I do think it's reasonable to assume Peter will have an easier sell this coming year than last year when he can point to a proven, successful (right now at least) product with upgraded facilities and growing support. Last year he was a podcast host with a dream and some rich fans and he still raised significant funding for a team in the SSML. 

Will he himself become more wealthy if bitcoin surges in price? Absolutely and that will help his wildest dreams of advancement up the football ladder. But his big supporters like Gemini are going to be just fine if the price remains low for a LONG time. 

On 10/09/2022 at 04:29, LondonEagle said:

lol The earliest Real Bedford can finish above Bedford Town in the league and lay claim to being the biggest club in Bedford is the 2025/26 season.  A long time to wait for the majority of their foreign-based fans.   I can tell you we are not too worried yet. 

You are eliminating the possibility of being relegated yourself? Pretty wild to not consider it sitting in 17th

[LondonEagle]

21 minutes ago, RallyInRaleigh said:

 You are eliminating the possibility of being relegated yourself? Pretty wild to not consider it sitting in 17th

 

Won't happen 2 new signings come in since last game, plus players returning from injury.

[LondonEagle]

6 hours ago, Rhodes said:

LondonEagle - you don't appear to be a big fan of Peter McCormack and what he is trying to achieve at McMullen Park, is that due to jealously and worry knowing that if he succeeds with his ambitious plans Bedford Town would no longer be the biggest Club in the town, 

Tbh that genuinely isn't the main reason. Largely i am not a big fan of the whole Bitcoin angle. I understand why he is going down that route, because that is his field.

Football clubs don't generally exist to promote a particular ethos, product, way of life, or however Bitcoin is defined. The match programme is very impressive for an SSML club, as are the sponsors boards at the ground. There isn't a single local or non-Bitcoin company featured in either though.

Even then, that wouldn't really be an issue, but the fact that they have partnered with 2 youth set-ups (Bedford Ladies and Girls and Bedford Park Rangers boys) makes me a little uncomfortable. Substitute Bitcoin for online gambling and how OK would everyone in football be with that eg if Paddy Power decided to set up a football club to promote online gambling and all the club's sponsors were gambling related, and they were holding workshops on matchdays to 'educate' fans about online gambling and setting-up lots of youth teams, what would be the general reaction to that?

Plus for Gemini and the US sponsors they want to promote a fairy story of how their sponsorship enabled Real Bedford to compete with Chelsea etc, but in the meantime Bedford Town are basically the David to Real Bedford's Goliath and the underdog story is Bedford Town and the other local clubs trying to compete with the might of Real Bedford's US sponsors and global merch sales, armed only with local fans and local businesses supporting them.  

 

[RallyInRaleigh]

41 minutes ago, LondonEagle said:

Tbh that genuinely isn't the main reason. Largely i am not a big fan of the whole Bitcoin angle. I understand why he is going down that route, because that is his field.

Football clubs don't generally exist to promote a particular ethos, product, way of life, or however Bitcoin is defined. The match programme is very impressive for an SSML club, as are the sponsors boards at the ground. There isn't a single local or non-Bitcoin company featured in either though.

Even then, that wouldn't really be an issue, but the fact that they have partnered with 2 youth set-ups (Bedford Ladies and Girls and Bedford Park Rangers boys) makes me a little uncomfortable. Substitute Bitcoin for online gambling and how OK would everyone in football be with that eg if Paddy Power decided to set up a football club to promote online gambling and all the club's sponsors were gambling related, and they were holding workshops on matchdays to 'educate' fans about online gambling and setting-up lots of youth teams, what would be the general reaction to that?

Plus for Gemini and the US sponsors they want to promote a fairy story of how their sponsorship enabled Real Bedford to compete with Chelsea etc, but in the meantime Bedford Town are basically the David to Real Bedford's Goliath and the underdog story is Bedford Town and the other local clubs trying to compete with the might of Real Bedford's US sponsors and global merch sales, armed only with local fans and local businesses supporting them.  

 

I find it to be a very fair and accurate critique in how the locals perceive the club vs. the international fans like me. Locals both in those like Bedford Town but also the other SSML clubs are basically seeing (sorry USA centric themes incoming) The New York Yankees in Real Bedford. The are operating at a totally different level financially than their direct peers and, almost by definition, are the Goliath to the rest of their leagues David. Internationally, fans are operating as is we are on a year by year promotion schedule until proven otherwise and already view their peers as those floating closer to the National League. That's not reality but "we" (I hope you can all see I'm reasonable and actually invested in the SSML as it stands today) are looking up and seeing ourselves as the underdog against those top clubs and largely ignoring the present. 

I don't grant the premise on bitcoin harming the youth. How much time do you think kids spend thinking about the corporate values of "Fly Emirates" or "Qatar Airways" when watching a match? Are they concerned with the environmental impact of international flights? Or how the gas is sourced for those planes? Bitcoin is a high risk asset. It's not going to sneak into your kids bedroom at night and ask them to buy drugs. Real Bedford doesn't make fans use it in any way to attend a match. Or buy concessions. Or join the youth squad. Their team website has an entire section dedicated to providing resources to learn more and another on why it might not be right for you. And that's that. Peter is VERY passionate about it and holds meet ups to educate those that are interested in it locally. You don't have to attend them to get into a match or a discount on tickets. It's just kind of there. And I think it's wildly unfair to conflate Peter using it as a means to bring international interest and support to his club as somehow akin to asking kids to learn about gambling.

As for the local business angle, I also think that's a fair critique. He has stated publicly he wants to get more local support and at obvious discounts to what his club would demand on the open market. I'd suggested things like an official pub of the club where should say Bedford score 4 goals, all those with tickets get x% off drinks following the match. This type of tactic is something regularly used stateside have no clue if there is a similar model in the UK. Either way, I'd like to see more local business investment and imagine we will. Remember, he's owned the club for less than a year. It's going to take time to build these relationships especially when it's obvious that people have strong opinions on him either way and some just won't want to be aligned with him. I'm hopeful that you'll see more in the future especially as the club sees more local interest--which I understand it has. 

[LondonEagle]

Thanks Rally, appreciate your take on things.

Big signing for Bedford Town yesterday: https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/bedfordtownfootballclub/news/eagles-welcome-thorne-signing-2728056.html

[RallyInRaleigh]

That seems like an absolutely incredible signing. And the Eyrie might be the best name for a grounds I've ever heard. Just has such a strong/intimidating connotation. 

[Rhodes]

Bedford Town had a good 3-0 win last night over Hitchin Town with George Thorne coming on as substitute, there's an informative match report from Hitchin Town complimenting the stadium and the hosts vocal support which I guess Real Bedford will have some catching up to do on matchdays:

https://hitchintownfc.club/event/8422/

[LondonEagle]

On 13/09/2022 at 14:15, RallyInRaleigh said:

That seems like an absolutely incredible signing. And the Eyrie might be the best name for a grounds I've ever heard. Just has such a strong/intimidating connotation. 

The original Eyrie in the Town Centre was a magnificent ground. Record attendance 18,000 v Everton in the FA Cup in 1966.

Here it is when Bedford lost 2-1 in an FA Cup replay to Arsenal in 1956 after Extra-Time, after the first tie finished in a 2-2 draw at Highbury: 

 

[RallyInRaleigh]

On 15/09/2022 at 17:38, LondonEagle said:

The original Eyrie in the Town Centre was a magnificent ground. Record attendance 18,000 v Everton in the FA Cup in 1966.

Here it is when Bedford lost 2-1 in an FA Cup replay to Arsenal in 1956 after Extra-Time, after the first tie finished in a 2-2 draw at Highbury: 

 

Hey Charlie, you're offside too! I'm dying. The crowd was deafening on that day, though, goodness. 

[Rhodes]

ReaI Bedford certainIy produce good graphics don't they, here was where and when you could watch yesterday's impressive 4-1 win over Holmer Green from around the WorId, other than the UK that is, how typicaI is that. AIso see the match programme:

Holmer Green FC v Real Bedford FC (17th Sept 2022) by Holmer Green Football Club - Issuu

[Cruz]

If you watch  the live commentaries on Youtube you would indeed find people do in fact watch these matches from all corners of the planet, as previously stated I watch each match from Bolivia reminiscing  from my days of watching Bedford Utd during the 1990's. Each match people send messages via Twitter, from memory these messages have come from the USA, Mexico, Canada and Australia perhaps many other countries as well, they really do have international support.

[RallyInRaleigh]

I don't want to get used to a Walker-less RBFC but they stepped up behind Brown for a convincing win in the end. Officially top of the table and a massive tilt set up for Tuesday. First proper crack at a team trending toward the top of the table. Excited to see how they match up. 

[Rhodes]

On 18/09/2022 at 18:23, RallyInRaleigh said:

I don't want to get used to a Walker-less RBFC but they stepped up behind Brown for a convincing win in the end. Officially top of the table and a massive tilt set up for Tuesday. First proper crack at a team trending toward the top of the table. Excited to see how they match up. 

Moulton FC Iost tamely at Letchworth Garden City EagIes so there shouldn't be any probIems tomorrow evening at McMuIIen Park. Here are both match reports from the HoImer Green game:

Holmer Green 1-4 Real Bedford - All matches (First Team) - Holmer Green Football Club (holmergreenfc.co.uk)

Bedford’s 6TH Straight League Win Takes Them Back To THe Top of THe Table | Real Bedford FC | Running Bitcoin

Edited September 20, 2022 by Rhodes

[Rhodes]

On 19/09/2022 at 19:34, Rhodes said:

Moulton FC Iost tamely at Letchworth Garden City EagIes so there shouldn't be any probIems tomorrow evening at McMuIIen Park

RaIIyInRaIeigh - See the match programme from this evening's MouIton FC game, it shouId be an interesting affair. So your kick off time is 2.45pm then according to the graphic and, I gather, the same in BoIivia ?: 

TWP #4 - Real Bedford v Moulton FC by Real Bedford FC - Issuu

Edited September 20, 2022 by Rhodes

[RallyInRaleigh]

1 hour ago, Rhodes said:

RaIIyInRaIeigh - See the match programme from this evening's MouIton FC game, it shouId be an interesting affair. So your kick off time is 2.45pm then according to the graphic and, I gather, the same in BoIivia ?: 

TWP #4 - Real Bedford v Moulton FC by Real Bedford FC - Issuu

You got it. The blowout is on at McMullen park!

[Cruz]

Viva Real Bedford 5,0 against Moulton FC. 

 

 

[RallyInRaleigh]

I'm having fun. Might have to see if I could make it in for a promotion party if things continue on this path...