sad day

[Southport - TOWNER]

Botom of Ryman 1 North

Barking & East Ham Utd 38 5 5 28 29 88 -59 20 24 Enfield 35 4 6 25 32 100 -68 18

 

[Pavagrotti]

Someone said to me today that we are no longer part of that club and we should move on. Can't remember who it was but....

[MbrunoB]

Still a sad day for those of us who remember the better days of a once great club.

Good luck to those who are stillat the club hoping to turn it around,I`m just happy to be where we are now though.

[Guest]

I feel that the time has come to put away the sword of Damacles and let bygones be bygones.

I have been following Enfield since 1958 when they were an Athenian League team. When we would have capacity crowds for Barnet games. So seeing where they are now is heartbreaking.

Enfield cannot support two teams, we need there to be just one, why then cannot the two clubs merge and continue to play at ETFC. The problem we had when TL was chairman would no longer exist. It would show the footballing pundits that Enfield was not going to lie down but that we are going to carry on kicking and screaming. No funny violins and harps please.

 

[Steph]

>>Enfieldian Snr

 

It is the obvious thing to happen however the people behind EFC have made it plain they do not want a merger. They have not even had the courtesy to respond to the overtures made by ETFC but continue with their collective heads buried in the sand. If that is their attitude then let them get on with it. It is not a club that I want to be associated with.

 

I have been following the E's for almost as long as you but as far as I am concerned now I follow "the Town". If EFC die, amalgamate, get relegated or even get promoted it will not worry me. I just hope that they do not ruin our chances of getting our own ground.

 

 

[Southport - TOWNER]

Cleggy - yes it was me that said we should move on.

 

But still sad, just like Workington going out of the league, Aldershot going bust, and Southport suffering the indignity of being replaced in the league by bl**dy Wigan; these things are a sad part of our footballing lives and history.

 

Steph - I reckon it will be Fairview homes that will stop ETFC getting their own ground. Any possible space to build, ANYTHING in Enfield has Fairview on it.

 

 

[Gonzo]

Surely the council can give us a bit of land somewhere!? It's all very well squatting at Goldsdown Road, but where's the 30,000-seater stadium going to go in 5 years time? How about the playing fields between Southbury Rd & Carterhatch Lane or maybe Donkey Lane? What's more important to the council, the residents of Enfield or the property developers?

[Steph]

If you look at Southbury Road you should know the answer to that one!

[The Invisible Man]

No, of course the council can't "give" us, or anyone else, anything.

[lovely stuff]

The Queen Elizabeth stadium will be up for grabs in the next year or two......But Enfield council have a long history of 'selling the family silver' to pay for incompetent overspends....I expect this situation to be no different,and as such i,ve no doubt they will once again 'chase the yankee dollar' and sell to David Lloyd's.

[Southport - TOWNER]

My money is on the QE 2 going to Fairview. Councils change colour as life goes on, but one thing is for certain money in the bank is more important than the profile of a non league football club.

 

We have to think radically or stay put

 

Yes I have some radical thoughts, but not for this forum!!

 

 

 

 

[The Invisible Man]

I may be wrong, but I think the QE stadium may be listed? At least the cafe bit of it is, I believe.

 

There would be planning issues if it was proposed to sell the stadium off for housing - change of use, contrary to the borough UDP, that sort of thing. Of course I would not be so naive as to believe that such matters cannot be circumnavigated with the appropriate distribution of resources.

 

I would think that the stadium would be our best bet for a home of our own, provided we can retain the goodwill of our council. I can't see the Picketts Lock thing happening for donkeys years, and it's not in Enfield anyway. Of course they will not give it to us, it will have to be rented and there is a considerable amount of work needed to convert it to a football ground: this subject was rehearsed in detail a couple of years ago on here.

 

You never know, some other football club might be interested in it as well.

[lovely stuff]

Pro's of QE stadium:

 

Its in the borough and it's only a few hundred yards from our spiritual home,Southbury Rd.

 

It already has a main stand,and would turn into a nice groung once a new fence and our new stands were installed.

 

It has a massive car park.

 

 

 

Cons:

we won't be the only sporting club/building firm, that would be interested in it.

 

Could be costly to convert into a football stadium,renovating the main building ,removing running track....etc.

 

May have to share facilities and car park with Local football at weekends.

 

 

 

 

 

[Southport - TOWNER]

LS - local football at weekends - permission is granted by the council as to who plays when. 90% of games are on a Sunday.

 

not that costly to convert; look at the amount of work that has been completed at brimmo by volunteers and donations

 

main problem, access; but that will be sorted out to allow housing; it's days as a sporting facility are numberered

 

 

[ETFC Neil]

The only positive thing I have to say on Enfieldian Snr's post regarding the merger of the Enfields is this: nice avatar Sir, kind of reminds me of the cartoon series Rubarb & Custard cartoon series.