Where's the poll gone?????

[Nelson (Daggers)]

The player of the round poll has disappeared off the front page of the FA website.

 

I guess they're wondering where all the votes have come from!!!!!

[GarySTFC]

Just check it this morning and Haddow is still winning. Ridiculously on 94% now! Well done everyone, keep it up!

 

Haddow to win!!!

[RebelsRUs]

Strange. The poll definitely wasn't there before 7am....perhaps it was temporarily abducted by aliens <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/ufo.gif" alt="" />

 

Still it's back now

 

It also let me vote again today (I voted "normally" once yesterday) without disabling cookies.....so if you're voting from work etc or don't want to disable cookies, try again today....every vote counts <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/top.gif" alt="" />

[Ed]

The poll disappeared at about midnight - I was just in the process of finding all of the computers in college and voting on each of them. I managed about 15 before it stopped and have just found another couple. Sadly I could not make the game but I thought I should contribute in some way.....

[BFR]

It is looking very silly at the moment. I suggest the block voting ceases for a while until it looks less silly

[Guest]

SHAME ON YOU ALL

In the early stages of the competition it is to be expected that there will be surges of votes for each player as different groups of fans learn of the nominations. Do the Maths - if only a few votes have been made then it only takes a few more genuine votes to increase the pecentage to 70 or 80%. Your site has used this as an excuse to encourage cheating. As the competition progresses only a concerted effort to cheat could cause a 94% vote for one player!No one was cheating until you posted instructions on your site and set the ball rolling!

Don't you think you have spoiled it for your own man as even if he does win now his achievements have been completely devalued. You clearly don't think he could win in a fair competition. I hope the FA abandon this farce and appoint a panel to make a fair judgment. As money for charity is involved, your actions could actually be interpreted as fraud!

[BFR]

And your sir could be interpreted as an [censored]. Hinckley have been doing exactly the same and its not Alfreton and histon's fault that they don't have computers in their backward little towns. If there are loopholes in polls then they will be taken advantage of. Anal characters like yourself are just steaming because you weren't clever enough to think of it first

[Guest]

Could you put up your real name and address, you have acused me of cheating. All i did was to get in touch with any one i knew that had a computer to vote.

[Andrew]

Quote:

It also let me vote again today (I voted "normally" once yesterday) without disabling cookies.....so if you're voting from work etc or don't want to disable cookies, try again today....every vote counts <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/top.gif" alt="" />

I was also able to vote again this morning, and I have asked a few people at work to for Alex.

[Guest]

Histon were at last night as well.

Their man went up from 2% to 15% in about 45 minutes.

[PJ-STFC]

Monty, I can understand your concern, and to some extent I agree.

 

Initially, I actually believed the voting system to be entirely fair and above board - that was until early yesterday, when the Hinckley vote suddenly jumped from about 10% to nearly 80% in the space of about 20 mins (my apologies, these are approximations, but the relative magnitude is about right). This could not possibly have happened by 'natural' voting. It was only then that someone suggested there might be a way to circumvent the protection.

 

But as BFR pointed out, Slough supporters did not start this tactic.

 

Nevertheless, I was rather dismayed when someone posted instructions on how to disable cookies, as this could be interpreted as a clear incitement to skew the voting. It is one thing for an individual to discover (or decide) to attempt to cast multiple votes - that is a matter between them and the FA - but it is altogether another matter if there is general encouragement to do this on a wider scale, as this could end up discrediting the Slough Town fan base (as you have suggested).

 

But anyway, it is rather a false poll as it will inevitably favour whichever team has the larger fanbase with access to the internet. (A 'fair' poll would have required the judges to go the final step and select one from the final four contenders.)

 

Perhaps if the FA have a problem with this poll they will be able to count the unique IP addresses used for the voting and use that as a basis instead of the mechanism they have in place now.

 

PJ <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/chat.gif" alt="" />

[Matt]

Haddow - now 85% and dropping like a lead balloon.

[GarySTFC]

Thing is PJ, if they change the rules now, they should be changed for all previous rounds of this seasons competition as well. We've worked very hard to get him up to 90+%, why should we now be punished for that hard work?

[Guest]

Down to 81%

[Ian]

76 now - it looks like they've woken up at Histon!

[Guest]

Because there is no way it can be genuine! Of course people will want to encourage others to vote for their player but it should be one vote per person. I repeat , in the early stages, when news of ther nominations is just being passed around, then it would take only a few genuine votes( just ringing a few mates) to effect a big percentage change. It was only later, when hundreds/thousands had been made that it would be necessary to sit for minutes or hours with your finger on the mouse just to make only a 5% change ( as people on your site admitted to)I am sure there are plenty of true lovers of the game in Slough who are just as disgusted as I am.

Your player had a great game and was justly nominated, but did you see Cartwright's goal. Don't you think it is possible that there might be even some neutrals that would think such skill deserves a vote! And the votes of genuine fans from the other clubs are also rendered meaningless . It is a real shame that a good idea should be ruined in this way.

[Guest]

going down fast, 74%

[Ian]

I assume, Monty, that you've posted similar messages on the forums of Hinckley, Histon et al? You seem to suggest both that Slough fans initiated the concept of multiple voting and also that they're the only one's doing it - both of which are totally incorrect.