From Radio Kent

[Guest]

The Margate FC saga rolls on and on. The club's managed to hand in its new ground proposals to Thanet Council on time. Now the local authority will take another two weeks to decide whether to give the go-ahead for building work to start at Hartsdown Park.

It's that decision which holds the key to Margate's future. But council leader Sandy Eziekiel has now said he'll find a way to make sure the club continues playing, even if they don't accept the new business plan.

Supporters will carry on their campaigning regardless. Stadium consultant Keith Piper just hopes bogus fans don't make trouble for the real ones:

"The leader has openly said that his mobile telephone number is available to anybody. You do get some oddballs in society that may be nothing to do with Margate Football Club at all, which see that as an opportunity to create havoc. I believe the Margate Football Club supporters would not stoop to that type of behaviour. They are a group of people showing how much they care about saving our football club, and you can't stop them from demonstrating. I mean I was on the steps with them and so were the directors."

Meanwhile, back on the pitch, Margate visit high-flying Thurrock in Conference South on Saturday. Manager Chris Kinnear is desperate for the club's transfer embargo to be lifted, so that he can at least name one fit substitute.

[Cookie]

If this DOES go apeshit then we will see just how far the leader IS prepared to go to help us survive. My guess is that it wont be as he says. But if the club survives then I for one dont care WHO it is that does it. Make S.E. chairman if thats what it takes! Perhaps this is his strategy to oust those in charge or have them give up then for the council to run the club.This would give credit to his words of a continual support for a club in the town. Who knows!

[Guest]

I think it means that the pitch (and basic facilities) will be reinstated at Hartsdown even if the plan is rejected. So, now we just have to wait another couple of weeks for the outcome!

[Cookie]

GOT YA! But why could he not have done this before now to show his support to the towns football club?

[seasidesteve]

because he just wants to come out of this smelling of roses saying look i was right all along the longer it lasts the more publicity he gets.it sound to me that the council were ready to reimstate the pitch all along this is the hidden agenda im sure they have commercial things in mind too.i for one will never vote tory again this whole thing stinks of council skullduggery(i didnt want to say corruption)

[Guest]

He wants to be seen as the man to save Margate FC.......despite being the man who tried to destroy Margate FC

 

Frankie

[Guest]

Quote:

because he just wants to come out of this smelling of roses saying look i was right all along the longer it lasts the more publicity he gets.it sound to me that the council were ready to reimstate the pitch all along this is the hidden agenda im sure they have commercial things in mind too.i for one will never vote tory again this whole thing stinks of council skullduggery(i didnt want to say corruption)

pitch was gonna be reinstated even if it went tits up 18 months ago but of course any meetings with the council (like todays behind closed doors meeting) were seen as a takeover bid <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/sleeping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wall.gif" alt="" />

[Margate Don]

Comment from KentOnline

 

Gate stadium announcement expected

OFFICIALS at Margate hope to make some form of announcement today, after new proposals for a move to Hartsdown Park were handed in.

 

Thanet Council leader Sandy Ezekiel says the latest developments have been positive, and hopes the plans will meet requirements after being reviewed by an independant solicitor.

 

A final decision is expected in the next two weeks.

 

Sounds positive to me. Let's wait for the announcement.

[Hempstead Gaz]

SE on RK at 1325 - sounds like bad news. The papers you submitted do NOT make a proper business plan, no profit or loss figurex projected for the first 5 years, no staffing levels etc.

I think you will need to hurry to get that info in before the deadline. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

[Cookie]

Its all in there Gary. What the council are waiting for is the report from the independant solicitor workng on behalf of the surveyor who has been doing this new evaluation. We have nothing more to submit and this submission is entirely seperate from the club or the council.

 

Can you guarantee a profit for 5 years time? Can anyone guarantee a profit in 5 years time?

 

We have a new night club opening soon and the council approved that without giving the public notice of such. No-one wants it but it was rushed through. Do they ask them how many people THEY will employ? No, they damn well dont!

 

All that has been asked of the club has been submitted and even EZEKIEL admits that the company putting up the finance and the developers are both bona fide companys with massive assets. And might I add with vast experiences of submitting plans and projected figures. They are not "mugs" and therefore the information you hear should be treated as suspect.

 

Whatever you heard it is wrong and therefore another piece of propoganda succeeds.

[MargateFan]

To be fair, having listened to the broadcast, I think that was an old sound bite that had been given out before the current arrangement - that is, concerning the original submission, not the independent survey. I guess that the radio thought it had more dramatic effect or something.

S.E. stated this morning that he had not had sight of the new, independent assessment, so, if that is so, let's keep our hair on.

[Hempstead Gaz]

They didn't say EXACTLY when SE had the interview, so it may be a bit out of date or out of contect. For your sakes, I hope everything works out for the best.

Meanwhile, we appear to have our own war to fight with Gravesham Council, the leader now thinks a share in the new Gillingham astrodome at Ebbsfleet would be a good thing!!!

Check out our forum.

[Guest]

Funny how Gillingham are complaining about Charlton then are doing even worse to Gravesend.

 

But that is Scally for you. His track record is a joke ("we know how to police our games" on the day a Fulham fan was killed there)

[MargateFan]

Following your situation closely, ChathamGary, and hope you get things sorted out.

Kent football is Kent football, we need as much of it as possible!

[Hempstead Gaz]

Thanx for that. We might slag each other off, but that is football fun/rivalry. Losing your club is not funny.

Good luck

[Guest]

Listened to the SE interview with John Warnett live, the latest submission put forward he stated were as they were not the robust business plan that was required, in a nutshell not acceptable. It did not sound good to me.

[MargateFan]

That wasn't live. John Warnock has a morning show at 9.00am. Radio Kent are being a little naughty, methinks. Does sound dramatic, though, doesn't it?

[MargateFan]

Oh and by the way, the aforesaid Mr. Warnock was undoubtedly at Faversham today getting his gong from the Shepherd Neame radio awards (congratulations, by the way) so I doubt if he had time to do any live interviews today.

[ooh!!bodyform]

wish we could get some sort of OFFICIAL UPDATE from MFC come on guys whats happening??

[zhukov]

SE has not said he wants to see the existing Margate FC at Hartsdown Park. He said he is committed to football being played there. This could mean a pub team.

He is positioning himself to be in a favourable light whatever the outcome for the development plan.

The reason we have got this far is because of the pressure by the developer, pressure by the supporters admirably galvanised into action by Cookie and the interest shown by the local television channels and Radio Kent. I deliberately exclude the local Thanet papers owned by the same group Trinity because I know that they have taken a conscious decision not to publish this week, letters about the reddevelopment yet they had front page coverage of the alleged phone threats to SE.

All the the actions, the time wasting to financially bleed the club to death, the deliberate erecting of yet another hurdle etc etc over the last two years confirm without doubt

that SE has never wanted the existing Margate FC ie the club we love and support to be back at Hartsdown.

 

The point of this posting is to say that we must keep up the pressure. We cannot let our guard down. We must keep up the pressure for the club to survive.