Steve Menary tells us why Australian constructors Multiplex may be cursing the name Ken Bates for years to come
So, Ken Bates, why is one of Australia’s biggest construction companies rebuilding Wembley Stadium? Leeds’ saviour knows only too well as he was the Football Association’s choice to find a contractor for the job. With strike ballots, delays, pollution fines and a High Court battle, Multiplex could be forgiven for wishing they had stayed in New South Wales.
Amid heated debates (no, really) over restructuring non–league football, John Carter explains why Ryman Isthmian clubs are stuck in the middle of a biscuit
Isthmian League fans reckon Claremont Road’s climate has more in common with the Yukon than Cricklewood. But bone-chilling temperatures alone don’t explain why only 243 fans turned up for the mid-December clash between long-time rivals Hendon and Enfield. Yes, there were special circumstances: most of Enfield’s fans have “done a Wimbledon”, deserting to breakaway new boys Enfield Town; the club’s travelling support now typically consists of three men sharing a cup of Bovril. Nevertheless, many of the terrace foot-stampers that afternoon remember times when the fixture could be expected to draw ten times the paying customers it does today.
After 70 years, Tooting & Mitcham United are moving home. Andy Lyons reports
A Ryman League First Division fixture between Tooting & Mitcham United and Wealdstone wouldn’t normally draw a thousand people, or anywhere near. Most of the crowd on April 20 had come specifically to see the last competitive match at Sandy Lane, Tooting’s home since 1932 and the last of the big non-League grounds left in London. Chairman John Buffoni has taken the brave step of striking a business deal with Ron Noades, as a result of which the club will begin next season at a new stadium built on Crystal Palace’s old training ground two miles away across south London.
Simon Edwards explains how promotion from and relegation to the Conference is not an improvement for the Football League
The prevailing view of relegation to the Conference from the Nationwide League is that it provides an opportunity for a struggling club to rebuild both on and off the field, and eventually return to the fold in rude health. This has always been bunkum. The overall benefits have been negligible.