Fighting For The Future

As I write it's the evening after the night before and even 24 hours I still can't quite comprehend some of the stuff that happened.

The first fifteen minutes are pretty clear and the vague understanding I had of the final stages has been confirmed by postings on the forum this morning. It's what went on in the intervening two and half hours that's hard to marry with a sense of reality; a hullabaloo of raised voices and acrimony which was made all the more bizarre by the fact that everyone was there for the same intention - to help keep Mossley going.

However to start this brief review of proceedings off, I'll write about what I am absolutely certain of...

Mossley AFC Limited is in serious trouble. A five figure sum of money which is growing by the day is owed to a sizeable list of creditors and that's all before you factor in the costs that are going to be accrued over the course of the coming season.

Therefore, unless a Mossley supporter wins the lottery (four numbers and above at a minimum) or a member of a Middle Eastern royal family suddenly declares a previously unknown love for all things Lilywhite, we have two options available: administration or liquidation.

Both have their positive and negative points in regards to pulling the club from its current hole but no matter what way you look at it, deciding which is best is akin to choosing which you'd prefer to catch – syphilis or gonorrhoea.

I'll admit that some of the things said were cause for me to bite my lip (it didn't tally with the recollections I and a few other people had) but this wasn't the time or place for petty bickering with so much at stake. Or so I thought.

When you're told that the club you've supported could soon cease to be you wouldn't think things could possibly get worse but this being Mossley down hill it went. What followed the opening statements was almost a free for all with whoever could shout the loudest taking control of proceedings and accusations flew round like faeces in the monkey house at Chester Zoo.

For all the problems the club faces at the moment, playing the blame game is one thing that's certainly not going to help. No matter how much you jab your finger and demand to be told what plans are in place (especially when one of the purposes of the meeting was to come up with said plans) as one person was doing, it's not a means towards a solution.

I'm not certain of many things but I'm sure it wasn't the intention of any one associated at the club to put us in the financial straits we currently face. I can't imagine anyone is sat in a darkened room at some secret location today, twiddling a finely waxed moustache and bellowing “Mwa-ha-ha-ha” at the thought of their own Machiavellian brilliance.

Well, actually there might be as Smiffy intimated in his round up of proceedings but not wishing to be the focus of any possible legal action I shall move swiftly on.

When the search for scapegoats was finally abandoned some decided to clamber aboard another carousel. Round and round in circles it went as those trying to and making some very good and pertinent points became drowned out by those who attend matches and those who only visit the social club arguing about who was the better supporter.

In terms of priorities it was up their with two people running for their lives from a collapsing building suddenly stopping to have a who could urinate up the wall the highest contest. And yes, I did clean that analogy up somewhat.

Given that both sides were there for same intentions (that is to help stop Mossley AFC going to the wall in case you'd forgotten) the whole thing was positively surreal.

If the night brought anything to the fore besides the lack of cash predicament, it's that the “I'm a better Mossley supporter than you because...” thing should be put to bed as soon as possible. It's been a problem for more than a while now and if we're going to attract new people to Seel Park this unofficial class system has got to stop.

Eventually, around two and a half hours into proceedings, level heads were finally beginning to prevail and a possible path the club could take was sketched out. From what I could gather, and it has since been confirmed via more postings on the forum, is that a makeshift committee has been founded to put in place a not so makeshift committee and thankfully, this working party seems to be made up from some of the more sensible sounding people present on the night.

Over the next few days they'll meet and formulate a plan to take the club forward and begin to tackle the obstacles that currently litter our path back to solvency.

It might not seem like much to the casual observer but an intake of new blood and fresh ideas could be one of the best things to happen to Mossley and I sincerely wish them well.

To finish I'll try and sum everything up into one easily digestible sound bite: We may be floating around Crap Creek but at least the hunt is on for a paddle.

Never Ceasing Wonders

Following a fortnight of gloomy rumours and fleeting mentions of possible meetings involving a forever changing selection of people, the “official” news blackout that surrounds Mossley AFC came to an end with this:

There will be a meeting for all interested in the future well being of Mossley AFC at Seel Park this coming Wednesday evening at 8pm.

It is vital that everyone who cares about the club's future attends this meeting!

It might only be 39 words but there are enough lines for some people to have read between and come to the conclusion that those who go will be witnessing some Bob Geldof style requests for money. If that does indeed turn out to be the case I get the feeling there’s going to be some big disappointment in store for the people sat at the top table – whoever they turn out to be.

While the credit crunch is no doubt hitting football clubs hard, it’s not as though the supporters are immune from the current financial woes.

Not only that I have a feeling that the number of people in attendance (or rather the lack of them) will cause a certain amount of displeasure too. But then two days notice is hardly enough to rally the troops for a vitally important meeting about the future well being of the club.

That it also clashes with the England game is an oversight of incredible proportions too. Yes, those with the best interests of the club at heart will turn up but it’s not those the powers that be should be appealing to. It’s those with just a passing interest in the club they should be trying to entice and given the choice they’ll be sat at home watching Andorra stick eleven men behind the ball.

Whatever happens it might just be that around 10:00pm tomorrow evening we could have some answers to a fortnight's worth of questions. If we don't and end the night none the wiser there'll be more than a few people wanting to put the dis in front of gruntled.

Hopping Aboard An Internet Bandwagon

In a break from the usual, Mossley80 hops aboard a passing internet bandwagon while it's still vaguely popular and not just when it's about to disappear over the horizon.