I doubt this will get featured any where else on not606, so apologies for it not being Gills related but I came across this article and thought it was worth a read... http://widerinterestsoffootball.wordpress.com/2012/11/13/why-i-will-not-be-going-to-milton-keynes/
brb - the article may have more relevance to the Gills than you think. Scally is looking to 'relocate' the club into a new stadium. He has made comment that it might have to be outside Medway. Despite the glossy plans that he distributed early in this season, I seem to remember there was an issue regarding ownership of the land of the proposed new site ( before any other problems with that site to prevent its' reality ). I'd hate to see Gills lose identity with the town - I do understand the writer's sentiments, but I would still have to go to the match - to support my team - mind you, she would then be very jealous at the lovely new stadium at MK Dons ( very comfortable seats ) compared with the cattle shed at AFC Wimbledon.
alwaysright - I think I remember saying something in an article once, that said PS would always get my support as long has he did not attempt to change our identity. I think times have moved on slightly in the last decade in regards to situations similar to AFC Wimbledon's plight. Supporters today have become more tolerant of change, whether that be colour of shirt or change of location etc, in fact I have begun to believe you can more or less exploit supporters in the modern game. Any move of our football club would grab my immediate attention more than anything on the pitch and more so than any potential promotion or trophy honours. As a traditionalist it is the one serious thing that could put a dent in my relationship with any newly formed ideas of our club. I have no problems in development and moving forward within certain boundaries. So in answer to your response, I would rather watch from the so called cattle shed of AFC Wimbledon than Franchise comfortable seats any day. In our ageing years that is some sacrifice to go for a cattle shed. Sadly though I do not believe I would get the support of our ever changing generations. I would add to clarify, if I was a supporter faced with the same situation as the young woman in that article, I WOULD be going to the game. So I could watch my team stuff the living daylights out of Franchise.
This is all a bit difficult for outsiders to understand but AFCW have my admiration and sympathy. Always has got the wrong end of the stick anyway so far as the ground is concerned because the franchise sold Plough Lane I think. To put this in a Gillingham context it is not like moving just outside Medway. It is more like moving Gills to, say, St Albans or Harlow and taking the money from the sale of Priestfield as well. If the rebirth then happened locally to then criticise the son of Gillingham fc for qualifying for league 2 and having to play at say Ebbsfleet would be insulting. AFCW are a brave club to have achieved so much in such a short time and I can understand why they loath MKD
This is my point of view. I appreciate that loads of Gillingham fans come from outside the Medway Towns and probably support Gillingham because it is the nearest League club. It is personal choice, but I cannot understand why a person from say born in Sittingbourne watches The Gills? Me personally I would support Sittingbourne. Luckily as I was born in Gillingham I don't have that problem! It was just something instilled in me as a youngster by my father, who was born in South Elmsall in Yorkshire and supports Frickley Athletic even though there a loads of ''great'' league clubs nearby! On the AFCW thing, and as someone who now lives near Milton Keynes. I haven't and never will watch a game at Franchise United. Not even when Gillingham have played there.
gfc1234 - with respect and if I am understanding you correctly, I think there is a slight flaw in your thinking. Thousands if not millions of people do not live in and may never have lived in the town in which they born. You use Sittingbourne as an example, does it even have a maternity hospital? It is all dependent on location of those maternity hospitals or the location when their mother actually decides to give birth any where in the world. The place I was born, I have never lived accept for being brought into this world.
I was born in Gillingham, but spent the first 5 years of my life living in Strood and Malta! would always support my birth place club! My wife is expecting our first child and we are having the birth at Stoke Mandeville, nearest club is Aylesbury FC! I would hope if they are in to football that would be their club of choice!
gfc1234 - with what I still consider to be your illogical thinking, I would be interested to know how many Gills fans then were actually born in Gillingham? Remembering that does not include other parts of the Medway Towns, i.e. Chatham/Rochester/Strood etc. I am not revealing personal details about myself but I will say I was not born in Gillingham.
Seems like a selfish approach to a way of thinking based on your luck of birth place, within your comments. So because you were born in a particular place, everyone should follow in a similar particular mind set. Wow! Slightly shocked by your thoughts to be honest. To which you are entitled.
Sorry, but I love being a Gillingham fan because of where I was born! I met a Rochdale fan a few years ago when I lived in Manchester and asked why them not Manchester United or City? He just said ''born in Rochdale'' On the other hand I have a friend from Welwyn Garden City, went with a mate to watch the Gills and has now been a season ticket holder for 17 years! He does get ribbed about not going to support Stevenage! I suppose at the time of starting to follow the Gills, Stevenage were just a rubbish non league team from Herts.
bristol407 - I don't want you to worry that I have hold of the wrong end of the stick. My response was to comment on brb's suggestion that the article had no relevance to the Gills. I appreciate that there are differences between the situation with 'Franchise' & AFC Wimbledon & our position with regards to the exact location of any new stadium - maybe I was looking to make a closer link to ourselves than actually exists. I do have sympathy for the fans of AFC W for the way that they were treated all those years ago - and it must make it worse for them to see the Franchise in a very sparkly stadium whilst they have to groundshare a glorified cattle shed.
Always....AFCW were playing on a public park 10 years ago. It is not bad to be playing in a cattle shed 10 years later and doing the double over Gills after 9. In fact it is something to admire.
I can understand your logic gfc, but how far do you take it? If born in Aylesbury, why don't they have to support whatever is their true local side? The one that plays around the road on the rec ground? I also like the idea of supporting your local club, but have always thought that to be your local "league club" meaning top 4 divs in England. And I'm not denigrating the supporters of "non-league" (whatever that means) clubs. I have total respect for those that follow Dartford, St Albans or whoever. But for me, if someone is born in, say, Kent, they should not be put down for supporting Gills as the only "league" club in Kent, rather than supporting Maidstone, Dover, Margate or whoever. And there is not a lot wrong with supporting both (league and non-league). its all money in the coffers for those clubs.
I was born in Chatham and was taken to see them at a young age, and loved it! This, coupled with the fact that they are my local club, is why I support them. My Dad was born in Plymouth and lived there for many years, and he is an Argyle fan. My step brother is a Reading fan because his Dad is a Reading fan - he was born in Gillingham and has never lived in or near Reading. Another of my step brothers is a Spurs fan because they were a good side when he was growing up. My other step brother is a Gills fan and stayed local like me. My point is that all football fans have different reasons reasons for supporting whatever club they do, and to simplify it down to saying that we should support whatever club is local to where we were born is a bit ridiculous. I've never seen Chatham Town play, and I don't particularly want to...
