I understand this site gets moderated but I'm not sure I see the need for threads to be closed ever ?? Its my understanding in England we have freedom of speach - so surely if people feel the need to add to a post, no matter on the topic, surely it can rumble - every topic will come to an end at some point.
Not when the article is about a rape case for a player who doesn't even play for us. It's not a discussion that's going anywhere, we've already had the discussion a couple of weeks ago - and what's more, your article was libellous.
As a great man ( Trueman ) once said, "You can please all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time!" As a moderator, you sometimes have to forget who's side you're on, take a step back, and look at the bigger picture! It's not a job to do if you're looking for popularity!