Darlo crisis

[AustrianAndyGull]

Darlo manager Craig Liddle and every single player at the club have been made redundant and they will probably cease to exist as a club at the end of the week if administrators cannot find investors. They say it is looking pretty grim. Really sad news. OK they have a ridiculous stadium for the size of the fanbase which has been an albatross for them bu they were a great bunch up there and i have good memories having been there twice, one was 1-1 and the other we won 3-0 i think. I hope they can sort it out and not go the same way as North east neighbours Scarborough.

[tufcbrett]

Again thats one club spending more money than they had, and find themselves in serious trouble. Its sad to see a club go like that but i think thats the club over. Inless they use the youth team to play any fixutes they will loose points for not playing games and they would be told bye bye by the BSP for that anyways.

If you have to sack everyone to me that says we are on our way, Im sure people in the area will start a AFC but its sad to see a club go. Does make us thankful for being well run compared to alot of people. Like Northampton £7Mill and thats got them nowhere, can see them possibily going the same way one day.

[Trojan 67]

It looks like Argyle will have the largest capacity stadium in the BSP.

[happytorq]

I feel bad for the fans but the writing was on the wall there as soon as they built that ridiculous stadium. 25k capacity for a team that was getting about 4k at the time. Ambition, sure, but that was unrealistic. It's a shame but - as I've been saying for quite some time - sooner or a later a team will *have* to go out of business, if only to serve as an object lesson to other other clubs that you have to keep your house in order.

There's no other business that you could run in the way that football clubs are run. If I was to open a shop that had a weekly turnover of £500 a week but then decided to move to a new retail park with £1500 a week lease, I'd go out of business. It's not rocket science. Like I say, it's a shame for Darlo fans that it has to be their club that goes bust but we can't keep having teams do an Exeter/Leeds/Portsmouth/whatever, and keeping going simply because they're a football club and people feel bad.

[Glostergull]

According to the latest report up there. The previous Chairman has stalled the latest bid because he wants some compo for the money he put in. he has been pushed too far and suffered abuse from some idiots and now they have pissed him off. A lesson to be learned for all that want their own formula followed at their own club.
We have been there before. remember. It could happen to us again.
The new party interested want to demolish the new stadium and build houses there.
The club would have to start again at a new venue.
Shame that a beautifull stadium has to be demolished and can't in some way be recycled. we could have use a bit for our new stand. minus the seats of course.

[divingbboy]

Having never been to Darlo myself, I was surprised to see their stadium on the news this morning. What the hell are they doing with a stadium that big!?

[Glostergull]

[quote="divingbboy"]Having never been to Darlo myself, I was surprised to see their stadium on the news this morning. What the hell are they doing with a stadium that big!?[/quote

I suppose they could seal it up. Fill it with water and make it the largest swimming pool ever seen.

[Aussie]

Did you know that Darlos stadium holds 25,000 and they aren`t allowed any more than 10,000 in it due to poor surrounding infrastructure?
On another note I feel really sorry for their fans BUT Reynolds screwed them, they went to the wall 3 times in ten years, well that to me is basically 3 strikes and your out! Darlo should be wound up and gone so the fans can start the club again from scratch and go back to their original ground, sounds harsh but Wimbldon and others have done, look at F.C. Manc! The Reynolds arena should be redeveloped into something useful like a swamp!

[SuperNickyWroe]

as usual its the fans that suffer.
absolute stupid idea to build a stadium that size. when you look at the clubs around there, you have middlesbro and sunderland for a start so the glory seekers will be off there not watching darlo!!!

i was there on friday and the place was manic. spoke to several locals who said that it was a pity it wasnt sorted out years ago. not happy with the stadium as they acknowledged it would be too large for their fan base. it would be like us having a 25,000 seater stadium - what would we think??

hope they get out of it, but cant see it myself.

[Glostergull]

Did you know that Darlos stadium holds 25,000 and they aren`t allowed any more than 10,000 in it due to poor surrounding infrastructure?
On another note I feel really sorry for their fans BUT Reynolds screwed them, they went to the wall 3 times in ten years, well that to me is basically 3 strikes and your out! Darlo should be wound up and gone so the fans can start the club again from scratch and go back to their original ground, sounds harsh but Wimbldon and others have done, look at F.C. Manc! The Reynolds arena should be redeveloped into something useful like a swamp!

Sorry Aussie. The FC Manc situation didn't in fact have anything to do with a club getting into trouble or going to the wall. It was started by disgruntled fans of Manure who broke away from them in protest at the way the club was going. On one hand I applaud the effort as it shows that the top clubs are starting to lose the bedrock of support that is the roots of our game.
On the other hand I have seen quite a lot of film of FC Manc matches and there is quite a lot of supporters who seem to be of the type that have latched onto the new club because they may well have been some the ones who were barred from Manure because of certain actions by these individuals that Manure would want to distance themselves from.
Now I know that is conjecture and my opinion but having seen the behaviour of quite a lot of these fans it does remind me of the post by one on this forum about following Oldham and their fans behaviour.
I can surmise that it was an attractive proposition to follow the new team because they could carry on with this behaviour. I watched a programme about the club where they had in their words a cup final agains't another local team which because of the huge number of fans expected from FC had to be switched to Blackpool FC stadium. The fans of FC did nothing to enhance the reputation of the club and would probably make many small clubs wary of wanting them at their ground or anywhere near it. There didn't need to be any spin by the programme makers. The fans made it all plain to see.
I am not saying that all their fans are like it but there is a significant number among them to make us all wary.
That saying/ I aplaud all the other supporters who have managed to get their clubs relaunched. it shows that although down they are not out.
There are plans to redevelope the Reynolds arena into housing. Darlington FC would have to relocate. That with all the hurdles and reticence by the local council will probably see the club die without a chance to relaunch as they would have one hell of a job finding a new ground.

[Aussie]

Two things Gloster, the first I didn`t mean F.C.Manc had got there through financial difficulties( My fault for not being clear enough ) I was mearly pointing out that you can climb up the lowers leagues quite quickly when well run and secondly Darlo could easily go back to their old ground and start again there ( as far as I`m aware )!

[Glostergull]

Two things Gloster, the first I didn`t mean F.C.Manc had got there through financial difficulties( My fault for not being clear enough ) I was mearly pointing out that you can climb up the lowers leagues quite quickly when well run and secondly Darlo could easily go back to their old ground and start again there ( as far as I`m aware )!

Sorry Aussie. I took you a little literaly. didn't mean to offend.
Sadly I don't think that Going back to their old ground is the case any more. Up to a few of years ago many fans and the managment looked at leaving the arena and for some reason (probably Something to do with the arena lease) they couldn't. As far as I am aware the old Feethams site is now a housing estate. They started to demolish the stadium in 2005 and the last remnants where the New stand which was demolished in 2006. There is only an empty patch of rough ground there now. There was meant to be planning permission for housing on what is left of the site. Ownership is somewhat vague.
It is sad that Darlington originaly went into administration for a sum of only £300,000. But because of very sharp business practice by sharks it seems that the debt is now nearer £2 million. The present owners of the stadium have said they will put in £50k to match the 50k of the supporters, but many of the supporters have expressed their opinion that they can take their money and stick it where the sun don't shine.
The council originaly put a covenent on the stadium preventing crowds of over 10,000 coming to any events. This was done to prevent any business profiteering. They also qoute the A66 link road which was never built. The present owners are viewed with sceptisism by the council and fans and there seems to be open war between all parties.
I am keeping as close eye on this one, It so easily could have been us in this situation. albeit with a smaller stadium on the sea front. with an idiot in charge.
P.S Could do with your help when I next come down. Trojan needs staking to the centre circle. lol

[Aussie]

Can be arranged for a fee!

[Southampton Gull]

Can be arranged for a pee!

Edited to be more suitable for Trojan