Observer, your arrogant attitude belies an underlying insecurity clear from using a little basic psychological insight into your postings. I, and I am sure many others, give your views little credence, in particular as you do not even have the self belief to give your name and allegiance.
Top assessment Mr Turner - to which may I add that ‘observer’ is educated [as her / his postings are well constructed gramatically] and probably a perfectionist [note the use of single and double dashes between each point made] - in addition excessive use of exclamation marks is genrarally a trait of a younger [juvenille] contributor - also worthy of note is that ?‘observer’ continually provides her / himself and the other teams mentioned a ‘capital’ letter whilst witton albion is forever typed in lower case ?- for ‘observer’ read ‘****stirrer’ and I love her / him for it!!!<br><br>ajwhalley [age 48 / IQ138 / robbie coltrane lookalike] 
If Spennymoor are such a big club then why are there gates averaging 156. Even we haven’t fallen anywhere near that. Bishop Auckland as you mentioned are averaging 112 and neither of these sides are doing particularly well either.
Blatantly a Vics fan - note that they don’t include themselves in the generalising "witton supporters"<br><br>I think the fewer people who reply to this person the better and slowly but surely they’ll get bored and p off.
Right - top five teams in the Conference North at the moment.<br><br>Alfreton, Kettering, Southport, Harrogate, Hinckley.<br><br>I’m not in the business of slagging off other teams so I’m not going to disparage these clubs; they obviously have good teams (better than Witton) at the moment otherwise they wouldn’t be where they are. But I repeat what I said earlier. With the possible exception of Kettering, no club in the above list is as well known a ‘name’ in non-league football as Witton Albion. Yes, and that includes Southport. It takes a long time for clubs to lose (and gain) their pedigree, observer.<br><br>I seem to remember ‘observer’ making a reasonable posting a month or two ago, talking about the poor state of all football in the town, but these seem to be the postings of a different character entirely.<br>
[quote]Right - top five teams in the Conference North at the moment.
Alfreton, Kettering, Southport, Harrogate, Hinckley.
I’m not in the business of slagging off other teams so I’m not going to disparage these clubs; they obviously have good teams (better than Witton) at the moment otherwise they wouldn’t be where they are. But I repeat what I said earlier. With the possible exception of Kettering, no club in the above list is as well known a ‘name’ in non-league football as Witton Albion. Yes, and that includes Southport. It takes a long time for clubs to lose (and gain) their pedigree, observer.
I seem to remember ‘observer’ making a reasonable posting a month or two ago, talking about the poor state of all football in the town, but these seem to be the postings of a different character entirely.
[/quote]<br><br><br>If you truly believe Witton are a bigger club than Southport then you’ve confirmed my thoughts – WOEFUL IGNORANCE. I’d like to put your views on the Southport wesbsite but quite frankly you’d be laughed at and probably would’nt even get a response. Your belief is absolutely absurd and totally parochial.
Definitely a Vics fan, his last post confirms it… [smiley=applause_smiley.gif]
Historically, the North West has been a great area for non-league football, and Witton have played a big-enough part in that.<br><br>Southport didn’t exactly set the world alight when they were in the football league did they? Let’s have a look at their record shall we…http://www.fchd.btinternet.co.uk/SOUTHPOR.HTM<br><br>I’m sorry, I’ve never regarded Southport as one of the major non-league (or league, as if you need to ask) clubs around here. I do remember them throughout most of the 70s and 80s - a team you were not worried about and thought you could beat quite easily. You’ll be saying Morecambe are a large club as well, next. A very "90s and after" view. I regard a club like Altrincham as one of the major non-league clubs round here, not Southport. I’m not the slightest bit interested in the playing record of these clubs over the past two or three seasons - it has no impact at all on my assessment.<br><br>By all means have a look at Witton’s record…http://www.fchd.btinternet.co.uk/WITTONA.HTM<br><br>By the way, what’s your opinion on Mossley? Ever heard of them?<br>
Bulletin board swear alert…<br><br>The untranslated version of "I disagreeessment" is supposed to be "my a s s essment".<br>
Just how far do you want to go back in history here. Mossley were a massive north west non legue outfit in the 70’s. Leatherhead and Enfield likewise in the south,along with Blyth Spartans in the north east. Before that Dulwich Hamlett and Bishop A were big amateur clubs winning the FA amateur cup.<br>By your theory,then Cheltenham,Rushden & Diamonds,MK Dons and Kidderminster H cannot be considered well known non-league/league clubs but I’m afraid your living in the past. I accept witton are a well known non- league club in north west england,they were one of the biggest clubs in cheshire in the 50’s but at a very regional level.Quite honestly the majority of people outside the north west have never heard of witton albion, to suggest you are bigger than souhport,an ex-league club is absolutley ridiculous. Yes they struggled when they first came out of the league as did Accrington,Barrow and Workington- the gates wer’nt brilliant but were still larger than witton’s BUT as clubs go witton are nowhere near as well known as them. Morecambe I agree were a smaller club and have only taken off in the last 12 years but again they are much better known than Witton. <br> You are living in your own little world wittonfan and try to re-assure yourself that you are still a big club – sorry to dissapoint but the truth hurts!!<br> Incidentally not a Vics fan but do support another non- league club in Cheshire.
We seem to have reached an impasse. Mention the name of "Witton Albion" to a non-league football fan in the north west over the age of 30 and they will treat it with respect as being a well known club that’s had a lot of decent teams over the years. And that goes for potential managers as well as fans.<br><br>Like I said, clubs take a long time to lose their reputation, and if we carry on in the lower leagues for another 10 or 20 years then the number of supporters and ex-supporters in the area will gradually die (literally) out. And most youngsters these days deciding to support football are not interested in non-league sides - the Man Utds, Chelseas and Arsenals reign supreme. But I don’t think Witton have lost what reputation they had yet. People see us as a once proud and trophy-winning club that’s fallen on hard times.<br><br>The nature of football has changed out of all recognition since I first started watching Witton in the early 70s and it is not for the better. ‘Big’ clubs these days come and go with the changing of the tides. ‘Big’ now means you had a few decent seasons and you got a lot of TV coverage on Sky. All it needs is a lucky break - things just coming together for whatever reason. Macclesfield had a decent team one season and managed to get into the league. I’m afraid they’re no bigger or smaller in my mind than they were when Witton were playing them several years ago. I’ll always lump them in with Altrincham, Northwich, Runcorn, etc. And I’ll welcome them back to non-league with a wide smile - it won’t be long.<br><br>Witton will continue the struggle to get back to where they should be, given their reputation - Conference North.<br>
Someone has kindly confirmed the thoughts of the souhport fans on their website regarding witton!
Okay, an oracle has spoken, and all further discussion and argument is futile. It’s been pronounced by a Southport fan that "Southport are a better/bigger [insert superlative here] club than Witton". Or maybe he used more earthy language than that.<br><br>Forgive me. All those times Witton played Southport in the past when I didn’t get worked up about it being a "big game"… what was I thinking! Where was the tingling sensation in the days running up to those huge matches; the agitation; the complete lack of interest in anything else because there was only one thought on my mind. It’s unbearable - you’ve just destroyed part of my childhood sense of identity. Please, bear with me while I take a moment to reflect on it all, it’s rather too much to contemplate at the moment.<br><br>Dear God, do you think I could care less whether a fan from another club thinks they are a "bigger" club than Witton? Do you, really? I’ve watched Witton for over 30 years, and I have another 40-50 years of watching them to come, god willing, so I think I’ve formed a definite opionion on them as a club by now. And do you think I can be bothered to type "Southport football forum" into Google to find out where their website is so I can join the thousands of people that visit it? At least one of them - the oracle - presumably thinks it’s not below him to post about us on his website then - that’s something. We ought to be grateful when such a thing happens; it reminds us that we’re still on the map. I don’t know exactly what he’s written but might I suggest that he didn’t visit many matches throughout the 70s and 80s.<br><br>Let’s get back to basics, shall we. You came onto this board posting an idiotic message claiming that Witton are a tiny, insignificant club who think they are much bigger than they really are, and insinuating that Mike Worthington is wrong for thinking that Witton are still worthy of being in the top 100 teams in non-league football. I seem to have disabused you of this opinion, since in your last posting you stopped making such refutations. You’ve even conceded that Witton played a non-trivial part in the shining history of non-league football in the North West. You’ve picked up on one thing I wrote, saying that I didn’t think Southport were a bigger club than Witton and you’ve hammered away at it as a deflection tactic only because the main tenor of your argument about Witton’s insignificance had disintegrated.<br><br>Now then, how much more sarcasm can you take, "Observer"? Are you a glutton for punishment, or are you going to write less disparaging and more sensible things in the future on the bulletin board of a football club whom you don’t support?<br><br>You shall have the last word on this subject. But I shall be watching your future postings with renewed interest.<br>
Glad you’ve got the message witton fan, and nice of you to carefully compare the top 5 nationwide north clubs of which 2 are definately bigger than witton. As for the rest of the clubs in that league then 75% are also bigger and more well known than you. The Nationwide south league also has 75% clubs bigger not to mention the bigger clubs in the ryman,southern and your own league. Considering I’ve not even mentioned the Conference teams I think the point has been proved – witton are outside the top 66 non- league clubs and have been for at least 6 years – now where have I seen that before!! I hope this now puts the lid on the matter.
Observer, can I suggest that you read postings carefully before responding. Then perhaps you would look less of a fool, as you would be responding to what has actually been written rather than what you think has been (would like to have been?) written.
Your the fool Mike T. You lot won’t just accept it will you,youve been told by Southport fans and I have catagorically stated that your NOT a big non - league club. You just bury your little heads up your backsides and dream of that little flirtation you had in the conference all those years ago- and then believe your still a big club. You really are oblivious and ignorant to the football world,what a sad little bunch of clowns you are - I hope one day you come to terms with exactly what you are- A LIITLE CLUB IN CHESHIRE.
Well, you are reconfirming your foolishness, by making exactly the same mistake again! I repeat, read postings carefully.<br><br>Perhaps you would like to back up your statement ‘your(sic) the fool Mike T’ with some reasoning. If you would care to read through the postings in this thread, then you will find that nowhere have I said anything about my opinions of Witton Albion’s place in non-league football. Your statement is unsupported and unjustified. I repeat, you are making yourself look foolish, and I recommend you take note of my advice.
We’d come to an understanding that this matter was closed, pal, yet you couldn’t stick with what you said, could you? You had to post again. Okay, here we go; you obviously can’t resist taking the punishment…<br><br>"youve been told by Southport fans"<br><br>Let’s disregard this as an irrelevance, shall we? If Alfreton fans tell us the same do we believe them as well? Why on earth did you type that? It was a waste of finger effort. Not a good start from you, was it? Let’s hope it gets better as we read on.<br><br>"I have catagorically stated that your NOT a big non - league club"<br><br>Dear oh dear, the hope was futile. Learn to spell, pal. The word is "categorically". And the other word is "you’re". Now if you can’t even get something as simple as that right, how are we to take your pronouncements on the state of non-league football? You are not very well educated are you? That’s nothing to be ashamed of in some circumstances, but when you’re (a) arguing about semantics [look it up] of the word "big"; and (b) pretty low in the popularity stakes (as you are on this board); then you ought to make more of an effort. Is it going to get any better, we ask ourselves…<br><br>"dream of that little flirtation you had in the conference"<br><br>And it doesn’t! Have you been reading anything that I’ve been writing? You’re quite right, it was a "little flirtation", but that two or three year period when we had some success did not make us a "big" club. It’s the 30 or 40 years (and more) before that that give us the right to say we are a well known and respected club in North West non-league football. I couldn’t give a toss about the few years of success we had in the early 90s. It was good to witness those years, but they are only a small contribution to our history. Read the postings you fool.<br><br>"You really are oblivious and ignorant to the football world"<br><br>The whole thing peters out into a bit of a meaningless rant from this point onwards, with a slight - and pleasant - surprise for the reader at the appearance of the word "oblivious" - shall we go for a 10 letter one next time? The least said about this last fragment the better, though, so as not to embarrass you too much. I think even you’d say it’s not one of your best patches of prose.<br><br>You have no authority to tell us anything about non-league football, never mind Witton Albion. You’re a faceless, nameless nobody, so why should anyone take what you say with anything other than a pinch of salt? I’m anonymous as well, but I’m not the one making stupid comments here, so it’s not me who’s under discussion. I can be as anonymous as I like.<br><br>If it was up to me I’d delete every post you made from now onwards because your postings contribute nothing of relevance to any discussion we’re having or likely to have. You clearly have a grudge against Witton. Maybe we beat your team a lot in the past to bring on your bad feeling. You don’t tell us whom you support and I don’t particularly care. Support your team, carry on supporting them, post on their forum and don’t come here again after this business is over. Kindly stop observing. I don’t go onto Winsford United’s bulletin board telling them what a small club they are. What kind of moron does that? Why be negative about a club that you don’t support (unless you have a good reason, and that’s where we come back to the "grudge" theory)?<br><br>Now come on. You can do better than the last message, in both spelling and content. What textual delights have you got in store for us next?<br><br>I’ll be watching, "Observer". Any slip from you from this point onwards and I’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks. You’ve been warned.<br>
If ever anyone ‘was told’, then that was it!<br><br>How can you be bothered or concentrate at all at the time of your posting? It did just pass 5 minutes of my day at work reading it all though, so thanks
Must work nights like me, it’s when I do my longest posts [smiley=cheezy.gif]