Re: Who is to blame? : Thu Sep 19, 2013 10:46 pm
I think the poll is a little too simplistic.There are an aray of factors for London's current plight and not one of those factors comes down to a single person or institution.
I'm sure we can all muse different reasons and different people have their own agenda's.
But any sporting business needs one of 2 things a large enough income stream, or a backer with deep pockets.
London's income stream has been reducing rather than growing, with fans falling away. Why do fans fall away, well people like a place to call home and the constant moving cannot have helped. I always find it hard to blame a financial backer as they are the ones who pour the money in the hole left between what the fans bring and the club needs.
But backers are also owners/runners and custodians of the club so they must carry some of the burden to move it forwards. Can the position be recovered???
In the short term it does not look likely, but longer term there is no reason why a London club cannot emerge into the top flight. 10 years ago, people would have laughed out of hand that Huddersfield a yo-yo club could top the league.
It may not be this London club as you know it today, but sport evolves over long periods. Big clubs like Wigan have flirted with relegation and financial ruin and that was before SL.
It's a step back, but not the end of the journey for London. Maybe a new home, or a return to the traditional name Fulham may boost attendances. Where ever the club settles, I hope it can plant roots that last for 10's of years not 1 or 2 before moving on.
It took the Saints club 10 years plus to convince their fan base to move 5 minutes to a new ground, people like to feel their club is part of their community.