The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

A merger will definitely NOT be happening! If two clubs merge the rules state that they must take the position of the lower placed team, which will mean us playing in the Zamaretto Premier at best. This will not happen.

More likely, is that the scum will move to Nene Park and perhaps change their name to K*ttering Diamonds in an attempt to attract some Rushden fans to the club. If will have no ties to R&D as we know it other than inhabiting our (former) ground.

'K*ttering Diamonds' would be an insult IMO and would placate no one and probably just piss off any K*ttering people. I don't see how this can work, if no one is going to see K*ttering and Rushden now, why will they suddenly come and see a new club? East Northants United maybe?

I think that the thing most people seem to fail to understand is that if the Japanese consortium bid falters there is nothing else, no merger no Zameretto Club, no UCL club. All gone...........Finished!

If the bid fails everything is out of the fans control. Any chance of a merger has gone because there will be no club to merge because a winding up will inevitably follow & with it the Zameretto place will disappear.

As for a phoenix; any chance of starting afresh next season went when we focussed all efforts on fund-raising alone immediately after the last forum! The boat has long since left to stand any chance of getting any league spot given the vast amount that needs to be done! Besides which when this post appeared a few days seeking help with looking at our options:
http://www.thediamondsforum.co.uk/viewt ... f=2&t=3597
........there was not a single response. Who do we think is going to do all the work?

No, our only hopes are the Japanese bid and any olive branch held out to fans willing to listen by our likely successors at Nene Park to bring us into their fold!

This is the most depressing thread I've ever read on this forum, in any of it's guises.

To think that fellow Diamonds fans would tolerate their club being liquidated, their closest rivals moving into their home, and then go along to Nene Park to watch them proves I didn't understand Rushden & Diamonds fans (or perhaps I don't understand the local mentality being an outsider).

I thought the news we were being wiped off the face of the footballing map, and losing one final battle with K*ttering would be met with dismay, not a bunch of people (with notable exceptions) looking for positives from it.

The "we are only interested in seeing football at Nene Park" brigade aren't the sort of people I want to share my Saturday afternoons with. At least some people recognise the need for a local club that originated locally, not a team from up the A6 posing as a local side - and take pride in having had such a local side that achieved all it did in it's 19 years. Neither the Poppies or the Cobblers managed to win a national league title during that period - yet we won two.

I hope these people reflect on what they are saying, if not now, then when they see a team in Red running out as the home side in August. Perhaps then we might get some people interested in reviving the sort of spirit we used to have, home and away, between true Diamonds fans, not the plastic ones who are only interested in the prices or the quality of the catering in case it affects their "matchday experience".

In fairness Formic, going back to the original post I think Downsie is referring to the merger that could potentially have happened had it been sorted/supported a month or so back. I don't know if i'm speaking for myself here, but I would have supported a merger, not simply K*ttering town moving into Nene Park and Rushden being liquidated. Very, very few of us would support the latter i'm sure.

I'd support some sort of East Northants United, aslong as the badge and shirt had something done to it so I didn't feel like I was just watching K*ttering.

It's all starting to make sense now as to why Ladak spoke up for RDFC at the AGM. With RDFC demoted/relegated, it then rules out totally the prospect of an official merger.

In the Chron this morning it effectively states that K*ttering fans will decide on Friday what they want to do. I have a sneaky suspicion that they won't accept a move if the posters on Poppynet are representative of the whole KTFC fanbase. It would be ridiculous if both clubs disappeared in such a short space of time.

BartonRaz wrote:In fairness Formic, going back to the original post I think Downsie is referring to the merger that could potentially have happened had it been sorted/supported a month or so back. I don't know if i'm speaking for myself here, but I would have supported a merger, not simply K*ttering town moving into Nene Park and Rushden being liquidated. Very, very few of us would support the latter i'm sure.

I'd support some sort of East Northants United, aslong as the badge and shirt had something done to it so I didn't feel like I was just watching K*ttering.

It's all starting to make sense now as to why Ladak spoke up for RDFC at the AGM. With RDFC demoted/relegated, it then rules out totally the prospect of an official merger.

In the Chron this morning it effectively states that K*ttering fans will decide on Friday what they want to do. I have a sneaky suspicion that they won't accept a move if the posters on Poppynet are representative of the whole KTFC fanbase. It would be ridiculous if both clubs disappeared in such a short space of time.

Fairplay to you Raz - I know you're genuine - and like me you've lived as close to a league team as you have to Nene Park - yet still chosen the Diamonds - but if you look at Balloon Man's post on the trust thread you'll see there are plenty who don't see it that way.

On your other point, the Poppies were pretty unanimous in their opposition to it when asked for their opinions back in May - but clearly they weren't listened to then, so I doubt they will be now.

There's a thread on Poppynet about the story in the C&E http://www.poppynet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10897

I'm not surprised that so many fans are simply happy to let things run their course & turn up at Nene Park in August as if nothing has happened. Disappointed but not surprised!

Whilst so many fans turned up at the Keith's initial forum it was very quickly clear that most were there as spectators, or just wanted the opportunity to vent their anger. For reasons I don't really understand the whole trust thing seems to have destroyed any desire amongst fans to get their hands dirty and try and influence events. So they have just gone with the flow and abdicated responsibility.

I'm devastated with how things have turned out. I don't know where I'll be next August if the Japanese consortium fails. All I do know is that there will be a void in my Saturday afternoon's that will need filling. There are a few options but not one of them could ever replace Rushden & Diamonds.

Bedfordkev2 wrote: I'm devastated with how things have turned out. I don't know where I'll be next August if the Japanese consortium fails. All I do know is that there will be a void in my Saturday afternoon's that will need filling. There are a few options but not one of them could ever replace Rushden & Diamonds.

Agreed. I'll support another team if/when Diamonds die because first and foremost i'm a football fan, but I can't ever imagine feeling the same way about a football team again.

Formic wrote:This is the most depressing thread I've ever read on this forum, in any of it's guises.

To think that fellow Diamonds fans would tolerate their club being liquidated, their closest rivals moving into their home, and then go along to Nene Park to watch them proves I didn't understand Rushden & Diamonds fans (or perhaps I don't understand the local mentality being an outsider).

I thought the news we were being wiped off the face of the footballing map, and losing one final battle with K*ttering would be met with dismay, not a bunch of people (with notable exceptions) looking for positives from it.

The "we are only interested in seeing football at Nene Park" brigade aren't the sort of people I want to share my Saturday afternoons with. At least some people recognise the need for a local club that originated locally, not a team from up the A6 posing as a local side - and take pride in having had such a local side that achieved all it did in it's 19 years. Neither the Poppies or the Cobblers managed to win a national league title during that period - yet we won two.

I hope these people reflect on what they are saying, if not now, then when they see a team in Red running out as the home side in August. Perhaps then we might get some people interested in reviving the sort of spirit we used to have, home and away, between true Diamonds fans, not the plastic ones who are only interested in the prices or the quality of the catering in case it affects their "matchday experience".

Formic I think most things that I have read on the web, net or papers in the last couple of days have been the most depressing things that I have read!
I am probably going to got shot down in flames for this but quite a few Northants sports fans are a little bit relaxed about their sporting commitment - PLEASE NOTE I SAID SOME AND NOT ALL :lol:

Sadly some Diamonds fans over the years have been the same, take the Leeds game. As you would expect we took a lot of fans and it was a great day but where were they every Saturday for the last few years??? We've given free tickets to school kids and they've come with their families but then never come again. I know of some fans who have stayed away from games for the craziest of reasons and to be honest it makes me question their commitment.

I know that things have been tough for people financially the last couple of years, I work in Financial Services and seen some horrid situations. I know that increasing the Home fans gate prices didn't go down well (believe you me, me and the girls have taken a lot of abuse!!) but staying away from the club you "love" for this sole reason seems to me daft!! Afterall you could join the Trust and get a £3 discount each game.....it is human nature that causes us to moan and sometimes make a knee jerk reaction - the same human nature that makes us rush to a crisis when if we had've stuck around a bit longer we possbily could have prevented

....this is all a very sad situation and one thet no one person has any control over :(

Formic wrote:This is the most depressing thread I've ever read on this forum, in any of it's guises.

To think that fellow Diamonds fans would tolerate their club being liquidated, their closest rivals moving into their home, and then go along to Nene Park to watch them proves I didn't understand Rushden & Diamonds fans (or perhaps I don't understand the local mentality being an outsider).

I thought the news we were being wiped off the face of the footballing map, and losing one final battle with K*ttering would be met with dismay, not a bunch of people (with notable exceptions) looking for positives from it.

The "we are only interested in seeing football at Nene Park" brigade aren't the sort of people I want to share my Saturday afternoons with. At least some people recognise the need for a local club that originated locally, not a team from up the A6 posing as a local side - and take pride in having had such a local side that achieved all it did in it's 19 years. Neither the Poppies or the Cobblers managed to win a national league title during that period - yet we won two.

I hope these people reflect on what they are saying, if not now, then when they see a team in Red running out as the home side in August. Perhaps then we might get some people interested in reviving the sort of spirit we used to have, home and away, between true Diamonds fans, not the plastic ones who are only interested in the prices or the quality of the catering in case it affects their "matchday experience".

I think you've just summed it all up Formic, you don't post many heavily opinionated posts but this one has slightly hit me for 6. I can't believe so many of the Rushden and Diamonds Supporters Trust are happy just to see football at Nene Park. How any Rushden fan can just go along with supporting K*ttering at our ground is just astonishing and, as you said, very depressing. 2,500 people are being fucked over this week, if I was a self-respecting K*ttering fan I would not go and watch them outside of K*ttering and I don't see how any Rushden fan can go and watch their rivals play at their own ground. K*ttering Diamonds is an insult and I cannot - CANNOT! - believe how so many are just taking to it. It makes me want to scream, the Rushden and Diamonds Supporters Trust for Christ sake! Why are they giving up with barely a whimper?! I'll say it now, I would like to see 'K*ttering Diamonds' fail spectacularly, because neither K*ttering fans nor us deserve this and I hope the majority of the fans that supported these clubs don't fall for it.