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What rubbish. If you child wants to play football and enjoys it then why on earth would you make them do a sport they don't want to do.

I used to run a junior team and one of the dads used to get so angry he'd go and sit in the car to stop himself exploding with rage. Always found that very odd.

What I can remember were!

One of the nippers has been fast forwarded to the Moan Utd academy and Brian Little is often there scouting and they are looking for raw talent. Kids football doesn't need to be about just winning (although it's nice when it happens) Around half the clubs in my sons league take players of all abilities and others only take the very best (trials, selection process etc). He currently plays for the former but is wanted by one of the latter but I'm unsure that it's the best path to go down at such a young age.

Nah. The kids want to play in leagues and cups. It's up to the clubs and parents to install the correct attitude and not the "win at any cost" mentality and, TBH, with one or two exceptions, that's all I've seen in a season and a half.

My nipper plays under 9's in the Mid Staffs Junior League and I'm yet to hear abusive parents TBH.

I know just what you mean. Just after Xmas I was meeting someone at a pub car park by M6/J13 to drop off some items I'd picked up in Italy for him. As I was waiting a fella pulled in with two young girls, 8-10ish at a guess, who were being met by their mum and her fella. These girls were breaking their hearts and hanging on to their dad and wouldn't let him go. He looked as if something inside of him was dying as they drove away, tears streaming down their faces, shouting for their dad. Made me cry if I'm honest and as soon as I got back home I just cuddled my 3 as close as I could and told them how I'd never, ever, leave them.

You don't need tickets, it's pay on the night.

Legal wrangling over value of the land compared to the value of the four mortgages on Home Park. Administrator has been told that the deal is for the land and not the football club. I have no reason to doubt the truth of this.

The same fella who told me about the game being called off weeks in advance has told me this morning that neither of the two potential buyers are interested in running a football club. They are simply property developers.

I'd agree with that. A large part of the problem was that everyone believed that "The Market" would always supply the best answer as that was what they were told, over and over again and carpetbaggers drove through countless demutualisations. When the needs of the stock holders started to outweigh the needs of the clients (us) they started down a very slippery slope.

It's pay on the night so no need for tickets.

As 26 is soooooo old!

The nipper and I have ours. No doubt he'll be standing on his seat for 90mins again!

My nipper is just short of 9 and has been going home and away for 3 seasons. Before that it was the occasional pre-season and home game. I found younger than that he got too restless from about 70mins onwards but from the age of about 6 he could go the 90mins. I wouldn't dream of going to a game without him now (3 in the last 3 seasons without him).

Meanwhile, away from lollipop land...........

Try her with a pre-season game. At 4 90mins of an important game seems a very long time (for both of you and those around you).

He wouldn't have wanted you to have missed it. That's the things about dads and football, they understand, always.

Even the tories I work with thought it a pointless PR exercise.

I have had a look and it would come in north of £4k! I can go motorhoming in Canada for two weeks for less than that! Wife has said no so that's that.

Yes, it would be. Eldest and middle child fancy it but the cost for a week at 1/2 term is crazy and his unlikely to get past the wife's veto.

I will once a sell a hoover that my old girl blagged off a pervy neighbour.

Spot. On. However, it doesn't mean that those views cannot be challenged.

My wife priced a few up this afternoon. Eye wateringly expensive. A day and the Snowdome instead should do it!

They really do have a very small club mentality, a bit like the skates really.