Paul Baker

[Neil]

This weeks Edward Gillespie award goes to...It would also be appreciated if vocal support could be used in a positive manner to support the team rather than to berate the opposition or indeed make reference to a club down the road which ceased to be a rival some years ago.http://www.cheltenhamtownfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/LatestNews/0,,10434~1416869,00.html

[spandau_wirral]

Cheeky git!!! I very much respect the way he runs the club but he can shove it up his arse if he is going to come out with crap like that!

Be careful what you say at the top cos you dont know who your going to meet on the way down!

[Simon22]

It must be pointed out that his reasoning behind the anti-Gloucester songs is purely commercial. It has also not gone down brilliantly with a lot of Cheltenham fans who do not wish to forget where we came from.

Being one of those fans, I'll more than willingly sing as many anti-Gloucester songs as I can at a game.

Unlucky in the Cup this year, with a bit of luck we'll meet in the GFA instead.

[SHANDY LOVE MACHINE]

You cannot tell your fans what they should or should not be singing. He is biting the ****ing hand that partially feeds him.

Despite Robin's self-delusion that no rivalry currently exists between the clubs the fact that 12 years on so many are singing so loud for so long means there is something deep in the psyche of the two clubs which will last decades or even for ever if we can get closer together in the leagues.

[Simon22]

I've done this to death on the Nest Shandy, I have said over and again that Gloucester will always be our only real rivals. Whether we be Premiership or Norther Senior League (the same goes for yourselves of course).

I distinctly remember saying about how it's much more than football. Although being born in Cheltenham, where the majority of my family live, I actually grew up in and around Gloucester (Churchdown to be precise) and until August lived on Wooton Pitch for a year (after 4 and a half back home). Unfortunately I've only done one derby game (the most recent GFA game at Meadow Park) due to the only other chance of going was the Boxing Day game that was called off.

As everyone is aware, the vast majority of Robins fans only started supporting the Club at the turn of the century, so to them there is no such rivalry between our two clubs, however, all of the people I go with have tended to be going a lot longer and appreciate our roots.

Baker has now come in for a lot of criticism for this, especially from the newly formed singers in the In2Print, and you're right, it is very much biting the hand that feeds him. What it will also do is generate the exact opposite of what he wants. Martin Allen will want support, yourselves know that the main oart a fan can play is by being vocal. At times Whaddon Road has been a morgue, his statement may just have changed that. We will see.

[Kingo]

Very sad in what he says and yet quite funny in that he is almost telling the supporters what to sing, perhaps he should put some chants in the programme that are acceptable to the Chairman, suggestions anyone?

How about;

Cheltenham, Cheltenham Ra, Ra, Ra

or for the honest supporters

Going down, going down, going down

[spandau_wirral]

I've done this to death on the Nest Shandy, I have said over and again that Gloucester will always be our only real rivals. Whether we be Premiership or Norther Senior League (the same goes for yourselves of course).

I distinctly remember saying about how it's much more than football. Although being born in Cheltenham, where the majority of my family live, I actually grew up in and around Gloucester (Churchdown to be precise) and until August lived on Wooton Pitch for a year (after 4 and a half back home). Unfortunately I've only done one derby game (the most recent GFA game at Meadow Park) due to the only other chance of going was the Boxing Day game that was called off.

As everyone is aware, the vast majority of Robins fans only started supporting the Club at the turn of the century, so to them there is no such rivalry between our two clubs, however, all of the people I go with have tended to be going a lot longer and appreciate our roots.

Baker has now come in for a lot of criticism for this, especially from the newly formed singers in the In2Print, and you're right, it is very much biting the hand that feeds him. What it will also do is generate the exact opposite of what he wants. Martin Allen will want support, yourselves know that the main oart a fan can play is by being vocal. At times Whaddon Road has been a morgue, his statement may just have changed that. We will see.

Good to hear that not all Robins fans have forgotten the past, is refreshing to read your views Simon compared to the Cheltenham fans at work who started going along 3 or 4 years ago but consider themselves "fanatics".

[Neil]

Spandau, they're not fanatics, they're w@nkstains. In fact, they all are.

[bobcarolgees]

I remember Keith Gardner trying to do a sort of similar thing when he tried to eradicate swearing from any songs-to the point where it reached farce and was a in joke with fans-such as our supporters singing "can you hear the Stafford sing? I cant hear a fudging thing" and the like. The jokes literally only lasted a few games and Gardner knew he was fighting a losing battle and gave in. To be fair to him though, he didnt dictate to us what we could and couldnt do-which on reading that Baker seems to be. I guess we're quite unique in that for the level of football we play at, we have far more of a vocal following than any other club in a similar divison with probably the exception of FC United. So where as its easy to tell a smaller group to shut up its not that easy to tell the main bulk of your support.

Baker's focussing on the anti Gloucester stuff and putting in that little dig on their website purely from a commercial point of view, because they dont get enough people through the gates from their own town so hes hoping others from our city and elsewhere will suddenly become regulars. But the truth is and everyone should know it, the whole Glos v Cheltenham rivalry goes a lot deeper than just football. Plus the other truth is that people round here are fickle as, remember it was only just over 10 years ago that we had 4,000 in at Meadow Park with people locked outside.

From my point of view you go to games to get behind the team, outsing the opposition and take great delight in your local rivals getting battered. The banter and swearing is all part of it, if you dont like it you have the option of standing or sitting elsewhere. I can understand if somebody was fff'ing and blinding in a family stand with kiddies everywhere but if its coming from an area that it isnt I dont see the problem.

Perhaps you should start singing "Baker give us a song" like Gardner got? It might hit home then.

One thing I will say though is if "the Wymans" are the main bulk of your vocal support-frankly thats more than a bit embarrasing.

[spandau_wirral]

Spandau, they're not fanatics, they're w@nkstains.

Correct! You do mean winkstain dont you?

[Tiger Andy]

Well the only mature thing I can do at this juncture is refer to the cretin as a bell-end and pray he doesn't sue...:exit:

[Simon22]

Perhaps you should start singing "Baker give us a song" like Gardner got? It might hit home then.

One thing I will say though is if "the Wymans" are the main bulk of your vocal support-frankly thats more than a bit embarrasing.

The first point I like, and may well start today.

The second is not necessarily so. Not that anyone here cares, but the main bulk of singers are in the C&G stand (you'll all remember it as the Prestbury Road End). Unfortunately, due to the roof, the acoustics are shocking and the away fans can barely hear us.