It's up there with 'sophomore album' or the awful Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman use of 'cheftestants' for the competitors in their culinary competition as an irritant. (The only portmanteau I now deem to be allowed from this point on is 'portmantoe'; a portmanteau of 'portmanteau' and 'toe').
Still, I was happy last week because
a) I spent most of it sitting on a beach in the south of Spain, reading, and the rest of the time either having tapas or menus del dia or drinking cava or sleeping.
b) The BCFCSA had another EGM, which resulted in votes in favour of setting up a new club, as well as that body incorporating as a Community Benefit Society, better known as a Supporters' Trust.
What this means is that in short(ish) order there will actually be a situation where I am, again, a man with a team. I have a club; that is to say, the club is the fans, the spirit, the triumphs and the down times, the camaraderie and the community. The club, the comrades, the belonging. It's difficult, but not impossible, to explain. Suffice it to say that a club is not predicated on the biggest bank balance. Teams might win things, and do, because they're the richest - but since when was that any kind of indication of value?
Course, people don't all get it. There's still more than a few anonymous nobbers on message boards, who are in some cases likely to be the same few dinglers repeating the same phrases:
* It's not Bangor City, this new club.
To which I say: That is precisely the point. What Bangor City has become is not Bangor City either. We are reclaiming Bangor City, or Bangor Athletic, or Bangor Comrades, for the community, the fans, the spirit. And in any case, Bangor City has gone bust at least once in my memory, to be replaced by another administration. And before City, there was Athletic, there was a team called Comrades... how far back do you wanna go?
* The BCFCSA are cowards who should have stayed and fought.
- Fought what? Fought how? Withdrawal of support may not have a huge financial effect on anything, but the financial side of the club is second or third in line after the spirit and community aspects.
* Who is in charge? What's the team name? Where will they play? Who is the manager? What? What? When? Why?
- This one makes me smile. The EGM was a week ago, and already there's people believing that suddenly a magic wand could be waved and everything changed immediately after the vote. This is the 'Brexit pricks' effect in full and idiotic action, isn't it?
What is actually more pressing, and sadder still, is the fact that some of the unique and irreplaceable memorabilia has been stolen from the clubhouse at Nantporth and put up for sale in, oops, Liverpool. This hasn't been publicised in the press too much yet. But it includes an away poster from our match at Atletico Madrid in 1985, and some Wembley 1984 pieces. Not worth too much on the open market I wouldn't have thought, but to Bangor City fans - priceless. (And, yes, I include myself in that).
So next season, as early as maybe July, there may yet be a team to follow again. Almost certainly at a league three or so rungs lower down than the farrago of blue freakishness that is currently infesting the Nantporth mudshit. Almost certainly playing on plastic at an as-yet-unnamed 'Tier 3 compliant ground'. Almost certainly players playing for free, or even paying subs, or playing for peanuts.
But ours. Honest, and probably local boys, and with the spirit and community that really drives what used to be called non-league football forward. No dodgy money, no racist comedians, no bullshit about prizefights, no cut-off utilities, no winding-up orders, no employees taking the club to court for unpaid wages, no employees sleeping in the offices at the ground and sitting on the subs' bench at the weekend, no unregistered underage players for the U19s.
To think, folks, to think that last season (yes, it was only 12 months ago), Bangor City were going for 2nd in the league and the Welsh Cup. But because of this, it's all gone to shit.
Which brings me to the funniest, final little nonsense that's posted on message boards:
* You were happy to support the team when they were doing well, and happy to support the owners too. If you invite a thief into your house and he steals your telly, it's your fault.
- Painful isn't it? And pitiful: all anyone wants to do is support the team. The first time we really had any idea of how bad it was off the pitch was when they failed the license. Again, all they had to do was get the books in order and signed off by the auditors. Fuck me, we'd have probably won the league this season - the plastics are way worse than they have been for years. Nobody supports owners, it's the rules. The owners are there to look posh at Cup Finals and to be in the background administering things. As far as inviting thieves in goes - it is still their fucking fault if they steal stuff. Being naiive or trusting isn't a fucking crime as far as I can see. Although these days everything's upside down isn't it.
I look back at when I heard the news last week. I was in a brilliant restautant eating pulpo a la gallega. Gallic Octopus. My new favourite band... and hey, about that new club name, I think I've got an idea...
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