The Club That Vanished

[Peevemor]

Guingamp, who regained promotion to the French top league last summer have sold 9k+ season tickets. The population of te town is around 7,200.

[Oscar T Grouch]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I know, I was quite 'selective' in my figures. However, I wouldn't exactly consider the 10,000 people that live on Skye (also part of Ross and Cromarty) to exactly be in Ross County's catchment area either

Truth is, they're in an area (if you count reasonable travelling distance) with a population of about 20-30,000 at most. The attendances are still remarkable, either way

Aye like I said in no taking away from your figures. It's still a high percentage of the populous that attend Dingwall ever 2nd week.

Personally I don't think there's anything remarkable about Gretna's story. They spent money they didn't have they deserved their annialation. Well the club did, the fans less so. many other clubs did the same and most got what they deserved, we know the ones that didnae 😉

[Sir David Gray]

Just watched a bit of the programme tonight, I didn't realise that Brooks Mileson had debts of over £8 million when he died.

Gretna certainly wasn't some miracle story. They lived well beyond their means and their demise was inevitable.

Some people have made a good point regarding Ross County and there's other ones too. Eibar were promoted to this season's La Liga, despite their stadium only having a capacity of a little more than 5,000 and the city itself having less than 30,000 inhabitants.

They've got there having spent almost nothing on their squad and are currently sitting around mid-table in the top league in Spain.

PS - Just realised as well that if you type "to live outwith your means" into Google (with the quotation marks included), one of the first results is a link to Kickback.

True story, try it and see!

You couldn't make that up.

[monktonharp]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Aye like I said in no taking away from your figures. It's still a high percentage of the populous that attend Dingwall ever 2nd week.

Personally I don't think there's anything remarkable about Gretna's story. They spent money they didn't have they deserved their annialation. Well the club did, the fans less so. many other clubs did the same and most got what they deserved, we know the ones that didnae 

ok, maybe not really so remarkable, but I need to mention this...... I woke up, still suitably pished from my celebrations after Hibernian winning the League cup against Dunfermline. I said to my good lady, did you tape it? yes, of course, she said. then tells me that there was a we bit on the end of it aboot an English club, but I think you might recognise a guy on it. turns out, the bit on the end, was a wee 10 minute story about a club called Gretna Green, a Scottish club who were the only ones to actually play in an English league. It then went on to explain that the manager, was the guy that cut the grass, marked oot the lines etc at their ground. then, after they introduced him I suddenly realised that it was the guy I thought he was. Michael Mc Cartney, had been brought up round the corner from me in Newcraighall. he was a fantastic player, a year younger than me but captain at schools/ under16 /under18 captain of Scotland youths etc etc. we were good mates as laddies, he also played with West Brom, Southampton and Carlisle before settling for Gretna. Imet him in a pub by chance, about 4 years ago in Carlisle where he now runs the pub team! always been a jambo, comes hame to see the **** now and again.

[GreenOnions]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Hearts: The jobby that wouldn't flush.

[Keith_M]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Aye like I said in no taking away from your figures. It's still a high percentage of the populous that attend Dingwall ever 2nd week.

Personally I don't think there's anything remarkable about Gretna's story. They spent money they didn't have they deserved their annialation. Well the club did, the fans less so. many other clubs did the same and most got what they deserved, we know the ones that didnae 

[hibstag]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I agree that the Ross County "story" deserves far more respect than the Gretna one. Getting success in an unsustainable way, spending other people's money is something that should be ridiculed and is just totally unacceptable, whether it's Rangers, Hearts, Gretna or whoever.

I have to say that I was quite chuffed for St Johnstone when they won the cup last year. They seemed to always be floating about near the top of the First Division carefully living within their means whilst constantly getting leapfrogged by Dundee, Livingston, Gretna etc. I would say that them and us are probably the 2 teams to have lost out most by financial doping.

They've managed to live withing their means for a while and reaped the rewards with their trophy in May. Worthy of respect imo.

the year Gretna went up they pipped st johnstone to the title with a very late equaliser in Dingwall that also relegated Ross County that season the footage of that game in the subsequent chick young fronted documentary shows counties infustructure with the football academy and a decent lower league ground whilst Gretna were still running out of a portacabin with substandard facilities (they used fir park iirc for the spl) the love in for them was sickening with very little critiscm at the time....although their last league win was against another team with a dodgy owner and no financial morals.