AirblesRoad

Salford attract a lot of vitriol because of the Manchester United 'Class of 92' connection but what they and AFC Fylde are doing is exactly the same in principle, only the amounts of money are different. Your point about infrastructure is good but the owner has clearly splashed the cash on the pitch too. They didn't progress from being the local parks team Kirkham and Wesham to where they are now by selling football cards in the pub after matches.

So the vast amounts of money pumped into AFC Fylde by their owner David Haythornthwaite, with the stated objective of achieving Football League status, doesn't count as buying promotion? Pot and kettle!

I seem to remember that as being a night match and coming up from England to watch it. The Sun awarded Sieb Dykstra 2 out of 10 for his performance, the lowest mark I've ever seen given anywhere.

Preston North End has always been my English team and I lived there in the 90's so I had the pleasure of seeing Stevie Woods being crap for both the clubs I support in that decade. He was signed by McLeish for Motherwell on the strength of having a stormer in a cup game for Clydebank against Aberdeen. McLeish is the worst judge of a player in the history of football management so it's no surprise that this also now extends to coaches.

If I need to explain it, you're probably too thick to understand it. Motherwell fans have always had a reputation for going everywhere, having loads to drink, getting on with the locals, having a good time, watching the match and coming home. From personal experience, I'm talking Faroe Islands, Dortmund, Finland and Utrecht a few years ago now. Great times, drunk everywhere, never a problem anywhere. There seems to be a nasty edge to it these days. Don't take my word for it. Go to pne-online.net and look at the thread 'return of fortress Deepdale?' Get someone to read it to you if necessary.

Just been reading on a Preston North End website that a number of 'Well fans were at their match against Wolves yesterday. Apparently drunk and badly behaved, waving a Motherwell flag. September weekend escapees from Blackpool probably but a bad image for the club nonetheless.

Hahahaha. Maybe it was, I was less than sober!! Sitting there with a box of tissues, wearing the away top. It was seeing this season's new away kit that brought it all back to me!

Thanks for posting the photies, boys. Happy memories!

I was a bad boy that night. Myself and two others were the first 'Well fans to get there, before the place was officially open. We had a few beers with a local in another pub. He spoke perfect English because he had been a trainee ballet dancer in London. It's true!! You couldn't make it up! We asked him if there was anywhere else to go and he took us to the Madonna Club. He wouldn't join us because his ex-girlfriend worked there. We chapped the door and were let in by a gorilla who demanded 5 Finnish Marks each. Nobody else was in and we had a few rounds. Eventually we asked where the girls were and were told that as we had spent enough, one girl would dance for us. All the girls were from Estonia and good looking. Eventually the place was bouncing and I had already established that if you paid 15 Marks you could "go private". Not being totally sober by this time, I did. This involved a private dance in a room full of mirrors. I was handed a box of tissues and told in a sexy Estonian accent, "You can vank if you vont to". Unfortunately, my performance was as limp as the team's the next day!! If you're reading this, dear, It was before we met!!

Can't believe it's 20 years ago since our UEFA Cup trip to Finland, losing to MyPa47 on away goals. The damage was done in the first leg at Fir Park in a 3-1 defeat. We won the second leg 2-0, had another disallowed and we thought 17 year-old Lee McCulloch had won it for us in the dying seconds. I've never been as gutted after a football match. A home fan offered to buy my 'Well shirt and I just gave it to him. Must have been in shock!! Nobody spoke for ages on the coach afterwards, total silence. Out of Europe before the league season had even started. Wasn't all bad though. Anybody remember the Madonna Club in Kouvola, a pole dancing club? It was absolutely rocking the night before the match with 'Well fans (and Chick Young) enjoying the Estonian ladies. It would be a good few years before we troubled European competition again though.