[Devongone]

The Problem

New and Not606 were founded on a negative – not being 606 – and because they lacked anything beyond a written forum, they never progressed. Too few clubs, little cross-pollination, numbers began to dwindle and both sites and punters began to lose interest, until even New's physical maintenance declined.

Babble seemed to offer a way forward. It quickly duplicated everything New606 could do, seemed cared for and vibrant. Unfortunately it brought over only some members, isn’t yet gaining the interest required and like Not is limited to the forums we see before us, whose boundaries are tested by very few posters. If Babble is not to become just another decaying star we urgently need to move it forward. We need more members, more clubs, which without a celebrity/radio/tv/media link is difficult.

My Idea

Obviously we need something other sites aren’t doing. That something needs to grab punters, make them feel part of it, involve them with the club and game they love ….

Now this may or may not be practicable, but I propose creating a new section called Babblofile. This new section would contain fan-created, fan-maintained Wikipedia-ish profiles of clubs, players and statistics. To correct or enhance a club profile etc. people would need only to be Babblers, registered on the site.

To make it happen and increase membership would require initial work on our part. We’d have to create basic club profiles. They’d need to be accurate, without being complete to provide fans with the incentive to join and improve the listing. Once we had profiles we’d need to post them on the forums of each of the clubs involved together with an explanation of Babble and the community we hope to create. My expectation is that once people become involved with making their club’s area interesting, they’ll move on to players, statistics and forums …….. because they are already doing and expressing themselves and confident Babble is where they belong.

And if fans did a good enough job we would get visitors seeking information as well as discussion.

One More Observation

At the moment, like New and Not, Babble treats threads equally. They gain prominence by being returned to regularly and often die completely as new threads appear. And rarely do any of them look that inviting. Tabloid newspapers and big successful websites use HEADLINES, and occasional articles that will generate interest for all visitors. Why don’t we do that? “WHERE HAVE ALL THE KEEPERS GONE?” “RICHES TURN TO RAGS” “MANAGEMENT OR PERSONALITY CULT?” At the moment the site looks cool and organised, but there is nothing in particular to catch the passing eye, no big picture, nothing to make a visitor think, “Wow, this site could be so good.”

The thing is that this has to be something we participate in, rather than waiting for Stairs or someone like Amelia to make all OUR running. We have to do the Babbling. If this, or any other were the great suggestion we need, then it has to be pushed. Once it becomes popular it will develop both a force and direction of its own. But we do need something.

[Lord Snooty]

Good ideas, Devon.

[Lord Snooty]

Do you mean summat like this what I did for the recent Spires v Terriers League Cup match?


A brief history of Chesterfield FC: They were founded in 1867 by members of the local cricket club. This date has been questioned though, partly because their badge, up until recent rebranding had the date 1866 on it. There were closures and disputes and new clubs being formed in those early years, but the club moved into it's Saltergate home in 1871 and remained there until 2010 when the ground became Derby County's Baseball Ground.
It has now been demolished and is new houses.

Before

After

Anyway, Chesterfield became original members of the Third Division (North) when it was formed in 1921, winning the title in 1931. They stuck it out in the 2nd Division for a whole two years before dropping back down again, only to win it again in 1936. So when the war came and the league was suspended, they were members of the 2nd Division and straight after hostilities had ended they achieved their best ever league finish, 4th in Division Two (what is now the Championship).
Relegated in the 50s and then even further down in the 60s to the new Division 4, they won silverware in the 80s and are still the official holders of the Anglo-Scottish Cup, having beaten Notts County 2-1 on aggregate. They did beat some Scottish opposition on the way though, most notably Glasgow Rangers.

Anglo-Scottish Cup campaign including win over Rangers

The club yoyoed between the bottom two divisions for a few years before in 1997, as members of the third division, they got to the FA Cup semi finals. After wins over Bury, Scarborough, Bristol City, Bolton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Wrexham, Chesterfield arrived at Old Trafford hoping to become the first third division team to reach the Final. Their opponents were big spending Premier League outfit, Middlesbrough, with their Teesside Galácticos such as Fabrizio Ravanelli, Juninho, Emerson, Mikkel Beck, Gianluca Festa, Vladimir Kinder and Craig Hignett. The Spireites had the likes of journeyman footballers Kevin Davies and Sean Dyche, who worked as a gardener for Brian Clough. Where are they now?
Well back then they were in the Theatre of Dreams and after a goal-less first half in which Boro had had Kinder sent off by referee David Elleray for a second yellow card offence, the Spireites were two goals to the good by the hour mark with goals from Andy Morris and a Dyche penalty.
Ravanelli pulled one back immediately but then came the controversy. A Jonathan Howard shot hit the bar and came down well over the goal-line. 3-1 to Chesterfield? No. Elleray and his blind school linesman dismissed the appeals and as they were still feeling the injustice, Boro went up the other end and won a "penalty". Clumsy oaf, Dyche, bowled Juninho over and the ref pointed to the spot, even though the offence had taken place around a yard outside the area.
So instead of 3-1, it was now 2-2 and the game went to extra time. Festa gave Boro the lead and as the clock ticked away, it looked like Chesterfield's dream was over. But then right at the death, a Chris Beaumont cross landed in the area and as the whole Boro defence stood and watched, Jamie Hewitt headed the ball home to complete a match with more twists than the famous crooked spire.
Dream on for another week, but that was all it was. Boro won the replay 3-0.

Whatever happened to Sean Dyche?

Back to the humdrum life of lower league football for their fans and more turmoil in 2001 as they were docked 9 points by the FL for their fraudulent chairman's dodgy dealings over a transfer involving Luke Beckett.
The moved from Saltergate to the new B2net Stadium in 2010 and still in that small space of time from then to now they have been promoted, relegated and promoted again. A proper Yoyo Club.