B Team Boycott

Good evening ladies and gents!

So a couple of years ago you may remember that the Internet Mariners held a very successful boycott game against Donny R’sonists, raising over £1500 for charity.

Well, as it stands the competition still stands in its current guise, the threat of B teams still exists and fans are still staying away in their droves (at most clubs).

So I am delighted to announce we are doing it all over again!

On the 3rd September the Internet Mariners will host an Iron Bru XI, kicking off at 6:30 with the game being played at Lucarlys.

This year all money raised will be split between the Rock Foundation and Scunthorpe Hospital Children’s Ward.

As always, we appreciate that the boycott is not for everyone and some people may be concerned about lost revenue for the club. If that is the case, then please purchase merchandise from the club shop instead of a match ticket. Then come down to Lucarlys and support the Internet’s in our first ever match against a Scunthorpe fans team.

The more of you in attendance the merrier and we hope that you can also donate towards our fundraising efforts using:

http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bteamboycott

Any questions please fire away, but please do help us beat our target of £1000 raised for two fantastic causes and raise some publicity of the B Team Boycott again.

UTM

How much would you need to spend on merchandise to give the club the same profit as buying a ticket? I would imagine it’s between 2.5 and 3 times allowing for a margin of 30-40% on the merchandise and assuming the incremental margin on a ticket is very close to 100%.

Good stuff - and the use of the bar too..... : I'll be there, work permitting.

Well strictly speaking, the club do not lose any money on Trophy games, as the EFL make up any losses that the club incurs.

It’s hard to say because there’s a lot of variables that go into the costs for both items, but by buying something in the club shop, it hopefully goes to demonstrate that we are not boycotting the club, only the tournament itself.

Quoted from wuffing

Good stuff - and the use of the bar too..... : I'll be there, work permitting.

Bar facilities are always a bonus and it would be great to see you there!

I wonder if anyone has contact with Gregor Robertson who now is a journalist for The Times I believe? That would make a good piece for him in interviewing the boycotters on the reasons why and raise it up more higher to keep up the good fight.....

Good to hear that this is being repeated, it's an important message being sent. Will the Mariners Trust be throwing their weight behind this again like they did last time?

Just one thing to add that I forgot guys!

For more information and updates, please follow us on twitter @IMIFC

More power to your elbow Biggles!

You’ll still be accused of bullying mind 😉

Won’t be the first time Kingston!

Not expecting any phone calls this time mind.

It is an insult for Grimsby Town FC to play against anything other than another club's first team (glorified as that might be in cup games against PL opposition), in a competitive fixture. Always been my stance, always will be my stance.

Quoted from Biggles99999

Then come down to Lucarlys and support the Internet’s in our first ever match against a Scunthorpe fans team

Not quite! They were IFA regulars until 2003 so had games in the past,  (Iron Filings) Hate to be a pedantic so and so  

Quoted from Biggles99999

On the 3rd September the Internet Mariners will host an Iron Bru XI, kicking off at 6:30 with the game being played at Lucarlys.

XI !!?? where are they getting the other 9 from ?  

Good luck.

The trust won't get behind this not with Alan Rutter as chairman, he's a staunch backer of the B teams, at the fans forum when Fenty went on about his daughters wedding etc Alan Rutter publicly declared his support for B teams and the format.

Quoted from Davec

The trust won't get behind this not with Alan Rutter as chairman, he's a staunch backer of the B teams, at the fans forum when Fenty went on about his daughters wedding etc Alan Rutter publicly declared his support for B teams and the format.

I think you’ll find that the Trust publicly back the boycott and the Fans Game last time it was played.

Good luck lads hope it goes well  

Quoted from KingstonMariner

I think you’ll find that the Trust publicly back the boycott and the Fans Game last time it was played.

Yes they did but Alan Rutter wasn't the chair of the Trust board then was he?

Cmon then who are these down voting every post? Speak up and let us know why you want B teams in our league

I have 1 dislike for saying good luck to a group of lads I used to ommay for  

Quoted from Davec

Yes they did but Alan Rutter wasn't the chair of the Trust board then was he?

Being chair doesn’t mean he dictates policy. Just means he chairs the meetings and maybe acts as spokesman.

It’s a democratic organisation. Best way to ensure it represents your wishes is to join and vote whenever there’s an election.

Quoted from Davec

The trust won't get behind this not with Alan Rutter as chairman, he's a staunch backer of the B teams, at the fans forum when Fenty went on about his daughters wedding etc Alan Rutter publicly declared his support for B teams and the format.

I thought the Trust was a democracy where members voted, not one man at the top does what he wants?

Quoted from Rik e B

I thought the Trust was a democracy where members voted, not one man at the top does what he wants?

Absolutely, I believe that the disdain for this competition is alive and well so hopefully the Trust will, as they did before, back this boycott.

Quoted from Davec

The trust won't get behind this not with Alan Rutter as chairman, he's a staunch backer of the B teams, at the fans forum when Fenty went on about his daughters wedding etc Alan Rutter publicly declared his support for B teams and the format.

Well I suppose it's been a while Aaron. I'll never get tired though of correcting you.
. Alan Rutter is fully behind the Trust policy regarding the Checkatrade (or whatever it is called).  Even if he argued within the Board to support the competition (which he didn't) he would in a democratic organisation be free to express those views.

Quoted from Rik e B

I thought the Trust was a democracy where members voted, not one man at the top does what he wants?

Indeed Rik. Aaron's grasp on democratic situations is at best feeble.

Quoted from barralad

Well I suppose it's been a while Aaron. I'll never get tired though of correcting you.
. Alan Rutter is fully behind the Trust policy regarding the Checkatrade (or whatever it is called).  Even if he argued within the Board to support the competition (which he didn't) he would in a democratic organisation be free to express those views.

Good to hear barralad. Can you give us some insight as to the Trust's position on this year's boycott and whether any backing will be given to Internet Mariners as it was previously?

Looking forward to this hopefully I’ll last more than 7 minutes before getting sent off like the last one against Doncaster haha

Quoted from Elgringo87

Looking forward to this hopefully I’ll last more than 7 minutes before getting sent off like the last one against Doncaster haha

Bearing in mind where you’re playing you better bloody do!

If I ever attend a B team match, that would be an admittance that I'm either a bully or a weak bullying victim, incapable of making my own mind up about the detestable decision to allow B teams to enter this competition.

I'm not going to allow myself to be bullied into attending these matches. Never. Ever. For as long as they continue to be played.

I normally boycott these games but Hursty is already under a bit of pressure so for one game only I'll be there Tuesday  

Just an update on this game now that we are a few days away folks.

As well as the donations, which can be made using:

http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bteamboycott

We will also be taking food donations before and during the game, with all of this being collected and given straight to the food bank. This of course does need to be items with long shelf lives such as tinned items, pasta, dried foods etc, but if you can donate any food on the night it will be gratefully received.

As ever please fire any questions you may have at me and follow us on twitter @IMIFC


UTM

Best of luck lads, sorry I can't be there. Utm

The good folks at COD Almighty have written a piece today explaining things far far better than I ever could have done.

Please take a moment or 2 to have a read through and follow up by donating to two fantastic causes.

http://codalmighty.com/site/ca.php?article=7246

We will also be taking long life food donations on the night, so if you are attending then please do bring any spare tins, pasta etc that you have.

Quoted from Biggles99999

The good folks at COD Almighty have written a piece today explaining things far far better than I ever could have done.

Please take a moment or 2 to have a read through and follow up by donating to two fantastic causes.

http://codalmighty.com/site/ca.php?article=7246

We will also be taking long life food donations on the night, so if you are attending then please do bring any spare tins, pasta etc that you have.

Great read that!

Have the Mariners Trust offered any assistance this year like they did last time?

We haven’t heard anything as of yet Pizzza, but of course there is still time!

👍

If you want to watch Town v Scunny on Tuesday and you feel people might recognise you under the brown paper bag you can always pay a tenner and watch it on ifollow

I’m due to be on Radio Humberside SportsTalk in around 15 minutes talking about the boycott if you can listen in!

Completely back the boycott. But the club did vote against the format this time around so credit to them for that. It's a shame as it's the only cup competition we can realistically win, Wayne Burnett gave me one of the greatest moments of my life in 1998. It's sad I can't attend these games.

Quoted from fishboyUTM

Completely back the boycott. But the club did vote against the format this time around so credit to them for that. It's a shame as it's the only cup competition we can realistically win, Wayne Burnett gave me one of the greatest moments of my life in 1998. It's sad I can't attend these games.

Don't worry if we get to the quarters or semis all thoughts of a boycott will magically disappear

Quoted from WHYWONTYOULETMESIGNUP

Cmon then who are these down voting every post? Speak up and let us know why you want B teams in our league

Firstly I should say that I have never red crossed any posts, secondly, whatever this competition’s history/name I have only ever attended two matches those being the respective town finals v Bournemouth and MK Dons so my opinion will not be affecting my enthusiasm to attend matches in this cup in the future.

However, I personally do not envisage any way that the involvement of U23 players will ultimately lead to B teams being admitted into the EFL. The pyramid system in this country is well established and for B teams to gain access would require current clubs to vote allowing their access, a bit like turkeys voting for Christmas and will not happen IMO.

On a personal level I think it allows younger players at the “larger” clubs an opportunity to play competitive football against seasoned professionals and allows any fans who want to attend to see possible stars of the future e.g. Hudson Odoi played against Lincoln. So ambivalent to their involvement maybe naively on my part but just can’t see the current structure changing.

The real danger to clubs at our level is the financial one a la Bury, Macclesfield et al and I can foresee the Premiership big wigs looking to introduce a policy whereby they can “adopt” “smaller” clubs by using them to play their younger players for a significant financial injection. Personally I am not a massive fan of how many loan players teams are already allowed to have whereby half your team may be borrowed players which makes any success a bit false IMO and that “successful side” will most likely all be disbanded the following season.

There you go, summed it up perfectly in the last paragraph - the problem for clubs at our level is financial, and what this competition is doing is repackaging a moral decision as a financial one and forcing clubs to do accept it.

It’s no coincidence that the Premier League doubled the size of the prize pot between the first and second votes - from £50k per Prem club to £100k per Prem club. Or 1/5th of what Man Utd pay Sanchez each week. It’s also no coincidence that the Football League offered to underwrite all losses for clubs, and not even announce it - Marley happened to let that one slip at the infamous Fans’ Forum, perhaps he should take more of his own advice.

So now you’ve got clubs in a position where they can’t afford to have any kind of pride or morals or long-term perspective. Macclesfield nearly went bust over £800k last year. If you’re on the board at Macc, would you sooner let the club go bust or play a few games against a Stoke youth team without the prospect of losing money? No brainier surely, but long term you’re making a rod for your own back.

It gets said every single time this argument comes up, but who are these brave football club owners who are going to turn down the Premier League shilling when they decide they want B Teams in the league? Fenty himself has said he would welcome it, and only voted against the proposals this time around because they had supposedly been misled IIRC. There’s a lot of talk about needing only 8 boards to vote against it - do we have 8 names yet? After 4 years? Nope.

And if you think the Prem wouldn’t do such a thing, look at EPPP which is what got us here in the first place. They blackmailed football league clubs into allowing them to hoard youth teams and never pay more than £250k for a top prospect by threatening to stop “solidarity payments”. So now where clubs like ours could’ve survived by selling a John Oster or Ryan Bennett for £1m+ every few years, you’re now stuck having to accept £250k or risk a tribunal so your first team regular can sit on the bench at Watford or play for Chelsea’s youth team in this competition.

So people are free to do what they want, as they always have been if you’re reading this, Wraith, but you’re naive if you think it’ll stop here and there’s no bigger plan, especially with the moneymen so keen on the idea.

Not saying that the financial side is fair or that those running our game understand or particularly care about the problems for L1 & L2 clubs but believe, maybe wrongly, that the pyramid system will remain intact for many a year yet and there appears a number of wealthy owners funding the likes of Eastleigh, Fylde, Harrogate, Billieracy etc. fighting to join the league who would also kick off big time if that door became closed.

There is far too much wealth in the premier and the sale of Burrell demonstrates why we will never have another zoster or Bennett as the best young talent is gobbled up by bigger clubs paying a pittance for those players before some of them reach puberty!!!

Looking back Liverpool had a team where many players came either directly, or started at lower level clubs including Clemence & Keegan (Scunny), Neal (Northampton), Jones (Wrexham), McDermott (Bury), Lloyd (Bristol Rovers), Rush (Chester). They were one of many clubs who actually bought players from the lower leagues after they had played a number of games in the lower leagues and paid the going rate. Now they run “Academy Farms” as a financial concern not to get players for their first teams, that’s what is immoral and totally unfair to clubs like ours. Worse still they are now trying to reduce the level of the development fee so they pay even less whilst as you say Sanchez’s salary for a month would have probably saved Bury from the knackers yard.

I honestly don’t think the Premier League particularly care what the owners of Billericay or Harrogate think...

Quoted from Ipswin

Don't worry if we get to the quarters or semis all thoughts of a boycott will magically disappear

Absolutely not. I would not go to Wembley. Our proud and historic club should not be playing against 'B' teams or incarnations of them. I do believe it is an attempt to normalise this sort of competition before the big clubs introduce B teams into our domestic game. JF has said the FL chairman would never vote for that and I believe he believes that. But with a few quid chucked their way for this competition, they voted for it.

Sorrry if this upsets a few but when I was in the club shop yesterday tickets for the Scunny match were selling well been a while sine we locked horns in the same leage albeit this is the joke cup.

Quoted from Ipswin

Don't worry if we get to the quarters or semis all thoughts of a boycott will magically disappear

Not by me it won't. But you are sadly right. We all know that Grimsby have the hard core support of 3-5000, but when things get very exciting the rest come flooding out. I am not trying to knock it, its great and essential, but these 'floating voters' are blind to the politics of what is going on in the football world in general; Sunderland v Portsmouth being the prime example a couple of years back, when they sold out Wembley for the final, which is seen as a good day out for the floaters, which then gives the likes of Shaun Harvey a shot in the arm for his 'conception.' Then before you know it, Division two,read by Charlotte Green:
                                                                                                                                                                                      Swindon 2 Carlisle 1
                                                                                                                                                                                      Grimsby 3 Lincoln 0
                                                                                                                                                                                      Arsenal B 2 Macclesfield 0
                                                                                                                                                                                      Rochdale 1 Leicester City B 3
                                                                                                                                                                                      Liverpool C 4 Liverpool B 3
                                                                                                                                                                                      Aston Villa B 2 Mansfield 0
                                                                                                                                                                                      Man U D 7 Crewe 5

F**C me, the teacher was right about friggin' algebra!

Me neither despite it being easy to get to. You

The game is of course due to take place tonight ladies and gents.

It is a 6:30 kick off at Lucarlys. We are donating all money raised to Scunthorpe Hospital Children’s Ward and the Rock foundation. You can donate on the link below, or bring long life foods with you:

http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bteamboycott

We also have a Scunthorpe fan who is auctioning a match worn Steve Mildenhall shirt for any collectors out there, for more details please message me, and of course all money on the auction is going to the charities as well.

Please do come along tonight, we believe that the Iron Bru side have some fans coming so it’s a great chance to get a ‘match’ atmosphere going and laugh at some rank amateurs trying to play the game we all love.

UTM