Leave Lower League Terraces Alone!

It was a shock to read an article on the BBC Sport website this morning, reporting that Scunthorpe United would be forced to convert their ground to an all-seater stadium under Football League rules. Should the Iron stay up this season, it will be their third season in the old Second Division which would automatically activate the ruling that every club in the top two divisions must have an all seater stadium.

Glanford Park is a real match-box of a ground. With a capacity of just over 9,000, it is surprising that a local MP's call for Scunthorpe to be allowed to keep their terrace is likely to be overturned by the blazers at the Football League.

In the aftermath of the tragedy at Hillsborough, Lord Taylor's report that recommended all-seater stadia and the abolishment of mass terraces has caused a fallout that is still felt nearly 20 years on.

Scunthorpe MP Nic Dakin makes two valid points. Firstly, the one terrace at Glanford Park is hardly akin to the vast expanses of terrace we used to see like The Holte End at Villa Park, Highbury's North Bank (pictured right) or Old Trafford's traditional Stretford End. Secondly, Scunthorpe's attendences even in the Second Division are a touch over 6,000 - a number of supporters that some clubs would take to away games.

Hillsborough was probably the biggest tragedy to hit football but is it now time to be sensible. Clubs on the continent use a mixture of terracing and seating depending on the magnitude of the game. Borussia Dortumund are a fine example of how to manage large crowds. The Westfalen Stadion has the largest terrace in Europe yet they manage to avoid any sort of trouble.

Terraces have a long-standing, almost romantic association with the beautiful game. With a lot of the hooligan element now gone is it time to trust supporters again? Grounds like Old Trafford and the Emirates Stadium are now far too developed to introduce any sort of terracing again but in the lower leagues and particularly at places like Glanford Park, it would be of no benefit to anyone see such a small terrace shut just for the sake of the do-gooders.

Click Here to read the afore-mentioned article

(Pictures: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ and http://www.goonersworld.co.uk/

Lion Ousted By Promise Of Russian Bear

As the dust settles on what has been a hectic World Cup bid, many English football fans are now screaming for the head of Sepp Blatter and the rest of the FIFA voting commitee that awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals to Russia and Qatar respectively.

FIFA has a long history of wincing whenever it comes to dealing with English football and this, combined with the accusations of corruption and collusion appears on the face of it to have done significant damange to England's bid. According to sources inside the auditorium in Zurich, there were rumours that the media furore over the bid was a contributing factor and, in all honesty it is hardly a surprise that this sort of excuse has been found.

But the selection of Russia as a host nation is certainly an interesting choice. Many are angry that, compared to the other four 'finalists', the Russian bid was the weakest and presented the highest risk (in FIFA jargon), therefore were not deserving of such an honour. The only flag the Russians had flying in their favour was the opportunity for FIFA to broaden their horizons and award the finals to a nation that had never previously hosted a European or world football tournament before.

This, I beleive is the key point for everyone to understand. The Iberian bid were said to have quipped that they could host the tournament next month had FIFA desired and, in all honesty, the same can be said of both the English and Belgian/Dutch bids too. Russia have yet to build the infrastructure that would support such a grand tournament which immediately puts them at a disadvantage. With freezing, harsh winters gripping the country for almost half the year, it won't be easy to ensure construction goes smoothly. However, like him or loathe him, Sepp Blatter's vision for FIFA is commendable. Football has such a global appeal that it can help heal the deep scars Russia still carries over from the Soviet era.

The beautiful game simply has to spread its wings. Let's hope that the Russians can deliver their promise of a truly memorable and history-making world cup.

(Picture: http://www.toffs.com/)