Reply With QuoteF*cking hell, three bubble trips to Penydarren ParkOriginally Posted by tforturton
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I read today that clubs playing in or below the seventh level of the English League pyramid, will be able to allow crowds back to their games. Which is good, but aren't they likely to get bigger crowds, because there would be an interest in watching any sort of 'live' football?
So let's say Merthyr are playing at home, and open their gates. Aren't there likely to be a number of fans in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea who might go along, just to get their 'fix' of live football? And won't that sort of defeat the whole point? Instead of a small crowd, causing few problems for social distancing, all of a sudden there'd be a much larger one, with all the problem that would bring.
F*cking hell, three bubble trips to Penydarren Park
I cant imagine that any tickets will be available on the day and sales will be strictly limited.
The English FA have said 15% of the ground/stadium. In Merthyr’s case Penydarren Park can hold 4500(?) so it’ll be 675. Still much larger than their usual attendances.
I doubt Drakefiord would allow it considering he’s not allowing crowds in WPL.
They can barely muster 200 these days
I saw the two sports he’s allowing spectator tests Triathlon and a car rally. Strange choices.
Which is a real shame
Last time I went there was for a pre season friendly when loads of idiots went up on the train and acted like dickheads
Time before cardiff fans in the merthyr shed spent most of the time slagging off a young josh low rather than just watching the game
Highly embarrassing
When you consider the demographics of their support Covid19 had the potential of wiping two thirds of it out.
They could have 3 fans there and there would still be a different factions. Never known a fan base like it.
That was about 15 years ago.
They got a right collection of beauts amongst their support.
They could have 3 fans there and there would still be a different factions. Never known a fan base like it.
I went to a few games last season but it’s got very political down there.
Loads of Yes Cymru nonsense. Keep politics out of football I say.
I’m with you on that. I got no issue with the Yes Cymru movement but they seem to have targeted football in Wales to some extent and can be a pain n the arse with their opinionated views.
Which one ?
Either way it was feckin sad as feck
whats yes cymru ?
Is it plaid ?
Its a separate pro independence movement, doesn't contest elections
there was one bloke who worked for the FAW who said to me at a wales away game that cardiff city ruined merthyr I said I knew of people from the merthyr area whose main team was cardiff but would also watch merthyr and the real reason for merthyrs decline was the fact it used to be a big town , comparatively but had been overtaken by cardiff , newport and swansea
He was very odd as was his mate who became all Welsh nationalist and started supporting Barry instead of cardiff
Very odd pair
It still has a decent population, bigger than Nailsworth, Cleethorpes, Burslem, Accrington and Fleetwood who all have Football League sides and not far off a number of others
Its just easy/fashionable to blame Cardiff City for all the problems in Welsh football
For a bit of balance and fairness...
They’ve still got a great fanzine going and whatever can be said about some of the characters within their support their Trust owns and manages their club (that’s another story mind).
The FAW lad (the one I know) is a great lad. Intelligent, good company and got a bit of charisma in fairness. He is politically minded but doesn’t push it on people.
I grew up in Aberfan, now live in Merthyr. City always had more supporters in the area even though it was a close run thing when City were in the darkest, deepest dungeon years and the Martyrs were in the Conference.
The truth about Merthyr’s football decline is they’ve been owned, managed by a collection of fuucking halfwits. Personally, they should try and join the Welsh pyramid system.
https://mobile.twitter.com/indywalesfans?lang=en
Not sure on these either. I’m open to their views but don’t see the need at a Wales game. I engaged one or two when I was allowed on Twatter. Sensitive souls
lower leagues ( and i mean very low level leagues ) need the money to stay afloat in a bad way, one of the towns near me has said that if they cannot have gate receipts they will not see christmas out
maybe the EPL should be helping out with TV money
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/l...egular-2057687A greyhound which belonged to a leading member of the Nazi party regularly competed in races in Merthyr Tydfil during World War II, according to sensational new claims.
Dewi Bowen, local historian and former head of art at Cyfarthfa High School, has looked into the case and believes the owner of Nimrod the dog – a regular at Penydarren Park – was none other than Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess.
Hess was one of the most powerful figures in the Third Reich and as deputy leader of the party answered only to Adolf Hitler.
But in 1941 and on the eve of war with the Soviet Union, he betrayed Hitler by flying solo to Scotland in an attempt to negotiate peace with the United Kingdom.
His mission failed when he was forced to parachute from the plane and became a prisoner of war.
During much of his time as a PoW he was confined to Maindiff Court Military Hospital in Abergavenny and treated for insanity.
As Hess was depressed, it is thought the dog was given to him as a way of preventing suicide attempts.
And it is the greyhound’s regular exercise routines in Merthyr which became the source of much local interest.
“Almost every Saturday afternoon during the Second World War a private soldier with a greyhound travelled down on the Abergavenny to Merthyr Tydfil train and dropped off at Cefn Coed to quench his thirst at the Railway Inn,” Mr Bowen, 85, said.
“He claimed the greyhound that answered to his German name – Nimrod – was owned by Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s former deputy, who was in captivity.
“Hess walked the surrounding hills – the Sugar Loaf was one of his favourite rendezvous – under military guard and probably with his greyhound.
“Regular customers at the inn would speak of this elaboration which contained a degree of truth because Nimrod was a mighty hunter in a German myth.
“The old inn cracked with good natured banter.
“The soldier found himself among convivial, jolly faced men with impeccable eyes for fashionable nonsense but happy to recount tales of Cefn Coed, Castle Pit, Cwm Pit and conflicts of the First World War with a passing stranger.
“He then proceeded on foot down the middle of the road exercising Rudolf Hess’s greyhound en route for the Saturday evening greyhound racing at Penydarren Park in Merthyr Tydfil.”
Historian and Merthyr Tydfil librarian, Carolyn Jacob, said she had heard the extraordinary tale of the Nazi-owned greyhound from several sources.
“It is a common local legend in Cefn Coed and was remembered by quite a few people,” she said.
“Margaret Pritchard told me the same story and she was 108 when she died and the former landlady of the Lord Raglan.
“No-one has ever challenged the greyhound story but only questioned whether the prisoner in Abergavenny was the real Hess or a double.
“The British government never tried to hide the fact that Hess was being detained in Abergavenny.
“Indeed when he first arrived, the staff of the hospital actually lined up in a formal reception to meet him and the news did feature in many of the national papers of the time.
“The fact that Hess was moved amid virtual fanfare to Abergavenny makes it seem that this was really a case of drawing attention to a double.
“There was certainly no attempt to play down, or keep low profile, his presence in the quiet Welsh border town.
“But he never visited Merthyr Tydfil – only his greyhound did.
“It was the source of many jokes in Cefn Coed at the time and certainly local people do not think it was just a double.”
The last remaining member of Hitler’s inner circle, Hess committed suicide in 1987 aged 93 whilst imprisoned at Spandau Prison in West Berlin.
I was looking at the Wikipedia page for Penydarren Park and found a link to this story!
Sludge trying to tell Wolvesy the real reason why Merthyrs crowds have declined and calling him odd is comedy gold.
Cracking fella, as you say intelligent, well travelled and good company. Knows what he’s talking about, you don’t get to be in his position working for the Welsh FA if you didn’t.
I’ll take Wolvesys version of the ongoings of Merthyrs support over some know it all who has been to Penydarren Park a couple of times in the last 15 years for a pre season friendly.
If Sludge is talking about the same lad, I find it out of character for him.
He's an interesting lad to talk with and one of the main figures behind Merthyr's survival. Had many an interesting conversation from football, fan culture, music, politics and petanque.
Got a lot of time for him.
All that said, he's ****ing massive weighing in at 6ft 4ish and 18 odd stone. Throw in the ginger gene and I'm certain he could ****ing bang if he needs to.
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