Gretna - The Fairy Tale

[Jimmy Wallace]

Is it just me, or is anyone else sick of the whole Gretna thing? I wouldn't mind if they had done things the hard way and come up through the ranks without having just bought success. I also think their success emphasises how crap the rest of Scottish football is.

Can you compare the Gretna story to for example Blackburn in the 90s? I don't think so. Blackburn had previously been a big club and could expect to get big crowds. Gretna have come from nowhere and are based in a town with a population of 2,500 (about the size of Aberfeldy?). Does any of this matter? Am I just jealous?

Anyway, the whole thing makes me want to heave. What do you think?

[TheBigCheese]

Jealousy come into it but it's hardly a fairytale is it? Once upon a time a multi-milionaire bought a football club and brought them success by having better players and paying higher wages than anyone else in they ever faced. :roll:

The thing about it is, when Mileson goes they'll be up shit creek without a paddle, they have no fanbase, a poor location and no real 'history' with which to attract new investment.

Fair play to them for what they've done, I would bite Mileson's hand off if he wanted to invest in Saints but the papers need to knock it on the head.

[blueheaven]

To be honest, I'm not sure what people have against them. I find the media's love of them annoying, but that just gets me pissed off about the media rather than the club.

Yes, they've bought success, but they've not denied that, and I'm yet to hear anyone explain what is actually wrong with that. As you say in the opening post, they are a small club from a small town, so if it wasn't for that cash boost, they would never achieve anything. Would it be preferable if they just stayed in their place and never really tried to achieve anything, like most of the other clubs in the 2nd and 3rd divisions?

I agree that they're unlike 90s Blackburn, because Blackburn were already a "big" club - but what does that have to do anything? Surely, as supporters ourselves of a team who are perceived as small, we should find it encouraging and refreshing that a fellow "small club" can achieve something? (Personally I don't even know what "big club/small club" means, but it seems to be accepted that St Johnstone are one of the small ones).

I can't say I like Gretna in the slightest, and I'm certainly not happy to see them do well, but they don't bother me either.

[Saintkev]

Damn right it's jealousy and a hint of smugness too... gits!

The media are the ones that get right on my nerves though... as Watt at Stranraer was saying, surely a club like his, punching baove their weight so well is more of a fairy-tale.

If two people started out in life with nothing, one farted about until winning the lottery and bought his big house etc, and the other worked really hard, built up a wee fortune and then bought a big house etc, I know who I'd have more respect for.

[Finners]

drives me up the wall!!!

:idea: lets get promoted next season, that take the wind out their sails...

[Victor]

The real fairytale in Scottish football is Inverness and what they have achieved.

The obstacles they had to overcome to actually be formed and to get a ground were immense yet in approximately 10 years they had gone through all the divisions into the Premier and had beaten Celtic in the cup at Parkhead en route. Now firmly established in top tier.

Great story.

The whole Gretna scenario is an embarrassment to Scottish football.

If you must compare matters to England then Inverness = Wimbledon and like it or not Gretna = Chelsea.

[Steve Maskrey]

Trouble is, these days to get anywhere in football you need to spend a fair bit of money. For Saints, most people on here have been saying for ages that we need to spend money to get into the SPL. Hearts have done it to get where they are so Gretna are merely doing the same.

FWIW the media are getting behind them because of the fact they are a small club, their chairman is a bit of a rebel and because he has a sense of humour and comes across well in any interview

[Real Madrid]

First glory hunter spotted in bells tonight wearing at Gr£tna top

The strange thing is both Hearts and gr£tna have gone about their business in a similar manner this season, yet Gertna are the media darlings and Vladimir Romanov gets slated for everything he does

[garydavidson]

its the media thing that annoys me about it all. I never saw the game on saturday but every paper had alan main as player of the day... i thought i read on here he never had a save to make!

the sun went as far to say hes back to his top form!

i remember when the media used to love livi and then we beat them in the cup with roddy scoring :)

the media love some teams, but it never seems to be saints, its not just me they just never give saints any praise do they?

[Real Madrid]

the media love some teams, but it never seems to be saints, its not just me they just never give saints any praise do they?

To be fair from the time Totten got us to the cup semi final in 89 until he was sacked we were the media favourites( Out with the usual Old firm) . The new stadium , big crowds, superb football and spending only the old firm could match meant we were always on the TV or in the papers

[garydavidson]

the only thing i remember from this time was coming home after a good saturday to see saints in second or third place - and then totten was sacked!

i was a young one back then :)

it seems to be that they just pick a team that is doing reasonably well but the second anything goes wrong they jump on the back of them.

just while we are on the topic of totten etc did we get relegated that season that he was sacked? i do remember john McClellan or someone like that taking over and saints plummeted!

[Corned Beef]

Don't think it is such a terrible thing for scottish football. We should be encouraging people like Mileson to get involved in the game not discouraging them. It is a shame it isnt in a city or town with a bigger fanbase than Gretna were it would make it a little less lop-sided though. Still, if this man wants to invest and make them a decent side, good luck to him. Hopefully it might encourage other millionares with some spare time to get involved in local clubs if they see what can be achieved by Gretna with a wee bit of investment.

Hope they get relegated next season :)

[Saintkev]

First glory hunter spotted in bells tonight wearing at Gr£tna top

His father-in-law is a groundsman at McyD and they left it on the changing room floor so he nabbed it for Ross! He's actually a Raith fan, but been to more Saints games of late... not quite a glory-hunter :wink:

[Tranmere Saintee]

Apart from the media it is all the bull-shit that gets me.

Apparently Mileson was quoted as saying that the annual wage bill for them is £750,000 and all the media arses were saying this proved how great they were.

Now Gretna have a staff of over 30 including players, management etc and does not include their youth squad etc.

Even based on 30 people that gives an average wage of just £25,000 p.a. which is approx £500 per week per player - I think you will agree that is complete and utter BOLLOCKS :x

[mainstand]

Apart from the media it is all the bull-shit that gets me.

Apparently Mileson was quoted as saying that the annual wage bill for them is £750,000 and all the media arses were saying this proved how great they were.

Now Gretna have a staff of over 30 including players, management etc and does not include their youth squad etc.

Even based on 30 people that gives an average wage of just £25,000 p.a. which is approx £500 per week per player - I think you will agree that is complete and utter BOLLOCKS :x

There was an article a few weeks back in one Sunday paper where he says that they don't do budgets or have any sort of financial plan and then followed it up by saying that the players were on £250 a week. :roll: :roll:

He has recently bought over a sportswear company to make theirown strips and leisure range, I think you might find a few clubs in teh O****ry changing to his company in teh coming season.