Unequivocal Support For A Con Artist

At the news that Clapton Community Football Club had been offered a lease on the Old Spotted Dog Ground there was a flurry of internet activity.  People sent their congratulations to the club and many members of CCFC were obviously delighted with the freeholders' decision.

Amid this activity was a tweet from Hackney Wick Football Club who have played at the Old Spotted Dog since 2012.  They first arrived in Forest Gate in 2012 as London Bari FC and, following a merger in 2017, continued their tenure under the name of Hackney Wick FC.

The tweet, which was posted at 3:43pm on the 17th September 2019 read : 
"So we paid £4k for half the season at the OSD where we've been for the last 3 years and since have had to switch our FA Cup ties, costing more money, pay up front for 2 other home matches elsewhere, and now have to pay for a full season at Coles Park.  It your face don't fit"

So Hackney Wick handed over £4k,  For what, and to whom?

Undoubtedly, HWFC would have been fully aware that the company that previous held the lease of the OSD were in liquidation and thus the ground should be under the control of the liquidator.  So why would they pay this money to anyone else?

Despite the liquidation, the recipient of rent from London Bari/Hackney Wick in previous years has been Vincent McBean and/or limited companies under his control. This, of itself, is theft and the dishonesty continues as HWFC have been conned or misled into paying £4,000 for the specific purpose of playing football at the OSD.

HWFC have not yet made it clear whether the payment was in cash or via a bank, or whether it was paid into a personal or company/business account.  What is clear is that HWFC have parted with a substantial amount of money and that they are extremely unlikely to get it back.  Their options are that they sue, or ask the football authorities to help them.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw that Essex Senior League Chair, Lee Dorling, was present at a meeting called by Vince McBean on Wednesday 18th September.  Mr Dorling addressed the meeting in his capacity as ESL chair, expressing unequivocal support for Vince McBean in the matter concerning the lease.

This support was given, not withstanding the con that has been perpetrated on HWFC, a club that until last season, was a member of his League.

Something is very wrong with the priorities and the moral compass of the Essex Senior League and I wonder how much longer the member clubs will continue to allow the 'Dorling charade' to continue in their name.

NB : It has been suggested that HWFC issue legal proceedings to recover the money.  Good luck with that.  Mr McBean uses false/accommodation addresses, purports to be impecunious and is adept at avoiding bailiffs.

Is This Why the Essex Senior League Are Supporting Vince McBean?

I have read, with some amusement and disbelief, the twitter exchanges between the Essex Senior League account @essexsenior and various others (mainly, but not exclusively, supporters of Clapton) concerning Vincent McBean’s club and I was particularly interested in the exchanges relating to it's actual constitution.

What is apparent that many supporters and indeed, even the Essex Senior League, have very little understanding of what the actual position is.

This is hardly surprising in the case of the former, as Mr McBean has run and collapsed a number of limited companies that purported to have been Clapton FC, since he arrived.

Some years ago, supporters wrote to the Essex Senior League asking for clarification on the legal entity that was playing in their competition as Clapton Football Club.  It was a league rule that clubs should disclose this either on their website or in the match day programme.  Needless to say, at the time, McBean’s club did neither.

The response from the ESL was less than helpful and, in essence, they refused to enforce their rule.   One wonders why this was such a guarded secret.

In the twitter thread, a supporter talks of fans not being able to influence the club because they were not shareholders.  This would be correct if McBean’s club was a Limited Company and, given the on-going confusion on who or what is Clapton FC, this error is perfectly understandable.

It should be said that McBean’s website now describes his entity as an unincorporated association.

But the response from the ESL was quite interesting. "This is one of the main issues - being a fan, paying an entrance fee - does not entitle you to a share in any decision making and/or profits unless you’re a shareholder.”

With respect to whoever is running the ESL twitter account, (said to be ‘the Committee’) ‘shares and shareholders’ are not an issue in the Clapton case.  An unincorporated association would normally have members but, as we know, Vince McBean closed the membership six years ago for “restructuring”.  One may speculate that his was clearly to protect his position within the entity as its been the same old same old, ever since.  (Note : he has posted a written on-line denial that he was the owner of Clapton FC)

But I can fully understand why the Essex Senior League Committee are so confused in thinking that shareholders are an issue as far as Clapton Football Club are concerned..

This is because not so long ago the Essex Senior League were accepting and banking cheques from the Santander bank account of Clapton Football Club Limited. At the time they should have been fully aware that this was not the legal entity of the ‘member club’.

Nonetheless, the Essex Senior League continued to bank cheques from the company after it had been struck off, dissolved and no longer legally existed.

The assets of any struck off/dissolved company immediately becomes ‘bona vacantia’ (property of the Crown) and therefore this money was not theirs to accept.

This use of shell companies, and fraudulent transactions such as this, clearly smacks of money laundering, and is most certainly, false accounting and tax evasion.  A casual inspection of the bank statements of McBean’s Clapton FC Limited, reveals that the company traded quite actively before and after dissolution, although it never actually filed accounts at any time.

Nonetheless the Santander bank account in the name of Clapton Football Club Limited remained active until 2014.

Given the amount of unbridled support for Mr McBean in the Essex Senior League twitter feed, is it just a co-incidence that their determination to keep him afloat, not enforce their own rules, and consistently bat away any criticism of him, is founded more on the concern that their financial transactions with Clapton Football Club Limited, if revealed, may implicate them in future investigations regarding Mr McBean?

One thing is for sure, such behaviour, whether it be naivety, or by assisting or failing to disclose/report such financial misconduct, is not that which should be expected, at the very least, of a Senior League.  (described at page of this season's ESL Handbook as a 'Senior Attitude'.)

One wonders what sanctions and financial penalties the Essex Senior League would have meted out to other member clubs if those clubs had been involved in such financial skullduggery?

The Clapton Petition. Why Would I Sign?

I think most of us with an interest in non league football in London and Essex are aware of the recent developments at the Spotted Dog ground. Simply put, the landlords, Heineken UK, have repossessed the ground because the rent has not been paid. For me, that's totally understandable and straight forward enough.

In response, an on-line petition has been launched, addressed to Heineken UK, asking people to sign in support of Keeping Clapton Football Club at the Old Spotted Dog Ground.

At the time of writing just over 400 people have signed the petition.  However, I wonder how many of those signatories are actually mis-informed or have signed due to sentiment.

The first fear to allay is that Heineken have clearly stated that they have no intention of the ground being used for any other purpose than leisure and sporting activities which benefit the local community.  So we can forget yuppie housing being built on the site. It should also be remembered that the football ground has been designated as an Asset Of Community Value, and as such, is safe from developers.

Therefore the question is, who will occupy the ground as tenants/lessees?  The petition asks you to sign to show support for Vincent McBean's Clapton FC.  However, his club are entwined with the recently evicted company, Newham Community Leisure Limited who Mr McBean also mismanaged and took into liquidation.

The script of the petition page is interesting for a number of reasons.  

• There is no mention of Vincent McBean the CEO of Clapton FC  who was a director of Newham Community Leisure Limited before he placed it into liquidation.  In addition, Clapton club secretary Shirley Doyle and team manager Wilfred Thomas signed documents as members of NCL to support this action.
• The Charity Commission launched a statutory inquiry into Newham Community Leisure Limited in 2013 and I cannot imagine this is undertaken lightly and it could only have been done in the face of serious allegations of misconduct by trustees/directors/ members, who include Mrs Doyle, Mr Thomas and Mr McBean.
• The petition blames the Charity Commission for not allowing the terms of the lease to be met (payment of rent).  This is also misconceived, as Vince McBean, Shirley Doyle and Wilf Thomas will know that the assets of the company are under the control of the liquidator who was appointed by Mr McBean to administer the liquidation.

As for terms of the lease, Mr McBean will need no reminding that he, and other trustees, have been fined by Newham Council for causing, and the continuance of, public nuisance to neighbours and local residents through loud music being played in the early hours of the morning.  This, of itself, is a breach of the terms of the lease and could result in forfeiture. 

Licensing is not a strong suit for the Vincent McBean's Clapton as, older supporters will know, there was no liquor licence at the ground until 2009.  So that's at least four years of Essex Senior League officials, players and supporters enjoying hospitality at Mr McBean's 'illegal drinker'.  This is a breach of the terms of the lease and could result in forfeiture.

Putting this aside, were McBean's club good tenants?  Judging by what I have seen of the clear up at the ground since the repossession, I don't think so.  Rubbish skips are bursting to the seams with refuse, some looking like it had been previously fly tipped.  I also recall the old urinals piled behind the scaffold stand and imagine that they have also found their way into the skip. Keeping the ground is such a lamentable state is breach of the tenant's covenants in the lease and could result in forfeiture.

I am also aware that Newham Council visited the ground in August 2017 and served notices on Mr McBean due to the dangerous state of the ground due to building spoil littering the public areas.  Once again, this is a breach of the lease and could result in forfeiture.

So, had the landlords been aware of the above, they could have reasonably removed the lease from Newham Community Leisure at any time.

But, fellow non league supporters, let's be honest, were it not for the location, (an oasis of old school football in the middle of a residential area) and the history connected with the name of Clapton Football Club, would we be as unforgiving of a ground in such a poor and potentially dangerous state of repair.  For example, imagine if there was a pile of old urinals stacked at the side of the stand at Cricklefields or Wadham Lodge or a pile of hardcore and glass in the spectator areas of Oakside or Catons Lane?  Would the ground grading gods sit back and ignore it as they clearly have for some time at the Spotted Dog..

I have purposely not referred to Vince McBean's personal antecedents in running charities and companies  That is all over the internet and on public record.

As for the demise of the 140 year old club, this is total folly as Vincent McBean suspended Clapton Football Club in 2000.  He formed a new entity, Clapton Members Club whose constitution is that which is lodged with the Football Association. The interest in Clapton FC, a members' club, has remained with the life members of that organsiation.

So, I hope those who propose to sign the petition understand why I will not do so.  I appreciate the sentiment behind wishng to sign the petition, but be assured, the ground is safe and is not longer being used for personal gain as opposed to being a community asset.  Its a case of the landlords finding a responsible, democratic, local community based entity to run it, for the good of Newham.

To reinstall Mr McBean and his friends as tenants would be like inviting guests to your home who, when they previously stayed with you, defecated and then wiped it up the walls.

I'm not sure that is what any responsible landlord would want to happen.  One can only imagine what the cost of the clear up and making secure has cost them on this occasion and I am sure they would not want to repeat the process.

Time to Speak Up?

By now, I think that most Clapton supporters, and many football supporters of other other clubs, have concluded that Vince McBean is, at best, a slippery customer who has been consistently economic with the truth. The recent 'true supporter' rubbish on his website, in which he dismissed the problems over the Old Spotted Dog as rumour, were totally blown apart by the recent disclosure of emails between him, the FA and the ESL, prior to the League AGM last June (see the Old Spotted Dog blog).

The contents of emails are irreconcilable with the eventual announcement of a 'resolution' to the  Old Spotted Dog problem by the Essex Senior League at their AGM last June.  That decision now looks to make no sense whatsoever.

it is clear that some previous inquiry was made of the FA as to what was required in order that Clapton and London Bari could play in the Essex Senior League this season, 2017/18.  The FA spelt it out unequivocally in their email:-

1. That the Club (Clapton) presents an acceptable ground share agreement or;
2. That the Club produces written confirmation from the liquidator (or their solicitors) stating that tenure is in place for the 2017/18 season.

If Mrs Dorling, the ESL Secretary, was already aware of any existing agreement for Clapton at this time, otherwise, why ask the FA for guidance?

Equally, why did Mrs Dorling write to the Liquidator's solicitors asking for permission to play at the ground in May 2017?

Even more confusing is why Vince McBean write to his opponent's solicitors in the liquidation case, asking for that they consent to the lifting of the injunction just a week before the AGM when, if the documents is genuine, must have had the agreement in his possession all the time?

What we do know is that the injunction was not lifted and the Liquidator is prevented from granting any such permission.

It is therefore curious, and verging on ridiculous, that just before the AGM, that an acceptable agreement is put forward so as to allow McBean team to play at the ground, and is then accepted by the clubs. 

A further issue is whether the clubs, who are consistently being disciplined, and fined, for various misdemeanours by the League, have any real control, influence or say in the way the competition is being run.  I accept that there is a League Management Committee and that they are made up of representatives from some of those clubs, but what influence do they actually have?  For example, did any of the League Management Committee actually see the document prior to the announcement or did they just go along with what they were told by the Officers?

One also wonders if, any of the League Management Committee (or the clubs), had been aware of the correspondence prior the sudden emergence of the 'November 2016 agreement'.  If not, would they not have thought that the sequence of events the emails are somewhat inconsistent with the acceptance of the newly produced agreement?

As to whether the agreement of November 2016 is genuine or, in fact, complies with the requirements of the FA, as set out in their email to the League, is another matter that requires addressing but could have consequences for those who were active or passive in it being accepted.

If the OSD agreement is void, and has been submitted with the intention, or is calculated,  to deceive,  then all the insurance cover that relate to the Old Spotted Dog Ground during any event which is purported to have been covered by that agreement are also void.

Whilst we cannot expect the league or its officers to share everything with supporters, we can expect the League to share such information with members of its own League Management Committee who represent the member clubs.

When, and I think it is becoming a matter of time, the whole McBean and Old Spotted Dog affair, including the submission and acceptance of this agreement, is examined by the Lawyers, the Courts or whoever, this course of events will have to be explained.

Furthermore, experience tells me that if Vince McBean runs to form, he will make himself scarce when it all falls around his ears.  We know that did this in the Knights Charity case and, as we older Clapton supporters will recall, he took himself off to Ghana in the mid 2000s, when there were huge unpaid bills to pay at Clapton, leaving the mess for others to clear up.

The next Management Committee meeting of the Essex Senior League is on Thursday 18 January 2018, and, if any of the representatives were not made aware of any of the above, I wonder who, if anyone, has the courage to speak up.

I note from the aforementioned Old Spotted Dog blog that they say that there is apparently more to come.  Somehow, I don't doubt that.

Who's A Nettle?

A lot has been written recently about the proposed liquidation of Newham Community Leisure, the charity that holds the lease on the Old Spotted Dog.  I don't think I can add any more to it, other than to say that the whole affair appears to have a familiar odious stench of Clapton FC dishonesty behind it.  I hope those looking into it will save the ground from becoming McBean's money making asset by alternative means, which appears to be his intention. See http://www.claptonfc.info/vmcb/cfcnclt.htm

I have been encouraged to write on more light hearted matters following Vince McBean's latest article on his website http://claptonfc.com/recent-incident-at-sawbridgeworth-town-fc/. It is not my place to comment on the alleged incident.  There were others there, including a delegate from McBean's club, as per the League rules. (one assumes)

However, it was quite opportunistic that McBean has used this unsavoury incident to announce the club's apparent withdrawal of their application for promotion.  Despite apparently having no information as to who the supposed perpetrator was,or even if they were a Clapton supporter, he has used the incident to lay the blame for the promotion withdrawal on the fans.  If he thinks we will swallow that, he clear considers that the average intelligence of the Clapton supporter, or objective non-league supporter, is that of a nettle.

I admit to having been somewhat surprised at Clapton's application for promotion which was announced earlier in the season.  Nonetheless, with an enthusiastic manager and an improving team, why not?

But as many club have found over the years, promotion to the Ryman League from the Essex Senior is not straight forward and the first, and most obvious problem we have is the state of the Old Spotted Dog Ground.

The club had to obtain a Ryman ground grading by 31st March.  Does anyone realistically think that Clapton stood any chance of achieving that?  I don't think I need to go into specifics on the condition of the ground other than to say, its a dump.  There are other requirements, such as accounts which, if McBean's management of the Newham Community Leisure scenario is anything to go by, will also probably be laughed out of the Ryman League's offices. Couple that with the general greater scrutiny of member clubs by the Ryman League (rather than the lip service to rules provided by the Essex Senior) and McBean would have even more reason to want to slip back under the radar.

So I don't buy McBean's rubbish about his ever being serious about promotion.  He will continue to lose the support, even from those once prepared to give him the 'benefit of the doubt', and any credibility he may have thought he had, even among the newbies, has gone.

Meanwhile the most surprising event emerged on Twitter.  Clapton team manager, Jonny Fowell, tweeted on Tuesday night that he remained hopeful that if Clapton were to finish as the second placed team in the ESL, they would be considered for promotion.  Quite clearly, Vince had clearly not shared the news about the club's 'withdrawal from promotion' with his manager. 

Whether or not McBean thinks Jonny Fowell has similar 'nettle intellect' to that of the supporters, it was particularly nasty sting for any manager to take, and consequently, it was a debacle.  But then again, one would hope that Jonny will have realised by now who he's dealing with, and should grasp the nettle himself.  Either that, or he really is 'Urtica dioica'.

McBean Reprieved, or Is He?

As you may know, Vince McBean filed the requisite Company House documents for his Clapton Football Club 1878 Limited and, for now, they limp on.

Despite this, there are still a lot of unanswered questions that arise from his negotiations with the Ultras (a board? a trustee? etc) and who exactly are this Company and what purpose do they serve?

But most importantly, McBean has lost any credibility he may have had, even with those not fully in the know at the Old Spotted Dog.  He is flapping around, being attacked from all angles, merely because his is now under such scrutiny that his failings and scams are now being regularly picked up, and not only by the usual suspects (real Clapton FC, Andy Barr etc)

For my part, it is apparent is despite McBean's claim to be a businessman, over the years I have seen no evidence of any commercial or business like acumen from him, other than the sharp suits.  I am sure that I am not alone in wondering how he funds his lifestyle and what business he is actually in.  On the other hand, perhaps it is right under our nose and Clapton FC is his business, despite his denial that he is the owner.  What is clear, is that nothing is clear, when it comes to Vincent McBean.

So, for the moment, crisis over for Vince?  I'm afraid not.

The charity Newham Community Leisure Limited, which holds the lease on the Old Spotted Dog ground and, of which, Vince McBean is a director and trustee, failed to file its own Confirmation Statement at Companies House last week.  The consequence is likely to be another proposal to strike off the company, risk to the lease and to Clapton FC.

Vince McBean's credibility is shot.  He needs to leave Clapton FC to those who care about it, the supporters.

Join real Clapton FC

See : Two Months to Save Clapton FC

Two Months to Save Clapton FC

In the past week or so there have been two prominent pieces of news from the Old Spotted Dog, and neither of them was surprising.

I initially welcomed the end of the Clapton Ultras’ boycott of home games as it signalled a ‘first’ at Clapton FC since the McBean regime took hold of the club; McBean couldn't have things all his own way.

The Ultras had managed to reach a compromise over the price rise, whilst achieving a number of small victories in getting McBean to reduce prices for student, refugees, jobless, youngsters and old chaps like me!  Couple this with spectators’ possessions not being unnecessarily rifled through by McBean's bouncers, and it's a good result.  Thank you lads and lassies of the Ultras!

But how did they manage this, after so many people have tried, and failed before?  One word, Money.

Since the arrival of the Ultras, McBean has become accustomed to pocketing huge amounts of cash though gate money.  Add to this the bar takings from those spectators who remain unaware, or possibly disinterested, in the ‘Clapton situation’ and he was doing very nicely indeed.  However, the boycott has seen those windfalls disintegrate and, doubtless, he was desperate to fill his pockets once again.  No one is quite aware of what other business interest he currently has.

It was therefore strange that, in those negotiations, he chose to position himself as a go-between for the supporters and the ‘Board’.  Now, when a ‘businessman’, who McBean purports to be, speaks of a Board, it can only mean one thing - a board of directors, and Directors indicate the existence of a Limited Company.

Whilst McBean operating his club as a limited company is a possibility, as far as I am aware, Clapton FC, in whatever guise, has never been registered as such with the football authorities.  If there has been a change of entity from the original club, then the FA, County FA and the Essex Senior League would have to have been made aware and would have to have given their approval.  The problem is that none of these ‘governing’ bodies is willing to disclose any information.

During the negotiations, McBean also produced John Jackson as a ‘trustee’ at one of the meetings with the Ultras delegation.  I have referred to Mr Jackson in my blog previously, and still have no idea what he claims to be a Trustee of, but I have seen emails in which he claims to have been made chair of Clapton FC by McBean in 2008, apparently without his actually realising it.  He also claimed that McBean once told him that Clapton FC does not exist. I therefore see very little reason to place any trust (sic) in Mr Jackson, who may be as much a fantasist as McBean himself.  I also wonder if McBean knows what his mate Jackson has claimed to have happened.  What is clear is that when the meeting with Ultras, Jackson was dishonestly passed off as something he is not.

So whilst I am delighted to be watching the team again, the way in which McBean has behaved only underlines what a manipulative and dishonest man he is.

The second piece of news involves an actual limited company, Clapton Football Club 1878 Limited, to which Clapton CF News, a supporters run news page, have referred in their web post of today (14.02.2017).  This company has now been notified that the Registrar of Companies proposes to strike them off because they have failed to file documents as required by law.

Therefore, if Clapton Football Club 1878 Ltd is ‘McBean’s Clapton FC’ then one of the most famous names in amateur football is likely to disappear because if McBean follows his usual modus operandi in managing companies, he will do nothing and the company will be struck off in a couple of months.

Interestingly, I have a copy of a recent Clapton FC letterhead and, there is no reference to a company number or the registered office, as is also required by law.

What is remarkable is that McBean, refers to this dubious and possibly non-existent board, on his own www.claptonfc.com website.

The fact is that Vince McBean has behaved dishonestly and disrespectfully to the Ultras, the supporters who fill his pockets by coming to matches.  This is not only in respect of the Company issue, but also by misrepresenting the club itself and the state of the negotiations which ended up extending the boycott.

Whilst I am delighted to get back and watch this very impressive tam complete the season, Clapton supporters must now decide whether McBean is a person who can be trusted to run our club.

It is clearly apparent is that McBean operates all of his ‘visible’ business autonomously. He consistently puts up family, old friends and associates as his ‘colleagues’.  Have any of the supporters ever met, or seen, the supposed Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer of McBean’s club?

Despite the Ultras’ achievement in bringing McBean to the table, even then, the ‘self styled CEO’ couldn’t help by acting dishonestly during the boycott, even though it was very much in his interest to arrive at a settlement.  In the words of the Ultras themselves, “We’ve just been given a hard lesson in messing about, delaying and rearranging the furniture over what had already been agreed.” 

Couple that with the news that the Charity that holds the lease on the Old Spotted Dog, which he took over from the former regime, is now under investigation by the Commissioner for Charities, their bank account frozen, and under pressure to file documents with Companies House and its ridiculous that McBean continues to operate.  McBean cannot be trusted with the ground, the club. It’s about time something was done.

The real Clapton FC which was founded by supporters and life members of the club.  I have heard many people asking what this group are doing to oust McBean.  But dealing with a specious fabricator of the truth, like McBean, is always difficult, as the Ultras have discovered.  However, I am aware that they have played no small part in unsettling McBean and exposing his activities, not least with regard to the ground, breaches of the lease and, what would appear to be, a very dodgy ground share and rental agreements with London Bari and the Tyre Warehouse next door.

FELLOW CLAPTON SUPPORTERS  -  Time is now very much of the essence, because if Clapton Football Club 1878 Limited is the legal entity of Clapton FC, then we have two months in which to save it.  If it’s not the ‘club’, then its purpose is/has clearly been to defraud some poor sod, as it is £20k in debt according to the last accounts.

I ask you to help remove McBean and save Clapton FC.  Join the real Clapton FC.  Their website is www.claptonfc.info and there is a link to the membership application form.

UPDATE - It appears that Clapton Football Club 1878 Limited has filed its Confirmation Statement today, 15th February 2017, thus the strike-off action has been discontinued. 

According to the GOV.UK guidance on Confirmation Statements, it is a criminal offence to file this document more than 14 days after the review period (in this case 11th November 2016), so the company and its officers could be prosecuted.

The Progress of Old Friends.

Whilst we Clapton supporters were celebrating a fine victory over old rivals (and friends) Barking at the Dog, some of our other former adversaries were taking place in some high profile matches elsewhere. 

Old Isthmian League rivals Sutton United were adding to their giant-killing pedigree by knocking Leeds United out of the FA Cup.  It was a marvellous achievement for the ‘U’s and I I am delighted for them to have drawn Arsenal in the next round.

I remember watching the Tons at their Gander Green Lane ground for many years.  Invariably we were on the end of a hammering, not least an 11-1 defeat in the sixties but this was not surprising as Sutton were always one of the top teams in the League with quality players such as Larry Pritchard, Steve Bangs and, of course, Dario Gradi.  Our last ‘contact’ with them that I can recall was in the 80s when, their Manager, Barrie Williams agreed to loan us classy midfielder Glenn Swain for a few weeks whilst we're in the midst of an injury crisis.  They were always a decent club and its marvellous to see them doing so well and, as importantly, at their traditional ground.

Up the road in north London, Tottenham Hotspur were hosts to other old friends from our Isthmian days, Wycombe Wanderers, who gave a fantastic performance, only to be pipped at the post, courtesy of a last minute goal.  The last time we played Wycombe, their home ground was Loakes Park, a traditional old stadium in High Wycombe town centre.  Loakes Park was most famous for its sloping pitch and, although Imight like to venture this as being a factor for some of the hidings we took at the hands of the Chairboys, it's not the case.  They team was always populated with some of the best amateur players of the day.  From perennial goalkeeper John Maskell, to ace goalscorer Keith Searle, they were a marvellous outfit and their progress to the Football League is a testament to their excellent administration over the years. 

Last Sunday another match took place with which Clapton have connections.  The FA Vase tie between Southall and Exmouth Town may not have grabbed as many headlines as the matches above but was eagerly contested with the winners being just three matches from Wembley.  Southall were Clapton’s opponents in the 1925 FA Amateur Cup final and boasted a fine tradition.  They became an Isthmian League club in the expansion of 1973.

In 1986, Southall also enjoyed a great run in the Vase and, having beaten Stevenage Borough at their own ground in Western Road with les Ferdinand playing at centre forward, actually reached the twin towers, only to lose in the final to Halesowen Town.  Exmouth Town also enjoyed similar success.  They were regularly Champions of the Western League and reached the semi finals of the Vase in 1985 when beaten on aggregate by Fleetwood Town.

Exmouth Town was Clapton's destination for a pre season friendly in 1988.  A good time was had by all, very much in the traditions of the Easter Tours upon which Clapton parties often embarked in years gone by.  Yes, beer was involved.

However, both these clubs have undergone some hard times since these heady days.

Southall ‘lost’ their home ground and started ground sharing.  They were relegated to the Combined Counties League and, in 2006 suffered the ignominy of being expelled from the League and their record expunged due to ‘financial irregularities’.  However, despite having to re-group and play two levels lower in the Middlesex County Football League, the club cleared its debts and have re-emerged as a fine club to which their Vase run is testament.  They presently play in the South Midlands League in Division One and continue to ground share at Hanwell Town.

As well as the Championship winning seasons and the FA vase run, Exmouth Town also reached the 4^th qualifying round of the FA Cup, only to fall at the hands of the excellent Woking team of that era.  Their team was punctuated with some of the best ex-pros and non league players from the region.

Unfortunately, whilst such players give a lot of enjoyment to supporters and raise the profile of the club, this comes at a price and, unfortunately the club’s ability to continue to pay the cost of such an operation, heralded the departure of most of the players.  This left the club with problems and they were soon relegated form the top tier of Western League and rattled around in the lower division for ten years before eventually gaining promotion.  However, the success was short lived and they subsequently resigned from the League in 2006 due to financial problems.  The club was then re-formed as Exmouth Town (2006) AFC and the first team took over the old reserve teams place in the Exeter and East Devon League.  The next season the club became founder members of the South West Peninsula League.

Last Saturday’s match at Southall is, once again, marks a fine achievement by those at Exmouth Town who stood by their club and those who have come in to help sort out the problems left by their predecessors.

Last Sunday’s match was won 4-2 by Southall who’s reward is a home match against Cleethorpes Town.  We wish them the best of luck.

There are lessons to be learned here for supporters of many non league clubs, not least Clapton FC.  Losing your home ground, financial irregularities, the cost of ‘professional’ players and the legacy of short term success has a cost and it can take years to bring the club back.

As a Clapton supporter, I am far from convinced that the Old Spotted Dog is in safe hands.  As there is no transparency, I also have no confidence in the administration of the club, particularly as far as financial issues are concerned and the obscure use of Limited Companies that don’t file records with Companies House and are regularly struck off.

As for the expenditure on players, in my experience, money doesn't buy loyalty from players, whether that is a Premier League or Essex Senior League level.  We must hope that the excellent squad we have will be content to play for, what should be, one of the most prestigious amateur/nonleague clubs in the country with unrivalled support rather than to move on (frequently sideways) for money.

Despite the excellent result at the Dog last Saturday, it would take a brave man to back against Barking to be promoted in April and whilst it would be a shame to lose that fixture, should it happen, I will be pleased for them in their achievement in returning the 'Blues' to the Isthmian League.

So then, why shouldn't Clapton look to return to their traditional home in the Isthmian League.

What we must hope is, like Sutton United, Wycombe Wanderers we can progress, but on a realistic level and before than can happen, like Southall and Exmouth Town, we have to get our club back on an even keel.

Unfortunately, before this can be achieved we need to rid ourselves of the Vincent Mcbean's current regime whose secrecy and dishonesty is slowly being exposed and unravelled.  This current debacle will undoubtedly cost Clapton FC dearly in the future.  It will be then that we will need the loyalty of players and supporters to stand to shoulder to shoulder with those who may be left to carry the can.

Time will tell.

ESL Rules and The Lack of Consistency

Some time ago I mentioned a blog post I had in mind concerning the rules of the Essex Senior League and how they have been implemented and applied their rules.  Shortly afterwards, an article appeared in the Non League Paper, penned by our own Colin Yates, which complained about the overbearing attitude of the league, not least in their levying fines upon clubs  for 'allowing' the supporters to let off pyro and drink beer within sight of the game.

Fortunately the Essex Senior League publish their rules in full on their website in section Who We Are and I have managed to have a good look through these in recent weeks.

The relevant section that relates to these offences and fines are listed under the heading 'Procedural Arrangements to be followed For Essex Senior League Matches' (page 73) and, under paragraph 6(a)

My recollection is that this change in rule is founded by events that happened a couple of years ago when the League Chairman, Mr Errington, wrote to Vince McBean with regard to the Ultras, who were then significantly smaller in numbers, letting off pyro at Clapton matches.  Vince reproduced an extract from the letter on his website which quoted the Safety at Sports Grounds Act and emphasised the fact that a criminal conviction under this Act can carry a term of imprisonment.

To me this approach seemed, at the very least, a bit heavy handed and it was later revealed that the legislation referred to by the League Chairman does not apply to Clapton FC or any other club in the League.  A partial retraction was published by Vince, undoubtedly under instructions, that said 'No one is accusing anyone of anything'.  At best, it was embarrassing.  

In what appears to be a bid to deal with the Clapton Ultras issue, the League have, this season, amended the Procedural Arrangements so as to include references to pyro and bringing alcohol into the ground.

It also amended, from the previous season, a requirement that a spectator is forbidden to consume alcohol (even if he were to have bought it in the clubhouse) anywhere from where he/she is able to view the match.

The fine for any breach of these procedural arrangements is £250, the highest financial penalty on that tariff.

Putting pyro aside for the moment, one wonders how these procedural arrangements adopted by the club's when, as is abundantly clear at the majority of away games I have been to this season, spectators are enjoying a beer whilst watching the game.

It certainly appears that the club's did vote or acquiesce to their implementation as I have seen tweets from ESL Registration Secretary and Secretary of AFC Hornchurch, Peter Butcher confirming this.

If the club's did consciously vote for this, to then subject themselves to a £250 fine for every pint of beer consumed pitch side (and I have seen plenty of folk enjoying a beer whilst watching the match this season at a number of ESL grounds) is craziness.  To me it smacks of a renewed attempt by the League to implement the Safety at Sports Ground Act following the threats and embarrassing failure mentioned above.  Had Parliament intended to implement the Safety at Sports Grounds Act at grounds such as Clapton FC, then they would have legislated to do so and not left it to Mr Errington and Co.

I am unaware of any similar  procedural arrangement at any other league at our level and, dare I say it, one of the attractions of non league football at this level is the fact that you can watch the game whilst sipping a Tyskie or two.  But rather than following Clapton's lead in encouraging people to watch Essex Senior League matches, the League seem intent to drive them away.

Interestingly, the rules of Carshalton Athletic FC state that whilst alcohol is not allowed to be brought into the ground, alcohol bought in the bar can be consumed outside in plastic glasses.  It goes on to say that no alcohol can be consumed outside for cup matches. This would indicate that there is no such 'blanket ban' on alcohol being consumed whilst viewing the game in the Ryman League, where attendances and facilities are expected to be generally superior to those in the ESL.  Mr Butcher, as secretary of Hornchurch FC, would undoubtedly be aware of this as his club is not constrained by the same 'procedural arrangement' implemented by their League. The question is why would he want to be part of the implementation and enforcement of such a draconian and unnecessary measure?

Another aspect of this, is the vigor in which the League appear to clamp down on Clapton and Vince McBean on the pyro issue.  "Spectator safety" is the obvious retort, but recent events have shown that the League are very 'flaky' in implementing or retaining that.

The collapse of the pitch barrier in front of the scaffold last Saturday fortunately did not result in any injuries. There is no question of fault by any party, the only rider being, that the barrier has been there for decades and therefore, at some stage or another, it will have had to have given up the ghost.

It is a League Rule (not a 'procedural arrangement'), that all grounds must have a permanent pitch barrier of a certain type.  (ESL Handbook page 96) One would assume the requirement of a perimeter barrier of this type within the ground gradings is for player/spectator safety, which is apparently the League's primary concern as to the occasional pyro, be that undertaken by fans of Burnham Ramblers, Waltham Forest or Clapton.  Thus, the remedial work (traffic cones and tape) which replaced the fallen barrier for London Bari's home match with Barking last Wednesday was not clearly compliant with the League rule, and clearly not conducive to the safety of players and spectators.  A Referee, who's additional duties would appear to now include the reporting of pyro at Clapton games, would certainly have seen this before the game started and, under League rules, (assuming "rules is rules") should have called it off.

Whilst I have an extremely qualified sympathy for Vince McBean, I can understand his frustration in having to pay fines to a League whose committee seem to interpret their rules as and how they see fit.

A further RULE, seemingly ignored by the ESL, is their failure to ensure that the legal identity of each club is made public (ESL Handbook p47 - para 2.13).  In absence of Vince actually giving anyone a straight answer as to whether he considers himself the club's owner or otherwise, this would provide information, as is intended by the inclusion of the rule, to which all supporters should be privy.

The perennial financial struggle for income effects all clubs at our level and it is understandable for them to aim to maximising their income on match days and this would include the sale of alcohol. Thus, it would interesting to know the reason why the clubs who did vote through the 'Procedural Arrangements', particularly when the many of them continue to allow alcohol to be consumed in the ground in contravention of it.  Or perhaps its the case that the procedural arrangement went through at the AGM without discussion, debate or disclosure and it is only now that some clubs are reaping the wrath of letting it go through unchallenged.

The crux of the matter is that the officers and committee of the Essex Senior League appear to be running the league in such an arbitrary fashion that it is hard to see what they do actually benefits the clubs.  OK, so they run a competition but there has been no sponsorship of the league for many a season, the official league website is basically defunct and their internet presence owes much to the 'unofficial' website, fortunately run and administered by an enthusiastic and competent fan.  (here's an idea - hand the running of the official site to Pete Dudley)  It is not difficult to argue that the ESL are one of the weaker leagues at step 5. One would have therefore thought that the Clapton revival would have been embraced and encouraged by the League rather than their imposition of rules/'procedural arrangements', by stealth or otherwise, that appear designed to stifle the upturn in attendances and interest.  Clapton, or more correctly, the Clapton Ultras, have helped bring more people through the gates of Essex Senior League clubs, they have generated more positive publicity for the League than one can remember and are a shot in the arm for football at this level.  Its time the League appreciated this and applied their rules, provided that they are genuinely approved by and for the benefit of member clubs, consistently and fairly.

A Recent History Lesson

Two wins in the last three games, against teams who were higher than us in the league table, were a welcome relief, despite the fact these victories were interspersed by the home defeat by Sawbridgeworth.

Nonetheless there were some issues to be happy about, notably the emergence of Abe,who looks to be a decent player.  However, I am amazed that James Briggs, our most influential player, is regularly being left on the bench.  So imagine my delight when our very own 'Jan Molby look-alike' came off the bench to send us on our way to victory against Wadham Lodge.

It was obvious that the Wadham game was to have a bit of 'edge' about it.  The away match was won for them by an inept Clapton second half performance and a couple of disputed penalties, and this obviously rankled with many Clapton supporters.  There was also the added 'spice' involving the return of former Tons' Assistant Manager Neil Day to the Dog who, undoubtedly, wanted to guide his new club to victory in a local derby.

But it was Clapton who won the day and gained a very welcome three points.  The post match celebrations in the scaffold were, as always, a great bit of football theatre that is unique to the Dog.

Following the game I have seen a couple of references to the game, such as  'In your face Neil Day' which I hope were in jest but are, at the very least, uncharitable and possibly posted by those with only a recent, or selective, recollection of elements that have contributed to the re-emergence of Clapton FC.

Neil Day was Chris Wood's assistant before being sacked by Vince McBean.  Those who were around at the time will recall that the real reason for the sacking was that Day was too close to the Friends of Clapton supporters group.  I particularly remember an altercation that took place at Great Wakering Rovers between Neil and Marc Nurse, in which the latter, who at the time was very much Vince's ears and eyes in the dressing room, confirmed, with some delight, that this was the case.

Vince did issue a statement subsequently (which I cannot find on the internet anymore) that denied this but, his credibility, when it comes to the recounting the truth, is shot in any event.

Neil Day had worked tirelessly at Clapton alongside Chris Wood, and continually tried to promote the club and encourage people to come to matches.  Those who follow him on Twitter will know that he appears to have now got the ball rolling at Wadham Lodge and it was good to see a decent gathering of visiting supporters at last Saturday's game.

Undoubtedly, Neil was shoddily treated by Vince McBean and therefore it is understandable that he wants to do well when opposing Clapton. I can't blame him for this but, unfortunately for him last Saturday, the Tons prevailed.

After Saturday's game, as per normal, the Clapton victory celebrations rang around the ground.  A scaffold full of Clapton fans (oldies and newbies) joined in the singing with the players and team management, whilst others like me, looked on, enjoying the fun. This scene, which we all enjoy, originated during the tenure of Wood and Day.  It was Neil and Chris, and their players, who were the first ones to chant 'lololololo' back to the fans in the Scaffold and help establish something that has become a Clapton post-match trademark which the newbies (or those with memory lapse) whether they are fans, players or team management, now enjoy.

Let us not forget that.