HOW THE DREAM STADIUM HAS TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE

It seems to have gone on forever, but it appears now that my hometown club Margate FC could be on the brink of losing everything, including the Club itself.

Yes, it may sound extreme but the prospect of losing the Club that I have followed massively for the past 12 years is not one I fancy seeing.

Redevelpoment of Hartsdown Park was something the club looked to do as success on the pitch rapidly saw 'The Blues' rise to 8th in their first season in the Conference National, even sitting top for a week in early September 2003.

However that was nine years ago and it seems to have gone downhill even quicker than the success arrived. Groundsharing at Dover and Ashford become the norm, meaning a 40 mile round trip for a home game, all the while the redevelopment stood still.

Council meetings came and went and still there was no news on a start date. Eventually 'The Gate' moved home in 2006, but to a temperary build, or so we thought.

Almost five years on and still the club has portercabins for changing rooms and minimal seating at their Hartsdown Park 'home'. It looked as though the development was set to begin in March 2011 after the club was given full planning permission from the local Council.

The club however after requesting an ammendment to the plans to reduce the Travelodge hotel from 80 rooms to 69 to keep the hotel firm happy, were then told they would have to submit a full revised set of plans- delaying the development even further.

The club is currently fighting this order from the Council, however a petition from local residents protesting against any development signed by around 550 residents isn't help their case.

In response Margate FC currently has its own petition on line to show the Council that the development is wanted by far more people than those who dont want to see the club get their new home.

At a open meeting on Wednesday evening, the Developers and Chairman of the club stated that should they be forced to submit further plans then they simply wouldn't do it, leaving the club on the brink of collapse.

Here is the link to the on-line petition from Margate FC should any of you sympathise with the clubs position and wish to show your support for yet another troubled Non-League side.

http://www.petitiononline.co.uk/petition/margate-football-club-development/2452

It fills me with great sadness that the Council appear to be killing off something in the town that offers so much excitement and joy to so many in the area on a Saturday afternoon.....especially when the town offers so little as it is.

Let me know what you think. Do you sympathise with the Club? Has your club ever been in a similar position?

CHEERY 'O's' PROVE THE CUP HAS NOT LOST IT'S MAGIC

Just four days after beating arguably the best football team in the world, Arsenal were today held to a disappointing 1-1 draw away at Leyton Orient of League One in a typical FA Cup 'David v Galioth' match.

The Gunner's team was considerably changed from the one that beat Barcelona 2-1 mid-week, however still had the likes of Arshavin, Song, Almunia and Rosicky on the team sheet.

It will be argued that Arsenal pretty much dominated the tie, with the O's stealing a replay right on the death of full time from Jonathan Tehoue who blasted a shot underneath a out of sorts Almunia.

One thing that however cannot be questioned is Russel Slade's side committment and desire to take their Champions League opponents all the way. Another thing that will not be argued about will be the romance that the FA Cup continues to breath.

This result comes just one day after Superb Non-League side Crawley Town took to the field at Old Trafford against giants Manchester United, only to lose the game to a Wes Brown header in the 28th minute, Richard Broadie nearly stole a replay for the visitors as his header looped onto the bar in the 90th minute.

So as the debate roles on whether the FA Cup has lost it's tradition, I think this weekend will prove that maybe there is life left in this romantic competition and maybe the FA will look again at whether the greatest competition in English football really does need shaking up.

Let me know what you think. What did you think of this weekends FA Cup results?

LOSING JOSE WOULD BE WORSE THAN CARROLL

Newcastle Utd fans dont have much to thank Sam Allardyce for from his time in charge at St James Park, however there is one shining light that Big Sam brought to the club during his fateful time in charge in the northeast.

The name Jose Enrique was not one that would have been on everyone's mind when he signed for Newcastle on 6th August 2007 from Villarreal for £6.3 Million pounds, however the performances of the Spanish left back have recently seen him linked to the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool.

I would quite happily put my head on the line and say that the Newcastle left-back is the best in the Premier League. Consistant and always an eye to get forward when possible is all the attributes of a World Class full back.

He has this season played a vital role in what has been a superb season so far for the Toon, and again showed his World Class ability against Birmingham City on Tuesday evening as the Newcastle become only the fifth side to leave St Andrews with all three points since the Blues return to the Premier League two seasons ago.

Toon boss Alan Pardew has recently called for his Left Back to be called into the Spanish National side and if performances like the one at St Andrews continue, you can safely say that the phonecall will be sooner rather than later.

Newcastle have said they will open contract negotiations with Enrique once their Premier League status is confirmed, and after the three points against Birmingham I would say that is nearly assured.

So if I was Mr Pardew or Mr Ashley I would sit down with the Spanish star tomorrow because losing this player might just be a lot more damaging than the last.

Let me know what you think as always. Would losing Jose Enrique be more damaging than Andy Carroll? Would you want your club to sign the Left Back?

EUROPEAN STAGE BECKONS AGAIN BUT WILL THE CURTAIN FALL ON ENGLISH HOPES?

This week sees the return of European action, and there are some mouth watering clashes to mull over.

Firstly on Tuesday, the Champions League 'newcomers', Tottenham look to continue their dream campaign so far when they travel to Milan for the second time this year, but this time to face the red and black of AC Milan.

Spurs will be encouraged by their last performance in this wonderful city when they lost 4-3 to the current Champions League holders, Inter. There will however be different circumstances this time around though, firstly the opposition, Inter were struggling under Benitez at the time and were never convincing in their performance.

AC Milan will prove a much tougher test, Spurs will face a side that will be confident off the back of a 4-0 demolition over Palermo at the weekend, also AC possess a lethal front line as Ibrahimovic will partner Robinho in attack.

As if the trip is not difficult enough it will be made tougher by the abscence of winger Gareth Bale, the hero last time Spurs visited. Bale scored a remarkable hat-trick at the San Siro last time Spurs visited and his abscence will no doubt harm Tottenham's chances of progressing.

On Wednesday, Spurs's rivals Arsenal welcome Spanish giants Barcelona to the Emirates, and again the test could be just one too many for Arsene Wenger's men. Despite league form being relatively good this season, the 4-4 against Newcastle when leading 4-0 at half time is proof that Arsenal are vunerable.

Barcelona's form is quite incredible going unbeaten in their previous 16 league games, however Saturday saw them only grab a point against Sporting Gijon.

Arsenal know all to well from last season how much damage can cause when they play to their maximum potential and I believe that Barcelona will progress to the next round.

So with both English side's facing tough tests this week, maybe English hopes of European glory should rest with the 'other' two English sides left- Manchester United and Chelsea.

As always, let me know what you think. Can you see either Spurs or Arsenal progressing to the next round and possibly going on to win the Champions League?

CUP PLANS WILL RUIN NOT RENEW INTEREST

Many will say it should have happened years ago, most will argue that it should never happen, but it seems now that it will.

Yes, the FA Cup is to be shaken up and changed, including losing it's traditional 3P.M Kick off as the FA look set to bow to pressure from sponsors and broadcaster's to switch the Kick off time to a 5.30P.M start from the 2013 season onwards.

The idea is that broadcasters believe it is a time when the Cup will get 'maximum exposure'. The Premier League now has 5.30 kick offs, however I think this will damage the competition rather than boost it.

The Cup Fnal day is a special day on the footballing calender, regardless if your side features in it. Every year families gather around their t.v's to watch the final, I remember my childhood growing up watching the Cup final around my grandad's house and him telling me stories of when he would watch it every year when he was younger.

Another plan is to seed teams so that big clubs cannot face each other earlier in the competition, again another sad move from the FA as they look to ruin the finest club competition in history.

We only need to look to next weekends 5th round ties and see Manchester United v Crawley as to why this cup is magical- a move such as seeding teams would put an end to this sense of magic.

We would lose the battles that we have seen in recent years that have added love back to the competition, look at Stevenage v Newcastle in Round Three this season, only in the FA Cup would you get a result like that.

It looks as though that the FA will pass these changes in the coming months and maybe just kill off any romance that us fans have for the greatest competition in club football, and all on the weekend of love. Happy valentines.

Do you agree? Let me know what you think about these possible changes, would they be good or bad for the FA Cup? And let me know your favourite FA Cup moment.

McClaren to return to England?

Before all you football fans out there begin to panic, I dont mean the England National team job.

After yesterday's sacking of Roberto Di Matteo, and McClaren's sacking at German side Wolfsburg today, whispers have already began that the failing former England coach could be set for a return to the english game.

Before I begin, I totally disagree with the decision from the West Brom board yesterday. Di Matteo done a fantastic job at the Hawthorns, wins away at Arsenal and a comeback 2-2 draw at Old Trafford proof of that- the debate could role on all night.

So the question that needs answering is, is McClaren ready for a return to his homeland to manage another Premier League team?

The answer is yes. Up to and after his fateful time in charge of England, McClaren has done magical things. Winning the league cup in 2004 at Middlesborough was not a bad start to his own managerial career, before taking the club to the Uefa Cup final in 2006, despite suffering defeat.

It was this success that appears to have led to the stage of McClaren's career that he will mostly want to forget. Failure to qualify with England to the 2008 European Championships was seen as a national disaster, leading to McClaren being booted out of the job and leaving his career in tatters.

It took Mclaren a year to recover from the saga when he finally took the reigns in Holland with FC Twente where he led the club to its first title in its history- more success for the English born manager.

McClaren was snapped up by Wolfsburg in Germany as they looked to find a manager that they believed could deliver the title and see off the likes of Bayern Munich. Unluckily for the ex boro boss it didn't work out that way and today saw his 9 month stay ended.

Only time will tell if McClaren is ready to return to the country he failed in so miserably as national manager, however I feel that the West Brom board could do a lot worse than the former England boss.

Let me know what you think. Will McClaren ever manage again in England and could it posibly be at West Brom?

CARROLL ON CLOUD 9 BUT DID LIVERPOOL PAY TOO MUCH?

It was one of the most frantic transfer deadline days in a long time, but the most extrodinary deal was thrashed out between Liverpool and Newcastle as the Merseysider's paid a staggering £35 Million for the Magpies striker Andy Carroll. I met with a fan from each club to find out their thoughts on whether Liverpool had really paid too much for the England Striker?

"It's an awful amount of money but we can do a lot with that money." was the reaction of Newcastle fan Ollie Eden when I asked him his reaction to the sale. "Prices are always higher in January and Andy Carroll is a very good player, the price is just about right for his stage of development."

Liverpool fanatic Glenn Noble despite agreeing with that sentiment felt that his club had paid too much: " He is a good player but I think the fee is a hell of a lot of money, I would expect them to pay half of that." "We got a good price for Torres and although i'm disappointed to lose him I think he was always going to go....I just feel we could have spent the money more wisely."

Despite stating that he felt Liverpool were on the up with the new owners in place, Noble said he thought the Carroll deal was nothing more than a 'Panic deal' on behalf of the club.

It is often argued that English players because of their rareness in quality carry such a large fee with them, something both supporters agreed with.

"Yeah I think there is a proven record of that being the case, you just have compare the Milner sale in the summer with the Van Dar Vaart deal, there is around £18 Million seperating the deals and Van Dar Vaart has perhaps been the better buy" said Eden.

Noble added: " His price was inflated, if you look at how much you would have to pay for players like John Terry and Wayne Rooney- You would have to pay mega money so yeah I think that English players prices increase."

Although happy with the signing the Liverpool fan again hinted at disappointment at the amount that Liverpool had parted with to get the Newcastle number nine: "For £35 Million I just felt we could have gone more than a striker that is currently out injured and only one International cap to his name."

As for Newcastle, Eden does not forsee a backclash against owner Mike Ashley in the future regarding the sale:

"On this occassion I think the supporters will agree with Mike Ashley, he has got a lot of money for Carroll so I dont see any backclash against him.

Eden also doesn't fear that the Carroll sale will ruin the Magpies solid season so far: "I think we will be fine, we only need 10 points to be safe.. Nolan is playing well so I cant see it having a massive effect on whether we will survive this season or not."

So it appears that the jury is still out on this one, Newcastle seem happy to have £35 Million in the bank for the sale of just one of their players while Liverpool seem happy to have that striker now in their ranks, even if they paid more than maybe they thought they might have to.

Let me know what you think. Did Liverpool pay too much for Carroll and do you agree with the comments from the respective Newcastle and Liverpool fans?

As always let me know.

WINDOW SLAMS SHUT

So another transfer deadline day has come and gone, but who has really got value for money this time around?

With spending this time last year in the Premier League totalling around £29 Million, it was difficult to see if the supposed 'economic recession' would continue, £214 Million later we knew where we stood.

It was the transfer deadline days of all transfer deadline days, rumours, will he, wont he moments, record transfer fees and late bids rejected. It was everything these days are meant to be - Drama filled.

The day started with the obvious question of would Liverpool's star man Fernando Torres complete a £50 Million move to Chelsea? With the Suarez deal completed did that leave Torres free to leave? No it would have appeared as Liverpool had an early bid of £30 Million rejected for Newcastle striker Andy Carroll.

As midday rolled around it was still deadlock on all fronts as Newcastle remained firm on their stance that Carroll would not be leaving, further question's raised about Torres. It must have been a frantic day at Anfield as they also found themselves embroiled in a war with Blackpool over the signing of their midfielder Charlie Adam.

Blackpool had earlier in the week insisted that Liverpool would have to up the bid if they were to capture the seasiders star man- but as early as midday Liverpool looked to have turned their attention elsewhere after Aston Villa rejected a reported £20 Million move for their winger Ashley Young.

With that set-back it looked as if it was to be a frustrating afternoon for the Liverpool new owners when finally as dusk descended upon us, Newcastle accepted a £35 Million bid from the Merseysider's, cue Madness.

With that news, Liverpool then accepted a staggering £50 Million offer for Torres, it was now down to both players agreeing personal terms with their prospective new clubs. Liverpool announced the signing of Carroll at 22.40 while Chelsea didn't announce their signing of Torres until the final moments of the window.

While all the drama of these two major deals was unfolding, Chelsea also unveiled the signing of Benfica defender David Luiz for a fee believed to be around £21 Million.

Charlie Adam never moved from Blackpool, despite Spurs admitting they had an offer accepted but they couldn't get the deal done in time, Redknapp's men also being knocked back in their quest to sign Everton Captain Phil Neville.

So quite a day has come to an end. Liverpool are Carroll and Saurez better off, Chelsea have Torres and Luiz to show off tomorrow but are £71 Million lighter for it and Newcastle are £35 Million richer but a prolific striker down.

I think in signing Torres, Chelsea have certainly had the better day, but there is no arguing that by getting a player in Andy Carroll then maybe things on Merseyside could be about to improve.

As always let me know what you think. Who do you think made the best and indeed worse buy in the transfer window? And let me know how you feel about the 'inflated' prices taht clubs seem to be paying?