Berwick Rangers Supporters Trust Be the 12th Man! Issue # 22 • Summer 2013 • £2 (free for members) THE SEASON AHEAD PAGE 8 This edition is kindly WE LOVE TO WIN sponsored by Zoo Sport We are proud and honoured to be associated with such a great club as Berwick Rangers, a true heritage football In this issue New Lowland League Reserves Review Player of the Yearclub with a fine tradition. The club are a www.berwickrangers.org pleasure to work with and we hope we can continue providing high quality team wear for many years to come. www.zoo-sport.co.uk 0113 237 9637 [email protected] Welcome... SUPPORTERS TRUST EXHIBITION As we embark on a new lives in Edinburgh but should season, this is my first be able to make Trust Board IN BERWICK LIBRARY contribution to the Trust meetings when they coincide with home games as well as As we prepare to go to press, With the Library particularly Council, the latter's press newsletter as chairman. making a special effort to get we are also busy organising keen to encourage more department sent out a press to some of the midweek ones. an exhibition about Berwick young visitors and Berwick release to various newspapers. New faces were required when Rangers Football Club in Rangers needing to increase the The Library also printed off Colin Pike and David Cook We have also launched our Berwick Library. It will run numbers of younger supporters, posters which have been announced their resignations Twitter feed, our website has from Monday, August 5th to it is no coincidence that, distributed in shops, pubs as chairman and vice-chairman Newsletter No. 22 been revamped and our logo Saturday, August 10th and whilst the exhibition should and information centres in respectively at last December’s altered slightly to include our Summer 2013 AGM. I was pleased that can be visited during normal appeal to all ages, there has and around Berwick. Rangers' new mantra, ‘Be the 12th man’. Library opening hours. The been an emphasis on youth. secretary Dennis McCleary treasurer Gordon Dickson c/o 10 Golden Square Library is closed Thursdays. All week, anybody under 16 made sure information about agreed to support me as vice- The Trust remains an Berwick-upon-Tweed can enter a short quiz about the event was included in the chair. independent body. This of Northumberland It came about after an approach the club ( answers available match programmes prior to TD15 1BS course, should not preclude Though stepping down from our working with the football from Library staff who are somewhere on display ) with the start of the exhibition and it the Trust Board, Colin has Telephone: 01890 860329 club in the best interests of always looking for new and a Berwick Rangers replica was also publicised at half time remained active, editing the Berwick Rangers and its fans. innovative ways to attract the shirt as the winner's prize. On during the Ramsdens Cup tie Fax: 01289 306980 Reserves’ match programmes. After all, we are a Supporters public into the building. The the Wednesday, April 7th at with Livingston. Thanks Colin, particularly as E-Mail: organisation. Inevitably, there Trust Board backed the idea 2:00 p.m., there will be a talk [email protected] last season was difficult with its will be matters on which we and we were fortunate in being about the club with a follow up We hope the exhibition and backlog of fixtures resulting in disagree but already, we have able to obtain sponsorship from question and answer session. talk will help increase interest Chairman: a glut of home games in April been asked for our views on Michael Smyth the Yorkshire Building Society All under 16s in attendance will and support for our unique and May. a number of proposals. One whose agency in Berwick is Tyne receive a free Yorkshire Building football club whose history and Vice-Chairman: was the mooted increase in and Tweed Financial Advisers Society 'goody' bag containing achievements it will relate. Gordon Dickson In a short space of time, we admission prices which are in West Street. Tyne and Tweed football related items. have increased the Board’s now in place for the new Secretary: membership up to twelve. already sell Berwick Rangers Isla Barber season. Let’s not forget that Welcome Gary Smith, Ian for 13 years, Berwick Rangers merchandise on behalf of the The Library has helped with Treasurer: Beresford ( who was already kept standard admission prices club with a permanent display in publicity. As it belongs to Gordon Dickson running our website ), Andrew unchanged. one of their windows. Northumberland County Neville and Paul Smith ( no Membership Secretary: relation to Gary ). Paul is Bill Purvis I hope all our members enjoy temporarily back from Australia following our favourite football FC Board Representative: but even from afar was club this year. John Bell involved in publishing both Reserves’ programmes and Thanks for backing the club by Committee Members: the Trust newsletter. Andrew John Bell, Ronald Kirk, Steven backing the Trust. Scott, David Spence, Paul Smith, Ian Beresford, Gary Smith, Andrew Neville and Keith Hall Michael Michael Smyth, Newsletter Editor: Chairman Michael Smyth Designed/Published by: Paul Smith / www.vivadigital.net FOOT NOTE: If you have an questions or ¢ Pictures by Doug Stenhouse, issues, or any contributions for The four large displays show Andrew Robertson, Tweeddale our newsletter, email: the club’s milestones, pics from the Press, Mark Brown, Ian Appleby & [email protected] past, Trust info and details of the Angus Blackburn coming season. League Re-Structure By Gordon Dickson Here we are, on the threshold of another had been relegated the year before, led the way for the final reckoning in the spring. season at Shielfield. I’ve now been a SPFL chief regular here for 40 years. Looking back executive Neil And there was the problem. We were never then, my 50p season ticket got me 20+ Doncaster says he going to seriously compete with clubs who had league and cup games and the pleasure hopes rebranding pitched their wits against the Old Firm etc less can lift what was of Hall and Georgeson regularly filling the than a year earlier. The aim every season was to known as the onion bag. get into the top six and stay out of the bottom First Division in five. In those days the whole league (the Old Firm Scotland upwards) was structured in two divisions of Fast forward to 2013. Once again the 18 team about 18 teams, funnily called the First and bottom league was on the table and within a Second Divisions. The season always started pen stroke of becoming a reality. Sure there with the League Cup, where four teams were some differences, play offs replaced the competed in a mini league, home and away, for top six qualification, but really it was 1973 all a place in the quarter finals. The groups always over again. For someone who could remember included a “big” team, Hearts and St Mirren the old set up the proposal was met with where two that came to Shielfield. The only bewilderment, it wasn’t great then so why was it exception was Group 9, the group of slow death, such a good idea now? And how was that going where the bottom five teams from the Second to change the ills of Scottish football? That Division the season before competed against question was never asked never mind answered. each other to qualify for a play off against one of Admittedly, back in the 1970s Scotland could Consequently, throughout the second half of the pound just because their local football club the other group winners. They invariably lost. boast the likes of Law, Dalglish and Souness. the season we all turned up wondering the couldn’t run their businesses correctly? But we also had power cuts, sugar and bread game we were about to witness held any value. The other issue for Berwick (we were never shortages and Gary Glitter. The chaos did nothing for the credibility of the The last six months reminded me of that film going to win the league) was a top six finish. game. Surely any sponsor would think twice about the air crash in the Andes. Everyone This achievement gave us direct entry into the The truth of the matter is that league about the wisdom of being associated with was in the same situation and needed to work Scottish Cup 3rd round for the following season. reconstruction on its own is not going to lead something that appeared so fractious. together to work towards overcoming a dire Thereby avoiding the possibility of a Highland to the promised land and the emergence of crisis. However division and self-interest became League banana skin. That year we actually the talents available to the Scottish managers For clubs like ours it has always been a hand prevalent. Except in our case the climate will finished sixth. We led the league for a little while of the 1970s. This is only a part of the solution to mouth existence and it is to our board’s only get colder and the rescue party (the EPL but the power of Kilmarnock and Airdrie, who but I wonder that when we get back to credit that this year, with the help of the or the Champions League) only has space for playing football, will there be as much drive to Rangers’ matches, we are likely to turn in a third two. What next? Eat the weak? Ridiculous? Ask implement a proper thought out strategy for profitable year in a row with a bank balance well the supporters of Clydebank and Meadowbank the whole game? Or is it just about money? into the black.