Disproportionate coverage of Quakers' demise (From The Northern Echo)

Disproportionate coverage of Quakers' demise

2:49pm Wednesday 22nd February 2012 in Letters

YOUR otherwise excellent newspaper devotes disproportionate space to the interminably boring story of the demise of Darlington Football Club. The very term is an oxymoron – “Darlington” and “football” are clearly incompatible terms since the town has not sported a recognisable team in living memory.

Saturday’s Echo (Feb 18) was typical. Page two was devoted to a ludicrously overblown account of the dismal attempt by the club to raise money. Barely 200 people have coughed up a total of £20,000 – clearly, interest in the club is negligible.

Unabashed by this shameless nonsense, page three was devoted to a non-story about three men who walked into the Quakers’ ground and posted footage of this “outrage” onto the internet. Absurdly, the Darlington MP Jenny Chapman, finds time to waste and declare the three malfeasants should turn up with tickets on Saturday and double the size of the crowd.

Turning over, full page coverage is given to Quakers’ forthcoming match that day against Alfreton Town (who?) at the Impact Arena (where?) and after serious analysis is given to this battle of the midgets (Darlo were later thrashed 3-1) two further pages are devoted to the totally inconsequential matter of whether ex-manager Mark Cooper is owed a few thousand pounds.

Oh dear.

Get yourselves along the A66 and watch a decently run club at work. Hartlepool thrashed Notts County 3-0 last weekend and will give you a very warm welcome.

Rob Meggs, Hartlepool.