KL Forum Closed...

[wishingwells]

Ripped from the HBFC Supporters Forum -

Due to outrageous, libelous and unfounded comments in print, in Saturdays programme I have no alternative, as a protest close the forum.

Yes this is childish and selfish. Its a protest against this club and I will urge all supporters of all clubs to converge on Herne Bay and say what they think. The KLForum has been clear of personal abuse for a long while and its all because I did not want this. If it is to re-open then its up to the Chairman and Secretary to come forward and say sorry. Stephen McCartney has pulled his coverage of the matter after I pointed out that those accusations had not been proven and although Baz was not mentioned you can see who it is....and again you can be sued.

At no point in any of my posts have I mentioned the Chairman of Herne Bay...I have had run ins with the Secretary over the ref's forum, which in the end got sorted and apologies where given both ways. In my view whats said on the forum stays on the forum (within reason) for the Chairman to put his libelous comments and name me in PRINT is outrageous. I have tried to contact both the Chairman and Secretary to seek to resolve this but have had no reply.

What happens now away from here and on here is down to the Chairman, I will not be treated in the manner that your Chairman has treated me

A.Kidby

Who says the Kent League isn't entertaining?!

[Sir Chopper]

Am I thick or is anyone else finding it hard to discover exactly who has said what to whom, and why?

I guess ultimately it makes no odds to us... but it certainly adds to the reasons I'd really like to see this club get out of this league into a slightly bigger/better one.

It's all feeling a little claustrophobic in the Kent League, and not just because you have every chance of playing one of its sides five times in a season.

[wishingwells]

Apr 22, 2009 9:44:51 GMT @Sir Chopper said:

it certainly adds to the reasons I'd really like to see this club get out of this league into a slightly bigger/better one.

Amen to that. I'd even take the Sussex League over the Kent League at the moment.

[KLF]

I think you need to see the programme first to know why things have escalated. It wasnt just Twinny but Richard Baines and Barry Tracy that got Libelled. Richard Baines is busy behind the scenes and Twinny is more in your face, but he is standing up for himself against alot of untruths, I think we all would if it actually went to printagainst us and was untrue . As he said in his statement, whats said on a forum in the main stays on the forum, once it goes to print its a different matter.

L.

[wishingwells]

Seems the spat has made it into the local press.

The following is an article from thisiskent.co.uk -

A WAR of words has broken out at Winch's Field after Herne Bay chairman John Bathurst openly criticised certain supporters who post comments on the fans' forum.

In particular he singled out Barry Tracy, who posts under the name Baz.

Bathurst, in his programme notes for Saturday's home game against Sevenoaks Town, launched an extraordinary tirade, directed mostly at Tracy.

In it, he wrote: "Baz assures everyone on the forum that he has loads of players telling him that they will be leaving en-bloc if we keep Barry (Morgan) as the manager.
Click here!

"What amazes me is how Baz knows what the club are doing next season."

Bathurst, who has been club chairman for a decade, continued: "I find it very frustrating, when as chairman I try to do the very best for Herne Bay FC, but all the time the complete negativity and c**p that he (Baz) personally puts on the forum makes me wonder why I do it."

Bathurst ends his programme notes by announcing his intention to step down as chairman, a decision he later reversed.

"I'm staying," he told the Times. "The reason I announced I was going was that I got so fed up with the continual criticism, of Barry Morgan, tactics and the team.

"I decided I would make a stand.

"But I got hundreds of emails from people backing me, and that show of support made me change my mind, that and the fact that if I jacked it in Herne Bay would fold."

But Tracy has defended himself and says he was taken aback by the tone of Bathurst's editorial.

"I have no vendetta against John," he said.

"But in my opinion he picked the wrong manager in Barry Morgan.

"We should have won the league this season with the squad we have."

Tracy has been a Bay supporter since 1970 and follows them home and away.

He is the moderator of the Bay fans' forum, formerly connected to the official Bay FC website but now independent.

It has been suggested that control of the website is returned to the club.

However Tracy and several other regular posters fear this would lead to censoring of their comments.

Ironically it was the club who suggested that the forum was run independently in the first place.

There will now be two Herne Bay forums, the current independent site and one linked to the official club website.

Bathurst said: "We don't mind constructive criticism, people can have their say.

"But we will not tolerate people getting abusive, that's what started all of this trouble."

Bay play their last game of the season on Saturday when they travel to play Faversham in what should be a lively Kent derby.

A win for Barry Morgan's side could see them clinch a third place finish.

Full article here.

[aaklf]

WILL be reopen hopefully in next 24hrs

KLF new Admin