Callous of club to give us the boot

May 21 2008

How angry I was to read of the demise of Hamilton Accies social club and the comments made by Colin McGowan, chief executive of Hamilton Accies Stadium Company.

Who are you, Mr McGowan, to suddenly come along and tell us the needs of the club have to come first? Where were you when the club nearly went to the wall a few years ago?

You were nowhere to be seen because there was no money to be made. There is now, and the money men move in and cast aside the very people who have the needs of the club in their hearts.

I have been an Accies’ supporter for 50 years and a social club member for 20 of those years. I never thought I would see the day when the ordinary fans would be cast aside without consultation, just as if they never existed.

The Mr McGowans of this world only surface when there’s money to be made and everything in the garden looks rosy. Over the years I have seen the same thing happen to St Mirren, Dunfermline and Kilmarnock. The social clubs were closed and stadium management put in the type of people they want to attract to the club — the Hooray Henrys.

I will look into the club on match days to see if I am right. Maybe you will introduce yourself, Mr McGowan. I will be the one with the red and white scarf on.

Willie McPhee, Ratho Park, Meikle Earnock, Hamilton.