Fan's View Fan's View 23/24 - No.8 - Fleetwood away

[Paul B]

Fan's View 23/24 - No.8 - Fleetwood away

 

[foghorn]

Great piece. But by god I miss that hedge.

 

[Manorlounger]

Thanks, as always Paul, for another good read. Particularly emphasise with the flower section. When we bought our current house, some 3 years ago, Mrs L was insistent on getting the garden done. A monumental job given the quality of soil (clay) and the detritus left by the builders - all normal according to the landscapers employed. A not insignificant sum was spent on landscaping, planting, lawns, trees etc. The results are wonderful and, as is the way with gardens, never going to be a finished task. And, of course, we are both season ticket holders and travel to a large number of away games. Does that make us not typical football fans?

Your wildflower display is, indeed, a marvelous sight. Well done!

 

[m]

I've got nothing against wild flower gardens but wonder if the hedge is the right place for one?

 

[Colin B]

Good report, as usual, Paul.

Incredible to think that Saturday was the first time ever that we haven't had to endure Captain Pugwash being played! I do find another irritating thing about Fleetwood being the continued absence of an away following being published by them. I've seen one site saying 450 as an estimate, but it looked far more than that to me?

BTW, I've already started on the Exeter financial report, as I've got a lot of material that should, hopefully, make for an interesting read.

 

[SteMerritt]

BTW, I've already started on the Exeter financial report, as I've got a lot of material that should, hopefully, make for an interesting read.

Looking forward to this one. From the outside Exeter look like a really well-run club. I believe it is fan-owned? They appear to have a transfer model very similar to our own, find bargains, nurture them and sell on for a profit.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Wildflower meadows, then. I've worked on sowing, maintaining and harvesting wild flowers, and as part of a team have created a couple in the last 4 years.

I think you're beating FoSB with the wrong stick. The viability of a patch of wild flowers depends on maintenance and access, plus harvesting to a smaller extent. Maintenance is mainly to do with protecting the perimeter and having the right limited grazing that will enrich the soil without trampling the plants. You cannot have humans wandering about; it's that simple - they'll crush the plants and scare away the fauna. This statement from FoSB is, I agree, a half-truth - " The wild flower meadow at the south of the site is also unrealistic. The footfall will be too great for it to survive." The truth is that if access is permitted the meadow won't work. You also don't create a meadow by moving earth around.


As to your rather fine mini-meadow. It doesn't look like you have much footfall. I couldn't understand whether your once-a-year man had seeded it (I think not) but the lack of nutrients is beneficial since it stops some of the plants you don't want while many wild flowers (the ones whose seeds are dormant in the soil or blow in) like poor soil. For god's sake don't 'improve' the soil.

I hold no candle for FoSB, their substitution of a sylvan natural reserve for contaminated land and much of their behaviour is pretty despicable. They're scumbags.

I read and enjoy your reports and find them an excellent description of the matches, plus a key link to the supporting experience. May we and our wildflowers flourish.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

I do find another irritating thing about Fleetwood being the continued absence of an away following being published by them. I've seen one site saying 450 as an estimate, but it looked far more than that to me?

When I bought mine I was told that we had sold the initial 600 allocation and had just received another batch literally two minutes before I showed up, which my ticket was coming from, and that was before it was made pay on the day for good measure.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Looking forward to this one. From the outside Exeter look like a really well-run club. I believe it is fan-owned?

Some history. They own it. Nice club, in the city centre.

 

[Colin B]

Looking forward to this one. From the outside Exeter look like a really well-run club. I believe it is fan-owned? They appear to have a transfer model very similar to our own, find bargains, nurture them and sell on for a profit.

Yes, they have a fan owned model, and a really interesting story of how they arrived at it. Some pretty impressive numbers too.

That's all your getting for now. You wouldn't get JK Rowling giving you her next storyline in advance!!!

 

[MarkG]

As to your rather fine mini-meadow. It doesn't look like you have much footfall. I couldn't understand whether your once-a-year man had seeded it (I think not) but the lack of nutrients is beneficial since it stops some of the plants you don't want while many wild flowers (the ones whose seeds are dormant in the soil or blow in) like poor soil. For god's sake don't 'improve' the soil.

Whilst they might be wildflowers, the sheer variety of types doesn't look like they just blew in on the wind so did the once-a-year man have a helping hand, which still fits with the "Not a single seed sown by us". Or perhaps there was very conscientious weeding to take out undesired species?

I've mentioned before, but on the North Downs near Guildford, Surrey Wildlife Trust and local residents with a key investor bought 37 acres of farmers fields which had been grazing land, to be returned to chalk grassland as a nature reserve. One of the fields is completely closed to the public, and the second has two access routes through the meadow as well as a path around the boundary. They are bringing in belted galloway cattle for grazing, but extra work is required to get rid of brambles etc.

 

[Paul Cannell]

Yes. Good point.

Anyway, my last word on this. I went for a walk this morning and spotted these:



A bit of Knapp Weed (the light purple stuff), 2 heads of wild carrot and some yarrow still flowering. This bit of land used to be strimmered regularly to 'keep it neat' till a couple of years ago. Somebody seeded it, there's Ox-eye daisy and not much yellow rattle in season plus other stuff (e.g. thriving fleabane). There are adders and crickets, lots of butterflies this year and the occasional flock of finches harvesting seeds. This land isn't grazed (there's a cliff on one side, unfenced), it wasn't prepared (the ground wasn't scoured to loosen grass before seeding) and it's not maintained - the only cutting is to mow a strip for the public footpath.

The points:

Wildflowers can survive a lot. If the land was mown at the end of the year, and there'd been more rattle (it's parasitic on grasses and clear space for other plants) the results would be better. There's very little walking done off the path.

The crickets & adders are from adjacent wild spaces so I doubt either would make it into the Triangle if they're not there now. Birds and flying creatures will. Provided people don't walk all over it, and better the less the underlying ground is disturbed. How well it works is a choice.

 

[Paul B]

Wildflower meadows, then. I've worked on sowing, maintaining and harvesting wild flowers, and as part of a team have created a couple in the last 4 years.

I think you're beating FoSB with the wrong stick. The viability of a patch of wild flowers depends on maintenance and access, plus harvesting to a smaller extent. Maintenance is mainly to do with protecting the perimeter and having the right limited grazing that will enrich the soil without trampling the plants. You cannot have humans wandering about; it's that simple - they'll crush the plants and scare away the fauna. This statement from FoSB is, I agree, a half-truth - " The wild flower meadow at the south of the site is also unrealistic. The footfall will be too great for it to survive." The truth is that if access is permitted the meadow won't work. You also don't create a meadow by moving earth around.


As to your rather fine mini-meadow. It doesn't look like you have much footfall. I couldn't understand whether your once-a-year man had seeded it (I think not) but the lack of nutrients is beneficial since it stops some of the plants you don't want while many wild flowers (the ones whose seeds are dormant in the soil or blow in) like poor soil. For god's sake don't 'improve' the soil.

I hold no candle for FoSB, their substitution of a sylvan natural reserve for contaminated land and much of their behaviour is pretty despicable. They're scumbags.

I read and enjoy your reports and find them an excellent description of the matches, plus a key link to the supporting experience. May we and our wildflowers flourish.

Paul my main point was to show football fans do like wild flowers. And correct ours don't get walked on.
Also I can assure you no one seeded it. Unless someone threw some seeds over the wall when we were not looking.
I'm learning stuff here. Wild flowers like poor soil. Didn't know that.

 

[TailsWeWin]

We went to Strawberry Gardens, as did a handful of away fans. Having had a ridiculously cheap pint or two at another pub In Fleetwood (I forget which) last year, I was surprised at the price of this (very decent) one. Over £4:50 must be some reflection of the general rise in prices over the last year.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

We had a Bee Orchid pop up in the middle of our front garden earlier this year, during No-Mow May.

 

[MarkG]

Paul my main point was to show football fans do like wild flowers. And correct ours don't get walked on.
Also I can assure you no one seeded it. Unless someone threw some seeds over the wall when we were not looking.
I'm learning stuff here. Wild flowers like poor soil. Didn't know that.

Perhaps they were long dormant seeds ? Your garden doesn't look like a newbuild where they bring in a load of topsoil for the garden, so perhaps a reminder of whatever the land was before.