I want this issue taken further.

[DTS]

I am sick of recieveing texts and emails from people asking what went on & callings us all sorts of names.

I am seats away from Fat Maher & nothing happended other than the same abuse any keeper would take. I even recall Fat Maher clapping him as he came towards the goal. Hardly the actions of a racist.

Ricketts cant seem to make his mind up about what section of the ground called him what and indeed if it was one person of lots.

I hate the way he makes up this load of crap just to cover his total lack of professionalism.  He is dragging our previously good name through the mud and is blatently lying.

Now even National Newspapers are branding us a racist club. Hardly good for players like JCR,Smith,Goat etc is it.

Can we not do something - IE Petition FA, Write to Uncle Ron demanding an appolgy from Bradford.

Pig Sick !!  

 

[hexagon_sun]

Agreed - it's got totally out of hand and I'm worried about the negative effect it's having on the club/supporters.

 

[Jai]

The biggest problem here is evidence.

We cannot prove there was no racist abuse handed out. Equally, Ricketts cannot prove there was. Ricketts has been proven to be an unreliable witness after his lies about the gesture, so it would seem as though we are in the right.

However, the media will only want to play on the racism "scandal" and therefore although its our word against Ricketts and there is no proof of anything, the mass hysteria in this country means his point of view gets the headlines, and unfortunately mud sticks.

Even if the club was cleared and Ricketts apologises (which won't happen), it won't get into the papers, because it's not big news and doesn't sell papers.

Sorry to rain on everyone's parade but there really is no point in shouting from the rooftops about it because the society we live in has selective hearing. To be honest, we are never going to win this one. We may as well let it blow over, in a couple of days we will all be talking about something else.

 

[ldnfatso]

Quote[/b] (Dave the Shrimper @ Dec. 15 2005,12:37)]I am sick of recieveing texts and emails from people asking what went on & callings us all sorts of names.

I am seats away from Fat Maher & nothing happended other than the same abuse any keeper would take. I even recall Fat Maher clapping him as he came towards the goal. Hardly the actions of a racist.

Ricketts cant seem to make his mind up about what section of the ground called him what and indeed if it was one person of lots.

I hate the way he makes up this load of crap just to cover his total lack of professionalism.  He is dragging our previously good name through the mud and is blatently lying.

Now even National Newspapers are branding us a racist club. Hardly good for players like JCR,Smith,Goat etc is it.

Can we not do something - IE Petition FA, Write to Uncle Ron demanding an appolgy from Bradford.

Pig Sick !!  

DTS is right here. We should not just sit here and allow our club to be tarnished as racists. I personally do not want to be associated with racists and iam sure the rest of the fans and indeed the Club and Trust agree with me on this. Unless the Club takes action against the people making these currently unfounded accusations our club risks being associated with this filfth forever more. A lack of reaction will also do the same irrepairable damage.

 

[Guest]

I know Nick, and i dont think he would be the kinda geeza to shout racist abuse!

This whole thing is being blown out of proportion...

 

[Firestorm]

Imagine what would be happening if a fan had said that Ricketts had verbally abused him. A quick ask of those around the insulted fan reveals no one else heard anything. It would be dismissed as a disgruntled fan trying to be petty.

Anyone from Rotherham fancy trying it on Saturday ??

 

[shooter mcgavin]

Quote[/b] (Firestorm @ Dec. 15 2005,13:14)]Imagine what would be happening if a fan had said that Ricketts had verbally abused him. A quick ask of those around the insulted fan reveals no one else heard anything. It would be dismissed as a disgruntled fan trying to be petty.

Anyone from Rotherham fancy trying it on Saturday ??

Wouldn't be worth it.....Ricketts is suspended on saturday!!

I agree wholeheartedly with DtS here. We've have had nothing but grief bestowed upon our club after this sorry affair. sh!t sticks I'm afraid - the various lies and untruths that have been spouted not only from Ricketts but more worringly Colin Todd could do our club irrepairable damage.

I for one would hope that this sorry incident isn't merely brushed under the carpet and that Uncle Ron holds firm and demands a full and frank apology from Mr Ricketts, Mr Todd and Bradford City. Then and ONLY THEN, would I ever contemplate dropping this.

The "Kick It Out" campaign has been an undoubted success and has built many bridges towards eliminating racism from our game. I find it a despicable and cowardly act that this buffoon and his equally cretinous manager have chosen to hide behind this as a smokescreen to hide Rickett's gross stupidy and unprofessionalism.

I can't deny that he was goaded by the fans calling him a cheat and a w***er, but Windass received as much, if not more grief and laughed it off with banter back with the fans.....exactly the way that Ricketts should have handled it.

Our club cannot afford for the good work that has been built attract new generations of fans and families to the club to be tarnished. For this reason alone our club should continue to fight this injustice.

Gav

 

[sufcinwhistler]

This whole thing seems very surprising. I remember not so long ago when the majority of our team was coloured. Surely if you are a racist then it wouldn't bother you which team the coloured player is playing for. I presume that Ricketts now doesn't think the abuse came from teh West stand and, presumably, the family stand as first seemed to be claimed.

Colin Todd should know better. Back your players but don't start banding it around as fact for God's sake.

 

[stickyboy]

the whole think stinks - he tried to get out of his actions by playing the race card. The black players of the past who did get abused would be insulted bit time by this.

 

[blues_r_best]

Maybe we should try and get the Kick It Out campaign on our side by emailing them and telling them what is happening, I'm sure they would be interested in knowing that a black player is abusing what good work they have done in the past by playing the racism card to get away with his own stupidity.

 

[Xàbia Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (blues_r_best @ Dec. 17 2005,11:07)]Maybe we should try and get the Kick It Out campaign on our side by emailing them and telling them what is happening, I'm sure they would be interested in knowing that a black player is abusing what good work they have done in the past by playing the racism card to get away with his own stupidity.

I don't know what they might make of it at the moment as it seems Bradford City have got their first to give their seriously distorted version of events from last Saturday.

From the Kick It Out! campaign website, dated Monday 12 December:

Bradford City will learn today if goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts will be free to play in tomorrow's FA Cup replay after being sent off at Southend United on Saturday when he was the victim of alleged racist abuse.The Jamaican international was dismissed by referee Paul Armstrong for incitement a minute after City had scored in the League One match at Roots Hall, which finished 1-1. But Essex police later confirmed a fan behind the goal had been arrested for comments made earlier to Ricketts ... John Pollard [secretary of Bradford City] explained: "Donovan had gone down injured and had been verbally abused by a supporter behind the goal. He then just swung his arm from left to right and turned his back on them in that first incident. Then when we scored he just raised his index finger and was then sent off on the advice of an assistant referee as the referee was in the other goalmouth. There is no place for racist abuse in football but to be fair to Essex police and the Southend supporters, they got hold of the man and he was arrested." Bradford manager Colin Todd was so incensed by the dismissal that he was ordered from the dugout. "Donovan had been getting a lot of racial abuse and we were the ones punished for it," he said. "We're supposed to be kicking racism out of football because it is totally unacceptable."

WS
Jávea

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Jai @ Dec. 15 2005,12:42)]The biggest problem here is evidence.

We cannot prove there was no racist abuse handed out. Equally, Ricketts cannot prove there was. Ricketts has been proven to be an unreliable witness after his lies about the gesture, so it would seem as though we are in the right.

Innocent until proven guilty.

 

[Desert Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Xàbia Shrimper @ Dec. 17 2005,11:24)]

Quote[/b] (blues_r_best @ Dec. 17 2005,11:07)]Maybe we should try and get the Kick It Out campaign on our side by emailing them and telling them what is happening, I'm sure they would be interested in knowing that a black player is abusing what good work they have done in the past by playing the racism card to get away with his own stupidity.

I don't know what they might make of it at the moment as it seems Bradford City have got their first to give their seriously distorted version of events from last Saturday.

From the Kick It Out! campaign website, dated Monday 12 December:

Bradford City will learn today if goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts will be free to play in tomorrow's FA Cup replay after being sent off at Southend United on Saturday when he was the victim of alleged racist abuse.The Jamaican international was dismissed by referee Paul Armstrong for incitement a minute after City had scored in the League One match at Roots Hall, which finished 1-1. But Essex police later confirmed a fan behind the goal had been arrested for comments made earlier to Ricketts ... John Pollard [secretary of Bradford City] explained: "Donovan had gone down injured and had been verbally abused by a supporter behind the goal. He then just swung his arm from left to right and turned his back on them in that first incident. Then when we scored he just raised his index finger and was then sent off on the advice of an assistant referee as the referee was in the other goalmouth. There is no place for racist abuse in football but to be fair to Essex police and the Southend supporters, they got hold of the man and he was arrested." Bradford manager Colin Todd was so incensed by the dismissal that he was ordered from the dugout. "Donovan had been getting a lot of racial abuse and we were the ones punished for it," he said. "We're supposed to be kicking racism out of football because it is totally unacceptable."

WS
Jávea

AMAZING! Well anyone black out there knows how to get out of a spot of bother. Reach for the race card and even if nobody else hears it except you....just lie and you'll be fine.

This whole situation stinks and I would like to know what the club is doing about it.