ANGER was the overwhelming emotion at Brunton Park on Tuesday night as Carlisle United slumped further towards seemingly-inevitable relegation, writes ROGER WILLIAMS. Disenchanted fans stuffed season tickets down toilets after seeing United lose 1-0 to Grimsby in an ill-tempered encounter. A 34-year-old man who ran on to the pitch to confront the referee after the award of a debatable penalty was arrested and charged with pitch invasion and common assault.
There were chants of "Knighton out" and "Sack the board" from sections of the crowd. Around 50 fans staged a sit-in protest against the management regime in the Warwick Road End after a result which left United all but mathematically certain to be relegated.
There was anger too from chairman Michael Knighton, who missed the game. He used the centre pages of Tuesday's match programme to launch a stinging attack on his critics in the local press whom he has accused of dangerously undermining the club with "irresponsible rantings". In a 2,700 word article, he accused journalists of inciting United fans to boycott games, stage sit-ins or walk-outs and to chant "vindictive" abuse. Knighton claimed: "Their subtle calls for a mass boycott of games serve only to threaten the very existence of your football club. These irresponsible rantings threaten to kill the very football club these columnists claim to support." He went on to say: "Indeed, it is these childlike columnists who are in grave danger of DESTROYING your club for all time."
But in a phone poll conducted in our sister newspaper, The News and Star, the overwhelming majority of the 414 supporters who registered their views rejected his criticism. Some 377 fans (91% of those who voted) said Knighton was to blame for Carlisle United's present plight, while just 37 (9%) blamed the press. Knighton said "That is entirely predictable. It's what I expected and it is precisely the reverse of the statistics from our own letters which have come in."
Editorial Comment
It has been a week of great disappointment for Carlisle United fans. The last flickering hopes of survival in Division Two were all but doused in the 1-0 defeat by Grimsby.
The euphoria of a year ago has been replaced by sad resignation among fans who feel short-changed. In some cases on Tuesday this boiled up into angry chants and the stuffing of season tickets down the Brunton Park toilets.
We can't help feeling that the Michael Knighton of old would have used this difficult period to try and rekindle the dreams of the supporters. It was always what he was best at.
Instead, United's chairman chose to use the match programme to launch a lengthy attack on the local Press.
We remind Mr Knighton of the opening lines of his article: "When a football club has had/is having a difficult season, it is inevitable the press will be there to voice critical opinion. That is the way it should be."
Soccer Fans everywhere will recognise that much. They will also have connected with his references to soccer as an incitement to raw passion.
From then on, however, most readers would have been lost in a mazy dribble of Chris Waddle type proportions as Mr Knighton likened himself to the "Anti-Christ" ad journalists to New Titans.
United fans don't want such negative posturing. Like them, we yearn for a successful Carlisle United and will offer constructive opinion on how best this can be achieved.
Right now, that means urging the sillier fans not to invade the pitch during the game with York tomorrow, welcoming the team's new golden away strip and most of all by setting new goals for next season.
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