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Star man banned from Prostar
Tuesday 28th October 2008, 11:50AM GMT.
Calling all budding sports writers . . . The Shropshire Star’s Shrewsbury Town reporter James Garrison has been banned from the club’s Prostar Stadium after an article about the club appeared in Friday’s newspaper.
James – who has been covering Shrewsbury Town home and away for the past four seasons – was banned following a meeting with the club’s managing director Rob Bickerton and general manager Jon Harris yesterday.
The author of the article – senior reporter Russell Roberts – has also been banned from the stadium.
As James is the Shropshire Star’s Shrewsbury Town correspondent, the club’s action means the Shropshire Star will be unable to cover tonight’s League Two game against Barnet.
Mr Bickerton requested a meeting with James and Russell after declaring the club was unhappy with a story headlined “Club bosses reveal more fans ejected from ground” which appeared on the front page of Friday’s Shropshire Star.
As a result of the ban, the Shropshire Star is giving you, the fans, the chance to turn your hand at sports reporting.
The Shropshire Star wants to know your views on the match and give you the chance to get them into print.
All you have to do is email them to sportsdesk@shropshirestar.co.uk
All reports will be considered and the best will appear in tomorrow’s newspaper.
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What happend to the free speach ?, it’s totally unfair to be banned for something the club does’nt like.
Come on Rob and Jon, you can do it better.
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The Shropshire Star and Shrewsbury Town should be working together and publishing stories both are happy with.
Some things dont need to be published…
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Cant say that anything I read in the Shropshire Star would be missed. Lets face it some of the headlines and news stories aboutSTFC you come up with are just laughable. I will continue to read the match reports on line on the clubs website.
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Good job Jonathon Ross wasnt the reporter
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Typical STFC – throwing their toys out of their pram as usual. Tell me, are the council officials allowed back in yet?
Still plenty of room at the Bucks Head for Journalists and Council officials alike. :)
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Will they pay my admission and some money for a few pints? ;-)
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Free speech is out of the window at the prostar that one reason so many have been ejected, if I was a director or shareholder of the newspaper then I would like to see how Shrewsbury Town would cope without the media exposure they require to attract fans to games!!!
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Very unfortunate, perhaps Mr Bikerton should eject himself from STFC?
Please knock their heads together wise My Wycherley.
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There is no smoke without fire. The club must have a very good reason to eject these individuals.
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I am glad somebody takes action against spectators behaving badly. Keep up the good work STFC. Mr Garrison won’t be missed.
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Firstly I think the paper made a mistake by putting the article on the front page because when people see a head line on the front page of a paper about people being removed from football grounds it is automatically linked to fighting or hooligans not the fact people wont sit down on there back sides so other people can watch the game. Maybe a different head line and by putting the article in sports section of the paper may it may have made a difference.
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This ban is absolutely stupid and syptomatic of the Stalinist tendencies at a lot of football clubs.
How much free publicity has The Shropshire Star given the club over all these years?
If the story was wrong then the club should demand a correction and leave it at that. To ban somebody in a society which supposedly values a free press and free speech is just plain wrong. What an overreaction.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. What recourse have the fans got if we don’t like Bickerton is doing?
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Who actually cares?
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‘Mr Bickerton requested a meeting with James and Russell after declaring the club was unhappy with a story headlined “Club bosses reveal more fans ejected from ground” which appeared on the front page of Friday’s Shropshire Star.’
…..so what was it about the story that the club was unhappy about?
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Mr Bickerton is doing a good job and the shropshire star and Denis would not be missed.This is doing the shropshire star no good what so ever.
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I notice that you have dleted the article theefore denying people the chance to read it!!
Naughty, naughty play fair and then be judged
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Why would you want to cover their games anyway???
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Were you ejected for falling asleep…yaawwwnnnnn!!!
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They always say football is the wonderfull game controled by not very wonderful pepole. This shows how the directors of STFC are not in the real world. To ban the press is shooting yourself in the foot. Silly little boys !!!
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Pathetic.If every Football club acted like STFC their would be no coverage at all of football matches.Grow up Rob Bickerton and Jon Harris.If the article wasn’t true ask for an apology,if it was true then take the criticism.You’re punishing the reading public the chance to read match reports.
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Have STFC consulted with their shirt sponsors who pay a lot of money for exposure and it’s them that’ll lose out!
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STFU have become a corporate bully. “Print and be damned” and damn them too, their anti-social behaviour to the town. What a sad position to be in. Footall is no longer a sport if this is a good example of it – remove it from the Olympics.
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No photographs of club sponosors.
= No sponsors.
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What have Bickerton and Harris got to hide. I don’t like either of them personally and I’m not happy with the positions they hold at the club. Perhaps there’s more to this than meets the eye. Time will tell.
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Lucy W..The 5000 who attend matches each way care, silly girl. Unfortunatly, as per normal all the facts are needed. Im sure STFC have their reasons, it is interesting that the Star aren’t complaining to much. Are they feeling guilty ? Come on both side, gives us the facts !
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I am not suprised they have banned them,this paper has a history of having a go at the club,why is it always on the front page.
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Virgil said: Oct 28th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Have STFC consulted with their shirt sponsors who pay a lot of money for exposure and it’s them that’ll lose out!
What planet are you on? – everytime the name of the stadium is printed Prostar get mentioned, everytime a picture is published to accompany the story I’m sure Greenhous will be seen.
Read the story and understand the facts before printing pointless nonsense
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Not sure what message this sends out around the County, STFC are the Premier Sporting Club in all Sports around the County and therefore should be role models. Selective publicity only comes with a relationship breakdown. Perhaps this has been coming.
Glad i’m an AFC fan tonight …..
Can’t see what STFC will gain from this stance…
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At this rate they’re gonig to run out of people NOT banned from the Prostar. Seem to be on an ego trip where you disagree and you’re gone. Plenty of room here at the Bucks Head for all of you though. :)
Just when I thought STFC’s days of throwing the toys out of the pram had gone with Gary Peters. Same old Shrewsbury….
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I never thought that the Shrews would be tarred by the same brush as Alex Ferguson, Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp who couldn’t stand criticism by the BBC and won’t be interviewed by them.
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This does seem a bit of an overreaction by STFC
BUT the Shropshire Star is hardly in a position to complain about free speech given the amount of unreasonable censorship that they wield over these Have Your Say comments!
SS – Now you know what its like when the boot is on the other foot!
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Garrison is a leg-end.
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The story that was published was in no way derogatory toward STFC and was only what was highlighted during the fans forum, which they were only to happy to talk about then. This move to ban the two reporters is a shocker and totally bizzare. It will clearly damage the rep of Bickerton and Harris, and ultimatley the club. Big own goal and they have made themselves look very petty indeed.
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Exactly what do Town take exception to? Please say – although even if you do it probably will not be in the paper to inform the rest of us. Perhaps the two banned reporters were guilty of standing up! Oh and in most papers it was relegated to page 5. Grow up Shrewsbury.
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come on town management sort yourselves out and soon
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What a shame for local supporters who do not have internet access to see online reports of games and cannot afford the prices STFC charge for admission. I listen on Radio Shropshire but how long before they too get banned for saying something the club don’t like. Shame on you STFC
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Any chance they could ban Glyn Garner from the Prostar while they’re at it?
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Bickerton and Harris’ plans are to make examples of those who enjoy themselves. The poor stewards are the henchmen.
We need results, consistantly. If Bickerton’s and Harris’ plans are to eject people just because, good, because we won’t come back. Consider that so called General Managers!
BICKERTON, MACCLESFIELD IS UP BY CHESTER AND RIGHT A BIT, NOT ‘ERE SUNSHINE!
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SID – I don’t quite know what you mean. I agree with you about Mr Bickerton doing a good job. You seem to agree with what I say about the Shropshire Star and then take a rude backhanded swipe at me. WHY???
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may be you all should read the stament on the s.t.f.c website
http://www.shrewsburytown.com
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Sorry Bob it doesn’t actually say what it was that they took exception to?
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life is too short for this spat, sort it pronto town and any more results at home like last night don’t need a report. stop being so ruddy sensitive bickerton and get the show back on the road and squad another 7 goal fest please to give the star something to talk about. in short bickerton pathetic!!
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very interesting comment and explanation on the club website as to why the 2 “reporters” are no longer welcome.
With the comment, “Whilst the club has removed the press rights of the two journalists, it does not prevent other reporters from the Shropshire Star attending games and having full access to club officials.”
Thus it is the individuals who are banned, not the newspaper.
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Rpt Barrington-Black, I think you have highlighted the key point in this whole issue. It may well be that the club is totally justified in its action.
We do not know what conversations may have been had between the individuals concerned and the club following publication of the article.
Action has now been taken, we should now move on.
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This is too silly for words. The club needs the Star and vice versa.
I haven’t seen the offending article (and can’t find it online – has the Star withdrawn it?) What nobody needs is petulant reaction to any criticism. Free speech anyone???
Bad move STFC – makes you look like you’re run by control freaks. Sort it out now – if and when it hits the nationals you’ll look stupid.
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It’s just a game!
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If the paper prints the comments by the reporters then the paper supports the comments by the reporters as its’ not, that I’ve seen, printed a statement that it doesn’t necessarily agree with the views of the reporters.
Sorry but that’s a lot of words to support the question, what has the club got against these individuals if they don’t ban the newspaper? (as the paper must agree with the statements.. see above).
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Its is not the paper that is banned!!!
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Get Russell Mulford to come out of retirement! Pathetic action by STFC. Good luck to AFC vs Southend by the way
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What exactly are STFC objecting to?
The report only contained information that was in the public domain having been reported at the supporters forum, presumably Shropshire Radio will now be banned for broadcasting the forum verbatim.
Very petty on behalf of the Town.
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shut up and sit down
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Obviously Denis thinks the club can do no wrong.
Is not the fact that the UK is proud of free speech. Is this not a point to be looked at. Banning Press, councillors, who next the away team can’t have them scoring goals against the town can we.
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oh great so the star can send round the reporters who report on local dog shows and whist drives, come on bickerton time to forgive and forget or move on
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good for stfc, you rag writers should show more honour for the town
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In other news, Mrs Digby-Stigby of 55 Acacia Road has been fined £1,000 and given 200 hours community service for aggravated littering after her Yorkshire Terrier, Rigby, vomited involuntarily 300 millilitres of bile on a local patch of weed infested public open space that no-one uses.
“There was nothing I could do”, she claimed. “Rigby has never been in kennels so he must have caught it from another dog or it’s owner”.
Local residents, however, called for the sentence to be increased claiming that, “More should be done to target these irresponsible dog owners”, and, “Something must be done! Will no-one think of the children?!”
And finally. There was a game of football today.
Next, the weather.
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I don’t read about football, so what is this all about?
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have you sorted this yet bickerton, as a first rate squad and manager can ill afford weak management material on the edge of the boardroom. put your foot down mr wycherley and sort your general manager out pronto. it is affecting the team
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What is this STFC?
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Such fanatical reaction to truth is a sign of the times in England. The Press should be able to be independent. Spin merchants are in every business, especially Sport.
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The club and in-particular Mr. Bickerton are being stupidly bloody minded as the Shropshire Star is the main local paper and is the paper most supporters read to get news about “our” club. What happened to free-speech. They were only telling the truth, the stewarding for the Port Valve game did not seem to be “adequate”.
Various previous team managers have fallen out with the Star over the years, but for the club senior management to do so is only going to harm the publicity that the club receive and no one else. My Wycherley, please talk some sense into Mr. Bickerton or send him back to Macclesfield where I am sure he would most welcome. From a loyal supporter, Belle Vue, Shrewsbury.
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just because stfc dont want to be seen as bullies, the club is very stupid to ban reporters, maybe the stewards should open their eyes a bit and see who really is sitting in the stands……….
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Come on Bickerton and Shropshire Star, sort your petty squabble out. You are denying news and coverage to the very people who are most important to you both………readers and supporters.
All very childish and short sighted!!
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i think the telfordstar like this cos they can go back to pushing scummy wolves down our necks again follwed by a quick chaser of scum. they made the club look like we have a big problem with trouble makers.
would they have put a story like this on the front of the express and star about wolves?
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Should all now be sorted according to the SHrewsbury Town FC website. Lets hope so!
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What a joke this club is
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