Can A Football Club Be Too Successful? The Story of Rushden & Diamonds

[@matthewreddan6723]

Just a correction to the video. I'm local to Nene Park... it's just a derelict waste land now. No shops or housing were ever built on it.

[@DeadAirMediaFootball]

Thank you for that. I will pin it as the top comment. Can't believe they knocked down that beautiful stadium and did nothing with the land.

[@insertnamehere5809]

Such a waste, because it was a nice little stadium 🏟️

[@Louisejames23]

I think Max Griggs had an agreement with the council that the ground would never be sold for housing. What’s there now though is a dreadful waste.

[@stephentyas4698]

it's in a terrible football catchment area half way between Bedford and Northampton both Rugby towns. Had a great car boot sale there and couldn't get a pitch sometimes if you didn't get there early enough.

[@jgoodwin7954]

I grew up just south of Peterborough and they drew a surprising amount of support from unaffiliated/neutrals/supporters of Prem teams who would have R&D as their "2nd team". Knew a fair few people who'd travel from as far as Huntington, Cambridge etc to follow them. Of course us Posh fans loved it when they crashed and burned 😂

[@Rushfelt33]

Rushden and Diamonds were my first ever 'professional' game . (5-3 against Kidderminster Harriers) they were a great club and i many great memories including the play off final. I always keep an eye out for AFC R&D. Thanks for this 😊

[@tomsheppard378]

Kidderminster harriers had a brief rivalry. It was so close in the 99/00 between us, i remember the game that season that decided the title. Also subsequent visits to Nene park in the early 00s when we were both league clubs

[@MrMmnngghh]

Nice one. I was living in Bedfordshire when this project took off, and I've just started my fourth season as Rushden & Diamonds manager on a pimped out version of Championship Manager 97/98.

[@TakedaS115]

Great video, though I would either speed up these hand animations or get rid of them altogether. It's a video that is easier to listen to than to watch.

[@rdsox86]

I just started looking into the history of non-league and I learned something about one of it's former winners R&D and why they aren't here anymore. The video is informative but a little busy in it's presentation. Cut the graphics in half and let your script take over. The hand moving a mile a minute redrawing the same logos and things at least a dozen times doesn't help.

[@DeadAirMediaFootball]

All feedback is appreciated. Thank you.

[@dominicking8089]

agreed great video but the hand gimmick didn't work and hurt to look at after a while

[@Alexjh260]

I'm assuming you used doodle to make it? I've used it a lot, found that turning the hand off makes it less distracting, especially in longer form videos! Great content nonetheless pal

[@lutontown5923]

just listen to it then. moaning for the sake of moaning😂😂😂.

[@FuriousHoon]

Great video highlighting the history of my club, thanks for the mention of AFC R & D I think a lot of the football community don't realise Rushden and Diamonds lives on through the new club

[@JCBucketDude]

Funny how in FIFA 06 I wanted to get through all four tiers of the FA, and I happen to pick R&D. Was wild to hear they closed. I also played as Amica Wronki in FIFA 06. They’re closed too 😂

[@tomharris5169]

I had a season ticket at Rushden for many years, so sad what happened to them

[@Aldarux]

I forgot all about Rushden & Diamonds. This video was a throwback.

[@rjjcms1]

One point to add here. Rushden & Diamonds were in fact half way up the third highest division,the one we know as League One nowadays,for the bulk of that lone season at that level. They started February in 10th place and still appeared ambitious to move further upwards if they could. From the outside things appeared to be ticking along nicely,though the troubles at Dr Martens would have been noted by those with their fingers on the pulse. Though they tailed off a little they were still in 13th place in late March. Then,with just a few weeks of the 2003-04 season remaining came the fall into administration or near-administration,the fire sale of players and the free-fall down the table. Had the season finished a week or two sooner they could have got themselves another year in the third tier,but they would have been dead ducks at the bottom of it. So I suppose that makes their rapid rise and sudden fall even more dramatic.

[@barrytone7202]

Used to go watch them with me old man as a kid. Cherished memories

[@aarondoesyt3194]

Great video mate as a Northampton Town fan, Rushden & Diamonds became a good Northamptonshire Derby in addition to the Nene Derby with Peterborough for a time. A shame things ended the way they did and the club had to re-form. They did well to get back to the 7th tier but got relegated back to the 8th tier last season The Nen pronunciation actually comes from the river being labelled as such historically on old maps, so I think it is supposed to be Nen but they added an extra e for some reason 🤣

[@DeadAirMediaFootball]

I honestly have arguments with family over the pronunciation of the Nene based in the stadium 😂

[@aarondoesyt3194]

@@DeadAirMediaFootball Hahaha now you know what the Northampton vs Peterborough rivalry feels like 😂😂

[@RW-nr6bh]

​@@DeadAirMediaFootball I was once told that it is pronounced 'Nen' in Northamptonshire but as spelt in Cambridgeshire. No idea how true that is

[@Littlovi]

That was such a fantastic stadium. Some of the fittings made their way to other non-league Midlands clubs.

[@somebloke87]

@@RW-nr6bh That's correct. Peterborians especially, but we don't talk *them*.

[@LPTstudios]

Rushden and Diamonds also in 1999 drew 0-0 with my team Leeds United at their home ground forcing an FA cup replay at Elland Road that they lost 3-1. Great video about a nice club a shame what happened to them.

[@StickyBud9395]

As a Kettering Town supporter , Diamonds had a fantastic stadium(jealous) It was sad what happened to them , and my team who play opposite the Weetabix factory .

[@joshuadixon4932]

I remember some great days out watching the Poppies play Diamonds as a kid. Shame how things turned out.

[@StickyBud9395]

@@joshuadixon4932I can't go to watch the Poppies any more , due to my health , I miss going up Rockingham Road with my dad , who is is long passed away .

[@georgeetboom7719]

Went to AFC a couples of years ago with Enfield Town for a pre-season and could feel the ambiance of a formal club

[@cuibono6872]

I played against Irthlingboro Diamonds back in the day when they were in the (If memory serves) united counties league.

[@rjjcms1]

Was there no urge for Rushden and Irthlingborough to restart their old clubs independent of each other before a new version of the amalgamated club came into being when R & D went under in 2011?

[@Conference87]

I actually went to Nene Park once for an away game in an FA Cup Qualifier (i believe it was the last round before the first round proper but could be wrong) this was during Rushden's Conference Championship winning season. My home team played 2 leagues below at the time and we did lead twice before we finally lost 5-4. Cracking game though.

[@sligobhoy8152]

That was interesting from a Celtic fan as my Godsons surname is Rushden and like to see alignments and misalignments explained. Thank you

[@tomico9154]

Always had a weird connection to them because I took them all the way to the Champions League final in Fifa on GBA as a kid😂

[@callum2547]

I used to play as them in championship manager 00/01, over a million pound budget in the conference

[@russell6777]

I went to Nene Park for a Cobblers friendly game in the 90s I think , it was a nice ground , shame what happened to them

[@martinlewis5248]

Yes remember Rushden Oxford utd fan here lost 5.0 in conference away 2007 but won 3 1 in semi final 2010 playoff

[@garryhawkes5950]

Great video!

[@DeadAirMediaFootball]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@DA-dw5zn]

County signed a player called Kevin Slinn from them in 1994 & I had never heard of them. Then they had their headlines & success & one transfer deadline day I noticed their top scorer leaving for nothing which suggested all wasn't well which was correct. I went in 2005/6 & it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. We lost but they went down. I always thought they should have re formed as Irthlingborough Town.

[@ZonkedGamer]

Mansfield fan here, I remember Onandi Lowe absolutely destroying us for Rushden and Diamonds. Nene park was a nice little ground too. Shame

[@alternatehistorysports]

Remember me as one of your first 700 subscribers when you get to 10 or 100 thousand

[@djktfc]

What a shame. Great video. Up the Poppies. (also, it's pronounced Nen)

[@TheSugarDaddy1]

New subscriber Great video and very detailed it's a shame you don't have more subscribers would like to see you do a video of Robert Maxwell Oxford United and Derby county chairman and one about ITV Digital and the piracy if you have the time

[@stephentyas4698]

that's a big ask. Maxwell was an asset striper but done good for Oxford United.

[@TheSugarDaddy1]

@@stephentyas4698 he was a crook that tried to buy Man Utd Reading and Watford I think it would make a great video am surprised Tifo football haven't done it yet

[@DeadAirMediaFootball]

I will say there is an amazing video by HITC Sevens about what happened at Reading last season with a little bit about Maxwell kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3ObqauArcqsaLc

[@stevennorton-qk6rm]

They have a carboot on the ground every Sunday, and i believe they using they are sharing a football stadium with wellingborough town fc

[@thehearingaid]

used to always manage R&D on usm2

[@Ali1986Koksal]

There's NO WAY in this day and age a League One or Two club would be able to spend £2.5 million more than what they actually made that season IN A SEASON because obviously in 2023 the EFL now has it's own Financial Fair Play rules in place.

[@markwillis2800]

Forest Green Rovers are the next Rushden and Diamonds. Like R&D they are reliant on one man.

[@Mr_Zoomy]

Good ol rushden and diamonds

[@xxmearcatxx7716]

Regularly went to R&D games when I was young only took until I got much older before I realised they had facilities way above their station not really a surprise they made no momeny and I have a distinct memory of them never winning😂

[@rjjcms1]

Perhaps they thought those facilities would help attract even bigger crowds,so it was a calculated gamble that didn't pay off? Was there scope for getting more usage of them by the public on non-matchdays?

[@harrierjames7727]

Can a football team be too successful? I'm not sure that is the question that's being answered here. Fundamentally the issue with clubs like Rushden is that they are completely and utterly unsustainable. It's an absolute joy to me (particularly as a Kidderminster Harriers fan) that this mob no longer exist - it really is pleasing to know your rivals folded! Hopefully Fylde, Salford, Fleetwood and the like can all crash and burn in coming years. Nobody will miss them. But all the best to those now at AFC R&D who are plying their trade at a reasonable level.

[@AntonyBall-hm4jo]

What a weird comment!

[@markwillis2800]

Don't forget Forest Green.

[@harrierjames7727]

@@markwillis2800 thing is at least FGR were an established conference side before Dale Vince's involvement...

[@markwillis2800]

@@harrierjames7727 Just like R&D Forest Green have gone as far as they can by reaching the third tier. One man bankrolling a club can only get so far until they face clubs which bigger stadiums, fanbases and bigger budgets.

[@harrierjames7727]

@@markwillis2800 aye, but realistically FGR are only went up two tiers...

[@davidpalin1790]

Shows how money destroys football 😢😢

[@Chris391971]

Fleetwood Town are more successful than Forest Green Rovers with currently 10th season in league 1

[@the89show66]

This guys got family in Peterborough for sure

[@DeadAirMediaFootball]

Nope

[@the89show66]

@@DeadAirMediaFootball it’s NENE not NEENE 😒

[@DeadAirMediaFootball]

I have arguments with family in Northampton all the time about this, I blame Jeff Stelling for calling it Neene Park 😂

[@georgemacpherson1992]

Their biggest attendance was 6431 against Leeds in the 3rd round of the FA Cup on 2 January 1999. Leeds fans turning out in numbers as usual. Also that draw would have gotten the attention of a lot of locals

[@outerheaven8797]

Pretty sure the greatest team to wear red north of Barcelona is Arsenal lol

[@007ryanwilliams]

So happy you've told them how Nene is actually pronounced. 😂

[@polreamonn]

Missed a trick not calling themselves "The Rushden Diamonds".

[@benwatkins6513]

This is where I'm from 😂

[@jimbull4730]

Rushden born, but lived in Higham Ferrers for half my life too. Now living... in Kidderminster. Strange!