Readers have their say on the Linnets’ booing debate

Last week I had my say, now I’m giving my column over to fans who have joined in the great King’s Lynn Town booing debate.Jamie Heaphey: I’ve no issue if people want to boo. They pay their money so are entitled to do whatever they wish to let players etc know it wasn’t good enough. I can understand it as I feel the football, especially recently, has been poor and we’ll be outside the play-offs soon.I don’t boo the team but frustrations get the better of everyone at times. I just decide to go straight after the final whistle and not clap. We’ve shown we can play good attacking football (Kidderminster) but have not done it enough this season.Simon Holmes: I saw the article last week where the King’s Lynn manager was asking for the crowd to cheer and be more vocal. At the time I thought it was like Peter Kay asking for applause and laughs before his act. You need to earn praise, not ask for it.Then after an absolute borefest of a game against Radcliffe, he criticised the fans for booing – which is kind of like Lakeland booing the fans, ironically enough.Booing is helpful and a manager should ask himself why, not just use it as a smokescreen for abysmal displays.Name supplied: I was interested to read your take on the booing of a supported team. I thought it was well written and you made a few points but at the end of your piece I have to take issue with the line: ‘Direct your feelings towards the ref or opposing players.’ Have you ever refereed a game? I used to referee amateur league, but as I saw more players blatantly cheating and looking for fouls and penalties that were not there, I retired.I started refereeing youth games until the same happened again. Blatant cheating, abuse from parents, abuse from children because they see it happening on Match of The Day and think it’s appropriate. Your ending seems to cast a view that it’s ok to shout at a ref or opposing players.It’s truly not, as someone who has witnessed the vile and horrible abuse of the men and women in black at Lynn and other venues across various leagues. We need to get this behaviour stamped out. Let’s look at rugby; no supporter segregation, no abuse of players, no abuse of referees. It’s totally disgusting the way that football supporters vent their egos at complete strangers then go about their day as if it’s ok.So I hope that in the future you may mention in your articles that it’s not ok to shout at refs, or the opposing team – or indeed your team. It’s a game, of no importance, and is being ruined by cheats, frauds and complete idiots, players and supporters alike.An attendance of 1,380 to beat. That’s what King’s Lynn Town deserve to happen as a result of another brilliant offer to try and get more fans through the gates.If you book tickets for Tuesday’s National League North visit of Oxford City before midnight on Friday, you can gain adult entry for £5.That’s a £14 saving for those who will stand to watch the action on the terraces.It’s an even bigger price reduction (£16) for punters who wish to view things from seats in the main stand. Lynn’s current season-best gate, gained against Peterborough Sports in August, is one of eight four-figure attendances at The Walks this campaign.So surely the arrival of Oxford will make it nine – and break the previous best?Fans and locals alike often bemoan the lack of offers to watch the Linnets, or that ticket prices are too steep for the level of football. But for this game, they are certainly not.It’s time for people to put their money where their mouth is. A bumper gate is the very least the club deserves for putting on an initiative during half-term that should have people flocking to The Walks.Adam Lakeland’s side are right in the mix for the play-offs and there really is nothing better than a midweek night under the lights when it comes to watching Lynn.If the terraces aren’t heaving, it will only convince Stephen Cleeve, ‘Bal’ and Joseph Phua that their efforts to get the town behind them is pointless – thus ending hopes of such inviting offers being repeated.Olympic hero Keely Hodgkinson will step into the unknown this weekend when she stages her first athletics meeting. The Paris 2024 women’s 800m champion has organised the Keely Klassic, a track and field event that is being staged in Birmingham on Saturday. It’ll be fascinating to see how it unfolds with the star also competing as she looks to try and break her preferred distance’s world record.It is being described as “a celebration of athletics, showcasing the incredible talent in British sport and providing a unique, immersive experience for fans.The meeting will “combine elite competition with an electrifying atmosphere, enhanced by a blend of music and athletics that promises to captivate spectators and athletes alike.A host of high-profile names will join Britain’s golden girl in the second city for a showcase that could change the face of the sport if it proves to be as successful as social media suggests it will be. “We want to make this event an experience like no other – for athletes and fans alike,” said Hodgkinson during pre-event publicity.”We’re creating an atmosphere that fuses the intensity of world-class sport with the energy and excitement of live entertainment. I can’t wait to be part of this new chapter, and I’m excited for fans to witness history in the making.”It’s a shame it will only be screened on BBC iPlayer and FloTrack with the action getting under way at 10.45am. The high jump men’s will be the start of a day that will culminate with the star of the show going for the win, and the quickest 800m female run of all time, in the final race of the night.