Well Haslingden Sports Centre.

What a disgraceful way to leave a grassroots football facility.

Surely the council should be obligated to sort this out as they probably received revenue from the Circus?

Looks like Ewood to me

Football pitches in the 70s

Just look at the sky and you can see why it ended up like that.

wrote: Surely the council should be obligated to sort this out as they probably received revenue from the Circus?

I've no idea how, when or why this word appeared but I much prefer the word 'obliged'. It's a whole syllable less and easier to pronounce.

I've played on worse.....

Jamesy wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 1:19 pm

Surely the council should be obligated to sort this out as they probably received revenue from the Circus?

I'm assuming Haslingden Sports Centre is a public facility so the council have no choice but to sort it.

Surely, given the weather and softness of tye ground they should have seen sense and cancelled it in the first place.

Apparently it is in the circus' contract to leave the site as they found it and they do as a rule repair any damage , but that is a lot of
damage and will cost quite a bit to repair ... Rossendale Borough Council will have made on it no doubt and the young footballers will
suffer ...

Rowls wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 1:38 pm

I've no idea how, when or why this word appeared but I much prefer the word 'obliged'. It's a whole syllable less and easier to pronounce.

I completely agree with you Rowls. But I'm not sure everyone appreciates nor is here for an English lesson on a football forum


Re that image. That looks like it's been left in a shocking state and, assuming they had permission to be there in the first place, you'd hope there was an ageement and a plan to get that back to a fit state ASAP.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 1:38 pm

I've no idea how, when or why this word appeared but I much prefer the word 'obliged'. It's a whole syllable less and easier to pronounce.

Crikey, it’s pedantic day today!
Obligated and Obliged have similar meanings I agree. However, the word obligated in any communication is more forceful than obliged.

Needs the heavy roller. Play down wind.

Jamesy wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 2:21 pm

Crikey, it’s pedantic day today!
Obligated and Obliged have similar meanings I agree. However, the word obligated in any communication is more forceful than obliged.

Yes, it's a word that annoys me. It sounds American and IMO there's no connotative difference between the two variants, making it utterly pointless.

However, I'd deliberately scrubbed your username from the quote because there's plenty of people who use the word these days and it wasn't my intention to pick on you specifically. I just didn't have the will power to resist having a go at the damned word.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 2:26 pm

Yes, it's a word that annoys me. It sounds American and IMO there's no connotative difference between the two variants, making it utterly pointless.

However, I'd deliberately scrubbed your username from the quote because there's plenty of people who use the word these days and it wasn't my intention to pick on you specifically. I just didn't have the will power to resist having a go at the damned word.

I get where you are coming from. However I still maintain that obligated sounds more forceful. Obliged has more of a friendly or negotiated connotation to it in my view.

Jamesy wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 2:21 pm

Crikey, it’s pedantic day today!
Obligated and Obliged have similar meanings I agree. However, the word obligated in any communication is more forceful than obliged.

Obligated normally implies that there is a binding legal agreement whereas obliged is more of a sense of duty or right thing to do.

Presumably the Council have a contract with the Circus and a clause will include the condition of the field.

It'll tek' a stud. Play on!

Similar situation up at Holt House as well

Rowls wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 1:38 pm

I've no idea how, when or why this word appeared but I much prefer the word 'obliged'. It's a whole syllable less and easier to pronounce.

I also imagine 'obliged' and 'obligated' don't mean entirely the same thing.

dougcollins wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 4:24 pm

I also imagine 'obliged' and 'obligated' don't mean entirely the same thing.

There's no discernible difference between the words. Check out the definitions.

Connotations are less formal but again, I don't see any.

The main difference I can tell is that extra syllable.

Well done for making another thread about you.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 5:51 pm

There's no discernible difference between the words. Check out the definitions.

Connotations are less formal but again, I don't see any.

The main difference I can tell is that extra syllable.

I was actually agreeing with you, I wasn't supporting the use of 'obligated'. It's a word I've never used.

"Obligate" is used more often in a legal context and Jamesy's point is... legal.

ecc wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 7:08 pm

"Obligate" is used more often in a legal context and Jamesy's point is... legal.

I can see there's a few articles online which state this ... But!

The articles stating this all.appear to be American!

I can remember the first time I ever heard the word - it was on an episode of Sex and the City.

As with most 'Americanisms', the root is actually British English but I must have been in my late teens or 20s before I heard this word. That's probably why I'm so against it's use.

The OED actually labels the word specifically as being of "North American use".

I was in the area on Monday morning.
When the Circus was leaving, they used three (yes, THREE,) tractors chained one behind the other to tow their lorries, caravans, etc.. off the playing fields onto the car park of Haslingden Sports Centre. They were at it all morning. By lunchtime, the car park itself was like a potato patch.
The furrows are so deep, it will take an awfully long time and (I’d guess) several thousands of pounds to return the fields “to their former state.”
Somebody is going to lose a great deal of money on this. I do hope it’s not the Council Tax payers of Rossendale.

is that haslingden or the waldstadion?

Hi Rowls,

That it is American is clear. I have found a fair few hits from reliable UK sites including the government's.


This is taken from the FT's website and, more specifically, their Anti-Bribery and Corruption Statement:


"The giving or receiving of gifts (or otherwise personal preferential treatment) by FT staff or third parties acting on our behalf must never:

Be used to obligate, or appear to obligate, the recipient.
Be of cash, cash vouchers, certificates with a set negotiable value, or other cash equivalents.
Be sought or requested from any person or organisation."


https://help.ft.com/legal-privacy/legac ... statement/

I would never use the verb "to obligate" instead of "to oblige". But it doesn't shock me in legal contexts.

I would never use "the press" in a football context but it now seems "acceptable". There never was AFAIK a noun linked to the verb "to close down" so we now have one via the Germans (I believe). We never had a noun to go with "to set up". The Americans thus brought us "an assist".

FCBurnley wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 1:23 pm

Looks like Ewood to me

Certainly the Baseball Ground.

gc14 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 1:50 pm

Apparently it is in the circus' contract to leave the site as they found it and they do as a rule repair any damage , but that is a lot of
damage and will cost quite a bit to repair ... Rossendale Borough Council will have made on it no doubt and the young footballers will
suffer ...

I'd have thought that damage caused by avoidable acts committed by the circus would have to be repaired, but this damage is surely caused because the site provided wasn't fit. If the council chooses to let the circus use a muddy field, then I would have thought that they would take responsibility. The council would cancel a football match rather than expect the teams to pay for the damage. Would this be the same but on a larger scale?

Not see a penny off the circus. No chance. Those pitches are ruined for a good while.
No way should tax payer cover the costs, should be whichever clown allowed the circus in the first place.

I coach grassroots at another club and thank my luck stars we don't pimp our pitches out for cheap gain!!

Kids shouldn't miss out on football for greed!

Looking up 'Haslingden Sports Centre' it seems to be managed by some sort of Trust. Perhaps this is a modern council device:

https://rltrust.co.uk/

mybloodisclaret wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 21, 2024 12:02 am

Not see a penny off the circus. No chance. Those pitches are ruined for a good while.
No way should tax payer cover the costs, should be whichever clown allowed the circus in the first place.

I coach grassroots at another club and thank my luck stars we don't pimp our pitches out for cheap gain!!

Kids shouldn't miss out on football for greed!

Good post, and yes, they won't see a single penny.

Clovius Boofus wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 21, 2024 10:11 am

Good post, and yes, they won't see a single penny.

What makes you think it is greed? Councils, if it is the council, like to provide entertainment for it's residents. Fairs, music festivals etc. are a way of doing that. I don't think that is the issue anyway. In a normal summer as we used to have it would be mostly dry at this time of year. With Global Warming/Climate Change, things are not so predictable. The question therefore is 'what measures were put in place to deal with inclement weather?'

Hipper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 21, 2024 12:10 pm

What makes you think it is greed? Councils, if it is the council, like to provide entertainment for it's residents. Fairs, music festivals etc. are a way of doing that. I don't think that is the issue anyway. In a normal summer as we used to have it would be mostly dry at this time of year. With Global Warming/Climate Change, things are not so predictable. The question therefore is 'what measures were put in place to deal with inclement weather?'

Sure I read that Rossendale council have been trying to sell it off to developers for years but keep being foiled by local opposition. Sure there are some locals who can confirm if I’m correct or not.

I thought this thread was going to be about Vincent Kompany ..:

Hipper wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 21, 2024 12:10 pm

What makes you think it is greed? Councils, if it is the council, like to provide entertainment for it's residents. Fairs, music festivals etc. are a way of doing that. I don't think that is the issue anyway. In a normal summer as we used to have it would be mostly dry at this time of year. With Global Warming/Climate Change, things are not so predictable. The question therefore is 'what measures were put in place to deal with inclement weather?'

Greed or not, someone has been paid rent for that spot, I can all but guarantee the circus weren't given the pitch for free.

Meanwhile a load of youngsters lose a pitch for sometime. Would need some serious volunteer time and local farmer agricultural tools to put right. Will needs turning over, rolling and reseeding several times.

I'll say it again, kids shouldn't miss out.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 1:38 pm

I've no idea how, when or why this word appeared but I much prefer the word 'obliged'. It's a whole syllable less and easier to pronounce.

See also “ironical”.

I get that they have (very) slightly different connotations from the root word, but it all feels a bit unnecessary to me.