Bath should be more like the Man United of British cities ; Letters

I find interest in comparing the cyclical fortunes of a city withthat of soccer clubs and the similarities that create perceivedsuccess or failure.

Portsmouth were blundering along at the bottom of a low divisionuntil in rode ruddy-faced manager, Harry Redknapp and his Russianbankers.

Blackpool, for 30 or 40 years suffered the indignities of thebottom levels, even after producing one of the greatest cup finalsof all time in 1953, complete with the marvels of the Stans,Matthews and Mortenson. But lo and behold! New chairman brings inour own locally-grown lad Ian Holloway, complete with buckets ofenthusiasm, and before you can ask is he right wing or left, theclub are in the Premiership League.

Now, what has this to do with our city? Well, up until their riseto the upper levels of success, these two famous old clubs sufferedfrom silent chairmen and directors. The managers were mediocre tosay the least, the backroom staffs were less than able, and therewas a rumbling of unrest from their followers.

Bath, as a city, should surely be up their with the Man U's andChelsea's. But I detect a certain discontented rumbling within thecity boundaries. A silent leader, ill-thought out transportproposals, filthy streets, a rapidly declining employment base, anddisgraceful main entrance arteries from all directions, into whatthe world considers to be the partner of Venice.

Who's to blame for this decline, toward what years ago used to beknown, in football terms, as the Third Division South? It surelycannot be laid at the door of a single individual nor a loneoccurrence? It can only be the result of years of politicalindifference, incompetent backroom staff, and a lack of imaginativeleadership.

A stroll on Saturday morning from Larkhall to the centre wasblighted with boarded-up shops on the London Road, a shut down ofthe most inconvenient road works, which in any other country wouldwarrant day and night activity. A market at Cattle Market thatresembled an open bazaar in down town Kabul, then past a dozenbeggars, through litter strewn streets and dozens of broken pavingslabs to look over the Grand Parade parapet at the most uninvitingriver walkways.

Bath, in the years ahead is going to be heavily reliant upon itsability to attract customers to what in all probability will be itsonly remaining large commercial activity - tourism. At the moment itseems to be on course for, as soccer pundits say "the big drop". Iwant to hear from our prospective candidates for next year'selection what their plans are to prevent relegation, and moreimportantly their vision to take us up to the top of thePremiership.

DAVE LAMING Larkhall, Bath