why is Mike and neil accounts not working

[worm]

it's sad if you have removed them and for what

[worm]

I have deactivated their accounts. It was either that or shut the site down.

why would the site shutdown with them here

[king]

I never had a problem with either of them. Sprint flyers have lost out on their knowledge.

[CHARLTON34]

I have deactivated their accounts. It was either that or shut the site down.

your going to have a very good explanation as to why you've done this Andy, that's double standards in my book, you let things go when George & Murray used the F bomb & not 1 time-out ban for this.
Yes we all have different opinions some I don't agree with but that's living in a democratic society freedom of speech. Surely the site is struggling with very few members contributing & you do this.
I'll say it again Andy that's not right what you've done, yesterday you, the moderator, or administrator decided to do this, this just doesn't sit right with me at all.

[jack walker]

What i can see if you cannot fly a kite don't race or don't want to get any better you are great on this site. George WHY Breed if you don't race cheers jack

[king]

ALL members should be allowed to post. NOBODY is forced to reply. If you don't agree or like what is posted just don't post a reply.

[Buster121]

Ok. So I’ll give you my reasoning behind deactivating Mike and Neil’s account.
I have been on the site for 10 years now and some like Devo, Buster and George were already members and had been for sometime, probably from when Chris Roscoe started it. It had always been much more than just a pigeon forum. It was always very friendly and some great friendships have been made over the years with some of us meeting up. The one factor that was the same for everyone was the love of keeping pigeons. We were there to help each other and other members old and new who came onto the forum. We had members from different countries and fun competitions. We didn’t judge on what members achieved, they were generally getting what they wanted out of the sport regardless of whether they were winning or coming last but still enjoying seeing their birds return.
Yes the site had gone a bit quiet but we still took the time to speak to each other.
Then came the closing of pigeon chat. Contrary to what some might suggest it has never been us against them. We welcomed any new members that wanted to join us, we didn’t have to accept anyone if we hadn’t wanted to. Any new member has to be activated by either Buster or myself. Which was fine and was going well to start with. But it then very quickly started to go downhill. I’m not sure at what point it started. Mike and his sidekick Neil started to upset some of our members with their comments. Apparently no one was anywhere near as good as them. Mike was using the site to promote himself. They didn’t like it when I refused to suck up to them and take advice and buy some youngsters through Mike.
Then the insults started. That’s when it was being suggested that Mike was far superior to any other fancier on the forum even though he hasn’t raced for 20 years and never before that in his own name.
They started upsetting some of our longstanding members.
It was said that anyone not regularly training were lazy, no one knew what they were talking about, that Mike had won more than all other members put together and also comments about members not being able to fly a kite. Which I find downright rude and insulting. All of which are totally untrue.
Some of our older members don’t race anymore for various reasons but it doesn’t mean that their past experiences are any less value than anyone else’s.
Devo was racing up until a couple of years ago when ill health meant the birds had to go. Just a few years ago a pigeon bred by him won ace sprint pigeon in the Costa Del Sol OLR I think it was.
Murray was still racing in Australia up until his move.
My brother Trev has been racing since he was a boy and has won loads, including the longest races in both Worthing and Littlehampton.
I myself have moved around a bit but have also been racing since I was a boy. I have been in 5 different clubs and won in them all on numerous occasions winning from the shortest races up to 650 miles.
So yes we do know what we are talking about. Just because our views and methods are different than others doesn’t mean we aren’t any good as told by some.
I knew things were likely to get worse as racing started. Members weren’t posting because anything put up would be dismissed as rubbish by the few if we had different ideas and weren’t winning every week.
So it came to our old members having enough of the site and wanting to leave. I was not going to let 2 members who were just sucking up to each other to destroy the site that we had been part of for years. Our administrator Chris who owns the site hasn’t been on the site for sometime and I think I’m right in saying that I am the only one that has contact with him. So it’s just Buster and myself as moderators for the site that can keep the site going.
It was then that a decision had to be made. So rather than shut the site down I choose to deactivate the 2 members that were cause of the bad feeling on the site. If Mike and Neil want to start their own forum up where they can big each other up every day then good luck to them. I’m not suggesting that some of their ideas and advice weren’t good and helpful but there are many different ways to succeed in this sport.
Our site will still be here for members who want to be here and we will be happy to help and advise where we can from our vast amount of joint experiences. None of us pretend to know it all or are any better than anyone else. All we want is members to enjoy their pigeons at whatever level they wish. I want this site to be back to a friendly site where members respect each other.

So pleased you wrote that Andy couldn't have done it any better myself I do have Chris's details and fully supported your actions for the reasons outlined

[Buster121]

would say i saw them as trouble not long after they joined

Most of did George

[Buster121]

That's right Trev. I am only a back garden flyer with a small loft and a handful of pigeons. I take my pleasure from caring for them and training them and even occasionally getting a card or winning one. I have learned a few good ways of doing things, usually as result of doing it wrong Being told that those of us who aren't top of the Fed weekly are losers, that soon becomes unpalatable.

Still it is a pity that it has come to this. Banning people is always unpleasant. But something had to give.

That's why I added proud loser to my signature

[Diamond Dave]

OMG, while I know where your coming from, I still think its a bit drastic.
As a comparitive newcomer It did seem as though Mike was constantly promoting his own self interests but I think with an open forum you have to expect all sorts
and being out-spoken tends to be inherent in many pigeon fanciers.
I hope that If ever I said things out of turn or became irritating that you would give me fair warning before making the cull.
Having said that, as a newbie, I hope you dont mind me contributing by saying that I understand, respect and appreciate your post justifying your reason for the action.
(Still a shame though to lose someone at the very pinnacle of our game)