They have been trapped in limbo for a few years but they have got a bright future with their own ground on the horizon - feasibly they could compete on a equal-footing with Southampton or Portsmouth - they've got the fan-base.
Instead, in one fell swoop it gained many thousands of man years of experience and put itself on a more equal footing with Apple.
But the idea that schools should be on a more equal footing is not only widely popular, but also apparently essential to the survival of America's rather rocky public-school system.
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VMware has already reacted cleverly by slashing the price for its hypervisor and persuading hardware firms to embed it in their machines, putting it on a more equal footing with Microsoft when it comes to distribution.
Fulham were going long spells without even touching the ball but they made it to half-time level and, perhaps buoyed by the fact that the were still in the tie, began the second half on a more equal footing with their Ukraine opponents.
The DRC is also pressing for a new equality act to put all discrimination law on an equal footing as part of a "quantum leap" in anti-prejudice measures.
Society is rapidly progressing to the point where any Googler is on equal footing with a Widener Library pass-holder.
This law could perhaps be justified on grounds of equal treatment: the private-equity firms would be on a more even footing with other listed companies.
The change to BlackBerry also brought the introduction of BB 10, a more advanced and modern operating system that aims to put the smartphone pioneer on an equal footing with the likes of iOS and Android, OSes that have robbed it of a good deal of market share with BlackBerry's efforts apparently focused elsewhere.
Arbitration can be a fine system if both parties are on an equal footing.
By December 2015 all the world's nations are due to have agreed a comprehensive deal to co-operate on an equal footing to tackle climate change.
For the smaller US Airways, it was a chance to bulk up to compete on an equal footing with the big domestic carriers on the tarmac, United and Delta.
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The Visa and Mastercard networks were essentially huge cooperatives that gave all banks a piece of the lucrative consumer credit industry on an equal footing.
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It also puts American on equal footing with Continental Airlines, which is enjoying the benefits of a big investment in its international terminal across the Hudson River at Newark Airport in New Jersey.
He pointedly refuses to sit on a throne after his election, it is reported, and meets his fellow cardinals standing, on equal footing.
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