Is is April 1st yet ?

[onebreast]

no way beachboys, i once played a pre season friendly for Billericay where a helpful supporter shouted out "trenkel you fat cvnt" , i am about a stone heavier than then , so if i ever walked in that ground again id get harpooned i reckon.

 

Ansell is interested though ! How about a Ansell/Gary Howard doubleact ?

[Beachboys]

Dale Brightly came through the ranks !

 

Bloody cheek, He was with us at 15 years old !

 

 

 

 

hehe..at 15 yeah...but his real schooling took place when he was 17-18-19, and you're now reaping the benefits of our hard work.

 

I think you should be sending us a letter of thanks

 

 

Its in the post ! :coffee (2):

[John M]

Getting back to the point of this thread (yes, there was one I believe!!), I , for one, am neither surprised or worried at the timing of the management change. Arguably it could / should have happened earlier as this season has been a painful endurance for even most optimistic and loyal of blues fans.

 

I do not know Brian or Barry as individuals so these comments are in no way a personal slant against them as people, my view is that of the onlooking spectator who has seen many years of Billericay Town matches through thick and thin. Although I am not able to go to many away games as in previous years due to family and work committments, I do try to get to all of the home matches. It is on this basis that I would place Brian's efforts in line with a previous manager who, regrettably, didn't get it all to gell - Brian Moffat (1986 - 88). Both managers were working with limited funding and very much reliant on the loyality of the players they brought into the club akin to their own judgement as to what level of quality could be afforded. In both cases I feel the attitude of some players was a significant feature in both ultimately losing the boss spot.

 

Brian Moffatt took the reigns of a club sliding backwards from the heady heights of the glory late 70's / early 80's cup wins and promotions and was something of an unexpected choice at that time (many fans had hoped for the appointment of a more experienced / proven manager who knew the lower divisions and could quickly get to grips with these new, unwanted, circumstances). He inheritted a side that had been relegated from the Isthmian Premier Division and was burdened with the huge expectation that this 'blip' in Billericay Town's fortunes would instantly be rectified with a glorious instant promotion - after all we were Billericay, weren't we? His first season ended up as one of 'consolidation' or 're-building' as it soon became apparent to even the most rosy pair of spectacle holders that we were not good enough to go back up and many of the players he started the season with soon jumped the sinking ship as results went against us. The following season was nothing short of a complete shambles as his choice of players either underachieved (compared to what strengths they had been bought to the club on previously) or showed scant respect for the good name of Billericay Town - several often witnessed playing well within their comfort zone to save themselves for the 'big' Sunday matches with Lee Chapel North FC from Basildon!! End result - a further relegation and humilation en route. BM was a friendly, well meaning bloke who tried his best for Billericay in difficult circumstances but was ultimately let down badly by his players and his own shortcomings as a manager with a glaring lack of true leadership skills and tactical know how.

 

With Brian Statham I have seen very similar comparasions in every sense. He was, I felt, an odd choice for manager given his limited previous success in management at our level and, more worryingly, his previous season of struggle against relegation with Heybridge Swifts. However, I know not why he was chosen, neither is it any of my business, but in he came on back of an expectation that Billericay would be right up there battling for the desired Blue Square Conference South place (again, after all we are Billericay - that's the level where we belong - isn't it??!). His subsequent squad assembly and dismantling has been well documented in many other posts on this forum but it seemed, to me, that for every player he brought in that looked as though they might have what the team needed, many more were seen to be found well short of the mark. Was that bad judgement? Bad luck? You make your own mind up. Add in a lack of desire of a number of individuals earlier in the season to a desire but lack of ability in the middle to current stages of the campaign and you've clearly got ongoing problems. Given where the team has been most of the season, Brian has never had the luxury of being able to get the team to play with almost free abandon and really get at the opposition - instead we seem to start every game on the back foot, daring not to conceed (no bad thing) but with no flair or creativity to do much else. Even in games where we have taken a slender lead so often we have quickly retreated into our shell, given up space to the opposition and invited the inevitable. The result has been a mind numbing number of non-descript games at New Lodge where 'excitement' has been at an absolute premium. Furthermore, in those tedious games, rarely did I see anything significantly different done by the management to alter the trend or break the mould - we simply ground away throughout the 90 minutes to the next time.....

 

Good luck to Brian and Barry wherever they end up - they did their best for Billericay but it was not to be.

 

Good luck also to John - thrust right into the relegation firing line but, also, with absolutely nothing to lose. If there are players who are loyal to Brian and don't fancy it for the remaining games then fine, we play on without them. Whilst, like all fellow supporters, I really do not want to be watching Division One football next season (and I sincerely do not believe I will be), if it means playing out the season with some of the reserves thrown into the fray more often than would be ideal, then I'd rather see a side playing for the pride of Billericay Town than go through the motions and drop thanks to players who think more of themselves than others.

 

Bring on Sutton!!!

 

COYB

 

P.S - my choice for new manager - if he was available and willing - Lee Hodges.

[itswhatidoterry]

Long time coming!! He should of been sacked the moment he stripped Jamie Dormer of the captaincy!!! How he could get rid of the the best midfielder in this league, after he'd been at the club for about 7 years, I think , is mind boggling!!

[Ryan.c]

Take a hike back to Upminster pal.

[Blue Dawg]

Good luck to both and genuine thanks for their efforts. They have brought in some good players who I hope remain with us. Personally I am disappointed in this call and have said many times I think they should have longer. However I equally wish John the best and hope the players feel a need to put in some cracking performances for the departed. Lets hope the new manager whenever he comes in will get us up to the BSS! COYB!!

Maybe that is what Steve meant when he said in an earlier message "Be careful what you wish for"?

[Nitetime Neil]

Another excellent post by John M and as a fellow "old timer" I recognize the parallels and could only see us going one way this season under the old management team - down ! We might still do so, but if other "lost" supporters like myself feel the way I do now, the players who turn out in the proud blue of Billericay for the next seven games, whoever they may be, can look forward to a distinct increase in support and encouragement at matches as we try to do our bit to keep this club from falling into the hell of Div 1 North.

 

I don't know either of Brian or Barry personally, not spending anywhere near as much time as I used to, and indeed my friends in Brentwood who know Mr Statham hold him in good regard, but the buck stops with the management and from the Ricay folks I come into contact with he must be the most unpopular manager we've had since Paddy Betson in the early 80's. There has been so much disappointment in the way things have gone this season that if I listed all the negative things I have read about or seen at Billericay Town happening this season my post would end up even longer than John's !!

 

It appears from most of the posts above that the "timing" seems to be the main concern of supporters, but that has been explained by the Chairman on his blog on the official website and nobody at our club is in a better position than him to judge what is best for Billericay Town than him, so I personally back his timing and decision 100% and look forward to enjoying supporting John Mifsud's team for the rest of the season after the last few months of following with Blues with apathy at best and almost anger at worst. It may or may not work out well, but at least we may be able to start recapturing the true Billericay spirit that makes our club a special one to belong to and eventually start moving in an upward direction again, both on and off the pitch.

 

Roll on Saturday !