Bad Blood flowing out of Spratleys Meadow

[TheCat13]

I have been advised today that Lawrence Lipka, Chairman of Amersham Town has requested that Chris Miller, the new Manager at Stony Stratford & former Amersham boss, be banned from attending the Amersham vs Stony and Tokyngton Manor vs Stony games at Spratleys Meadow for reasons unknown.

 

Does anybody know of any reason why this is the case? I've been Chris' long serving assistant and will be with him again at Stony next season. I was also with him during our time at Amersham and we had no issues with Lawrence and thought we had left on good terms.

 

Yes, after we left there was the issue that none of our players wished to play for Amersham any longer, but can you really blame them for showing a little bit of loyalty? Can you blame us for them showing that loyalty?

 

I shouldn't think it possible for this to be upheld, but find it all a bit insulting after the stick we took from Chris Martin, for them to then try and officially ban us from the ground?

 

Myself and Chris have yet to speak about this and maybe he has more information than I do, but I find it so frustrating that they can treat us in this manner.

 

Lawrence is a nice guy and myself and Chris have nothing but respect and admiration for everything he is trying to do at Spratleys Meadow, but this is the latest in a long line of things the club has done to try and humiliate Chris and devalue the work he did for the club.

 

I would just like to say to all of those who voted to keep us in Division 1 next year that we thank you for the reprieve and will work hard during the closed season to make sure that the squad has the quality to compete with the best the league has to offer next season.

 

I would also like to give best wishes to all at Padbury, we had some fantastic matches with you when we were at Bucks SUFC, and wish you all the best for the coming season at Ampthill. It's a crying shame what took place at Ford Meadow and both clubs deserved better.

[Loose]

Don't know anything about this particular issue but I can only imagine after being part of a set up where groups of players play for a club and all that entails, kit, tracksuits, expenses (on occasion!), fines etc feel no loyalty and move clubs en masse leaving clubs struggling at times to fulfill fixtures that this is another example of a becoming frequent phenomenon of a manager moving after working with a club takes all his players and moves on to where he feels his skills and abilities are better suited (along with the opportunity for greater success, most often paid for by the new club - but not always!) leaving a club who still has responsibilities to fulfill in a new constitution facing another year of change and stress, sometimes after having enjoyed a successful season!

 

Not casting any aspersions but it's becoming like a game of effing musical chairs where eventually some poor club with a history of supplying an endless stream of managers and players somewhere to ply their trade ends up without the proverbial effing chair...

 

It must get a bit soul destroying at times and not knowing whether this particular theory applies to this case but anyway there is always another side to the story so maybe it is time as someone at the sharp end who does all the clever stuff as well as developing contacts and scouting players to have a bit of empathy for the poor old club, chairman and committee. Possibly.

Edited June 19, 2011 by Loose

[TheCat13]

Good afternoon Loose,

 

I'm not denying for a second that I don't have apathy for Lawrence and the situation the club is in.

 

He knew we were leaving almost a fortnight before our final game for the club in February. We left with no club to go to, hoping to be given the chance to start again pre-season. We had been hearing rumours that we were there until the end of the season at best and would then be replaced by vice chairman Chris Martin. The rumours were being circled by Mr Martin himself, so was akin to somebody screaming the answer out loud at the start of a game of chinese whispers.

 

We advised Lawrence that we would be leaving before our final games, and gave the players the opportunity to finish the season with Amersham, or play for Bucks Reserves in the Wycombe & District League. All but one player decided he would like to play for Bucks rather than Amersham, even though myself and Chris no longer had any affiliation to our former reserve side.

 

I would like to state that we left Amersham with the same squad we had been handed when we started, and only players we brought in left upon our resignation. the majority of these players are still without clubs and we will not be bringing them to Stony. There may be a couple of familiar faces which turn out for Stony who have played for us previously, but not many.

 

None of the players who we brought in to the club were ever given any tracksuits and the club mainly took a minibus to away games. We never lost any kit, bar one medical bag which went missing at a home game. We also gave the club all of the footballs which our previous club, Bucks SUFC had procured for that season.

 

They had weeks to plan ahead for our departure and seemingly had no trouble in fulfilling their remaining fixtures with the players who remained. If the rumours were true, they had most of the season.

 

We just wanted to put the whole Amersham debacle behind us and move on, but they seem to be holding a grudge for no reason whatsoever.

[Loose]

Hi The Cat

 

I've no reason nor wish to doubt anything you say, all sounds reasonable and balanced but the incident just struck me as relevant to the current climate really. I'd say that there must be a reason for the chairman's actions and behaviour and surely the best step to take is an approach to him to discover the possibly perceived aggravation.

 

 

On the subject as a whole though I have lately wondered if it wouldn't be better for the Managers and their at times roving bands of players and not the club to be registered with the leagues (non leagues) in this case the SSML and that managers engage the services of a club and ground because that is in effect what is going on. Surely the SSML must scratch their heads at times and wonder which boot is on what foot, I certainly know for a fact that their are several clubs and committees up and down the country who wonder what they do it all for most of the time if not just on these occasions when they suddenly find themselves without any players let alone coaching staff. To be balanced I'm sure some managers feel the same from time to time for other reasons.

 

I'm not picking on managers, players or clubs from the SSML, from experience and talks it happens from the Beds to the Berks & Bucks, the Hellenic to the CCL. The level of investment (money) may not be comparable but as an investment in time and effort with players only being registered and clubs in the lower non leagues not able to engage players and managers under contract there'll never be a comfortable level of stability and development. Another discussion I'm sure.

 

Good luck for the next season!

[The Doog is King]

Good afternoon Loose,

 

I'm not denying for a second that I don't have apathy for Lawrence and the situation the club is in.

 

He knew we were leaving almost a fortnight before our final game for the club in February. We left with no club to go to, hoping to be given the chance to start again pre-season. We had been hearing rumours that we were there until the end of the season at best and would then be replaced by vice chairman Chris Martin. The rumours were being circled by Mr Martin himself, so was akin to somebody screaming the answer out loud at the start of a game of chinese whispers.

 

We advised Lawrence that we would be leaving before our final games, and gave the players the opportunity to finish the season with Amersham, or play for Bucks Reserves in the Wycombe & District League. All but one player decided he would like to play for Bucks rather than Amersham, even though myself and Chris no longer had any affiliation to our former reserve side.

 

I would like to state that we left Amersham with the same squad we had been handed when we started, and only players we brought in left upon our resignation. the majority of these players are still without clubs and we will not be bringing them to Stony. There may be a couple of familiar faces which turn out for Stony who have played for us previously, but not many.

 

None of the players who we brought in to the club were ever given any tracksuits and the club mainly took a minibus to away games. We never lost any kit, bar one medical bag which went missing at a home game. We also gave the club all of the footballs which our previous club, Bucks SUFC had procured for that season.

 

They had weeks to plan ahead for our departure and seemingly had no trouble in fulfilling their remaining fixtures with the players who remained. If the rumours were true, they had most of the season.

 

We just wanted to put the whole Amersham debacle behind us and move on, but they seem to be holding a grudge for no reason whatsoever.

 

Nothing surprises me with those 2 jackasses....

[missunderstood]

It seems to me that once again people are suggesting that football is different to any other business, and normal rules that the rest of society have to abide by, like the freedom to choose your employer, and even debt repayment shouldn't apply to football clubs.

 

The vast majority of us would change jobs if we were offered better terms and conditions, wages, or they might just fancy a change, so why should anyone that works in the football industry be any different when the rest of us view it as our basic human right. It all smacks of gross hypocrisy to me.

[Loose]

Where have you read that then missunderstood? Your username is beginning to click....

[missunderstood]

Where have you read that then missunderstood? Your username is beginning to click....

 

 

From your first post actually, it was you who brought up the subject of" players leaveng en mass, and leaving clubs struggling to fullfill fixtures"etc.

[Loose]

Where have you read that then missunderstood? Your username is beginning to click....

 

 

From your first post actually, it was you who brought up the subject of" players leaveng en mass, and leaving clubs struggling to fullfill fixtures"etc.

 

And you've read that as me suggesting that players and coaching staff should be indentured or enslaved? I think you've got some form of word blindness mate. Put a bit more effort in before you start calling people hypocrites eh?

[missunderstood]

Where have you read that then missunderstood? Your username is beginning to click....

 

 

From your first post actually, it was you who brought up the subject of" players leaving en mass, and leaving clubs struggling to fullfill fixtures"etc.

 

And you've read that as me suggesting that players and coaching staff should be indentured or enslaved? I think you've got some form of word blindness mate. Put a bit more effort in before you start calling people hypocrites eh?

 

 

Blimey Loose, you certainly got out of bed the wrong side today. I wasn't for one moment even thinking that you was suggesting players should be enslaved, although to be fair it wouldn't be unreasonable to make that assumption. The hypocrisy bit was aimed at football fans in general who by and large tend to think that players should remain forever loyal to their clubs, even though those same supporters wouldn't think twice themselves about jumping ship if they could improve their lot by moving to a different employer.

Edited June 20, 2011 by missunderstood

[Loose]

 

Blimey Loose, you certainly got out of bed the wrong side today. I wasn't for one moment even thinking that you was suggesting players should be enslaved, although to be fair it wouldn't be unreasonable to make that assumption. The hypocrisy bit was aimed at football fans in general who by and large tend to think that players should remain forever loyal to their clubs, even though those same supporters wouldn't think twice themselves about jumping ship if they could improve their lot by moving to a different employer.

 

Epic fail missunderstood but interesting that you can call "people" hypocrites and then suggest that they "got of bed incorrectly".

 

Request you find where I as one of your "people wot are hypocrites" find where I said that clubs are employers or that players and coaches loyalty should remain forever.

 

Any case I look forward to your next "whoosh" moment.

[Loose]

Tell you what mate, I'll try and help you out. Firstly clubs at this level are not employers are they because to be an employer you have to give your employee a contract don't you? And the FA and leagues don't allow contracted managers or players. Which managers do you know that have signed a contract recognised by the league or local FA?

 

Now here's where the hypocrisy comes in, where clubs don't pay players wages but they pay them so called "expenses". Nothing wrong with that in itself but lets not kid ourselves its anything else but appearance money because what business do you know of in the UK that recompenses its employees to drive from their home to their place of work? None because the taxman would be all over it like a rash and it would come to a sticky end in very short order. So where are the contracts for these arrangements? Aren't any hence no employment so don't talk about players being treated as anything like "employees".

 

Loyalty is a different thing and I never said that there wasn't such a thing in non league football because we all know the majority of clubs have fierce competition for team spots. Maybe theres no problem after all but I can almost guarantee that there will be at least 4 or 5 clubs that take a suspension from the league or fold next season and how do the clubs that have played them, paid for the pleasure of fighting for points off them feel then? I know how the clubs who haven't wasted their money on playing them yet feel because they don't lose the points they might have won. Effing grateful especially if they were struggling themselves.

Edited June 20, 2011 by Loose

[Spartacus7868]

Am I wrong in thinking that clubs can sign two players in any one calendar month from another unless they are voluntarily de registered? This would and does stop a mass movement of players from one club to another.

[Spartacus7868]

'Can only sign two'

[bicknell]

Thanks for the good comment mate .and will be looking forward to coming to stony from what I hear you will have a strong side next season .good luck next season

[SkyNews]

My name is John Constable and i have been a loyal Fan of Amersham Town over the past 18 years playing for them 13 years ago plus coaching for the club in the 2002 season.

 

I find this article posted from a former coach at the club very unprofessional and you should hand your head in shame. Lawrence Lipka and Chris Martin are friends i have known from the club for many years and have given up alot of time and money to keep the club running over many years. Lawrence and Chris also saved the club from going under and out of business a few years ago.

 

I rarely miss a home game and get to the local games when away in the league as much as a i can. Amersham Town is a club close to my heart and it makes me sad when its name and people who keep the club going are tarnished with disrespect.

 

I don't know Chris Miller or yourself as people, but i find it highly rude the way you operated yourselves when you were at the club and the way you are operating yourselves now. You are meant to set examples to players you coach and manage and all you are doing is bringing a former clubs name into disripute. The club gave alot of time to your services, time which others outside and also inside the club don't seem to realise. Time such as: the money to run the club, kit washing, programmes to produce, pitch care, flood lights, mini bus etc. The club have its reasons not to let you at their ground next year which i don't know fully, however i respect their decision as when i saw you operate i couldn't believe a manager to smoke inside the dugout next to his players or even let his players smoke next to him in the dugout, to find out that from friends at the club that the manager is getting drunk with his players on the friday night before the game, to resign from the club in the teamtalk to the players just before the last match started and also to leave the club with out any players as the ones you inherited you did not keep.

 

With this a regular occurence in football with players leaving when a manager goes has to be addressed as its killing the non league game, the grass roots of our national sport. I don't blame Lawrence for what he has asked. Im sure any other chairmen put in his position would do the same thing. Lawrence Lipka and Chris Martin are hard working men who love football and love the club they work for. After the club was left with hardly any players through the former managers departure the Chris worked his socks off with what he had left and played some fantastic football which didn't warrant the results. Im looking forward to watching Amersham next season from where i normally sit in the stand and im pretty sure the players Chris brings in will be young, hungry and play the game in the right way and the way the game he believes should be played.

 

Regards

 

John Constable

[the special one]

The words off and high horse come to mind !!!

[SkyNews]

1 win in 15 games comes to mind too.

 

JC

[Rhodes]

My name is John Constable and i have been a loyal Fan of Amersham Town over the past 18 years

So you must know Stephen Cogdell and Michael Gahagan, possibly the two nicest people I've ever met in my life

[SkyNews]

Yes Mike and Steve, great gentlemen and look after you at the clubhouse and can always have a good chat about football with. Mike also puts in alot of time at the club.