If you've got something good to say..

[TangerineAsh]

""

 

[SlimBoyFat]

Pointless post whoever you are.

[Beano]

OK, I'll bite...

 

I'm guessing that TangerineAsh is trying to make the point that today's match was not an enjoyable experience or a positive performance. I was taking the small one to a birthday party, so I can't comment on the game. But what I might be able to offer is a bit of perspective in respect of the bigger picture.

 

No one enjoys losing and there is no person connected with this club who will look at the League Table tonight and get any pleasure from it. However, this run is arguably the first major sequence of bad results since Paul Burgess became the manager two years and four months ago. One of the biggest problems in football, especially in this modern era, is that people panic and start changing things massively at the first sign of a problem. That isn't how things generally work in business, so why it happens in football is beyond me.

 

Maybe expectations at Ashford have been skewed by the years we spent at Step 3. However, it is worth pointing out that, fantastic as that period in the club's history was, it did culminate in the building up of a significant level of debt, which is being paid off (in full, unlike at Kettering Town, for example, who are in a Company Voluntary Arrangement that sees creditors receive a fraction of what they are owed) at a fairly rapid rate. Because of that, the budget we have for the players is very small. While I obviously don't know what other clubs are paying out unless they tell us, I would suggest that Kettering are almost certainly paying out more to their squad than we are and I'd suggest that Slough, Daventry, Rugby, Royston and St Ives would be alongside Kettering at the top end of a "league table" for wage budgets. Of course, most of these clubs have the kind of crowds that can justify higher expenditure on wages than we can afford.

 

Whether we like it or not, at this level, a good budget can make a huge difference to where clubs finish in the table. This is a fact. It is also a fact that the financial constraints the club has been under have existed throughout Paul's time in charge. Therefore, it can be argued that the club has significantly over-achieved since Paul has taken charge. There has also been massive progress behind the scenes. Consider the following achievements in the last two years:

 

On the pitch

• Three trophies won; Middlesex Charity Cup, Aldershot Senior Cup, Southern League Fair Play Award
• A first ever appearance in the Middlesex Senior Cup Final
• Improvements in final league position year on year / compared with previous manager
• Success for the Second XI and U18 team, helping the younger players to develop so they can step up into the First Team

Off the pitch

• The club has recorded a (very small) trading profit for each of the last two seasons
• The ongoing management and reduction of debt, which should lead to the club being debt-free within 12-18 months.
• Conversion of the club into a Limited Company, safeguarding the club's short term financial future while providing long term security for both the club as an organisation and for members as individuals
• The securing of £67,500 worth of grant funding for facility / infrastructure projects which will improve the club's ground and reduce future costs.

 

When you look at that list of achievements, I don't think we've done too badly. We're in a bad run at the moment, but football clubs go through cycles like that from time to time. What we need to do is roll up our sleeves, keep working hard - collectively - and stay strong as a club.

 

Fortunately for me, you don't need to be at matches to know that we're in a terrible run of form at the moment. In this kind of scenarios, clubs frequently do one of three things:

• Throw money at the problem to try and make it go away
• Change the manager, in a bid to generate new impetus for the squad
• Both of the above, at the same time.

It should be obvious that the first of these scenarios is not an option. Neither do I think the second is the way forward; in Burgo, we have a Manager who knows the club inside out, has been at the heart of it for nearly a quarter of a century and has won trophies. Given that it took Sir Alex Ferguson four years to win something with Manchester United, patience is, in my opinion, the most prudent option at the moment.

 

So many of our key players have gone on to play at higher levels, a decline in performance was always possible. That decline has been sharper than anyone could have predicted but the other side of that coin is that we have had an influx of new players and changing the manager will create another wave of departures and arrivals where what we need is a certain amount of continuity.

 

In summary, I do have something good to say: this club is stronger than it was when Burgo took over and, while the First Team clearly needs work, we have a manager who will be hurting even more than most of us and doing everything he can to put it right. So keep the faith, get behind the team even if things go wrong and remember that we're only a quarter of the way through the season. If we all pull together, we can and will turn it around.

 

The future's bright, the future's TANGERINE. 

[TangerineAsh]

Great response Beano. I appreciate the insightful tones, that clarified finances and the clubs future.

 

However, having the audacity to put my head above the parapet and attempt to join the closed group of regular posters on this site, I like others who have tried over the years find its a reflect the collective viewpoint or keep your comments for the terraces.

I acknowledge, that on reflection, starting a post in haste, looking for the positives to come from the recent run of games in such a way was not the best way to introduce myself to this medium.

 

But, like other paying spectators have the right to air my viewpoints, yesterday game was another example of a promising start coming to nought due to ill disciple and yet another sending off the effectively ended any chance of collecting points. positives being that although several first team players have moved on, it is good to see reserve team players being given their chance,stepping up and mostly acquitting themselves well.

[Beano]

I try to not to post too often, partly because I struggle for time but mainly because the Forum should be more for supporters to vent their feelings than anything else, although I'm happy to do what I can to try and keep people informed.

 

As far as I'm concerned, supporters have every right to express their viewpoint and I think your second post on this thread is spot on. You've summarised the game as you saw it and I don't think anyone would argue that discipline is an issue at the moment.

 

I also agree with you that it is good that players are coming through the ranks into the First Team from the Reserves - after all, that's why we run a Suburban League team.

 

There's no magic wand or instant solution to the First Team's current problems. There are loads of reasons why we are where we are and I do think that the club's best interests will be served by sticking with the group we have and allowing the newcomers to bed in. Yes, the situation is difficult but it is rare that decisions made in haste turn out to be the ones that lead to the best outcomes.

 

We can go again on Tuesday knowing that, if we win it is the positive result we all want so much but if we lose, it's not a disaster in wider terms. 

[Swifty]

Excellent first post summarising everything, Beano.

 

It should be pointed out that this is only the second time in Ashford's 24 seasons in senior football that we've had a bad start. For a club like Ashford, that's a remarkable achievement.

 

It definitely hasn't helped that, having had to re-build and re-shape the team after the close season departures, three of the players who stayed (not just that, three dynamic key players who would have been the nucleus of our new look team) left within a week of each other with the season already started.

 

I'm quietly happy with the recent signings Burgo's made, and they'll need time to gel, but I understand the atmosphere in the dressing room is much better than earlier this season (By the way, is Elliott Jones still with us? He looked really good when I saw him).

 

I also think everyone at the game on Saturday was happy because the mic wasn't working and, having tried to improvise with a traffic cone, I gave up, so no-one suffered my usual witterings over the tannoy!

[manurgrate]

Everything that Beano and Swifty have stated in their posts is true. It seems at the moment we are paying for the sins of the past i.e. paying money for players that we couldn't afford in order to chase for glory. We were probably over- ambitious in the past and it is good that the present board have instilled some much needed financial discipline to secure the long term future of the club.

 

Whilst it is right to reflect on the past and plan for the future, it is also important that we don't forget the present. It has to be said that some fans just won't be interested in the finances of the club or past squabbles with ex- committee members. They pay their money and they want to see a good standard of football, now! They may seem unfair but that is just the way it is.

 

Is it possible for the board to consider re-scheduling the debts to some extent in order to provide some more funds for Paul?

[Beano]

To be honest, and without wishing to say too much on a public forum, it will be very difficult to do anything with the finances, not least because after tomorrow night, we will have no home First Team games for a month, which will have a hugely negative effect on cashflow.

 

There are efforts to combat that, with events like the Halloween disco planned and a huge amount of work being done by lots of people (not just the Board, I must stress) to try and generate income and cut costs.

 

At Board level, of course we all want to do everything we can to give the First Team the best chance of success but we have a responsibility to ensure the club meets its financial obligations.  

[fatboyatmfc]

I have something good to say....

 

Harry Driver, Joe Lynch, Tyler Tobin and Joe Hughes to name a few

 

Also, two wins however scruffy gets us mid table.

 

Also, we have the best kept beer in the area courtesy of Iain Messenger

 

And the best burgers courtesy of Cox &Co !

 

Btw, Briilant post Beano!

[Swifty]

Iain Messenger's always been a good keeper!