Town 2 Raynes Park Vale 1

[Dilbert]

I shouldn't worry BoH.

 

It's a troll who has probably never been to the ground. It probably got it's carer to write the post.

 

I have deleted the post.  Abusive language will not be tolerated on this forum.

[Blue KD]

Right, I've kept quite long enough, I don’t usually post on here but some of the things I have read recently, combined with what I've seen on match days have made me compelled to speak up.

 

It was only a month ago I was in Witham where I witnessed a very courageous comeback from the Blues and an incredible atmosphere from the supporters. What a long time a month is in football.

 

I am totally baffled by the response of some following the match on Saturday. To label a team’s performance of an FA Cup match that they won as “pathetic” among other things is one of the most unbelievable reactions I've ever seen by a football fan. I'm equally baffled by the negativity that is flowing around the ground so early into a season that isn't going particularly badly. Granted it’s not the best start, but it’s certainly not the worst!

 

I've been watching Billericay for 16 years, and like it is for fans of most teams, I have seen plenty of good times but also many gloomy times where we've had much poorer runs than this. I'm sure there are many older folk who've been watching much longer and have witnessed even worse periods than I. Why am I so sure? Because that’s football and that’s how it has always been! There’s no club in history that has only had good times!

 

The bad patch the team is currently in may be a cause for concern, but there is something that worries me more. What worries me is the number of people who have seemed to have lost track of what a supporter is. Last time I checked, supporting your club means getting behind the team no matter what. If you are unhappy, voice your concerns, but do it in a constructive way, otherwise you are not supporting your club any more you are simply damaging it.

 

Yes, on Saturday you contributed 10 pounds at the turnstiles, plus a few quid more for a beer and a programme; a sum of money that will unquestionably be of benefit to the club. But that doesn't automatically give you the right to show up and expect guaranteed entertainment and a perfect performance and then complain when you don’t get it. That’s not what supporting is.

 

It was shameful that so few “supporters” bothered to clap the players off at full time. It was embarrassing that Halle – our second highest scorer, captain, and player that always gives maximum effort – needed to lift the crowd after he just scored another goal that put is in the lead. The players won the match, they didn't play well, but they won and the cup run continues and an important 4 and a half grand goes to the club. Now, negative people (you know who you are) tell me, who made a better contribution to Billericay Town at the weekend, the players or you? Their performance as a team may not have been good but your performance as a so-called supporter is far, far worse.

 

Every team goes through bad patches, sometimes it lasts a few weeks, sometimes it lasts considerably longer – that’s football! When players like Poole – another player that has worked very hard this season – clap the fans at the end of the game and get such a poor response, do you think that’s going to motivate them to try harder next time or do you think it will make their heads drop even further? Just in case you’re not sure, the answer is the latter, which does not bring the team any closer to getting out of the current bad patch.

 

Supporting a club is meant to be fun, what fun do you get from slagging off your team when they've not performed well? When Dulwich came to our ground earlier in the season, their team didn't play that well. But if you saw their supporters, they were enjoying themselves the whole way through. The sang almost the full 90 minutes and clapped their players off at the end when they lost. That may seem like an alien concept to some of you (even though that's how I remember it being with our fans when I started watching Billericay), but I bet you their players were more upbeat at the end of that game, which they lost, than ours were when we won on Saturday.

 

If you can’t stomach offering your own team some encouragement during and at the end of a game because you don’t feel like you've got value for money then you are not a proper supporter, it’s as simple as that.

 

I don’t claim to be the best supporter, far from it. My contribution to this club is fairly small, but it is always a positive contribution. I go to as many games as I can, I pay my entrance fee and I get behind the team no matter what. That is worth more than the negativity you spread just because you feel the team is in debt to you because of all the hours of voluntary work you've done for the club or the thousands you have spent watching them over the decades. Don’t put the hours in or spend the money if you then think it gives you the right to offer non-constructive criticism when they go through a bad patch. The team isn't in debt to you. It never will be. Offer as much of a positive contribution as you can until it starts to cause you dissatisfaction, then stop. Don’t continue to contribute but then feel you have the right to moan at an unconvincing win, just stop, because that negativity cancels out all the good you have done for the club over the years and decades.

 

When you walk through those turnstiles as a “supporter” you are there to support. Nobody wants us to be performing the way we are, there’s a lot of progress that needs to be made with such a young team and such a small budget, it takes time, but we have gotten out of much leaner times in the past and I'm sure we’ll get out of this one. But at the end of the day, whether the club is going through a good patch or bad patch, at least we can say, as supporters, we did our bit. So let’s make a bit more noise during the game, offer encouragement and clap the players off the pitch, creating the type of atmosphere that will hopefully lift the team and attract more spectators, because at the moment the current atmosphere – the bit the supporters are ultimately responsible for regardless of what else you do - is doing neither of those things.

 

So that’s my constructive criticism. Why don’t the people who have used this forum to be so negative do the same. As well as the person who owns the twitter account obsessed with the declining attendances who said at the weekend “I wonder what the club is going to do about the falling crowds” but offer no solutions. It’s not our club when we are doing well but the chairman’s club when we are doing badly. It’s our club all the time. I didn't think I needed to explain it, but hopefully, if you have bothered to read this far you have learnt something about being a football fan.

 

Thank you for your time and come on you Blues!

[Paul King]

This does the rounds every couple of seasons. I don't know if attendances will get to what they were in the late nighties early 00's when I was a youngster but this ain't as bad the as 'stadia management shirt' era and we got through that! Get Joe Baker back and the crowds will follow

[blue pilgrim]

I unreservedly apologise if I have upset anyone with my earlier comments. On reflection, I could have chosen less negative language.

 

This is a good Club and I have been regularly watching the teams for longer than you KD. Win draw or lose, I always try to encourage the players when I am at games. I have never, ever criticised or shouted negative comments  to any individual  (apart from officials, and then only politely !!!!! )  

 

As I said in my opening post, no player goes on the pitch to have a poor game and providing they give their best, they are beyond reproach.  If you were there last Monday, the whole team gave their all against Canvey, it was obvious to see and we were all gutted that they didn't get any reward.  That is why I got frustrated ( and I am sure that I was not the only one ) with the lack of intensity for long periods on Saturday. We all knew they were far superior to our opponents, yet they risked allowing them back into the game. My angst was for them, as they deserved  to go through, yet were risking the tie. It was out of care for the team, not just for the sake of moaning, that I made the post.  

Sometimes writing down one's frustrations is better than airing them as some did on Saturday . However perhaps the written words could have been less blunt and more constructive - Sorry !!    COYB

Edited September 29, 2014 by blue pilgrim

[Bill of Shenfield]

Well said KD.

[New Lodger]

Excellent post KD and a good reply BP.

[Delboybtfc]

KD that is a great post and sums up what I and most of the large band of volunteers who help run the club believe. I understand people getting frustrated when they think we should have scored more goals but as has been said we won and are now playing Weymouth in the next round.

I too have been at the club for over 20 years and have seen good times, bad times, big crowds (rememberBraintrea in the cup over 2000 at each game) but crowds in non league have reduced. Some as Steve said in his blog have found the secret of getting more local involvement and we are currently working on ways to try and do this at BTFC. What I would point out though is the crowd for the to FA cup rounds so far were where we had budgeted them to be as these rounds are not strongly supported.

I would love to meet you and discuss your views in more detail so if you feel like it why not pop down on Thurs evening or if you are coming make yourself known on 6th when we play GWR in the ryman cup.

 

A long standing supporter said to me last year we have to change spectators into supporters. A great statement and I ask everyone to take a look at yourself and ask are you a spectator or a supporter. The club needs supporters because they will never let the club die and will strive to improve all aspects of their club both on and off the pitch. We have many supporters but need more if you are not already become one and do what it says SUPPORT

[billericayboy28]

We should start some sort of campaign to make  behind the goal a singing section. The fans like it and so do the players, which = results

[Eastside Urchin]

Consider yourself lucky your still in the FA Cup and not 2nd bottom in the league

[Brightside Bloke]

Consider yourself lucky your still in the FA Cup and not 2nd bottom in the league

 

Always pleased to see someone looking on the Brightside. :-)   

[blue pilgrim]

KD that is a great post and sums up what I and most of the large band of volunteers who help run the club believe. I understand people getting frustrated when they think we should have scored more goals but as has been said we won and are now playing Weymouth in the next round.

I too have been at the club for over 20 years and have seen good times, bad times, big crowds (rememberBraintrea in the cup over 2000 at each game) but crowds in non league have reduced. Some as Steve said in his blog have found the secret of getting more local involvement and we are currently working on ways to try and do this at BTFC. What I would point out though is the crowd for the to FA cup rounds so far were where we had budgeted them to be as these rounds are not strongly supported.

I would love to meet you and discuss your views in more detail so if you feel like it why not pop down on Thurs evening or if you are coming make yourself known on 6th when we play GWR in the ryman cup.

 

A long standing supporter said to me last year we have to change spectators into supporters. A great statement and I ask everyone to take a look at yourself and ask are you a spectator or a supporter. The club needs supporters because they will never let the club die and will strive to improve all aspects of their club both on and off the pitch. We have many supporters but need more if you are not already become one and do what it says SUPPORT

Unfortunately, for various reasons not everyone can get actively involved. As a previous volunteer in another field, I appreciate the efforts made by a few on behalf of the many !!!!   ( that's why I always put my hand in my pocket for the various fund raising initiatives)

 

One small thing that everyone can do, is spread the word about the forthcoming FA Cup tie and try and get as many fair-weather supporters along on the day. ( or indeed, some that may have never been before)

[Barry Proudfoot]

Falling attendances aren't helped when the league decide to schedule a big local derby for midweek.

 

Surely games such as canvey should be on Saturday afternoons or bank holidays. Just goes to show you the league don't actually care about it's clubs and the best way to help them financially.

[Delboybtfc]

BP I appreciate not everyone can give time and or money but support is more than that it is being positive, encouraging other people to use the club not just for football but all sorts of events, it is trying to make our club everyone's club in Billericay and the surrounding areas.

BTW I was not criticising you in my original post it was aimed at everyone to take a look at themselves and ask the question am I a spectator or a supporter