Observer Today

[Guest]

Anyone read the Observer article today ? - it covered half a page in the sport section.

 

It was a whingey article basically moaning about the finance of the club, which were envied by Claridge amongst others. The writer admited (at the end) that the Conference regularly investigated all clubs finances and that all (including HX) are in order.

 

The article was sceptical about our ability to build a fan base, saying that we could not compete with Dagenham (some nastiness from Mark Venus) and West Ham.

 

The fact is the Barking & Dagenham has a population of 170,00 and Havering of 230,000. Lots of football league team have smaller numbers than this. Both clubs have big potential.

 

The other thing that bothered me is the photo that was published. This gives the impression than HX fans are black-shirted fascist hooligans, not the reality where I regularly attend with my son & nephew and never seen or heard any abuse of any kind.

 

I think we're being slandered!

 

 

 

 

[Lord]

The article is a cracking work of fiction it must be said. Read the article on the internet, the address being http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1297521,00.html if anyone is interested. Do you know by the way who the sports editor at the Observer is? Its a certain Ian Ridley, who until Friday was Weymouth's chairman. Reading between the lines this appears to be a desperate attempt to take a pop at the club and all we are doing, just because Weymouth and their clueless manager Claridge haven't got a chance of stopping us winning this league. We are an easy target of pr1cks like these. I'm sure Unc, GC & GH won't give a monkeys over this and neither should we.

[Uncle Urchin]

well we had a good larf about it this morning chaps over breakie.....

 

fck me.....it really does come under the banner of...

 

'you culdn't make it all up culdya'.... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

 

now far be it for me to suggest that the observor is the sunday edition of the guardian....

 

ho hum....no love for UU at that publishing emporium... <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

 

a certain Ian Ridley is indeed the sprts editor of the sunday sheet in question.... <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

 

own goals....

 

claridge on 4k a week.... <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

 

kettles and pots come to mind after claridges outburst in the NLP.... <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

 

no such thing as bad publicity.... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

 

who the fck are brian eagling and carl wilioams

 

never heard of 'em.... <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

[YELLOW]

Quote:

RogerTheDodger said:

The article was sceptical about our ability to build a fan base, saying that we could not compete with Dagenham (some nastiness from Mark Venus) and West Ham.

Don't agree with that. So far your average gate this season has been around the 750-800 mark. If you got into the Conference with the added away support, you'd be getting about 1200/1300 most weeks which is not far short of Daggers' average crowd.

You have quite a large catchment area as you can attract people from Upminster, Hornchurch, Romford etc and you only have to go to Romford on a Saturday afternoon during the summer to see the amount of people wearing footie shirts whether they be Arsenal, Spurs or West Ham and alot of these people can't afford to go to Premiership football on a regular basis.

Romford for example is a big town but without a successful team. I've always said if somebody came in at Romford FC, sorted out the finances and a ground near the town centre the club would get massive support. This has happened just down the road at Hornchurch and the Urchins are taking advantage . I wouldn't be surprised if some of the support does come from the Romford area.

[Keemo]

Well said Lord.. i make you right there. The more success we find on the pitch the more people are gonna look to gun us down. Its great to see us getting these column inches in the paper. It will no doubt help push us up where we belong. We have good finance, a quality team and manager and hopefully an expanding fan base.(this i feel needs to grow for us to really get BIG)

[Digger The Cat]

Typical British Press, slag someone off, when they are doing well!

 

Jealousy more like!

[Digger The Cat]

6-0

still can't believe it, brilliant game.

[Hasbeen]

God there are some ar~~~oles about. I have been involved with HX for many years through thick and thin, and no one one gave a t**s about about us before we started doing well. Good luck to the new regime and look forward as always to sticking two fingers up to the sceptics.

 

[billy]

we are a family at hornchurch....... close ranks and [****!!****] em all......who reads that paper anyway.........well said hasbeen

[The Town Crier]

I was telephoned earlier today by a Hx fan who asked me what I thought about the article.

 

Well.. from what I read it is obviously well researched and accurate, but, I don't expect any one from the club to admit that.

 

The reason being, it highlights the fact that Hx are a bunch of penny pinchers misers.

 

For starters, Mr Eaglett has put in 10 mil, and he's not the Essex Abromobitch, so we know for sure there is at least 20 mil floating around, probably more.

 

With that sort of cash, surely your players are being short changed. Its no wonder there was a mass exodus to Boretree, and why are the fans having to pay an exorbitant entry fee of £6.50.

 

Come on Hx....flash the cash.

[Hasbeen]

Well I'm sure we will be the subject of many a debate of finance and band wagons..............at worst when UU takes all his money away we'll be no worse of than we were a few years ago and at least we'll have a lovely perimeter fence. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

[Uncle Urchin]

ha ha...nice one ricay..... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

 

 

[Guest]

"So far your average gate this season has been around the 750-800 mark. If you got into the Conference with the added away support, you'd be getting about 1200/1300 most weeks which is not far short of Daggers' average crowd."

 

There are only one or two sides who bring anything like 450 - 550 away supporters with them - the average away support is probably nearer 100-125.

 

Crowd sizes do grow as sides climb the leagues though, as people become more inclined to watch a higher standard of football - in 1996/7 in the Rymans Premier we were only getting about 750-800 a game, but are averaging over 1550 this season.

[urchinboys]

I had to laugh on Saturday... 3 boys stopped me at Upminster Bridge Station, they obviously had been to watch the Daggers getting wallopped coz when they asked me the Hornchurch score and I told them we had won 6-0, one of them hit his mate and said "see I told you we should have gone to Hornchurch"..... That's 3 more converts!!

[Bridge]

LOL..... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

 

The word is spreading!!!!

[urchinboys]

It is growing week by week and with results like that (6-0) there should be a snowball effect.

[Hornchurchmag O30crew]

A quality line from the film "The Firm"

DONT FORGET THE HORNCHURCH.....I think we all know the rest.. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Urchin Boy]

I Don't ! <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

 

Tell Me <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Hornchurchmag O30crew]

Get the film out & watch it then.....

[Iron Webbo]

I too read the Observor article and was disappointed by the angle the journalist used. All credit to everyone at Hornchurch for the progress that they have made and continue to make.

 

While good resources may be in place, they are of little use if the hard work, experience, commitment and right attitude does not back it up. The Club goes out of its way to look after its fans, with inexpensive admission, complimentary travel, etc., an example to us all.

 

Unc is spot on about there being no such thing as bad publicity. Perhaps a few envious people, but they'll soon fall by the wayside! Continue to do the important things well and success will follow.