A message from the Chairman

[David Holden]

[color:"red"]Brian has asked me to post the following:[/color]

 

I have been Chairman for over five years now and always resisted the temptation to get involved on the fans forum; despite first and foremost being a fan. I have always felt it best to leave it alone as football is a very emotive game and it goes without saying there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that marks a clear differential between being a fan only and being a fan/chairman.

 

What I have found difficult over this season is to see so much negativity on the forum. I appreciate it is only a small cross section of the hard core fan base and it is part of the British temperament to post for negative reasons rather then positive ones, but for those at the club, from players to staff, it is becoming increasingly hard to take.

 

So many positive things have happened at the club yet all we get is negative comment. Each year either on or off the pitch there have been more steps forward than back.

 

At Exeter, second in the league, we had the most clear cut chances and without doubt deserved something out of the game. Our players deserve respect for that performance, not doom and gloom. Despite their claims of poverty, information we got from the Exeter staff intimates their playing budget is substantially higher than ours.

 

We have one or two individuals making comments and one could easily be mistaken for thinking that all the while Liam Daish is manager they want us to do badly. I have received a letter from a handful of fans that makes it clear they have an axe to grind with Liam. One fan who was party to the letter uses his privileged position with a local newspaper to run down the team. This does no good in promoting the team to prospective new fans. An objective fans viewpoint is one thing, to use it as a personal soap box is another. Ed Miller has a similar position with another local newspaper and manages to convey his disappointment as a fan when we don’t get results, but without running down the team and management.

 

Some have a fixation with the so called long ball game. Well if we are playing more long ball football than we have over the last five years and more than most Conference clubs, then I am watching a different game. Over the last five years there have only been one or two teams in the whole of the Conference who one could argue had the technical ability to consistently play the ball predominantly on the deck. I certainly didn’t see Exeter playing any quality “short ball” game against us and, from what I have seen, there are not that many League One or Two clubs that do that either.

 

I don’t mind criticism but when I see our management and players getting what is in my opinion unfair reviews then I feel I have to say something.

 

Let’s get behind our team and the management. Football is about results. Overall, this club has delivered results for some time now. When we stop getting results then I will accept any criticism you have.

[The Doctor]

HERE HERE

[Hirsty]

...and a HERE HERE from me also....couldn't have put it better myself !

 

Cheers,

 

<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/elephant.gif" alt="" />

[Richard C]

Agree also. Lets get behind them more as much as we can. The fans in my opinion want too much too soon.

 

Well done for expressing yourself BK.

 

Laim Daishs barmy army boom boom boom boom!

[thatguy]

I feel that liam does get a rough ride on here. If you compare our position before this Christmas to the Christmas previous, we were facing relegation square in the face. Whereas, this Christmas, we have maintained our 10th spot. He must be doing something right. As for the team, if I have affended any of the players or management, then I apologise. I may only be a newby fan (2 years), but I enjoy watching the fleet.

[Robbo]

Yeh I know exactly what he's saying, the club's probably in the best sort of position it's been ever. And yet some people are still so negative. People should enjoy the relatively comfortable position we're in at the moment, you never know what could be around the corner. Let's get right behind the team for the remainder of this season and try to beat our highest conference position (atleast in this stint).

[Hempstead Gaz]

I understand where Brian is coming from, but I will still maintain my right to criticise and praise where appropriate, which i frequently do.

Personally, I think Liam is the best talent spotter we have had in 25 years.

As far being a manager, the jury is still out.

That is called free speech, and this is an open, albeit registered forum.

[jc]

Quote:

Brian Kilcullen said:At Exeter, second in the league, we had the most clear cut chances and without doubt deserved something out of the game.

'Without doubt' is perhaps a little generous, given Exeter's more sustained attacking pressure over 90 minutes.

Nonetheless, some valid points from Brian here - particularly regarding long balls. To say we play more of these now than we used to under Andy is pretty inaccurate. Furthermore, there's nothing essentially wrong with using long balls, provided the circumstances are appropriate (e.g. while playing a tall striker to flick balls on, or a quick striker to get behind a defence playing high up the pitch), and it doesn't constitute the sole method of attack.

[jc]

Quote:

Robbo said: People should enjoy the relatively comfortable position we're in at the moment, you never know what could be around the corner.

Very true - no-one could justifiably disagree with this. Nonetheless, fretting over the team, such as worrying whether we have enough strength in depth up front, is a perfectly natural reaction for genuine supporters of the club to have, and only shows how much said supporters care. It's only when this descends into overt public denigration and abuse of individuals that the mark is overstepped.

[Hempstead Gaz]

Quote:

jc said:
[

Very true - no-one could justifiably disagree with this. Nonetheless, fretting over the team, such as worrying whether we have enough strength in depth up front, is a perfectly natural reaction for genuine supporters of the club to have, and only shows how much said supporters care. It's only when this descends into overt public denigration and abuse of individuals that the mark is overstepped.

Having said that, personal player criticism dosn''t happen that often, usually after they have transferred to pastures new or Welling!! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[Hempstead Gaz]

And one thing I nor most on here have not done, is to criticise a player for a performance that I or they didn't see.

[Slartibartfast]

I am amazed that anyone from the club should feel the need to comment on the negativity on this forum, whilst I don't agree with the opinions of many of the posters on here, as I am sure they don't agree with mine, it would be a pretty boring forum if there was no difference of opinion.

I find that using this forum adds to the enjoyment I get from supporting the Fleet, there are some of you whose opinions I respect and there are some of you whose opinions I don't respect but I don't take any of you too seriously and I certainly hope that nobody reads too much into the rubbish I post.

Keep up the good work Brian <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/applaus.gif" alt="" /> and chill out. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

[Stu M]

That said, I don't think it's the average we-were-a-bit-crap after a defeat that Brian's moaning about - it's the relentless Daish-bashing by a couple of individuals, and the unending accusations that the club is going downhill, is poorly run, is solely responsible for poor attendances, flies in the face of supporters' wishes, that we've never been in such a poor state, etc etc, that he's talking of.

 

Daish isn't here to win a personality contest, arguably he's not here to even play attractive football, he's here to get results and so far he's probably achieved better results in this division than Andy Ford. Sure, that doesn't mean people can't discuss arguments that perceived boring football leads to lower attendances, etc, but to lay it ALL at the club's door - and there are people that do that - is unfair and blinkered.

[FleetFanatic]

Then again Slarti, surely it must have taken a fair bit for Brian to feel the need to put out those comments.

 

Sure, I was one of those who feared the worst after Grays away. Nobody could blame us then. But things have picked up and we are in a better position than previous seasons - despite the fact that we have had some poor performances and a lack of depth in certain areas of the squad, the results, on the whole, have still been ground out. The club is progressing but not enough for the playoffs - YET.

 

I had my one and only chat with the bloke a few Saturdays before Christmas - an interesting insight is how I would sum it up. Nice bloke, and possibly more importantly, Brian is a chairman second, and a fan first - trust me on that.

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

If only there was a website, where the club could post items like this !

 

 

Quote:

I have been Chairman for over five years now and always resisted the temptation to get involved on the fans forum; despite first and foremost being a fan. I have always felt it best to leave it alone as football is a very emotive game

 

Wise idea... Most people who come across this forum end up with the wrong impression of the club. Or maybe we are just a bunch of sad anoraks.

 

Quote:

Each year either on or off the pitch there have been more steps forward than back.

On the pitch yes, for the team yes, for the supporters I would argue we have gone backwards price increases and no real terraces behind the goal are prime examples.

 

Quote:

We have one or two individuals making comments and one could easily be mistaken for thinking that all the while Liam Daish is manager they want us to do badly. I have received a letter from a handful of fans that makes it clear they have an axe to grind with Liam.

 

That is sad. I don't know Liam personally but all the time he is at the club and getting the results we have been I will support him. Is the grievance that the small group of fans think they are bigger than the club , and with the dawning of a more proffessional era they are being frozen out ? if it is , good.

 

 

Cheers Brian for the update and letting us know your views , and up the Fleet, and lets get behind them for the rest of the season.

[Vera]

There are one or two individuals who will always complain no matter how well or badly we do. They can't help it. They probably deep down don't want us to be successful, maybe thay just don't like the manager or the chairman, but they certainly do not do us any favours, by always pointing out the negative as anybody reading our forum who were thinking of coming down to Stonebridge Road would probably feel it not worthwhile after reading some of the comments. I do not agree with complaining about individuals by name especially when they cannot stick up for themselves. Maybe the ones who don't like Liam are the same few who wanted an anti Andy Ford campaign to materialise.

[Graham S]

Nobody wants a forum where people feel inhibited about posting what they think. People have a right to express their opinion and if it is supported with a coherent argument, then it's worthy of respect whether you agree with it or not.

 

However, Brian is right in the essence of what he is saying: from day one there have been people opposed to Liam Daish's appointment. I remember quite a forceful set of posts on here claiming he was a bully who had destroyed a team at Havant & Waterlooville and alleging that a player's revolt had ousted him. I also remember the author of some of these posts having connections with the local media.

 

All I know is that, whilst I wouldn't claim to know Brian well, I'm pretty sure I've formed a full enough picture of him to know he wouldn't go for an in your face bully boy as manager. Apart from the pretty reserved comments when Andy Drury was asking for a move early in the season, I can't recall Liam ever criticising individuals by name in the public domain. I sit in the stand directly behind the dugout & I've never heard him get on an individual player's back either, something Andy did on occasion. Sure he tells players when they've done something stupid, but that's different to sustained negativity all in one direction.

 

I don't agree with everything the management has done, but I've seen enough to be generally positive. All good teams are built from the back & there's no doubt we're stronger now when defending. If we had the ability to seize on the slightest opportunity & punish the opposition, we'd have frustrated Exeter, then hit them & closed down the game. We can't do that yet, which is why we're not ready yet for promotion or a play off spot. But in a couple of season's time? Who knows.

 

As someone who's been watching the Fleet since 1971, I'm delighted to be safe in the highest level of non league football, still in the FA Trophy & with the developments of the area on our doorstep & the likelihood of a new stadium to look forward to.

 

Graham S

[PogoDave]

I'm delighted to see Brian making these comments to the fans. There is a lot of unfair criticism heaped on the Board and the manager on here, but one criticism that I think is fair is that the clubs communication with the fans is not what it could be. I am delighted to know that Brian reads the Forum and would like to see him engaging in discussions on it more where it is appropriate for him to do so. Obviously one of the main roles of the forum is for fans to air their grievances but it is clear that certain contributers have expectations which go far beyond what is realistic for a club like the Fleet in their current position. We do not have a side that can play silky passing football like Arsenal but we do have a side which is capable of playing some particularly nice football in patches. The first halves of the away victories at Woking and Crawley being two of the best examples of this that I've seen this season. The long ball game is an inevitable part of Conference football and often the most effective way of getting a result.

Liam has undoubtedly built a much stronger squad now than the one he inherited with some excellent signings such as Charlie Mac, Bowry, and Ross Smith and I think there is evidence of much more belief and team spirit than we saw previously - the late fightback at the Daggers being a case in point. A good run of results for a couple of months would see us flirting with the playoffs and this is a remarkable achievement for a club of our stature. Liam gets a lot of unfair criticism on here but for me the only comment which caused me concern was when Matt Lovell said he left because of a personal clash with Liam, and that many other players felt the same. Fortunately this rumour of squad disharmony seems to have been unfounded and therefore I think Liam and Alan deserve a lot of credit for what they are achieving here.

By all means be critical when there is something to genuinely criticise, but lets get behind the team and the management and appreciate where they have got the club to now, from where it was a few years ago. We continue to improve year on year in my opinion and as long as this continues to be the case, I think the fans can have few complaints.

[Hempstead Gaz]

That is a very well thought out reply, Pogo.

We should always try to take a balanced view of things, sometimes we see things happening that do warrant criticism; for example, my main gripe with Andy F was he allowed us to have a truly appalling disciplinary record, we were almost always top of that league.

Liam has turned that around, seldom now do players get booked or sent off for back chat to the ref.

With every thing I am unhappy with, there is always a positive spin on something as well.

So long as we promote the positive side of things AS WELL, then a Brian, Liam, Alan and the players, not only could expect a little criticism, but should do so when it is warranted.

We as a club are in a far stronger position now than say in the Ryman years, or just after promotion to the Conference.

We are now a recognised force in this league - perhaps not yet ready for the play offs, but certainly a solid mid table side capable of making the LDV trophy and making an impact in the FA Cup.

The crowd thing will remain an issue - I suspect there are a number of reasons for this as opposed to one sole reason, but I feel the crowds are generally related to success on the pitch, not neccesarily the style of play.

People will pay to watch a winning side - even if the play is route 1.

We do have the strongest squad I have ever seen, and I have been watching since 1967, it is only time before we emulate Burton and Exeter in shocking a Premiership giant.

Now THAT will bring the crowds back and shut up the cynics.

[Vera]

Brian I think you should comment on the forum at times maybe just a general comment now and again. It doesn't only have to be when you are feeling a bit agrieved as it has certainly brought out some very intelligent comments from the fans. So often a sensible thread degenerates into trivia unrelated to the original but it is very interesting to read the replies to your contribution and I am sure it is appreciated that you read the forum. Who would be a chairman or a manager??