Echo Website

[Merv]

Linneycifc has got it in one. Brilliant publicity scam by someone. Do you know how much it would cost to buy an advert on the front page of the Echo? Somebody has got it for free - well done.

 

Remember when Dick Marshall accused the Canvey fans of being afraid to cheer on their team? The next day at Cambridge we shouted the roof off.

 

But the lack of crowds at Park Lane is a concern and I wonder why the club is afraid to disucss the issue with those of us who do turn up. On these pages there have been dozens of good suggestions over the seasons but I don't recall any forum at the club where management and fans have put their collective thinking caps on and discussed the problem. In fact I don't recall any occasion where the club has held a fans forum to share ideas, unless you were there the night Ray Cross tried to launch a weekly lottery ticket. Rod Hall was the last club official to talk to a representative group of fans about Park Lane developments (BTW, whatever did happen to the new clubhouse???)

 

I get the impression that fans at Park Lane are only considered in terms of £11.50 units and little more. Let one of them try to run a serious website (the present one is a joke) and we all know the respone they will get.

 

In any organisation, supporters need a sense of ownership and involvment. If you don't bang a drum or get drunk on the coach, does the ordinary fan really have a sense of belonging to the club? I might be talking bo££ocks, but would the club be prepared to discuss the issues with the fans? Or is it easier to just moan about the lack of support?

[Guest]

Merv You talk from your [****!!****], I own Canvey every saturday for 90 mins as does everyone who goes every week and pays their money.

 

I support my club and trust the managment, its a shame that people do not recognise what the club has done for the community, what has the community done for the club (bugger all)?

 

I believe it is about time people stopped talking Boloxs and started turning up at the ground.

 

People need to support their team or it will die that is simple.

 

I was amazed by the lack of support the Ressies got this week at East Thurrock.

 

I believe only four people paid £3 to watch a very entertaining game between two local sides.

 

Get of your [****!!****] or say goodbye to local football on the Island.

[Merv]

Quote:

MOB said:
I believe it is about time people stopped talking Boloxs and started turning up at the ground.

OK, you're right and everyone else is talking 'boloxs'. The club doesn't need to do anything else proactive to bring more fans into the ground, they should simply do what you are doing, berate them for not turning up.

Reasonable tactic but MOB, I don't want to worry you, IT AINT WORKING! The attendance figures prove my point.

Now you can go one of two ways on this. 1. Listen to another point of view, even if you don't personally agree with it, because there might just be the germ of an idea that is worth developing, or, 2. close your ears and carry on demanding that people turn up, as of right.

You suggest that if people don't turn up we will lose our football club. Can't argue with that but I can, perhaps, put it another way. If the club doesn't do more to attract people, they won't turn up and we will lose our football club.

What can the club do to attract more people? I've no idea, but I do know a couple of hundred people who, between them, have quite a few ideas. Why not encourage those people to put their ideas forward and discuss the issues? Listning to people has got to be more productive than you simply telling them that they are talking out of their [****!!****].

[Ribbit]

A merger with Chelmsford would be the end of us. Nobody is going to travel to Chelmsford from Canvey to watch a renegade side.

 

The way to give us an 'instant' fan-base, if you like, is to move us to Sadlers Farm and re-name us 'Canvey Island & Castle Point', or something like that. I wouldn't be happy with that, but that is far, far better than any merger.

[Spursman]

Easier way to kill off a club is to take the team from it's long established base to unfamiliar teritory, just look at the "success" Wimbledon's move to Milton Keynes has been eh?

[mr c gull]

could be the start of jeff

pulling out of the club,don't see how the club can moan about low attendances when they are clearly lowered(1100 today)down to 950 probably

[The Great Eckscape]

It's good to see that we all feel so passionately about the subject, it's just a shame that a few more don't.

 

I'm hoping for a big crowd today, the club have given tickets to Leigh Beck which is a matter of yards away. This means that most of its kids will live close to the ground.

 

I know a few parents who are bringing their kids along as part of this, I definately think that the schools is where we can bring a few more through the gate, for now and the future.

[Matt H]

First off, this is a huge publicity stunt. Most likely started by Spink himself so well done there Bob.

 

Secondly, our attendances have slowly risen over the seasons. I remember looking on another's site a few weeks back and noticing our average attendance had risen by exactly 100 since last season. Now this maybe because of closer away following like Cambridge, rather than Carlisle but theoretically it's 100 more people putting money in our coffers when they visit Park Lane.

 

What is overshadowing our slight increase in attendances is although we've jumped up a league in the last two seasons, so have Tilly's filth and Stimmo's inbreds - and they're both closer to doing it again than ourselves.

 

I know of people who will not come to Park Lane, purely because of where it is situated and they don't want to travel across the island to leave their car as easy pickings. Others would rather return from whence they came. When Southend were nearly getting relegated, we picked up a few of their stragglers because we were pushing for Promotion. Now we're settling down in the Conference and Southend are top of League 1, knocking on the door of the Championship their unloyalists have returned to Roots Hall.

 

Unfortunately, at the moment we cannot do anything except to encourage more of our friends and family to attend games, (but usually they claim to have better things to do like mow the garden).

 

There are a couple of little tips the Club could easily respond to:

 

1. I only know of two shops on the whole of the island that display CIFC fixture lists. Are there others? Who does, who doesn't? Name and shame people!

2. There are shops in Benfleet that clearly display fixtures for SUFC, yet none that I've seen for CIFC.

3. The little wooden standees are all very well and good if you drive a car, but why is there one not planted right in the middle of the town? Outside the Knightswick shopping centre there is one of those bus-stop type advertising stands, (probably owned by ADSHEL but I may be wrong). Would it hurt anyone to find out how much it is to display the next upcoming fixture in that? If it was viable they could keep it going through out the season. If the Club also wanted to really go for broke they could possibly also display the same at the bus-stop at Jones' Corner opposite the Police Station and maybe one down the seafront too.

 

Have the Club thought about doing anything special to promote the Kidderminster game on Good Friday? Easter holidays and all, I doubt the majority of the kids on the island will be doing something as remotely interesting as watching their home team.

 

It's too late in the season for a fans forum thingy, but in the Summer I would like to see one setup during pre-seson for the Club to outline their strategies on and off the pitch and their long and short term goals - Holding nothing back. If they're considering it, we want to know about it as I'm sure we fans will want to help in any way possible.

 

Now we could all sit around in front of our computers bitching to one another about what the Club can and can't do to get in the extra crowds. But in reality, there is nothing we can do. Ultimately, it's down to the individual and if they wish to part with their money and to which team they'd prefer to give it too.

 

I used to say that anyone who lived on Canvey, yet regularly supported Southend should be shot. But now, that wouldn't do us any good as they wouldn't be around to give their money to anyone! No, all we can do as fans is continue to back the Club as much as possible. We have hit the very steep part of the road to success, but it is climbable. It just takes more strength and power to see us through it. We must continue to support our Club on and off the pitch, even if you can't get to the games. I believe all of us on here have been supporting CIFC since before we entered the Conference, some even before we entered the Isthmian League! We should all be praising each other for sticking around through the ups and downs (and bans <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) as we know what we have on our doorstep. It's just a pity, others would rather not see the light <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

 

Phew, ok, glad that's over! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[YELLOW]

Some good points there, Matt.

[Guest]

Merv what I am saying is at a rough guess you would not be far wrong if you assumed King puts £300,000 per year of his own wedge into the club.

 

Everyone I have ever spoke to at the club (which is not many granted)is approachable and easy to talk to.

 

Our club is small enough that you can phone them up and say, "I have an idea".

 

If I was coughing over a quarter of a mill a year into my local club, I would think that buys me the right to make decisions without consulting others.

 

I am sure if someone got a "Canvey Island Supporters Trust" going and raised £300,000 per year through fundraising etc and donated it to the club Jeff would let them have a seat on the board.

 

The club give 100's of tickets a week to local schools amongst other things.

 

Merv I work in a very large building in Chelmsford and every week I put a poster up showing our latest fixtures, I have absolutly no connection with the management, what is stopping eveyone doing that? NOTHING !!

 

We are a small growing part time club with a unique management. I think they are all [****!!****] brilliant and that includes every steward, ball boy and burger maker.

 

The people on Canvey owe the club far more than the club owes them.

 

I love ideas, but why should someone else have to always carry them out??

 

Since you had the idea why not approach Chris G offer to set up a development/promotions sub group of the supporters club, organise some volunteers and go out and raise enough monet to do all the things and ideas you think of.

 

Or should we expect Jeff to cough the 300 large and do everything else as well.

[cangull]

Its no good saying thats a load of [****!!****] to each other.

At the end of the day, the supporters have been making suggestions on this forum for years, whilst its being stated on this forum its going to be 'pie in the sky'. As Merv has stated, the deeds have to come from the club itself. If the club cannot create an insentive then then none of us supporters can unless the club and supporters can get together and sort through the ideas on offer, however varied they may be!!

[Merv]

300 words and you didn't mention 'bolox' once. Thank you for at least listening to my points and making a reasoned response. If the club would only do the same, we might just come up with some workable ideas. Only 754 people there today suggests that something different needs to be done, and soon.

 

I would take up your suggestion of forming a development/promotions sub group of the supporters club but since Ian, Matt and I got such an enormous knock-back from the club a few years ago, after 5 years of considerable work, effort and expense, you will understand my reluctance.

[A Non E Mouse]

Obviously a very emotive subject. Here is my two pennies worth for those who can be bothered to read it or have insomnia <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

 

Personally I think the club has taken advantage of the press to highlight the problem in an attempt to sway a few of the armchair supporters to get off their backside and get down to the Lane. Not a bad idea - but I do wonder if it's a good one. It has also sent out a message to fickled fans that the club is struggling for support and this may be interpretted as a club which is struggling rather than a club in its' most successful position in club history.

 

As for Chelmsford - do me a favour. If we are struggling to make ends meet at this level then I can fully appreciate the issues. However, on simlar crowds it did not stop us competing in the Ryman. Why move from the Lane - have we relinquished the lease or something. I do realise that the cost of travel, policing etc. are a lot higher than in the Ryman - but why would this mean a complete relocation?

 

I also think we forget that our success has been concerntrated in the last fifteen years. Even those people attracted to the Lane today by issuing vouchers will not make them dedicated fans overnight - it takes quite some time. Personally I think the writing was on the wall towards the end of our Championship season when I expected higher gates than those we actually got.

 

I think the main question that this all raises is "where do we go when Jeff gives it up?" - and he will one day. The club needs to build the foundations now for that day whenever it comes. If "the club" sits back and continues to let Jeff foot the bill then "the club" will struggle when it has to stand on its own two feet. Who will that effect the most - us the fans.

 

There have been numerous ideas and suggestions placed on this forum and many such as MOBS use of a fixtures list cost next to nothing however others can cost a lot more. Ultimately the club needs more business sponsors, rather than just Jeff, and unfortuantely we live on an island where most people commute to work and big business does not exist. We need to look at companies who need a relationship with the local population. As an example - if you want to build a Methane terminal on the Island then show some "payback" and sponsor the local club! - even if it's only for PR.

 

A mate of mine has got involved with the running of the club forum and Supporters Association at Grays Athletic. Speaking to him I now have a small appreciation of how much time, commitment and personal expense the likes of Ian, Merv and Matt must have had. Just like these guys he had to ask the question - do those who run the club actually want real input from the fans? There is no point in having a Supporters Association when the club are not interested or do not want to listen to possible criticism as well as ideas. It's like a marriage and when your partner doesn't want to listen then it becomes a one way street.

 

They are holding a supporters evening with Stimpson and have had an evening of questions and answers with Mike Woodward - it's probably still early doors for them but history shows that Canvey, with it's independent website and messageboard, was not appreciated. Has anything changed or is it a poisoned chalice for anyone who is able to take it forward?

[Guest]

Great debate!!

 

Still Jeff coughs all the dough and everyone talks about what the club should do!!!

 

My point is, when does everyone else start doing something??

 

There are some people who do their bit such as Jeff and all the staff and volunteers.

 

The Yellow Army, Drummers, supporters club, Stewards, Bar Staff etc.

 

When does MR & MRS Canvey start getting off their backside and start doing their bit.

 

Why has it always got to be the club, the club is only as good as those that pay £11 to get in?

 

When do the people on the Island start owning their team?

 

Where are all those people that were at Villa Park, if they can travel there why cant they travel to the Lane??

 

I am sorry Merv and CO but it is bolox (there I have said it).

 

In my view it is all jealousy, people are to lazy to go to games, but not to lazy to criticise.

 

This may sound extreme but in my view the only people entitled to critic/comment on the club are season ticket holders, 100%ers, volunteers, sponsers, and people who regulary contribute financially.

[Phil Old Boy]

Yes this is turning into some debate, and I just hope something good comes from all these thoughts.

 

First, I can understand Merv’s personal reluctance to pursue any initiative’s at this moment due to the events of , crikey was it 5 years ago!

 

If the club were concerned by the numbers coming through the gate, then are they just going to sit there, wonder and ask why, or never know?

 

There is an opportunity now!

Yes we are 40,000 on here (thought it was a tad more than that) but it’s not a colossal amount. I reckon this number is “surveyable”. Why doesn’t the club construct a survey paper, just a 1 page affair that could be delivered with the Standard Recorder/Advertiser. On the questionnaire, you could really ask some deep questions on why people don’t come to the ground and you just might be surprised of the results. It could be something staring the club the right in the face and is easily achievable to put right in the short term.

 

In sure this initiative would not cost a lot of money considering the benefits that may return from it and a lot of the ideas of questions could be collated on here as a starter.

 

This is really is a survey for the club and the Island community, but just don‘t wonder why, find out, get feedback as they say, or you‘ll never know where you stand!

 

Responses from the survey could be emailed or dropped off in certain locations around the Island, but just make it easy for the Islanders to get those responses in and work towards a right direction from there.

 

All you keep asking above is why?, GO AND FIND OUT WHY, or you‘ll never know!

[Guest]

Phil, why the club?

 

If it is that easy, you do it I will put £20 towards the cost and like those who chip in for flags drums etc I am sure so would others.

 

The club dont just sit back and do nothing they give 100s of free tickets to schools, buy gulliver and get him to give out sweets etc etc.

 

You had a great idea why not do it, my point is when are people going to stop saying "THEY SHOULD" and start saying a much more positive "I WILL"???

 

As for the web site I thought it was brilliant, its a shame what happened, we have moved on bitterness does not help anyone.

[Ribbit]

Alright, what we need is someone to design a poster for a forthcoming home fixture and have it dished out with one of the freebie papers.

I actually had a go last night, but on MS Paint and with my limited artisticness, it wasn't up to much.

[Phil Old Boy]

Quote:

MOB said:
Phil, why the club?

If it is that easy, you do it I will put £20 towards the cost and like those who chip in for flags drums etc I am sure so would others.

The club dont just sit back and do nothing they give 100s of free tickets to schools, buy gulliver and get him to give out sweets etc etc.

You had a great idea why not do it, my point is when are people going to stop saying "THEY SHOULD" and start saying a much more positive "I WILL"???

As for the web site I thought it was brilliant, its a shame what happened, we have moved on bitterness does not help anyone.

Responding to thoughts raised:

I know it’s never enough, but from what money is taken on the gate that goes towards costs, I think this initiative could start from the club.

I never said it would be easy, but is capable of doing with those with some time on their side.

Yes the club have these initiative’s you mention, but should it just stop there. Can have as many initiative’s as you like.

People might start saying “I will”, when perhaps something has been identified that can be changed.

The old website was great and perhaps was too informative (can only think of that as to why it was shut down). Believe the guys involved have moved on from there, but must have been quite an experience for them as to what happened. Sure that the word reluctance I used is now suitable after all this time, rather than bitterness.

[Guest]

Thats just the point its a small club doing what it can if we want more then we should do it.

 

Maybe the club feels it asks enough of its supporters, maybe we should offer.

 

As for the money on the gate, it costs just short of £500,000 to run our club, the money on the gate comes to about £65 - £70k

[Ribbit]

Fu*ck