Club Review

[Phil Old Boy]

Reading through posts and comments in the programme, it seems the club may be reaching a pivotal moment in its history, so thought this deserved its own debate, and these are just my thoughts.

 

After a success journey that started back in 1992, we have recently reached the pinnacle on non league football, a level that most would have said was impossible to achieve all those years ago.

 

So where do we go from here? The next step is league football would you believe.

Apart from the faithful 300-400, I think the novelty has worn for the others who came to those successful cup runs, a bit like we have done that, seen that.

 

I really think there is a dilemma. I still believe the club can move forward further, but it is a gamble.

 

It’s been great as it holds the history and roots of the club, but my thoughts personally, the ground at Park Lane just doesn’t hold the attraction or atmosphere of a larger set up that a club should have for league aspirations, and has run its course. When you have 2,000 in there however hanging over the rails urging you on then it’s a different matter, but those extras bodies as I have already said are those perhaps were only interested in experiencing the clubs new cup successes.

 

The dilemma and gamble to attract more is to have a new stadium, at Waterside (owing to all planning permissions to be passed).

 

Funding for this would have to come from several sources perhaps, with the council involved as well.

 

A new stadium with good parking facilities surrounding the ground would attract more supporters and one thing we would have over Southend for the time being in that its bad access requires a good 10 minute walk.

 

A new stadium would attract more from the Island and would also bring in more from surrounding areas due to its easy access and being visible when coming onto the Island.

 

Any thoughts anyone on this? I can’t see how the club will get more through the gate. Perhaps there should be a review/survey on why 300-400 regulars turn up and the rest don’t, but all we will be left with is not knowing WHY others don’t come when football at this high level is now here. The answer is out there somewhere, but at the moment we don’t know WHY until some attempt has been made to find out.

 

A new stadium would be a new start and a crossover that would signal the clubs intentions perhaps, but what a gamble unless we know what the appetite for all this is from the supporters.

[Shoulders]

I agree with what you've said Phil, but the dilema for the club is that if they build a new ground, are they guarenteed the support? The theory is good, but if it doesn't come off, it's a very expensive mistake.

 

Clubs like Arsenal can afford to speculate, as they know they have a huge waiting list for season tickets so they have a "guarenteed" increase in attendances.

 

I understand Jeff's coments but I believe he is preaching to the converted. Only current supporters read the programs and I imagine only current supporters read this site, listen to the post match comments etc.

 

I make 140 mile round trip for every home game. Though I rarely go to away games or stand with the yellow army, i have a season ticket and (mostly) enjoy the "day out" that it is for me every Saturday. If every one of the people that asked "how'd we do" to me after the match actually watched a game, we'd probably get another 100 to each game.

 

It's the people of Canvey that need a rocket up their @rse. If I can make the effort, it's not that hard for them. They just need an ultimatum in their face. "WATCH YOUR LOCAL TEAM OR LOOSE IT". 100 of those posters around the Island would be a start.

[eggy]

We have close ties with the Classic Gold Breeze Radio Station..

 

Is there no way David Baker could run a piece on the club trying to promote extra support from around the county.. Maybe even get current supports on air to voice there concerns about these rumours..

 

How about running Promotional Adverts on Classic Gold Breeze advertising all Home games

 

Why are Club officials not coming up with new and fresh ideas to help the club out of this hole!!

[ken]

no offence to Classic Gold Breeze but a station with more listeners would be better. what the club needs to do is get someone from a marketing / PR company come down asses the situation and give their views (this may have been done i dont know (im assuming not by how badly the club is advertised)) there are so many things for the club to try that dont seem to be getting done

[eggy]

we really need to get a meeting set up with club officials to put forward all these proposed ideas to show that all loyal supporters are keen to ge involved!

 

As Chris Gardner is the supporters club Chairman is this something he could talk to the club about and arrange?

[Ribbit]

We won't get planning permission for a new ground with our current attendances. As far as the council is concerned there isn't a need for it.

[South Mouth]

I just wanted to put my comment from another thread onto this one as it seems relevant.

 

The fact is that a move nearer to Benfleet station would be a great benefit to the club and people who see travelling to Leigh Beck as a pain in the ar*e.

 

An investor would see Park Lane as a problem but with a move to say...Waterside would be brilliant and would enable us to move on up. The fact is that the council dont see it that way and we are stuck. There is always moving to Bowers Gifford which has been mentioned in the past but it brings us back again to the subject of moving off the island. So the question is...if people dont want us to move off the island to say Chelmsford, would people settle for just off it?

 

Could someone close to Jeff, say Chris G or Wayne have a word with Jeff and try to organise a fans/management meeting so everyone from both sides could try to find a solution. At the moment, Jeff is saying that a lack of support will bring the club down while the fans agree with this and are all of a different opinion as of what to do (for example, the question about Bowers Gifford) and how because so far we have not had an opportunity to talk to management about this things.

 

I think if Jeff wants a solution to crowds dwindling and we are looking at what we can do, then we should both come together and discuss this and find a solution or at least discuss the possibility of one.

 

Come on Jeff, lets have a talk because we want this club to move forward just like you do and i think the majority of die hard fans would love to talk to you and help.

[Phil Old Boy]

Quote:

Shoulders said:
I agree with what you've said Phil, but the dilema for the club is that if they build a new ground, are they guarenteed the support? The theory is good, but if it doesn't come off, it's a very expensive mistake.

Clubs like Arsenal can afford to speculate, as they know they have a huge waiting list for season tickets so they have a "guarenteed" increase in attendances.

I understand Jeff's coments but I believe he is preaching to the converted. Only current supporters read the programs and I imagine only current supporters read this site, listen to the post match comments etc.

I make 140 mile round trip for every home game. Though I rarely go to away games or stand with the yellow army, i have a season ticket and (mostly) enjoy the "day out" that it is for me every Saturday. If every one of the people that asked "how'd we do" to me after the match actually watched a game, we'd probably get another 100 to each game.

It's the people of Canvey that need a rocket up their @rse. If I can make the effort, it's not that hard for them. They just need an ultimatum in their face. "WATCH YOUR LOCAL TEAM OR LOOSE IT". 100 of those posters around the Island would be a start.

It is a dilemma and one if a stadium was built and got wrong would be a big mistake.
I think it’s just a misfortune that the ground is situated where it is, tucked out of the way. A visible ground to all at Waterside would be the best scenario I’m sure, but we’ll probably never know. Shame as it has been a fantastic journey to get to this point and one where a new stadium may be the right solution.

The Island does need some sort of centre piece as well now as the “famous landmarks” from the past have gone.

[Ribbit]

It makes me feel quite sick looking at how far we've come and the success that we have had, only for it to crumble... no, not crumble, but possibly disappear from beneath our feet entirely. To think that we could end up back in the ESL is sickening.

Can you imagine in ten years time to be in the ESL and talking about our haydays in the Conference as if we're never going to get there again?

[Staying-up]

Even if they started to build a new ground now its going to take a couple of years to build. Who knows what League the club will be in then? Clubs like Leigh RMI, Dover, Margate & Kingstonian have been relegated from the conference and just seem to vanish from the Non-League scene.

Next year is going to be a lot toughrer. It will be a 24 team league with two more ex-League clubs coming down and clubs like Weymouth and Northwich likely to go up who are full time.

The new ground should have been built two years ago when we got promoted but nothing has happened and now we have reached crisis point regarding the crowds and there doesnt seem any quick fix in place.

[Ribbit]

Yeah, we should have burst into the Conference with a new ground and loads of promotion, but looking back, it seems more like a whimper.

[South Mouth]

Quote:

Ribbit said:
It makes me feel quite sick looking at how far we've come and the success that we have had, only for it to crumble... no, not crumble, but possibly disappear from beneath our feet entirely. To think that we could end up back in the ESL is sickening.
Can you imagine in ten years time to be in the ESL and talking about our haydays in the Conference as if we're never going to get there again?

I'm sorry but this is a bit fuc*ing drastic aint it? Who said anything about going back to the ESL? People should stop this nonsense before it gets out of control. The only thing under discussion here is Jeff getting pis*ed off at attendances and the possibility of moving. Not that we are folding or going the Hornchurch way.

Stop talking sh*t because this can only persuade Jeff not to talk to the fans in any kind of discussion because rumours and chinese whispers start which make us look like idiots who just ramble bollo*ks.

[Ribbit]

It's always a possibility. There's no point wandering around as if we're safe here. We could quite easily slip out of the Conference altogether and the Isthmian after that. I didn't say we would, but you never know what might happen.

 

For instance, we could have a new ground being built come August and 1500 a week in September. We could be playing league football by 2010. But would you slate me for saying that? I doubt it.

[South Mouth]

And also how is finishing in the highest position in our history and being the highest placed non-league team in the country been considered a whimper?

 

I'm sorry but i am fed up of people on here either putting down the team or talking absolute bollo*ks about club affairs.

[Ribbit]

What's that got to do with anything? I didn't say anything about the team's performances. What I said, was the club could and should have done more when we got promoted. We DID enter the league with a whimper, no matter what we did on the pitch.

Saying that, we were second favourites for taking the title before the season kicked off. I'm just saying that there wasn't much of a commotion around the Island.

[Batty]

I think that we are all p*ssed off with the cold weather and attendences will improve over the next few matches.

[Ribbit]

They won't improve enough though. 1500 A Week is what we need, but 1K would be a start. Just to get four figures.

[YELLOW]

Quote:

chalky boy said:

Quote:

Ribbit said:
It makes me feel quite sick looking at how far we've come and the success that we have had, only for it to crumble... no, not crumble, but possibly disappear from beneath our feet entirely. To think that we could end up back in the ESL is sickening.
Can you imagine in ten years time to be in the ESL and talking about our haydays in the Conference as if we're never going to get there again?

I'm sorry but this is a bit fuc*ing drastic aint it? Who said anything about going back to the ESL? People should stop this nonsense before it gets out of control. The only thing under discussion here is Jeff getting pis*ed off at attendances and the possibility of moving. Not that we are folding or going the Hornchurch way.

Stop talking sh*t because this can only persuade Jeff not to talk to the fans in any kind of discussion because rumours and chinese whispers start which make us look like idiots who just ramble bollo*ks.

Agree this is no Hornchurch situation where silly money is being thrown around. The only way we are going to end up in the ESL is if the club goes bust, folds and reforms as AFC Canvey in the ESL.

Even if Kingy did decide he no longer wanted to put the money in, he'd leave us in a position where we were financially secure then we would have to cut the cloth accordingly. Players would leave but we'd build up with what we had.

Half of these clubs like Kingstonian, Dover have fallen by the way side because they started paying stupid money for players. Even these sides seem to be on the way back now.

I doubt we'd be able to sustain Conference football but would survive quite easily in Conference South.

[ronin]

Yellow where does the club get it`s money from if you take away the King family? I doubt we could afford to run a team in the Ryman with the gate money we get now, "cutting our cloth accordingly" would mean a drop in leagues unless another person was willing to pay the bills.

[South Mouth]

The fact that you and others are switching from apparant ground moving and disgruntled management to putting out the notion that we could be preparing for Essex Senior League football and how we entered into the Conference with a whimper.

 

It is constant diverting comments that are not needed and not constructive and most are only put on here to see what response they get. All they achieve is stirring up the rumours and making things worse. It is happening on here a lot recently and it is pathetic.

 

Sorry mate but did you expect us to storm the conference when we first came up with only a part time squad and attendances like we have? As far as i remember we were unbeaten in the first 4 games and held Carlise to an 0-0 away draw and beat Exeter 1-0 at their gaff, so i hardly think we entered at a whimper. We only suffered late on because of injuries. Things take time and only exceptional circumstances like having a multi millionaire boss who spends silly money like Grays can change the likelyhood of having to settle into a league after promotion.

 

The Conference has always been an extremely hard league to compete in and an even harder task to go up. I spoke to loads of Dagenham fans over the years and they have always said the same thing and they have a great big ground and are full-time. It is absolute nonsense to suggest that we should take the league by storm like we did in the Ryman.

 

So the fact that we stayed up in the first season was a great result because the majority of fans knew it would be hard adjusting, especially against 17 full time teams. Most league clubs would settle for that sort of postion when they have gone up recently. The fact that we have grown stronger and now occupy 15th spot with the prospect of going up a couple more places suggests that this season has been an improvement. Just because we had to fight and struggle for points meant that some unrealistic fans thought things had gone tits up when it was obvious that they were just being greedy.

 

The matter in hand now is that attendances are low right now because there is nothing left to play for except going up a few places. There will be NO moving to Chelmsford no matter what rumours and crap is spouted out because Jeff will simply not do it. End of. And anyone reading this should not be worried about us going back to the ESL like some people have said. These are just comments for effect and are not realistic in the slightest. The situation is not that bad and is nowhere near being that drastic.

 

This club WILL move on up but we have to stick together, stop the rumours and start being constructive instead of critical.