Transition period

[Hempstead Gaz]

Jason Botley wasn't wrong in declaring we going through a major transition period at this juncture; we are changing from the most successful part-time club in England to one of the worst full-time teams.

I feel sad, but I am also embarrassed and bloody angry.

[KShep]

I'm worried more than anything else. My Sunday League team was having doubts about next season when it looked as if only ten players would sign on- we are literally in the same position as Sunday League team, if not worse. And another thing is, players won't come to my team as the future looks totally bleak and desolate- hardly enough players to fill a team! This is going to be applied to us! For all the talk of the prosperity of the Thames Gateway and the club's bright future, we are not a club on the up as of now. We literally could not field a team for next year. There is not even a solid nucleas of a team. Ross and James Smith, and McCarthy as Centre-Backs, maybe, Criag as a Keeper, yes. But a tough tackling centre midfielder? A striker who will be a consistent name on the teamsheet? Charlie would be this man if only he didn't spend more time on the treatment table than the pitch. I will buy my season ticket and I will go along to every home game next year, come win or lose (probably the latter) but I don't expect us to beat relegation in this state- a squad consisting of inexperienced, ill-prepared players with the odd decent player involved, reserve players and guys from three leagues below, NOT the quality players that we've shunned because they couldn't train during the day for example! Like training hours will be a major factor when it comes to who stays up next season! Going full-time was the biggest mistake I have seen GNFC make.

[Stu M]

Quote:

KShep said:Charlie would be this man if only he didn't spend more time on the treatment table than the pitch.

One wonders how Charlie is viewing it all now! When he signed his contract we were a team on the verge of an (albeit unlikely) play-off place. Now he's got so few teammates, they could probably all buy a camper van and live in it together...!

[Hempstead Gaz]

My guess is that Charlie will ask for a transfer by Christmas, and being desperately short of crowds and funds the club will sell him.

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

Quote:

My guess is that Charlie will ask for a transfer by Christmas, and being desperately short of crowds and funds the club will sell him.

 

FFS - I can't take no more of this.

 

Yes the club appear to be in disarray at the moment , and to be honest even through the the recent rise , we have appeared to have been a shambles off the pitch.

 

But some how the club have maintained conference status, acquired its own training and leisure facilities and are in a transistional status to go full time. ( And yes I do think that we have gone to fast on that) , and the acting chairman has said we are not jeopardising our future by overspending. our previous chairman has not deserted us, I believe he is devoting more time towards our long term future rather than concentrating on the day to day duties. You could read a positive spin if you chose to, but most don't.

 

Its not all rosy in the garden , but the constant negatives and smugness in our supposed demise that appears on here just pisses me off.

 

 

Call me naive , but I am looking forward to next season. We will get a team together , which I hope competes and survives for another year. Every year we start as relegation favoourites, and next year won't be no different, I would lump us in with 7 or 8 clubs that are fighting to keep out of the bottom 4.

As I mentioned earlier , 1 place above the relegation zone will do me and would be a successful season, although I know thats not good enough for most on here.

 

But then again I look at things thru' rose tinted glasses and am not a realist like most ie Like the realists who have clamoured for the club to go with full time football push for play offs places etc with an infrastucture a good few years away from being able to support it.

 

 

Up the Fleet

[JimGNFC]

CG - as indicated on the previous thread, I'm not impressed with the rationale behind not keeping Jacko.

 

However, that said, for all their money, Grays have made a success of nurturing a good few youngsters that now form the spine of their team. Maybe GNFC are trying to emulate this approach out of financial necessity.

 

The next 3 month's will prove how good or otherwise a manager Liam is. Personally, I hope he makes a success of it because only then will GNFC move forward. Another season like the last, or even worst doesn't bear thinking about.

 

By working with a team of youngsters day-in day-out at least the management get a chance to improve players and maybe even improve the style of play.

 

True its a huge gamble but Liam's track record with recruiting players such as the Smiths, Slatter etc would suggest there is room for optimism.

 

True, we were a pretty decent part-time outfit and with whats happened with Canvey we may have been able to pick up a few of their quality part-timers had we remained part-time. However, no-one could have predicted what was going to happen to Canvey at the time.

 

The bottom line - why worry about something you have no control over? (I know the answer to this, like any good fan does but at the end of the day, its not like it makes any difference).

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

Quote:

we are changing from the most successful part-time club in England to one of the worst full-time teams.

I feel sad, but I am also embarrassed and bloody angry.

 

 

what the [****!!****] did you expect. its obvious we would be one of , if not the worse full time clubs. It comes down to budgets and crowd size. We are one if not the lowest budgeted full time club.

Full time status in our present condition was never going to deliver a squad achieving much more than we were already. If you are working within similar budgets does it matter if you are the best part time or the worst full time team, if it delivers conference safety ? I can't see that it does.

 

If you expected any different you should take off those rose tinted glasses.

[Hempstead Gaz]

If going full time was only going to make a small difference, why go the whole hog so quickly.

My arguement is not with going full time, but as JC so eloquently put, don't try to keep up with the Jones'.

The net result is that we have lost 6 or 7 players who were better than they are likely to be replaced with.

[Wobbly Wayne rides again]

Quote:

If going full time was only going to make a small difference, why go the whole hog so quickly.

 

Not sure. Its a question I can't understand or answer myself, but the club has gone down that route , and whether we like it or not, we have to deal with the consequences.

 

year on year our squad has improved. I thought last seasons squad was better than the previous seasons and so on, and its been that way for a good few years now.

So we have set the benchmark high for ourselves.

I don't know whether we will achieve that this season, but I won't be looking at every decision made to find the most negative stance, and slag the management off.

 

I reckon we have got daish for the next season whether we like it or not. he is not going to walk away, nor us afford to pay him and AK off.

This being the scenario, I would be looking to work with them and support them rather than keep sniping. To be honest, theres probably a majority now that he ain't going to turn opinions around. But all the time he is here I want him doing his best for the club, and not giving up and going thru' the motions.

 

Which I am sure after a few minutes of reading this forum , he must feel like doing.

 

 

 

Up the Fleet

[Red Shadow]

Ok..here we go.

Forget my sign in name (must change it). It's Richard Anson Director '88 - '90, before moving away.

For stacks of reasons I have spent a considerable amount of time back in Gravesend during the last 12 months and managed to see 22 matches (not all at home of course).

I don't have alot of insider knowledge these days, but have always had the utmost respect for Brian. His approach and attitude was a refreshing change from the egotistical twats that parade themselves in brain dead publications like the NLP.

But we have to be concerned. Brian has stepped down. We have a rookie, unproven Manager, who is now faced with replacing virtually a whole squad in the summer. On top of which the style of football played by the team, including a chronic lack of width, is tedious to say the least.

No sponsor as well, no decent PR, a dodgy share issue, the future of the club based on other people's plans (Thames Embankment), falling gates, Northfleet End / Ground falling down, the list goes on....

To be honest we have just punched above our weight.

My fear is that we will be paying decent part time wages to full time players.

On the field we gained little by going full time last season, but off the field...maybe. I can understand the releases (to a degree), but how are we going to repace them? More loan players? Because we are never going to be able to compete for the better non league (full time) players.

All of this doesn't bode well..but don't worry, no one gets relegated from the Conference anyway (at least for Football reasons).

I think it is time for the club to wise up and face it's difficulties in the face and at least tell us what it's plans are?

[Hempstead Gaz]

Well said, Rich. A lot of people will agree with you, but equally there are still plenty out there who, rathermyopically, cannot see the problem.

[Gordon T]

Im gonna stick with wobbly on this one, especially his first post in this topic.

 

up fleet

[Slartibartfast]

Quote:

Chatham Gary said:
If going full time was only going to make a small difference, why go the whole hog so quickly.
My arguement is not with going full time, but as JC so eloquently put, don't try to keep up with the Jones'.
The net result is that we have lost 6 or 7 players who were better than they are likely to be replaced with.

Ahh so you know who the replacements are then...do share.

[Slartibartfast]

Quote:

Wobbly Wayne rides again said:

Quote:

My guess is that Charlie will ask for a transfer by Christmas, and being desperately short of crowds and funds the club will sell him.

FFS - I can't take no more of this.

Yes the club appear to be in disarray at the moment , and to be honest even through the the recent rise , we have appeared to have been a shambles off the pitch.

But some how the club have maintained conference status, acquired its own training and leisure facilities and are in a transistional status to go full time. ( And yes I do think that we have gone to fast on that) , and the acting chairman has said we are not jeopardising our future by overspending. our previous chairman has not deserted us, I believe he is devoting more time towards our long term future rather than concentrating on the day to day duties. You could read a positive spin if you chose to, but most don't.

Its not all rosy in the garden , but the constant negatives and smugness in our supposed demise that appears on here just pisses me off.


Call me naive , but I am looking forward to next season. We will get a team together , which I hope competes and survives for another year. Every year we start as relegation favoourites, and next year won't be no different, I would lump us in with 7 or 8 clubs that are fighting to keep out of the bottom 4.
As I mentioned earlier , 1 place above the relegation zone will do me and would be a successful season, although I know thats not good enough for most on here.

But then again I look at things thru' rose tinted glasses and am not a realist like most ie Like the realists who have clamoured for the club to go with full time football push for play offs places etc with an infrastucture a good few years away from being able to support it.


Up the Fleet

Well said Wobbly I agree with all of that and would like to point out to the intelligentsia above who are moaning that We, like Exeter and York City and no doubt most of the Conference, would be unable to get a team out on Saturday, We don't need to because We haven't got a game until July. Why don't you wait and see what players We have for next season before you start moaning about them.

[John Pearce]

Quote:

Slartibartfast said:

Quote:

Wobbly Wayne rides again said:

Quote:

My guess is that Charlie will ask for a transfer by Christmas, and being desperately short of crowds and funds the club will sell him.

FFS - I can't take no more of this.

Yes the club appear to be in disarray at the moment , and to be honest even through the the recent rise , we have appeared to have been a shambles off the pitch.

But some how the club have maintained conference status, acquired its own training and leisure facilities and are in a transistional status to go full time. ( And yes I do think that we have gone to fast on that) , and the acting chairman has said we are not jeopardising our future by overspending. our previous chairman has not deserted us, I believe he is devoting more time towards our long term future rather than concentrating on the day to day duties. You could read a positive spin if you chose to, but most don't.

Its not all rosy in the garden , but the constant negatives and smugness in our supposed demise that appears on here just pisses me off.


Call me naive , but I am looking forward to next season. We will get a team together , which I hope competes and survives for another year. Every year we start as relegation favoourites, and next year won't be no different, I would lump us in with 7 or 8 clubs that are fighting to keep out of the bottom 4.
As I mentioned earlier , 1 place above the relegation zone will do me and would be a successful season, although I know thats not good enough for most on here.

But then again I look at things thru' rose tinted glasses and am not a realist like most ie Like the realists who have clamoured for the club to go with full time football push for play offs places etc with an infrastucture a good few years away from being able to support it.


Up the Fleet

Well said Wobbly I agree with all of that and would like to point out to the intelligentsia above who are moaning that We, like Exeter and York City and no doubt most of the Conference, would be unable to get a team out on Saturday, We don't need to because We haven't got a game until July. Why don't you wait and see what players We have for next season before you start moaning about them.

Yes lets just wait and see.........when all the wrong messages have been sent-out, as a result of the recent spate of press releases, to those decent players that may be available and with our position likely to be undermined by other clubs...(ie. "why sign for G&N they are going under").

Yes "lets wait and see what players we have for next season" the trouble is by then it will be far too late.

Unless we intend using the first half a dozen league games as trial games...much like most other seasons. The squad needs to be in place by the time the first friendly kicks-off. Otherwise what already looks a bloody long and hard season, will be even worse as we will have treated the first league matches as 'friendlies'. ie getting players used to playing togther, playing to the managers systems (If he knows what they are himself???), and as the club needs to bring in so many new players, just getting to know each other.

[John Pearce]

Quote:

Chatham Gary said:
My guess is that Charlie will ask for a transfer by Christmas, and being desperately short of crowds and funds the club will sell him.

As MacDonald is likley to be one of the more experienced players left at the club, that means the pressure will be on him to perform even better than he has previously.

I agree with you that there is a more than fair chance that he will be gone either before or around Christmas, either that he will have rejoined the injury list as a result of the extra pressure on him to perform over and above what should be expected from him!

[James GNFC]

CG rather than telling us lot about your feelings why dont you tell the board at the club????

 

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

[Hempstead Gaz]

Read Jason's & LD's comments again. They don't need me or the majority of posters on here to tell them there's trouble int' mill.

It stands out like a sore thumb.

[James GNFC]

Ok CG well as they know I am sure they are trying to sort them out. I dont know what is going to happen so I am not going to loose any sleep if it happens it happens.

[Bill Kent]

If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos, then you probably haven't completely understood the seriousness of the situation.

 

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