Tony Kempster's Forum SSML Content - Your Views

[Football Man]

Absolutely spot on!

[Rhodes]

Potters Bar Town - Yes we are in agreement, another negative post giving un-necessary and un-called for criticism to the SSML.

[Football Man]

It wasn't you I was agreeing with, Rhodes.

 

Mitoo is an excellent resource for a wide range of Leagues and clubs across the country.

 

Comments about Oxford City are probably a correct assumption.

 

I think there are plenty of people who will agree with the comments regarding the SSML getting their fixtures out late and only producing them month-by-month.

 

I would be interested to hear why you feel it is unnecessary and uncalled for criticism? It clearly isn't.

[Rhodes]

Potters Bar Town - Well it's just moaning and complaining for complainings sake as far as I'm concerned, the SSML hierarchy do a good job in often difficult circumstances and people are all too quick to criticise. Although it is a little inconvenient that fixtures are often late and aren't published for the whole season, as is the case with other league's, it's surely not the end of the World. As for the Mitoo site I'm not knocking it and agree that it's a useful tool of the trade however it is a little cumbersome to navigate.

[Football Man]

The lateness of the League fixtures are not the end of the world, but it is very inconvenient when you are trying to organise the paperwork that goes with it. As you experience life as a Club Secretary, you will begin to understand the associated problems.

 

As for Mitoo, it is quite easy to navigate once you are used to it. The only problem is those cases where individual leagues are left to update their own information. Some are better than others at this, but that's down to the individuals from those Leagues that choose not to update and not down to the chap who runs the whole site single-handedly.

[Rhodes]

An anorak has posted the following message on the another site concerning a new Non League Ground Forum that he has recently set up if anyone is interested:

http://z6.invisionfree.com/TNLGD/

 

'I've just created this Forum, its basically about Non-league football (down to Sunday League) and the grounds. Ive made it to complement my Website which i'll be getting online soon - sort of www.pyramidpassion.co.uk -esque. Dont know if your interested - but you might be'.

[GRS67]

Keep me posted Rhodes, Pyramid Passion is a good site. If its' anything like that it will be excelelnt.

[Lato]

I'm inclined to agree with Potters Bar regarding Mitoo and also about the SSML and its reluctance to publish fixtures for the whole season. (though if individual clubs contact the fixture secretary they can get them in advance for the following month. Admittedly its not the end of the world but it is a little unprofessional for a step 5 league

[Rhodes]

Lato - Where have you been hiding lately, you haven't been in for a few days, you're not still licking your wounds are you from last week. Well I thought you would disagree with me as Potters Bar Town always seems to do (can't imagine why), you said yourself that individual Club's can contact the SSML fixture Secretary and get the following months fixtures in advance so I really can't see what the problem is. It's actually more exciting if anything to get your fixtures on a monthly basis and see where you are going rather than knowing every fixture in advance.

[Rhodes]

Another post from the another site about SSML fixtures and the publishing of just a months worth at a time, this one is for Potters Bar Town in particular to read and enjoy:

In answer to the fixture publication for the season, the SSML tried with some success, to publish several months of league fixtures after

last Christmas until the end of the 2005/2006 season. The Clubs cover some six different County FA's and with the early rounds of the FA Cup and Vase makes fixtures difficult to plan from August to December without numerous changes. It is understandable that the fixture secretary wants to keep his workload managable so has adopted a month by month fixture list for the first part of the season at least. Whilst I know that other league's 'manage it', how often do they have to change their fixtures and how does that upset the arrangements of the various spectator groups.

[Football Man]

The "six different counties" excuse is the one that was always churned out to me when I complained about SSML fixtures. They are not the only League with clubs from different counties but all the others manage to cater for the problem. It's very simple really. The fixture list for the season is published. If a match is postponed, the two clubs agree to rearrange it within 14 days (usually to the next available date for both clubs). If they don't do it, the League intervene to set the date AND fine both clubs for not doing it themselves. You will find that a full season's fixture programme is extremely workable under those conditions, regardless of where the member clubs come from.

 

During the three years Enfield Town were in the Essex Senior League, that League was forced into producing month by month fixtures too as the Enfield Town fixtures couldn't be organised until the Brimsdown Rovers fixtures were known. That is a quite pathetic and avoidable situation.

 

To put it at its simplest, it is a completely unnecessary situation borne out of sheer stubbornness. If the fixture secretary adopts a month by month fixture list to "keep his workload manageable" then he doesn't sound suited to the job.

 

Still, what happened last season is a step in the right direction. They are halfway towards giving their clubs what they want.

[Rhodes]

Potters Bar Town - Fair point but I still think you are being somewhat harsh on Phil Rolt who is incredibly efficient and concientious and does a great job with the SSML fixtures. He is always accommodating and willing to help Club's out of tight spots whilst having amazing foresight to cover every eventuality, I offered to send him Hendon's fixtures for example knowing that he would need them to work out our home games at Claremont Road however he had already had them for a couple of weeks and probably new them before Hendon did.

[Jonno]

I have to agree with Potters Bars comments. I think it is totally unprofessional and cannot see any reason for the constant delay in finding out fixtures other than pure incompetence.

 

With regards to the new diciplinary procedures for the coming season, perhaps we should inform the league of suspensions our players will be serving at a time more convenient to our clubs.

 

This would ease our secretarys work load somewhat.

 

After all, we do have players signed on who hail from at least 4 counties!!!! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bootyshake.gif" alt="" />

[Football Man]

Rhodes, Phil Rolt is fine as a person. I've always got on okay with him and have also helped him out in the past by sending him info on the Herts Intermediate Cup (which, strangely, he wasn't getting from the Herts FA!) and providing articles and news items to fill his SSML column in the Non League Paper on quiet weeks.

 

However, I have always found his stance towards producing fixtures a baffling one. Although he would, as others have stated, let me have my fixtures on the first day of the peceeding month enabling me to update both website and programme, I have never really understood the abject stubbornness that he has always displayed on the matter of a full season's fixtures. Plenty of people have tried to change his mind but none have ever succeeded. I think that even the slight concession he gave clubs last season was, to some extent, forced upon him by the FA if rumours I heard about 18 months ago are correct.

[Rhodes]

Potters Bar Town - Okay well that's your view and I respect it but personally I don't see what all the fuss is about, Gavin has just got his fixtures for September and he's as happy as a sand boy. If he had the whole season's fixtures already, say in mid to late July, there would be nothing for him to look forward to other than the games themselves, this way it's similar to an old fashioned FA Cup draw every month at 12.30 on a Monday lunchtime, huddled around your transistor, Brian Butler's dulcet tones and the velvet bag rattling in the background.

[Lato]

FA Cup draw is not really the same as its a kmnockout competition but perversely and conversely the SSML pre draw all the rounds for their cup competitions so you don't get that 'thrill of the draw'

 

How and where did Gavin get his fixtures from?

[GRS67]

How and where did Gavin get his fixtures from?

....

They were up on Edgware's site last night. Paul our club secretary must have got them yesterday.

 

Rhodes, I would rather have all the fixtures in one go, I see what you mean though. It's like each month we will be looking forward to the next release of the fixtues.

[Rhodes]

This is a bit of a yawn from some anorak on the another site but may well be of interest to someone like Potters Bar Town for 'useless' information purposes although even he will probably be reaching for the match sticks on this one:

I am also largely in favour of fixed boundaries but I believe this could only work if it was done with a long-term view. The primary split of leagues at all levels should be done in a way that reflects population levels. This would be for the North drawing a line just South of Stoke, Derby, Nottingham and Boston. At Step 2 today the split is about right, at step 3 it is a little less accurate but not wildly so. At Step 4 the difficulty to be resolved is almost entirely in the Northern sector where 24 clubs need to become 44 to match the Southern and Isthmian (I am sticking with 22 club divisions). Rationally the 20 extra clubs should come from the Northern, NWCounties and NCountiesEast essentially with possible places for Biddulph Victoria and Rocester from the Midland Alliance. This could easily be done by promoting 8 from the Northern League and 6 each from the North West Counties and Northern Counties East for example (exceptionally not relegating anyone from Northern Premier 1) at end 2006-07, this would provide a workable long-term solution down to Step 4. Having achieved this there would be several approaches possible at Step 5. I believe that reducing the leagues from 14 to 12 is answering the wrong question, if the fixed boundary solution is adopted then the only essential that has to be the same across all three sectors of the pyramid is that the same number of clubs are relegated from each of the six divisions at Step four each season. Imagining leaving the leagues at Step five as they exist today. The Northern, NW Counties and Northern Counties East would feed into the Northern, three down two up fits nicely. The Isthmian would be fed by Eastern Counties, Spartan South Midlands, Combined Counties, Kent, Sussex and Essex (I draw the boundary of the South East-West with the Isthmian west-side Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, London, Surrey and Sussex). Again works OK three down and one up. The Southern would have Hellenic, Midland Alliance, Wessex, Western and United Counties feeding. Still three down one up but one additional promotion place via play-offs. I see no reason why this could not work for a number of years but it would certainly be feasible to run like this from 2007-08. Fixed areas means having the same number of promotion and relegation places by area not by league.

Having established this as a base position it becomes easier to resolve Step 5 as it has been broken down into three sectors. The North would have to consider whether running with just three Step 5 leagues was adequate, the South East could work to cutting to four leagues probably two North of the Thames, two South, and the Midlands-South West may find that five feeders was right considering the travelling. Yes, there would still need to be minor alterations with boundaries dependent on relegation from Steps 1 and 2 - maybe Stafford would pass to the North or Nottingham to the South - but I would imagine this would impact at most a dozen clubs across all the steps in any one season. I don't think there is a perfect solution at all steps but fixed boundaries would be a big step in the right direction.

[Maldini66]

Before you do Bob zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[neutralbob]

i really couldnt read that i was too ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ