1743

[Stu M]

Quote:

Harry J Allstars said:
Last nights game was fantastic and the club are to be congratulated on getting Charlton Reserves down.

Agreed, what is a shame though is that more people in this region will turn up for a pretty meaningless reserve game than they will for their local side.

[Fleet_Fella]

COuldn't agree more Stu. I think it's a sign of the new breed of football supporter, who don't seem interested in supporting their local side, but instead support whoever is successful at the time, despite the fact they never go to watch them play. How many kids have you seen wearing Chelsea shirts in the last couple of years, and how many did you see pre-Abramovich?

 

The big challenge for the Fleet is how to attract these 'floating' supporters to Stonebridge Road, and to keep them coming. Unfortunately, it's the Million Dollar question, and I for one admit to not having a solution.

[Jeff]

Results are the main thing that will get more people through the gate but I think that a lot of these 'Chelsea' fans (and others) seem to think that there is a kind of trainspotter stigma attached to supporting a non league side.

 

I was asked a couple of weeks ago why I went to Fleet games as there was 'no passion' there??

 

It turns out that that the bloke who asked me is a Chelsea fan!

 

However, as a great man once said, 'keep the faith'!

If we keep winning our home games and getting results away, then the crowds will increase.

 

I hope that we stuff Grays tonight but I am an eternal optimist.

[Harry J Allstars]

Quote:

Fleet_Fella said:
Ah but most clubs have to work hard to strive for it - not just buy it with dirty money

I hope your not making assumptions about how Roman got his money. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Chelsea were founded in 1905 when the then owner of the Stamford Bridge grounds wanted to use what was there, basically just an athletics track, to host a football team. Fulham declined so he decided to set up his own and call them Chelsea.

The traditional way to set up a football club was if a few work mates, whose working Saturday had just been cut in half so had a free Saturday afternoon, decided to set up a football team. This is how teams like The Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham were founded.

Another way is if a cricketing team that had nothing to do in the winter months decided to use these months to play football. This is how the likes of Preston, Notts County and Blackburn were set up.

Chelsea were set up merely as a toy and as they had no players had to buy them in. Traditionally this is what Chelsea have always done. Occasionally of course there are players who go against the trend, John Terry, Bobby Tambling and Terry Venables were all Chelsea youth products but basically all they do is buy their players.

People complain now days that football is a business and that the clubs care too much about their profit margins. Chelsea are the only club where success, not profit, is the most important thing. What Chelsea do is how all football clubs should be run, the trouble is Chelsea have about ten times as much as every body else thus giving them an unfair advantage.

Although I'll still always have a soft spot for them I do sometimes hope that Anastasia would leave them in the [****!!****]. That’s the trouble with having glory hunting fans if Chelsea were to go tits up only then would they find out who their friends are. As I regularly read their forum people are always saying that’s it it's too expensive so those friends are probably going to be few and far between if it ever did happen. Role on AFC Chelsea.

[Slartibartfast]

Quote:

Jeff said:
However, as a great man once said, 'keep the faith'!
If we keep winning our home games and getting results away, then the crowds will increase.

Although the crowds will increase slightly if we keep winning they will not reach a level that would enable us to challenge for promotion.
When we went unbeaten for 18 league games a couple of seasons ago with home matches that included putting 6 past Morecombe, 5 past FGR and 4 past York and Daggers we rarely topped 1,500 including away fans.
If anyone in the Gravesham area is waiting for a better run of results before turning up to support their local team then they are going to have a bloody long wait.

[Fleet_Fella]

Harry - good points made there, and I too am sure that the new breed will disappear when it all goes wrong at Chelsea - they will probably head off to West Ham!! The problem with what they are doing now is that they have priced a lot of their 'hardcore' of fans who supported Chelsea through the barren times of the 80's out of going, but these are the only supporters they will have left if it all goes wrong.

 

Premiership football is getting very murky now (Chelsea, West Ham, bungs etc) and those becoming disallusioned could do much worse than taking a trip to their local non-league club, to remind themselves what going to Football is all about.

[Harry J Allstars]

Quote:

Fleet_Fella said:Premiership football is getting very murky now (Chelsea, West Ham, bungs etc) and those becoming disallusioned could do much worse than taking a trip to their local non-league club, to remind themselves what going to Football is all about.

Hopefully the people that came down for the game last night, Charlton or Chelsea fans, will see what a great club we have and come to more of our games. Although the half time tannoy announcement (it wasn't the guy that's on the tannoy for our games) lacked any mention of our game on Saturday aginst Exeter. He redeemed himself at Full time but many had already streamed out by then.

[Fleet_Fella]

If it's the tannoy man from the Valley I'll have a word as I know him well, and he lives in Gravesend so no excuse not to plug the Fleet's forthcoming matches at half time!

[Harry J Allstars]

Quote:

Fleet_Fella said:
If it's the tannoy man from the Valley I'll have a word as I know him well, and he lives in Gravesend so no excuse not to plug the Fleet's forthcoming matches at half time!

No. It was the bloke that comes on the pitch with the microphone during half time at Fleet home games.

[eufckev]

We will certainly beat 1743 on November 18th.

[mikefleet]

oxford is on that day if anyone didnt know, should be are highest attendance of the season.

[mikefleet]

Quote:

Harry J Allstars said:

Quote:

Fleet_Fella said:
If it's the tannoy man from the Valley I'll have a word as I know him well, and he lives in Gravesend so no excuse not to plug the Fleet's forthcoming matches at half time!

No. It was the fat tub of lard that comes on the pitch with the microphone during half time at Fleet home games.

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

[Cassandra]

Quote:

Harry J Allstars said:

No. It was the fat tub of lard that comes on the pitch with the microphone during half time at Fleet home games.

No really what you expect from an official of the Supporters Trust is it?

[Harry J Allstars]

Quote:

Cassandra said:

Quote:

Harry J Allstars said:

No. It was the fat tub of lard that comes on the pitch with the microphone during half time at Fleet home games.

No really what you expect from an official of the Supporters Trust is it?

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

Ahh the ever present Casandra...

I mean it in jest, well done to him for offering his services to help the club raise some cash.

[Hempstead Gaz]

He is actually quite good, AND he listens to supporters for ways to improve the crossbar challenged!!

[jc]

Quote:

Slartibartfast said:Although the crowds will increase slightly if we keep winning they will not reach a level that would enable us to challenge for promotion.
When we went unbeaten for 18 league games a couple of seasons ago with home matches that included putting 6 past Morecombe, 5 past FGR and 4 past York and Daggers we rarely topped 1,500 including away fans.
If anyone in the Gravesham area is waiting for a better run of results before turning up to support their local team then they are going to have a bloody long wait.

The thrashings of Forest Green and Dagenham were away matches - but yes, there are many people in Gravesham with an interest in football who wouldn't even consider coming down to Stonebridge Road for a Fleet match, regardless of how well we do in the Conference.

[Harry J Allstars]

The club did well to listen to the supporters recomendation and get some new equipment for the Crossbar challenge.

[FleetFanatic]

Quote:

Cassandra said:

Quote:

Harry J Allstars said:

No. It was the fat tub of lard that comes on the pitch with the microphone during half time at Fleet home games.

No really what you expect from an official of the Supporters Trust is it?

*Sits back , feet up waiting for the important official to put his foot in it again*

Trust secretary slagging off employees of the club? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />
I knew that it wouldn't take long - I rest my case.

[X-Orange Jacket]

I rekon there will be more of a crowd when West Ham come down. Reason being they're youth academy always produces some of the best English talent, until Chelsea decide to take them. also with Tevez and Mascerano signed for the hammers that should bump a few 1st teamers to the reserves too

 

i guess 2000ish

[KShep]

Quote:

Alan W (GNFC) said:
I heard that both Chelea and Charlton complimented our GRoundsman on the quality of thepitch - both sides certainly demonstrated how you could play neat football on the ground, with Chelsea always looking the more likely winners, eventually scoring a 90th minute free kick winner which somehow appeared to squeeze through a crowd of players.

The game was really fast-paced and played mostly on the floor; but the inexperience from alot of players was evident- many young players would try to do too much, or choose the wrong ball to play. It seemed like absolutely quality build-up play, without any decent end product...