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Name Change


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Stupid was a bit strong, Busta, sorry.

But it is no good blaming stalwarts for being upset over the change.

Most are happy (or ambivoulant) at the name change.

Almost everyone I have soken to or read on here, or in the media, reckpn the saga was poorly handled from a pr point of view, had the club even got a little consultation going could have got the entire fanbase fully onside before June 5th.

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Personally, I think we all have similar feelings which we have all expressed to some extent. Maybe the best thing to do now we've all had our shout is to wind up this thread and get ready to support our club for the coming season. Come on you 'fleet!

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Originally Posted By: BustaGut

Just for your clarification I have been attending football at Stonbridge road from 1963.


Our record Cup run, eh? Glory hunter. wink

Hirsty's point that putting it to a real vote would probably have led most of us who have since come round to the idea at least to an extent to reject it is a very good one. Perhaps our gripe is less about the way the decision was made (i.e. without genuine consultation), and more a question of semantics (i.e. why did the Club press release prior to the meeting refer to a 'consultation prior to formal announcements being made', when this implies at least a small amount of input into the decision-making process?). Perhaps Gary's suggestion, i.e. that

Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary
the finer points of the name to appease the fans could have been incorporated in a consultation.


would have been the best approach.

Still, what's done is done. There's nothing we can do to change it, and, given the board's highly successful stewardship of the Club thus far, it seems only fair to back them on this and see what the change brings forth.
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Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary
The real fickle fans are those who only came on board when we joined the conference, and jumped on the bandwagon, when they would never have been seen dead watching a Ryman's or southern league game.
That does NOT include any fans too young to see us in those days!!!


Cheers Gary, I haven't missed a game in any competition for two years mate. I saw three games pre Conference and one of those was Villa. This is exactly the sort of attitude we need to get rid of, the where have you been attidude. We're never going to get them in if we give them the third degree when they get here. And as we all know when we were fighting it out in the lower leagues I was quite happilly shacked up in SW6.
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I understand where your coming from Gary.

 

I wasnt a die hard until the canvey game , visiting maybe 10 times a season til then and the odd local away trip.

 

Football is an ever changing business. My current opinion , is that the next 3 to 5 years are going to see clubs push towards family and batch tickets (3 for two offers etc.....). Most clubs have a small hard core of support which they must keep and gradually expand upon. The money though , is in the new familys making maybe 4 or 5 trips a season.

 

We need to encourage every visitor , be they come for a pre season game , or a big top of the table clash.

 

My personal opinion , is that the name change is a good thing , as it gives new residents in a large family orientated area a local club to support. It also gives greater investment opportunities with superb transport links.

 

This week , on the radio , they mentioned "Delays on the A2 , eastbound at Ebbsfleet"

 

Ebbsfleet exists , the old name has gone , but not forgotton.

 

 

 

 

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Exactly, RS. whatever anyone thinks, the club would have continued to be an average Conference club given our appalling attendance levels.

Something clearly needed to be done.

It has now happened.

I'm not convinced a club with a good proven public relations and marketing department would have handled the change so clumsily, but we haven't and it was.

The club's first priority is to get ALL of it's supporters back onside.

Sponsorship alone is not ther long term solution to progress, but a bigger fanbase is.

I remain uneasy about huge sponsorships - we have all seen what happens when rich backers or sugar daddies pull out -disaster.

Whilst the extra money from our new sponsor (whoever it is) is very welcome, it doesn't and shouldn't replace bums on seats and fans through turnstiles.

I'm still not fully convinced of the name - no doubt I, along with everyone else will get used to it.

For the next few years it will be difficult accepting we are a club named after 1) a railway station, 2) a a housing estate yet to be built and 3) an area of a main trunk road which has daily traffic jams.

The real turning point will be be when we finally move into a new stadium.

Then and only then can we become fully fledged Ebbsfleet, proud of our ground and the area around it.

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Originally Posted By: BustaGut
OK week after week time after time,I have seen written, why dont the board do something!!! why dont the board change things, why does the board not try something new,why dont the board try and attract new interest, get a big sponsor
Well they have a changed things , the sponsorship is yet to be seen.
Now that the board are trying to do all of the above there are so called fans that still do nothing but complain.
Sulking because they have changed the name????? were they ever really supporters of there local team, or just a name ???
The club has the chance to make changes, maybe some of them large ones, we as fans may not like some of them,but tough changes have to be made to move on I feel.The true fans of there local side will return this season, and I will be there ,shouting, moaning and cursing, like most of you. If and I know its a big if, Ebbsfleet get into the football league all the true fans will be as pleased as punch, and be proud to be a Ebbsfleet supporter.
The name change!! who the hell did the board have to ask to change there name,they pump thousands probably, into a sinking ship to keep it afloat, yet they are expected to ask fickle people. who do not turn up for weeks when we lose, and sulk when we change our name,and threaten not to to watch a club they have said in the past they love, would die for etc etc.
Hopefully, yes hopefully the club will move on to better and bigger things.and all those fickle fans will come back through the turnstyle, with there tails between there legs, wanting to share in the glory, and claim they have always been a FLEET supporter. yea ok
Get over it for god sake, support the board, support the new sponsors who ever they are and above all support Daish and the guys on the pitch.
In short our names been changed, now get over it and move on its TIME TO CHANGE

Ohh is just a opinion, as well as a whinge


Tbh, anyone who can get over the name change as quickly as you have is fickle. I would imagine that most hardcore fans are pretty upset with the idea of calling their club by a different name. It's all down to the pride and passion you have. I'm sorry but I can't imagine how any one like me, who was proud of what we've achieved as Gravesend & Northfleet can actually be pleased with being called Ebbsfleet!

To my understanding, the reasons for the name change must be almost entirely financial and down to what we'll be getting from this sponsorship deal. Can nobody else see that it's doing nothing for the club in the long run? We'll be a team with small gates, relying on sponsor money to get by.
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It does seem that there are people who are surprised that other fans upset about the name change. Of course fans are gonna be upset. It doesn't matter if you go to every game or 10 games a season a fan is a fan. Its like Arsenal going to the Emirates and then being called Ashburton United. It would p*ss people off. This has and never will stop me following the Fleet that is my choice as the Fleet are my passion but I have to respect that other people do not feel the same and I can respect that. Again as I said before it doesn't matter what the bl**dy name is along as the club gets off its [****!!****] and is a bit more proactive in drumming up new support. The sponsorship, new stadium, name etc...does fill me with great excitement for the future but I don't think it is going to add thousands on the gate. If I was to move to dorset it doesn't mean I'm gonna want to watch Weymouth because I'm in their catchment area. I have my team. I am not interested in watching another team whom I have no passion for. Would this not apply to other people????? IMHO I think so. But I would loved to be proved wrong.

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Great post Busta. I'm with you all the way on this, mind you I have only been supporting the Fleet since 1948.

 

What I say to the fans with a gripe is, put a load of dosh the clubs way, become a director or chairman then you can have a say on the clubs future. For goodness sake. Live with it.

 

When the Fleet are on a roll next season, all the whingers will be there regardless of name change. bigcry attentat

 

FOLLOW THE FLEET

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I wasn't consulted about changing 'marathons' to 'snickers' either, I still eat them of course but the non-consultation will never go away.

I mean, who gives the board the right to make decisions like that without consultation?....well obviously the shareholders do but that isn't the point.

I wasn't consulted and so I've decided that I will never run a snickers again.

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Originally Posted By: kmj
But the shareholders have yet to vote. Anyone received the date of the egm yet?


Have the directors said that they wish to change the name of the company (Gravesend Northfleet FC Ltd) that operates Ebbsfleet United FC? If not, why is an EGM and shareholders' vote necessary?
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Agreed. I've supported the club since I was 13 which is far too many years to admit to, watched them through good times and bad, baked in the stand and frozen me wotsits off in the winter, but still I've been there. Would have been nice to have been consulted about the name change, but what the hell, it's still the same club and I'll still be there next season cheering them on with the same passion I've always had.

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Lets face it, there would have been some who agreed the move & some who didnt, whatever was done. It would have been far less contentious to leave things in the "status quo" ,but the best thing to do isnt always the least contentious/easiest - companies faced with choices of cutting staff to ensure those remaining have jobs for instance could avoid the redundancies and keep everyone happy for a while, but everything would subsequently fall apart (not saying that would happen at the Fleet, but who knows?). Would those saying they'll stop supporting the team be prepared, in the same vein, to say "I'm not working here any more, as you've just sacked all my mates" ? (slightly silly argument I know, but you get the gist I hope!)

 

In any event - if it werent the summer break, would we still be talking about this so much? I doubt it.

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Quote:

 

Bit stupid questioning whether fans who have been following Fleet through thick and thin, good times and (mainly bad) for 40 or 50 years fickle, and not real supporters , but only of the name.

The real fickle fans are those who only came on board when we joined the conference, and jumped on the bandwagon, when they would never have been seen dead watching a Ryman's or southern league game.

That does NOT include any fans too young to see us in those days!!!

 

cg you talk a load of boll0cks.. i poss like a lot of other fans have been watching the fleet play since the promotion year. i went to one game prior to them winning the league and went to bedford with my brother. i never bothered watching non league football, but after my brother who kept telling me how good a day out at fleet was , with the pub/football all thrown in is, i decided to tag along and see for my self.

and since that time i have done stewarding for 2 yrs, helped on a weekend in the summer,sweating buckets, and above all attend every single home game work permitting, oh and ive been to a blo0dy lot of away games watching them.(by car my own expense)..

So after all this in your eyes im a fickle fan. So most of the youngsters who attended this season on the special offers (and us having a really good season) are also fickle? Think before you open yer gob in future, its stupid comments like that that people prob dont even bother coming on here to chat about the fleet because they read pathetic comments like you apear to spout quite often.Oh and for the record, i will be still be coming next year to pay my hard earnt money to watch ebbsfleet, if thats ok with you, or would you sooner us fickle fans stay away and leave you so called die hard fans to wallow in yer own self importance?

 

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Damn - I must be a fickle fan. I don't go more than 12/15 home games a year, plus 4 or 5 away, but will always do the so-called 'big' games. Always there for cup games, and clashes that have some importance. Yup, fickle fan = me. Oh wait, 'Fleet aren't actually MY team, I go and watch cos Mrs PatMan drags me, when MY team are away, cos they are the local side etc. Looks like all of us who cant/wont dedicate every saturday to Fleet should not bother turning up, as "we're not worthy". Wonder how many that leaves?

Yep, tell all the 'new' fans the club are hoping to attract with name change/sponsorship/new ground the same, that unless they were there in the 'good old days' that they might as well not bother!

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Yep i also go and watch spurs, and have even gone to watch grays, and i will go and see dartford when fleet are away,i also attend some sunday games , so your not alone on that one patman, its my money and i spend it on who ever i want to watch, i have a soft spot for the fleet, and will continue to watch them play, but then i am fickle

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