Bits & Bobs

[Twenty Eight]

Originally Posted by Spartacus2nd

Well Michael, thankfully, there are enough people around the club who understand the virtue of history and learning its lessons.

We ejaculated all our money on players to survive in league 2, we did durvive but the cost of almost losing the club was too high for me. Id sooner sell the lot and gamble on the Youth team keeping us up. Relegation is a vanity issue.

Do you think all of the fans see it as a vanity issue ?
What about the new fans we’re trying to attract giving shirts away etc ?
Do you think they will be happy not at least giving it a go at some point ?
I repeat it’s a balancing issue but at the moment there’s no fulcrum.
Everything getting plugged into ground etc nothing into the squad.

[Lord Stiffupperlip]

Originally Posted by Spartacus2nd

We ejaculated all our money on players to survive in league 2, we did durvive but the cost of almost losing the club was too high for me. Id sooner sell the lot and gamble on the Youth team keeping us up. Relegation is a vanity issue.

You seem to have a forensic knowledge of the financial history at ASFC.
If we did 'ejaculate' as you put it, all our money on players in the hope of surviving league 2, then it was a gamble that paid-off.
'Relegation a vanity issue'. How so?
If, God forbid, we got relegated this season, those 'Johnny-come-lately' fans would disappear faster than a 1st class passenger on the Titanic.
If we can survive we may well still be playing Sunderland next year, together with possibly Bolton & Rotherham from the Championship & neighbours Bury from League 2.
All these teams would bring large away support due to their proximity.
ditto Lincoln, who's fans will be on cloud nine if they reach League 1.
Make no mistake, relegation would be a disaster for us.
Ground improvements aside, I'm sure that Andy Holt & John Coleman will do whatever is necessary to avoid that outcome.

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by Mr T

and lack of TG;

So what's happening on that score? Thought we had big plans for a site near Read, but it all seems to have gone quiet now?

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Twenty Eight

Do you know what ? That summarises the insular attitude when you’re trying to attract new supporters.
I’ve been home and away since 2014 and enjoyed most of it.
I’m semi retired now and see no reason why I wouldn’t carry on.
I’ve met some great people during that time.

Thats good dont mind fer a min being wrong if thats the case,

[monkey hanger]

Originally Posted by Twenty Eight

I repeat it’s a balancing issue but at the moment there’s no fulcrum.
Everything getting plugged into ground etc nothing into the squad.

agree to a point but i suppose we could just about afford to buy a half a million pound player but with that price on his head how could we pay the wages he would demand and still keep the rest of the team happy. we just have to go down the line of what we are doing now and just hope we do not make a mistake one season in signing a few that do not come off and poor loan signings. rhink relagation would see off the majority of the newer fans we have picked up as their vanity would not see em back.

[Spartacus2nd]

Regarding off the pitch activities, we still have the 4th smallest crowds in the entire Football League. I suspect that our annual turnover falls in line with that. For all the work that has gone on, we still have a tiny ground and a tiny turnover. Every club bar Macclesfield, Morecambe and I think FGR (a village) is kicking our arse with its turnover, we simply HAVE to get the club to a level where we sit comfortably mid table in those rankings.

The shirt giveaways, happy hours etc are all great, but shouldve been done 10 years ago. We didnt, because the club was on its arse financially as the little we had went on the Jay Harris's of this world. As a result of neglecting the facilities and the fans we have the 4th lowest crowds of the 92.

Yes, there is a balancing act but AH DID increase the budget, he DID give Coley a chunk of cup run money. We've aldo paid transfer fees in the last 2/3 years and have signed players that their clubs would rather keep - Maxted and Beckles come to mind.

We need to accept what we are, and we are a small club punching above our weight. Way above in fact.

Ive no doubt that, provided we keep on with the good work off pitch, in 5 years time we'll have twice as many home fans. I'm prepared to wait ...

[Wynonie Harris]

Originally Posted by Twenty Eight

Do you know what ? That summarises the insular attitude when you’re trying to attract new supporters.
I’ve been home and away since 2014 and enjoyed most of it.
I’m semi retired now and see no reason why I wouldn’t carry on.
I’ve met some great people during that time.

I reckon you're well and truly hooked now. Even when the two players you're connected with eventually leave the club, I think you'll still find the call of the Wham irresistible! The Stanley bug - once you've been bitten, you can never get rid of it!

[Lord Stiffupperlip]

Perhaps it's time to put things into perspective regarding our continued low home attendance.
On the 30th January AFC Bournemouth beat Chelsea 4-0 at the Vitality Stadium. Official attendance - only 10,227.
Of this, 1,500 were away fans, so the home crowd was actually 8,727. As the population of Bournemouth is 187,500 - 4.6% of the population attended.
This is a club enjoying their 4th season at the top level of the game, playing against the cream of English football.
Four days before, we entertained Derby County in the FA Cup - attendance was 5397, of which home fans numbered 2738.
The population of Accrington is 35,456, so 7.7% of our population turned out.
In our Conference winning season, 2005-6, when the prize was a return to the football league, our average gate was 1,895
In our first 'honeymoon' season back in the football league, the average gate was 2,260.
Let's get real! We're never, never, ever going to increase home attendance to any significant level. Nor should we expect to.
Constrained by our low population & hemmed in by our two big neighbours, I doubt we'd scrape 4,000 fans if we made the Championship.
Our gates are what they are for good reason & there's little point gnashing our teeth about it.
The kids are the most important element in the future success of ASFC, something the club is making positive steps to encourage.
Until then, let's be grateful we're so lucky, lucky, lucky to be playing football in League 1 - against some clubs than make Bournemouth look like a minnow.

[monkey hanger]

its not just about population of accrington and bournemouth either. if you live in accrington you have two of the biggest clubs in england just down the road as well as burnley and blackburn. i imagine there will be a few who watch the two liverpool clubs as well. in bournemouth its just them and the nearest southampton is hardly on the doorstep. thank the gates of just over 1000 was an insult to stanley but getting over 2000 that hopefully will grow is maybe all the club could realistically ask for.

[Twenty Eight]

Well if you want to compare the two Bournemouth were in League One 2012-13 and got promoted.
They spent £1.6 million on players - Fraser, Ritchie, Grabban, and Elphick.
They recouped £950k selling Scott Malone.
Net deficit £650k.
Sometimes you've got to be brave.

[monkey hanger]

Originally Posted by Twenty Eight

Sometimes you've got to be brave.

and some play roulette with the money available. sign a load of players for big fees and long contracts and then find out they were worse than the ones you got rid of and you are stuck with em. love to join the world of sunderland and the others who have gone down this line over the seasons.

[cashman]

Theres a big difference between brave and stupid.

[Exile on Spencer St]

There’s also now at least one other big difference between Bournemouth and Stanley. Bournemouth do not own their stadium and, from the recent kefuffle over Dean Court, are not willing to be ‘held to ransom’ by its owner.
So maybe that’s why they opted to spend their anticipated Championship moolah on players.
Having said that, in 2013 the vacant end did have a 2,400 seat stand built.
So, if you‘re located in one of the wealthiest parts of the country and have enough money, it seems you can spend it on both players (club) and the ground (landlord).

[Spartacus2nd]

Or you could just have Chinese billionaire owners with little respect for the FFP rules?

[Exile on Spencer St]

Originally Posted by Spartacus2nd

Or you could just have Chinese billionaire owners with little respect for the FFP rules?

No thanks, more than happy with AH.