so what do we want first?

[AccyJay]

So you think that by having a roof, everything else will be OK? Come on, even a crack smoking monkey could see that there is no point having the best stadium (with a great new roof) if you're playing in the conference or even lower.

I'm not saying that there should be a roof. But, the club has to prioritise it's funds. And the fans should realise this.

This isn't a dig at anybody. It's an observation from an outsider.

[cmonstanley]

the priority is to stay in the league its the only way to attract more supporters which will increase revenue its simple you dont set up a business with all the hard work and let it go to rack and ruin by complacancy which is happening now .sorry to be deppresive but its a home truth we need to survive this season or it could be the end of stanley thiis is our metormophis. leave the staduim alone concontrate on the squad do what needs to be done .i think we should have question and answer why the players all drove to the match yesterday what would have happened if one got a puncture. would that influence the selection of the team . we werent that lucky or was it fraser eagle in a huff the fans should be told

[sparkie]

[/quote]We spent nearly £1000 on advertising at the ground, only to find out that our advertising board didn't get erected for nearly 6 weeks. When we phoned up the club we were told that we had to do it ourselves.[/quote]


I know this is smaller but my dad paid £80 to have 2 commemorative plaques put on a pair of seats in the stand after my grandma & grandad died, it took the club nearly 7 months to arrange them and attach them. They even admitted to losing them once! I actually found this rather insulting but kept my peace over the situation in hope that they would soon appear which they did in time but not until the next season had started.

The club have got to realise that on some fronts its the little things that matter.

[[email protected]]

If last night is anything to go by, we won't have anything. Less than 1000 home supporters and hardly anybody in the bar after the game.

[Oldgobbin]

You can't open/close/open/close/lock/unlock/lock/unlock the bar as and when you think fit and expect people to go in. As I said ten days ago, I for one will never go in again!

[Oggy]

Originally Posted by [email protected]

If last night is anything to go by, we won't have anything. Less than 1000 home supporters and hardly anybody in the bar after the game.

Makes you sound like Billy Nomates

[Oggy]

Thought Macca started this thread to try and get some perspective going, from where we are now, which is a good idea.

However the list of gripes - no roof, no beer @ Clayton end, club shop, club bar, lack of information, shoddy treatment etc. surfaces again, and is even added to.

There is no real feeling of a plan, supporters are becoming alienated from the club, (not the team), it's becoming a death by a thousand cuts scenario.

It would seem that the club need to give some serious thought to points raised on this thread, money is ebbing away needlessly

[3rd.Div.North]

Remember 45 years ago yesterday we dropped out of the Football League.
The priority above all else is to preserve our football league status then we can progress from there.

[maccawozzagod]

Originally Posted by 3rd.Div.North

The priority above all else is to preserve our football league status then we can progress from there.

so back to the thread then with this point, its too late now for the team. The team we have now will have to get themselves out of the coal hole(Tm Doug). But what about during the summer and next season?

Is this team good enough to survive another season without significant additions? Would the fans stand for it?

Can the fans put up with another season without a roof? and seats? would we stand for em? (sorry bout the last one) Could we cope with another season of muddy puddles around the bar?

Or can we do without the revenue gained from increased commercial activity? Can we manage without spending a bit extra in a bigger better club shop?


We can't have any two out of the three as we cant afford it yet. We shouldn't try to do all of the three half-arsed as it would be money wasted. One big money signing without players around him would do nowt. A bigger shop with nowt in it would be a waste. A crammed shop would gain nothing else as you still couldn't get more than three people inside (other than shoplifters).

What would you do if you were in charge? which area would you prioritise?

I suspect most people would go along with strengthening the team as a succesful team will take care of the rest. Well sorry but I dont believe that. At the start of this season we thought we had a succesful team, but we still only drew 2000 home fans for our biggest ever game.

I believe we should appease the fans we have left firstly by getting the roof up, no excuses, no ifs and buts, just building work. And it begins the day after our open day on the 29th April.

Secondly we should put up some extra portacabins for toilets next to the bar/food bar in the main stand. Then the clubhouse could be internally locked and open thus making money. Then a couple of extra portacabins for offices, put in 2 full time marketing guys on 25k plus 10% of all generated profits, they should fill their boots with a brand like ours. We should also take on a couple of part time customer service staff whose sole responsiblity is ensuring that all mail, email or otherwise, is responded to within 3 hours. Let the people employed to run the club - run the club. Let the people employed to build the lottery - build the lottery. etc Estimated running costs including purchases, of around £100k for the first year. The second year should take care of itself and the third year should be complete and utter profit. Every year we dont do this means we are still two years away from it happening.

Owt left over from owt we have should go into a winner of a bonus system for the squad. I've said before (and been laughed at) that the team should share any prizes from cup competitions amongst themselves. Every year we get knocked out of the FA Cup it costs us around 16k prize money for the first round, plus potential gate receipts and TV money. Give the players the 16k and the club can have any surpluses. We don't budget for cup runs so we lose nowt in offering it. But that dividend might just be the solution to being able to sign the likes of McClean, Bishop, Mannix, Perkins, Twiss etc. It also may be enough to prevent the likes of Barry, Craney and Roberts moving on for a couple of hundred extra.

Finally every fan entering the ground should bring a roll of bog paper to help soak up the water on the car park/swamp. The soggy residue could go into a papier mache building fund for the away end.

[Haggis316]

Originally Posted by Oggy

supporters are becoming alienated from the club

Well they shouldn't be.

Accrington Stanley has been carried on by a limited company, an unincorporated association and another limited company. It is much bigger than any of them or the people who manage it or play for it from time to time and it will endure for ever.

People may not like the personnel or the management from time to time but they should never feel alienated from the "club" because it is a great institution.

[Oggy]

Originally Posted by Haggis316

Well they shouldn't be.

Just an observation, Haggis.

I agree with Sparkie, when she said, "The club have got to realise that on some fronts its the little things that matter."

Better information from the club would cost little and help a lot

[Kiwi John]

All our points kept.

[Oggy]

Originally Posted by Kiwi John

All our points kept.

Amen.
Tinpot