What happened

[SPUGGIE J]

Originally Posted by jaysay

Excuse me for seeming ignorant, but as many of you know I not a reds fan but like to see them doing well, what is this TV thing, is an in ground thing which shows match highlights pre-match and in the club house or is there more to it, I would think an up-to-date Web Site is more important, it keeps long distance fans updated and provides would be fans of an insight into the club, if an up-to-date Web Site can't be maintained it could b counter productive to say the least, just a though

Not ignorant just showing what the lack of a decent site does to the neutral person perusing the site. You are one of many who have problems with the site. If the trouble it causes you is multiplied by thousands then how much is the club losing out on. Even 1% of those were given a decent site it is money in the coffers.

[VALAIRIAN]

Originally Posted by fc:stanley

Southernred, how about employing an apprentice? Someone who can help with the little jobs around the club. Help lee in the shop , update the website, reply to emails, help around the stadium. The wages of an apprentice is around £100 a week. For this all the "little" jobs could be done and people happy. Their first job in the morning could be update the website. With employing an apprentice this shows the club helping young people in the community. Good idea or not?

fc,
I for one think it is a terribly good idea! And would(along with 99 others)help to contribute to their(apprentices)wages!!!!

[maccawozzagod]

..... and further more to it being a good idea, there are many organisations around who would provide the bulk of their wages - such as North Lancs Training Group etc (just in case anybody wanted to know which direction to look in).


Nobody has ever said that the staff at ASFC don't work hard, but Mick Schultz is the lottery manager as well as kit man, as well as stadium manager, as well as H&S dude, as well as McDonalds go-getter as well as ....... I am sure he concentrate on a better lottery (not a dig) if he didn't have to spend hours a week washing,drying and ironing kit.

This applies to every member of staff - let em do their jobs

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by fc:stanley

Southernred, how about employing an apprentice? Someone who can help with the little jobs around the club. Help lee in the shop , update the website, reply to emails, help around the stadium. The wages of an apprentice is around £100 a week. For this all the "little" jobs could be done and people happy. Their first job in the morning could be update the website. With employing an apprentice this shows the club helping young people in the community. Good idea or not?

What about sponsoring an apprentice, god we've enough members no here, I don't support Stanley but I'd chip in, if it couldn't be funded solely on here it may just rattle a few cages, and what about or local paper, in my experience Mervin usually comes up Trumps when it comes to local causes, just a though. I know money is a bit tight at the moment and a lot of you chaps do pay out to support Stanley so please don't jump all over me for suggesting this, remember out of acorns

[fc:stanley]

Theres hundreds and young people how could easily do little jobs around the club that staff their dont have time to do! I know plenty of people who would be intrested. At £90/100 a week its nothing if half was payed by nltg or traning 2000 and half by the club.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by fc:stanley

Southernred, how about employing an apprentice? Someone who can help with the little jobs around the club. Help lee in the shop , update the website, reply to emails, help around the stadium. The wages of an apprentice is around £100 a week. For this all the "little" jobs could be done and people happy. Their first job in the morning could be update the website. With employing an apprentice this shows the club helping young people in the community. Good idea or not?

Would his/her job title be an Apprentice Schultz ?

[Wynonie Harris]

Apprentice helper sounds like a good idea...which means, of course, that the club will ignore it completely.

[Stanleymad]

To add my pennies of opinion, southernred, its ok requiring the help of the fans voluntary but in experience on many levels in all thing ASFC atm, is the fact that people to volunteer their help many many times ie shoveling snow off pitch for one but something that tends to repeat itself is that altho the club need the help the appreciation doesn't go far enough imho. I really admire Mick Shultz because what i have seen he does a heck of alot, the reliance on him is immense but would come a time before it gets beyond the pail for him & his generosity of his skills & time become the breaking point.

Same is felt within the supporters club, same members time again putting their time & effort in becoming not appreciated by lack of support with exception of the same people year after year. The club have not done anything really to help the supporters club nor is their interest unless we can offer them, something 1st - which really maddens me! I do fear for the supporters club's existance if it continues to be lacking in support - not neccessarily membership subs - BUT help & support during various activities organised by the osc ie kids party being cancelled which is a 1st as long as i've been involved with the osc usually well supported. What im pointing out is that at bottom level as osc is feeling the strain nevermind the club itself - which i think is its own victim of its operation.

[Revived Red]

Originally Posted by southernred

When will the penny drop that running a full time football club on gates of 1500 is almost impossible!!

This is a nettle that ASFC must grasp - and grasp very quickly. I have read through and thought about all the posts on this topic. As TM has said, "deja vu", and K-P has expressed a similar thought.

Does ASFC actually want to increase attendances? Or is it content to think that Accrington is a small town between Blackburn and Burnley and therefore attendances will never really improve - so let's just try to survive on what we have? If ASFC does indeed want to improve attendances, does it give consideration to strategies by which this could be achieved? If a tirade from the Chairman against the local population was a strategy, that certainly backfired. So does ASFC consider any positive strategies? If so, surely an up-to-date website would be one of these strategies. There is huge interest in the club outside the town. Rarely a day goes by without me being asked about the ASFC sticker on my car.

Just as importantly, does the club want to keep the fans which it presently has? Again, are strategies discussed at a senior level about how to maintain interest? At a really basic level, why is there not an ever-growing range of goods in the shop?

It has seemed to me that ASFC has no focus; it does not know what it wants to achieve. If that is the case, it will always lack direction. It might be a bit trendy but a good start would be what has come to be called a "mission statement". It would then know what it seeks to achieve (ok, it may be simply survival - but in the Football League or merely as a football club?) and then it would devise strategies to achieve its aim(s). An immediate consequence of that would be to establish a set of minimum standards. As an example, I recently had occasion to contact another Football League club. I received an immediate reply saying that my letter had been received and, in accordance with the club's business standards, I would receive a reply to my specific concern within 7 working days. And I did.

The use of the term "business standards" is important. ASFC is a business - but is it run like a business? I know there is only a small full-time staff, but is there any appraisal of their roles and how they fulfil those roles?

My final point follows from that and takes us back to the website issue. It seems that in recent months, ASFC has established personnel in three new roles. These are General Manager (David O'Neill), Head of Commercial Operations (Gavin Roper), Commercial Manager (Dan Warburton). This information comes from the ASFC website. Is it not possible that one of them, preferably the latter because we are told that he has "experience of marketing", could look after the website?

[Wynonie Harris]

Nail well and truly hit on the head, RR!

[southernred]

My final point follows from that and takes us back to the website issue. It seems that in recent months, ASFC has established personnel in three new roles. These are General Manager (David O'Neill), Head of Commercial Operations (Gavin Roper), Commercial Manager (Dan Warburton). This information comes from the ASFC website. Is it not possible that one of them, preferably the latter because we are told that he has "experience of marketing", could look after the website?

FYI

Gavin Roper has left the club after around 3 months, hence Dan Warburton's arrival

Dan Warburton has been at the club around 3 weeks, during the last one most businesses have been closed for the Christmas and New Year Break.

On another post there was mention of an apprentice type person. This person is already in place. An additional member of staff has been appointed with the help of North Lancs training and has been at the FES for sometime.

Next time I get chance to speak with the main men at the club i'll mention the concern supporters have with the website. However please remember whoever the "editor/ information adder is", they can only add what information is passed their way!! eg: did we really want anybody to know that v Lincoln, we had many injured players and that Paul Mullin wasn't fit enough to travel??

The club has to keep favour with a number of media outlets; several of them pay good sponsorship money. IF all the information went to the website first no doubt we would loose some favour with them IMHO

[VALAIRIAN]

Originally Posted by Revived Red

This is a nettle that ASFC must grasp - and grasp very quickly. I have read through and thought about all the posts on this topic. As TM has said, "deja vu", and K-P has expressed a similar thought.

Does ASFC actually want to increase attendances? Or is it content to think that Accrington is a small town between Blackburn and Burnley and therefore attendances will never really improve - so let's just try to survive on what we have? If ASFC does indeed want to improve attendances, does it give consideration to strategies by which this could be achieved? If a tirade from the Chairman against the local population was a strategy, that certainly backfired. So does ASFC consider any positive strategies? If so, surely an up-to-date website would be one of these strategies. There is huge interest in the club outside the town. Rarely a day goes by without me being asked about the ASFC sticker on my car.

Just as importantly, does the club want to keep the fans which it presently has? Again, are strategies discussed at a senior level about how to maintain interest? At a really basic level, why is there not an ever-growing range of goods in the shop?

It has seemed to me that ASFC has no focus; it does not know what it wants to achieve. If that is the case, it will always lack direction. It might be a bit trendy but a good start would be what has come to be called a "mission statement". It would then know what it seeks to achieve (ok, it may be simply survival - but in the Football League or merely as a football club?) and then it would devise strategies to achieve its aim(s). An immediate consequence of that would be to establish a set of minimum standards. As an example, I recently had occasion to contact another Football League club. I received an immediate reply saying that my letter had been received and, in accordance with the club's business standards, I would receive a reply to my specific concern within 7 working days. And I did.

The use of the term "business standards" is important. ASFC is a business - but is it run like a business? I know there is only a small full-time staff, but is there any appraisal of their roles and how they fulfil those roles?

My final point follows from that and takes us back to the website issue. It seems that in recent months, ASFC has established personnel in three new roles. These are General Manager (David O'Neill), Head of Commercial Operations (Gavin Roper), Commercial Manager (Dan Warburton). This information comes from the ASFC website. Is it not possible that one of them, preferably the latter because we are told that he has "experience of marketing", could look after the website?

Great post Rev, as WH said right on the head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[VALAIRIAN]

Originally Posted by southernred

My final point follows from that and takes us back to the website issue. It seems that in recent months, ASFC has established personnel in three new roles. These are General Manager (David O'Neill), Head of Commercial Operations (Gavin Roper), Commercial Manager (Dan Warburton). This information comes from the ASFC website. Is it not possible that one of them, preferably the latter because we are told that he has "experience of marketing", could look after the website?

FYI

Gavin Roper has left the club after around 3 months, hence Dan Warburton's arrival

Dan Warburton has been at the club around 3 weeks, during the last one most businesses have been closed for the Christmas and New Year Break.

On another post there was mention of an apprentice type person. This person is already in place. An additional member of staff has been appointed with the help of North Lancs training and has been at the FES for sometime.

Next time I get chance to speak with the main men at the club i'll mention the concern supporters have with the website. However please remember whoever the "editor/ information adder is", they can only add what information is passed their way!! eg: did we really want anybody to know that v Lincoln, we had many injured players and that Paul Mullin wasn't fit enough to travel??

The club has to keep favour with a number of media outlets; several of them pay good sponsorship money. IF all the information went to the website first no doubt we would loose some favour with them IMHO

Southern!?

Does that not just sum it up?? HE LEFT 3 MONTHS AGO! I myself can understand the not informing of Mullins injury(keeping your cards close and that)but some things we should be told about!!

And lastly - WHY SHOULD YOU BE WAITING UNTIL YOU GET A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO THE MAIN MEN???? WHY CAN THEY NOT DO WHAT YOU DO AND GET INVOLVED WITH THE WEBSITE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE REAL WORLD!!!??? Mark you know this is not aimed at you, but I think your post sums it up!!!!!!

[fc:stanley]

Originally Posted by southernred

On another post there was mention of an apprentice type person. This person is already in place. An additional member of staff has been appointed with the help of North Lancs training and has been at the FES for sometime.

You can get more then one apprentice. If im right isnt she the woman who helps in reception doing admin? If so im sure if shes doing admin on the computers she can easily type with her skills news to go on the website?

[maccawozzagod]

Originally Posted by southernred

Gavin Roper has left the club after around 3 months, hence Dan Warburton's arrival

easy mistake to have made as nobody had mentioned this. Good luck wherever you have gone Gavin

Originally Posted by southernred

On another post there was mention of an apprentice type person. This person is already in place. An additional member of staff has been appointed with the help of North Lancs training and has been at the FES for sometime.

wouold you be able to confirm what percentage of his/her wages are covered by outside agencies and as to whether we could stock up on them? As I posted earlier, Mick could expand the lottery far better if he wasn't washing kit for a couple of hours a day. You have skills that could be put to far better use than stewarding on matchdays etc etc

Originally Posted by southernred

eg: did we really want anybody to know that v Lincoln, we had many injured players and that Paul Mullin wasn't fit enough to travel??

it's usually on the messageboard anyway as somebody always knows somebody who knows. But really thats a lame excuse for not putting squad news on the website. God only knows how many we'd have conceded had Lincoln known what tactics to employ

Originally Posted by southernred

The club has to keep favour with a number of media outlets; several of them pay good sponsorship money. IF all the information went to the website first no doubt we would loose some favour with them IMHO

Originally Posted by southernred

LET and The Observer surely don't pay sponsorship money? But regardless, there are many things that could go on the website that wouldn't upset anybody. For instance the Granada mockumentary showed dressing room footage of players paying their fines - it was class! Let's have a weekly table showing who gets fined for what!!!! I thought it hilarious that low paid players such as Mangan and Grant were paying more than 'dressing room joker' Ian Craney. There also must be a birthday a week for Stanley employees - tell em happy birthday. Let's see some of the Gold Bond winners, or details for the half-time draw - who won and how much? If people think they are missing out then they are much more likely to join in. I know that the club shop has recently come into a load of extra stock (or are about to - courtesy of the OSC) does anybody know? Who won man of the match last week? week before? put a picture up.

I log onto the site a few times a day as its my home page, before that I used to check at least twice a day just in case - we all want to be first to 'break the news' to a mate. My understanding of websites is that the more 'hits' they get, the more they are worth for advertising.

I applaud your efforts in defending the club where you can Mark, but I sense a weakening of your resolve