Latest v Pacesetters

1 nil Redditch Josh Mckenzie!! Pace is going to have a heart attack!

I am still in disbelief!!

3-1 down!

Finished 3 - 1 to Droylsden. To be fair they are a good side but we played well yet again.

Did anyone hear the crowd? It was shocking, i think a new low point. In all my years i can not remember a lower crowd even for a poxy friendly. Its just such a depressing place at the moment i can not blame people for staying in. I know we're working hard as a team but in recent matches i get the feeling the other teams have extra gears if needed.

70 according to Sky Sports. Shocking (not that I can talk as I can't do midweek games )

JBS wrote:70 according to Sky Sports. Shocking (not that I can talk as I can't do midweek games )

Yep 70 it was, We had more at the Redditch United School's Cup Final and just less at the Fans vs Kiddi Fans Game Both were week night Games It wasn't that cold either.
Shame as the game was not that bad, but again the Officials(notably the one running the cedar road) were shocking. It was clear he was not interested and knew very little about the game of football, its time these officials are made accountable as the Respect Rule is a two way thing. I think they are just becoming a group of sub standard wingers who are losing the respect they crave.

The club should consider Monday evening for 'mid-week' games.

Remove the 'Man U TV' problem and make away sides travel 2 days after the Saturday game.

Works OK for Wusta?

Bob Marley wrote:The club should consider Monday evening for 'mid-week' games.

Remove the 'Man U TV' problem and make away sides travel 2 days after the Saturday game.

Works OK for Wusta?

I missed the Man U game and was happy to do so despite the stick I get for admitting I follow them but at least its not Cricket (posh rounders)

The lowest attendance in Red's history apparently

I was talking to Arsene last night about how many different faces we're seeing every week in the stands, and how many 'regulars' have disappeared

Bob Marley wrote:The club should consider Monday evening for 'mid-week' games.

Remove the 'Man U TV' problem and make away sides travel 2 days after the Saturday game.

Works OK for Wusta?

If the games were any other day but Tuesday attendance would increase by at least 1 as it means I can make it , you could even look at Thursdays as the Europa League isnt exactly the same draw as Champions League on Tues-Weds and Monday Night Premier league games (although with Blues in it you will get higher local interest than normal next year).

The attendance was the most disappointing thing of the night,i must admitt i was shocked how bad it was.As for moving to another night i personally don't think it will make the slightest difference if the people want to watch us play they will come,ie Kettering fa cup. I know there are some fantastic ideas going around to increase attendances,some great business plans(plan B),but none of this will work when the team lose week in week out,and show no signs of changing that,this is not knocking the lads just a fact.Wins = better gates,simple.

I agree with toffeeman. Blaming the night of the games is completly missing the issue.

People won't pay the best part of a tenner when we are guarenteed to lose. I'm one of them.

I have a lot of repect for all of you in TRUST, with all of your commitment, initiatives etc. But I think you are fighting a losing battle. How can the club hope to attract new fans when most of the regulars are now staying away?

Things are going to get worse, not better. I know my opinion won't find much agreement on here. But the hundreds of stayaway fans speaks for itself. People are voting with their feet.

JBS wrote:

Bob Marley wrote:The club should consider Monday evening for 'mid-week' games.

Remove the 'Man U TV' problem and make away sides travel 2 days after the Saturday game.

Works OK for Wusta?

If the games were any other day but Tuesday attendance would increase by at least 1 as it means I can make it , .

Unfortunately a Monday Evening would mean I'd miss out as I have a regular commitment on Mondays. But, hey, it's still worth a try!

I must be getting soft Del as I agree with you...being bottom of the league and losing every week is not a good platform to improve attendances.

TRUST have suspended many actions for the time being, due to this fact.

My point was that even if you are winning (Nuneaton, who are top of the league, only getting 500 on a Tuesday night), tells you that folk prefer to spend their cold Tuesday/Wednesday evening watching Man Ure and Arsenal in Chumps League etc...this was an idea muted months ago and I am a great believer in 'if you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got' (Ted Striker will confirm).

I think it should be part of the club's strategy to try new things....(I still think a Friday night game is still a good idea, especially early season with the sun shining).

Look at the success of 20/20 cricket (sorry Jeff/Porrohman) - the lifeline of county cricket....

Sorry, Del...just to restore balance...I 100% disagree we are fighting a losing battle.

I think the preparation of Plan B and the subsequent formalizing of TRUST, will prove to be life-line of the Reds in the long term...to be clear, it has proved to be a lifeline since it's conception only 8 short months ago.

I still believe the proud history of the Reds is worth fighting for...look at the history that Jeff is compiling of our club...do you not agree we should do everything to preserve this?

del boy wrote:I agree with toffeeman. Blaming the night of the games is completly missing the issue.

People won't pay the best part of a tenner when we are guarenteed to lose. I'm one of them.

I have a lot of repect for all of you in TRUST, with all of your commitment, initiatives etc. But I think you are fighting a losing battle. How can the club hope to attract new fans when most of the regulars are now staying away?

Things are going to get worse, not better. I know my opinion won't find much agreement on here. But the hundreds of stayaway fans speaks for itself. People are voting with their feet.

I know I've had my snarks at you in the past, del boy, but I couldn't agree more with what you say here. I'm one of those who has lost interest, and it's not just been this season. I used to go to 90% of Reds games when I was enthusiastic, but I think I've been to about twelve games in total in the last four seasons (including the current one). It just stopped being fun, and that was before we really slashed spending on players, so I can't imagine what my reaction would be if I'd still been attending regularly this season.

Bob Marley wrote:My point was that even if you are winning (Nuneaton, who are top of the league, only getting 500 on a Tuesday night), tells you that folk prefer to spend their cold Tuesday/Wednesday evening watching Man Ure and Arsenal in Chumps League etc...this was an idea muted months ago and I am a great believer in 'if you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got' (Ted Striker will confirm).

Indeed. I've heard that line almost as many times as I've heard the Abba joke.

Bob Marley wrote:Sorry, Del...just to restore balance...I 100% disagree we are fighting a losing battle.

I think the preparation of Plan B and the subsequent formalizing of TRUST, will prove to be life-line of the Reds in the long term...to be clear, it has proved to be a lifeline since it's conception only 8 short months ago.

I still believe the proud history of the Reds is worth fighting for...look at the history that Jeff is compiling of our club...do you not agree we should do everything to preserve this?

I’m glad you found something to disagree with; it didn’t feel right when you agreed with me!

I look around non league football and see an over increasing number of clubs that have gone bust, reformed and started again. They start with a slightly different name, but at the same ground with the same fans. Effectively it is a continuation of the club. To me, it seems to be the only way forward.

Is that morally right to do so? Whether in football or any other business, I’m sure there are many who choose to take the easy, selfish way out and possible take others with them. But there are also those others who do genuinely fight until the very end. Eventually there will come a point where there is no realistic chance of paying off the clubs debts. This is the category we are in. No one could accuse the club of taking the easy way out.

I certainly don’t want to bring up an old debate that we had a few weeks ago. But what we did seem to agree on is that nobody seems to know what the true debt of the club is. Without knowing this, I’d suggest that it is impossible for any of to know if the club is in a battle that is winnable or not.

Would a reformed club playing at the Valley Stadium be such a bad thing? Supporting an AFC Redditch a couple of leagues lower would be the same club in spirit if not by name. Indeed, the club appears to have played under various names before during its history. Off hand, I admit that I don’t know the reasons for these name changes. Was it the club going bust and reforming? Was it just a simple name change?

The new club could start with a clean slate, debt free, have a playing budget, be able to compete, win some games and the fans would return. A debt free club is also more likely to attract investors. Wouldn’t the likes of Chris Swan be more likely to invest if the club wasn’t crippled by debt?

The Plan B project was built around the scenario of administration and relegation...to start again, without the debt.

Now, there are moral as well as business ethics to be considered and at the time, I personally took criticism, as we were not protecting the history of the Reds in the business model proposed.

TRUST was formed on the back of the great work from Fingers, to have an organisation in place to safeguard the future of the Reds and also to organise our fund raising events and to be more formal in our approach and communication with the Directors of the football club.

I am now convinced that with prudent financial management, we can survive and protect our status and history and not take the unethical and 'easy' route of administration and I still believe we have not arrived at the 'point of no return'....I may be wrong, but this is my belief.

If we dropped 2/3 divisions, we are less likely to attract investment of any kind.

Off hand, I can’t recall the exact details of your original plan B proposal; but I do remember that I wasn’t on board! But the threat to the club back then was quite different to what it is right now?

As I suggested, I don’t think that taking the ‘easy way out’ is morally acceptable. Evidently, those who are in charge agree. It seems quite evident that the club will never be put into voluntary liquidation. If liquidation does occur, then it will be out of the clubs hands. Until then, I guess it’s now simply a case of letting nature take its course.

Unless you are prepared to do something different and not allow things to just occur.....

Bob Marley wrote:Unless you are prepared to do something different and not allow things to just occur.....

+1

So many negative vibes!
i support my local team, through thick and thin. That's what it's about at this level!

UTR!!!! :dance:

Tomorrow's another day............

Andy...NEVER a truer word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!