[maccawozzagod]

the truth of the matter is that we have come a long way in a short time. This does not leave enough time to maximise cash potential at any of the steps. In the Unibond we had decent crowds for the level, in the Conference we had mediocre, slightly below average crowds for the level.

Most clubs tend to stick around their level for a while, develop the ground and the team in similar sorts of time spans and then when they go up they are already operating at the required level. We bucked the trend and somehow (contrary to Confguide belief) managed to get up through the leagues without being bankrolled. Now and last year we find ourselves trying to play catch up on ground development, playing staff, off the field development, Community work, crowds etc etc. There is no quick fix for it, we have got to the League before we had done the work rather than after it. We need to be proud of that achievment rather than despondent, yes we will knock the club here and there if we don't think anything is being done - but again it possibly is being done they just choose not to tell us.

When a date had been set for the roof in the summer they could have informed us, but they decided to just surprise us. They could have informed us that a Community Officer had been appointed but they chose not to. Decisions like these cost the club because we speculate, and speculation leads to negativety and criticism - which spreads.

Step 1. Speak to the fans more often, the results will be surprising.
step 2. We'll cross that bridge when the basics are being done.

If we can survive this season we may find that things are picking up a little, but we'll still have to survive the following. and the following, and the following.

By being in this league we are learning quicker than we have ever had to before, SHOULD we ever go down to the Conference again I would like to think that we would have become a big fish in that league rather than a small one that somehow escaped. We'll have our time again but for now we may just have to batten down the hatches and make the most of winning the odd battle rather than the war.

When the fruits of todays labour start to show in a few years time, when the Commercial Operation is running at full pelt, and the Community Operation is cutting a swarthe through the local youth, we'll hopefully have a much rosier looking future with crowds a thousand or two higher than they are now. We'll be making money more efficiently than we are now, we'll be coining it in through the beer vans behind the Clayton End, we'll be taking an extra thousand pound or two off away fans via their beer van.


The only drawback I can really see is that we still talk (the Chairman and the manager do) about League 1. It's all well and good being ambitious but if we are short of money to compete at this level we'll struggle like bloody hell at that level!!!! Peterborough are the big shots in this league because they can afford to spend £200k each on a few players, but they spend £500k in that league, we'd be mashed potato every week with the kind of budget signings we have to make. Like it or not this is our level for the immediate future and we need to start treading water PDQ.