| Open Day 1st July on 10:51 - Jul 3 with 2640 views | frenzied |
| Open Day 1st July on 10:16 - Jul 3 by EllDale |
I was pleased so see so many players actually looking as though they enjoyed being there, especially two or three who might have been reluctant attendees given the abuse they received last season. |
i doubt any of the brainless abusers would have the bottle to go toe to toe with any of the players |  | |  |
| Open Day 1st July on 11:10 - Jul 3 with 2568 views | EllDale |
You're right but I can still understand players being reluctant to put their heads over the parapet. All credit to them.
We should back them all now, a clean start all round. | | | |
| Open Day 1st July on 12:33 - Jul 3 with 2446 views | AtThePeake |
Not been on the Forum much over the weekend, but from Twitter it looked like most of the responses to the kit and open day appeared to be unanimously positive. Obviously the messageboard had quite a different view on things!
The kit looks miles better with the white collar and it looks like the Open Day was a success for those that actually attended. As a fanbase I think we perhaps need to pick our battles. Not sure this weekend needed to become one. |  |
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| Open Day 1st July on 12:51 - Jul 3 with 2387 views | D_Alien |
| Open Day 1st July on 12:33 - Jul 3 by AtThePeake |
Not been on the Forum much over the weekend, but from Twitter it looked like most of the responses to the kit and open day appeared to be unanimously positive. Obviously the messageboard had quite a different view on things!
The kit looks miles better with the white collar and it looks like the Open Day was a success for those that actually attended. As a fanbase I think we perhaps need to pick our battles. Not sure this weekend needed to become one. |
The wider point is a fanbase shouldn't have to be picking any battles
When it really mattered, we were brothers in arms, both inside and outside the club. It isn't the fanbase that's turned it into an internecine battle in pretty short order |  |
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| Open Day 1st July on 14:53 - Jul 3 with 2153 views | AtThePeake |
| Open Day 1st July on 12:51 - Jul 3 by D_Alien |
The wider point is a fanbase shouldn't have to be picking any battles
When it really mattered, we were brothers in arms, both inside and outside the club. It isn't the fanbase that's turned it into an internecine battle in pretty short order |
That's fair, but from the outside looking in at this forum I suspect it looks like moaning for moaning's sake when most fans seem to be pretty happy with the kit and the open day. And rightly or wrongly, from the board's perspective, when it gets to the stage where fans seem to be moaning about every little thing, then the bigger things are dismissed and considered to be just another excuse for a moan. | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 15:53 - Jul 3 with 2002 views | D_Alien |
| Open Day 1st July on 14:53 - Jul 3 by AtThePeake |
That's fair, but from the outside looking in at this forum I suspect it looks like moaning for moaning's sake when most fans seem to be pretty happy with the kit and the open day. And rightly or wrongly, from the board's perspective, when it gets to the stage where fans seem to be moaning about every little thing, then the bigger things are dismissed and considered to be just another excuse for a moan. |
Let's see what comes out of the Trust meetings with the BoD
There's enough good people representing the Trust to put a different message across; a far more positive one, and one which i'd like to return to defending against undue criticism as i've done in the past but can no longer do until attitudes in the club change | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 16:53 - Jul 3 with 1879 views | dalemark |
| Open Day 1st July on 14:53 - Jul 3 by AtThePeake |
That's fair, but from the outside looking in at this forum I suspect it looks like moaning for moaning's sake when most fans seem to be pretty happy with the kit and the open day. And rightly or wrongly, from the board's perspective, when it gets to the stage where fans seem to be moaning about every little thing, then the bigger things are dismissed and considered to be just another excuse for a moan. |
I was critical over the weekend, but to be clear not of the open day - that was a good idea, seemed well attended and well received, and the club should rightly be applauded for it.
I don't subscribe to the view, though, that small things shouldn't be called out. The lack of improvement on the small things makes me question decision making & attitude towards the bigger things.
The online shop not being updated for a publicised kit launch isn't good enough - but its deemed acceptable as people are 'busy'.
Typos on the season card voucher booklet - its a tiny thing, and feels petty to even call it out, but when you walk past poor performance it becomes acceptable... how many times last season did we see spelling mistakes etc on the official site? It just looks amateur & is so easy to avoid!
Today we've released a video with EEL... that is a big improvement as we all wanted to hear more from our captain. BUT the video is poor... the audio is all over the place & you literally can't hear parts of it.
The crux of the issue at the club is we have a culture where poor output from paid employees is accepted. Somebody either looked at the video, for example, & thought it was good enough to go out. OR they know it shouldn't go out in that state but publish it anyway as there will be no comeback. Either of those scenarios is a worry.
Until that culture changes, we will keep making mistakes, keep missing opportunities and keep looking amateur. |  | | |
| Open Day 1st July on 17:20 - Jul 3 with 1807 views | AtThePeake |
| Open Day 1st July on 16:53 - Jul 3 by dalemark |
I was critical over the weekend, but to be clear not of the open day - that was a good idea, seemed well attended and well received, and the club should rightly be applauded for it.
I don't subscribe to the view, though, that small things shouldn't be called out. The lack of improvement on the small things makes me question decision making & attitude towards the bigger things.
The online shop not being updated for a publicised kit launch isn't good enough - but its deemed acceptable as people are 'busy'.
Typos on the season card voucher booklet - its a tiny thing, and feels petty to even call it out, but when you walk past poor performance it becomes acceptable... how many times last season did we see spelling mistakes etc on the official site? It just looks amateur & is so easy to avoid!
Today we've released a video with EEL... that is a big improvement as we all wanted to hear more from our captain. BUT the video is poor... the audio is all over the place & you literally can't hear parts of it.
The crux of the issue at the club is we have a culture where poor output from paid employees is accepted. Somebody either looked at the video, for example, & thought it was good enough to go out. OR they know it shouldn't go out in that state but publish it anyway as there will be no comeback. Either of those scenarios is a worry.
Until that culture changes, we will keep making mistakes, keep missing opportunities and keep looking amateur. |
That video is shambolic and amateurish. If it was something we'd done for this site/twitter I wouldn't release it in that state. I think that's a fair comment. I think there are a few fair comments on this thread.
But comments like "The club needs to start an urgent enquiry into a) the decision to have an open day and its implications and b) having made that decision, what steps were taken to ensure it would be a success" seem to be a tad overblown to me when in general it seems like the open day was a success and the kit seems to have gone down pretty well with most supporters.
Don't get me wrong, plenty of criticism is due at the moment and the online shop not being updated is poor, as is the EEL video, but my point is that without looking at this forum, in general the fanbase seem to fairly happy with how the weekend's gone - and yet if you just read this thread alone you'd be of the opinion that it was bordering on disaster.
There's a hell of a lot to improve on in every area of the club at the moment but I do think because everyone is catastrophising, we're guilty of looking like we're moaning for moaning's sake and people at the club probably feel like they can't do right for doing wrong when reading this forum. I also think that a lot of these similar issues will be easily overlooked if we win our first 6 games of the season and are flying high at the top of the table but because things have been so bad on the pitch, everything else has been brought into much clearer focus. That could well continue to be the case in this coming season.
Addressing those small issues is important and can only be a positive - but I also feel like we're guilty of making them feel more important than they actually are because we're still hurt by what's happened over the last four or five years, both on and off the pitch. | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 17:46 - Jul 3 with 1740 views | ChaffRAFC |
| Open Day 1st July on 10:21 - Jul 2 by wozzrafc |
I agree that there are issues but we have to be measured. There have been and always will be issues this board is not unique in that.
But we are not going to solve every little thing. We need to focus on the big issues. If every little thing is blown up it comes across as a witch hunt and therefore becomes counterproductive. (I’m not saying it is a witch hunt I’m talking about the perception.)
I know a lot of the posters on here and I do respect their opinions, they are legitimate, and I’m as frustrated with some of the things that need to be addressed. I’d hope the meetings with the trust had recently and the commitment from the board to engage further with the trust will start to address them but it will always time.
But it’s becoming increasingly tiresome being a dale fan. Ever time I see a post on Twitter or Facebook from the club announcing a signing , updating pitch renovations or announcing details of friendlies it’s met with post after post of negativity, smart arsed comments or moaning.
And from the boards side there seems little to acknowledge what the fans are saying. They are customers and ultimately you have a duty.
The really disappointing thing for me is and I honestly believe this both sides have the very best interests of the club at heart, unlike the previous chairman and CEO who intentionally dragged this club to its knees.
There is a list of problems at the club some major ones us mere fans probably don’t fully understand or know the extent, Some them have been issues for years, but that still no excuse. Some as a result of the malious damage done by the previous incumbents and yes some as a direct consequence of decisions of the current board.
Both parties came together to defeat the threat the last board inflicted,and save the club, I just wish we could do that to build it back up.
I hope the coming forum can be a catalyst for fans and the club together. Let’s hope we see an openness from the board to take some of the suggestions and concerns of the fans, and from the fans let’s be measured in our criticism.
So in my opinion yes the online club shop needs sorting, it has for years, yes we need to have a plan how the adapt to non league, yes we need to maximise resources in our fanbase, sorting out the behaviour of a section of fans in the sandy, but making a change of a collar from black to white?
Top and bottom is a good start on the pitch and some of these smaller issue will seem a little less important . [Post edited 2 Jul 2023 11:03]
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This is a great post Wozz.
Agree 100% |  |
| If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor |
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| Open Day 1st July on 17:47 - Jul 3 with 1738 views | judd |
| Open Day 1st July on 17:20 - Jul 3 by AtThePeake |
That video is shambolic and amateurish. If it was something we'd done for this site/twitter I wouldn't release it in that state. I think that's a fair comment. I think there are a few fair comments on this thread.
But comments like "The club needs to start an urgent enquiry into a) the decision to have an open day and its implications and b) having made that decision, what steps were taken to ensure it would be a success" seem to be a tad overblown to me when in general it seems like the open day was a success and the kit seems to have gone down pretty well with most supporters.
Don't get me wrong, plenty of criticism is due at the moment and the online shop not being updated is poor, as is the EEL video, but my point is that without looking at this forum, in general the fanbase seem to fairly happy with how the weekend's gone - and yet if you just read this thread alone you'd be of the opinion that it was bordering on disaster.
There's a hell of a lot to improve on in every area of the club at the moment but I do think because everyone is catastrophising, we're guilty of looking like we're moaning for moaning's sake and people at the club probably feel like they can't do right for doing wrong when reading this forum. I also think that a lot of these similar issues will be easily overlooked if we win our first 6 games of the season and are flying high at the top of the table but because things have been so bad on the pitch, everything else has been brought into much clearer focus. That could well continue to be the case in this coming season.
Addressing those small issues is important and can only be a positive - but I also feel like we're guilty of making them feel more important than they actually are because we're still hurt by what's happened over the last four or five years, both on and off the pitch. |
Imagine not recording a top notch interview properly.
Tsk. |  |
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| Open Day 1st July on 17:48 - Jul 3 with 1736 views | ChaffRAFC |
| Open Day 1st July on 17:20 - Jul 3 by AtThePeake |
That video is shambolic and amateurish. If it was something we'd done for this site/twitter I wouldn't release it in that state. I think that's a fair comment. I think there are a few fair comments on this thread.
But comments like "The club needs to start an urgent enquiry into a) the decision to have an open day and its implications and b) having made that decision, what steps were taken to ensure it would be a success" seem to be a tad overblown to me when in general it seems like the open day was a success and the kit seems to have gone down pretty well with most supporters.
Don't get me wrong, plenty of criticism is due at the moment and the online shop not being updated is poor, as is the EEL video, but my point is that without looking at this forum, in general the fanbase seem to fairly happy with how the weekend's gone - and yet if you just read this thread alone you'd be of the opinion that it was bordering on disaster.
There's a hell of a lot to improve on in every area of the club at the moment but I do think because everyone is catastrophising, we're guilty of looking like we're moaning for moaning's sake and people at the club probably feel like they can't do right for doing wrong when reading this forum. I also think that a lot of these similar issues will be easily overlooked if we win our first 6 games of the season and are flying high at the top of the table but because things have been so bad on the pitch, everything else has been brought into much clearer focus. That could well continue to be the case in this coming season.
Addressing those small issues is important and can only be a positive - but I also feel like we're guilty of making them feel more important than they actually are because we're still hurt by what's happened over the last four or five years, both on and off the pitch. |
Another cracking post | |
| If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor |
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| Open Day 1st July on 18:00 - Jul 3 with 1702 views | Newbury_Dale |
Agree with the recent posts. Certain posters on this forum have standards that I'm afraid the football club just cannot reach. I think they are just going to have to accept that. We're Non League.
Meanwhile some posters are just moaning for the sake of it from what I can see. The post about Platt Lane not being a sensible use of club funds being a prime example. We've spent a generation moving between inadequate training facilities and the creator of that post seemed to want to take us back there.
Time for a bit of forgiveness. | | | |
| Open Day 1st July on 18:04 - Jul 3 with 1680 views | AtThePeake |
| Open Day 1st July on 17:47 - Jul 3 by judd |
Imagine not recording a top notch interview properly.
Tsk. |
If only you could include subtitles on an audio only format | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 18:27 - Jul 3 with 1607 views | judd |
| Open Day 1st July on 18:04 - Jul 3 by AtThePeake |
If only you could include subtitles on an audio only format |
If only you could use an audio only format 😪 | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 18:33 - Jul 3 with 1584 views | 442Dale |
There’s some good discussion in this thread and ATP makes some good observations about the kit and the Open Day. I think there’s an argument that the praise for those, amongst some criticism based on personal taste when it comes to the shirt, may have been lost because it reignited old issues.
The Open Day looked great, especially when you consider the weather - full credit to the club and the management/players. It would be wrong to ignore how important it is to try and create a link between those on the pitch and the fans again, this was a really good first step. McNulty is an excellent representative for the club in these situations as well.
The other issues, and believe me it’s been something that I’ve tried to leave alone the last few weeks, are age old and there needs to be a massive shift from the Trust and the club to really show they matter.
A full report of the meeting included in the latest Trust newsletter will be a good start. This would be an obvious progressive step to ensure the transparency is present, something that was considered vital at the supporters meetings a couple of months ago. The inclusion of details of club board/staff present (both would be represented as per the Fan Engagement Programme), defined action points and timescales for resolution would be something that increases the confidence that there is a commitment to change. Not simply that things are being looked at.
Then, by the end of this month, one of action points coming out of the supporters meetings will be put in place. Hopefully this will ensure that real, positive change has a defined structure that would be visible and adhered to by all:
https://www.daletrust.co.uk/2023/05/action-plan-on-trust-feedback/
<<“ Commitment between Club and Trust to replace the generic MOU with something bespoke with agreed processes / lines of communication. This needs to be stronger than a MOU and written into the Club articles if possible
A: We will definitely look to this into something that formulates the relationship between the Club and the Trust with key “sacred cows” that must be protected at all times. When we signed the MOU with the Club, it was the generic MOU that was provided by Supporters’ Direct and was almost just guidance material as it carried little weight. It certainly wasn’t something that we constantly referred back to at any time. It would be in everyone’s interest to formulate the relationship between the Trust and the Club with a document that is tailor made to our needs. We will be working this over the Summer and consult members as to what they feel should be included in it.”>>
Big issues, small issues. Moaning, valid points. Those are often subjective and can become matters of opinion. Resolve the bigger situation and next time someone does have a whinge about the shorts and socks*, at least they’ll know that’s only something trivial in a well-run, fan-focused football club.
*that whinge will be on its way. Really, really poor. |  |
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| Open Day 1st July on 19:07 - Jul 3 with 1495 views | TalkingSutty |
| Open Day 1st July on 17:20 - Jul 3 by AtThePeake |
That video is shambolic and amateurish. If it was something we'd done for this site/twitter I wouldn't release it in that state. I think that's a fair comment. I think there are a few fair comments on this thread.
But comments like "The club needs to start an urgent enquiry into a) the decision to have an open day and its implications and b) having made that decision, what steps were taken to ensure it would be a success" seem to be a tad overblown to me when in general it seems like the open day was a success and the kit seems to have gone down pretty well with most supporters.
Don't get me wrong, plenty of criticism is due at the moment and the online shop not being updated is poor, as is the EEL video, but my point is that without looking at this forum, in general the fanbase seem to fairly happy with how the weekend's gone - and yet if you just read this thread alone you'd be of the opinion that it was bordering on disaster.
There's a hell of a lot to improve on in every area of the club at the moment but I do think because everyone is catastrophising, we're guilty of looking like we're moaning for moaning's sake and people at the club probably feel like they can't do right for doing wrong when reading this forum. I also think that a lot of these similar issues will be easily overlooked if we win our first 6 games of the season and are flying high at the top of the table but because things have been so bad on the pitch, everything else has been brought into much clearer focus. That could well continue to be the case in this coming season.
Addressing those small issues is important and can only be a positive - but I also feel like we're guilty of making them feel more important than they actually are because we're still hurt by what's happened over the last four or five years, both on and off the pitch. |
The club is a shambles from top to bottom, trying to sugar coat things and pretending that the small things don't matter is wrong. We need a new Chairman and a boardroom that shows leadership and a real passion to drive the club forward..we currently have none of that and it's very, very worrying. It's a rudderless ship and the club is quickly dying. The Chairman might be a nice fella but what credentials does he have when it comes to running a professional football club? He doesn't have any and he's obviously out of his depth. I'm afraid it's time for some straight talking and home truths. As shareholders and fans why are we even trusting him to source the right investors in the club, what experience does he have? [Post edited 3 Jul 2023 19:21]
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| Open Day 1st July on 19:30 - Jul 3 with 1393 views | AtThePeake |
| Open Day 1st July on 19:07 - Jul 3 by TalkingSutty |
The club is a shambles from top to bottom, trying to sugar coat things and pretending that the small things don't matter is wrong. We need a new Chairman and a boardroom that shows leadership and a real passion to drive the club forward..we currently have none of that and it's very, very worrying. It's a rudderless ship and the club is quickly dying. The Chairman might be a nice fella but what credentials does he have when it comes to running a professional football club? He doesn't have any and he's obviously out of his depth. I'm afraid it's time for some straight talking and home truths. As shareholders and fans why are we even trusting him to source the right investors in the club, what experience does he have? [Post edited 3 Jul 2023 19:21]
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The thing is, if it's always time for straight talking and home truths even when (in this specific case) it's about something relatively innocuous, then those words start to lose their impact. | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 19:41 - Jul 3 with 1341 views | D_Alien |
| Open Day 1st July on 19:07 - Jul 3 by TalkingSutty |
The club is a shambles from top to bottom, trying to sugar coat things and pretending that the small things don't matter is wrong. We need a new Chairman and a boardroom that shows leadership and a real passion to drive the club forward..we currently have none of that and it's very, very worrying. It's a rudderless ship and the club is quickly dying. The Chairman might be a nice fella but what credentials does he have when it comes to running a professional football club? He doesn't have any and he's obviously out of his depth. I'm afraid it's time for some straight talking and home truths. As shareholders and fans why are we even trusting him to source the right investors in the club, what experience does he have? [Post edited 3 Jul 2023 19:21]
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Well said TS
It's as if there's a bunch of fans who're okay with just having a "nice" day mixing with... their heroes??? and lapping up whatever's put in front of them - as if two years of dire failure hasn't happened
Did anyone turn up at the Open Day who's new to the club? Was anyone outside a very limited number of existing fans aware it was happening? It's an ever-dwindling group with all the impetus of a vicar's tea party, looking on with distaste at anyone making rude noises because it's just not "nice" | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 19:56 - Jul 3 with 1303 views | AtThePeake |
| Open Day 1st July on 19:41 - Jul 3 by D_Alien |
Well said TS
It's as if there's a bunch of fans who're okay with just having a "nice" day mixing with... their heroes??? and lapping up whatever's put in front of them - as if two years of dire failure hasn't happened
Did anyone turn up at the Open Day who's new to the club? Was anyone outside a very limited number of existing fans aware it was happening? It's an ever-dwindling group with all the impetus of a vicar's tea party, looking on with distaste at anyone making rude noises because it's just not "nice" |
I'm sure most fans absolutely aren't okay with the relegation, with the poor running of the club, with the terrible decision-making both on a managerial front and with transfers, the lacklustre communication and with the myriad of other genuine issues. In fact, I don't think I know any fans that are fine with that and I don't think I know any that aren't acutely aware of the dire failure that's come in the last two seasons.
I think plenty are quite okay with an open day that's catered for children that seemed to go well and a new kit that most people seem to be a fan of though. | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 20:16 - Jul 3 with 1251 views | judd |
This will read as horrifically stereotypical but my wife, who hates football, but has had a lifetime of us buying kits for our 4 kids over many years, commented that this year's shirt was the best in fabric quality for many years. | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 20:21 - Jul 3 with 1226 views | D_Alien |
| Open Day 1st July on 19:56 - Jul 3 by AtThePeake |
I'm sure most fans absolutely aren't okay with the relegation, with the poor running of the club, with the terrible decision-making both on a managerial front and with transfers, the lacklustre communication and with the myriad of other genuine issues. In fact, I don't think I know any fans that are fine with that and I don't think I know any that aren't acutely aware of the dire failure that's come in the last two seasons.
I think plenty are quite okay with an open day that's catered for children that seemed to go well and a new kit that most people seem to be a fan of though. |
Lovely | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 20:37 - Jul 3 with 1159 views | TomRAFC |
Some really good points raised on this thread. I don't feel we're on the brink of disaster, or that there is any merit in moaning for the sake of it. Something just doesn't feel right and I've been trying to put my finger on what it is that's bothering me. In all honesty, it is the little things. They aren't particularly important and they won't affect the fortunes of the club.
The tacky "the next chapter" art work, having a kit vote then changing part of the design, videos that you can hardly hear, to name a few. I feel awful saying this, but it's just a bit tin pot.
We have a board that saved the club. The thanks are endless but the grace period is over. With regards to the footballing side, I actually think working with MRKT is probably a good route to take. One thing the current board doesn't have is the skills to run the non-footballing side of the club, that's fair enough, not many people do. That being said, they've had time enough to recruit people who do have those skills.
I don't think the club is on the road to ruin or anything remotely like it. For years, we've been known for being well run and having a good set of fans. We weren't successful most of the time, but there was plenty to be proud of. We're going to be a new team, in a new league, forming a new reputation. Looking at the recent output from the club and the behaviour at the back of the Sandy last season, it all just leaves me feeling a bit embarrassed. Maybe I'm just being a bit wet about it all, but it's genuine and not something I thought I'd ever feel about the club I love. [Post edited 3 Jul 2023 20:48]
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| Open Day 1st July on 20:49 - Jul 3 with 1115 views | AtThePeake |
| Open Day 1st July on 20:21 - Jul 3 by D_Alien |
Lovely |
Not 'lovely' - just not worth moaning about. | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 20:58 - Jul 3 with 1092 views | dalemark |
I've read, re-read and re-read this thread again - partly to try and work out if I was moaning for the sake of it (I wasn't!), and partly to try and find a way to convey my current thoughts in a productive way.
I know this will sound like dramatic language, and somebody better with words might put it better, but its beginning to feel like fans are being held to ransom by the club.
If people point out the smaller issues and criticise off-field performance, there is a train of thought that the board will raise the drawbridge, not engage on the seemingly 'bigger' issues, and things won't improve. At the same time, if nobody points out the issues, still nothing improves. We're in a holding pattern of just having to accept the status quo and accept that our expectations are too high for how the club should operate.
We've had a fans forum, trust / fan meetings, individuals have met with directors, questions have been sent directly to the trust, feedback has been shared privately with the club, feedback has also been shared on here & social media, there have been offers of support through a volunteer army, specific offers of support for defined activities, and offers of free consultancy / advisory conversations to improve stuff. That means around 10 different approaches have been tried, by multiple people, and still we don't see improvements.
Nobody wants to create a divide with the club, I certainly didn't want to detract from the good work at the open day, and Wozz is bang on with what is possible when the club and fans pull together and work together for the good of the club.... but at the same time it feels like one way traffic right now. Fans want us to be better, and fans want to help us be better, but it just isn't happening.
Its so frustrating. Its so avoidable. & its up to the club now to decide if they genuinely want to accept support to be better (& that means more than just fan engagement meetings which, when you really look at it, is only a commitment to 2 or 3 more sessions than have always happened) or whether they don't want help, will run things how they see fit, and its up to us whether we continue to support the current product 'as is'. | | | |
| Open Day 1st July on 21:38 - Jul 3 with 963 views | 49thseason |
As my comment below, about the open day seems to have attracted some criticism, let me pose a few new questions..
"But comments like "The club needs to start an urgent enquiry into a) the decision to have an open day and its implications and b) having made that decision, what steps were taken to ensure it would be a success" seem to be a tad overblown to me when in general it seems like the open day was a success and the kit seems to have gone down pretty well with most supporters."
So let me ask ...What was the objective? Was it a shirt launch? Was it to attract new fans? Was it aimed at younger fans? Or was it meant to be all of the above?
If it was to attract new fans, how would they have known about it? Was it put on Rochdale Online? Were there any flyers given out to schools, pubs, shops? Any mentions on the local radio stations? If it was aimed a younger fans, fine, but again, how was this transmitted to the target audience? Did the Football in the Community crowd have leaflets or posters to put in schools? Wouldn't it have been a good opportunity to invite people from the local streets where there are parking issues to come into the club and get a feel for what actually goes on and give them a chance to meet people? How many local junior football clubs were invited?
As someone once said, "if you dont know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?".
So, what was the objective? how successful was it? How many people actually turned up? How many shirts were sold? What was the staffing cost vs additional income? Did every kid who turned up get something to take home, maybe a free match ticket or a voucher for the club shop? Did we find out what schools the kids went to? These might be questions for the Trust to ask, but they are worth asking and as a final point, to what extent was the trust involved in the planning?
BTW..I loved the photo of the kids in blue and yellow jazzy kit, but who are they, what club do they play for?
Or... is it enough just to work on the " build it and they will come" principle? Maybe it is, why try to change something that hasnt really worked well for as long as anyone can remember? After all, its only little Rochdale.... |  | | |
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