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General Category => Altrincham FC First Team => Topic started by: Hodgey on January 10, 2008, 09:18:38 PM
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That is the figue quote by Mr Goodwin to turn Alty into a poor but full time club. Do you reckon its possible? ... What if the regular 800 each brought 1 person extra per person. We should test it at the York game to see if we can swell the crowd near 1600?
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well i brought 2 friends to the kidderminster match who loved the atmosphere
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Heathcote given board's backing
By Connor Murphy
Comment
ALTY chairman Geoff Goodwin said the board were united behind manager Graham Heathcote despite talks being held over his future.
A special board meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss Heathcote's position after he had come in for some strong criticism from fans in recent weeks.
But Goodwin insisted there had never been any doubt in his mind that he was the right man to save Alty from the drop.
He said: "Nothing changes. Graham is the manager, he's got the backing of the board and only time will tell, but I'm confident we'll survive.
"Even if we did go down, I believe he would be the best man to take us right back up again.
"The most positive thing is that everyone in the boardroom wants the same thing. Graham will look for a number two now and we will announce an appointiment in due course.
"There was never any question in my mind that he should stay as manager.
"Sometimes he just feels as if he is pushing uphill because of the part-time situation but he will do all he can to make sure we stay in the Blue Square Premier."
Goodwin also said that turning the club full-time professional in a bid to help it to compete at Blue Square Premier level was not a realistic possibility.
"We will never go full-time because we would need at least another 1,000 fans through the gates for every game and still then we would be one of the poorest full-time clubs in the league. It's just not feasible for the club.
"If an investor comes in and it's what's best for the club then we will welcome them on board. But if they are only going to come for five minutes and leave this club in a mess then we're obviously not interested."
4:11pm today
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But Goodwin insisted there had never been any doubt in his mind that he was the right man to save Alty from the drop.
He said: "Nothing changes. Graham is the manager, he's got the backing of the board and only time will tell, but I'm confident we'll survive.
"Even if we did go down, I believe he would be the best man to take us right back up again.
Well I never expected him to say that! ::)
Safest job in football.
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With the amount of managers who lose their job, is it not refreshing to see such loyalty?
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You only have to look at the attendances at a few of the local lower league teams (esp. Macc and Chester) to see that attendances are the key (or not as the case may be).
It's a drip drip thing though - a bit of extra investment here, a few hundred on the gate, club does better on the pitch, attracts more fans and so one. But I can't honestly see the club ever attracting anything like 2,000 a game with the current 'hotbed' situation in the North West.
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Aside from the footballing matters I actually thought the board might use this meeting as an opportunity to sort out some of our manager's petulant behaviour as seen at most games this season. However, it seems that (as expected by most) Geoff has just patted him on the back and effectively condoned the fact that he balloons constantly.
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Aside from the footballing matters I actually thought the board might use this meeting as an opportunity to sort out some of our manager's petulant behaviour as seen at most games this season. However, it seems that (as expected by most) Geoff has just patted him on the back and effectively condoned the fact that he balloons constantly.
Alty365 - its a bit like being married without the option of divorce, GH is here to stay so I believe we are better devoting energy and attentions to other areas. Just my tuppence worth.
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Aside from the footballing matters I actually thought the board might use this meeting as an opportunity to sort out some of our manager's petulant behaviour as seen at most games this season. However, it seems that (as expected by most) Geoff has just patted him on the back and effectively condoned the fact that he balloons constantly.
Meeting took place tuesday morning hence if we lost it might have been his last match and under pressure, It has took 2 days for this statement to become public
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Aside from the footballing matters I actually thought the board might use this meeting as an opportunity to sort out some of our manager's petulant behaviour as seen at most games this season. However, it seems that (as expected by most) Geoff has just patted him on the back and effectively condoned the fact that he balloons constantly.
Alty365 - its a bit like being married without the option of divorce, GH is here to stay so I believe we are better devoting energy and attentions to other areas. Just my tuppence worth.
I agree mate. It's just a shame that our chairman seems to endorse thuggish behaviour.
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In all fairness why did this meeting even take place? Everybody to a man knew what the outcome would be. We all know the Geoff Goodwin script by now, except this time he left out the bits about not being a football man and the standard threat to leave.
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unless he could be treating us to a premiership dismissal(although any dismaissal is highly unlikely):
Classic premiership is newcastle here "Sam Allardyce's job is safe, the board give him a full vote of confidence
a few days later, he is down the job center.
Could this be the gh case (although unlikely)
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Alty365,
Agree with all your above posts on this subject and that of the manager's embarrassing outbursts.
When I read this article in the Messenger, I was hardly sent reeling away in shock....
Could we not look at the feasibility of developing a combination of part-time and full-time players in our squad?
After all, we already employ a full-time manager.
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This idea of having some but not all full timers sounds a bit suspect to me. From a fitness point of view of course it would benefit the full timers, but what about working on set pieces, formations etc - surely all of the squad need to be in the session to understand what the fook is going on ? Also would it not create a bit of a 'us' and 'them' mentality within the squad ?
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but what about working on set pieces, formations etc - surely all of the squad need to be in the session to understand what the fook is going on ?
Not bothered them so far this season ;D ;D ;D ;D
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It has been asked on this thread "why was GH's petulant behaviour not dealt with at this meeting"? Well who says it wasnt "dealt with" in any buisness a good manager/chairman deals with this sort of behaviour in private. So who says that he hasnt been spoken to about his behaviour?
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It has been asked on this thread "why was GH's petulant behaviour not dealt with at this meeting"? Well who says it wasnt "dealt with" in any buisness a good manager/chairman deals with this sort of behaviour in private. So who says that he hasnt been spoken to about his behaviour?
I feel quite confident that he was not reprimanded in any way for his behaviour.
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This idea of having some but not all full timers sounds a bit suspect to me. From a fitness point of view of course it would benefit the full timers, but what about working on set pieces, formations etc - surely all of the squad need to be in the session to understand what the fook is going on ? Also would it not create a bit of a 'us' and 'them' mentality within the squad ?
Im just curious as to how it works at the moment. Shotton, King, Cahill and Jennings will all certainly be full time - Im not sure about Toulson & Young. What happens in terms of the training - do they train just once/twice a week with the rest of the squad or are they left to complete fitness work/training elsewhere?
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This idea of having some but not all full timers sounds a bit suspect to me. From a fitness point of view of course it would benefit the full timers, but what about working on set pieces, formations etc - surely all of the squad need to be in the session to understand what the fook is going on ? Also would it not create a bit of a 'us' and 'them' mentality within the squad ?
Im just curious as to how it works at the moment. Shotton, King, Cahill and Jennings will all certainly be full time - Im not sure about Toulson & Young. What happens in terms of the training - do they train just once/twice a week with the rest of the squad or are they left to complete fitness work/training elsewhere?
I know Shotten goes back to Stoke to train don't know about the others.
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With 8 days left until the York game i can confirm I already have 3 more people going the match that normally wouldnt. Im on my own personal crusade to see if I can get to double figures.
*BAFTA (Bring A Fan To Alty )
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It has been asked on this thread "why was GH's petulant behaviour not dealt with at this meeting"? Well who says it wasnt "dealt with" in any buisness a good manager/chairman deals with this sort of behaviour in private. So who says that he hasnt been spoken to about his behaviour?
I can see a pig flying over Moss Lane.....
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Thanks Darren
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Its very hard to get the gates up,Even in th elate 60s and throught to the 80s we would get about 1800 fans though it always seemed fuller,trouble is no one can see further than those clowns that play in Red the other side of the Mersey,and want to jump on their bandwagon.Support Alty first then if Alty's no game go and watch the other's.Thats what i used to do,Maine Road was my prefered choice though.
Good luck to the 2 Grahams get behind them and lets start closing on Weymouth.
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I would rather be a well off part-time team than a poor full-time. Full-time does not guarantee you stay in the conf and its not going to attract players that much better than what we have.
Loan players seem to be the way forward along with developing our youth set up to the highest level possible. I firmly believe that in 5 or 6 years there will be 9 or 10 part-time teams in this league again as the football bubble bursts.
As for GH's behaviour. It clearly wasnt discussed in this meeting if it was before the kiddy match. I do think the arrival of GB will have an effect on him though. It will hopefully take some pressure off and with it some stress.
Lets look forward now
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While I welcome Graham Barrow and approve wholeheartedly of his appointment as part of our progression I've always thought Graham Heathcote was considered the best coach at this this level as well as a manager with contacts and the ability to attract players to Alty so I often wonder why he can't do the job on his own as he is full time after all.
For us to compete we have to put in at least a mix of full time players...possibly failed apprentices from city Stockport etc or as seems to be the case a few long term loans from league clubs.....while this is risky re team moral the gamble pay off should be worth it.
And does any self respecting Alty fan not think we are going to have to put up with the occasional stamping of the feet and hissy fit from the 'cote for many years to come? I think we're gonna have to live with it...at least it gives VOD a good meal every 2-3 months.
In some ways i agree with Mr Goodwin in that if we do go down the 'cote would be the man to take us back up.....however we have to continue at least competing at this BSP level (now w've started to compete this season) as ironically if he keeps us up but shows no progress or chink of light that we will kick on to the next level then we should look around for someone who can take us forward.
Ironic then in my opinion that if the manager takes us down he should stay, if he keeps us up but only just then he should stand aside....obviously if we show signs at last of comfortable mid table safety for next year he should stay.
The future looks brighter now though than it did at half time on Boxing day when I walked out having witnessed us hoof the ball, not pass more than two passes (if that) together and get totally outclassed by bottom of the league Vics.
As far as gates go, in this recent form of diabolical football we'd average down to 7/800....competing only just as we seem to have turned the corner, I think we'd attact an average closer to 1000, competing with ease I'd expect average 1,300.... We'd never average much more unless we were top of the league and we'd once again witness a sell out a la Barnet I'm sure (but will we ever reach such dizzy heights again?)
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They weren't dizzy heights when we reached them. Now they are.
We dont get 2000 or more a week and probably never will. Even when you get that you need to have potential for even more again. We cant do that so we cant deserve to go full-time. Whats wrong with being the best part-time side in the country, its always been our goal before?
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It has been asked on this thread "why was GH's petulant behaviour not dealt with at this meeting"? Well who says it wasnt "dealt with" in any buisness a good manager/chairman deals with this sort of behaviour in private. So who says that he hasnt been spoken to about his behaviour?
I think that the problem is that GH's tantrums are very public.
Therefore, the Board of Directors really should issue a public statement regarding this recurrent issue.
Otherwise, by remaining silent, they give the impression that they condone such behaviour.
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Whats wrong with being the best part-time side in the country, its always been our goal before?
If that is to be our sole aim we'll have to forget any ideas about staying in this division on a long term basis. It simply doesn't appear to be viable to prosper in this league as a 100% part time club and if we do stay up and remain part time next season it will only get worse. Given that the two top sides in BS North are full time (not sure about BS South) they will almost certainly be replacing part time sides. That means the "mini league" of 5 is immediately reduced to 3, 4 if you include Histon. If our aim of topping the mini league remains the same next season where does that leave us? Where is the incentive for fans to come along and rally to the cause? "Buy your season tickets early ladies and gentlemen, help cheer the lads on to 4th bottom and certain relegation". Maybe full time is not possible, but we need to find some sort of compromise to get a foothold in this league. Otherwise, what is the point? I cannot over-emphasise how much people aren't interested in watching us play at home to Solihull Moors on a Saturday afternoon. It's absolutely rubbish to watch.
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I meant that we would still be in the BSP and be part-time.
We have to face the fact that it may be a few years before we're in a position to compete in this league. If the league becomes 21 pro clubs, most of which living in someones bank balance it wont last forever. Plus I think in 5 years time we have the potential to have an amazing youth set-up.
It would be great to have an alternative, the only things i can think of will plunge us into debt.
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I would rather be a well off part-time team than a poor full-time.
You could hardly class us as a well-off part-time team though. Certainly, considering how close we came to extinction, we should be greatful for our current financial state, but the coffers are hardly overflowing.
There are far too many clubs in this league living beyond their means. In my view this is unsustainable over a number of years and I can't see how it can continue given some of the meagre attendances that some of these clubs attract.
I think we'd all like to see some sort of plan in place for us to go forward and actually compete in this league, but not at the expense of financial security. Bit of a catch 22 situation really as I don't think we'll ever see crowds like those we received in the first couple of years of the APL without us actually challenging for the title and we are currently unable to compete at that sort of level due to the full-time nature of the league.
It's all too easy for us to sit at our keyboards and blather on about what should or should not be done (and I'm as guilty as anybody of that), but it is an incredibly complex problem. I feel, given the current composition of the league, that we are a BSN team attempting to compete in the BSP and as such we are going to struggle each year. My hope is that other teams start to realise the folly of living beyond their means and then we can start to compete again on a more level playing field as they revert to a part-time setup. There are obviously always going to be a few of the bigger teams who will remain full-time, but I fail to see how many of the other clubs can continue to do so.
I fail to see how we could even contemplate going full-time as things stand.
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You could hardly class us as a well-off part-time team though. Certainly, considering how close we came to extinction, we should be greatful for our current financial state, but the coffers are hardly overflowing.
The fact that we have made a profit for the last few seasons means we are probably better off than most teams in the BSN, BSS, Unibond etc, discounting those with 'sugar daddy's'. We're debt free too.
I'd say that makes us well off in todays climate.
Everything else you said is absolutely spot on, we just need patience. And as you mentioned, thats easy enough to type!
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I personally think the new toilets and catering can only help; if a parent attends for the first time anf finds dirty unhealthy toilet facilities that the kids need to use , that person is less likely to return than if decent safe facilities are offered. Investment in the ground is IMO as important for the future of the club as investment in the playing side.
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Up to 4 coming to the game now ...
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Aside from the footballing matters I actually thought the board might use this meeting as an opportunity to sort out some of our manager's petulant behaviour as seen at most games this season. However, it seems that (as expected by most) Geoff has just patted him on the back and effectively condoned the fact that he balloons constantly.
It would now appear that he is untouchable
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I cannot over-emphasise how much people aren't interested in watching us play at home to Solihull Moors on a Saturday afternoon.
Never has a nail been more firmly hit on the head.
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While I welcome Graham Barrow and approve wholeheartedly of his appointment as part of our progression I've always thought Graham Heathcote was considered the best coach at this this level as well as a manager with contacts and the ability to attract players to Alty so I often wonder why he can't do the job on his own as he is full time after all.
For us to compete we have to put in at least a mix of full time players...possibly failed apprentices from city Stockport etc or as seems to be the case a few long term loans from league clubs.....while this is risky re team moral the gamble pay off should be worth it.
And does any self respecting Alty fan not think we are going to have to put up with the occasional stamping of the feet and hissy fit from the 'cote for many years to come? I think we're gonna have to live with it...at least it gives VOD a good meal every 2-3 months.
In some ways i agree with Mr Goodwin in that if we do go down the 'cote would be the man to take us back up.....however we have to continue at least competing at this BSP level (now w've started to compete this season) as ironically if he keeps us up but shows no progress or chink of light that we will kick on to the next level then we should look around for someone who can take us forward.
Ironic then in my opinion that if the manager takes us down he should stay, if he keeps us up but only just then he should stand aside....obviously if we show signs at last of comfortable mid table safety for next year he should stay.
The future looks brighter now though than it did at half time on Boxing day when I walked out having witnessed us hoof the ball, not pass more than two passes (if that) together and get totally outclassed by bottom of the league Vics.
As far as gates go, in this recent form of diabolical football we'd average down to 7/800....competing only just as we seem to have turned the corner, I think we'd attact an average closer to 1000, competing with ease I'd expect average 1,300.... We'd never average much more unless we were top of the league and we'd once again witness a sell out a la Barnet I'm sure (but will we ever reach such dizzy heights again?)
Good post with a degree of fortune telling I see!