Hi Danny, have not seen you in ages
)
You mentioned me in your initial post implying that I had lost faith with the club, with Sammo, and with NTFC Supporters Ltd.
Just thought I would clarify ... far from it.
Of course I am frustrated and nervous about the club's position. However, I fully support the arguments that the highest priority had to be stopping the huge annual deficits and reigning back on the loans that were spiraling the club into further and further debt. The club also had to become more efficient and self-sufficient at a micro level so we could pay our bills on time without the need to constantly borrow more money from DC or approach the Trust to buy small things like Kit Bags.
Are we as fans (or shareholders in the case of Trust members) entitled to know the ins and outs of the club's finances beyond whats in the annual published accounts? Well I'm a Shareholder of Barclays (one of those bloody banks that the poblic would dearly love to have interrogated!!!) and a couple of other organisations but do I see or demand
on a public messageboard details of their Finances? They would laugh at me.
On the other hand I also agree with those who say we simply can't afford to drop out of the Football League. If I were Ant and the Trust I would now be pressing for a significant investment in improving the team. One of the problems there is I don't think many of you realise just how much of an investment would need to be made to bring in the quality of players many of you appear to expect. And it's not just money, many of the 'consistently' better players would be turning us down for higher division clubs. There are times when players like Thornton and Davis play way above the level of this league but for whatever reason they don't consistently deliver hence why they are playing at this level.
As NTFC fans we are fortuante to have direct access to this club at all levels through to the Chairman that the majority of football and indeed sporting fans across the country (world) would die for. And yet all but a handful of our fans bother to turn out to those open meetings or engage with the club other than through the safety of a messageboard.
Tel said on a thread after the Liverpool 'lifetime Cobblers Memory' match, "I love Sammo I do" (or something like that) and I absolutely agree with him. Ok the results have been dire but a lot of the football has been better. How I remember the fiery debates on here a few years back on whether results or performance was more important
). But for a few calamatous (sp?) moments many of our results would have been different. We have been calling for the heads of how many managers in the last few years ... and where has it got us?
In Sammo we have a manager who, in the main, talks sense, who knows where the problems are and within the resources he has is trying to resolve them. We don't know what goes on behing close doors, rumour and conjecture will certainly resolve nothing.
Will Sammo turn it around? I don't know for sure but even if a new manager came in now the club would be taking the same gamble. Will Sammo give it his all to turn things around ... imo of nothing can you be more sure. He's one of us and he loves this club as much as any of us and certainly more than any other manager we've had. So my current position on Sammo is ... don't panic! there is a good basis to build from.
Does that mean I will stand by Sammo regardless because of all the things I like about him and sentiment? If I can see the sense in walking away from the love of a 20 year marriage you can be sure that when the time is right I could see the sense in walking away from a football manager and even a football club. I just don't think the time is right and we shouldn't be panicking. Of course the clock is ticking but what many of you seem to forget is not one of us is more aware than Sammo just how fast the clock is ticking.
As for the Trust, there is just so much irony and and double standards in many of the criticisms levelled at it. On the one hand people say it's a waste of space and on the other they expect actions from it that are way, way above it's influencing limits. Should a few more newsletters go out .. undeniably yes, is there more fan based actions it could take ... undeniably yes. Has it been influential in supporting the mutli-disabled team and football in the community ... undeniably yes. Was it influential when the reserve tean was under threat a while back ... undeniably yes.
Has it tried to increase contact with the fans over the last few years ... undeniably yes, matchday stand, leafleting games, in progress development of a website ... undeniably yes.
Has the vast majority of the fanbase simply walked passed the stand, have they thrown the leaflets in the bin ...undeniably yes. I have personally tried to recruit some younger blood on to the Trust and even the trust board to be more representative of the fanbase ... undeniably yes. Have they become involved ... i respect them and their reasons for not doing so but .... undeniably no. Is it extremely frustrating doing any work for the Trust, as people like Grove, Tel, Banana and I can vouch ... undeniably Yes. Does that mean people should stop supporting or working for the Trust even for brief periods as and when they are able ... undeniably imo no.
Of course Danny, I know there are many reasons why people cannot give time to the Trust, you for example don't work locally. However, the Trust is and only ever will be as strong as the size of it's membership and importantly the number of people with different skills sets and fanbase representation who are willing to give some time to it. Oh how many times some fans have said to me ... will they pay me if I help out ... nope it's all voluntary and with the possible exception of free lunch in the directors lounge once a year and for those who worked the hardest the odd Fan of the Year Award there are no perks.
So the next time you pick up a leaflet, just give it some thought before you throw it in the bin. The Trust could use the business skills of people like Ted
, the passion of the Drillings and the St Eds and the financial skills of the Insiders ... with the time and the persitence to turn it around.
So moan all you like, make as many suggestions as you like, but please don't knock the achievements, no matter how small, of those that do do what they can.
As for me Danny, you are right I have not been on here much over the last year. I have not been able to help out the Trust. I have not been able to get to more than a handful of away games and have even missed a few home games. Is any of that through personal choice or because of any lack of interest or faith in the club, manager, Trust ot football ... absolutely not. I would give anything to be back in the mix again. God and NHS willing I will be back in the mix again this time next year just as I was a year ago. Time will tell, the same as it will for Sammo irrespective of this messageboard
