How do we Clear the Air & Move Forward?

BFC_BFC_BFC

BFC_BFC_BFC

Well-known member
Reading Phil’s post, I can’t help feeling that the Club and Fans are reaching a potential impasse here and we need to find a way to clear the air and move forward, collectively pulling in the same direction.

It’s a time for strong leadership in my view!!

There have been a number of issues that have been festering in both ‘sides’ and I call them sides, because in my opinion, a wall between fans and club has been slowly building since Simon took over.

The first thing in going to say however is not related to Simon, it relates to the fans and our fans groups. We need (in particular) the MSG and BST to sort their shit out, stop the petty squabbling and point scoring, stop competing with each other and come together for the good of this football club. YOU are not helping our cause and the discontent and ill feeling is not good.

Looking at our younger fanbase and what we might refer to as the ‘Lads’ we need to find a way to express our passionate support and coordinate that support without resorting to violence…. We need to rise above that and change… We need to be a force for positive change in football… We have unfortunately lost a fan to violence very recently.. That should motivate us all to make a change for the better. Acts of violence, abusive behaviour and simple things like throwing bottles and generally bringing the club into the spotlight for poor behaviour doesn’t help…. It’s just another problem created for the Club when they are trying to move forwards…, If we want Simon to invest and engage with us, then we have to take responsibility and sort our collective shit our - This is not one way traffic !

From the Clubs perspective or Simon Sadler, we have got to seriously open up and engage and communicate properly with fans. The attitude towards supporters and particularly the appalling letters that have sought to ‘scold’ the fanbase for criticising the club as well as the digs at different fans all needs to stop.

There is absolutely no doubt in my Mind that Simon and his team have gone about their business of developing the club from day 1 and turned the Club into a professional outfit….We have a Stadium to be proud of, better Pitch a much improved training facility. We have the proper staff infrastructure within the Club and we also (if given a proper chance by the fans) have a Manager who has great potential.

However….

The Club has failed miserably to get fans on board…It has failed to communicate a clear plan / ambition, it has failed miserably to create and capitalise on the buzz, it has recruited poorly and seemingly adopted an extremely stand-offish and self-isolating mentality…. There’s very much a ‘Teacher knows best’ mentality, which is great if you are super successful, but not so great when things (on the pitch at least) have been poor….

Great Leaders communicate well and are able to carry people on a journey with them… They understand how to bring people together and recognise the importance of doing so…. As a Club and a community we need to find a way of drawing a line under these numerous issues and moving forward with a collective understanding…. The alternative is that we will continue to pull in separate directions and, in doing so, pull the Club apart…

As a starter for ten, I would like to see the MSG and BST (as well as other relevant groups) to get together, put their differences and egos to one side and lead by example.

We then agree to collectively approach the Club with a plan of how we move forward from here as a combined force and all pulling in the same direction..

For me, this would be a very powerful and positive message to the Club that we (as supporters) are mature enough and capable of starting to work together and get this Club back on track and where it needs to be..

Over to you guys !!
 
FLATBACKFOR said:
Some good results would make all the difference IMO.
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I think we’re beyond results to be honest. A few wins might paper over the cracks, but something needs to fundamentally change.

There’s a lot of shit been carried over from the Oyston tenure and Boycotts. It’s created a rift and it needs to be put to bed.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
Reading Phil’s post, I can’t help feeling that the Club and Fans are reaching a potential impasse here and we need to find a way to clear the air and move forward, collectively pulling in the same direction.

It’s a time for strong leadership in my view!!

There have been a number of issues that have been festering in both ‘sides’ and I call them sides, because in my opinion, a wall between fans and club has been slowly building since Simon took over.

The first thing in going to say however is not related to Simon, it relates to the fans and our fans groups. We need (in particular) the MSG and BST to sort their shit out, stop the petty squabbling and point scoring, stop competing with each other and come together for the good of this football club. YOU are not helping our cause and the discontent and ill feeling is not good.

Looking at our younger fanbase and what we might refer to as the ‘Lads’ we need to find a way to express our passionate support and coordinate that support without resorting to violence…. We need to rise above that and change… We need to be a force for positive change in football… We have unfortunately lost a fan to violence very recently.. That should motivate us all to make a change for the better. Acts of violence, abusive behaviour and simple things like throwing bottles and generally bringing the club into the spotlight for poor behaviour doesn’t help…. It’s just another problem created for the Club when they are trying to move forwards…, If we want Simon to invest and engage with us, then we have to take responsibility and sort our collective shit our - This is not one way traffic !

From the Clubs perspective or Simon Sadler, we have got to seriously open up and engage and communicate properly with fans. The attitude towards supporters and particularly the appalling letters that have sought to ‘scold’ the fanbase for criticising the club as well as the digs at different fans all needs to stop.

There is absolutely no doubt in my Mind that Simon and his team have gone about their business of developing the club from day 1 and turned the Club into a professional outfit….We have a Stadium to be proud of, better Pitch a much improved training facility. We have the proper staff infrastructure within the Club and we also (if given a proper chance by the fans) have a Manager who has great potential.

However….

The Club has failed miserably to get fans on board…It has failed to communicate a clear plan / ambition, it has failed miserably to create and capitalise on the buzz, it has recruited poorly and seemingly adopted an extremely stand-offish and self-isolating mentality…. There’s very much a ‘Teacher knows best’ mentality, which is great if you are super successful, but not so great when things (on the pitch at least) have been poor….

Great Leaders communicate well and are able to carry people on a journey with them… They understand how to bring people together and recognise the importance of doing so…. As a Club and a community we need to find a way of drawing a line under these numerous issues and moving forward with a collective understanding…. The alternative is that we will continue to pull in separate directions and, in doing so, pull the Club apart…

As a starter for ten, I would like to see the MSG and BST (as well as other relevant groups) to get together, put their differences and egos to one side and lead by example.

We then agree to collectively approach the Club with a plan of how we move forward from here as a combined force and all pulling in the same direction..

For me, this would be a very powerful and positive message to the Club that we (as supporters) are mature enough and capable of starting to work together and get this Club back on track and where it needs to be..

Over to you guys !!
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Nice post mate

Bit wordy but yeah i kinda agree with you, all this talk of nonsense charters and fans panels need to stop before i can see the fans groups coming together

I would also urge BST to vote off the FSA 3 as they are clearly doing more harm than good with all this cloak and dagger stuff and the arranging of the secret not so secret meetings with the club
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Nice post mate

Bit wordy but yeah i kinda agree with you, all this talk of nonsense charters and fans panels need to stop before i can see the fans groups coming together

I would also urge BST to vote off the FSA 3 as they are clearly doing more harm than good with all this cloak and dagger stuff with arranging secret not so secret meetings with the club
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It’s difficult (for me at least) not to be wordy with stuff like this.

I think both major fan groups have behaved like dicks in their own unique ways. Most of that is borne out of passion, frustration and the wish to improve the club, but it really doesn’t help.

I don’t want this to come across as a dig at supporters though… That’s not the intention… It’s more a case of saying that we have a roll to play in this … And if we can’t manage to sort ourselves out and continue to be awkward and infight etc.. then we are a part of the issue.

That doesn’t mean BST and the MSG need to combine or even that they need to agree on everything. However they ought to be able to find areas of cooperation and also accept, understand and agree to differ.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
It’s difficult (for me at least) not to be wordy with stuff like this.

I think both major fan groups have behaved like dicks in their own unique ways. Most of that is borne out of passion, frustration and the wish to improve the club, but it really doesn’t help.

I don’t want this to come across as a dig at supporters though… That’s not the intention… It’s more a case of saying that we have a roll to play in this … And if we can’t manage to sort ourselves out and continue to be awkward and infight etc.. then we are a part of the issue.

That doesn’t mean BST and the MSG need to combine or even that they need to agree on everything. However they ought to be able to find areas of cooperation and also accept, understand and agree to differ.
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Yeah i agree with you mate

The whole thing at the moment is a bit shite
 
I also feel like this needs to be driven by the fans, because the Club don’t seem to me to be capable of initiating positive change.

Lytham_fy8 said:
Have a right good kick off, always clears the air that.

Yours
AVFTT Diplomacy Correspondent
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I think that’s definitely a part of it… I do think there’s too many unresolved ‘grudges’ that need sorting. My recommendation would be to stick them all in a room with a big bag of ‘E’s and not let them out until they’d sorted it… (I think that’s what Tony Blair did in Northern Ireland tbh)… Shouldn’t take long 😂
 
Jaffa_The_Hut said:
Well potting Critchley then a statement from Sadler on the club and what’s happening in the future would be a start.

Sadly neither is going to happen so buckle up folks for the bumpy ride ahead.
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THIS^^ Kind of attitude for me is precisely why we are fucked at the moment....

Just fuck-ing stop it FFS!!

Demanding that we sack the bloody manager....

People like you, have never given the manager a chance from day one... You've been on his back at every single opportunity... people like YOU are dragging the club down and making it harder for us to achieve success... It needs to stop!!


What we need to do is place our trust in the people who are running the Club to make the right decision, regarding the manager as and when it is the right time to make that decision. It isn't the right decision to sack the manager on the back of another disappointing away performance.... We have seen enough from Critchley to suggest that he's a capable manager and he also has potential to improve.

What we do need is some communication from the Club and Manager so that we (as a fanbase) can gain some understanding and insight into what exactly is going on at the Club... What we are trying to achieve....Why we are persisting with the current style of play.....What we expect that to achieve in the longer term..... Why that might mean some short term pain..... What we are trying to do in order to improve things...... What our recruitment plans are... etc... etc..

It may be the case at some point that Critchley needs to go.... It's quite probably the case that he should have never been re-appointed in the first place, but the fact of the matter is that this way of handling it from supporters really doesn't help... A Manager forced to operate under this kind of constant cloud, with Idiots abusing him at games and fans continually calling for him to be sacked after every loss is never going to be able to perform to his potential...
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
THIS^^ Kind of attitude for me is precisely why we are fucked at the moment....

Just fuck-ing stop it FFS!!

Demanding that we sack the bloody manager....

People like you, have never given the manager a chance from day one... You've been on his back at every single opportunity... people like YOU are dragging the club down and making it harder for us to achieve success... It needs to stop!!


What we need to do is place our trust in the people who are running the Club to make the right decision, regarding the manager as and when it is the right time to make that decision. It isn't the right decision to sack the manager on the back of another disappointing away performance.... We have seen enough from Critchley to suggest that he's a capable manager and he also has potential to improve.

What we do need is some communication from the Club and Manager so that we (as a fanbase) can gain some understanding and insight into what exactly is going on at the Club... What we are trying to achieve....Why we are persisting with the current style of play.....What we expect that to achieve in the longer term..... Why that might mean some short term pain..... What we are trying to do in order to improve things...... What our recruitment plans are... etc... etc..

It may be the case at some point that Critchley needs to go.... It's quite probably the case that he should have never been re-appointed in the first place, but the fact of the matter is that this way of handling it from supporters really doesn't help... A Manager forced to operate under this kind of constant cloud, with Idiots abusing him at games and fans continually calling for him to be sacked after every loss is never going to be able to perform to his potential...
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Your jumping the gun again bfister I said neither is going to happen so calm down man. 😉
 
BFCAleman said:
Defeat against Bolton and the atmosphere could unfortunately get heated especially if critchley is still in place
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Agree in the space of 7 days we could have lost 2 league games to teams who we just simply have to win both and be out of the BSM cup as well.

Granted we could win all 3 but I won’t be holding my breath the odds are firmly stacked against us.
 
Jaffa_The_Hut said:
Your jumping the gun again bfister I said neither is going to happen so calm down man. 😉
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Maybe I am Jaffa, but it's been an overriding feature of this season (and also last season).

I'd be the first one to acknowledge that Simon has struggled with the Managerial Appointments. In all honesty, I think he may be better deferring that responsibility to the Football People that he has employed, because for whatever reason we seem to have made a habit of losing out on the better candidates and employing the worse ones.

I think the Number 1 Lesson which he / we need to learn is that you should probably never go back. However we are where we are... (Let's just hope we don't repeat the mistake by appointing Dobbie)

All that said though, whoever is appointed as Manager, there will be some fans who do not agree with the appointment and other fans who do. It feels to me with the advent of Social Media that it has now become the norm for those who don't agree to feel that it is reasonable to make life for the new bloke as difficult and uncomfortable as possible from the word go. That has certainly been the case with Appleton and Critchley (and probably McCarthy too - Although he's possibly the worst Manager we've ever had TBH - Lovely Bloke BTW).

Of course, we all have a right to express our views, but we do need to give people a fighting chance to succeed and I'm not really sure that has been the case. Whether we go back to Appleton being de-robed in the Arndale Club or the whole 'Snake' nonsense that has been a feature of Critchley's return, it all needs to stop. We have got ourselves into a but if a habit with our behaviour as a result of the whole Oyston affair in my view and that means that all of us are far too quick to criticise and unwilling to give the owner and manager the benefit of the doubt....
 
Martonmosser said:
Start by getting rid of that idiot Critchley and taking the rest of the season to find his replacement. Half of the bickering, moaning and arguing wouldn’t be taking place if there was some entertainment on the pitch to watch
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I'd turn that around and I'd suggest that maybe half of the poor performances wouldn't be happening if their wasn't so much bickering, ill feeling and lack of cohesion. This is not just about Critchley as it's been an ongoing issue that has been building over time.

Unfortunately this is exactly where we are at... Everyone wants to blame everyone else and nobody wants to take responsibility for themselves and own their own shit.

So long as we keep going down that road, we will get nowhere fast...
 
A change of manager required, its been a very slow build up leading to this and I think the players are starting to realise this ( there's no plan on the pitch ). Critchley admitted after the Cheltenham game he would change things if he knew how.
 
8Ball said:
A change of manager required, its been a very slow build up leading to this and I think the players are starting to realise this ( there's no plan on the pitch ). Critchley admitted after the Cheltenham game he would change things if he knew how.
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You can rearrange the deckchairs, but until we deal with the fundamental underlying issues at this club, the ship is still going to keep sinking
 
Excellent post, Bifster, and the thread shows why it will be so difficult to achieve.

My only difference of opinion is in the Club's leadership. I think a figurehead needs to be visible and accessible, be that Simon, the CEO, footballing director or tea lady, as long as there is one individual who understands leadership like you and I do. They need to learn to engage genuinely, stop the secret squirrel rubbish, and lead the club and the fans

I have no confidence the fans groups will ever agree, they don't in most clubs. Too many egos, too much history.
 
It’s very easy to be disparaging about a cup like the BSM. It’s much harder to do the right thing and use it as a catalyst.
As a collective of fans, we should use it as the opportunity that it is. It doesn’t mean letting the club off, it means reigniting what we had and too easily let go.
It’s up to us. We can get behind the club and look them in the face saying we are doing our bit. Or we can ignore it and carry on bleating.
 
Dark_Side_of_the_Lune said:
It’s very easy to be disparaging about a cup like the BSM. It’s much harder to do the right thing and use it as a catalyst.
As a collective of fans, we should use it as the opportunity that it is. It doesn’t mean letting the club off, it means reigniting what we had and too easily let go.
It’s up to us. We can get behind the club and look them in the face saying we are doing our bit. Or we can ignore it and carry on bleating.
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Problem with that is we could win our next 3 games get to Wembley and the Critchley (all season) haters will never be on board until he's gone.
What a sad state of affairs.

So maybe it is time to bring in someone new but If I read on here posters moaning about the new man and not getting 💯 behind them it really is time to give up.
 
Martonmosser said:
Start by getting rid of that idiot Critchley and taking the rest of the season to find his replacement. Half of the bickering, moaning and arguing wouldn’t be taking place if there was some entertainment on the pitch to watch
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Totally agree with you Mosser the football is boring and dreadful to watch the sooner this clown bails out the better because at present the club seems to have know direction what so ever.if we are not careful the fans will drift away we will be stuck in league1 for a few seasons and find our selves as a club in a world of trouble all because our present owner has not got a clue how to run a football club or appoint the right manager.you only as a example need to ask any QPR fan how turgid and boring the football was it was the worst football they had seen.
 
Tangerinemoss said:
Excellent post, Bifster, and the thread shows why it will be so difficult to achieve.

My only difference of opinion is in the Club's leadership. I think a figurehead needs to be visible and accessible, be that Simon, the CEO, footballing director or tea lady, as long as there is one individual who understands leadership like you and I do. They need to learn to engage genuinely, stop the secret squirrel rubbish, and lead the club and the fans

I have no confidence the fans groups will ever agree, they don't in most clubs. Too many egos, too much history.
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I agree with you 100% about a visible figurehead and whilst that would ideally be Simon, I don't think it matters who they are.... That said though I do think they need to have genuine authority vested in them by Simon... I'm not sure it works if we have the owner pulling all the strings, but then simultaneously inaccessible. Whoever the figurehead might be, they have to be credible.

It shows it doesn't need to be the owner, because Holloway performed that role for us during our brief period of recent success and similarly Alex Ferguson was that key figurehead for United... (No surprises that United have similarly lost their way since there is a lack of visible leadership there too)... You can spend all the money in the world, but it ain't going to get you anywhere unless you get the fundamentals in place.

You may well be right about our fan groups TM, which is a sad state of affairs, but you can already see on this thread that too many want to point the finger of blame in someone else's direction.
 
Get Gaz and Richard back, bang out a half hour version of 'group chat' every week and voila, no one gives a fuck about football anymore as we've reinvented ourselves as purveyors of cult media content.

Aside from that, I think basically, a bit more openness, a bit less spin, a bit more simple focus on simple things.

It's fairly simple for me. We want a team competing (that doesn't mean winning every game, just trying to) and something like the initial vision of a club acting positively in terms of young players, community engagement, growth of fanbase and all of that.

I don't want a chairman to be hosting a weekly podcast or anything like that. I don't feel we've a god given right to be in any division. I just want to feel some positivity in terms of the broad direction and I think it's kind of ready for a bit of a reset and refresh.
 
Dark_Side_of_the_Lune said:
It’s very easy to be disparaging about a cup like the BSM. It’s much harder to do the right thing and use it as a catalyst.
As a collective of fans, we should use it as the opportunity that it is. It doesn’t mean letting the club off, it means reigniting what we had and too easily let go.
It’s up to us. We can get behind the club and look them in the face saying we are doing our bit. Or we can ignore it and carry on bleating.
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Absolutely spot on Mate....

You have a choice in life to view everything with cynicism and negativity or to see it as an opportunity and treat it positively.


That was something that disappointed me from the recent Seasiders Pod, because there is almost certainly an attitude of "I'm not going to engage with this BSM shit, because it's not good enough or it's 'beneath us' "... We're going nowhere fast until we manage to drop that attitude as fans IMHO.

OK It's been a fuck-ing frustrating season... And mostly frustrating because of so many false dawns... Most of us can see that there is potential, but for whatever reason we can't seem to get our collective arses in gear to find a way to be successful. Yes... Obviously the Manager has to shoulder a big part of the blame, but there's a whole load of bullshit that sits around the manager (and the Managers of previous seasons) that are making his job a whole lot more challenging.
 
Can we have an AVFTT fan group?

Loads of people on here like to stick their awe in and it’d be good way for us exiles to have our say!
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
Reading Phil’s post, I can’t help feeling that the Club and Fans are reaching a potential impasse here and we need to find a way to clear the air and move forward, collectively pulling in the same direction.

It’s a time for strong leadership in my view!!

There have been a number of issues that have been festering in both ‘sides’ and I call them sides, because in my opinion, a wall between fans and club has been slowly building since Simon took over.

The first thing in going to say however is not related to Simon, it relates to the fans and our fans groups. We need (in particular) the MSG and BST to sort their shit out, stop the petty squabbling and point scoring, stop competing with each other and come together for the good of this football club. YOU are not helping our cause and the discontent and ill feeling is not good.

Looking at our younger fanbase and what we might refer to as the ‘Lads’ we need to find a way to express our passionate support and coordinate that support without resorting to violence…. We need to rise above that and change… We need to be a force for positive change in football… We have unfortunately lost a fan to violence very recently.. That should motivate us all to make a change for the better. Acts of violence, abusive behaviour and simple things like throwing bottles and generally bringing the club into the spotlight for poor behaviour doesn’t help…. It’s just another problem created for the Club when they are trying to move forwards…, If we want Simon to invest and engage with us, then we have to take responsibility and sort our collective shit our - This is not one way traffic !

From the Clubs perspective or Simon Sadler, we have got to seriously open up and engage and communicate properly with fans. The attitude towards supporters and particularly the appalling letters that have sought to ‘scold’ the fanbase for criticising the club as well as the digs at different fans all needs to stop.

There is absolutely no doubt in my Mind that Simon and his team have gone about their business of developing the club from day 1 and turned the Club into a professional outfit….We have a Stadium to be proud of, better Pitch a much improved training facility. We have the proper staff infrastructure within the Club and we also (if given a proper chance by the fans) have a Manager who has great potential.

However….

The Club has failed miserably to get fans on board…It has failed to communicate a clear plan / ambition, it has failed miserably to create and capitalise on the buzz, it has recruited poorly and seemingly adopted an extremely stand-offish and self-isolating mentality…. There’s very much a ‘Teacher knows best’ mentality, which is great if you are super successful, but not so great when things (on the pitch at least) have been poor….

Great Leaders communicate well and are able to carry people on a journey with them… They understand how to bring people together and recognise the importance of doing so…. As a Club and a community we need to find a way of drawing a line under these numerous issues and moving forward with a collective understanding…. The alternative is that we will continue to pull in separate directions and, in doing so, pull the Club apart…

As a starter for ten, I would like to see the MSG and BST (as well as other relevant groups) to get together, put their differences and egos to one side and lead by example.

We then agree to collectively approach the Club with a plan of how we move forward from here as a combined force and all pulling in the same direction..

For me, this would be a very powerful and positive message to the Club that we (as supporters) are mature enough and capable of starting to work together and get this Club back on track and where it needs to be..

Over to you guys !!
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Beautifully written post BFC X3 . Clearly well thought out and very balanced with good points.

I do agree with you that the marketing ive seen is lacking and doesnt create a stir or a buzz a lot of the time. I remember the Riga Revolution etc and although it turned out to be a load of rubbish really got us going.

For instance now should all be about promotion push the club telling us to get behind the lads as much as we can there's still time lets all get together home and away we can do this etc etc. That energy and positivity generated by the crowd can feed into the players . The players need to be told to get some shots in have a pop we've got nothing to lose come on etc .

In relation to the club's relationship with the fans is it that bad or is it just a minority who arent happy ? I dont know.
 
A nice reposte that Biffy and there's a lot I agree with.

The board have to own their errors and recognize that football is an odd business that needs some odd thought processes at time. The last 2 proper managerial appointments (Apples and Critch) were poorly thought out precisely because of the grey cloud both carried with them due to history. Neither was at fault for that, but the board/Simon could have been more in-tune with what it would mean IF things weren't going perfectly to plan. What has happened recently in terms of supporter criticism of NC was ALWAYS going to happen if we didn't 'succeed' i.e. get ourselves right in the mix (top 6 minimum).
The board also have to stop pandering to some of the voices that shout the loudest but make the least sense. Taking a post I make about a first game of the season 6-pointer seriously is not a good sign. Neither is thinking it has to justify Appleton's reappointment with an exhibition of his tattoos in the local British Legion.

But by the same token, supporters have been acting like spoilt kids in their demands for what the club HAS to be and the inevitable conclusions of what's wrong when the club fails to be...Simon Sadler isn't Roman Abramovic, Jack Walker or even Valeri Belokon. He has bought the club and has quite obviously made investments - it's all there in the accounts. But whichever you want to spin it, we're a football club who's support-base 'naturally' places it roughly where we find ourselves. Competing to get out of League 1 and then struggling to stay in the Championship.
People say 'what changed?' The answer is simple; we didn't have the cash to compete against clubs that did and our attempts to find creative ways to bring in quality players on a budget didn't work.
This season, the budget for League 1 is self-evidently reasonable, but for whatever reason, things haven't quite clicked the way we wanted. But even then, the 'disaster' is a side that has been strong at home - implying something is going right - and a side that has struggled away - something that is not unique across football.

Do I enjoy watching the football and seeing us (almost certainly) lining up for another season in League 1? Of course not. But I also can't see any reasons to see why the club is slowly being demonized as the enemy. Efforts are obviously being made. They just haven't succeeded. It's football. It happens. There's plenty of other clubs all in the same boat.

And one last point. What is 'the club'? Because it seems to me that it's all of us when we want things and it's Simon Sadler and the business when we want to criticise. Are we together or not? Or do we reserve the right to choose and then spout off when perceived divisions are created between the business and its customers?

I know I'm going against the grain here and I dare say a lot of it is because I'm coming out of year when I really couldn't have cared less about football results, but reading a lot of stuff on here recently has been as depressing as anything else. The insecurity, entitlement and complete lack of self-awareness of some of the fanbase has become cringeworthy and downright laughable at times. If I have to read that XXX is 'the worst player I've EVER seen' or 'I'm better than YYY' one more time, I swear I'll do time. This club has employed some absolute dog shit over the years, not least during the appalling Oyston-driven decline following the Riga Revolution. That doesn't mean we have to accept below-par effort or performances, but arguments around player ability in the current squad carry little weight when accompanied by such hysterical bed-wettery.
 
Agree with most of the OP, but we do not have a manager with great potential. He’s been given support and a chance by fans. It’s ridiculous to suggest that his failings as a manager are down to the fans. It’s simply his style and limited tactical ability.

The biggest problem at the club is on-pitch performance, now over more than 2 seasons. Poor appointments have taken us to where we are, so blaming fans is misguided. To be fair to fans, they’ve continued to contribute in terms of cash and support. Not once have I heard mass chanting for ‘Critchley Out’. Actually, he’s been afforded great respect.

Sadly, when fans have attempted to raise concerns, they’ve been told-off.
 
AngelBFC said:
Beautifully written post BFC X3 . Clearly well thought out and very balanced with good points.

I do agree with you that the marketing ive seen is lacking and doesnt create a stir or a buzz a lot of the time. I remember the Riga Revolution etc and although it turned out to be a load of rubbish really got us going.

For instance now should all be about promotion push the club telling us to get behind the lads as much as we can there's still time lets all get together home and away we can do this etc etc. That energy and positivity generated by the crowd can feed into the players . The players need to be told to get some shots in have a pop we've got nothing to lose come on etc .

In relation to the club's relationship with the fans is it that bad or is it just a minority who arent happy ? I dont know.
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It feels to me like there is a complete disconnect between Club and Fans at the minute...
 
All I know right now is that relations between the club and the fans is terrible. Even BST are starting to get annoyed with it, as you can clearly see that in their statement. It isn't as bad as it was between fans and the Oystons, but it's not been as bad as it is right now since we got rid of the Oystons. I just feel like we're slipping down a path that we won't be able to come back from and if Sadler is truthful about being here for the next 20 years, then this needs to be sorted now or else it will just grow and the club will turn toxic again. The signs are already there. All any of us want is for the club to succeed on the pitch and off it, grow the fan base, get the next generation of fans coming to the ground, be entertained once in a while, and in order to do that we have to work together as one. This won't happen if there's a disconnect between the club and the fans like there is right now, we have to do it together.
 
Tangerinemoss said:
Excellent post, Bifster, and the thread shows why it will be so difficult to achieve.

My only difference of opinion is in the Club's leadership. I think a figurehead needs to be visible and accessible, be that Simon, the CEO, footballing director or tea lady, as long as there is one individual who understands leadership like you and I do. They need to learn to engage genuinely, stop the secret squirrel rubbish, and lead the club and the fans

I have no confidence the fans groups will ever agree, they don't in most clubs. Too many egos, too much history.
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Good post
 
TimperleyTangerine said:
Agree with most of the OP, but we do not have a manager with great potential. He’s been given support and a chance by fans. It’s ridiculous to suggest that his failings as a manager are down to the fans. It’s simply his style and limited tactical ability.

The biggest problem at the club is on-pitch performance, now over more than 2 seasons. Poor appointments have taken us to where we are, so blaming fans is misguided. To be fair to fans, they’ve continued to contribute in terms of cash and support. Not once have I heard mass chanting for ‘Critchley Out’. Actually, he’s been afforded great respect.

Sadly, when fans have attempted to raise concerns, they’ve been told-off.
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Again.... This is a classic case of playing up everyone else's responsibilities and playing down our own....

Our fans haven't just "raised concerns" some of the collective behaviour over the past few seasons has been absolutely appalling and it's created real problems for an owner who was trying to do his best.

And Yes, the owners response in terms of the so called 'tellings off' have probably served to just wind the situation up further and whilst maybe 'justified' were also pretty ill considered.... But hey.. Nobody is perfect and SS is new to the Football Ownership etc..

As for the Manager, we have seen in his last tenure and in this season's home form that there is potential there.... He's new to management, but he clearly has a good understanding of the game, is young and intelligent and seems more than capable. There's no doubt that performances have been frustrating and maybe appointing him second time around was a bit short sighted, but at the same time the bloke hasn't been given a fair crack at the whip by fans from Day 1.

I also disagree with you that the biggest problem at this club is the On-Pitch performance.... I think that the On-Pitch performances are actually a symptom of the problem and not the cause at all. The problem we have in my view is a lack of Leadership, the lack of a Cohesive and visible Plan and a resulting lack of togetherness.

To that extent any Manager is always going to be fighting an uphill battle...

The Fans aren't to blame for this by the way... However they are to blame for plenty of shit that really hasn't helped... and they have certainly played a part in making the owner's job that bit more challenging.
 
A statement from the top is needed. I was one of the lucky fans who met Karl Oyston in a meeting of 12 fans organised by Vitals web site some years back. Karl was under fire. He started meeting by saying South Stand would not be built without pre lets being let. Also no plans at all with Gene Kelly stand although in time would like ground similar to Leicester. Although he was heavily criticised he listened to fans concerns. At least he said how it is and despite the flack he took at least he spoke to the small group. I am pleased we've got Simon as owner but just wish he would tell us his plans for the club.
 
Wizaard said:
Explanation of why some have been blocked from the club's social media.

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www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk
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This is being refuted by Powell and he's tried to get his side across to the Gazette but they're not interested. The steward that was involved in the altercation with him was meant to be sacked, but ultimately just moved to another side of the ground. I dont suppose we will ever get the full truth as both sides will want to make themselves look that the victim in this.
 
I bleed Tangerine said:
This is being refuted by Powell and he's tried to get his side across to the Gazette but they're not interested. The steward that was involved in the altercation with him was meant to be sacked, but ultimately just moved to another side of the ground. I dont suppose we will ever get the full truth as both sides will want to make themselves look that the victim in this.
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3 sides to the story, the clubs version, Ryan's version and the truth.
 
straightatthewall said:
. What is 'the club'? Because it seems to me that it's all of us when we want things and it's Simon Sadler and the business when we want to criticise. Are we together or not? Or do we reserve the right to choose and then spout off when perceived divisions are created between the business and its customers?
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Spot on.
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Nice post mate

Bit wordy but yeah i kinda agree with you, all this talk of nonsense charters and fans panels need to stop before i can see the fans groups coming together

I would also urge BST to vote off the FSA 3 as they are clearly doing more harm than good with all this cloak and dagger stuff and the arranging of the secret not so secret meetings with the club
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What you talking about?? He's a ** old hippy!! 😂
 
As for everything else, I agree that the club is totally disconnected from the fans. I was reading the statement from BST before and the fan panel that the club what to create where they decide who is on it sounds like they just want the fans that think Sadler is a god and can do no wrong, bit like BSA was for the Oystons.

Don't get wrong me here, I still back Sadler as our owner, but he does seem to have an issue taking any type of criticism from the fans, which is going to cause issues as fans will critises even the best owners in the world. Liverpool were winning the prem and the champions league and they still had a group that wanted FSG gone. Andy Holt at Accrington has done a brilliant job for them and you still have some that want him gone. It just the nature of football.

Right now we need a clear strategy of what the club is going to do moving forward regarding fan engagement as the Seasiders Together thing was just alot of words with no real substance.

The best way to get the fans back on side is to have a word with Critchley and tell him he needs to change formation, that would do wonders for the mood around the club. Also stop getting dragged into petty arguments with fans. Even if the club are in the right, it's not a good look. You don't want to see what a fan is saying, then mute them. That way they don't know they've been muted, they can still see what the club is saying and comment back, but the club doesnt see it. I feel like the club is still very naive is many regards when it comes to social media.
 
Kyle Seasider said:
As for everything else, I agree that the club is totally disconnected from the fans. I was reading the statement from BST before and the fan panel that the club what to create where they decide who is on it sounds like they just want the fans that think Sadler is a god and can do no wrong.

Don't get wrong here, I still back Sadler as our owner, but he does seem to have an issue taking any type of criticism from the fans, which is going to cause issues as fans will critises even the best owners in the world. Liverpool were winning the prem and the champions league and they still had a group that wanted FSG gone. Andy Holt at Accrington has done a brilliant job for them and you still have some that want him gone. It just the nature of football.

Right now we need a clear strategy of what the club is going to do moving forward regarding fan engagement as the Seasiders Together thing was just alot of words with no real substance.

The best way to get the fans back on side is to have a word with Critchley and tell him he needs to change formation, that would do wonders for the mood around the club. Also stop getting dragged into petty arguments with fans. Even if the club are in the right, it's not a good look. You don't want to see what a fan is saying, the mute them. That way they don't know they've been muted, they can still see what the club is saying and comment back, but the club doesnt see it. I feel like the club is still very naive is many regards when it comes to social media.
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The club isn't 'totally disconnected' from the fans. That's your perception, which is blinkered by your emotions. This behaviour is being replicated by plenty of others too, so please don't take my comment there as a specific dig at you. Example - you see the 'Seasiders Together' plan as a way of getting pro-Sadler supporters on the panel, whereas I saw nothing like that. It was an honest attempt from the club to meet what they expect to be regulatory requirements going forward. For the record, I also thought it was daft idea and you could spot a mile off what the moans and groans (and who made them) were going to come from.

Things could be better, but the club/fan relationship is suffering because on the pitch, things haven't been as good as they were previously. That would always lead to supporter apathy in any club and - as Biffo rightly observes - our supporters in particular have become 'once bitten, twice shy' over our relationship with the club.

The idea that the club doesn't have a clear strategy is also nonsense. It has a strategy around football performance and infrastructure investments, but the football side has not succeeded this season - nor has it abjectly failed to the point of relegation - and the infrastructure investments are not moving forward as quickly as people want them to. There could be very valid reasons for that. Such as the increased cost of financing the projects in a world where all costs associated with construction projects are a lot higher now than when the plans were first made.

As for the second paragraph, the last thing I want from the owner of my football club is him telling the head coach - that he employed - how he needs to set up his team and how they should play. If that was the case, then I'll be the first telling the owner he needs to fuck off and handle elements his skills and experience are relevant too.
 
BFC4EVA said:
I don’t agree with anybody being abused. No place is society for this
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But what is abuse? That's the problem. Where is the line. Someone shouting that a players been shit when they have been shit? Someone saying that Sadler only cares about his spreadsheet? Someone saying that Critchley needs the sack because he's too stubborn? Only one of these is abuse in my opinion, but to others and to some in the club it seems like all 3 of these would be abuse.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
Again.... This is a classic case of playing up everyone else's responsibilities and playing down our own....

Our fans haven't just "raised concerns" some of the collective behaviour over the past few seasons has been absolutely appalling and it's created real problems for an owner who was trying to do his best.

And Yes, the owners response in terms of the so called 'tellings off' have probably served to just wind the situation up further and whilst maybe 'justified' were also pretty ill considered.... But hey.. Nobody is perfect and SS is new to the Football Ownership etc..

As for the Manager, we have seen in his last tenure and in this season's home form that there is potential there.... He's new to management, but he clearly has a good understanding of the game, is young and intelligent and seems more than capable. There's no doubt that performances have been frustrating and maybe appointing him second time around was a bit short sighted, but at the same time the bloke hasn't been given a fair crack at the whip by fans from Day 1.

I also disagree with you that the biggest problem at this club is the On-Pitch performance.... I think that the On-Pitch performances are actually a symptom of the problem and not the cause at all. The problem we have in my view is a lack of Leadership, the lack of a Cohesive and visible Plan and a resulting lack of togetherness.

To that extent any Manager is always going to be fighting an uphill battle...

The Fans aren't to blame for this by the way... However they are to blame for plenty of shit that really hasn't helped... and they have certainly played a part in making the owner's job that bit more challenging.
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As much as I agreed with most of your OP, I don’t agree with this one. I do though respect your opinion.

I believe he’s taken charge of 166 competitive games as a manager. He’s not new to football, he has been fortunate to have been at Liverpool and on a high profile FA course. Even at home, when the opposition manager decides to sit in, we are generally clueless. His tactics only work if teams open up against us and try to play football. He’s not shown the ability to counter that, to give the opposition a shock and something to think about.

Like at every club, off-field issues become secondary if on-field performances are good. An example, at United 99% of fans wouldnt be bothered about the owners, had they been winning titles.

I’m fed up with fans blaming other fans at Blackpool. The most contact 95% have with the club is on match day and they’ve given the team, manager and SS great support in recent bad times. Football is about results and everything else follows. The manager is ultimately responsible and whatever his history at the club, NC has to be judged in the same way as those who have gone before.
 
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