Are we turning into Aveley FC?!

[mooresy25]

I'm getting slighty concerned that our first team for next seaon is basically going to be Aveley FC! All I've heard so far about new players is one's coming across with Rod from his old club. Granted they've had a good couple of seaons but lets not forget what level they've been playing at.

I'm hoping Rod is focusing on trying to keep as many of the existing squad in place for next season as possible.

[4whatitsworth]

An article in the B&W Times today states Rod will be meeting the players for the first time tomorrow and I quote "The new Iron manager will tell them the club will be unable to offer the MAJORITY of them the same financial terms as last year" and Boss Stringer warned that more players could follow Holloway, Champion and Goodacre out of the exit door.
Excuse my stupidity but if he hasn,t met the players yet, the timing of this seems to be wholly the wrong way to go about gaining players confidence and respect, and shouldn,t it be the Chairman who is in charge of advising the players about financial terms. Perhaps several Aveley players have already been approached by Stringer and he is paving the way for a mass clearout or am I being too cynical.

[ironbruato]

how many have we signed so far? None.
Wait until you know the facts.
Nothing wrong with lower league players. Look at Reece Harris who we got from Heybridge, he is superb now & can only improve as he matures.

[securityrob]

12 hours ago when I last checked the forum we had signed no Aveley players.
The rest of the day I've had my brain spun round, my guts churned all over the place and turned upside down at Gt Yarmouth pleasure beach. I have to admit I did start to feel abit rough in the end.
So I get home and read the heading of this thread and think we have signed 11 Aveley players today.
Scrolling down ironbruato has put my head right saying we still signed none.
I dont mind getting some aveley players, yes they would be stepping up a level but they could be good enough for that.
I don't think Rod is daft enough (like me) to bring players across who he will know who are not good enough.
Best of luck Rod in getting the squad that you want. Hope to have a chat with you in the near future.

[ozbrit]

May 26, 2010 22:00:39 GMT @securityrob said:

12 hours ago when I last checked the forum we had signed no Aveley players.
The rest of the day I've had my brain spun round, my guts churned all over the place and turned upside down at Gt Yarmouth pleasure beach. I have to admit I did start to feel abit rough in the end.
So I get home and read the heading of this thread and think we have signed 11 Aveley players today.
Scrolling down ironbruato has put my head right saying we still signed none.
I dont mind getting some aveley players, yes they would be stepping up a level but they could be good enough for that.
I don't think Rod is daft enough (like me) to bring players across who he will know who are not good enough.
Best of luck Rod in getting the squad that you want. Hope to have a chat with you in the near future.

Good post!

[mooresy25]

"I will invite some of my Aveley players to come up and join me," he said.

"But I will also talk to the existing Braintree squad and try to keep them here."

A quote from Rod on the BBC Essex website. Surely the emphasis should be on talking to the existing squad first? This is the squad that got us a 7th placed finish last year and now have Blue Square South experience. Don't get my post wrong though, I am fully behind Rod and his plans for next season. I will be at every home game and some away fixtures as I was last season.

Can I ask this though? I keep reading that we ran last year as a debt free club. So why can't we offer our existing squad the same money they were on last year? From what I read they are being offered reduced terms. I can understand why we can't offer them more money (if thats what they want) and good luck to them if they can find it at teams like Dartford. Why am I being asked to pay an extra £2 a game if we were running fine last year and are slashing playing budgets this coming season? Where is my extra £2 going?

[jonw]

In simple terms, when the club has completed its annual budget projection, it foresees a drop in income for 2010-11.

The projection would be based on a number of variables which could change (i.e. larger crowds and sponsorship money from a good F.A. Cup run), but you can't base the budget on money that might not be forthcoming.

Even if our gates stay the same this season, our costs will rise, meaning less money to spend on players. As an example, if you dont get an increase in salary you will still have to pay more on petrol to make the same car journeys to work.....hence the £2 extra is required to help cover potential shortfalls.

[808]

And how can we be sure of as much local sponsorship money next season?
As you say jonw a good cup run, something we didn't have last season is what is needed.

[jimbo]

Rod Stringer is showing his inexperience already. If I was working for a company and I read in the paper that a lower salary was going to be offered to me and new employees were already being interviewed before I had even been spoken to by the management about my salary and my future with the company, I would be very angry and it would be a public relations disaster. Rod needs to be much careful what he says to the papers.

I am horrified that the first ( and perhaps only plan) appears to be to bring in as many Aveley players as possible, even though they have not been good enough for play for Conference South teams so far and the main thing to be said for them appears to be that they are on lower salaries and will be willing to play for less money! Someone points to Reece Harris as being a success last season coming from a lower league, but I bet that any regular Iron supporter could name 20 or more other players from lower league teams who have been given a chance in our first team over the last 4 or 5 seasons and very few of them lasted longer than one season, if that.

Perhaps we have all been spoiled by our success over the last 4 or 5 seasons and that we were expecting to go all out for promotion this season; instead all the signs are that we are going to end up with a much weaker squad and an amibition limited to finishing mid-table at most while all the Aveley players get used to playing in Conference South ready for the next season. I do hope I am proved wrong.

[cm7]

Ryan Peters
Jacob Mingle
Joe Bruce
Sean Marks
Reece Harris
Mike Power

were all signed from lower league teams over the past two seasons and have shown they are more than capable of holding their own in the Conf South. Lets be honest the gap between this league the Ryman Premier is narrowing, alot of players are leaving clubs from this level to drop down despite being regulars at their previous clubs.

Clubs like Farnborough and Dartford will be in the top six at the end of season, without a doubt in my mind. They've just come up but have the right finnancial backing but still the majority of their players have played in those regional premier divisions for a couple of seasons.

Instead of whinging about becoming Aveley FC, why dont we actually wait until some of these have actually signed? Because as yet I believe we've signed one player but theres not been an official announcement. I would also put my house on you not seeing any of these players play (and if you have you wouldnt remember it) so you cant be in a position to judge them yet guys.

Rod's only had the job a matter of weeks so lets get behind him and hope he does get the balance right.

[jimbo]

You are right that I have not seen Aveley play nor have I seen any of their players play - the reason is that I have no wish to watch football played at a lower level. If I pay my money at the gate together with any travel and food costs,I want to see a decent game of football. As I said, I hope my fears are unfounded; my whinge was because I am finding it upsetting to see a good team being broken up and the club's ambitions being changed around completely(albeit for good financial reasons) from a season or two ago when the future was said to be a 6,000 seater stadium and promotion to the Conference. I will, of course, wait and see if the standard of football remains good, but someone else has already talked about the income from the home matches and if the standard of football does drop, how are the crowds going to get bigger?

[cm7]

'the reason is that I have no wish to watch football played at a lower level. If I pay my money at the gate together with any travel and food costs,I want to see a decent game of football.'

That to me seems like a stereotype that all teams below us play poor unattractive football and the games are appauling which is a stupid opinion if thats what you were trying to say. Last season we played the long ball tactic a fair bit which is very ugly to watch, quite alot of our games werent easy on the eye. Some sides in the Ryman do try to play pass and move football, so again dont comment on what you havent seen.

And in non-league with every manager change he brings in his own players and staff, infact at most levels this happens. It's just something we have to deal with. According to various forums alot of players only joined Braintree due to Robbie Garvey being here, and those players have moved on and I expect a couple more to do so. We have player changes every summer and throughout the season, this will be maybe just a couple more but again, it happens.

We had a good season last year obviously but we must be realistic, with a trim of the budget we must lower our expectations slighlty but still support the boys through thick and thin.

Lets give Rod a chance before we start moaning about him, he's not even taken charge of one game yet!

[ozbrit]

May 28, 2010 16:52:35 GMT cm7 said:

And in non-league with every manager change he brings in his own players and staff, infact at most levels this happens. It's just something we have to deal with. According to various forums alot of players only joined Braintree due to Robbie Garvey being here, and those players have moved on and I expect a couple more to do so. We have player changes every summer and throughout the season, this will be maybe just a couple more but again, it happens.

We had a good season last year obviously but we must be realistic, with a trim of the budget we must lower our expectations slighlty but still support the boys through thick and thin.

Lets give Rod a chance before we start moaning about him, he's not even taken charge of one game yet!

Yes too many Manager changes at Cressing Road, Robbie Garvey was the right man 15 months ago and apparently, he had a two season plan to win us promotion. After what was a satisfactory first season we woke one morning to read of his departure.

Whatever the reasons, we won't go winning any rewards for Manager longevity.

Of course we'll be 100% behind Rod Stringer, he deserves that. I'm sure Rod intends retaining as many of last seasons players as his first priority then fill some gaps with any Aveley players that Rod and his assistant feel are capable of making the step up.

I guess Rod would have had less press/supporter scrutiny at Aveley.

I do hope we can stop this revolving door of players and managers, it can't be doing dressing shed morale any good. Though It has to be said if there are any uncommitted players at the Club then they can ship out, to Aveley perhaps

[strangelybrown]

And, to be fair to the club, it should be added that the last manager quit as opposed to being sacked.

That said, he was a miserable chap - at least the new bloke wants to talk to the fans!

[808]

That said, he was a miserable chap - at least the new bloke wants to talk to the fans!

That's certainly an improvement as far as I am concerned.

[securityrob]

Robbie was approachable as I had a few chats with him.

[localyokel]

Jimbo, Mooresy25 and Ozbrit make some good and valid points with regards to the direction the club is going. However, the new manager and last season's players cannot be held responsible for any dis-satisfaction by BTFC loyal supporters.
I would ask the Chairman and his board of directors to have a good look at, where do they want to take the club in the medium to long term? In my opinion, they are taking it backwards with some very short sighted decisions and little concern for what local people really want.

[jimbo]

CM7, please do not get carried away in a friendly argument. I did not say lower league football was appalling, etc. What I meant to say was that I wanted value for money now that my funds are limited. As a matter of interest, I watched a lot of amateur football in my younger days in East London when there were leagues like Spartan, Athenian and Ismithian. I enjoyed that level of football in addition to watching Leyton Orient. However, I prefer to support my local team rather than travelling to watch teams from other areas to whom I have no emotional attachment. Anyway we will wait until after the first 6 games of the new season and perhaps continue the debate then. I do emphasise though that I hope my fears are unfounded and that the team does well. I have supported the O's through thick and a lot of thin for over 55 years and I expect that I will end up being just as loyal to the Irons.

[cm7]

Im not get carried away I just couldnt find a better way to word it.

Fair play you've watched all of thosenon-league games in your past I didnt know that. But alot of players in the Ryman leagues could easily play at this level, hopefully Rod does get the blend right.

I am disapointed that Garvey went (although some o you say he was miserable etc) he did a very good job, nobody can argue that. He had reasons for moving on, and its happened so lets not get on his case now he's gone. Lets all move on from it and get behind the new manager, who has alot of potential to become a great manager. He did a very good job with Aveley who also operated on a small budget.

I'm looking forward to the season new season and hope we can kick on from where we left off with some new faces to replace those who have gone.

Hope everyone has a good summer, watching England and the rest of the World Cup and has good holidays away.

[Iron Webbo]

Local, could you expand on the point you made earlier: "In my opinion, they are taking it backwards with some very short sighted decisions and little concern for what local people really want."

I would be grateful if you could explain which decisions have taken the club backwards. Thanks.

[4whatitsworth]

Re localyokels posting, I too found those comments confusing to say the least.

[808]

IMO the only step backwards would be to over stretch ourselves and go bust as others have, and more probably will.
Keep faith in the directors, they have kept us solvent up to now and I am sure will do so in the future.

[mooresy25]

A slight concern of mine is where we are going to be when the proposed new stadium is built. If we have to continually let our best players leave at the end of each season I don't think we'll ever get to the league level that playing in that stadium deserves. It's a tough call as I don't want to see the mighty Irons get into financial difficulties. We can't afford to go bust as this town needs a decent football club. The chairman and directors run it very well. I do worry that we might look like a bunch of plums playing blue square south or dare I say ryman football in that stadium with only 350/450 people turning up each week though!!

[ozbrit]

There is the old adage 'you have to speculate to accumulate'.

No one would argue the present ground location is ideal, or would they?

The new stadium will only come about if a developer builds one for the club for nix, that's how I understand it.

Now some complete speculation by me. If the club were able to switch the present covenant on the Cressing Road ground to the new sporting complex, then development of the existing ground could raise millions for the Club to invest for its future well-being. That's assuming the District Council's not there with both their grubby hands in the Clubs pocket again.

There are more than a few hurdles to clear before any of this could come about, but IF things should go our way, we'd surely be the envy of the non-league footballing community.

Rushden & Irthlingborough have a smaller population than has Braintree & Bocking. Rushden Town used to get gates of 200 in the old Southern lge Midland div before Dr Martens got involved with them and built the excellent Nene Park Stadium for the Club. Football fans flocked in from near and far to share in the success story.

I realise, that I'm possibly away with the fairies with some of my suggestions, but it's a great concept all the same. One things seems definite in my mind, a great Bank balance with the careful fiscal managers we currently have at Cressing Rd, would be a marriage worth having.

I wonder IW, what is the current position regarding the various development proposals?

[dav]

Jun 1, 2010 22:53:58 GMT ozbrit said:

If the club were able to switch the present covenant on the Cressing Road ground to the new sporting complex, then development of the existing ground could raise millions for the Club to invest for its future well-being. That's assuming the District Council's not there with both their grubby hands in the Clubs pocket again.

I'm sure the council will bend over backwards to help in anyway possible, to provide financial assistance as Colchester and Chelmsford Borough Council's have and not look to rip the club off in any way at all