|
Post by rambler on Nov 19, 2023 20:34:39 GMT
What do I want out of my football experience? A good clear view of a competitive game of football, with lots of goal mouth action, more often than not resulting in a home win. I do not want to see any nasty tribalism. Worthing currently scores highly on most accounts, but will it do so at a higher level, indeed is there are real case for moving to a higher level?
If I understand it correctly the club is currently operating in a sustainable manner. For those who listen to the podcast "The Price of Football" (highly recommended) it would seem for most teams higher in the pyramid this is quite an unusual state of grace. That means for our current gates we are being served up a pleasing standard of football from a good blend of youth and experience. A sustainable gate for a higher league is presumably one markedly higher than the current stand and terracing could comfortably hold. Therefore before we even start to think that promotion is going to improve our matchday experience there should surely have to be some proper terracing installed on three sides of the ground, and space found for 2 or 3 more toilet blocks. I hope this never happens as then ambition will certainly kick in and we may well move on up - it's then segregation, stewarding and macho posturing, all things I remember so well from the golden years of my Spurs visits in the 70s (add in aggressive policing to the list of the downsides).
|
|
|
Post by sylvia on Nov 20, 2023 13:48:34 GMT
Just to say that if you look at the Council Website, the Planning Permission to cover the West End has already been approved (Ref. AWDM/1227/23, permission confirmed Tue 17 Oct 2023) which means the feasibility and design work would have been completed before the application was submitted (which the Website says was in August.) As the Club says they intend to use the investment money, there's no waiting for grant applications to be done, so we will hopefully be seeing some cover soon?
|
|
pp
Youth Team
Posts: 86
|
Post by pp on Nov 22, 2023 18:55:33 GMT
Cracking thread Keithsson (congrats BTW, expect the speech is dripping with wry quips and form stats!), and everyone commenting. I expect we all gave this a lot of thought last season as the possibility of promotion got closer and closer... Right now I'm fence sitting (#standard), but mainly because I'm thinking about it from three different positions... Right now, at the point of promotion, and actually being there. Right now - nah. Don't want it. I see Ebbsfleet (13-2 winners against us on aggregate last year) struggling despite spending money beyond our means. I'm sure Hinsh and the backroom team could improve the squad (and would have to), but how do we get close to the Ebbsfleet team that won 13-2, let alone match the 21 teams above them in the division? That's a task and a half, and I think transitioning from part-part-time to fully full-time would shake things too much in one go to allow a considered build. At the point of Promotion - OMG! Inject it into my veins! I was getting giddy last season ahead of the Oxford game. Planning away days, thinking it means we're guaranteed more Hinsh (why would he leave now?!), getting one over on my St Albans brother, and what a great thing for the town. Never mind stadium requirements (that'll just get sorted right?), never mind a squad overhaul (I'll love the new players just like the old ones), never mind the fact that the food/drink/toilet/roofing offerings might not be to the standard/quantity expected by travelling fans (and by us as we try and portray ourselves as an exciting up and coming side). However... it's at this point as I write that I realise that maybe I'm not somewhere in the middle... National League - I started watching Worthing when I moved here in 2019. The growth even in that time is massive, and I love reading comments here about some of the things you 'vets' have seen over the years. The town is huge, the potential is massive. But going up a division now, losing things like a pint by the pitch, as well as losing (potentially) many football matches; I'd worry that the growth would slow; and an impact on crowds (and beer sales!) could really hurt a football club trying to build in a sustainable way. This analysis could go on for days, but really, on reflection - I'd rather we didn't go up. Not yet.
And if it happened, right in that moment I'd forget all that and I'd be delighted, because we want success. And despite the challenges, I think the club is well set up to give it a go. But after the initial excitement I'd expect a long and difficult season, Others have said it - a couple more years here would probably be ideal - the shift to full time (and what that brings in terms of longer term continuity for the players and staff), a growing and further committed fanbase, and some stadium improvements (food offerings, a second undercover bar (if needed for segregation purposes), more covered areas to watch the game) would be some excellent foundations for the next step. Don't need them all... but the more in train, the better prepared we are... Too many clubs are going out of business, or doing themselves a mischief with their finances. I love the town and I'm going to be here a long while, I'd like the club to be too!
|
|
|
Post by nickc on Nov 23, 2023 11:34:22 GMT
I'd say embrace it and see what happens.
I'm not sure I understand 'the Worthing experience' stuff. As a Worthing fan first and foremost, never supported a league club etc, I just want to see the club I love play at the highest level it can afford. If people want the nice non league vibe regardless of success, there's lots of clubs that can offer that too.
In terms of the squad, we have the best manager we have ever had, who will get the right players in, should promotion happens.
In terms of infrastructure, it might be a tough year or 2, might be a shambles a bit if bigger away fans come, but we managed ok with Yeovil didn't we?
We have the off pitch set up and chairman/owner set up we have ever had, so if all falls right, in the club/Hinsh we trust and see where it takes us.
If we come back down after a season, we have learned what we need to do next time. We do need to improve the stadium, we do need to get more income streams in, use the old bar properly when it's back as ours, and sort the North and West sides of the ground, but as a club, and fans, if we don't have ambition, we are just existing, and a nice day trip (think Lewes etc) rather than a dynamic, exciting, progressive club (us right now)
|
|
|
Post by broadwaterred82 on Nov 24, 2023 13:40:17 GMT
I think were a far better run club than Ebbsfleet and alot of clubs who have thrown money around. It may get you promoted but it doesn't mean success at the top. Look at H&W in our league. Please correct me if I'm wrong Ebbs were in debt a while back? I think we have solid foundations and I'm sure we might strike the right balance to compete at the next level. I also believe if we will go up the club will continue work hard to make it a really nice friendly welcoming atmosphere on a match day. I don't think there is a wrong or right time. We will know when it is.
I'm confident we are heading the right direction.
|
|
|
Post by Bally on Nov 24, 2023 19:40:34 GMT
Hinsh's look ahead to Taunton interview adds a bit of clarity about our future with a confirmed focus on sustainable progress and belief in youth. Talk of loanees returning ready to contribute - Meeks, Reuben etc.
Is this the foundation for a 2 year push, or a cost effective plan B?
|
|
|
Post by Kenty in Weardale on Nov 24, 2023 20:31:48 GMT
I think were a far better run club than Ebbsfleet and alot of clubs who have thrown money around. It may get you promoted but it doesn't mean success at the top. Look at H&W in our league. Please correct me if I'm wrong Ebbs were in debt a while back? I think we have solid foundations and I'm sure we might strike the right balance to compete at the next level. I also believe if we will go up the club will continue work hard to make it a really nice friendly welcoming atmosphere on a match day. I don't think there is a wrong or right time. We will know when it is. I'm confident we are heading the right direction. Cumulative losses at Ebbsfleet total at least £6m over the past 5 years but their Kuwaiti owner remains supportive at present. How long that lasts??
|
|
|
Post by worthingwire on Jan 27, 2024 21:10:52 GMT
Bumping this up to see how people feel now, a couple of months down the line from the original post. With about 2/3 of the league games done, we're 2nd in the table and top scorers...
|
|
|
Post by broadwaterred82 on Jan 27, 2024 22:30:34 GMT
Bumping this up to see how people feel now, a couple of months down the line from the original post. With about 2/3 of the league games done, we're 2nd in the table and top scorers... I'm firlmly in the camp if happens if it happens. The club have ambtions. Let's enjoy it!
|
|
|
Post by dutchboy74 on Jan 28, 2024 5:04:31 GMT
Still sticking to my original comment. However segregation seems to be sorted now. And if we keep getting crowds like yesterday that can only be good financially for the club. But let’s take it game by game and see where we finish.
|
|
|
Post by Keithsson on Jan 28, 2024 9:39:52 GMT
Still sticking to my original comment. However segregation seems to be sorted now. And if we keep getting crowds like yesterday that can only be good financially for the club. But let’s take it game by game and see where we finish. I think I'm right in saying we have yet to have a segregated crowd in bad weather. With the ticketing model we have now should the weather for Dover say, in a fortnight, be like it was on Tuesday, all they have to do to stay dry is buy a home ticket. Recipe for disaster. The segregation works well for, dare I say it, nice and compliant clubs like Torquay, Eastbourne and Yeovil. But I think its still a work in progress for us alongside improving the facilities over in that corner. More generally quite how we could squeeze nearly 2,000 more people in is beyond me... NL is min. 4,000 capacity is it not? Loads more to do on infrastructure. On the poll I too am sticking... with us not being ready. But that's for the infrastructure and finances side though, not the team... If we can maintain the level of performance we've shown this month, and that's a huge 'if' BTW, we'll finish second I believe and a one game shoot out at Woodside is winnable against anyone. If all that happens then Hinsh and the players will have fully deserved it. And if all that happens we have no option but to go up as refusing promotion has punitive sanctions. So irrespective of our readiness or otherwise we'd be playing in the National League... so be it. It would be potentially catastrophic if we didn't base our finances on coming straight back down though. But getting all the grant funding for ground improvements and testing the waters from a footballing point of view would, I can see, come with benefits. So whilst I'm sticking with 'no, we're not ready'... if there is any change in my position its that whatever cards we're dealt this season we've no option but to play them so must, very cautiously, just do our best.
|
|
|
Post by Bally on Jan 28, 2024 10:20:23 GMT
I'm sticking with integrity in sport and seeing where we go. A well run club will have to manage the background and we'll no doubt have to look forward to the odd 'cup final weekend win' rather than expecting goals every 20 minutes or so.
Agree with the long term benefit to the ground but I expect we'd need a few years to get out of the league (upwards) anyway. The challenge would be keeping enough of the squad to not go into the NL and have to start again. Best full time or part-time? Hybrid would be he solution imo.
|
|
|
Post by virgs1 on Feb 24, 2024 22:32:56 GMT
Am I right in saying we've actually not beaten anyone in the current playoff positions except Bath?
Be interesting to see a current top 7 table with just the head to head fixtures in.
|
|
harty
Reserve Team
Posts: 236
|
Post by harty on Feb 25, 2024 9:12:32 GMT
Ideal world (which it isn’t 🙈)
I’d love to go up, get a leg up from the respective fixture computers, and never clash with an Albion home game, have a respectable mid table NL finish, perhaps with both a decent FA Cup and FA Trophy run, with an a average crowd of 1,600/1,800.
In the real world that doesn’t always pan out.
A senior NL figure told me recently that last season all told the smallest loss for the top Non League Division was £90,000, Wrexham were obviously the highest with the Hollywood factor, seeing the likes of Truro, Taunton and Torquay all in trouble in our league, do we currently have the wherewithal to encounter even the minimum loss in the NL?
George is no longer an option, nor should he be, he’s played his part but rightly has his young family as his priority now.
Whatever the business a loss is a loss and that money has to come from somewhere if there’s a shortfall, so ideally a home semi and play off final, gallant defeat, but then have another good season in NLS, possibly win it with no Yeovil, but develop the club both on and off the field and build up those all important cash reserves, for the future ‘rainy days’ in the top flight
|
|
|
Post by Keithsson on Feb 25, 2024 9:35:50 GMT
Assuming they don't win the play-off promotion spot I see Maidstone as a potential 'runaway' side next season in the NLS.
The wedge they now have thanks to their cup exploits this season is massive and will undoubtedly be ploughed into a concerted promotion push.
|
|