A week is a long time in politics but in football it's a life time!
In the space of a week City's season has gone decidedly bad. The optimism engendered by a productive mid season and a single defeat in the first 5 games, alongside some good football, has all but evaporated.
The defeat at Staines was followed by a desperate display at home to Dover last Saturday. Reports say we were awful in the first half and only only slightly better than that in the second.
The torrent of posts on social media and the Club's official website forum talk of a lack of spirit on the pitch, in the dugout and off the pitch.
With falling attendances City can ill afford to lose even more fans. Many have called for a change of management and have challenged the Chairman of the Club to sort it out. The only comment I would make is that the Club's malaise is at all levels and the Chairman has a great deal of responsibility for that.
It will be interesting to see what happens if City limp out of the FA Cup at home to Gosport this coming Saturday. The wave of disaffection we have seen in the past few days will be nothing by comparison.
For what it's worth I firmly believe we have a talented set of players and hope that they can rally to get the win we desperately need to keep our season alive.
Good players don't become bad overnight and it may be that the importance of the game and wanting to make up for the Dover defeat will be enough to take us through to the next round.
My own view is that the Club is an unhappy place and we need real change to build success again.
I am sure I will be returning to this in future blogs.
For now I am sure all City fans will be hoping that we can progress in the FA Cup this Saturday.
Wednesday 25 September 2013
Wednesday 18 September 2013
GOING THE DISTANCE
How on earth did we fail to win that game was the overwhelming post match cry following City's 2-2 draw with Tonbridge Angels at May day Trust Park last Saturday?
A shaky start by centre backs Preece and Ball and City were one down but we then dominated the game with some slick passing only to let in a last gasp equaliser. A ponderous but strong Tonbridge side hardly fashioned anything between the 2nd and the 92nd minutes but they walked away with a point.
For me Josh Low pulled the strings and Ross Stearn posed the questions down the right. Adam Connolly looked his old self and hit the bar with a thunderous effort.
The big debate was also about the substitutions. Taking off the 2 most influential players with 15 minutes to go looked conservative. No doubt Josh Low was tired and took a knock but Stearn looked fine. I suspect he was being saved for Tuesday night's trip to Staines. These are the tough decisions managers have to make. This time it didn't work.
If City didn't go the distance I certainly did, but my 300 mile round trip from Derbyshire to home was worth it despite the result. My last game was the Plymouth friendly and I have to say that the promise we showed then was still there. We do look good and as long as we can keep performing the luck will change and results will follow. We still have a base to build a challenge for the top 5.
I enjoyed some excellent Palmers real ale in Charlies pre-match to wash down my sausage and chips and have to say that the on screen advertising is excellent. (the mood was improved massively as a number of us watched Somerset's probable season saving victory on our mobile devices!)
The pitch looked immaculate and real credit must go to the ground staff.
The Legion produced some great songs and I joined in when Dave Pratt's shot hit the net!
I even liked the new home kit despite the white shorts and 'after thought' white patch on the back.
I met lots of old friends and really enjoyed being there.
Tuesday's trip to Staines resulted in a defeat after another very late goal. As Bob Chester said in the radio commentary - 'the game had draw written all over it' but a deflected free kick did for City. Those I spoke to said we played well and the disallowed goal was harsh. Fine margins indeed..
The FA Cup draw has been kind to us with a home fixture against Gosport Borough on Saturday 28th September. As always the aim is to get to the First Round and get a televised home game against a West Country team. Failing that a 4th Qualifying home game against a top Conference side would do.
Before then we have a tough test against Dover Athletic this coming Saturday. We do now need a win otherwise we will be confirmed as a distinctly mid table team.
2 wins by the end of September will give the early part of the season a much better look though so 'Come on City!'
!
A shaky start by centre backs Preece and Ball and City were one down but we then dominated the game with some slick passing only to let in a last gasp equaliser. A ponderous but strong Tonbridge side hardly fashioned anything between the 2nd and the 92nd minutes but they walked away with a point.
For me Josh Low pulled the strings and Ross Stearn posed the questions down the right. Adam Connolly looked his old self and hit the bar with a thunderous effort.
The big debate was also about the substitutions. Taking off the 2 most influential players with 15 minutes to go looked conservative. No doubt Josh Low was tired and took a knock but Stearn looked fine. I suspect he was being saved for Tuesday night's trip to Staines. These are the tough decisions managers have to make. This time it didn't work.
If City didn't go the distance I certainly did, but my 300 mile round trip from Derbyshire to home was worth it despite the result. My last game was the Plymouth friendly and I have to say that the promise we showed then was still there. We do look good and as long as we can keep performing the luck will change and results will follow. We still have a base to build a challenge for the top 5.
I enjoyed some excellent Palmers real ale in Charlies pre-match to wash down my sausage and chips and have to say that the on screen advertising is excellent. (the mood was improved massively as a number of us watched Somerset's probable season saving victory on our mobile devices!)
The pitch looked immaculate and real credit must go to the ground staff.
The Legion produced some great songs and I joined in when Dave Pratt's shot hit the net!
I even liked the new home kit despite the white shorts and 'after thought' white patch on the back.
I met lots of old friends and really enjoyed being there.
Tuesday's trip to Staines resulted in a defeat after another very late goal. As Bob Chester said in the radio commentary - 'the game had draw written all over it' but a deflected free kick did for City. Those I spoke to said we played well and the disallowed goal was harsh. Fine margins indeed..
The FA Cup draw has been kind to us with a home fixture against Gosport Borough on Saturday 28th September. As always the aim is to get to the First Round and get a televised home game against a West Country team. Failing that a 4th Qualifying home game against a top Conference side would do.
Before then we have a tough test against Dover Athletic this coming Saturday. We do now need a win otherwise we will be confirmed as a distinctly mid table team.
2 wins by the end of September will give the early part of the season a much better look though so 'Come on City!'
!
Wednesday 11 September 2013
A WORLD AWAY
What an obscene event transfer deadline day is. It is of course built beautifully for rolling 24 hour news - the TV channels were full of it, but it is a world away from the reality most football Clubs face.
At Bath City I am not sure of the full facts but I think the record fee paid was £20,000 plus for Micky Tanner in the 1980s? The record fee received was a similar figure for Jason Dodd from Southampton with a sell on clause that never materialised. Didn't Dave Wiffil also go to Manchester City for a fee?
But that's about it and for the last 15 years I can't recall a fee paid or received other than small sums for Lewis Hogg and Jamie Gosling (even then I think Yeovil transferred him before the appearance number kicked in).
The Premier League football bubble must burst at some stage though people have predicting that for some time and it just keeps going.
A huge benefit of the international weekends is that non-league football gets a boost. Certainly local teams near my home in Derbyshire benefited with a few extra through the gate. City have been able to market themselves with some success to the Bristol Clubs in the past.
It is great to see the Club promoting Paul Randall's book 'Punky'. Bath City has always welcomed back ex players and I was lucky enough to host events with Paul, Tony Ricketts, George Gibbs, Ken Allen, Richard Bourne, Jon Holloway, John Freegard and Martin Paul. Recently long time City fan Martin Powell hosted an evening with 60s great Mike Denton.
As the cricket season comes to a close, as a Somerset fan I have to say just how miserable the season has been so far. We have had some great years recently. Runners up in the Championship and so close to honours in the one day format for 4 or 5 years. But the comprehensive semi final defeat in the YB40 at Nottingham, hot on the heels of the crucial reverse against fellow strugglers Derbyshire, means my home County is in the last chance saloon at Taunton this week. I have everything crossed that our luck will change.
It certainly wasn't easy being a Somerset follower living in Derbyshire last week!
On the pitch City's draw at full time Ebbsfleet United was encouraging though and certainly improved my sporting week. Will Salmon looks like a player City will want to hang on to and his goal gave the travelling City fans a very welcome point. 2 wins, 2 draws and just 1 defeat is a solid start. It is still too early to say, but my biggest fear is that we are confirmed as a 'win some, lose some' mid table side. I hope not as we desperately need results to re-kindle interest.
For me it makes the coming home game against Tonbridge Angels feel a bit 'must win'. A win would put us at the top end of the table and people might think about returning to May Day Trust Park.
I am looking forward to being there this coming Saturday to witness it.
At Bath City I am not sure of the full facts but I think the record fee paid was £20,000 plus for Micky Tanner in the 1980s? The record fee received was a similar figure for Jason Dodd from Southampton with a sell on clause that never materialised. Didn't Dave Wiffil also go to Manchester City for a fee?
But that's about it and for the last 15 years I can't recall a fee paid or received other than small sums for Lewis Hogg and Jamie Gosling (even then I think Yeovil transferred him before the appearance number kicked in).
The Premier League football bubble must burst at some stage though people have predicting that for some time and it just keeps going.
A huge benefit of the international weekends is that non-league football gets a boost. Certainly local teams near my home in Derbyshire benefited with a few extra through the gate. City have been able to market themselves with some success to the Bristol Clubs in the past.
It is great to see the Club promoting Paul Randall's book 'Punky'. Bath City has always welcomed back ex players and I was lucky enough to host events with Paul, Tony Ricketts, George Gibbs, Ken Allen, Richard Bourne, Jon Holloway, John Freegard and Martin Paul. Recently long time City fan Martin Powell hosted an evening with 60s great Mike Denton.
As the cricket season comes to a close, as a Somerset fan I have to say just how miserable the season has been so far. We have had some great years recently. Runners up in the Championship and so close to honours in the one day format for 4 or 5 years. But the comprehensive semi final defeat in the YB40 at Nottingham, hot on the heels of the crucial reverse against fellow strugglers Derbyshire, means my home County is in the last chance saloon at Taunton this week. I have everything crossed that our luck will change.
It certainly wasn't easy being a Somerset follower living in Derbyshire last week!
On the pitch City's draw at full time Ebbsfleet United was encouraging though and certainly improved my sporting week. Will Salmon looks like a player City will want to hang on to and his goal gave the travelling City fans a very welcome point. 2 wins, 2 draws and just 1 defeat is a solid start. It is still too early to say, but my biggest fear is that we are confirmed as a 'win some, lose some' mid table side. I hope not as we desperately need results to re-kindle interest.
For me it makes the coming home game against Tonbridge Angels feel a bit 'must win'. A win would put us at the top end of the table and people might think about returning to May Day Trust Park.
I am looking forward to being there this coming Saturday to witness it.
Tuesday 3 September 2013
'LOVE BITES AND EVERYTHING!'
I was lucky enough to be able to get away for a couple of weeks holiday recently where I could reflect on the world in general and Bath City FC in particular.
Whilst Britain has its problems.....a slow emergence form a 5 year recession, record youth unemployment, the third most unequal nation on earth,squeezed living standards for most people and a welfare state that is being rapidly dismantled....it still has some great things not least football and good beer! I was reminded of this when I landed at Manchester airport and the taxi driver wanted to talk about Manchester City. We had the obligatory exchange about Tony Book and how he had carried the Premier League Trophy on to the pitch at the Etihad stadium fully 43 years after he had captained Manchester City to its last Championship success.
The driver enthused about the final moments of the win over QPR which secured the title in 2012. When City scored there was the usual mass hug which was described eloquently by Paul Merson on radio as 'Love bites and everything'.
Football has a habit of coming up with these great moments of humour! Manchester City fans now have banner which proclaims this!
The last time Bath City had such a moment was at Yate in 2007 though the FA Cup win at Grimsby and the win over Woking to secure the Conference Premier place in 2010 were pretty special.
But back to this season and our City has secured a good position in the early season table with the emphatic win over newcomers Concord Rangers. Ross Stearn was very impressive - a pity his goals were not caught on film. With a game in hand City can strike for a top 5 place within the next 2/3 weeks.This Saturday's visit to Ebbsfleet followed by the game at home to Tonbridge Angels and then a trip to Staines, give us ample opportunity to rise further up the table.
In last week's piece I argued that Bath City should be more open as a Club. Yes there are commercial confidentialities, not least player's wages and the like, but as a community interest company City's mission is to deliver football for the people of Bath and its surrounds. Fans are not just consumers of a football product. Many have a real stake in it as a social focus. We want it to survive and prosper and the best way to achieve that is to involve the stakeholders - the fans - in as open a way as possible. Bath City FC is not the local newsagent. It has a 'not for profit' objective though it absolutely has to be commercial and efficient in the way it achieves that goal. Unlike the newsagent who will pocket the profit, City will plough it back in to deliver better football. Well at least that's the theory!
At the moment we can guess that debts are rising and income is falling as costs also rise. But we don't know because we have a Club that effectively excludes it's fan's from all this.
For those that say we should just let the Chairman and Board get on with it I have to profoundly disagree. It's our Club and we want it to survive. We want to know that is being managed well. The Chairman is the custodian of the Club for the fans and the people of Bath. I am sure that this is not how the current Chairman sees it though.
What is worrying is that early season Saturday attendances have been so low. There appear to be a lot of initiatives to promote the Club but as yet they don't appear to be working.
Speaking of initiatives, the Chairman's claim that the wearing of the away kit for the Gosport home game was a deliberate 'showcasing' of the away kit was met with some derision on social media. Given that Bishop's Stortford and then Eastleigh had complained about the home kit clashing with the referees uniform, was the Chairman's claim a crude attempt to cover up for an administrative error? That's how it appeared to some!
I'll be there for the next home game against Tonbridge on 14th September but as a measure of how the Club's popularity has fallen, I'll be there alone as many of my group no longer attend. We need to win people back to the football Club and I don't think the current leadership is doing what's needed to achieve that.
Whilst Britain has its problems.....a slow emergence form a 5 year recession, record youth unemployment, the third most unequal nation on earth,squeezed living standards for most people and a welfare state that is being rapidly dismantled....it still has some great things not least football and good beer! I was reminded of this when I landed at Manchester airport and the taxi driver wanted to talk about Manchester City. We had the obligatory exchange about Tony Book and how he had carried the Premier League Trophy on to the pitch at the Etihad stadium fully 43 years after he had captained Manchester City to its last Championship success.
The driver enthused about the final moments of the win over QPR which secured the title in 2012. When City scored there was the usual mass hug which was described eloquently by Paul Merson on radio as 'Love bites and everything'.
Football has a habit of coming up with these great moments of humour! Manchester City fans now have banner which proclaims this!
The last time Bath City had such a moment was at Yate in 2007 though the FA Cup win at Grimsby and the win over Woking to secure the Conference Premier place in 2010 were pretty special.
But back to this season and our City has secured a good position in the early season table with the emphatic win over newcomers Concord Rangers. Ross Stearn was very impressive - a pity his goals were not caught on film. With a game in hand City can strike for a top 5 place within the next 2/3 weeks.This Saturday's visit to Ebbsfleet followed by the game at home to Tonbridge Angels and then a trip to Staines, give us ample opportunity to rise further up the table.
In last week's piece I argued that Bath City should be more open as a Club. Yes there are commercial confidentialities, not least player's wages and the like, but as a community interest company City's mission is to deliver football for the people of Bath and its surrounds. Fans are not just consumers of a football product. Many have a real stake in it as a social focus. We want it to survive and prosper and the best way to achieve that is to involve the stakeholders - the fans - in as open a way as possible. Bath City FC is not the local newsagent. It has a 'not for profit' objective though it absolutely has to be commercial and efficient in the way it achieves that goal. Unlike the newsagent who will pocket the profit, City will plough it back in to deliver better football. Well at least that's the theory!
At the moment we can guess that debts are rising and income is falling as costs also rise. But we don't know because we have a Club that effectively excludes it's fan's from all this.
For those that say we should just let the Chairman and Board get on with it I have to profoundly disagree. It's our Club and we want it to survive. We want to know that is being managed well. The Chairman is the custodian of the Club for the fans and the people of Bath. I am sure that this is not how the current Chairman sees it though.
What is worrying is that early season Saturday attendances have been so low. There appear to be a lot of initiatives to promote the Club but as yet they don't appear to be working.
Speaking of initiatives, the Chairman's claim that the wearing of the away kit for the Gosport home game was a deliberate 'showcasing' of the away kit was met with some derision on social media. Given that Bishop's Stortford and then Eastleigh had complained about the home kit clashing with the referees uniform, was the Chairman's claim a crude attempt to cover up for an administrative error? That's how it appeared to some!
I'll be there for the next home game against Tonbridge on 14th September but as a measure of how the Club's popularity has fallen, I'll be there alone as many of my group no longer attend. We need to win people back to the football Club and I don't think the current leadership is doing what's needed to achieve that.
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