9 years old....

Morning everyone,
This past 12 months or so have been a painful experience supporting Town. I've always tried to stay positive and upbeat and always tried to stick with the manager etc.
however, this last couple of weeks, the embarrassing statements from the board and the complete lack of ambition show by the club with bringing in shite players and releasing our most talented, as well as the poor standard on the pitch each week has been demoralizing.

however, the one thing that hurts the most, and I really hope that someone from the club reads this or can pass this on to John Fenty and the powers that be....

My 9 years old lad, he was be obsessed with this club. He saved his pocket money to buy shirts and bits from the club shop, we'd have fixtures written on the calendar at home planning them in (proper Dad and lad time), and we planned in away games. He would literally talk about Town non stop and loved supporting them. I saw that passion and excitement in him as a 9 year old that I remember myself having. As a Dad it was brilliant and lovely to see.

I think you can tell where this is going...but my 9 year old lad has now lost all motivation, drive and passion associated with supporting Town. His favorite players that he had a connection with have gone. The likes of Shaun Pearson and Disley who generated an excitement in the team and more importantly the local community have left and taken that spirit with them. There journeymen brought in who don't care have damaged that spirit and passion and the clowns in charge from Slade through to the board are responsible. My 9 year old lad recognises this. 9 years old!!! He woke up this morning asking if Slade had been sacked and who we'd sold. He has a bitterness towards supporting this club already and lost that excitement of being a Town fan. At 9 years old this is unacceptable and this poisonous atmosphere and feeling around the club is driving people away. The club have lost out of £40 a game with us both hardly ever attending because neither of us can face another miserable afternoon at Blundell Park. We live round the corner from Bradley and are actually thinking of watching Clee Town or Grimsby Borough so that we can start enjoying watching football again.

I really hope someone reads this and the management and board are aware of how the fans are feeling. I know we can't be the only ones feeling like this, but this is the sorry direction the club is heading. Sorry for the rant, but I'm bloody fed up!

What a sad state of affairs young and old alike fans are being driven away seemingly in droves. The above post covers 140 years of fans supporting this team generation after generation a noble tradition passed down from in this case Father to Son.The amount of posts from current or former staunch STH who are threatening not to renew is shocking and this morning`s statement from the Club suggests they are choosing to ignore these feelings of discontent.Usually on here you will see some moaning and groaning from folk sometimes justified sometimes not and sometimes well OTT.I think I have posted here for around 15 years and I can honestly say I have never seen anywhere near the current levels of downright anger and disgust from the fanbase.Whilst yes The fishy is only a small % of the overall support it is very diverse and covers locals and exiles from all walks of life.I suggest Mr Fenty and his board and also the Mariner`s Trust sit up and take notice of the fans current mood before it`s too late.UTM

I sympathise with you bigdave.  I took my boys to watch the mighty mariners from 4 years old upwards.  They are both fanatical fans at the ages of 40 and 36.  The youngest is a season ticket holder and is not renewing for the first time in years.  The oldest, who lives near London tells me he isn't going to watch Town again until things change, after visiting all sorts of grounds, even through the conference years. For myself I first went to watch Town as a 10 year old in 1966 and have always followed them.  I now live in the South West and only get to games in this area and occasional trips to Cleethorpes.  I could not bring myself to go to Yeovil on Tuesday and am even not sure if I now want to listen anymore on iplayer.  I just hope that the board finally realise that they have to work with the community for the sake of the club.  Has Slade ever taken the players into schools or into local factories to interact with the supporters?  I don't think so.  We need to rebuild the community spirit around the club and this has to start from the board, management and players.  How can the players understand what the club means to the supporters if they don't go out and meet them?

Sorry rant over

This is actually heartbreaking. And it's terrible for the long term future of the club. Nobody under the age of 20 seems to be interested in the club. Compare that to Lincoln where loads of kids are boosting the attendances right now. We can call them plastic and bandwagon fans all we like (which they are) BUT their board are doing the right things to harness the uptake in interest and make sure it is there for years to come.

Meanwhile we will drift into obscurity, with a dwindling fanbase and probably go the same way as York and Stockport. What a legacy for Mr Fenty.

Father in law has been going since 1947, season ticket holder who came to my house to watch the Yeovil game on ifollow. He was a few minutes late and when he came in he joking said are we winning, you should have seen his face when we told him we were down to 10 men. He went home well before the end of the game saying it's as bad as he has ever seen, even though we were plying him with Guinness. He has never left before the final whistle either at the game or watching it on tv or whilst being plied with Guinness, dark times indeed.

He has also said that if Slade is here next season he won't be renewing and neither will my son.

I've been going with my Dad since I was about 7/8 so give or take 30 years.
I rarely get to see a Saturday game due to my job, but try to get to as many games as work and home life allows but I really am currently thinking my ticket money could be better spent elsewhere.

Currently defeats seem a foregone conclusion, and not just that we seem to have no fight. No one seems to step up and get the players fired up, it's just dreary, no hope stuff.

My kids are exactly the same. The original post and the "The idea we are "building" is absurd" thread should be sent to John Fenty and the board by everyone on the fishy. They need to read and understand every word.

We are losing a generation of fans. We have replaced heroes and made the team worse at the same time. The board can't even point to the results and say it had to be done and was a means to an end. The more I think about the situation, the sicker I feel. The damage being done now will take years to undo.  

Keep him going Big Dave. I took my lad too when he was 9 and I sympathise with your plight. I was lucky because we went to Wembley and town were on the the up in his formative years. He's nearly 30 now and lives in London but I was still queuing at the club shop Sale last week to buy him the blue away shirt (he has the others!)
I sincerely hope that, to quote JF's political hero; 'where there is discord May there be harmony '
the sooner the better for your lads sake. He is the future of our club.

Quoted from bigdavemariner

Morning everyone,
This past 12 months or so have been a painful experience supporting Town. I've always tried to stay positive and upbeat and always tried to stick with the manager etc.
however, this last couple of weeks, the embarrassing statements from the board and the complete lack of ambition show by the club with bringing in shite players and releasing our most talented, as well as the poor standard on the pitch each week has been demoralizing.

however, the one thing that hurts the most, and I really hope that someone from the club reads this or can pass this on to John Fenty and the powers that be....

My 9 years old lad, he was be obsessed with this club. He saved his pocket money to buy shirts and bits from the club shop, we'd have fixtures written on the calendar at home planning them in (proper Dad and lad time), and we planned in away games. He would literally talk about Town non stop and loved supporting them. I saw that passion and excitement in him as a 9 year old that I remember myself having. As a Dad it was brilliant and lovely to see.

I think you can tell where this is going...but my 9 year old lad has now lost all motivation, drive and passion associated with supporting Town. His favorite players that he had a connection with have gone. The likes of Shaun Pearson and Disley who generated an excitement in the team and more importantly the local community have left and taken that spirit with them. There journeymen brought in who don't care have damaged that spirit and passion and the clowns in charge from Slade through to the board are responsible. My 9 year old lad recognises this. 9 years old!!! He woke up this morning asking if Slade had been sacked and who we'd sold. He has a bitterness towards supporting this club already and lost that excitement of being a Town fan. At 9 years old this is unacceptable and this poisonous atmosphere and feeling around the club is driving people away. The club have lost out of £40 a game with us both hardly ever attending because neither of us can face another miserable afternoon at Blundell Park. We live round the corner from Bradley and are actually thinking of watching Clee Town or Grimsby Borough so that we can start enjoying watching football again.

I really hope someone reads this and the management and board are aware of how the fans are feeling. I know we can't be the only ones feeling like this, but this is the sorry direction the club is heading. Sorry for the rant, but I'm bloody fed up!

Some of you may know me and Fin my 8 year old son Fin (usually by his red hair) as we often travel up from Bristol and to many away games that are some distance from away from home. Since he was 4 he's been to away games at Bognor, Stevenage, Eastleigh, Salisbury, Chester, Mansfield, Chesterfield and many many more. Often ridiculed at school for wearing his Town kit but always keen to let them know he goes and watches them and the players always say hello, his mates don't even support either of the two Bristol clubs.  The club would text me and the players and manager would meet us and some of the other youngsters when the coach arrived - Craig Disley would always make a point of saying hello to him and he's got dozens of pictures with all the players.  

Now he won't go - 'daddy they're rubbish' and always lose - why can't I go and see Man Utd.

As a 40 something year old with memories of my grandfather taking me to see Town from the late 70's in and around London, those memories will live with me forever.

We'd leave Bristol after school on a Friday and get a B&B in Cleethorpes then fish and chips in bed and he'd hang his kit up on the wardrobe as if playing, shorts/socks and all.

It breaks my bloody heart, I was there on Tuesday at Yeovil with family but no Fin - part of me was missing.

I can take losing, Jesus we're Town fans it comes as a package - but the heart and soul of my/our/your club has been ripped out.

Will keep hoping it turns out for the best, if you see us before the end of the season I'll be a happy man alongside my best mate.

UTM

Quoted from bigdavemariner

Morning everyone,
This past 12 months or so have been a painful experience supporting Town. I've always tried to stay positive and upbeat and always tried to stick with the manager etc.
however, this last couple of weeks, the embarrassing statements from the board and the complete lack of ambition show by the club with bringing in shite players and releasing our most talented, as well as the poor standard on the pitch each week has been demoralizing.

however, the one thing that hurts the most, and I really hope that someone from the club reads this or can pass this on to John Fenty and the powers that be....

My 9 years old lad, he was be obsessed with this club. He saved his pocket money to buy shirts and bits from the club shop, we'd have fixtures written on the calendar at home planning them in (proper Dad and lad time), and we planned in away games. He would literally talk about Town non stop and loved supporting them. I saw that passion and excitement in him as a 9 year old that I remember myself having. As a Dad it was brilliant and lovely to see.

I think you can tell where this is going...but my 9 year old lad has now lost all motivation, drive and passion associated with supporting Town. His favorite players that he had a connection with have gone. The likes of Shaun Pearson and Disley who generated an excitement in the team and more importantly the local community have left and taken that spirit with them. There journeymen brought in who don't care have damaged that spirit and passion and the clowns in charge from Slade through to the board are responsible. My 9 year old lad recognises this. 9 years old!!! He woke up this morning asking if Slade had been sacked and who we'd sold. He has a bitterness towards supporting this club already and lost that excitement of being a Town fan. At 9 years old this is unacceptable and this poisonous atmosphere and feeling around the club is driving people away. The club have lost out of £40 a game with us both hardly ever attending because neither of us can face another miserable afternoon at Blundell Park. We live round the corner from Bradley and are actually thinking of watching Clee Town or Grimsby Borough so that we can start enjoying watching football again.

I really hope someone reads this and the management and board are aware of how the fans are feeling. I know we can't be the only ones feeling like this, but this is the sorry direction the club is heading. Sorry for the rant, but I'm bloody fed up!

Hi Dave

This is so sad but so understandable and unfortunately being heard more and more.

Mr Fenty classes the board as custodians of the club, which is fair enough. But the current custodians can clearly be seen to be killing the club in the short term by their inaction or unwillingness to change the direction that this season is going ie downhill fast. If they cannot see we are now in a relegation battle then god help us all. And in a relegation battle, the one thing you don’t do is employ people who have no vested interest in the long term. There will be expectations eg out of contract at end of season so maybe playing for perm deal, or local lad ie Vernam, but in the main loanees are not the type of player that is needed in the trenches, in effect, they don’t really care as much as players who have been in and around the fans for a period of time and therefore have a connection with the club and the fan base. I appreciate that we have got rid of most of those, but Macca has been here for years, and a number are in their second season with the club so will have some sort of affinity with GTFC. What you also don’t do in a relegation battle, as custodians of the club, is sell your top scorer and one if not the best player we have. He probably wanted to go, and I think most fans would understand that, but you don’t let him go now, you request (or insist if necessary) that he stays and helps us get out of the current situation with a promise of letting him move on in the summer, when we have a chance to replace him (but not with a short term loan).

Any how, back to the point, the so called custodians are now being seen to drive away the future fans of the club. This takes things to a different level and moves them from being custodians to destroyers. So many are saying that they are not going back, not renewing season tickets, their family (sons, daughters, fathers and grandfathers for god sake) not wanting to go anymore. If things change soon (and I am talking about management and/or ownership and of course results) then some of those may come back, but people quickly get other habits, other hobbies and other things to do with their weekends and before you know it we will have lost not only a large section of the current generation of fans, but an even larger section of future generations.

These are not the actions of custodians Mr Fenty.

I am not sure how often Mr Fenty comes and looks on here but we all know Sonik does on a regular basis, including last night and tonight. So I would ask 2 things, firstly, Dave, please send this message directly to John Fenty, whether that be by PM on here or send it on email to him. I don’t know Mr Fenty’s email address, but the recent statement advertises Stephen Marley as stephen@gtfc.co.uk so I am assuming that it is easy to work out the one that will get straight to the top (although if anyone knows different please feel free to point out I am wrong).

The second thing is a plea to Sonik. Please, please, please show this to John, and all the other stories about people not renewing their season ticket. I appreciate that there are some people on here who use language and phrases that do not create a reasoned arguement and due to this are likely to be ignored as they are ‘vile’ but there are many who speak from the heart, speak with true and genuine emotion and speak the genuine feelings of what is now a large majority of the fan base, no longer just the fishy 5, no longer a few who ‘bully’ the majority. Show John what is happening as everything we are seeing and hearing indicates to me (and I suspect most of us) is that he just doesn’t get it. I hope that is right, because then he maybe able to change something, if he does get it, then the actions or lack of, indicate someone who is not fit to be a custodian of our once great club (I initially just wrote great club but it doesn’t feel like that anymore and once great club seemed more appropriate).

I believe that all your family are Town fans, so please show your brother what is happening and how deep routed this is. At the moment he is the only one who can do anything about it, and if nothing changes then the custodian of the club, will also be the death of it.

I apologise to all fishy readers about the length of this post. Hopefully I won’t be doing it again.

Posh Harry

UTFM