Time to modernise?

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dj johnny b
Posts: 57
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:04 am

Following the discussion in the latter part of the Time to Change thread, I wonder, and I just put this out there, if it's time to drag ourselves into the 21st century.
I've always thought of our club as somewhat old fashioned, traditional, solid, representing the local area kind of club (and I mean all that in a positive way).
But, at the same time, I've often found things frustratingly backward looking, opaque, resistant to change and more than a little secretive in an unnecessary way. Examples range from general news from the club (over the last 5+ years the Forum has become the place to 'learn' things), player news (The Recent Mysterious Disappearances of Romain and Fejiri for example) to more broad things about how the club is run, which consortium is doing what (all of that was mired in confusion and maybe still is).
Then that last thread. We desperately need to attract younger supporters/families/people from diverse backgrounds who are going to stay supporters, not those referred to as idiots who'll be gone soon enough one hopes.I suspect the age profile of our support is pretty, shall we say, advanced (and I include myself in this group). That's unsustainable.
So (and I am almost thinking out aloud, bear with me) should we do things differently and bring ourselves more up to date. I see signs at the club over the last 6 months that this beginning to happen - the GH Appreciation thread is testament to success there. But how about the rest of us on the terraces and in the seats and the Supporters Club - how can we assist as we are all on the same side? Cease the Moaning!!
Diggerthedog
Posts: 3893
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 6:08 pm

The time to modernise was when we was the height of success but we failed miserably. We should have stopped being the little pub side from Essex and became more than that. In the year we were promoted to league one we turned over a similar amount to Brentford.
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ARNU
Posts: 3746
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 4:43 pm

!

DTD is right about lg1. We even went to Wembley expecting a piss up and a loss. How the board reacted to promotion on the pitch was pretty poor. Should have given Bennie a few quid to see out the season and not given it to some of the wasters still bought in. Akinde, Marvin Morgan, Phil awful and many more. The club directors had no ambition other than being a pub team. I long ran out of breathe moaning about it. I think you just got to take it as it is...... something to amuse you on a Saturday and quickly forget about 10 mins after final whistle.
Bollix to Shampoo, it's real poo we want !
DI Mike Dashwood
Posts: 641
Joined: Thu Nov 28, 2013 7:56 pm

Does the Club need to mordernise?? In my opinion, yes. Should the club continue to maintain it's traditional values and feel?? In my opinion yes.

And that is where there is a fine balance to be struck which is quite complex and difficult. A lot of my mates who come to games now and then (and who normally go to West Ham or Spurs) or those who attend the Sponsored Matches we do, like the fact the club is a bit old fashioned. They comment on the homely feel, the fact members of the Board/Committee know who the supporters are, or that John Still and his staff will pop into the bar after the game for a beer. All of that is in itself the Club's USP. That needs to be continued and needs to be promoted and enhanced further.

However, in other ways I think the club needs to modernise and improve. I am not into social media, but it appears this side of things is poor from the club (maybe others can comment on this). The website is not the best (I think the match reports and other news articles are poorly written). The club's communication on some issues is poor (the takeover and injuries are two things poorly communicated as the OP mentions). I would generally say the club don't use the media or their own communication channels very well.

I think though over the last 8 or 9 years the club has done a lot to modernise which maybe we have taken for granted. An impressive new stand has been built. The bar and hospitality boxes have been refurbished/modernised. The matchday hospitality has moved from a buffet/pub style affair to one hosting sit down meals, but maintaining it's homely feel. A new ticketing system has been put in place. The shop and ticket office have increased their opening hours. Ticket prices have been reviewed and made better value for families (although I feel more can be done). So it would be wrong in my view to say the club hasn't done a lot to modernise already in recent times.

A lot of ideas that people put forward for modernising are good and relevant, but in many cases they require initial outlay in either personnel or infrastructure and that can be risky for a club of our size. Lots of clubs have tried modern things and are considered progressive, but for every Burton or Fleetwood there is a Rushden and Diamonds.

That's not to say everything needs outlay. I think ticketing for youngsters can be worked on further, communication can be improved, and further enhancements to the pre match experience in the bars would be welcome. The club is in an awkward area though. I would estimate a large percentage of the local population either don't watch football in the flesh at all, or if they do are not interested in football at our level. Even moving further out to where a lot of ex Dagenham residents live, I would say a lot of people have there allegiances with a club higher up the structure which means they are not interested in following a club like ours. Attendance wise I remember when a four figure crowd was cause for excitement, so even though we may not think it, we are probably doing well to be getting 1,300-1,500 most weeks (that's not to say we shouldn't be ambitious and try to improve this further).

Just be careful what you wish for though is all I would warn!!!
SUSSEX DAGGER
Posts: 2619
Joined: Sun Oct 20, 2013 2:47 am

Great post again Mike. We cant lose sight of what we are tho
and altho i take arnu point about our season in league one we came very close to puliing off what must have been our aim .That was another season when we lost massive plsyers at the wrong time. Awfull was brought in remember when Abu Ogogo was injured for about a dozen games, he wss a massive player then for us then and after . The Club nosedived after he left.

That was the bigger disappointmentc to me was the way we fell the year after league one after making such a good fist of it.

Think there will be massive changes in football anyhoe from the top to the bottom. European super league is coming if not a World one, plastic pitches are a cert and in order to survive even at our level changes are a must
Daggernewbie
Posts: 852
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2016 10:37 pm

SUSSEX DAGGER wrote:Great post again Mike. We cant lose sight of what we are tho
and altho i take arnu point about our season in league one we came very close to puliing off what must have been our aim .That was another season when we lost massive plsyers at the wrong time. Awfull was brought in remember when Abu Ogogo was injured for about a dozen games, he wss a massive player then for us then and after . The Club nosedived after he left.

That was the bigger disappointmentc to me was the way we fell the year after league one after making such a good fist of it.

Think there will be massive changes in football anyhoe from the top to the bottom. European super league is coming if not a World one, plastic pitches are a cert and in order to survive even at our level changes are a must
You have mention the subject of plastic pitches just a little heads up spoke to Paul Gwinn at Grays few weeks back and asked about 3G pitches he said that if league 1 & 2 allow them the club more than likely will install one as they do earn money as well as save money.We just have to wait and see how the vote goes at the end of the season.
NBDag
Posts: 1227
Joined: Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:22 pm

I think that the club needs to raise its profile more than modernise. Although lots of fans/staff may still have and enjoy this pub team from Essex mentality, I'd expect that this will all change with Glyn at the helm as he will thankfully bring change to the club mentality. In terms of modernisation though, I don't see what tangible things need changing apart from that pesky lack of roofing over the Bury Road end! :lol:

What I want to see change, which I suppose could be seen as modernisation depending on your perspective, is us trying to raise our profile. The originial post rightly points out that the majority of our fans are going to be dripping piss in a few years, and that right now is what will be the downfall of our club. We took a good step towards solving it when we brought in a commercial manager, but more needs to be done to attract new younger fans. Which even we can help with by getting your kid and their mates coming whenever they can. Kids will happily spend their Saturdays watching Coundown as long as its with their mates and away from their parents, so I'm sure they would love watching football at an arms length away from the pitch. Raise our profile so that more fans born in the 21st century realise we exist and attend, then I'm sure the club will move that way too.
NickMurphy
Posts: 538
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 6:37 pm

It's simple.

Stick a jukebox in the clubhouse.

Sit back and watch the punters come.

Promotion follows.
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