That was a decade ago. The point is you need to be contending to keep people interested....as all the teams you mentioned are. Perhaps that's why Lewes v Worthing pulled in more spectators (and sold out) than Crawley v Scunthorpe. Come to think of it didn't Littlehampton v North Shields in the Vase get more?
Whats the problem with JCL's? Isnt that exactly what happened in the vase at Littlehampton? Surely its those Tom Dick Harry and JCL's we need to eventually convert some into STH to grow the fan base.
Very true George... only it leaves me rather conflicted, as a recent-ish resident of LA...!
Depends how much longer the current owners fancy chucking a million a year at going nowhere. The honeymoon dreams of the Championship in 8-10 years are gone, and the "Crawley family" broadcasts of Mr Eren have long stopped. I wonder what the ambitions of the club are these days? The owners certainly haven't let us down but standing still can easily become stagnation.
Personally I think the club could do more with what it has. For example organising the youth side so it isn't just a bloated first team squad of players who never play competitive football or get loaned to East Grinstead.
Is your middle name gullible by any chance? Seriously did you think the club was going into the Championship? Are you for real?
Well we've been in the top spots in League One before. Simon is most certainly for real. All he's doing is referring to the owners' plans when they took over, referring to them as "honeymoon dreams", so I'd say he's actually of the same opinion as you.
It's good to have ambitions. Why not aim for the championship?
I was thinking about our owner the other day and what he could do to improve the club and, like everyone else, I went down the rabbit hole of spending other people's money for my gain. When I popped back to reality I came to the conclusion that Ziya Eren has done very well by this club. He may not have had the success he (and we) would want but his commitment isn't in doubt. Saying that, there are always people looking to buy and some are even serious but let's not knock what Ziya has done.
As for the game. Getting anything from the game with that line up would have been a amazing. The injuries we had to contend with were shocking. Great plans, team shape disappear and just putting a side out becomes result. Can we blame Yems? To an extent. He is in charge of the backroom staff and something is going wrong with our fitness department. It obviously needs changing somehow but as to how is for those who know what is going on.
With all that said, some of the defending, as a team, was terrible.
It's good to have ambitions. Why not aim for the championship?
I was thinking about our owner the other day and what he could do to improve the club and, like everyone else, I went down the rabbit hole of spending other people's money for my gain. When I popped back to reality I came to the conclusion that Ziya Eren has done very well by this club. He may not have had the success he (and we) would want but his commitment isn't in doubt. Saying that, there are always people looking to buy and some are even serious but let's not knock what Ziya has done.
As for the game. Getting anything from the game with that line up would have been a amazing. The injuries we had to contend with were shocking. Great plans, team shape disappear and just putting a side out becomes result. Can we blame Yems? To an extent. He is in charge of the backroom staff and something is going wrong with our fitness department. It obviously needs changing somehow but as to how is for those who know what is going on.
With all that said, some of the defending, as a team, was terrible.
Jim Baker
It would indeed be fantastic if we were to reach the Championship, however it is important that there is an element of sustainability involved in trying to get there. Chucking loads of money on players wages might temporarily lead to success but if you haven't got the funds to be able to cover that it could be fatal when it starts to go wrong (like what's happened with Derby and potentially Chelsea). Also, in fairness to Ziya Eren I'd say the club is in a better state now than it was a few years ago when we had a very poor squad, some bad managers and a ludicrous transfer strategy that nearly took us out of the league a couple of times.
If we'd got a point out of that game on Saturday it would have been miraculous seeing how many things went wrong that were out of our control, as you said you just can't plan your tactics, shape etc. effectively when all your defenders start dropping like flies, it basically just becomes a case of trying to survive. I'm sure, and I'd hope, Yems will spend a lot of the off season working on how to plan the training sessions and programmes so players don't get injured quite as much next term. Investing a bit more in the fitness and medical department I think will be hugely beneficial
It's good to have ambitions. Why not aim for the championship?
I was thinking about our owner the other day and what he could do to improve the club and, like everyone else, I went down the rabbit hole of spending other people's money for my gain. When I popped back to reality I came to the conclusion that Ziya Eren has done very well by this club. He may not have had the success he (and we) would want but his commitment isn't in doubt. Saying that, there are always people looking to buy and some are even serious but let's not knock what Ziya has done.
As for the game. Getting anything from the game with that line up would have been a amazing. The injuries we had to contend with were shocking. Great plans, team shape disappear and just putting a side out becomes result. Can we blame Yems? To an extent. He is in charge of the backroom staff and something is going wrong with our fitness department. It obviously needs changing somehow but as to how is for those who know what is going on.
With all that said, some of the defending, as a team, was terrible.
Jim Baker
It would indeed be fantastic if we were to reach the Championship, however it is important that there is an element of sustainability involved in trying to get there. Chucking loads of money on players wages might temporarily lead to success but if you haven't got the funds to be able to cover that it could be fatal when it starts to go wrong (like what's happened with Derby and potentially Chelsea). Also, in fairness to Ziya Eren I'd say the club is in a better state now than it was a few years ago when we had a very poor squad, some bad managers and a ludicrous transfer strategy that nearly took us out of the league a couple of times.
If we'd got a point out of that game on Saturday it would have been miraculous seeing how many things went wrong that were out of our control, as you said you just can't plan your tactics, shape etc. effectively when all your defenders start dropping like flies, it basically just becomes a case of trying to survive. I'm sure, and I'd hope, Yems will spend a lot of the off season working on how to plan the training sessions and programmes so players don't get injured quite as much next term. Investing a bit more in the fitness and medical department I think will be hugely beneficial
Burton made it to the Championship and at the time their support base wasn't much bigger that ours. Also Ben Robinson didn't break the bank trying to do it.
I imagine JY might also be thinking that it would be better to have a squad of say 24/25 players than can provide cover, rather than a squad of 40 half of which will only get near the first team if they were carrying the half time oranges. For example why did we bring Bansal-McNulty back from QPR on loan again? Minutes played since he returned = 0.
If we look at clubs of a similar size to ours that have been in the championship in the last 10 years Yeovil, Burton and Wycombe would be the obvious choices. Yeovil are now in non league and Burton are mid table in League One. Wycombe are again going for promotion to the Championship. Yeovil lasted one season, Burton struggle greatly 2 or 3 seasons before succumbing to relegation and Wycombe were narrowly relegated from the Championship in their first season at that level. Getting into the Championship is hard and staying their is harder, but it can be done. Not saying we’ll get there anytime soon of course…
It would indeed be fantastic if we were to reach the Championship, however it is important that there is an element of sustainability involved in trying to get there. Chucking loads of money on players wages might temporarily lead to success but if you haven't got the funds to be able to cover that it could be fatal when it starts to go wrong (like what's happened with Derby and potentially Chelsea). Also, in fairness to Ziya Eren I'd say the club is in a better state now than it was a few years ago when we had a very poor squad, some bad managers and a ludicrous transfer strategy that nearly took us out of the league a couple of times.
If we'd got a point out of that game on Saturday it would have been miraculous seeing how many things went wrong that were out of our control, as you said you just can't plan your tactics, shape etc. effectively when all your defenders start dropping like flies, it basically just becomes a case of trying to survive. I'm sure, and I'd hope, Yems will spend a lot of the off season working on how to plan the training sessions and programmes so players don't get injured quite as much next term. Investing a bit more in the fitness and medical department I think will be hugely beneficial
Burton made it to the Championship and at the time their support base wasn't much bigger that ours. Also Ben Robinson didn't break the bank trying to do it.
I imagine JY might also be thinking that it would be better to have a squad of say 24/25 players than can provide cover, rather than a squad of 40 half of which will only get near the first team if they were carrying the half time oranges. For example why did we bring Bansal-McNulty back from QPR on loan again? Minutes played since he returned = 0.
I think most of the fans, as well as Yems and the coaching staff, would indeed like to see the squad trimmed to a more reasonable number (like those you mentioned) in order to give us the best possible chance of getting those 3 or 4 guys needed to help make us a major force to be reckoned with in this division, as those will come with higher individual salaries than the ones that don't play at all and are unlikely to in the future.
Burton is indeed a decent example, and Morecambe managed to achieve promotion last season despite having a budget and fan base that was arguably even smaller than ours currently, which is why I am trying to be optimistic that a similar thing will happen to us soon if the right decisions are made
That was a decade ago. The point is you need to be contending to keep people interested....as all the teams you mentioned are. Perhaps that's why Lewes v Worthing pulled in more spectators (and sold out) than Crawley v Scunthorpe. Come to think of it didn't Littlehampton v North Shields in the Vase get more?
Whats the problem with JCL's? Isnt that exactly what happened in the vase at Littlehampton? Surely its those Tom Dick Harry and JCL's we need to eventually convert some into STH to grow the fan base.
One thing you can say about JCLs - at least they turn up to support Crawley now.
Is your middle name gullible by any chance? Seriously did you think the club was going into the Championship? Are you for real?
Well we've been in the top spots in League One before. Simon is most certainly for real. All he's doing is referring to the owners' plans when they took over, referring to them as "honeymoon dreams", so I'd say he's actually of the same opinion as you.
But what’s the point of keeping on bringing up a statement by the owner from many years ago unless it’s to portray the owner as somehow untrustworthy and unreliable? And how fair is that directed against someone who has poured millions into keeping the club going and still does?
I remember the statement at the time as being a long-term aspiration of a best-case scenario outcome, not a promise written in blood on the middle of the Broadfield pitch.
What may have changed in the interim we should ask?
Well for starters, the whole world has had to reappraise its goals given two years of a once in a century economic disaster. We are coming out of that and now we face a possible global recession occasioned by war and the collapse of China’s zero Covid strategy.
A bit too above Crawley’s level all that? Well our owner is an international businessman affected by global markets. It won’t be for him.
But OK let’s look closer at football trends. We are told something is wrong at the club if we don’t make that big leap towards promotion despite our small stadium and small turnover etc — because of Burton Albion getting promoted from our level 8 years ago. But the problem is Burton remains the infrequent, outlier scenario, for every Burton Albion, how many Macclesfields, Burys, Darlingtons, Chesters are there? Many more.
Yet despite that we are told regular Football League status is not enough and something is wrong? It’s not true. While our home gates are not growing, they are stable and that’s a big deal in economically troubled times. Our away fan base is growing and is the best good antidote to the hapazard negativity you get on this messageboard.
I say less gloomy posts, more getting off backsides along to Sutton next month. That’s where you will see the progress we have made in recent years in growing a much stronger, more committed fan base
I have always acknowledged Eren's contribution, even in this thread. I would much rather have his model than the Hayward era where at one pointcwe were losing £6,500 a day. However I think his team would acknowledge they were very naive when they started.
And it isn't just Burton 8 years ago is it? Try Morecambe last season, they had a smaller set up than us. Accrington Stanley. Cheltenham.
My point was basically the club needs to keep reinventing itself. For example even with a small match day base there is no reason why the club couldn't have a successful youth set up, pulling in kids from the local area.
Enjoy Sutton, I don't know what it will show, but I doubt there will be more than for the 5-2 win at AFCW which was a high point for away support.
Come to think of it didn't Littlehampton v North Shields in the Vase get more?
2245 The Marigolds in the FA Vase semi-final really has the place buzzing (or possibly it is a defibrilator).
Here at JCL-Glory Hunter Central, latest news is that The Golds semi-final opponents are a bunch of students from Loughborough - haven't we just signed one of their ilk...(?) - blimey, talk about a culture clash...!
Serious question: Would Crawley be getting bigger crowds if we were in a bona-fide relegation scrap...?
Interesting question that. We get so much moaning that the season is "over" when we lose two in a row in November, with comments about "mid-table mediocrity as usual", but if the alternative is relegation then I know what I'd prefer. But if we were fighting relegation? Firstly I think the results that see us down there in thefirst place - be it a struggle from the start, or a sudden plummet - would see the home gates fall.
It's then a case of once we're in that scrap, will the six-pointers that come along or big matches at the end of the season attract people back? Don't forget that we had virtually a sell-out for Coventry on the final day in 2014/15? So should a similar scenarion occur in League Two, would fighting to save our Football League status capture the imagination? Would floating/occasional fans care? Would it be a big enough match for them? And that's the thing, it would need to go from a situation whereby we keep losing so people stop going, to the realisation that because of where we are, the matches take on greater importance, and would that bring fans back...
2245 The Marigolds in the FA Vase semi-final really has the place buzzing (or possibly it is a defibrilator).
Here at JCL-Glory Hunter Central, latest news is that The Golds semi-final opponents are a bunch of students from Loughborough - haven't we just signed one of their ilk...(?) - blimey, talk about a culture clash...!
Serious question: Would Crawley be getting bigger crowds if we were in a bona-fide relegation scrap...?
Possibly Thad, as competitive games attract more support than dead rubbers, so to speak.
Also a greater level of positivity from within the club. Yems after match interviews are all the same (blame injuries/referee etc) and the Crawley family messages from Eren are long since gone.