DB9
Very well known Exeweb poster
It has been years since i was at the C&F, The improvements I've seen are mainly in the background when we have videos up of interviewing new players, Showing training etc and it is better and the new plans revealed a few months back look exciting and would improve things so much, I'm not saying to scale back that, We do need that, My own thinking is that because of our trust model we have had to move slowly purely because we didn't have the finances, Had awful credit with people and it took nearly 20 yrs to get where we are, That was not a dig, That was because of what went on before etc My view on concentrating on the playing side is that i now believe we are a club that looks up instead of over our shoulder but to continue that, Get promoted and stay there, The team needs to be improved to an extent that when players come to see the club when thinking about signing they see the players we have are there to keep us in L1 comfortably, facilities are good (Which they are) and the plans to improve them, Its called selling the club to players. PS Pete, This is no slight on the club/Trust etc, It is light years ahead of what it once was."Our Academy has produced millions in talented youngsters who the club have benefitted in but we still are where we are on the pitch, Which is L2, Off the field we are unrecognisible to what we were, A really good looking stadium, A training ground that has plans to vastly improve things there, A Social Media platform that is so good and during lockdown has been a real lifeline between the club and fans, we need now to concentrate of the playing side but how do we do this. The improvements off the field have really taken the whole time the Trust has been in charge, nearly 20 years".
An interesting assessment, which is both measured and rational. A few comments if I may?
You are correct in saying that off pitch improvements have been notable, but then you go on to suggest that there has been no concentration on the playing side. I beg to differ.
When the Trust took over, in September 2003, pretty well everything at the club was a shambles in the wake of the Rusell & Lewis tenure. We were in the Conference (National League a now is) and it took five years and x3 managerial appointments to get us out of it. Eventually, we did get out and, within just one season, had progressed to League One, at one point being on the verge of the L1 playoffs. We stayed there for 3 years. Because of our elevation we began to attract more attention and could not hang on to many of the players that had got us out of the Conference (including our current manager).
Now, the argument is that we are having to part with players, from our academy in particular, that could get us promoted. As has been said by others, not as quickly nor as readily as was once the case. Promotion, as was shown, brings it's own challenges, not least of all head hunting by clubs even higher up the pyramid with a stash of cash. We will lose players regardless. Then they have to be replaced and their replacements will cost.
You also seem to suggest that improvements on the non-playing side should now be scaled back to shift more resources to the playing side to retain academy graduates and recruit better generally. Fair comment. However, I don't know how long ago you were last at the training ground but, yes, the improvements have been significant, but, the buildings still date from 1974 and are crumbling, costing significant sums to be maintained. Then there are the portakabins. Yes, the synthetic pitch looks great, the training pitches better than ever, but imagine a prospective player arriving at the Cliff Hill and seeing and entering the sub standard buildings that are barely fit for purpose. Yes, to a degree it's aesthetics but, unfortunately, it will put some players that have no knowledge of our history, off. The club/Trust is trying to rectify that and not everything can be done at once.
Yes nearly 10 years and we're still in L2 but many elements of the club are so much better, including the level of professionalism. I started watching City 55 years ago and, frankly, we went nowhere on, or off, the pitch for darned nigh 37 of those years.
Yes, it's frustrating, bloody frustrating, but hang on in there. The best is yet to come!
I said in the OP this was about opinions/views and there would be loads and I'm glad they are being shown on here, Whether we all agree or not, We do all want whats best for ECFC and also i hope it moves from the Transfer Rumour Thread to here so it can be discussed and Hants won't be saying on the other thread "Stay on Topic"
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