We've come a long way - any views on next steps

[Alan Crockford]

Over the past few months, we have seen the following key changes at ECFC, all of which I, personally, have welcomed with varying degrees of regret that the situation 'had come to this...'

1) Departure of Club chairman

2) Departure of Club chief executive

3) Departure of Club secretary and Trust director on club board; and

4) Departure of Club captain (as a result of online abuse of a fan)

In addition, there has been:

5) A commitment to rebalance the ECFC board so that half of the club directors are Trustees and thus directly accountable to the supporters through the Trust.

6) Today has seen a U-turn on the increased ticket prices which have upset so many people and played a part in reduced attendances.

7) We ought to acknowledge that there's also the opportunity for us to stand for, and vote in, elections to play a part in leading the Trust forwards.

It's a pretty radical series of events and, frankly, an immense demonstration of the 'fan power' that we hold.

May I ask what people wish to see next?

It seems to me that the club's academy is running nicely and I have little faith in our commercial offer being anything other than an interesting sideline, so for me it's just about getting the turnstiles clicking, winning some games and rebuilding trust by enabling the supporters to play their part through the Trust. (I believe the Trust and Club have AT LAST got the message on the final point.)

Any other views, tiptoeing or not around the cravat wearing elephant in the room?

 

[Grecian_Jay]

No one cares anymore. When Tisdale goes we suddenly have an extra 2000 on the gate, that should be incentive enough.

 

[globegrecian]

Well Exeweb only represents a minority of Exeter City fans, and us posters all are moaners and anti-Tisdale and are viewed with contempt by the great majority, who consider us to be an embarrassment to the club.

Or so we are told.

Yet without Exeweb Captain 'Donkey' Coles would probably - almost certainly - still be here and the extortionate POTG ticket prices would still apply. Not bad for a small bunch of moaners...

I afraid it's the style of football that remains the problem. Far too slow, negative, defensive and frankly boring. Tisdale can change that if he so wishes and we would then stand a chance of winning back some of the 3,000 we have lost since 2011 (never mind the 20,000 who went to Wembley). But will he? Personally, I think not.

 

[Alan Crockford]

GJ: I'm not sure on the 'unpopular manager leaves and fans flock back to watch the team under new management' thing. Of course, if wins start to come, they would. But it wouldn't take long for the new guy to be tarred with 'different wardrobe, same crap football' or similar. But you're a single issue man, Jay, would you say? It's ALL about Tis... (genuine question)

Globe: Style of football, oddly, hasn't been addressed has it? Why the flip not?

PS: I actually have shedloads of work to do, so I'd better sign off. Exeweb displacement activity cost me much of my thirties, and I need to get my career moving if I'm ever to be rich enough to build the dream new Grandstand for you lot to abuse the manager from

 

[Barum]

Over the past few months, we have seen the following key changes at ECFC, all of which I, personally, have welcomed with varying degrees of regret that the situation 'had come to this...'

1) Departure of Club chairman

2) Departure of Club chief executive

3) Departure of Club secretary and Trust director on club board; and

4) Departure of Club captain (as a result of online abuse of a fan)

In addition, there has been:

5) A commitment to rebalance the ECFC board so that half of the club directors are Trustees and thus directly accountable to the supporters through the Trust.

6) Today has seen a U-turn on the increased ticket prices which have upset so many people and played a part in reduced attendances.

7) We ought to acknowledge that there's also the opportunity for us to stand for, and vote in, elections to play a part in leading the Trust forwards.

It's a pretty radical series of events and, frankly, an immense demonstration of the 'fan power' that we hold.

May I ask what people wish to see next?

It seems to me that the club's academy is running nicely and I have little faith in our commercial offer being anything other than an interesting sideline, so for me it's just about getting the turnstiles clicking, winning some games and rebuilding trust by enabling the supporters to play their part through the Trust. (I believe the Trust and Club have AT LAST got the message on the final point.)

Any other views, tiptoeing or not around the cravat wearing elephant in the room?

Yep, come a long way.

Bottom of the league, crowds plummeting, finances dire, no investment from outside the club & the catalyst for this still manager.

Great thing progress isn't it?

 

[Terryhall]

Yep, come a long way.

Bottom of the league, crowds plummeting, finances dire, no investment from outside the club & the catalyst for this still manager.

Great thing progress isn't it?

Who stole the jam out of your doughnut then?

Bottom of the league - yes and I don't think anyone is particularly pleased about that.
Crowds dropping - yes, but the new TB has already pressed the club into changing the pricing to attempt to address this - lets see what Saturday brings
No investment from outside the club - except of course for all the money from the Trust, 1931 Fund, etc.
Catalyst for this still manager - and the catalyst for changing the manager (or getting him back to doing what he did 5 years ago) could yet prove to be the new set up behind the scenes.

Would you have preferred that none of these recent changes had happened? I guess if nothing else, that would make it much easier for you to moan and complain that nothing is being done.

 

[Grecian_Jay]

GJ: I'm not sure on the 'unpopular manager leaves and fans flock back to watch the team under new management' thing. Of course, if wins start to come, they would. But it wouldn't take long for the new guy to be tarred with 'different wardrobe, same crap football' or similar. But you're a single issue man, Jay, would you say? It's ALL about Tis... (genuine question)

Globe: Style of football, oddly, hasn't been addressed has it? Why the flip not?

PS: I actually have shedloads of work to do, so I'd better sign off. Exeweb displacement activity cost me much of my thirties, and I need to get my career moving if I'm ever to be rich enough to build the dream new Grandstand for you lot to abuse the manager from

Well Al, I am by far from a single issue man. We have a lot more problems than just Tisdale. However Tisdale is definitely the biggest problem. I know you're a glass half full kind of guy which is fine. However I would say that if Tisdale left tomorrow then on Saturday we would have a much larger crowd.

I supported City relentlessly throughoyut the Fox, Blake, McNabm Corny eras and hardly missed a home game through all of that and up until 3 years ago. So I have no problem with a new crap manager coming in. All I want is one who will at least try and win a football match and one who doesn't whine to the press at every opportunity about finances.

A new manager comes in with fresh ideas and a positive outlook then he will get my (and most other people's) full support. Everything is stale here and that comes from Tisdale. Do I want to read the paper at the start of a season and read "it's going to be a long, hard season which we'll struggle" or "being bottom of the league is fine as that's where we've always been".

I want someone to come in (there are plenty out there before that crap starts) and come out and say that yes we're not the biggest, wealthiest club in the league, however we will give it a bloody good go and see how it goes. Just having someone who understands that positive football brings in more fans which brings in more money. Pretty simple really. This manager needs to be in charge of the football and nothing else, Tisdale runs the whole club.

 

[Moomin Grecian]

Well Al, I am by far from a single issue man. We have a lot more problems than just Tisdale. However Tisdale is definitely the biggest problem. I know you're a glass half full kind of guy which is fine. However I would say that if Tisdale left tomorrow then on Saturday we would have a much larger crowd.

I supported City relentlessly throughoyut the Fox, Blake, McNabm Corny eras and hardly missed a home game through all of that and up until 3 years ago. So I have no problem with a new crap manager coming in. All I want is one who will at least try and win a football match and one who doesn't whine to the press at every opportunity about finances.

A new manager comes in with fresh ideas and a positive outlook then he will get my (and most other people's) full support. Everything is stale here and that comes from Tisdale. Do I want to read the paper at the start of a season and read "it's going to be a long, hard season which we'll struggle" or "being bottom of the league is fine as that's where we've always been".

I want someone to come in (there are plenty out there before that crap starts) and come out and say that yes we're not the biggest, wealthiest club in the league, however we will give it a bloody good go and see how it goes. Just having someone who understands that positive football brings in more fans which brings in more money. Pretty simple really. This manager needs to be in charge of the football and nothing else, Tisdale runs the whole club.

Pretty much my thoughts too. Initially, a new manager coming in with no connections to the current set up and should that manager say the right things and get us playing a more attacking brand of football, we'd see an upturn in attendances for sure.

Longer term we need to get the likes of tagg and Perryman out and actually have a chairman and ceo that know how to run a small L2 football club. Easier said than done, sadly.

 

[Edward]

Tisdale runs the whole club.

It is quite easy to mistype ‘run’ and find yourself with ‘ruin’. Tisdale has certainly run the club: he is also well on the way to ruining the club and some urgent action is required even given the changes that have occurred over the past few months. It is very easy to argue that Tisdale been protected by Perryman and an incompetent club board that would much prefer it wasn’t placed under any scrutiny at all.

Harsh? Well every time the club board displays any of its workings, it highlights its incompetence. Leaving aside the farce of redevelopment, the volte face on the ticket pricing demonstrates that the board were ignorant, either because they thought it was acceptable or, worse, they chose to allow him to operate without any supervision. It is hard to see how they have any credibility left and the Trust should have the confidence to demand far more from those entrusted to run the club. It should flex its muscles and follow my plan for the composition of the new board and wave goodbye to the current non-exec directors who have failed miserably. Mind you, their recentl announced plan for an 8-person board comprising, presumably, seven non-execs plus Tagg, is an absurd set-up for a loss-making £3m t/o business.

Right now, somebody, somehow has to galvanise the fan base and the wider community to ensure the financial position of the club does not worsen (because that would mean administration and a very uncertain future). It is hard to see how Tagg and Tisdale can perform this task. They are tarnished by their public bleatings over the past few years, always bemoaning the almost impossible circumstances under which they supposedly work. They are too dim, vain or arrogant to recognise that the club’s predicament is entirely due to their own incompetence.

Against that backdrop, a new manager and a new CEO, along with a charismatic Chairman, should be appointed and the Trust should understand that the club won’t collapse if Tisdale and Tagg are no longer presiding over things. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, Old Codger’s suggestion that Tisdale is placed on gardening leave, earning a salary until he is employed elsewhere, might actually be financially beneficial to the club although I cannot believe there aren’t other ways to negotiate an outcome to the contractual mess created by, oh yes, pretty much the same board that has 'directed' other disasters.

The club really is very naive if it thinks that a small change to the POTG ticket prices will solve the current problems. Talented people solve problems and the people making the decisions at the club have demonstrated their inability to get the job done. Shareholders usually demand their replacement: the Trust should. Plenty of support would emerge if a positive new team, promoting an entirely different culture, was installed at SJP along with a manager who understood how the media could make his life a lot easier (by promoting the club and bolstering the budget). And that support wouldn’t be limited to higher attendances; the business community would respond too if approached by somebody other than a convicted drunk driver. Do things properly and good things happen.

 

[PeteUSA]

An excellent accurate post Edward.

Its gone 2.00 am here in Arizona, so I've got to turn in; my hot water bottle will be freezing! Nice job though; I just wish you had the finances to take the club over.