I'm sorry to have to say this, but as supporters who broke their backs to raise 64k and we're still behind ....

Hobbins out !!

Fair play to the players. It is a hard time for the club but like it says contracts have been broken and they have all stayed and been brilliant.

I cant see how that money was raised and money is still owd.???

I dnt believe this is the 1st time that this has happened and it needs to get sorted otherwise we will loose some quality players and a team in my eyes is as good as any.

Why are we in this crap

1 we have no commercial department at all has he gone? What has he raised this season?
2 the postponements mean no or reduced gate receipts, thats why we are about 7 grand behind. We need 7 grand to get the players upto date and keep essex fc and council fc and co from tapping up our front men or we need to keep them 2 weeks behind until we can raise some money.

Sadly the current commercial manager isnt doing the business , thats if he hasnt p1ssed off.

I'd quite suggest that the club go and hit every shop in welling and sidcup next week with flyers for hoarding, match sponsorship (THIS HAS TO HAPPEN to keep the players contracted as we have no game till braintree) and try and sort next years sponsorship for 20k at the same time and then get on with getting 3 or 4 league teams down for next pre season. Then get a proper commercial department or get the constitution sorted.

I fear if we cant find 7k inside 10 days or fall further behind we could implode.

Theres hundreds of shops in Welling, sidcup, bexleyheath.... hit every last one of them with some opportunities.

-- Edited by JgFc on Saturday 22nd of January 2011 09:40:54 PM

bruno wrote:

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I have received the following statement from the management and players with the request that it be published on the forum.

We, the current squad and management team are aware of the rumours which have circulated and the posts which have been made on the fans forum about the impact of what is probably the most difficult period in the Clubs history on us as a Team.  We have until now remained silent about our position but to prevent further rumours we feel that there needs to be some clarity about our situation.

We, both squad and management, have pulled together at this very difficult time and have a close bond of which we are proud and are very reluctant to have jeopardised.

Though it has been a very testing time for us over the past couple of months we are, and always have been, loyal to and committed to Welling United and its supporters.  This has been one of the major factors in the decision to continue striving for the club and a place in the play offs.

We have experienced problems with the payment of wages and match bonuses since November 2010. Despite what may have been said at one point during this period our wages were 4 weeks behind.

Though we were assured that the wage problem would be resolved by 1 January 2011, at the present time we are still owed one and half weeks wages and there are also bonus payments outstanding.  Regrettably, at times we have been promised payments but those promises have not been fulfilled and there is no clear indication of when the monies owed will be paid.

Whilst we are sympathetic to the clubs current situation regarding fixtures being postponed and the HMRC debt, contracts have been broken and all involved have remained loyal to the club despite interest from other clubs.  Though we are committed to Welling United the current situation has made our personal lives increasingly difficult and cannot continue indefinitely. Should the current position worsen personal circumstances may mean that with great reluctance players would have to seriously consider their future at Welling United.

We remain hopeful that this matter will be resolved as promptly as possible so that we can continue to give 100% for the fans who have also shown great loyalty to both the Club and us at this time.

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 Just another sorry episode in a very, very sorry saga. When will it end?........

When new investors come in and rescue The Hobbins who are just simply sinking.


One thing I will say is that the statement is professional and very well written. We all go to work to earn a living and if you where not getting paid at your job you would not stand for it. This is no different here and I back the players 110%. We have a great squad with so much potential I just hope we can see the seaosn out with this team. 

im just not surprised at all - with the hobbins in charge nothing will ever change until the inevitable where the club is put out of it's misery and goes under

just feel for the players and the poor smucks who loaned their money to the club

Ive said for some weeks now amongst people I talk to at the games, that all the time we are winning then the group will stay together ... but if they arent being paid, and god orrbid we went on a poor run of games, then some might start looking elsewhere ... and once one does, the others might join them and before you know it we have nothing.

More importantly, we are 1.5 weeks behind on the wages, and have no income as no home game for two weeks, so how exactly are we going to pay off the 15k worth of player and management wages due over that period ??

Would be good to hear the owners view on this statement , particularily as ist has come straight from the players and amangement. As has been said we will have little revenue over the next couple of weeks.

The next few days wll be busy on here me thinks.

Two other issues ....

This is likely to increase the amount of interest in our players now as we are effectively advertising to all the other clubs that there are a percentage of our players that would now have to consider their futures elsewhere - reluctantly or otherwise.

Similarly, whatever happens, how the hell can we expect any of the current squad to want to re-sign in the summer, or new players to come to the club, when there are such public notices of the fact promises re: wages etc are not kept.

A mess from top to bottom.

Of late i think we all knew the wages were behind so the public statement does look like a come and get me plea. Pity that the wages are 1 and a half weeks behind now but i think the promises they allude to in the statement are what have annoyed the players.

How much money have we raised commercially since the petition? Surely we should have ramped up all attempts, we dont seem to have done much. I dont think the players think the club is doing anything about the situation, if they were seen to be trying the players may find it easier to keep busting their balls for us all.

Perversely the two called off games v Bromley and Eastleigh would have seen the players upto date.

Cant blame the players at all, theyve been great, just pray they can stick it out for a bit more. I think we will know a lot more in the next two weeks.

Any chance of bringing forward a fixture like bromley did?

Danson Mark wrote:

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They have not said they are going YET however the vultures who were circling already will be joined by others now that Bruv has highlighted it on the Conf South forum.

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 What a daft thing to do, but all the same, Im sure any sensible club chairman or owner at non-league level would be well aware of our plight now anyway.

thats a smokescreen

What money?

Wasnt Townsend heading up a consortium for a club somewhere. Maybe that should be looked at.

Maybe the club could approach him now hes aware we are in the crap still.

Red Merlin wrote:

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J wrote:

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a total mess that wasn't helped by that fcking snow

fact is we won't have a club within a year

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What did you think of the game yesterday J?

 

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wasn't there - only been to a handful of games this season

however have a season ticket so paid my cash and donated lots of money when the club asked for it

therefore i can complain

 

-- Edited by J on Sunday 23rd of January 2011 03:54:46 PM

Difficult though it may be let us try and look at the situation dispassionately.

1. The players and management have said that they want to put to rest the rumours which have been circulating.
2. Crucially they have said that they have a close bond and despite the difficulties they are and always have been loyal and committed.
3. They have said that the opportunity to walk away from the Club has been present but has been rejected.
4. They have said that the situation of not knowing if and when they will be paid cannot continue indefinitely because of the impact this has on them and their commitments as individuals.
5. They remain hopeful that the matter will be resolved as soon as possible.

The crucial facts to me are that a) management and the players have gone public on their position as one which is a true indication of just how tight they are as a Team, b) despite the off field issues no player has 'jumped ship' or 'broken ranks' despite having had the opportunity to do so and c) they remain hopeful that the situation will be resolved.

I believe that, whatever one's views may be about the action that has been taken, the underlying issue is about transparency which is a word which has been bandied around a lot lately in connection with the vision of Welling United's future. Whoever you are reading and hearing public statements that you have been paid up to date when your pocket knows that you have not has to have some impact and the longer it goes on the greater the impact.

Of course the arrears of wages and bonuses will be a concern just as they would be for any of us and this can't be allowed to continue indefinitely.

It is easy to make the assumption that because the statement has been made now when the wages are are one and a half weeks in arrears and at 2 weeks creates a breach of contract that this is a precursor to players departing but I believe (rightly or wrongly) that it is coincidence.

The issue has to be just what have and what are the Club doing to try and resolve the financial problems.


-- Edited by bruno on Sunday 23rd of January 2011 05:06:40 PM

What a sorry state of affairs. Sadly I feel that there is more than just this issue that we don't know about. We need the new constitution and reps from the WUSA and the "42" on the board to see what is really going on and offer some challenge.

Otherwise they wont sign up with us ... we've been offering people what we cannot afford to offer, simple. The cash comes at the start of the season via season tickets and big friendlies like Charlton, and we have been making promises and offering contracts to players that we cant really afford to honour throughout the season.

Glad management/players have made a statement.
Now its up to the owners to do something positive i hope.

Ben281032 i will continue to hope .

Question for you who do you consider to be league standard players.
Question are you saying/do you know they are on high wages i dont think they are.

please do not put figures on forum thankyou.