Perhaps called off 15 minutes into the second half. Seriously, I don't think we would have seen anywhere near that attendance for a midweek match - especially as most of the support came from Grimsby and its exiles. It must have helped the club's coffers somewhat.

I'm sure having sold Grimsby fans thousands of pounds worth of beer and burgers Erith and Belvedere FC will be delighted at Barry's efforts to get the game on.

It's a shame he can't dedicate as much time to sacking the amigos and bringing in a manager. Still, no rush Barry. Let's give it another week of sitting on our hands shall we?

Polo wrote:

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I think that's a bit harsh Chris. Although the majority of people on here want a change in the management team, none of know what is happening behind the scenes, is there anyone who wants to take the job? Looking at our last few results, the budget and some of the squad available, a few managers may not fancy it! I know the club have been frustrated in their attempts to bring players in but I believe 2 may be announced tomorrow/Tuesday if the paperwork gets completed.

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 I agree that for somebody to take on the task of keeping us up from here it would be not far short of a miracle. We look dead and buried. If the decision was made post Carlise or even post Tilbury then I'd have said we have a 50/50 chance of survival. 

Signing players is very difficult for us because of finances and daytime training. The only realistic recruits are youngsters on loan. Not exactly ideal for a relegation battle but still, if we can get in someone who could hit a cows arse with a banjo then great. But it seems that this 'management team' have few contacts, may have already pissed off Millwall, have clearly lost the majority of the fans and may even have lost the dressing room.

So we need a potential new manager to come forward who has the stomach for the fight as well as the contacts at league clubs.

But first the current trio have to be thanked for their efforts, congratulated once again for keeping us up last season and wished all the best for the future.

Eastbourne Wing wrote:

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Whilst we all want better, and a change, the 'hobbins out' is so wide of the mark for me, I find it quite offensive. and embarrassing. It's the success of all the hobbins through the years that we have enjoyed cup runs, promotions (including not so long ago remember?) and regular high level of non league football for as long as I can remember.

Those who don't want a unique, dedicated and long serving family run club, we'll...just be careful what you wish for.

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 I appreciate all the work that the Hobbins family have done over the years and continue to do.  But this is about the future, not the past. He who fails to move forward, inevitabley, will drop backwards.

-- Edited by Chris on Sunday 10th of January 2016 02:41:33 PM

I understand what you are saying but if we only get 500 supporters every week where does the money come to pay for better players and manager

True Faz as made some mistakes but dont forget he was the one that kept us up last year and he deserves the chance to keep us up again

We are only three points away from safety so lets get behind him instead of slagging the players and management off.

We lost to Grimsby yesterday but i didnt expect us to win anyway.

The next few games are the ones that are winnable if things havent changed by then maybe my view will change

We are now on a form run that got Jody Brown the sack. Given that he had four games where all the players (such that we had) were not of his choosing and one game was against a side playing an ineligible player, by the current logic, you'd have to say he was harshly treated.

If you don't change the management and results won't come with these players, some players must change. If you can't change the players and this management can't get results from them you have to change the management and see if someone else can.

We lost to Grimsby which you didn't expect to win. Well, the longer it ticks by you are looking at having to win against the likes of Cheltenham, Tranmere or Dover away which I don't expect either and therein lies the problem.

If Faz kept us up last year, has he and the club capitalised on that? If he takes us down this year, which will he be remembered for, given all we seem to have achieved as a result is eliminating the prospect of being in the Ryman next year.

blakes7 wrote:

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I wish people would stop going on about sacking the manager.

We are punching above our weight and realistically should be in the National South.

There are at least 24 non league clubs that are bigger than Welling so just be grateful to be in the top division.

 

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 Sorry blakes7 I am really sick of this line now. we are playing competitive football and we want to win each game and progress the position of the team. Yes we are smaller but others who used to be similar size have progressed upwards and should be stay the same just because we started on a park. we arent some charity football side or a pub unit we are playing in a league and want to improve each year and get some investment so in the future we can push for playoff position etc. The club has been in the Conference before and did perform well-we can again but we cant if we have a complacent and charitable attitude to our fortunes. We should have a 'refuse to loose mentatlity' and a tough manager who has good contacts and can get the players in that would get us in the same position like a  Dover. If you look at their attendances they arent high either but they seem to get good players for this league-why cant we?

Stop being happy or grateful to be in this league we got here on merit and we should not flounder out of it without some sort or fight on the pitch and off it. I think tough decisions should have been taken weeks ago by the owners when the majority of people on this forum could see this happening. I want Welling to consolidate its position in this league and begin to challenge for a league 2 play in the future but like Mr Realist says it will take years to come back to this level if we go down.

We are in this league by right, or by the skin of our teeth, depending on your viewpoint. But the past does not matter, its now and the near future that matter. Without being too defeatist we will be relegated unless there is at least a change in management style and team attitude. As so many have posted before, a change is needed NOW.

The Trooper wrote:

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We got into this league through hard work and an excellent team spirit. We had a smattering of very good players but, more importantly, a squad of grafters who knew each other well. Jamie Day was the catalyst behind all of that. We are no longer the same team, both in players, manager and outlook and if,by some miracle,we scrape survival this season will we be any better next season? As I said before, relegation is a worry for me but I am more worried about how we'd actually fare in the conf south, not very well I fear. Whilst we earned our right to be in this league we are slowly losing it and it's reminiscent of the seasons culminating in our last relegation from the top tier of non league football. Sad but true.

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there's quite a bit of money in the conf south now so it wouldn't surprise me if we are involved in a relegation battle next year if we do go down  

Greendale wrote:

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Eastbourne Wing wrote:

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Whilst we all want better, and a change, the 'hobbins out' is so wide of the mark for me, I find it quite offensive. and embarrassing. It's the success of all the hobbins through the years that we have enjoyed cup runs, promotions (including not so long ago remember?) and regular high level of non league football for as long as I can remember.

Those who don't want a unique, dedicated and long serving family run club, we'll...just be careful what you wish for.

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I completely agree with Eastbourne Wing.  I would ask you Chris, do you really want to take a chance, if the Hobbins sell up, of the club being owned by someone like Duchatelet at Charlton who last attended one of his club's games fifteen months ago and appointed an "interim manager" who has been in charge for ten or eleven games and is so out of his depth that he would be an embarrassment at National League level.  You certainly cannot say that our owners are not "hands on" and I know which type of owner I prefer.  I would suggest ditching the "Hobbins Out." 

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 Yes, of course there is always a chance that the club could be taken over by the wrong type of person as seems to have happened at Charlton. But that is all the more reason that new ownership should be sought during a period in which it is not immediately essential rather than during a time of financial crisis such as in 2010. In this way due diligence can be done. Perhaps this would start by a new owner beginning with a smaller stake and a place on the board. When I say 'Hobbins Out' I don't expect it to happen next week. It would be a long process. 

One of the great advantages this club enjoys is being in a good location to source players. However in the last 5 years or so Dartford and Maidstone have moved into new stadiums, Ebbsfleet have got Kuwati multi-millionaires, Margate and Dover (whom both train in and source players from SE London) have got their acts together. Bromley have slowly come through the leagues and built their support base.  All of these club are not just competing with us for players, but beating us hands down. This despite our own playing budget rumoured to be 'the biggest it has ever been'. This trend seems to be continuing with Leatherhead training in Bexleyheath, Greenwich Borough throwing money around and planning a new stadium in the New Eltham area- as are Cray Wanders. Dulwich Hamlet are just up the road and attracting 2,000+ crowds. As someone wrote on here recently 'the hipsters club of choice!?'. Ten years ago I don't think they even got 200.

When it comes to attracting and retaining good managers they need to believe that they are being backed 100% by the owners in helping to progress the club and given a competitive budget in order to do so.  

I actually suspect that our management trio are decent coaches. I'm sure that their failures are not down to a lack of effort. But when your competing with the kind of clubs mentioned above you need a manager with good contacts and an understanding of the cunning way non league football management works in terms of squeezing every penny out of the budget. In my opinion a decent full back say is not worth even a third as much as a good striker, just as a younger player is not worth as much as a senior player. I honestly doubt whether you can get a proven striker at National level for less than £1k a week now. And of course it has been well highlighted on here about the amount of contracted players - but there are ways of managing players out. Also just because Welling United play in SE London/NW Kent it does not mean they necessarily need to train there. Essex for example may be a better option when you consider the current relative state of the clubs on the other side of the estuary ( this won't be helped by West Ham moving into the Olympic stadium next season and lowering prices). But none of our management team are experienced in these matters- they don't teach this in FA coaching courses. 

-- Edited by Chris on Monday 11th of January 2016 10:40:55 PM

-- Edited by Chris on Monday 11th of January 2016 10:56:54 PM

Thanks for the nice comments about Dulwich Hamlet.

As a local resident I look in on the Welling board quite often and wish you all the best although it's not for me at the prices you charge for the quality of the experience.

I know Mr Commercial very well and he knows exactly what we do, how we do it and why. However, without the right owners and people who look at what you can gain, rather than what you may lose, then you will go nowhere very quickly.

We at Dulwich have been very lucky to have been owned by a large property company with a social conscience (yes they do exist) and so have been able to take advantage of their belief in what we do. The starting point is to accept that £15 is a lot of money to try something out for most people when they don't know what they will find and whether they will enjoy it. Remember, by letting them in for nothing/nominal fee you are actually gaining money because without the offer they were not coming.

Each match has a fixed cost and the first aim is to cover those costs.

 Kids for free or low price is great but if working with schools remember that if the adult cannot afford to come/does not think it is worth it, then the child does not come. That is why we give out vouchers that allow 4 people free entry when dealing with schools. Last Saturday we had over 150 people come in on family for free vouchers from one school in Dulwich.

Concession Price - at Dulwich this has been deliberately set below every other club in the league to attract the people it does - students, unemployed, blue light services, NHS workers, over 60s. It is 40% of the full entrance price and it is better to have 40% of something rather than 100% of nothing. Generally, they spend other money once inside anyway.

Do not make blanket offers. Target particular people/groups for particular fixtures. We make an offer to any community group that wants tickets for their children/adults etc to approach us.

Remember, there  are very few people who, even attending for nothing, end up going home without spending some money in the stadium. At one recent Dulwich game the Supporters Trust shop sold around 100 scarves. 

You will get people who are not really interested in the football. However, if they enjoy the social occasion then don't worry about it. It's about getting them to spend money.

You have a really good chance locally as Charlton & Millwall are not attractive at the moment but you need to be more flexible.

And finally..... social media, blogs, message boards are so important. Fans need to tweet and retweet everything coming out of the club. Actively engage on general local message boards not just this one.

If fans love it then they will spread the word so use the fans to do it.

And finally, we hope to have a new stadium within 2 years as we are creaking under the weight of people.

Hope that helps.

dhfc wrote:

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Thanks for the nice comments about Dulwich Hamlet.

As a local resident I look in on the Welling board quite often and wish you all the best although it's not for me at the prices you charge for the quality of the experience.

I know Mr Commercial very well and he knows exactly what we do, how we do it and why. However, without the right owners and people who look at what you can gain, rather than what you may lose, then you will go nowhere very quickly.

We at Dulwich have been very lucky to have been owned by a large property company with a social conscience (yes they do exist) and so have been able to take advantage of their belief in what we do. The starting point is to accept that £15 is a lot of money to try something out for most people when they don't know what they will find and whether they will enjoy it. Remember, by letting them in for nothing/nominal fee you are actually gaining money because without the offer they were not coming.

Each match has a fixed cost and the first aim is to cover those costs.

 Kids for free or low price is great but if working with schools remember that if the adult cannot afford to come/does not think it is worth it, then the child does not come. That is why we give out vouchers that allow 4 people free entry when dealing with schools. Last Saturday we had over 150 people come in on family for free vouchers from one school in Dulwich.

Concession Price - at Dulwich this has been deliberately set below every other club in the league to attract the people it does - students, unemployed, blue light services, NHS workers, over 60s. It is 40% of the full entrance price and it is better to have 40% of something rather than 100% of nothing. Generally, they spend other money once inside anyway.

Do not make blanket offers. Target particular people/groups for particular fixtures. We make an offer to any community group that wants tickets for their children/adults etc to approach us.

Remember, there  are very few people who, even attending for nothing, end up going home without spending some money in the stadium. At one recent Dulwich game the Supporters Trust shop sold around 100 scarves. 

You will get people who are not really interested in the football. However, if they enjoy the social occasion then don't worry about it. It's about getting them to spend money.

You have a really good chance locally as Charlton & Millwall are not attractive at the moment but you need to be more flexible.

And finally..... social media, blogs, message boards are so important. Fans need to tweet and retweet everything coming out of the club. Actively engage on general local message boards not just this one.

If fans love it then they will spread the word so use the fans to do it.

And finally, we hope to have a new stadium within 2 years as we are creaking under the weight of people.

Hope that helps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'd be tempted to say its all excellent stuff and fairly obvious, but it seems although obvious to you and I, it isn't obvious, or worth actioning, to those that make the decisions.

Dulwich is indeed a fine example of what can be achieved through organisation, hardwork and the balls to try something new. 

dhfc wrote:

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However, without the right owners and people who look at what you can gain, rather than what you may lose, then you will go nowhere very quickly.

 

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 100% this ^^^^^