I was listening in on the online stream to this. Unfortunately a couple of the questions that I asked were not put forward.

It was strange that the board didn't make their announcements at the start of the meeting rather than drip feeding information as the evening went on. There was some good news announced but I wont put it on here as I'm not sure its right for me to do so.

I feel genuinely sorry for Howard that he has put so much money into the club and has not much to show for it except a Kent Senior Cup and  perhaps, a relegation. But I am thankful for him for doing so and leading us on a pathway away from debt and securing the future of this great football club.

It sounds like Steve King won't be the next manager which is a shame. He would have been second on my list behind Steve McKimm. He has a proven ability to create a team from nothing and he has a vast knowledge of players across England, not just SE London/Kent where we are a smallish fish in a crowded pond. As Lewes and Cray Wands have just found out trying to build a team steadily with a settled manager over a number of years is not easy when your manager is poached.

I happen to think we have had a lot of very good managers in recent years which is why we have stayed in the South for perhaps longer than we have deserved to. Bradley Quinton, Steve Lovell, Peter Taylor, Bradley Quinton, Danny Bloor, Rod Stringer all good managers in my opinion- but they were working with a low budget in an ultra competitive non league region. If we get it wrong with this appointment we will face a double relegation.

Brian Statham speaks very well but I fundamentally disagreed with him about playing passing football. Winning is all that matters, not the style. If we win 1-0 from a goal from a long throw the fans will still be in the bar after with smiles on their faces. Also his opinion, which seemed to be shared by those in the room, regarding having less turnover of players ignores the fact that one of the reasons we always need new players during the season is that the players signed in the summer, usually on contract, are not good enough or get injured. Paying for a squad of 20+ players is madness for a club of our size. So if we start off with a squad of 16 all on contract that is exactly what would happen. You need 4 or 5 on contract and the rest non contract. 

Having a plastic pitch will be a major turning point for the club as it makes us financially viable. But it would seem strange that we are looking to do that as well as looking at a development- even if it is much smaller scale than previously. Unless we have a development made up from modular buildings  (constructed off site ) then we would likely need to leave PVR for at least a season. I'd also like to see modular buildings or portakabins brought in and used as sponsors lounges as many clubs including Hampton and Lewes have done successfully.

Pre season has been such a disappointment in recent years as it always used to be a huge money spinner for the club. Losing the Charlton friendly is very disappointing but I think we should still play their youth/reserve team if offered. The same with Millwall or any other large London Club. Playing Gillingham is a complete waste of time, they bring no-one. Perhaps we could invite the Deres and a couple of other local clubs to have some kind of Bexley Cup to make the games more interesting.

But the upshot is that despite my grumbles, Howard has now put together what seems like a Committee of all the Talents which I am confident can lead the club back to great days ahead. First and foremost they all seem like good people doing their best for our club.