136 years. My concerns...

[Deleted]

136 years.

That is an incredible amount of time, isn’t it?

Albion Rovers Football Club was formed not too long after the Western World underwent the industrial revolution. Take a second to ponder how our world, and indeed football, has changed and developed since then.

Our history, although far from glorious, is distinctively colourful and, at times, thoroughly depressing. We’ve seen little in the way of domestic success over the decades. A limited number of Lanarkshire Cup successes. A Scottish Cup Final defeat to Kilmarnock in the season 1919-1920. Two league titles, promotion victories, and our flirtation with the semi-final of the Scottish Cup a few years back are the highlights of the club’s recent history.

But history it is. And that, I feel, is the point of this post.
Our beloved club, our humble Rovers, has survived in the face of adversity for almost a century and a half. During that time, we have carefully cultivated an identity and, along the way, won over generation after generation of hardcore (often fervent) supporters.

We, although limited in number, care deeply about Albion Rovers Football Club. We care about its past, its present, and its future. Our feelings about the continuation and preservation of our collective story should not be dismissed, ignored, or scoffed at. And I worry, at this moment in time, we are at a pivotal crossroads which demands the respect and undivided attention of all who call the shots – both on and off the pitch.

The start to our domestic season has been nothing short of catastrophic. We have scored a solitary goal and conceded 20+ in just a handful of games. The players aren’t up to scratch, our Manager and some of his backroom staff deem it acceptable to question the intentions and views of paying customers, and the decision of the BoD to appoint Mr Brogan has been called into question by the majority, if not all, of our hardcore support.

What did he promise to do when appointed? Did he make it explicity clear that he was looking to sign players from the doldrums of Junior obscurity? Why, just a few weeks in, did we have to call in favours from SPFL Youth Academies to shore up our ailing defence which was put together by our new Manager?

The situation is perelious. We look set, if not certain, to finish bottom of League 2. That would mean a relegation play-off with a Lowland League team which we could lose quite heavily. A Rovers team defeated, demolished, and humiliated. The football club relegated to the 5th tier with a whimper. After 115 years in the Senior game, I have a genuine fear that could spell the end for us. Crowds below 200. No ‘cup money’ or the possibility of drawing one of the ‘big boys’. The people of Coatbridge looking at the club with more disdain than ever before. A crumbling stadium. Crippling debts. A huge overdraft.

We need to start thinking, and acting, on these shared fears. If not, there could be no club to support very, very soon.

Jordie.

[Deleted]

Can't argue with that summing up. Things look bad. As they seem to read the forum lets hope our manager takes note and gets his act together or gets out instead of having childish pops at the diehards. We'll be here long after he's gone assuming he and the board don't take the club with them into oblivion.

[Deleted]

Hi guys

seeing as the manager clearly doesn't want our support any more, but we all agree the club still needs to stay alive, maybe it would be an idea to play him at his own game and just send the club £13 a week but stop going to the games until he is gone

if we did that in significant numbers it would be an ultimate message to the club that we're not against the club we're just against the direction it's going in

[tommysermanni]

Nice post Jordie.Can I just say though that now more than ever the CLUB need our support.

No talk of "boycotts" or keeping our money in our pockets. We are Rovers fans and better than this.

Now is the time to stand shoulder to shoulder because it is the fans who sum up what Albion Rovers Football Club is all about.

Saturday is crucial. Let's unite behind our young, inexperienced side and who knows by 1645 on Saturday we might just have a result under our belts.

If no improvement by the end of the month then changes are required.

[Deleted]

Read again Tommy that's the point. it wouldn't be a "boycott" we'd still send the club the gate money but just not attend the game

[stewmelrover]

The team needs actual people there. Tommy Sermanni spot on.

[Deleted]

Ok just an idea since the manager has made it clear what he thinks about the support and as Jordies rightly says we need to start not just thinking but acting

[Deleted]

and as someone says on the other thread the club won't be getting his £13 next week which I agree is not the answer. so a compromise might have been to give the club the £13 but at the same time send the manager a message that he doesn't tell us what to do, its the fans that are really in charge of a football club

[stewmelrover]

Fair enough; but the most important thing is to have a team to support. It's been a disaster so far, but they are mostly very young guys and need support if we are going to get anywhere this season, 9th place or higher.

[rhythmisarover]

It might be interesting to read the manager's comments in Saturday's program. If he does mention that us fans should show more guts and not hide behind our comments in this forum as Jimbo42 posted then he really won't be doing himself any favours at all. This and coupled with another heavy defeat on Saturday, which I hope doesn't happen, could may well be John's last game (by resigning or being sacked). I can't see any alternative.

[sam]

Oh Dear oh dear, what have we become. I've been reading through the forum for a few days now and I'm glad to say the wife has removed all the sharp utensils from the kitchen as she hears me muttering away in a darkened room.

I have only seen them in action in the first game v Stenny, didn't expect a lot as it does take time for guys to get playing together and with the other cup games against Thistle, Morton and Ayr it wasn't the easiest of starts. Confidence within the playing group must be low right now and the pressure for improvement will only get greater with every game that goes past without that elusive win.
Since the stenny game I have had to rely to the comments on the forum and I really do hope after reading them that everyone else has had sharp objects removed from the their houses as well but I have to say I do believe that its all getting a bit much for me.

We had a difficult group in the league cup, I don't believe the group of players we had last year would have managed to get out of it so no surprise that a new group of players also struggled. Yes we are struggling just now but we are only 2 games in. After what went on last season and considering the budget that we must have do people actually think we were going to be challenging for the top half of the league, Yeh we had hope and I would like to think we still have.

It's not John Brogans fault that the club has little or no cash to splash around, I doubt it's Ronnies or the other guys who are on the board just now either but the fact remains we are skint and if your skint then you can't buy players who are probably looking for more than the Rovers are/were offering

I imagine it will get worse before it gets better and ever the optimist I am sure we will pick up some better form, as mentioned in other threads now is not the time to throw the manager to the wall, now is the time to give them our support and hope that they can turn it round. However I also believe that if signs of improvement cant be seen after half a dozen or so league games then that maybe the time to have a look at what our options are.

If it all goes Pete Tong I sincerely hope we have improved before the end of the season, that way we should be favourites in the play offs

[harriskid44]

If we survive, us fans come on here and say we need to do this and that for the club, are we all done that?, this club needs all the help it can right now, yes problem is money, yes we get sponsors, we have the players fun, we need more fans to help out on this, do we have any other way to promote this good cause, like at every home game, going around our local pubs, schools work places, having a booth up the street every month, do we have someone/or people that help out every day or twice a week to maintain or fix the stadium, not just every new season, we should have a fans club that meet once a week at the stadium, to go over the tasks that need to be seen to, like jobs around the ground, ways to help the club, anything that benifits our beloved club.

[d7]

Jordie - very good post. I'll bump the 'Meet the manager' thread back up the forum so people can see a snapshot of what was said that night.

[bucky]

Aug 15, 2018 12:16:13 GMT @jordie said:

136 years.

That is an incredible amount of time, isn’t it?

Albion Rovers Football Club was formed not too long after the Western World underwent the industrial revolution. Take a second to ponder how our world, and indeed football, has changed and developed since then.

Our history, although far from glorious, is distinctively colourful and, at times, thoroughly depressing. We’ve seen little in the way of domestic success over the decades. A limited number of Lanarkshire Cup successes. A Scottish Cup Final defeat to Kilmarnock in the season 1919-1920. Two league titles, promotion victories, and our flirtation with the semi-final of the Scottish Cup a few years back are the highlights of the club’s recent history.

But history it is. And that, I feel, is the point of this post.
Our beloved club, our humble Rovers, has survived in the face of adversity for almost a century and a half. During that time, we have carefully cultivated an identity and, along the way, won over generation after generation of hardcore (often fervent) supporters.

We, although limited in number, care deeply about Albion Rovers Football Club. We care about its past, its present, and its future. Our feelings about the continuation and preservation of our collective story should not be dismissed, ignored, or scoffed at. And I worry, at this moment in time, we are at a pivotal crossroads which demands the respect and undivided attention of all who call the shots – both on and off the pitch.

The start to our domestic season has been nothing short of catastrophic. We have scored a solitary goal and conceded 20+ in just a handful of games. The players aren’t up to scratch, our Manager and some of his backroom staff deem it acceptable to question the intentions and views of paying customers, and the decision of the BoD to appoint Mr Brogan has been called into question by the majority, if not all, of our hardcore support.

What did he promise to do when appointed? Did he make it explicity clear that he was looking to sign players from the doldrums of Junior obscurity? Why, just a few weeks in, did we have to call in favours from SPFL Youth Academies to shore up our ailing defence which was put together by our new Manager?

The situation is perelious. We look set, if not certain, to finish bottom of League 2. That would mean a relegation play-off with a Lowland League team which we could lose quite heavily. A Rovers team defeated, demolished, and humiliated. The football club relegated to the 5th tier with a whimper. After 115 years in the Senior game, I have a genuine fear that could spell the end for us. Crowds below 200. No ‘cup money’ or the possibility of drawing one of the ‘big boys’. The people of Coatbridge looking at the club with more disdain than ever before. A crumbling stadium. Crippling debts. A huge overdraft.

We need to start thinking, and acting, on these shared fears. If not, there could be no club to support very, very soon.

Jordie.

Actually 3 League Titles.
Signed
Mr P. Dantic

[d7]

sam - that post sounded as if it came from the heart. You're obviously hurting almost as much as the players (copyright jaydee).

I agree with pretty much all of what you say. However, see the meet the manager comments. Regardless of the budget etc etc, John obviously felt he could assemble a group from the higher end of the junior game who would compete and get us in the top 6 of L2. That's where I have the problem. That was a massive misjudgement, we don't have players from the top of the juniors and those we do have aren't good enough to compete in L2. If John thought they were then he'd be in the papers saying more or less what you've said instead of whatever he did say, I haven't read it.

There's plenty hope on here that things will get better. But realistically there isn't anyone I don't think who reckons this will be good enough. A 3-1 (going on 5-1 by some accounts) defeat by Edinburgh is seen as progress. Jeez! Plus iIt's the same on P and B. Non-Rovers supporters who have seen us think we are crap. And those who haven't think the approach we are following is crap. We can't all be wrong?

As much as everyone else on here I hope this turns around. Our saving grace might just be Cowdenbeath and Stirling.