Rest of the season and long term plan
Jan 2, 2023 12:33:30 GMT
ped, cliftonbill, and 1 more like this
Post by galstonrover on Jan 2, 2023 12:33:30 GMT
As a relative newcomer, and also from south of the border, I'm not sure how qualified I am to make significant comment but after four years following the Rovers and watching about 8 games a season I think I have a feel for what is going on. When I moved up to Scotland, I went round many clubs with a view to visiting as many grounds as possible. When Cliftonhill reached the top of my list something struck a cord and I knew that I had found my 'Scottish team'. This is not meant to be patronising in any way but my team for over 40 years is Halifax Town, now FC Halifax Town. Perhaps it was because Cliftonhill reminded me so much of the Shay in the 80's and early 90's?
What is immediately clear is the need and desire not to be club 42. I would be pretty confident that Brechin City will win the Highland League, beat the Lowland League Champions, or whichever semi pro team finishes highest, and then progress against club 42. This in itself would offer an element of hope that relegation need not be the end, even with the current bottleneck. Having seen 6 Rovers games so far this season I don't think I have ever come across a league that is so open. We could easily have snatched all the points at both Dumbarton and Stirling and should definitely have got something out of the first game at Stenhousemuir. I appreciate that there have also been a few shockers that I have not seen, like the second half at Annan, but, to me, the team as a whole has enough about it for this league, apart from someone who can find the back of the net on a regular basis. Dumbarton a couple of days ago were nothing special and with someone who knows where the back of the net is, the one lack of concentration that cost us the game would probably not have been as costly. I get the feeling that the SPFL money is more important to Albion Rovers than it was for Brechin and, that without it, maintaining Cliftonhill and building a Lowland League squad could be a step too far. It is therefore imperative that the club is not this seasons club 42 and if there is any possibility of 'pushing the boat out' a wee bit then now is the time. 4 wins and the table could look completely different, 4 defeats then a psychological gap could well open that would be difficult to close. Having witnessed the relegation play off game at Cowdenbeath last season and the feeling of resignation that seemed to surround the home support I would not want to experience that at Cliftonhill in a few months time. The current Rovers squad is so much better than last seasons Cowdenbeath or the seasons before Brechin and Berwick.
I could be totally wrong, but I am not getting the feeling that there is a long term plan for the club other than ways to survive and keep Cliftonhill patched up. There appears to be an issue around dead shares that I don't claim to have any understanding of other than it is more than likely having a detrimental effect on any possible investment. I have plenty of experience of dealing with football club hierarchy having been chairman of the Halifax Town Southern Supporters club when I was in Welwyn Garden City and now treasurer of Halifax Town Supporters Club which has monthly meetings on zoom with representatives from the club. I know all too well how difficult it can be to get meaningful dialog between fans and a club hierarchy. Its not practical for a club to 'air all its dirty washing' in public but it feels to me that there is an air of resignation around the club that it is not if but when the Lowland League beckons. The club board have a responsibility to do their best for the club and I, for one, would be very interested in hearing what they think needs to be done to keep and maintain SPFL status for the short, medium and long term.
At the moment there is an element of protection with the restricted movements between step 4 and step 5 and then step 5 and step 6. With the amount of money and influence that is sloshing around, particularly in the WOSFL, it feels that it is only a matter of time before there is a change and the likes of Darvel, Auchinleck and Pollock are unleashed through the pyramid. You only have to look at the investment that Darvel are making on their ground in preparation for the Aberdeen game to see what their intentions are.
Like with any club, there are characters that seem to be part of the fabric. At the Dumbarton game I was sat behind the couple that do the 50/50 and even though some Dumbarton fans had taken the seats they had clearly 'reserved' with carrier bags and a cushion, the chap was almost apologetic to the Dunbarton fans when he tried to sort the seating out even though he had already missed a fair bit of the game with his volunteer role. Similarly with the chap who runs the shop and was looking for seats well into the game and then wandering around doing sales with his hand held terminal after half time. Having done these roles myself, its easy for fans to not appreciate some of the efforts that go in and take them for granted.
I sincerely hope that for the above people, and the 300+ stalwarts that come to Cliftonhill every match, the first four months of 2023 provide us all with some cheer and SPFL survival and that after that there is some communication and visible plan of where the club wants to get to in the future.
If you are still awake after this monologue, Happy New Year
What is immediately clear is the need and desire not to be club 42. I would be pretty confident that Brechin City will win the Highland League, beat the Lowland League Champions, or whichever semi pro team finishes highest, and then progress against club 42. This in itself would offer an element of hope that relegation need not be the end, even with the current bottleneck. Having seen 6 Rovers games so far this season I don't think I have ever come across a league that is so open. We could easily have snatched all the points at both Dumbarton and Stirling and should definitely have got something out of the first game at Stenhousemuir. I appreciate that there have also been a few shockers that I have not seen, like the second half at Annan, but, to me, the team as a whole has enough about it for this league, apart from someone who can find the back of the net on a regular basis. Dumbarton a couple of days ago were nothing special and with someone who knows where the back of the net is, the one lack of concentration that cost us the game would probably not have been as costly. I get the feeling that the SPFL money is more important to Albion Rovers than it was for Brechin and, that without it, maintaining Cliftonhill and building a Lowland League squad could be a step too far. It is therefore imperative that the club is not this seasons club 42 and if there is any possibility of 'pushing the boat out' a wee bit then now is the time. 4 wins and the table could look completely different, 4 defeats then a psychological gap could well open that would be difficult to close. Having witnessed the relegation play off game at Cowdenbeath last season and the feeling of resignation that seemed to surround the home support I would not want to experience that at Cliftonhill in a few months time. The current Rovers squad is so much better than last seasons Cowdenbeath or the seasons before Brechin and Berwick.
I could be totally wrong, but I am not getting the feeling that there is a long term plan for the club other than ways to survive and keep Cliftonhill patched up. There appears to be an issue around dead shares that I don't claim to have any understanding of other than it is more than likely having a detrimental effect on any possible investment. I have plenty of experience of dealing with football club hierarchy having been chairman of the Halifax Town Southern Supporters club when I was in Welwyn Garden City and now treasurer of Halifax Town Supporters Club which has monthly meetings on zoom with representatives from the club. I know all too well how difficult it can be to get meaningful dialog between fans and a club hierarchy. Its not practical for a club to 'air all its dirty washing' in public but it feels to me that there is an air of resignation around the club that it is not if but when the Lowland League beckons. The club board have a responsibility to do their best for the club and I, for one, would be very interested in hearing what they think needs to be done to keep and maintain SPFL status for the short, medium and long term.
At the moment there is an element of protection with the restricted movements between step 4 and step 5 and then step 5 and step 6. With the amount of money and influence that is sloshing around, particularly in the WOSFL, it feels that it is only a matter of time before there is a change and the likes of Darvel, Auchinleck and Pollock are unleashed through the pyramid. You only have to look at the investment that Darvel are making on their ground in preparation for the Aberdeen game to see what their intentions are.
Like with any club, there are characters that seem to be part of the fabric. At the Dumbarton game I was sat behind the couple that do the 50/50 and even though some Dumbarton fans had taken the seats they had clearly 'reserved' with carrier bags and a cushion, the chap was almost apologetic to the Dunbarton fans when he tried to sort the seating out even though he had already missed a fair bit of the game with his volunteer role. Similarly with the chap who runs the shop and was looking for seats well into the game and then wandering around doing sales with his hand held terminal after half time. Having done these roles myself, its easy for fans to not appreciate some of the efforts that go in and take them for granted.
I sincerely hope that for the above people, and the 300+ stalwarts that come to Cliftonhill every match, the first four months of 2023 provide us all with some cheer and SPFL survival and that after that there is some communication and visible plan of where the club wants to get to in the future.
If you are still awake after this monologue, Happy New Year
