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The Ratcliffe will be showing our game against Aldershot live on the big screen next Saturday. Kick off at 5:30pm. We will also have the England match against Republic of Ireland showing on the surrounding TVs. kick off 5pm
🚪Doors open at 4pm and entry is free.
🎱Free to use pool table 🏓Free to use table tennis
“Need to manage game time to avoid injuries and fatigue”
Exactly, and that’s why Ferguson was imo rested yesterday and not “dropped”. Let’s not forget that the lad was chucked straight in after months without playing a game. Great decision by the manager in the end.
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Aldershot Screening 07/09/2024 on 09:17 - Sep 8 with 5408 views
I'd say the latter - they had some joy down their right so he had a lot of covering to do; when he was subbed didn't look like he'd enjoyed the game much. Also Armstrong (who I didn't rate last season) did a good job when he came on marking their winger.
Hate to bring this thread down but feel I need to add to the comments regarding the hospitality.
I've not been in there recently but that's simply because there is absolutely no appeal. Nothing the club puts out makes me think it will be worth the money.
2 course meal? It's hospitality ffs, get them in earlier, make it a three course meal and impress the diners. (You can charge a bit more and have them spending more at the bar!) Serve something fancy. Make them feel as though it's a special event or occasion. Try to entice a different kind of clientele into the club and into the hospitality. Find a different caterer if you have to!
Switch it up, different cuisine themes for different games too. Get drinks in to match the food.
From the official website hospitality page;
"Tea, coffee and cakes and half-time treat."
A half time 'treat'? We're a professional football club, it's not a kids birthday party, tell people what they're getting.
As for the lack of sponsorship, I know there's numerous businesses who simply will not put any of their money into the club while Simon Gauge is still involved. Andy Duff knows this as he's been in contact with sponsors who haven't renewed.
Well if Andy Duff knows about it then he should be reporting that back to the co- chairman and owner of the club Cameron Ogden. This isn't a secret society, the Ogden family need to know about every aspect of the club, they've poured millions of pounds into it.
I was under the impression Simon Gauge was looking forward to standing down from his Chairman duties when we sourced new investors, i'm sure he expressed that desire earlier this year. A place in the Directors Box would have been more suitable i think and bring in a experienced CEO to deal with the day to day running of the club, communicating with sponsors, the Trust etc. Somebody with a charismatic and bubbly, engaging personality who has worked in and around football clubs and has loads of connections. It would have been money well spent i think.
I'd like to see Cameron Ogden meet up one afternoon on his own with a cross section of shareholders, sponsors, supporters, Trust committe and have a brainstorm meeting about what's needed to really progress the club and what things are holding it back. Really get a feel about the mood of those who support the club. I'm surprised he's not already done that. It's a shame really because on the pitch Jim and the players are doing brilliantly.
[Post edited 9 Sep 15:27]
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Aldershot Screening 07/09/2024 on 15:18 - Sep 9 with 2841 views
Have the prospective sponsors told Andy Duff the specific grievances they have with The Co Chairman? Would they not reconsider if a resolution could be found, or will they only provide sponsorship if he steps down?
'Only happy when you've got it often makes you miss the journey'
I expect Cameron Ogden has been provided with an overview of circumstances and exchanges between the previous board and supporters (shareholders) that paints a picture that could be described as "less than full"
For the club to make the kind of progress envisioned by the Camerons, they should be availed of the full picture. Hopefully, the copy of Chris Fitzgerald's book provided to Sir Peter by the Trust will assist with that, but the feedback from sponsors would also provide a different angle which would give credence to the fuller picture
The eventual outcome may depend upon financial arrangements. Whilst it'll never be forgotten or unappreciated that SG went above and beyond to keep the club afloat during its darkest hour, it might've been better for him not to have foregone the returning of a significant amount of his financial input if that now means the club is being held back by the unfortunate attitudes he's shown towards supporters and sponsors alike
Something will have to give. It's a matter of when, not if
Interesting feedback. I would normally sponsor a player, and usually look to do hospitality and possibly a match sponsorship. I stopped when SG was in charge, and knowing he is still there doesn't float my boat following the experience of him in charge. this review isn't making me want to review this.
in addition, I did reach out to explore the commercial opportunities pre season this year and was told it will be a few weeks and they'd be in touch. they haven't. looking at the team page on the fishul site, this comment in the player sponsorship package just isn't happening: "Sponsors will also have their name and/or company logo alongside their player’s picture on the Club website...". this isn't the first time, I experienced this in 2022 were it took a long while for the logo to appear on the player... Worrying that we are not learning lessons or delivering what is being offered and committed, and they cant blame the new site as that has been in for a while now.
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Aldershot Screening 07/09/2024 on 11:08 - Sep 10 with 1783 views
Shocking but somehow unsurprising. It's on a par with not cashing a cheque... Having someone wanting to buy and noone bothering to pick the phone up is a shortcut to financial disaster. I have no doubt that they are focused on bigger deals, but it is always the case that closing lots of small ones is what keeps the balance sheet in positive territory. I hope our new Commercial Director is reading this, he needs a salesperson on board or, if he is doing all the sales function himself, needs to manage his time to make sure he is making calls to close enquiries. Satisfied customers tell 3 friends, angry customers used to tell a dozen people but with social media, they tell 3000, or more.....
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Aldershot Screening 07/09/2024 on 11:33 - Sep 10 with 1690 views
Wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) most of the player sponsorship be repeat business from year to year? The easiest sort of deal? I appreciate that one or two may have issues but not so many.
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Aldershot Screening 07/09/2024 on 12:08 - Sep 10 with 1584 views
I'd urge you to contact Andy Duffy directly with these issues. he needs to be fully in the picture. And, ignore those who think the garden will become all rosy by itself... it won't, it'll just grow weeds
Things don't add up do they, supposed to be a new era? When things don't add up you need to start looking at the bigger picture, what's gone on in the past and what the plans are for the future. You also need to look at individuals.
The individuals we now have running the club are the same ones that have been there over the last few years, the same ones that took the club to the brink of disaster earlier this year and that was on Simon Gauges watch and as Chairman the buck stops with him. Of course there were mitigating circumstances but for three years we've seen nothing to suggest he can turn the fortunes of the club around, we've seen the opposite. We've ended up with fantastic owners but that was nothing to do with anybody in the Boardroom, that was down to the fans/ shareholders. We would have been under American ownership now had it been down to the Chairman, everybody at the club including the Directors knows that to be fact. I could mention the farcical EGM which Gauge conducted but i won't, a insult to the shareholders, many of who sponsor and pay for hospitality at games..and they won't forget that night. Bridges needed to be built over the summer after that EGM but even Isambard Kingdom Brunel would have struggled after the events of that evening.
Anyway, i mentioned mitigating circumstances and those apply to a lack of fan engagement, lack of sponsorship, lack of public engagement around the Town etc. Things couldn't be done because the club was fighting a battle to survive, or we didn't have spare cash for advertisement campaigns, satellite television, promoting the club around the Town. There was always a excuse. So what's the excuse now? We are moving towards Autumn and are things different behind the scenes? I was expecting a big push around the Town to increase Season ticket sales and we've seen nothing. The hospitality and matchday sponsorship is probably worse than last season. The player sponsorship hasnt moved. The Club shop is as tired as its always been. Ridiculous fall outs about stickers on seats. It's as though there is a deliberate plan in place to sabotage the plan to move the club forward and all of us unite as one, to destabilise the harmony.
There are two important questions that keep popping up in my head and it's really concerning... I believe Simon Gauge is still in charge of running the day to day operations at the club...Is he fully integrating the Trust into the Clubs plans going forward? I mean engaging with them 100% and is Cameron Ogden being kept fully updated on meetings between both parties? Do the Trust have a direct line to Camron Ogden because it's very important that they do? It's important because the Ogden family have promised the Golden Share to the Trust/ Community so it's vital that the Trust now start to make their voice heard more and start to show leadership in the club, that means a close working relationship with not only Simon Gauge but the Ogden family who ultimately are responsible for what happens to the club going forward. I thought the issue with the reserved stickers on seats was a deliberate slap down to the Trust and showed those making that decision in a very poor light, only weeks into the new era/ new season. A small thing but it spoke volumes and became a confrontation that should never happened.
So as i said at the start, things don't add up, off the field attitudes from within the club are exactly the same and the questions need asking..Has EVERYBODY at the Club bought into the idea of the Golden Share? Are the Trust being FULLY embraced or are they being deliberately undermined? Decisions not made, cans being kicked down the road? I'm concerned and as a shareholder and Trust member that's my prerogative to feel that way. The Trust Committee is going to need bolstering going forward because it has a massive part to play in the future of the club, if people feel as though they can contribute then I'm sure any offers of help will be considered.
[Post edited 10 Sep 16:14]
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Aldershot Screening 07/09/2024 on 18:05 - Sep 10 with 1036 views
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