Lost the passion?

[El Presidente]

LOL. The man is a legend. Incredible patience with the idiotic criticism he receives.

To be fair to PB, he then sent two other emails at about 00:50 this morning, on separate issues, one of which was short, and the other quite long., on his way back from hospital where Tex was staying. I don't always agree with his policies, but his commitment and drive are amazing. He is the James Brown of football executives IMO.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

To be fair to PB, he then sent two other emails at about 00:50 this morning, on separate issues, one of which was short, and the other quite long., on his way back from hospital where Tex was staying. I don't always agree with his policies, but his commitment and drive are amazing. He is the James Brown of football executives IMO.

If the players showed a fraction of the commitment and drive of PB, we'd be Champions League Ready. IMHO, like.

 

[Weststander]

Does last season actually count? We were so far off the genuine place-off pace it was embarrassing.

Last season we made the play offs due to the similar shite about us. Derby outclassed and embarrassed us in every game. We were miles from ever getting to the PL.

 

[Weststander]

Paul Barber has been in contact with me about this and these are his comments

" I’ve just had the current thread regarding the club – or me, specifically!! – being “sneaky” in withdrawing P, R and S bus services from Rottingdean AFTER season ticket prices and an increase to the fan cost of the travel subsidy had been announced – referred to me.

I understand you are involved in the debate on NSC so perhaps you can provide the background if it’s helpful (it’s match day and I’m in between the training ground and stadium, so forgive the quick note):

This issue was back in 2013, so to help refresh people’s memories:

- season ticket prices are set and agreed in January/February (in this case, it would have been early February 2013)

- transport plans for season 2013/14 were finalised in June/July 2013 – some 4 or 5 months later

- unfortunately, as I think I said at the time (in Seagulls Player videos explaining what had happened), travel companies do not work to a football club’s calendar, they work to their own!

- as such, we could not have foreseen that the P, R and S services would be withdrawn when season ticket renewals were announced as it hadn’t even been discussed at that point!

To be clear, the reasons for the withdrawal of the P, R and S services were as follows:

- the special P, S and R services were encountering considerable operational difficulties. Because they were not pre-booked, demand varied considerably and these were the only services about which the club were constantly receiving complaints.

- secondly the services created “artificial Park and Ride sites” clogging up parking areas in Rottingdean and Shoreham; we were getting complaints from local traders who were impacted on match days. They also created safety concerns at the end of the match because the buses left very promptly after the final whistle creating a surge to catch the bus.

- the services were therefore withdrawn and replaced with a pre-booked system provided by Seagull Travel. The advantage of the replacement services was that they started further afield and therefore prevented the need to drive to Rottingdean or Shoreham centres. Pre-booking also meant guaranteeing a seat and supporters would not be frustrated when a full bus is unable to stop at intermediate points, and the timing of buses leaving the stadium will allow supporters more time to board the bus.

- there’s a cost for this service but it is still subsidised by the club. If supporters did not wish to pay for this improved service however, the match ticket still provides for a subsidised service on the stage carriage bus network via the various coastal services or using the train service.

- Given that we had commenced renewals some months earlier, we offered to refund season tickets if people could not afford the additional cost to use Seagulls Travel service and did not want to take longer or alternative routes.

Unfortunately, in business as in life(!), not everything always works in perfect sequence. Once again, I can only apologise if this particular issue inconvenienced some supporters but it wasn’t anyone being “sneaky”, “misleading”, or “deceitful” as appears to have been suggested. In the circumstances, I’m really not sure what else the club could have done to prevent it or to give people more flexibility to avoid the additional cost."

Thanks El Presidente.

With your 'hot line' to PB, please can you ask him another couple of questions:

How many confirmed non-1901 season ticket holders are there at this moment, and what was the comparable number EXACTLY 12 months prior to the date of his first statistic? Cheers.

 

[El Presidente]

Thanks El Presidente.

With your 'hot line' to PB, please can you ask him another couple of questions:

How many confirmed non-1901 season ticket holders are there at this moment, and what was the comparable number EXACTLY 12 months prior to the date of his first statistic? Cheers.

I'm focussing on trying to persuade him to bring in chips and curry sauce next season in the North Stand at present squire.

#priorities

 

[Harry H]

Football has become a sanitized rich mans game where referees seem to decide more games than players and who wins what is decided before the season starts at the FA.
Like watching wrestling.

 

[chaileyjem]

Last season we made the play offs due to the similar shite about us. Derby outclassed and embarrassed us in every game. We were miles from ever getting to the PL.

Funny cos I remember us beating QPR , Leicester and Burnley. If Derby had managed to beat QPR last season they'd be in Prem now . They didn't. We had a mere 3 points less than 13/14. How did that happen if we were "shite". The idea that last season we didn't deserve it, everyone else "let" us, and that the best defence for example in the division was somehow a fluke is a myth. And not a helpful one.

If beating Derby at home is the yardstick then we'd deserve to be going up this season wouldn't we.

 

[spanish flair]

Funny cos I remember us beating QPR , Leicester and Burnley. If Derby had managed to beat QPR last season they'd be in Prem now . They didn't. We had a mere 3 points less than 13/14. How did that happen if we were "shite". The idea that last season we didn't deserve it, everyone else "let" us, and that the best defence for example in the division was somehow a fluke is a myth. And not a helpful one.

If beating Derby at home is the yardstick then we'd deserve to be going up this season wouldn't we.

Actually I agree with you, but it was a shame we let 8 of that squad of players go, or slip through our fingers. It was a shame we didn't build on that squad instead of decimating it for cheaper options.

 

[chaileyjem]

Actually I agree with you, but it was a shame we let 8 of that squad of players go, or slip through our fingers. It was a shame we didn't build on that squad instead of decimating it for cheaper options.

Well they weren't cheaper but agreed.

 

[El Presidente]

Ulloa, Buckley, Ward, Upson all went as they fancied a pop at the PL. Two of them were at end of contract/not ours so not sure what we could have done. Would have kept Koosh and Orlandi myself, not so sure about Spanish Dave.

 

[spanish flair]

Ulloa, Buckley, Ward, Upson all went as they fancied a pop at the PL. Two of them were at end of contract/not ours so not sure what we could have done. Would have kept Koosh and Orlandi myself, not so sure about Spanish Dave.

Ulloa and Buckley I am not sure we could have done anything about keeping. But Ward, Upson and Koosh was surely about money.
On top of these we also lost Andrews, not sure if we tried to keep him and earlier in the season Bridcutt, Barnes and ElAbd.
So around ten players lost that got us to the previous seasons play off's. With Andrews on top a whole team lost.
And replaced in my view with very inferior players, but as Chaileyjem say's if the club are to be believed, at very much higher wages, I find that unbelievable.

 

[El Presidente]

Average wage in the PL is £31,000 a week, compared to £8,000 a week in the Championship. Burnley and Leicester could offer more to Ward and Upson than we did. Koosh's agent played a gambling game and he ended up with no job for a few months.

Bridcutt threw a tantrum, appalling behaviour IMO, but got off lightly on NSC. We were stupid about Barnes but he was booed by our own fans when taking a penalty.

Money has been spent on new players, sadly it's been wasted on poor ones, not fully fit ones, mentally weak ones and under performers.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

We were stupid about Barnes but he was booed by our own fans when taking a penalty.

Very much doubt it was anything to do with the JCL boo-boys with Ashley Barnes. Seemed to - completely correctly IMHO - not give too much of a shit about what the fans thought about him. Would wager good money that the move was all about securing the future financially for himself and his young family. He'd probably have stayed for an extra five bob a week rather than uproot his family and move them to the other end of the country. Oh well, our loss. Got no doubt at all that Barnes would have been our 20 goal striker this season, his instinctive positional play would have seen to that. It's something you couldn't teach CMS in a million years.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Very much doubt it was anything to do with the JCL boo-boys with Ashley Barnes. Seemed to - completely correctly IMHO - not give too much of a shit about what the fans thought about him. Would wager good money that the move was all about securing the future financially for himself and his young family. He'd probably have stayed for an extra five bob a week rather than uproot his family and move them to the other end of the country. Oh well, our loss. Got no doubt at all that Barnes would have been our 20 goal striker this season, his instinctive positional play would have seen to that. It's something you couldn't teach CMS in a million years.

I spoke to him on the pre-season tour in Spain, and he laughed saying 'You're my only fan'. Ok, so it was a joke, but he knew what some fans thought of him. When he left he said he felt he wasn't wanted.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I spoke to him on the pre-season tour in Spain, and he laughed saying 'You're my only fan'. Ok, so it was a joke, but he knew what some fans thought of him. When he left he said he felt he wasn't wanted.

Didn't he also tell you he never tripped that ref on purpose?

 

[Ernest]

poor ones, not fully fit ones, mentally weak ones and under performers.

Bit like those videos you SOLD me

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Didn't he also tell you he never tripped that ref on purpose?

That was at the sponsors dinner the following April, but as you know, I was at the match and saw it for myself.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I was at the match and saw it for myself.

So you're an EYE WITNESS to the blatant ref-tripping incident?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

So you're an EYE WITNESS to the blatant ref-tripping incident?

Ha ha Tom, you'll not catch me out with your leading question.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Ha ha Tom, you'll not catch me out with your leading question.

Then my work here is done