OGH Testimonial Crowd

[andybaha]

I hope its more than 4,000, but when I bought my tickets last week I was bit surprised that I am virtually on the half way line, thought those seats would have gone a long time ago.

Reading were Premiership, whereas Charlton are only Championship. Also not sure if I will bother with the 'Legends' game this time. It was worth the admission last year to see Peter Ward on the pitch again. Some bloke off the TV doesn't have the same appeal.

 

[algie]

Good grief!

Do you remember when Mayo was the Albion's top scorer across a whole season? Or when he was voted runner up in the player of the season poll?

Your tedious, ignorant insults are getting right up my nose.

Testimonials are to celebrate ten years of loyal service and some major contributions to the club's success in that time. Your contribution has been NIL. So piss off.

Badger

Owned

 

[deano seagulls]

4623 apparently !!

 

[deano seagulls]

Am i right in thinking 900 were charlton fans - i also heard that Charlton fans were trying to get tickets in our end

 

[deano seagulls]

Blimey how many Charlton would you say were in the Home end then?

 

[El Presidente]

Seems totally ridiculous to pick on one of them in my opinion.

So why pick on Kerry Mayo, there was no necessity?

Why not just give OGH some praise without using the post to have (yet another) pop at someone who has played 400 times for the club? No one has ever claimed that Kerry Mayo is the second coming of Roberto Carlos at left back, but there are those who both like and defend him because

1: He is a local lad (and for many fans it is nice to have some local input into the team rather than a bunch of Carlos Kickaballs)

2: He has had his ups and downs, but has always battled and given his best. Most people have sighed and looked the other way when one of his clearances has sailed into the long jump, but as journeymen footballers go, he is okay. FDM has made plenty of mistakes but I am sure you would come to his defence if someone was equally unpleasant to him as you are to (todays target) KM

3. Those of us with long memories can recall the nightmare of Hereford (when he scored 'that' o.g. and the following season when he was one of the few bright spots. In doing so he has earned the right to some shit performances. We all have them, whether it is at work (or for you at college). It doesn't make you a useless student just because you're not at Oxbridge does it? I am sure you give your best, and I can assure you that people react far more positively to constructive support than they do to snide criticisms (and there are lorryloads of HRM research to support this if you want to investigate).

4. Why not be nice? It doesn't do any harm does it? What exactly do you expect from a footballer who earns in a year what Frank Lampard earns in two days? We are a small provincial town with a football team that is of equal stature, and whilst it's nice to dream of playing at a much higher level, it isn't that much fun when you are up there I can assure you being spanked week after week.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Plenty of Charlton in the south stand. What a disappointing crowd. Hart deserved a lot more

Perhaps. But most people aren't exactly flush these days, it's the first week of the school holidays therefore many will be away, and the opposition are hardly crowd pullers.

But I also think the fact that he was given a new contract last week might have put off a few waverers. If his release had been confirmed, I imagine a number of people might have gone along to give him a decent send off, as it were, and to thank the bloke for his service.

But as it is, he's been awarded another year. A glance at the NSC poll on the subject will tell you that's not a universally popular decision, given the Albion's limited resources, so it may be the case that a fair few fans decided not to bother for that reason.

 

[surrey jim]

have to admit i was gutted couldnt make it today but working. the cost of it added to the lost wages (by taking holiday) meant it was a no brainer as funds are getting tighter and moving house next week

 

[El Presidente]

El Presidente, I respect your opinion, and indeed the views of all the people who are pro-Mayo. I just think discussing his limitations is a very justifiable debate right now. I know everyone's had their say on Mayo's on-pitch talents, and noone's going to change their minds, but you raise some different points so allow me to answer.

Fair comments, and I would much rather this thread be a celebration of OGH than a dissection of KM. I honestly think that if the 'club' (and I think actually this should say 'Mickey Adams') could get a better squad left back for a £30k salary this year then he would have done so by now.

MA is not a sentimentalist, he knows how fickle supporters are, and it is his head on the block for the decisions he makes. I think he has persuaded DK to give out contracts to these two players because, based on the (small) budget he has before him, this is the best value for money. I know I go on about £'s all the time, but in my experience (albeit limited, and that was when I used to audit the accounts at a Premiership club you are rather fond of), cash drives decisions, not the other way round.

We only signed Murray due to a windfall gift from Bloom junior, there is no other money in the pot for signings I suspect unless he digs deep again, or MA sells someone for cash and then is given a fraction of it to buy.

 

[El Presidente]

As for Murray, I know Bloom paid for him originally, but we then sold Revell, Hammond, and Elder and recouped all of what we spent. Is it not fair to expect that there should still be money available to Micky for transfers? Put it like this, if Bloom DID pay for Murray then we should still have some Revell/Hammond money free, and if we used Southend and Colchester's cash to buy Murray, shouldn't Bloom's offer still stand?

In an ideal world yes, but the Albion run a deficit on the player budget account to offset against the operational losses of Withdean. Or in non-accounting speak, the sale of Hammond, Revell (and let's not of course foget Nathan Elder!) subsidises the £10,000 a week we lose from day to day running of the club.