disgrace

[max power]

yes i would, in a one on one facts and what was said can be denied later, in fornt of a room full of people there is no where to hide when the hard questions are asked.......

[Wiseguy]

IMO it's like this Macy.The club should have been constantly upgrading the ground season by season so they could be ready for something like this and then the blow would have been considerably softened.Figures of €1m have been mentioned for the complete works to be carried out.As a club they should have certain goals set out each season to achive and work themselves to the bone to achive them.E.G. for the Team try and finish 3rd,or get more than 50 points and try and win at least 70% of the home games.As a club commitee try and have the bar open,try and cover more seats,try and have more toilets and so on.To me it appears that some people are willing to rest on their laurels and are content with what they have achieved.What i am trying to say is that the club should be trying to move a step forward each & every season and off the pitch it does not appear to be so.
As regards matters on the pitch.The biggest factor in our poor turnouts in Flancare is whats on offer.The Football and results are crap and people will not continue to go out week after week spending hard earned money watching crap.If you think a certain TV show is crap you won't continue to watch it and it is the same for the Town matches.We have been terrible at Flancare for quite a while now and that is why most of the crowd is drifting away and it will continue to get worse until performances and results improve.We are in a bad way for a good striker so it's up to Alan to go to the board pushing for this and it is up to the board to come up with €30k or whatever for Alan so he can cure the on field problems.I personally would try & sell Keegan,Sheridan,Gartland,Brian Byrne and maybe Sean Francis.IMO these are all surplus to requirements and they would go some way in 1) paying for a much needed striker & 2) easing our wage bill.Whatever the solution the club needs to act now.

[Xlex]

Agree with most of all your saying but I would save Francis. Still don't see how Lavine makes the arguement between himself and Lavine. Francis is a good Pro. He works at his game.

[Wiseguy]

Just a quick note on the Francis / Lavine thing.We would get more money for Francis for a start.Francis is at his best in the box where as when he is further up the field he isn't very strong.He can't hold the ball up that well,he has a poor 1st touch & he is very slow.Seen as we are creating next to nothing in the box he will find it very hard to score and he can't really improve on most of these issues which is not his fault.He can't hold the ball up that well,he has a poor 1st touch & he is very slow.Lavine on the other hand is getting on in years.His finishing may not be the best but i think he will get that back.His all round play is better which makes him a better target man.I wouldn't like to see Sean Francis go because he has been good for the club with his attitude and commitment and that has to be admired plus he's a nice fcuking guy but sometimes you just have to move on and it's his position that we need to improve on big time and that is no disrespect to him.I think Lavine will compliment any striker he plays with but we have to get the best out of him and keep him %100 focused.

[Xlex]

Have to admire your outlook on these things Wiseguy. You've very sound reasons for keeping Lavine. Francis is as old though and really only the hoops would be interested.

[gheewhizz]

The club should have been constantly upgrading the ground season by season so they could be ready for something like this and then the blow would have been considerably softened.Figures of €1m have been mentioned for the complete works to be carried out.

A lot of you points Wiseguy are very good, except the investing in Flancare bit. The reason why nothing has being invested in the grounds for the last couple of years is simple. There is no money to invest! The club struggle to pay the wages each week, the home gate doesn't even pay for one week’s wages. And don't say the wage bill is too high, because the only club that has a lower wage bill than us in the PD is Dublin City. The club are still paying off the loan that was taken out to pay for the development from a field (i.e. a pitch with no stand or seats) to its present state which allowed the UEFA game to go ahead in Flancare in 2001.

Re:Lavine, he won't stay a 100% focus to the club, especially when he goes off playing in an indoor soccer competition in Galway, without the clubs permission.

[Wiseguy]

Fair enough on the mentioned points.The club should then draw a line under the Lavine thing and issue him with a strict ultimatium that if he breaks any rules then he's gone.Contract terminated end of story.This Lavine thing has been going on to long and is helping nobody.Whether our wage bill is the highest or lowest makes F all difference.There are some players who aren't good enough and there are some players we just don't need.Now i know that reducing a squad size leaves us bare when injuries or suspensions come around but then that gives the management a chance to have a look at some younger players.
All kids under 10 should be free so more families will come out and watch the games.IMO Friday nights are a no go as people just can't get back to Longfrd from work on time so we should stick with Saturday nights.We should have proper signs advertising the game with the time on it.The bread boards are a joke.Flyers should also be sent to every house advertising the game and offering some kind of concession.Pre match & half time entertainment for kids with dumbo the clown or something of that nature.Invite schools along to meet with the players either before or after the match.We have got to get the Bar open now.No more excuses it's been going on to long.All these ideas may help bring the crowds back but then again people who use this message board have been suggesting this for ages and nobody at the club appears to take any interest.So many people would like to help out but who do they talk to and who will genuinely listen?

[max power]

you talk they don't listen, true....but if you do it at an offical meeting where the ideas are out in the open and they have to justify why they won't do them, then i feel it would be a good option

[Wiseguy]

Where and when are these meetings?

[max power]

there are none, that is my point, no offical fan avenue to approch the club, talking to someone in a pub after a game is one thing, but an official set up with officals there to answer questions is important

[Wiseguy]

In complete 100% agreement with you.I don't want to come accross as if i am making out that people are not pulling their weight in the club because i know all the hard work that people put in but some of us fans have some good ideas that should at least be listened to and a public debate is an excellent way of doing this as it works for both parties.

[max power]

if everything is in public view then that cuts down on gossip etc.....i'd rather do that any day than talk to someone in a pub, i feel more people would get involved in the club if they fealt that their voice was being heard and listened to.....

[Xlex]

Isn't it a members club, become a member.

[Longfordian]

I personally would try & sell Keegan,Sheridan,Gartland,Brian Byrne and maybe Sean Francis.IMO these are all surplus to requirements and they would go some way in 1) paying for a much needed striker & 2) easing our wage bill.Whatever the solution the club needs to act now.

If only it was that simple. Think about it, whos going to pay money for these lads. dont disagree withn your thinking but its alot easier said than done, they all have contracts, some of them have another year too and if they dont fancy going elsewhere we can do nothin about it. The likes of Bohs or Shels wouldnt take them if we're lettin them go, everyone has used most of their budget by now it'd be hard to get shut without us having to keep paying part wages plus the teams that come in mightn't take their fancy and you cant force them to go

[Wiseguy]

We could raffle Darragh in the half time draw although i can't see many people buying tickets unless we make sure that a Rovers or Bohs fan wins him and we could offer the other players to Shels in exchange for Jason & Stuart Byrne and hey presto all our problems are solved.

CARLSBERG DON'T DO DREAMS BUT IF THEY DID......

[gheewhizz]

Just to let you know Wiseguy, the club have let in kids for nothing to try increase the crowds. It didn't work, Parents dropped theirs kids off & didn't bother going in themselves. The gate receipts went down. I know of several parents that did that. All your suggests about flyers cost money & doesn't work, The club spent a small fortune on posts for 5 months last season to increase crowds, theses posters were put in shops around the town & county, And also put adds in the local papers in Roscommon & Westmeath, & crowds didn't increase a whole lot to justify the cost & the club believed that they were losing money instead of gaining money.The simple fact is that Longford people don't care about there local clubs, and only go to Cup Finals, the next game after the FAI CUP final last year, had the second lowest attends in flancare for that season.

I do agree about the bar, a hotel would be built quicker!

If any body wants to get involved in or help out the club, they should go to Jim Hanly, Frank Murtagh or Pat Hussey, or any committee member. Also in order to go to AGM's or anything like that, you have to become a member (€40) of the club for the year, it's in the clubs constitution. For Futher info on that contact Frank Murtagh.

[max power]

well if i could get to home games....and i have met with the dublin supporters club and they are a nice group....

all i'm asking for is an offical avenue for supporters with ideas, out in the open where they can be talked about.

[Xlex]

Also in order to go to AGM's or anything like that, you have to become a member (€40) of the club for the year, it's in the clubs constitution

Become a feckin MEMBER!!!

[Wiseguy]

Just to straighten a few things out.1st of all i am a member of the supporters club.I buy a membership card every season to try and make some kind of contribution towards the club.I attend every home game let it be a friendly,league cup or whatever.I always buy the tickets for the half time draw.I buy every program.I have loads of merchandise.I will be buying the new away jersey when i get my hands on it.I buy several Lotto tickets each week.I do everything in my power to support the club and i live 100 miles away from Longford.I was not knocking anyones efforts in advertising the game or questioning the effort that people put in on a volutary basis.I actually admire these people.I appreciate that LTFC is a small club and resources are tight but loads of suggestions have been made on this MB about fund raising ect.. and from what i can gather this is as far as they have got.Thanks gheewhizz for clearing up some of my suggestions i didn't know the club had explored these avenues.Maybe if someone could sponsor the flyers & posters that might help.
Now if i am to make the game this evening i must leave but just to re-itterate, i am not slagging or knocking anyones efforts at this club.All i am doing is making some suggestions and inquiring whether there is an avenue i can go down.

[max power]

still stuck in bloody work