End of the line for Tramco?
The last few months have seen a major decline in the fortunes of Rathmines’ finest nightclub. Things appeared to have come to a head this past week with Dillo remarking that last weekend was the worst weekend he had ever experienced in the famous old club. Once among the king pins of Dublin’s nightclubs Tramco sadly finds itself drifting to mediocrity and beyond like that once great football club Liverpool FC. Who knows where the decline will lead to? We only need to look at Nottingham Forest, the club of back to back European Champions now scrapping to avoid relegation to the third tier in English football, to see where it could all end up.
I don’t know Tom O’Neill, but he and all the staff at the club deserve all the praise heaped on them for turning the club into one of the finest in Dublin. Despite its peripheral location it has survived and prospered for years. Generations of my family can define entire era’s of their youth as “when we used to live in Tramco”, but sadly this looks like it won’t continue beyond myself.
A key issue that must be debated is the decision to close the club in October 2003 for the entire 2003/04 season. The abrupt nature and the manner in which many of the patrons of the club found out about the closure left many upset, angry, hurt and betrayed. Without any significant warning, or time to come up with alternative arrangements, the club doors were slammed shut for 9 months on its faithful followers. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights gone. However, the real issue here that needs debating is was there any real need to renovate the club in the first place? True the old adage is to buy when you are at your strongest, but Tom should have learned from the mistakes of Alex Ferguson. After winning the European Cup in 1999. Ferguson went out and spent Stg£28.5m on Juan Sebastian Veron (last seen dating an Irish model btw) when he had one of the finest midfields in Europe already, as we all know Veron never settled and faded quietly from the club. Veron’s style never suited the English game and Ferguson clearly made a mistake. In the same way I think Tom has misjudged what was required to keep Tramco on top. The new lights that change colour, the mirrors on the ceiling, the dancefloor in the corner, its just too much change. We need only look at the continued success of Copperface Jacks to know that places don’t need dramatic facelifts to stay ahead of the pack.
It’s easy for us looking back in hindsight to point fingers and apportion blame. I’ve heard many complain about the closure for the 2003/04 season and how it has ruined the clubs status. However, in my opinion the real reason for the decline has been the Over 20’s policy applied by the club. Tom must have taken Alan Hansen’s immortal words to heart “You’ll never win anything with kids”, but we all know what followed for Man Utd. Again Tom should have learned from Ferguson. This was a terrible decision really. An entire segment of the market eliminated, and probably the source of the talent that made Tramco’s name in the first place. True enough the logic behind the decision was to go after the older more moneyed market, but it is the youth of today that will be the moneyed of tomorrow.
So what next for Tramco? Anyone can see something must be done to stop the rot. Your comments and suggestions would be appreciated. We all want the Tramco of old back. It’s time to get the talent back in. I’d hate to see Tom’s career end in the same way Brian Cloughs did, with tears and relegation. Let’s hope it doesn’t.
"In life, it aint about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep on moving forward"
Rocky Balboa
i see you point allright don.
have u read my theory in the nightclub thread?
this should be moved.
any chance macy?
u've put forward some good points.
the 9 month closure didn't help but there was alot of talent on show in the new tramco.
i think one of the major turnoff's for wans has been the overposure of certain stars in recent months. sometimes they appear 3 times a week meaning the talent is tired of the sight and wants to move on to greener pastures
(IE BONDI)
"If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better." Johan Cruyff
Lads lads lads,
Its a crap nightclub with useless music. Change it into an indie club with live acts and a decent dj. Unless of course your around 17 and need a place to go drinking. Actually come to think of it, the more southside bad clubs in the "suburbs" the less likely the decent clubs have of having to house them!In that vein, I hope they expand the smelly Club 92 to house them all!!
what is ur problem?Originally Posted by Gareth
tom's men operate a very strict over 20's policy on the door.
u've prob just been turned away once too often thats ur problem
"If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better." Johan Cruyff
What are on about Leon, stay out of it. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow we are on the same team. Shove it up your Balls. This is too important to be put in another thread. Please ignore him Macy.
Last edited by Don Vito; 16/02/2005 at 10:13 AM.
"In life, it aint about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep on moving forward"
Rocky Balboa
Awh its changed re door policy so from years ago. Turned away, nope, I do that one myself!! Anyways just not my cup of tea
Won't be merging the threads, yet.
I will add that I've always thought Tramco was overrated and crap, and would never pay into a glorified pub.
If you attack me with stupidity, I'll be forced to defend myself with sarcasm.
when were u last there macy?
"If I wanted you to understand it, I would have explained it better." Johan Cruyff
tramco me arse. parnell mooney is where its at in the city centre. and if you fancy a little further afield then the blacker in coolock is yer only man!
Great post Don Vito. You were indeed right to give this topic a thread of its own. Its too serious to discuss on another thread.
After spending last Friday and Saturday night in Tramco, it is indeed evident that the place is facing somewhat of a crisis. Talent is almost non-existant and it faces the danger of becoming another version of Coppers. I.E. a hang-out for has-beens. Last Saturday night I even noticed that one of Tramco's greatest customers, Dillo, grabbed his blazer from the cloak-room at 10 minutes to 2. He left Tramco in disgust. Outside the Rathmines venue he was approached by a girl who thought she was insulting him by telling him he was such a D4. As if thats an insult.Anyway, it turned out that the girl was a 23 year old from Carlow who teaches in Clondalkin. Therefore, we must ask ourselves: is this the type of clientele that Tramco's management are trying to attract?
However, the problems did not arise overnight. The decline of Tramco as one of Dublin's finest nightclubs has its roots in the 9 month closure in 2003/04. This clearly had a detrimental effect on the club's patrons. As Don Vito stated, Tramco was shut in an abrupt manner with little concern shown for people like Don and Dillo who had made the place what it was. As the old saying goes: there's no need to fix something that aint broken.
When Tramco reopened last July, I returned with a sense of anticipation. While I was impressed with the flashy interior, I felt that the club had lost the atmosphere that had made it great. Nonetheless, Tramco went from strength to strength in the latter months of 2004, with UCD's student clientele being the greatest contributors.
However, as I see it, there are two main factors which attributed to Tramco's current predicament. Firstly, Tom O'Neill persisted with a rather naiive policy of over-20s only. This was hypocritical considering that Tramco's previous success was founded upon the contribution of students. During the mid-week, when most professional people have work commitments, it hardly makes sense to place constraints on the target market, I.E. students. I voiced my concerns to Tom recently. However, Tom is very similar to Ferguson and Clough (as Don pointed out). He is a stubborn man who believes that "everything will sort itself out". I also told Tom that his laissez-faire attitude could lead to disastrous consequences for Tramco.
The second reason for the club's decline is the miserable dance-floor which, as Dillo noted recently, is full after five or six heavy-weights. Many people, especially beautiful girls, go to nightclubs, mainly to listen to music. However, those who designed the new Tramco clearly neglected this cardinal rule. The dance-floor needs to be twice the size to replicate the success of the old Tramco.
I believe that the music is good enough, even when Max Power D.J.aculates there.I also feel that the expensive drink is not such a major problem. However, I believe that Tom and his people need to tackle other problems quickly. Otherwise, as Dillo pointed out, Tom's days as manager and Tramco's days as a respected venue could be numbered.
Last edited by TheJamaicanP.M.; 16/02/2005 at 6:48 PM.
"Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe." Dillo
Any nightclub can be a good night club if ya come away with a bit of "how's yer father".
This is the word of the Hen. Amen.
Last edited by The Green Hen; 18/02/2005 at 7:22 PM.
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