Chickens roosting at Cloud Cuckoo Farm?

[Cockle43]

Heard the Ewes manager moaning on the radio this morning about their last minute penalty defeat in the Cup on Saturday. Basically he was saying that the financial implications were serious and that they could ill afford to go out so early as a good cup run was important to their budget.
He also mentioned that on Saturday they couldn't afford to open the main stand. I know we don't always open all stands for various cup games but to not open your main stand seems a bit drastic.
With their chairman shortening his arms when it comes to digging in his pockets is their poor fan base starting to mean a few chickens are coming home to roost?

 

[MrB]

Does any lower league club seriously budget for a cup run? Prize money in the first couple of rounds is pretty low, as are gates usually so unless you get to Round 3 and draw a big club it's not a huge earner. Especially if nobody turns up anyway!

Shame.

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

That's not quite true I'm afraid

We didn't open the East Stand on Sat due to predicted attendance and it saves around £3k not to open a stand. The Main Stand (with all corporates/changing rooms etc) was open along with South Stand and then North Stand for away fans.

Of course it's true that a cup run is important to finances and we've blown it (again) this season but it's not the end of the world.

Cowling is reducing the subsidies over a five year period but we've known about that hence why contracts are being offered at lower terms than previously.

On the other side of the coin the investment in youth set up and academy is still increasing - recent planning application is now in to get roof put on the all purpose pitch to enable us to reapply for Cat 2 Academy Status. In short he's changed tack from chucking money at first team to try and "buy" promotion to spending on long-term infrastructure.

 

[DTS]

That's not quite true I'm afraid

We didn't open the East Stand on Sat due to predicted attendance and it saves around £3k not to open a stand. The Main Stand (with all corporates/changing rooms etc) was open along with South Stand and then North Stand for away fans.

Of course it's true that a cup run is important to finances and we've blown it (again) this season but it's not the end of the world.

Cowling is reducing the subsidies over a five year period but we've known about that hence why contracts are being offered at lower terms than previously.

On the other side of the coin the investment in youth set up and academy is still increasing - recent planning application is now in to get roof put on the all purpose pitch to enable us to reapply for Cat 2 Academy Status. In short he's changed tack from chucking money at first team to try and "buy" promotion to spending on long-term infrastructure.

Genuine question. Are attendances on the up or down given the chairman's declining investment?

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

I beleive from some comments from Media Manager on one of the message boards that the average this season is already up and has slightly increased over the last 2 or 3 seasons.

Moving to the new stadium went badly in that we have some over-zealous stewards kicking people out for standing etc and a lot of the more tranditional bar-side support left and didn't come back. We then had some shocking play under Boothroyd in particular, Ward and to a lesser extent Lambert - we had no real style of play.

Since Dunne took over (former player and highly regarded by fans) the style of play has been introduced at all levels as passing football from back to front - this has made a massive difference and even when drawing/losing it's been trying to play the right way. We've also got in some decent loanee's from Chelsea, West-Ham and Arsenal which have helped attract a few back to see what's happening.

What has helped us was the pre-season matches we've had over last few seasons (Spurs, West-Ham, Ipswich) which have drawn in local fans out of interest to watch Premier League talent and have been broadly impressed with what Dunne is trying to do.

The budget isn't having any material impact on attendance, in fact it may well help - this season alone we've already used about 5 or 6 home grown players from the Academy alongside 3 former players in Managers/Assistant Manager & Coaches role which has meant that there is more affinity with the club than we've had for a few years.

Yes - our attendance are poor but are gradually starting to grow

 

[superblue24]

I did watch the highlights of your game at the weekend and was surprised at how many invisible people you have living over there in Colchester.

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

I did watch the highlights of your game at the weekend and was surprised at how many invisible people you have living over there in Colchester.

Yeah - they'll probably fit in quite nicely in your 4th stand at your new stadium!

 

[Shrimper2thecore]

Yeah - they'll probably fit in quite nicely in your 4th stand at your new stadium!

Or any of the first 3!

 

[Cockle43]

That's not quite true I'm afraid

We didn't open the East Stand on Sat due to predicted attendance and it saves around £3k not to open a stand. The Main Stand (with all corporates/changing rooms etc) was open along with South Stand and then North Stand for away fans.

Of course it's true that a cup run is important to finances and we've blown it (again) this season but it's not the end of the world.

Cowling is reducing the subsidies over a five year period but we've known about that hence why contracts are being offered at lower terms than previously.

On the other side of the coin the investment in youth set up and academy is still increasing - recent planning application is now in to get roof put on the all purpose pitch to enable us to reapply for Cat 2 Academy Status. In short he's changed tack from chucking money at first team to try and "buy" promotion to spending on long-term infrastructure.

Happy to be corrected, NEWS, was only going by what Dunne said on BBC Essex this morning, he definitely said that the Main stand wasn't open because they couldn't afford to open it; that's what pricked my ears up.

The East Stand I could understand, we do that ourselves with the South and even the West on occasion but when he said the Main I straightaway thought that that's your equivalent to our East.

 

[flapjack]

Lets face it the biggest crowd you will get in that fleapit $hit hole of a place will be when Elton John plays the Care in the Community stadium in June

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

Lets face it the biggest crowd you will get in that fleapit $hit hole of a place will be when Elton John plays the Care in the Community stadium in June

That's hardly suprising when the capacity of the Elton gig is around 19000 and the capacity for a football match is 10000!

 

[dannypav]

That's hardly suprising when the capacity of the Elton gig is around 19000 and the capacity for a football match is 10000!

which you will still never reach.............

 

[nevereatwhitesnow]

which you will still never reach.............

Apart from the times we already have you mean? (albeit very rarely of course!)

 

[dannypav]

Apart from the times we already have you mean? (albeit very rarely of course!)

Apologies , forgot to add 'again'.
I was living in the present and future , silly me.

 

[geoffmundo]

Lets face it the biggest crowd you will get in that fleapit $hit hole of a place will be when Elton John plays the Care in the Community stadium in June

Yep got my tickets for that:smile:

 

[1960Shrimper]

That's not quite true I'm afraid

We didn't open the East Stand on Sat due to predicted attendance and it saves around £3k not to open a stand. The Main Stand (with all corporates/changing rooms etc) was open along with South Stand and then North Stand for away fans.

Of course it's true that a cup run is important to finances and we've blown it (again) this season but it's not the end of the world.

Cowling is reducing the subsidies over a five year period but we've known about that hence why contracts are being offered at lower terms than previously.

On the other side of the coin the investment in youth set up and academy is still increasing - recent planning application is now in to get roof put on the all purpose pitch to enable us to reapply for Cat 2 Academy Status. In short he's changed tack from chucking money at first team to try and "buy" promotion to spending on long-term infrastructure.

In view of your very poor attendance on Saturday, against the 2nd biggest club outside the Premiership/Championship, I recommend that you don't open 3 stands for future matches and save £9k per game!!!!!!!!

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

Heard the Ewes manager moaning on the radio this morning about their last minute penalty defeat in the Cup on Saturday. Basically he was saying that the financial implications were serious and that they could ill afford to go out so early as a good cup run was important to their budget.

At least they had a home game!

 

[Eddy Melito]

In view of your very poor attendance on Saturday, against the 2nd biggest club outside the Premiership/Championship, I recommend that you don't open 3 stands for future matches and save £9k per game!!!!!!!!

that as maybe, but they have also been there for the last couple of years in the same division, and their travelling support was dwindled to around 400 on saturday. the lure of sheff utd being a big club has all but gone from league 1 clubs.

 

[Crawliano]

I loved hearing Joe Dunne's breakdown on Saturday on BBC. Whiny web toed *******.

 

[rararblue]

It seems that some of us try to make ourselves feel better about our own sorry state of financial affairs, by continually sniping at Col Ewe. I don't like it either but at least they are relatively stable, have their new ground and are in League 1. True, their gates are lower than us but then again it's a smaller town,
We are obviously potentially a bigger club, but until we are in a bit of a better situation maybe we should shut up.