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blue sky

First XI
Joined
Oct 25, 2003
Messages
450
As the starter of the earlier thread I am disappointed that the moderators have seen fit to block further postings. I feel I have the right of reply so here goes....

thanks in particular to Terryinthewest and Andu for their constructive and reasoned contributions to the debate. Some of the other posters have also contributed positively. Its a shame that some of the posts on this subject have degenerated into a series of personal insults and back-biting. Some of the posters on here really should take a long hard look at their juvenile comments and maybe should engage brain before posting in future! (memo to moderators: maybe you should do just that - moderate! some of the insults flying in here could have been prevented I feel, and they hardly show this board or its posters in a favourable light) This board should be a place for reasoned debate, not playground name-calling.

Back to my original posting for those who can remember - I originally started by drawing attention to the sheer number of shirt changes the club has introduced over recent seasons and questioned if there was a need for all of them or were we the fans just been milked too much (even a cow will run out of milk if you try to milk it too often!). I compared the number of new shirts the club has issued with Man Utd and the uproar in the press that they causes when issuing yet another replica shirt. 4 new kits and 3 different sponsors for last season alone in our case is way too many IMO and we the fans are just being seen as mug punters by the club.
I asked for a Trust comment/perspective on this, as I feel its exactly the sort of issue where fan-power chanelled through the Trust is more likely to have influence. I dont know if any of the replies were from trust committee in a 'semi-official' capacity but I hope the comments have been noted and will be taken up with the club. I feel that some of the comments that inferred its nothing to do with the Trust or if you dont like it dont buy it were unhelpful, not constructive and prompted me to add my second more angry posting, and I'd be disappointed if they came from Trust committee members.

I accept the arguments about the club needing to make money from shirt sales but I feel they have crossed the line from commercial opportunity to ripping-off the fans and that something needs to be said. The rumoured change to stripes is just the latest example of a blatant disregard for the traditions of the club as the directors seemingly go all-out to squeeze every last penny out of the fans in the form of 'commercial opportunity'

My questions to the trust remain....
1.Are you aware of the strength of feeling on this issue?
2.If so are you prepared to raise it with the club?
3.I'm not suggesting a boycott but theres a limit to how much longer fans can be expected to shell-out. Some people I know paid out well over £150 last season on shirts only to find they will now be out of date. Can the Trust at least try to get the club to either offer a discount or at least get the kit supplier/sponsorship deal to run concurrently for 2 seasons?

For my part I wont be buying another new shirt this season. A 5th/6th new shirt inside a year is too much for me at £40 a time so I'm sticking with my much better value £25 England top. Thats money the club could of had if their pricing policy was more competetive!

Rant over.
 
Agree with this entirely!!! Had a similar experience on this site only the other day because (supposedly!!!) I had used someone elses "cast-off!" signature. I responded by saying that as I had only recently registered, I could not have known that this was so. My kick-back was met by a response of "Ooooh & touchy!!!"

I don't think there are many mature fans from our club using this site to be honest. I shall wait until CBeebies goes off air before logging on in future I think. By that time, most of the children, will be tucked up in bed.

Regarding the merchandising... I understand your argument that the number of recent changes to the kit is unacceptable and maybe with a new sponsor on board for 2/3 years, next year will see a balancing out of this argument.

I don't agree with the striped kit being bandied about... I think we should retain our existing kit & if anyone wishes to have a new kit with the new sponser, that is down to them!, but we cannot & must not lose our identity.

Blues 4ever.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (blue sky @ June 12 2004,00:01)]My questions to the trust remain....
1.Are you aware of the strength of feeling on this issue?
2.If so are you prepared to raise it with the club?
3.I'm not suggesting a boycott but theres a limit to how much longer fans can be expected to shell-out. Some people I know paid out well over £150 last season on shirts only to find they will now be out of date. Can the Trust at least try to get the club to either offer a discount or at least get the kit supplier/sponsorship deal to run concurrently for 2 seasons?
In response to your questions:

1 Yes
2 If you read the 5th Response on the Original Thread you will see that it may well be on the Agenda for the Next Liaison Meeting with the Club. (way before any of the ranting started - if only people would read the whole threads before posting)
3 It is not the Trusts fault that the Club Change Sponsors. Neither is it in our power to dictate to the club how often they should change there sponsors.

So in a nutshell we are aware, we will raise the issue with the club on behalf of the supporters.

Please note for future reference that officially the Trust do not make statements on SZ. Any official Trust Statements are issued through our own website of through our newsletter. However I have posted a reply to this topic to hopefully put it to bed.
 
Can I just add to Beaver's response....(good job Paul!!)

As you can tell, there are a few of the Trust committee members who regularly look through/post in the SZ forums (and other inferior ones!) to guage what fans like/dislike about the club and the way it treats it's supporters. The club also does this - so your message has probably already found it's way to GK's desk.

Any subject in which a trust member feels particularly strong about can/will be raised with the club by the trust. You only have to fire off an email/pick up the phone or write to any one of the committee members, all of whose details can be found on the Contacts page of the Trusts website.

However, as Paul mentions, the Trust never officially responds to posts made on this or any other forum. Any posts made by committee members (including this one?!
biggrin.gif
) are their own personal points of view. The Club often has great trouble in understanding this point!


Kev
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Technician @ June 12 2004,01:45)]Agree with this entirely!!! Had a similar experience on this site only the other day because (supposedly!!!) I had used someone elses "cast-off!" signature. I responded by saying that as I had only recently registered, I could not have known that this was so. My kick-back was met by a response of "Ooooh & touchy!!!"
My response here may be deemed 'play ground in nature' or whatever, but as one of the individuals being refered to... can I just suggest you obtain what is known as a sense of humour and lighten up a bit.

The remarks you refer to were not meant as a serious critique at all and I cannot believe you took it as such... or that you're still going on about it.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (blue sky @ June 12 2004,00:01)]As the starter of the earlier thread I am disappointed that the moderators have seen fit to block further postings.
Sorry, blue sky. The original thread was closed as it was felt it had run its course.

WS
 
Can I also add that there is a Trust Forum on SZ, although not official, which has been useful for leaving messages for Trust Committee members and for the Trust to make announcements, such as coach travel, merchandise, etc. which lead back to their own site? I know it's not used so much as the General Chit-Chat Forum but this is the link here.

WS
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Beaver @ June 12 2004,00:48)]2 If you read the 5th Response on the Original Thread you will see that it may well be on the Agenda for the Next Liaison Meeting with the Club.
"May well" or "Will be"?!

I think the fact that we've had a very lively debate about it over the past week suggests that fans want the issue to be on the next liaison committee agenda as a definite point ...

WS
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (blue sky @ June 12 2004,00:01)]Its a shame that some of the posts on this subject have degenerated into a series of personal insults and back-biting. Some of the posters on here really should take a long hard look at their juvenile comments and maybe should engage brain before posting in future! (memo to moderators: maybe you should do just that - moderate! some of the insults flying in here could have been prevented I feel, and they hardly show this board or its posters in a favourable light) This board should be a place for reasoned debate, not playground name-calling.
Sorry! It's the heat!

wink.gif


Seriously, the point is noted ...

WS
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Javea Shrimper @ June 12 2004,07:30)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Beaver @ June 12 2004,00:48)]2 If you read the 5th Response on the Original Thread you will see that it may well be on the Agenda for the Next Liaison Meeting with the Club.
"May well" or "Will be"?!

I think the fact that we've had a very lively debate about it over the past week suggests that fans want the issue to be on the next liaison committee agenda as a definite point ...

WS
Can't officially comment on this site
biggrin.gif


But change the I to an E
tounge.gif


I was quoting my earlier post at which stage this debate was in it's infancy.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (overseas shrimper @ June 12 2004,07:02)]The remarks you refer to were not meant as a serious critique at all
biggrin.gif
 Cool, Apology Accepted...  
laugh.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Technician @ June 12 2004,10:09)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (overseas shrimper @ June 12 2004,07:02)]The remarks you refer to were not meant as a serious critique at all
biggrin.gif
Cool, Apology Accepted...
laugh.gif
Glad that's cleared up.























Now get your own bloody signature!



ghostface.gif


tounge.gif
 
I wrote a e-mail to the club the other day expressing my disapproval of a striped kit. I sent it to 'info@southendunited.co.uk' but the e-mail got bounced back.

Is this the right address?
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (blue sky @ June 12 2004,00:01)]I feel that some of the comments that inferred its nothing to do with the Trust or if you dont like it dont buy it were unhelpful, not constructive
Its not just be that thinks so then !

Good post blue sky, and nice to say the trust may well raise this next time they have a meeting.
 
Many thanks for the responses from Trust people and I understand the point about them not being able to make 'official' comments on this board - but I think the point has now been raised and noted. Can I suggest that the moderators now lock this post before the squabbling starts again!
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (footymad13 @ June 12 2004,11:28)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (blue sky @ June 12 2004,00:01)]I feel that some of the comments that inferred its nothing to do with the Trust or if you dont like it dont buy it were unhelpful, not constructive
Its not just be that thinks so then !
I'm not going to resurrect this debate as it's got a bit stale. However I did say no-one is compelled to buy then and stand by this. Can't see why that is unhelpful.

I've just reread the entire poast about the shirts and just a few points.

1)Someone said a shirt cost £80?!?!
2)Someone said "we are the Shrimpers not the Blues"
3)Someone said the shirts should not be blue and white stripes without fan consultation.
4)The quality of last years shirts were poor.

1) I'm sure was a mistake
2) This will no doubt start a debate with WS but historically we are the Blues. When I was doing some research at the library on David Jack and had to wade through endless Southend Standards we were always called by that paper either the Blues, Southend United or the United. My father who remebered seeing David's Jack's first game in charge (a Wednesday afternoon reserve game in 1934) always called the team the Blues. Alfred "Gonger" Frost who was an original 1906 player (1906-20) stood as a local councillor in 1934 for Pier Ward. He was very proud of his associations with the club and made it a central theme on his election leaflet. He referred to the club several times as "the Blues". Still we can call the club what we like. It's our club. All I'm saying is the Shrimpers seems to be a recent invention.
3) Sounds like Dave Scriven could do an on line poll on the club website on this. Actually I doubt if Betterview will want a striped shirt as the logo won't show up too well.
4) A matter for the liaison meeting I think along with all the issues raised generally about the shirt and merchandising.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (C'mon you Blues @ June 12 2004,12:04)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (footymad13 @ June 12 2004,11:28)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] (blue sky @ June 12 2004,00:01)]I feel that some of the comments that inferred its nothing to do with the Trust or if you dont like it dont buy it were unhelpful, not constructive
Its not just be that thinks so then !
I'm not going to resurrect this debate as it's got a bit stale. However I did say no-one is compelled to buy then and stand by this. Can't see why that is unhelpful.

I've just reread the entire poast about the shirts and just a few points.

1)Someone said a shirt cost £80?!?!
2)Someone said "we are the Shrimpers not the Blues"
3)Someone said the shirts should not be blue and white stripes without fan consultation.
4)The quality of last years shirts were poor.

1) I'm sure was a mistake
2) This will no doubt start a debate with WS but historically we are the Blues. When I was doing some research at the library on David Jack and had to wade through endless Southend Standards we were always called by that paper either the Blues, Southend United or the United. My father who remebered seeing David's Jack's first game in charge (a Wednesday afternoon reserve game in 1934) always called the team the Blues. Alfred "Gonger" Frost who was an original 1906 player (1906-20) stood as a local councillor in 1934 for Pier Ward. He was very proud of his associations with the club and made it a central theme on his election leaflet. He referred to the club several times as "the Blues". Still we can call the club what we like. It's our club. All I'm saying is the Shrimpers seems to be a recent invention.
3) Sounds like Dave Scriven could do an on line poll on the club website on this. Actually I doubt if Betterview will want a striped shirt as the logo won't show up too well.
4) A matter for the liaison meeting I think along with all the issues raised generally about the shirt and merchandising.
For me its just a tad rude and doesn't do anything to solve anything. Should the club hold up a sign saying if you can't afford it don't buy it ? or if you don't want it, it don't matter ?

Im sure there alot of people who love having a Southend shirt that can't buy cause its unfair on the kids as they will want one and then your talking hunderds.

As i say i think its a balance between getting revenue for the club and not trying to take advantage of the fans.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (C'mon you Blues @ June 12 2004,13:04)]3)Someone said the shirts should not be blue and white stripes without fan consultation.


3) Sounds like Dave Scriven could do an on line poll on the club website on this. Actually I doubt if Betterview will want a striped shirt as the logo won't show up too well.
Of course, the blue and white stripes thing may be total and complete bollaks any way. I think we all got a bit carried away with this when there's been nothing official to say the club are even remotely considering such a design.

I can't help thinking that there's the possibility that the posts regarding the striped kit on this forum are doing the rounds at the club... and they're all having a jolly good laugh at us lot getting in a tiz... when they've got a brand spanking new, all navy blue shirt next to them ready for release.

biggrin.gif


Either that... or they're grimacing at the same posts... with a striped shirt on the table, ready to disgust the fans!

Either way, you've gotta laugh!

laugh.gif
 
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