Back to the Future :Harrogate Town's Future

What's happened over the past few weeks has raised the blood pressure both within and outside the club on and off the pitch. However, everyone who cares for the club should calm down and look forward and use the experience of the past few days to reflect on how we can continue to support the team and everyone connected to the club and have a positive mental attitude about the way forward. The way forward is to continue to support the team for every 90 minutes the players are doing their best to get as many points as they can. Please let the people who run the club get on with it. We all make mistakes and learn as we develop. Lets have a positive few days where we all show a positive mental attitude and get behind Simon and the team who will be preparing for the biggest game of the season so far. THE FA CUP AT COLWYN BAY. Are you with me??? COME ON TOWN. COME ON YOU SULPHURITES.   

Whilst I was advocating sticking together and being positive myself after the Stalybridge game, I'm afraid to say I'm disgusted with what the club have come out with today and the people at the top, who up until now I hadn't formed an opinion of to be honest, have revealed a side to them that I really don't like or respect. What's more I wouldn't be surprised if further unfortunate revelations come to light in the next few weeks.

They've got me well and truly offside now frankly. They owe the fans, the people of this town and more importantly the people that they've publicly scapegoated an apology. It doesn't look like we're going to see one or any acceptance of culpability on their part. You seem fairly happy to just sweep it all under the rug and move on, which is no doubt what the club would love to do too but I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I won't forget this in a hurry.

I'll be there at the games to support the team as normal but right now the club is going to have to work really hard to build some bridges and show us through their actions, not their empty words that they are worthy of our continued support. I can see now why so many have been pissed off for so long. It's time for a few people to take a long hard look in the mirror at themselves. Are they in this for the right reasons? Who's interests are they really serving?

I've seen Joma sell Town shirts online for just over a tenner. It doesn't have the club badge on or the sponsor although I'm not sure that's such a bad thing right now so maybe I'll buy my kids' replica shirts from them instead.

One last thing. The club should underestimate fans feelings and fan power at their peril.

Dark Knight wrote:Whilst I was advocating sticking together and being positive myself after the Stalybridge game, I'm afraid to say I'm disgusted with what the club have come out with today and the people at the top, who up until now I hadn't formed an opinion of to be honest, have revealed a side to them that I really don't like or respect. What's more I wouldn't be surprised if further unfortunate revelations come to light in the next few weeks.

They've got me well and truly offside now frankly. They owe the fans, the people of this town and more importantly the people that they've publicly scapegoated an apology. It doesn't look like we're going to see one or any acceptance of culpability on their part. You seem fairly happy to just sweep it all under the rug and move on, which is no doubt what the club would love to do too but I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I won't forget this in a hurry.

I'll be there at the games to support the team as normal but right now the club is going to have to work really hard to build some bridges and show us through their actions, not their empty words that they are worthy of our continued support. I can see now why so many have been pissed off for so long. It's time for a few people to take a long hard look in the mirror at themselves. Are they in this for the right reasons? Who's interests are they really serving?

I've seen Joma sell Town shirts online for just over a tenner. It doesn't have the club badge on or the sponsor although I'm not sure that's such a bad thing right now so maybe I'll buy my kids' replica shirts from them instead.

One last thing. The club should underestimate fans feelings and fan power at their peril.

Well said dark knight - the club will soon realise that the fans aren't quite as easy to spit out. Now is not the time to sit on the fence ball and socket.

I hope the hierarchy at the club respond to your feelings of disgust Dark Knight. My main emphasis was to concentrate on the FA Cup game this Saturday at Colwyn Bay. I was not 'sweeping anything under the carpet' infact I've been let down at times by the club. However that's between me and them. I'm glad we had Charlie at the club for the short period of time she was in post. She was friendly, approachable, always had a smile and an 'hello' for you and seemed to do her job bloody well. Its obvious she felt she had to go and I hope she enjoys her time in her new job. She will certainly be an asset. I have found that quiet, calm ,deliberation disentangles every knot. Lets have some of this please from everyone. If wanting the team to win on Saturday and every other game then if that's 'sitting on the fence' then so be it TS. COME ON TOWN. COME ON YOU SULPHURITES. Do we want the team to win against Colwyn Bay???? If so can we please talk about that!!!

I'm thinking of having a 'Fragile, insincere supporter' t-shirt made up...in yellow and black of course   

paulstreet wrote:I'm thinking of having a 'Fragile, insincere supporter' t-shirt made up...in yellow and black of course   

haha sell them outside the ground, I will buy one!

paulstreet wrote:I'm thinking of having a 'Fragile, insincere supporter' t-shirt made up...in yellow and black of course   

ha ha, absolutely brilliant Paul - i'd buy one!

paulstreet wrote:I'm thinking of having a 'Fragile, insincere supporter' t-shirt made up...in yellow and black of course

trevdee wrote:
haha sell them outside the ground, I will buy one!

 

I hope Mr Chairman realises what a horrible little sleight that was at the end of his statement.

I would definitely buy one!! I'd love for us to sell them outside of the ground.

Maybe put a hyperlink to the fans forum underneath as well?

'Hperlink to the fans forum' Neil? Its a major achievement if I remember how to log on   

Here it is..... :-)

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

After reading Charlie's dad's view of things. I think its appropriate to let Charlie know what we, the supporters, thought of her. I propose sending her a nice bouquet with a card thanking her for her sterling work. I'll ask her dad where she is now working and would quite happily take them round to give her. We could make THREE POINTS. The flowers, the card and a box of chocs. What do you think fellas???

Irving’s statement reminds me of Simon’s comment a couple of years ago that ‘fans are fickle’.

I should think that a lot of fans read this forum, and although most, like me, don’t post very often, if at all, it shouldn’t be taken that it’s the unrepresentative rants of a few people who like the sound of their own voices.

Where do we go from here?

Hopefully any further statements from the club are conciliatory.

Are we really going to boycott matches in our hundreds? (I’m not saying it’s a bad idea). I think it’s more likely that fans will just drift away and find something ‘better’ to do with their time and money…and, to be honest, this latest episode will make it a lot easier for them to justify doing so.

It will have cost the club some supporters, for whom it was the last straw…It doesn’t make them fickle or insincere.

I’ve always found Irving and the family to be decent people, and I know, because I work in the construction industry, that Irving’s company always had a good, reliable reputation. So I don’t think the comment, regarding how he was in business, in another post is accurate.

If/when the team start playing well and winning matches – and we’re all cheering , and the crowds are returning ... it again doesn’t mean that we’re fickle or insincere. It’s because we DO care that we get so wound up!

What other form of entertainment would anyone keep investing their time, money and emotion in watching when it often sends them home annoyed and disappointed?

What was really upsetting about that snide (and totally unnecessary) little comment in the Chaairman's Statement, was that I had always thought Irving was a really decent guy. Lets hope I'm right and that was just a 'mistake' (mght have to resign Irving!). Some sort of conciliatory message would REALLY help, if anyone's reading this at the CNG.

Oh, they will be reading it alright, but they wont give a s**t about us fans. All they care about is us paying our hard earned money to watch them.

BB wrote:
Are we really going to boycott matches in our hundreds? (I’m not saying it’s a bad idea).

Not at this stage. Besides, there's more than one way to skin a cat. For instance, I wonder what some of the club's sponsors would make of the way the club has behaved...

I'm pretty clear about this, success on the pitch is only 50% of what I hope for from my local football club. I expect them to act and treat people in the right way. I expect them to be a club we can be proud of. A football club is fans, staff, players, manager - in that order.

BB wrote:
I’ve always found Irving and the family to be decent people, and I know, because I work in the construction industry, that Irving’s company always had a good, reliable reputation. So I don’t think the comment, regarding how he was in business, in another post is accurate.

That was me and I've no idea to tell you the truth. I assumed his business success must have been due to being a ruthless, horrible bastard who shits on his employees and holds his customers in contempt. The only reason I jumped to those conclusions is because that's how he's behaved here. If he's not like that in business then why the hell is he behaving like a nasty piece of work here? Sounds to me like our ex-employee would have a good case against the club of bullying in the work place.

And what of this long time volunteer who's been binned off? Do we know anything else about that?

I think a few people on here are letting the club off the hook too lightly. No way is a string of good results going to make me just forget what's gone on. Not that we're likely to get that at the moment anyway. No, I'll be looking at things through a microscope from now on and double checking everything. It's a pity the club didn't do that to be honest and we might not be in this mess.