Yorkfox EUFC Blog

Renewals always blummin renewals !

2008-12-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

A Club is forever, not just one Christmas.

Ok, hands up, everytime we talk about renewals , we all think "not again !", yawn, and think that people are after our money again. CASH COW !

BUT ( Sorry ), its a vital thing for the future of the club, and your continuing enjoyment of being an owner of a football club.

My worry is the timetable of events and how they effect the club and its future.

We are now in the run up to Christmas, and so peoples minds are natutally focused on festive events.

Before we know it, we are in the January Transfer window.

My worry is how can we make decisions, how can the club, how can current players make sensible decisions about their futures for the coming year when we have the shadow of retentions hanging over us all ?

Its a cruel twist of fate that February is our key month.

I hope the monthly payment option can be in place by then, but its a very tight timetable.

If you were a player who had to choose between a certain job at another club, or a maybe, could be, might be ok situation with us, how do you react if offers came in ?. Its a worry.

I dont have a crystal ball about retentions, I hope for 15,000, optimistic I know, but to get 5 figures could give us something to work with.

What I do know is that many people are definately going to renew, so I ask you, Please, Please renew now instead of in February, so we can see the scale of the problem we face in the Spring.

At current rates of renewal, we could enter 2009 with about 2,700 people signed up, Please help us go into 2009 with atleast 3,000 or more.

With the economic climate, Christmas, and leave it to the last minute, I feel to try and do everything in February is a very high risk strategy for both club, members and the society.

If you are going to newew anyway, do it now ? :-)

Then we can enjoy Chrismas a little more.

RENEW at

http://members.myfootballclub.co.uk/renew

HAPPY XMAS.

Players report back for pre season.

2008-07-05T03:05:00.000-07:00

If you log onto the MYFC website this weekend, you will find that it is down until probably Monday as the web team launch the phase 4 website. So it should be an exciting time on the website next week. However, please have a glance at http://www.myfootballclub.co.uk where you can see a new promo video.

Over the last month or so, the Bakert challenge has been running. The idea was to try and get 1,000 to give a minimum of £20 to try and boost Liams playing budget fund. At the time of writing, approx £17,240 has been raised.

You can still make a contribution at
http://ebbsfleetutd.bigcartel.com/product/player-donation-fund

Thank you so much if you have donated.

Last Wednesday, the players reported back for pre season training.

On Saturday July 12th, we play a home pre season friendly against Championship team Charlton Athletic. Hopefully, there will be a Barbie after the game. If you are going to the game, you can park for free at the Eurostar station. Just a small 5 min walk to the ground.

During the coming season, you can park there for £2 a game. Please support this if you can as a certain number of a cars are needed to make this very useful parking site pay.

The season fixture list has been published and our first game is at home to Mansfield Town who were relegated from the Football League last season with Wrexham.

For a full list of fixtures, please see
http://tinyurl.com/6lvxcs

A good new non league website.
http://www.nonleaguefootballlive.com/

With Singram1961, I started a thread to get questions directly to the new EUFC CEO who starts work on Monday ( Gadgetman to you and me ). The idea is that questions are posted on a thread, then we pass them onto Mr CEO to answer when he has time. We will run this for a month, and if it works well, we will continue. Thank you to Gadgetman for supporting this initiative.

If you have any questions for the CEO, you can also email them to yo24net@hotmail.com

My hopes for this week

2008-06-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well, just a normal week for MYFC. Good work done and we end with a big dust up on here. I believe that half of the time these exchanges are caused by frustration and other times by communication between us all .

I am sure that many people are unhappy by the events of the weekend and some will wish it never happened, or that they reacted differently to the circumstances. What we have to remember is that we are all wanting to head in the same direction, its just that sometimes the paths taken cause us hassle.

I get concerned that people involved of this project get so involved with it that takes over their lives, or we expect people to be available 24/7. We are all human, we need rest. I often think myself I would benefit from a couple of days away from the forum, but it drags me back as I just have to see if there is something new. Arrangements have to be in place to allow key personel to rest. The same applies to our chairman Paul. If anybody sees him here at 3am in the morning, just tell him to go away and get some sleep please ! The web team appears to be having a weekend off, and why shouldn’t they ?. I doubt they are on 80 hour a week contracts. Maybe an arrangement could be made, possibly with the help of overseas members, that somebody is always on call on the site. Not to give an instant policy statement at 4am on a Tuesday morning, but just to know that somebody is minding the shop.

How can we get the best out of people on all sides if we are all tired and snapping at each other. We are not the enemy, the other 23 teams in the conference are, in a playing sense.

I might do a taking stock email like this now and again , just to clarify in our minds where we are and what we could realistically achieve in the coming week.

So, what has been achieved this week ?

Well, as somebody involves in getting books ready to send to the accountant, I am sure Will and the team gave a big sigh of relief when they were loaded in the car to go to the accountants.

We know that on July 12th 2008, the membership will be involved in a pick the team situation for the game against Charlton. In the week up to the game, the web team will show how it is to be done, and then after the game , things will be looked at again.

We know that an AGM has been called for the day after. I hope the beer tasting on the 12th will not affect that too much.

We have a CEO who likes to do updates to us, and we have a chairman of EUFC who appears to know everybody in the non league game.

Leyton is doing the business with his weekly web team updates.

The Voting Proposal squad is now in position.

Website 4.0 is coming on nicely we are told.

We have Darius Charles back in the Fleet family for another year. Does he remind anybody else of Des Walker ? With the addition of another player on the same day, the squad is taking shape. I am told in non league the norm is for teams to be changed a lot at the end of a year. The body of our has been kept in place and now we can make it better.

The membership of MYFC, the fans of EUFC, the web team, and enthusiastic members have reached the target of 1,000 people making the pledge to boost the playing squad.

Liam is still the gaffer.

So what of next week ? .

The Bakert 1000 pledge has to be completed in an efficient manner that will maximise the amount of money that we can give to the gaffer to boost the squad. I am sure the web team will be emailing everybody who made the pledge in the early part of the week, and then we have to get the money in. We might not like it, but money talks in football. At the time of writing, over 150 have paid approximately £3,000 into the fund.

By next Sunday, I would hope that we have a figure in excess of £10,000 and then we can work on that. I hope that people will donate in a generous manner, and even if they didn’t pledge, they still can donate by clicking the blue banner at the top of the page.

Webteam to put in place a method of payment for non MYFC people to donate their pledges.

Get another of Leyton’s newsletter style updates on Friday. Also postings in the blogs of board members when they get the chance. Mr Davis I am sure will also be in touch again.

Get the mechanics of the AGM and the associated matters around it sorted out asap.

Make Arithon get 6 hours of sleep a night.

Let the web team do their job, get website 4.0 sorted out and let us have the best site that we can.

I hope people rest hard, and then work hard.

Hopefully get the Voting Proposal seconding system up and running asap, so we can get on and argue about proposals, instead of arguing with each other.

Attack Stonebridge Road with paint pots, attack the weeds and enjoy the beer etc so kindly donated by a number of members who could not attend next week.

Personally, Lorraine and I are looking forward to a dirty weekend together away from the forum. Yes that’s right, we are heading for Stonebridge Road to help tidy it up and remove all the dirt and weeds. Please join us if you can.

Finally my hope for next week is, Don’t kill each other , Respect each other !

Take care All

Keith.

PS,

Remember if you made a pledge, or if you have decided now that you wish to support it, you can make a payment of between £20 and £100 at

http://members.myfootballclub.co.uk/products.php?p rod=playingdonation

Another eventful week comes to an end.

2008-06-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought the close season was a time when we all had a rest ! , its busier now than it was during the season. I sometimes think I should have a couple of days off the forum, then I have a little look.

So where are we now.

We had the disapointment of the Annan Tournement not going ahead. I am sure behind the scenes lessons will have been learnt.

We now have a CEO and a new chairman. I am sure Mr Gadgetman will do a good job and we will not be slow in giving him advice and ideas.

We are now voting on the members of the new voting proposal committee. In under a weeks time, that should be in place. Then the fun will start as the proposals come flooding in.

We were given a second update by the web team. Thank you Leyton for that. Look forward to next weeks.

We have a new section on the forum for the board members. We can now follow the 7 board members blogs.

In the web update, it has been stated that Pick The Team will operate for the friendly against Charlton Athletic on July 12th.

One sad note was the loss of Chris McPhee when he left the club to be with his family in the west country. Thank you Chris for what you have done for us and you and the fellow players who appeared at Wembley will always be in the record books.

The Bakert pledge to try and get 1,000 people to pledge £20 or more to the players fund has now reached 450 pledgers. We need new ideas to try and boost the numbers. However, a number of people are willing to pledge as much as £50, so that is positive.

Doesn't it seem a long time since we had football to watch ? Seems wrong to wish the summer away, but roll on August.

I am sure that next week will be as eventful as this one, if not more. Thats one of the joys and pains of this project, you just never know what tomorrow will bring, good or bad.

F.A. Trophy 2008.

2008-06-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

Tis the Night Before The Invasion of Burton.

All the Fleet are quietly getting themselves ready in all corners of the Kingdom,

The men of Kent are thinking of the coach trip ahead of them,

The team hopefully will be nicely settled down in their hotel,

Tomorrow my friends, it will be different,

The early boats of the Fleet will moor up at The Beech,

Then it will happen.

The March to the Arch will start as the men and women of the Fleet will march on the Pirelli.

Win lose or draw my shipmates , we will be victorious.

as the Fleet will have shown that they can get together and sail towards a common goal.

Tomorrow is a day for strong hearts and strong bladders,

Many loud voices will be needed, and they will be heard,

Will Burton expect the 30 that they saw penned in a corner at the away end earlier in the season ?

No. they will be the first team to experience what many others will have to face in years to come.

The Fleet are in town, and we haven't come this far to lose.

We should not fear any opponent. Respect them yes, but not fear them.

A hard team to play against is a challenge that we should look forward to, and have a real go at.

Enjoy the day out friends, and remember one thing as you go to bed this evening,

We are the Fleet !

=====

We are fast approaching the F.A. Trophy Semi Final First Leg against Aldershot at Stonebridge Road. This is a game which if you excuse the pun, we have to pull out all the shots. I hope each of us who has the best interests of Ebbsfleet United at heart can do what we can to get us through. If this happens, then we really are in dreamland with a final at Wembley Stadium in May.

The game has to be put into context. We are in a semi final of the FA Trophy for the first time in the competitions history. All the other 3 teams in the semi final are ex Football league teams and would be at the moment be classed as bigger teams than us in terms of gates. Aldershot are currently flying in the Conference with a 10 point lead at the top of the table having gone to the then second placed team Torquay United on Monday and won. They have been top of the table since October and will be a very confident outfit, a very young team but a good one. I saw them on TV a few weeks ago at home to Stevenage who were then 4th in the league. In a first half performance, they tore into them and were 3-0 at the break. One of their best players is John Grant the centre forward who has scored many important goals this season. Another important player is Joel Grant who was described in a newspaper this week as Non League’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

So, do we have a chance here ?. You bet we do. We ourselves are on a great run since before Christmas. Do you realise that in beating Salisbury on Tuesday, we inflicted on them their first defeat of 2008. We ended Burtons fine unbeaten away record , then put them out of the Trophy by a replay. We too have a young very hard working team, We have to get at them early on. The newspaper headline was “Young Shots have no fear” , we have to test that and make them earn it if they want the final place.

Aldershot are a well supported team and will bring a lot of fans with them on Saturday as its not so far away. This is where we have to be as vocal as they are. We cant afford to lose the home supposed vocal advantage. I feel we need to win to have a really good fighting chance in the return leg on Saturday week. To take a 2 goal lead there would be a magnificent result. One thing that I think we have to be very careful about is the Noon kick off time. I have been to games at this time in the past and it can be a weird experience. Teams can be slow as they are not playing at their normal time, fans can be a bit subdued at that time of day. I don’t think we can afford the luxury of being quiet on Saturday lunchtime.

We can all support the team on Saturday in our own ways. If you live within 4 hours of Stonebridge Road, can I please ask you to consider very carefully if you can get to the game to support the Fleet. It can be done, make a day of it. It means an early start, but you have all day to get home, or make a weekend of it by staying overnight.

So come on Fleet Fans, make some real noise if you are going to the game, We are the 12th man here, we might not get this close to Wembley again for many years to come. The 200 plus at Burton Albion did the team proud with their vocal support, this has to be built on against The Shots. We have the chance to make real history for the Fleet on Saturday, we can not allow this chance to pass us by.

The Red Toothbrush will be attending the game, it will be leaving York at 5.30am . It will be on good form as it is getting charged up with a big Bacon Sandwich just before the M11 at Cambridge.

WE ARE THE FLEET AND WE WANT TO GO TO WEMBLEY.

SHOUT FOR THE BOYS LIKE YOU NEVER HAVE DONE BEFORE.

CHEER, CHEER, HERE COMES THE FLEET !

=====

Written on March 10th, a few days before the 2nd leg of the FA. Trophy Semi Final match at Aldershot Town.

On Saturday we are involved in the sort of game we could only have dreamt of just a few months ago. We are so lucky to be involved with a team of such fighters with a man of character at the head. We could have been facing a relegation fight out of the Football league and then awaiting the backlash that we had ruined a league team, instead things are so much different. Our team, are just one tantalising step from that stadium which I wont mention incase it jinxes us.

We have to do our bit to try and get that glorious day out in the capital in early May. Do we do our very best to get the team there, or do we just let things happen ?. I for one want to do whatever I can to make sure I am not shopping in York, or decorating or whatever in May, when Aldershot are having their party in London.

The great man Bill Shankley said in his famous quote, that football is more important than life or death. You can argue that one either way, but I think our involvement with the Fleet is evolving at quite a speed in an unexpected direction. I sometimes have referred in the past to the MYFC family, well I feel the Fleet family is evolving week by week.

Strangers from each end of the country are meeting, friendships are being made, you could say in management speak, we are even bonding a little, with a little healthy scepticism thrown in to keep us real. I was told at the weekend that even Fleet fans are talking to each other now, its becoming a more social experience watching the Fleet. This is something that I feel we will build on in the future.

We have something this weekend that we can work on together. To try and get the Fleet through to the final . It would be an amazing for all concerned if we could do it. We could have been involved with a club for years and never reach a Semi Final. This is why the people of MYFC have been so fortunate to fall into this position. But, I feel in the few months we have been together, the new fans did the club proud at Burton Albion, a tie where it would have been so easy to go out in. But now, we have to do it all again, and this time at an even higher level of commitment.

If you live in the UK and it is possible for you to get to Aldershot on Saturday, please try your very best to get there for your new club. Fans are often referred to as the 12th man, this is a game where the 12th man will be needed more than you can believe. I am told that Aldershot can be an unwelcoming place and that The Fleet often come off badly in results there. This is where the crowd will be vital. We have to pledge to make more noise that we have ever done, hope that Scott’s arm survives a full 90 or 120 minutes beating the life out of his drum, ladies and gents, we need to be passionate on Saturday.

Our place in the final will not be given to us, we have to earn it through our presence and voices. Show the players and the people of Aldershot that this game means everything to us, and we are here to get a result. I for one am not doing a 400 mile round trip to be quiet on Saturday.

I have seen passion for the club in the eyes of fans old and new. This game could be another step in the long process of making Ebbsfleet Fans United. I have always thought the new fans can only earn the respect of others through their actions, I hope, I know that we will show them our commitment this Saturday afternoon.

As the 12th man, we have to approach the game in a professional manner, get our heads in the right frame of mind for the day. The next few days are ones where negiative thoughts and comments should be abandoned as we concentrate the whole MYFC family on the upcoming events. To lose the tie is not an option we will accept meekly. If we go a goal down, that has to be the sign to go again with the singing, louder than before. We do not accept defeat until the referees final whistle.

I make no apologies for these words as they are written from the heart. We can do this, IF we give it our very best shot. We have to be louder than anybody could ever expect on Saturday. If the result goes against us, we have to be proud of our team and the boss. They have given us memories to treasure, but this game is about giving us the chance to make new wonderful memories.

People overseas I know would love to be there, so we have to be their voices too. Give them the chance to join with us in May. Only then can our family be complete. So, do try to be there if you can. If not, we know that you are there in spirit.

Gravesend & Northfleet FC has a rich history, lets give Ebbsfleet United the chance to grow and go to places that we can only dream of. If we can start with a sunny May day in West London, then that would be a wonderful place to be for new fans and old.

Be POSITIVE and BELIEVE,

WE ARE THE FLEET

===

Tis nearly the night before Wembley.

Well, we are nearly there. I hope members travelling from overseas will get to read this before their departure. The weather is due to be good and everything is set up for a great day. The pre and post match party looks like it will be well attended , so its all systems go. What a bonus this day will be for everybody.

Lorraine and I plan to take plenty of pictures of the days events and I hope everybody else will do the same. Please take a national flag with you if you have one. Miss YF will be in attendance with her red toothbrush. I see it this way, whatever the result on Saturday, we have won. This project has brought so many people together and I know it will continue to do so in the future. People fall out on the forums from time to time, but Saturday is a day for celebration and friendship.

I apologise in advance if I just nod and look a bit blank if I meet you on Saturday. People have the advantage that they know me, but I have to catch their names. My memory for names isn’t so good, so Lorraine plans to take plenty of pictures of people to remind us of who we meet on the day. It will be fun.

I went to the old Wembley back in 1998 for a music concert, but this will be the first trip there for a football match. One thing I did wrong last time which I will not repeat this time. I plan to get in my seat early and just soak up the atmosphere. I am told food and drink is very expensive in the stadium, so a good plan to take care of that pre match of possible I think.

I think a special moment is will be when they play “Cheer, Cheer, here comes the Fleet “ pre match in the ground.

I hope that we can really make some noise on Saturday, please don’t hold back, just let rip with the singing even if it’s the first time you have seen the Fleet. You know “Oh when the Saints, go marching in “, you try it as “ Oh when the Fleet, go sailing in “ . Also, “ We will follow the Ebbsfleet, over land and see AND ESSEX ! “ .

Lorraine, Lauren and I are definitely going to the after match do, and will probably going to the prematch also. Just depends how much is going on around the stadium when we arrive.

Can I end with a few words of thanks.

To Liam, his back room team and players. We are so proud of you, just go out and enjoy yourselves, express yourselves and have the game of your lives.

To the long term fans of Gravesend & Northfleet. I am so happy that you are getting the big day out for your years of following the Fleet. it’s a privilage to be gong to the game with you all.

To Mr Will Brooks and Team. Without your idea, we would not be where we are today. I know you have to put up with a lot of crap, but hopefully this day will make up for it. Thank you all for your hard work in getting us to this stage.

The future is what we want to make of it. Saturday is a day to celebrate in the sun and win the cup. Then we can start the hard work on Monday, the attempt to get into the league.

I think it could be quite a day.

Stafford Rangers ( a ) 2007

2008-06-07T14:07:00.001-07:00

It was five to five on a cold winters night in Stafford and The Fleet are drawing 0-0 away at Stafford Rangers. The linesmen holds up his board, two minutes to go to try and get a winner against a team that we really should beat if we are to have a small outside hope of making the play-offs. “Come on Sacha, get em going!“ goes a strong voice from the Ebbsfleet faithful. Two minutes later, a scrambled goal and we have our win. For what for me was my first Fleet game, this has turned a great day out into something very significant. The team in their yellow shirts clap at the away following from the centre circle. Sacha decides that’s not enough for him as he runs over to shake hands with a few of the away following. The drum is going well at this point as we all float gently out of the ground. You cant beat an away win but one with virtually the last kick of the match is truly sweet.

In the big scheme of things, an away win at Stafford Rangers is not on a par with a win in the Champions League final in Barcelona but this was a very special win. The crowd gave good support at the end of the game as we searched for the winner and I like to think that the support going right to the end might just have given the team something. Good teams have a very good habit of scoring very late goals. Its not all luck, it's playing to the whistle and believing that the goal will come. This winner was very late but so was the one at Exeter City. For me this should just be the beginning.

The away following was maybe in the area of 110 but that should and can be much higher. I said months ago that we should now not have any more 'away games'. Every game, whatever part of the country we play in should get a good following from the new fans to join in with the excellent regulars. I believe that we should be getting more to watch. Imagine if we can get 500 a match as an away following. At a small ground like Stafford, that might almost put the away fans in the majority. We need to get onganised, target games, make it easy for fans to get to matches , encourage people to take friends and family with them.

For me at my first Fleet game, it made me feel like I was 19 again. Standing on the terraces for the first time in almost 25 years, being able to move about, talk to different people, and generally try and make a bit of a racket. The whole day is an experience to savour. I walked about at half time thinking to myself, this is great. The events of five o’clock were to be the icing in the cake.

I can not stress strongly enough what you will be missing if you do not go to some games. For people overseas I realise it is very hard to get to more than the occasional match, but if you are in the UK, your efforts will be rewarded more that you can believe.

Do the Fleet Matter to you ? (Feb 08 )

2008-06-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

When this project started, I saw it as something of interest , now I fear that Ebbsfleet United is starting to take over my life and that of Lorraine. It's terrible, I mean we have to travel around the country, meet new and interesting people and have a great time. Life can be hell at times. Twenty-five years ago, watching football was my life before moving away from my home city. I tried a few times to go back, but nobody talked to me in the concrete new stadium at Leicester. How different it is now where people come up to me and greet me as an old friend. Apologies if I don’t mention it when I go back online, but I have a terrible memory for names and they tend to drift away. The Fleet, though, is the cure to growing old as when I watch them, I am 16 again. Standing there, shouting my head off, and thinking it must be good for the blood pressure.

The Fleet fans I have met have been great. Many more that I talk to in passing on the net I know I will meet one day. I hate the them and us bit, we are all Fleet, that’s the way I want it to be. Throw yourself into this team, go to the drum, sing and chant, and feel young again.

I wonder how many people are starting to face up to the dilema I have faced recently. My historic club Leicester City, my team of over 30 years are on TV, but half of me wants to watch Torquay on Setanta at the same time ! I would never wish LCFC any harm, but the Fleet have got hold of me hook line and sinker ! When I was in my years away from Leicester, I knew that if I got back into the football, it would get me again for life. The Fleet have done that to me. I have seen it in others too. Somebody in the bar at Northwich , 20 minutes before the kick off just dying to get at the opposition ! This small team in Kent has me now I believe for life. If for any reason, and I don’t think it will happen, the Fleet parted ways with MyFC, I know I would have to stay with the Fleet. As a member of the Fleet Trust, I know that would be my place.

After going to just five games, I meet people as old friends, even get a hug now and again. The bonds that we are making now can only grow and get stronger. I realise that people know me from the forums but its weird when people come up to you and say hello, I just wanted to meet you. Its great though really, I mean in a few hours at Burton Albion, this must have happens maybe 20 times ! You say such nice things and that makes me want to work even harder to push the Fleet forward. I spoke to more people in Burton that day than I have talked to in York in 20 years.

What the heck is it doing to me though ?. People that know me realise that I am a quiet, almost shy person. On Saturday, I am in the club bar at an away ground doing a video interview with Sasha ! It is totally surreal, and you just don’t know what is going to happen next. I make a one line comment about my daughters red toothbrush as we score and win the replay against Burton, then suddenly I have a magic good luck charm on my hands, now with its own website, people saying that it belongs in Liams Jacket at Wembley IF etc etc.

I must mention our manager Mr Liam Daish. I think we have somebody very special there and we should nurture and support him all the way. I am at Northwich, he is going home, and suddenly he stops for no reason, walks back in and shakes my hand , top bloke, quality.

Where can we get to in a few years time, heck I don’t even know what will happen tomorrow when I log on, and that’s what makes following The Fleet via MyFC so fascinating.

You might just wake up one morning and realise that your historic team has done the impossible. Slipped to the back of your mind, still there, but your waking hours now belong to the men of Kent called The Fleet.

I want to go to Wembley, but if I don’t, so be it. The boys are in their first ever FA Trophy Semi Final and they are there on merit. I and so many others are so proud of them and their fighting spirit. If its not our fate not to go to the Arch, I have to accept it. WE will have our special days. The problem I have, and its kind of a nice one, is that every away game is getting more fun than the last.

We are the Fleet, please remember that, and support them however you can in your own way. I feel that whatever we put into this club, they will give us pleasure and maybe heartbreak at times, far greater than what we have invested in both time and cash.

The people in this club and MyFC are special, allow yourself to get involved, but I warn you, your life will not be the same after you have seen the fleet and your new family of friends, it will be so so much better.

The Story to Jan 08.

2008-06-07T04:31:00.000-07:00

This text was originally written for an article that was to appear in the Independent Newspaper. Small bits of it were used, but I am using it here as I feel it sums up how I feel in January 2008.

I joined MYFC just to see what it was about in the early days. Just one of many things that you register an interest then don’t do anything else with it after a day or so, but MYFC has been so very different. On August 1st, you had the chance to join and I did , paid my £35 and logged onto the forum. I have been there ever since, maybe 4 hours a night or more. I may sound like a computer geek, but I am not. I am challenged to wire a plug, but I share one thing with 25,000 people, and that is a love of football.So far, it has been brilliant. The knowledge of people on the forum is very deep and somebody can always answer a question. There are some very kind people on there. I know that if a person is nice online, then they probably will be in the real world, and that has proved to be the case with the people that I have met. People trust each other, we are like a family, one guy who I didn’t know at all, hadn’t even talked to online sent me a programme from a game, and he just trusted that I would send him the money.

Ebbsfleet United, well what can I say. I had looked at many many clubs when we were looking for a club, Ebbsfleet included. When the deal became public, and we had no idea who it would be that day in November, infact I found out about it on teletext , I was very pleased it was them. As time has passed and we learn more about them and the people there, my excitement has just grown and grown. The whole area is a growing area, they have a proper ground, they may move to a new stadium, they believe in the youth and they are within distance of the football league. If we can help them make that final step into the big league, it will be a dream come true for so many people around the world.

My expectation for this season is to complete the deal, and help the club improve. The Club, not just the first team. I know the youth team will be of great interest to many members. We may be at the cutting edge of football ideas, maybe ahead of our time, but deep down, we are a very traditional lot and we know what we like. We like the Youth development, we like respect to officials, we like trying to get the kids back into the ground. We seem to be in a permanent 8th, 9th position, but we are not so far from the 5th place. If events are kind to us, we may just get that shot at the league this year. If not, we go for it next year. The FA Trophy would be a dream for us if we could get to Wembley. We are in the last 16, so just 2 wins off the semi final. Believe me, if we did get to Wembley, people would fly in from the 4 corners of the world to see The Fleet.Next 3 years. Develop the club and ground and have a real go at getting into the league. If in 2011 we could be a nice 9th in League 2 with a chance of going up, we would have had a great ride. But becoming a league club would be a dream.

We have been given the chance of a lifetime to have the honour of working with the good people of Ebbsfleet United. We will not let them down.Voting on the team ?. At the moment I do not have the depth of knowledge to do this. I would hope a period of consolidation takes place for people to get to know the staff. We have a great man in Liam Daish and I for one trust his judgement. So if the members were voting this week, I would go with his choice. In the medium term, I would make my own selections but it is my belief that maybe 95% or more of Liams choices would be backed. It would take a big vote to go against his choices. I am more interested in making decisions about the club than the team.I have been following all matches very closely since November when the news broke. Many games have been followed by Radio Kent commentary online and spending it with fellow fans on the forum as the game develops.I have been to the away game at Stafford Rangers and the home game against Weymouth over the New Year period. It has been so much fun to follow a team at this level.

You are much closer to them physically and mentally as they very quickly have become our team. The atmosphere has been good and to get a last minute winner at Stafford Rangers made me feel 19 again, as if we won the cup, the feeling could not have been any better. The shirts for Africa campaign where members were asked to send old football shirts to a Charity in Northern Ireland for them to take to the people of Uganda has been rewarding. Shirts have come from many members including from Finland. The fact that members will post the shirts at their own cost shows that they do care about people who love the beautiful game. Another smaller project was when members collected to buy shirts for an under 8’s team in Salford Manchester. Some members have had sponsorship for sponsored runs, and at the moment a number of us are trying to loose weight or stop smoking to improve our health but also provide a few funds for a worthy cause. These show the depth of the MYFC community and the heart of it, the heart that beats is a kind and generous heart.

Before Christmas it was decided that the team needed new training goals and balls. Within a matter of hours, the money was raised, infact many members were unhappy that they had not had the chance to contribute, as the total had been reached so fast. We have to follow our journey towards our dream. We are not dreamers though, I think of us as practical dreamers. Yes we want to do well, but we are realistic and practical and appreciate the good things that we have.

In that I would include manager Liam Daish and his staff and the good fans of Ebbsfleet United who have followed the club for years. Mr Daish has done a great job and the fans I met at Stafford Rangers were the best.

We are like a bottle of wine just waiting to explode as the cork is released when the deal is completed.

2008 - Time to Put up or Shut up

2008-06-07T04:29:00.000-07:00

For the last few months we have talked about everything, from every angle, every point of view, then we have done it again and again. Hopefully the deal will soon be done and we can start to have some serious fun in the real football world.

2008 is the time we have to prove to the Ebbsfleet fans and to our fellow members that we are not just a group of people who speak a lot of hot air and argue a lot, but infact we will follow through with actions that will make a real difference.

The actions that we can do depends so much on where we live in the country and the world, but we can all do positive things to move us forward.

I believe that we need to get people in the ground home and away and try and get revenue into the club. I think we should all try and do the following.

1) UK Members, try to get to 1 home game in 2008
2) UK members, try to get to 1 away game in your area of the country.
3) Take out a home programme subscription if they become available.
4) Get a bit of merchandise when things get going properly.

So What will be success at the end of 2008 ?

Home Games . Average home gates are in the region of a thousand. If we can get gates up to 2,000 , that will be a great thing, although quite challenging.

Away Following . We had about 100 at Stafford Rangers at the weekend. I can not tell you how much fun an away game is. Get the away following up to 500 and we are making real progress and can provide football league quality support for Liam and the boys in our drive towards the football league.

League Position.I would hope at the end of 2008 we could be in a consistent top 5 position. This league is very competitive and will be even harder next year with 2 more current league teams in our league. If we are already in the Football League, then 2008 will already have been great , and a mid table position would be a great achievement.

You have all been great so far, now is the time to push on when we complete on the takeover and show the football world that we are here, we are not going away, and we only going to push forward for greater success.

Our Message to Football. ( Aug 07 )

2008-06-07T04:23:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that on the eve of a new football season, a revolution in British football is brewing in cyberspace. In that strange virtual world a group of ordinary people, there numbers growing by the hour are gathering their £35’s together so they can buy a football team and run it their way. The strange thing as I sit here is that when tomorrows games are played in League Division 2 and the Conference, my team is playing. The only problem is that I have no idea who that team is yet ! Just 3 miles from my home, York City and Cambridge United are playing. Both possible teams for us to buy.

The exciting thing is that somewhere in Britain is a place where I would like to visit many times a year, but the element of indecision means that I don’t know where it is. It could be 3 miles away, it could be 240. Fate will dictate where I will spend my spare Saturdays in the years to come. The whole myfootballclub experience is a quite liberating one. We all tend to get a team when we are young and stick with them. They are our team, we will support them until the day we die, yet how does it happen that we are willing to hand over our money and dream that we are about to take on the football world and established order with a team that in normal circumstances we would not dream of watching, indeed may not even know the name of their ground.

In postings on the forum, we hardly mention our own main team, apart from when we join. I think it is marvellous that such a wide spread of football fans are being brought together in a union by this new idea. How many of us would dream of having another team than our own team, but with my football club, we are allowed to get a second chance by following goodnessknowswho FC . The passion that we have for our own teams is being channelled into the new one, and with it all our creative abilities. Football is about dreams. In August, our normal team can win the league, the cup, European Cup, then we wake up in November and realise it is going to be the normal long slog of a season, with the slight possibility of a good cup game here and there. We can probably all name who will be the top 4 in the Premiership this coming season, is that good for football? Or is it good that the big boys get so big and that it becomes an Industry? Remember, this is a game, a sport, a competition. Will anybody ever break into the top 4 and win things? Football needs a good shake up, just maybe we can shake it a little, or maybe a little wobble to begin with. I really have a feeling that we are going to pull this off. I hope that the team chosen has a decent sized ground, as I think they are going to need it.

But I think the real fun days will be when the team plays away from home. How can a team that has fans from all corners of the UK, and across the world ever really play an away game? I mean, if they play in London, the London members will go. That away trip to the north of England, will be a home game for the northern fans . When you add the teams original fans into the mix, it could be like having an FA Cup match day feeling every weekend. Just how big can this get ? It will be fascinating to watch, and an amazing ride to be on. I mean, say we do get to the target figure of 50,000 fans, that is over half the capacity of New Wembley! Do you think the membership numbers will stop there? I don’t, I think there will be a steady rise for the forseeable future. If the team has success on the field, who knows where it will end. Just imagine if we got to a play off final at Wembley, our support would be like a meeting of the United Nations and the whole of the UK. People would travel there from all corners of the nation.

To the Football World. We are coming, this will happen. And the thing about dreams is that the sky is the limit. The only limitation on us is a lack of will to succeed , grow, and develop. From what I have seen on the MyFC forum in the 10 days since this ride has been going, there is no way that the members will slow down in their desire to make this grow and flourish. We could go anywhere with this, many people in the Football World will say it cant work, it’s a scam, but my final message to them is quite simple,

JUST WATCH US GO!

I know what I Like ! ( 2007 )

2008-06-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

One of the ideas behind MYFC, is that we the fans have a fair idea about what is happening on the pitch and we think we know what should be done about it. Now, I don’t claim any great tactical knowledge of the game, but as the title says, I know what I like.

We start with the goalkeeper. He should be a big lad, has to be about 6 foot 2 or more or I feel like I'm being short changed. For that extra couple of inches, I would pay a bit more cash. He knows certain things about the game. The six yard box belongs to him, and anybody that comes into that area is asking for a clattering. The goalkeeper is a breed apart, he can never be wrong. When he comes for a cross, I want him to take the ball, the defenders, the forwards and the referee if he is daft enough to get in the way. A goalkeeper going for a cross is like a snowplough, anything in its path gets wiped out. A goalkeeper that half comes for a cross and then waves at it is no good to me. Goalkeepers that punch all the time are just asking for the ball to be whacked back at them. My man has to be a catcher, and a punch is an action of last resort. Like I said the goalkeeper is never wrong, even when he is, he won't admit it. What should he do if he misses a cross? That’s right, launch into his centre half for not doing his job properly. I like a keeper who when faced with a one on one situation, you still fancy him to get you out of the manure.

Full backs. That is what they are, none of this wing back rubbish. What is their job? Defend at all costs and prevent crosses. An ability to tackle like a Jack Russell dog is also on the job description. He needs to remember that his half of the pitch is where he should be, and only cross the half way line in times of panic or when we are 3-0 up. Now what can the full back do to get all his attacking frustrations out of himself? The answer is penalty kicks and long range free kicks on goal. All that pent up frustration of having to defend all day is released with a bullet of a penalty kick or a 30 yard free kick in the top corner. Once a season he is also allowed to put one in from 30 yards in open play, just so he can show the glamour forwards how the job is done. But at all times, he must be ready to leg it back into the defence.

Centre halves. I think these go into 2 types here and hopefully you have one of each. Minimum height of 6 foot 2. The first centre half has to be as ugly as hell to scare the centre forward. I'm sorry, but a twisted ex broken nose is compulsory. He must be willing to head the ball all day long. His use of the ball with his feet should be adequate but not fancy. He also hates centre forwards as they are the glamour guys. When your centre half goes up for a corner, he must believe that he is the best forward in the world, and that he has only one aim and that is the bullet header into the net with the goalie rooted to the spot. Centre half 1 is ideal captain material as he is more than willing to give his opinion on play to anybody who did or did not ask for it. Centre half 2 is the brains of the combination. He reads the game and lets centre half 1 do all of the heading, therefore he is a more handsome looking footballer. He reads the game, steps in to snuff out danger and plays the ball effortlessly forward to the midfield of the team.

Every midfield needs a midfield general. He is in charge. He is the enforcer. He absolutely hates the other team to have the ball. In a perfect world this player would be Scottish. His aim is simple - "That ball is mine and I'm getting it!". A bit of Jack Russell again in his breeding is an advantage. A man that just doesn't know when to give in. Alongside him can be a few classy passers of the ball, but without the general, they just watch the ball pass them by.

Now we come to a key member of personnel, a proper winger. This mans job is to get the ball just in the other teams half and run at the full back. This has two effects. First the crowd gets to their feet hoping that he is going to skin him, get to the byline and deliver a beautiful cross for the number 9. Secondly, to put the fear of God up the full back who is going backwards and he has the knowledge that the winger is about to make him look a pratt. This is all good for morale. The sight of a winger taking on a full back again and again, is one of the beautiful things of the beautiful game. If it is done correctly and it ends with the number 9 burying the ball in the back of the net, then as Shakespeare once said in one of his plays, "The job's a good'un".

Now we come to the star. The centre forward who has to have a big number 9 on his back. The 9 says this - "I am the number one forward and I am the best!". A forward with number 17 on does not have the same impact. The centre forward has to be 6 foot 2 and built like a brick outhouse. His face may not be as pretty as it was when he was 18, but all those centre halves do need something to break their noses on.

He has to be good in the air and be the best friend of the winger so he gets plenty of crosses. When he scores a goal, there is none of this pointing to the name on his shirt, he doesn’t need that. He knows he is the best. We need a run back to the halfway line with his arm circling like a windmill as he runs. He has to be brave as a lion and have the same attitude as the goalkeeper - "The six yard box belongs to me". This can lead to some interesting moments between the two players. A top class centre forward has to have a bullet header in his collection of skills and has to score at least two goals a season when being unconscious due to a collision as he attacks the ball. Alongside the big number 9, is a smaller, quick and skillful forward to pick up all the bits from the big man and run onto his click ons.

So there we have it, football is a simple game. Stick to the basics, players know their jobs and the job gets done. Most of the above will sound trash to anybody born after 1980, but this is how proper football was played in the 1970s, when men were men, goalies wore green tops, a substitute was number 12 and you knew who he was. Your defenders defended, your forwards took the chances and of course, your wingers got you off your seat and you screamed those simple words to him -

"Go on, 'ave 'im!"

Vote on the Playing budget for 2008-09

2008-06-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

Today we are being asked to set the playing budget for the 2008-09 season.

At the start of the previous season, our budget was £7,500 per week. By the end of the season due to bonus payments and loan payments, this had risen to over £9,000 . We are being given choices between £8,000 and £10,000 per week. Its hard to say what is the figure that we should choose, so I suppose we just have to go on our gut feelings here. We also have to decide what proportion of any potential player sales transfer fees should be used towards the playing budget. My fear here is that if we choose a high percerntage this year, and then next year is a year without any sales, then the budget will be lower. I tend to go for 50% on that, so that a good piece of any windfall will go into the club in general.

I intend to vote £10,000 on the playing budget, and then we have to work very hard to boost the clubs income to cover this. I have seen it said that £15,000 is a figure that gives a team a good chance of going up, but that we cant afford that amount. I have also heard an opinion that a number of teams will have a budget higher than that. I think Liam has to be given the best chance to get us up, but even on a higher budget, he will have to do his magic again. Although I am going for £10,000 , I think the figure chosen will be nearer to £9,000 . I feel a little under prepared for this vote, but I have to assume that all figures given to us by the board must be affordable, or we wouldnt have been given those options. We just have to make out best choices, and take it from there.

Edit - The vote for the percentage of player sales to go to the playing budget has been postponed.

Monster Threads

2008-06-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

I am sat here and my head is spinning after working through 21 pages on a thread that started just 36 hours ago.

An important thread, an important subject, everybodys view is important and the thread was / is being conducted in a constructive manner.

However, to the non forum addict ( and I am one ) , there comes a point where a thread defeats its own purpose as the casual equally important member takes one glance at it and decides to go check his email instead.

I have no answers, but could there be a case for different types of thread.

Gadgetmans thread asking for questions worked very well. He asked for questions and no discussion, but at times it did do a little discussion. He said it would be open for a week, it was, he shut it, it was dealt with.

So, is there a case for fixed time length theads on certain subjects ?.

Another idea is to have one post threads. A subject is raised and each person is given the chance to make just one post on the subject. I realise that it stops discussion, but it would be a good way to gather opinions. Maybe this would be a friendly thread for the less regular posters.

Another one could be to limit the length of posts on certain threads ?. Have you looked at a post, yards long, probably very good but you skip through it ? . Sometimes a good thread has short paragraph length posts by a number of people.

I am not proposing these things, or trying to cut down on discussion, but I think threads based on specific small subjects are good. eg The Fun Day, The Maintenance day. Its the monster threads about major subjects that I fear are turnoffs to all but the most committed, or should that be those of us who should be commiteed for reading too much on here.

My opinion of what the Principles of MYFC are.

2008-06-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

I often think to myself about things that I think MYFC is about. Can we accept for the purposes of the discussion that Pick The Team in some form will be one of them. But what do you want MYFC to be about ?, What will make us different ? While being a very radical idea, I think that deep down we are quite a conservative group and that we believe in what some refer to as old fashioned values.

1 ) We want the youth development side of things to be right. Personally I like nothing better than seeing a home grown player do well.

2 ) A while back there was talk about the problem that some big clubs have with giving respect to the referees. I dont think we have a problem, but I hope we always will respect the officials.

3) Club debts. I would hope that after the initial years of paying for the club, we can move to a permanent position of being debt free, so every pound that we generate, we can do good things with and not give a lump of it to the banks. If we sell a player, its because we decide to, not because a man at bank plc tells us to.

4) Treat our players well. I dont mean spoil them but to have a reputation of being a club that looks after its players, such as the Burton hotel thing, I believe has to be positive.

5) The Clubs name gives off positive feelings to others not at the club. Certain clubs names do not do that.

6) Whatever we do in the years to come, we dont lose the feeling of warmth when we meet at grounds. Especially at away grounds, I feel that people are genuinely pleased to see each other.

7) Whatever we do, we try and do it to the best quality that our resources will allow. I am sure there are many others.

Why am I involved with MYFC ?

2008-06-01T02:57:00.000-07:00

For me the reason why I joined MYFC was to become involved in the building of a club and to try and make their position better in the league. I will do the Pick The Team when it is introduced, but it is not so vital to me as it appears to be for many other members.

To be able to look back in a few years with hopefully Ebbsfleet United in the Football League, would be very satisfying. MYFC gives me the opportunity to have my small say in a running of a club. After watching Ebbsfleet United many times last season, they have become very important to Lorraine & myself.

One of the joys of being involved with EUFC is going to the away games. Here is a great map that also gives you directions to all matches for EUFC for the 2008-09 season. http://maps.live.com/?v=2&cid=9992B759B5745B17!215