He must have been very busy with these extremely generous things, too busy to reply to the people that did lots to build the club without taking a controlling stake in return.
Dulwich Hamlet fans discuss how to bring the joy back to Champion Hill
- Thread starter tonysingh
- Start date
He must have been very busy with these extremely generous things, too busy to reply to the people that did lots to build the club without taking a controlling stake in return.
TonyWalt
Well-Known Member
I don’t often post on here, but I have to agree with many of the statements in this thread, and it’s all a bit miserable isn’t it.
It’s great (in some ways) that we can have such huge numbers at CH. Many clubs in our division must look on enviously at our crowd sizes. But certainly not for the match-day experience, the atmosphere or the quality of our football team.
I agree that the crowd size should probably be limited to between 2-2.5k. Surely we can be sustainable even limiting ourselves to those numbers?! And if not, get cheaper, younger, hungry players who would revel at the idea of playing in front of large crowds. And if we can’t compete like that, drop a division.
I think we need a change of manager more than ever now. One who engages with the fans, gives post match interviews, who insists his players thank the supporters after every match, one who appreciates the huge number of passionate Hamlet fans, and who can give us a new lease of life.
Gavin Rose bought us many years of great, exciting, dynamic, attacking football and two promotions. We owe him respect and a nod of the head for that, but I feel the sooner he leaves now the better.
It’s great (in some ways) that we can have such huge numbers at CH. Many clubs in our division must look on enviously at our crowd sizes. But certainly not for the match-day experience, the atmosphere or the quality of our football team.
I agree that the crowd size should probably be limited to between 2-2.5k. Surely we can be sustainable even limiting ourselves to those numbers?! And if not, get cheaper, younger, hungry players who would revel at the idea of playing in front of large crowds. And if we can’t compete like that, drop a division.
I think we need a change of manager more than ever now. One who engages with the fans, gives post match interviews, who insists his players thank the supporters after every match, one who appreciates the huge number of passionate Hamlet fans, and who can give us a new lease of life.
Gavin Rose bought us many years of great, exciting, dynamic, attacking football and two promotions. We owe him respect and a nod of the head for that, but I feel the sooner he leaves now the better.
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The new one
Active Member
Listen don’t knock what u got. Great set up a manager that want the best for the club yes the team might let the fans down but that’s what football is all about that’s special in my eyes I followed a pro team for years home and away good times bad times u support your team. Like most of the fans at dulwich who have followed them everywhere get behind the team win lose or draw teams in our league would cry for our Add tendencies dartford sat 1300 dorking etc etc
johnny clash
Well-Known Member
We've had a couple of bad games on the bounce but I don't think we've consistently played badly this season. I've been to half a dozen games and we've been more than ok in a few of them.
I think we played alright in the second half on Saturday. And actually the problem in the first half wasn't a lack of passion or intent in my view, it was that our defence, who have previously been reasonably solid, completely fell to pieces in the face of their goalies unfeasibly long goal kicks.
Having been criticised in the past for high turnover of players, Gavin has decided this year for whatever reason to stick with the group he's started with and they are not doing that terribly. Won 3 drawn 2 lost 2 in the league.
We've played some pretty exciting football at times this season. But we're inconsistent.
I think we played alright in the second half on Saturday. And actually the problem in the first half wasn't a lack of passion or intent in my view, it was that our defence, who have previously been reasonably solid, completely fell to pieces in the face of their goalies unfeasibly long goal kicks.
Having been criticised in the past for high turnover of players, Gavin has decided this year for whatever reason to stick with the group he's started with and they are not doing that terribly. Won 3 drawn 2 lost 2 in the league.
We've played some pretty exciting football at times this season. But we're inconsistent.
tonysingh
Random Clever and Witty Strapline
That's what football is all about? What have you been drinking at half time?
Taper
Mark McGann
I think it's been seriously out of kilter on the pitch since the Carlisle FA Cup match. Probably before. Personally I think sort that out and the club will be in good order. Crowds of that size haven't been unusual over the last five years or so. And when the team plays well the atmosphere is great. But when the football's crap it pisses everyone off. And the football has been largely crap for a long time now. The lockdown game against Chippenham was the worst i've ever seen. And i'd have left that one at half time too had i not been a ballboy.
The new one
Active Member
Don’t drink all I was saying people moaning about the crowd. To big most clubs would love that attendance.
tonysingh
Random Clever and Witty Strapline
I suggest you actually read what people have said. No one is moaning about the actual size of the crowd, rather the fact that Champion Hill cannot cope with said crowds.
EDC
A Slightly Less Invisible Cyber Fan These Days
To be fair to those in charge we moaned about beer queues at the main bar as crowds grew so they put in an outside bar. Crowds grew again so there are now two outside bars which are still insufficient, short of squeezing in another I can’t see what else can be done. The attendance is now an extension of Lordship Lane on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe a number will disappear when the rugby starts unless it’s shown on the various TV’s in the bars.
I’ve always wanted temporary cover behind the goals and been shot down with the ‘why pay for that under the current ground circumstances?’ But miraculously one has appeared over a bar in an area where temporary seats may have been a better solution.
I’ve always wanted temporary cover behind the goals and been shot down with the ‘why pay for that under the current ground circumstances?’ But miraculously one has appeared over a bar in an area where temporary seats may have been a better solution.
The new one
Active Member
Fair enough. Looks like I owe u a pint against Maidstone I be wearing the clown suit
StephenMac
Well-Known Member
EDC
A Slightly Less Invisible Cyber Fan These Days
It’s been there since the start of this season while the main bar has also been open. Why would it be open if no-one could attend?
Stuart Fordyce
Well-Known Member
Last game I went to before lockdown was Welling at home. About 2 degrees, raining, and we played bad football and lost 1-0. There certainly wasn't 3,000 there that day!
PartisanDulwich
Well-Known Member
I think we can identify some of the problems but maybe time for more solutions
also trash talking individuals should be avoided IMO
also trash talking individuals should be avoided IMO
Moroccan Sunset
Well-Known Member
For this season, please! What's the point in keeping GR on and wasting more time and money and players on the remainder of this season.
Stuart Fordyce
Well-Known Member
Dulwich Hamlet pay their respects to Duncan Chapman but can’t produce result against bottom-of-the-table Billericay
Dulwich Hamlet suffered their first National League South defeat since August yesterday, a shock 2-1 reverse at the hands of rock bottom Billericay Town.
londonnewsonline.co.uk
Dulwich Hamlet pay their respects to Duncan Chapman but can’t produce result against bottom-of-the-table Billericay
Dulwich Hamlet suffered their first National League South defeat since August yesterday, a shock 2-1 reverse at the hands of rock bottom Billericay Town.
Oh my! Excellent quotes there from the new club management. So soon after posting on the forum with the little people as well.
Bugpowder Dust
Well-Known Member
Solutions.. I think the Peter Crouch twitter Q&A thing was unnecessary, so I'd knock that sort of publicity on the head. In fact I'd probably knock the whole Crouch thing on the head. Just admit it was a mistake and move on.
I'd like the club to acknowledge the lack of interviews or updates from the coaching staff and players and explain why they think it is acceptable.
If Gavin isn't willing to talk to the in-house media team I'd use the £50k proceeds from Saturday to pay up his contract.
I'd go for a ground cap of 2,000. I'd consider raising the admission to £15 to offset the loss of income and deter people with no real interest in the game.
(side note, I chat to my mates during the game over a beer or two, it's one of the things I enjoy about going. So I'm slightly uneasy about criticising new fans for doing the same. If the team were playing with flair and passion people would engage more with what's happening on the pitch. I don't think we'd have had the same thread if we had come back to beat Billericay 3-2 in the last minute).
Agree with the sentiment that Carlisle was a turning point in many ways.
I'd like the club to acknowledge the lack of interviews or updates from the coaching staff and players and explain why they think it is acceptable.
If Gavin isn't willing to talk to the in-house media team I'd use the £50k proceeds from Saturday to pay up his contract.
I'd go for a ground cap of 2,000. I'd consider raising the admission to £15 to offset the loss of income and deter people with no real interest in the game.
(side note, I chat to my mates during the game over a beer or two, it's one of the things I enjoy about going. So I'm slightly uneasy about criticising new fans for doing the same. If the team were playing with flair and passion people would engage more with what's happening on the pitch. I don't think we'd have had the same thread if we had come back to beat Billericay 3-2 in the last minute).
Agree with the sentiment that Carlisle was a turning point in many ways.
blueheaven
Well-Known Member
Just on the subject of reducing the capacity - I was just looking back to a game I felt was one of the most enjoyable I've experienced at Champion Hill, the 2-2 FA Trophy game against Macclesfield in 2017, where we came back from 2-0 down and Carew equalised with a wonder-goal right at the end. The crowd for that one was 2,834. Back then I felt there was still a strong connection between the players and fans, and also a cracking atmosphere ... so it is possible to have those things with a big crowd. I feel like that was probably as big as the crowd should be allowed to get, though. And of course things seem to have changed a lot since then.
Completely agree with the above comments about the management's disappearance from the media. Why is the club's community lead giving the post-match interview to the press? Is Gavin in a huff about something? I'd be tempted to think it's something to do with Crouch's arrival, but I feel like this has been going on for longer than that.
Completely agree with the above comments about the management's disappearance from the media. Why is the club's community lead giving the post-match interview to the press? Is Gavin in a huff about something? I'd be tempted to think it's something to do with Crouch's arrival, but I feel like this has been going on for longer than that.
Taper
Mark McGann
That's a very good point about the crowd. I had Macc in mind. Difference was the performance was all blood and thunder against Macc, with that great goal. But then see also the record crowd against Bath back in 2019 when the team played crap and the atmosphere followed suit. It's all about the team i tell you. Everything else is detail. And we need the money from big average crowds. Jason Cobb's article has much to commend it, but it is written from the position of someone who hasn't had a lot to do with the club in the last five years or so. We need to build a new fan culture at the club, based on large sustainable crowds. Fun though it was back in the day, the club was in a perilous position and always a large milk bill away from extinction. So how do we build a community club, with a burgeoning fan culture, and an enjoyable experience for all comers, at those levels of attendance? I absolutely trust Ben and co to get this right and to do the right thing for the club as we move to a new stadium.
But we do need a football team that is at the heart of this. And i think Gavin's time is done.
But we do need a football team that is at the heart of this. And i think Gavin's time is done.
scousedom
Well-Known Member
Macclesfield was no booze right? So there wasn’t the queueing for booze issue, nor the exacerbation of queuing for toilets issue…?
AveryDave
Well-Known Member
So the management now aren’t speaking to the one outlet they previously deemed worthy of their time.Dulwich Hamlet pay their respects to Duncan Chapman but can’t produce result against bottom-of-the-table Billericay
Dulwich Hamlet suffered their first National League South defeat since August yesterday, a shock 2-1 reverse at the hands of rock bottom Billericay Town.
And the bloke who the SLP did find, and who has seemingly spoken to the press on behalf of the club about the team’s performance despite having zero to do with the footballing side of things, doesn’t think the result is as important as having a big crowd in.
Excellent.
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StephenMac
Well-Known Member
Think quite a lot has changed since the Macc game in 2017. The player/management interaction has gone very much downhill of course but I think a lot of people who would help with the atmosphere have drifted away now. Also, rather perversely, in giving supporters what they wanted regarding 'refreshments', the space available is further reduced compared with then.
I get the point that there wouldn't have been the same level of irritation with the conditions on Saturday if the performance hadn't been so poor but I do think a win would have just been a sticking plaster.
Just reduce the capacity to a sensible level.
I've been less troubled than many by the lack of words from the manager but it does seem to have got to a ridiculous stage now. I'm not going to criticise Rob for his quote in the SLP. The bloke works his arse off and is actually making sure that a more representative cross-section of the community attend games, albeit school children. Presumably he had the SLP bloke in his face and said what he said. It's for the club to ensure the club's view is out there.
I understand why people are miffed that the club doesn't interact with this forum. I also understand that it has no obligation to. I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole if I was Ben or Tom. There needs to be formal supporter representation. Is the Trust doing that, to follow up my question from yesterday? If not then maybe something else is required.
darryl
this wasn't supposed to happen
That reads like it was done by someone on work experience - a lot of the SLP is produced by students and workies - although it's shone a light on perhaps how little people's discomfort about the pursuit of huge crowds and beer sales seems to be appreciated inside the club.
Regardless of who wrote the piece, if the club can't put up a member of the coaching staff to speak to a reporter after the match, then something's gone wrong.
AveryDave
Well-Known Member
It’s not a criticism of him, but a reflection of how badly things have deteriorated.
A good number if not the majority of clubs in our league have video or audio interviews with their management available on the same day for weekend games and the next day for midweek games. Those that don’t often have written interviews on their website within similar timeframes.
And it’s not like the facility hasn’t been there - it’s just the management have actively chosen not to use it.
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Scottfield
Active Member
A quick post from me from the Supporters' Trust perspective, I appreciate this is overdue. Many of the comments on the experiences, frustrations and disappointments from Saturday’s game expressed in this forum match with our own personal experiences (I too left at half time). I wanted to assure Trust members that we are engaging with the club, who are keen to work with us to improve the situation. We want to hear directly from our members on how we can work together to improve the match day experience, what the problems are and what the potential solutions might be. This is the focus of our discussions with the Club, but can I ask that you email us direct so we can respond appropriately?
