Ben Alltimes
Ricayboy
I thought, it better for me to go through the whole post, copy and pasted, my responses in CAPITALS, not because I’m, ‘shouting’ in internet terms, just to differentiate my comments from the original:
I'm a Billericay Town fan. I'm not expecting any of you to like BTFC but having read the comments on this forum here is my take on the situation. I have no problem with your club and wish you luck. Feel free to come back at me on the points I've raised but bear in mind that I certainly won't be getting into a slagging match here as I am trying to build bridges not cause further strife amongst non-league fans.
I DON’T PARTICULARLY DISLIKE BILLERICAY TOWN, I’VE HAD SOME GOOD MOMENTS THERE DOWN THE DECADES. NOT MY FAVOURITE CLUB TO GO TO BY A LONG CHALK , BUT CERTAINLY HAS NEVER BEEN THE WORST. ALWAYS SAW YOUR GROOUND A NICE OLD QUIRKY ONE…PRE-DEVELOPMENT OBVIOUSLY.
I’ve been following events at BTFC recently and on reflection, some of what has been going on excites me and others stuff causes me some concern. I've tried to see things from both points of view, so here goes:
I’ve never met Glenn Tamplin personally but if I did I’d be the first to shake him by the hand and thank him for what he’s done for our club in such a short space of time. He’s taken a club in the doldrums of non-league football, put us on the map and given us a route to potential success. In doing so he’s professionalised the club and created fantastic facilities that will not only benefit the people of Billericay and Essex but also many away fans who will visit the club. He’s clearly passionate, wears his heart on his sleeve and has a social conscience. Personally I think he should be congratulated and shown appreciation for spending his hard-earned wealth in a way that will provide leisure and enjoyment for thousands of others.
THE DOLDRUMS OF NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL? YOU MEAN THE LEVEL THAT BILLERICAY TOWN HAS PLAYED AT FOR EIGHTEEN OF THE LAST NINETEEN YEARS? IN FACT YOU’VE ONLY EVER SPENT ONE YEAR COMPETING AT A HIGHER LEVEL, WHICH WAS CONFERENCE SOUTH IN 2012/13, WHEN YOU CAME SECOND FROM BOTTOM & GOT RELEGATED! I WANT PROMOTION, BUT I CERTAINLY WOULDN’T CALL OUR CURRENT LEVEL ‘THE DOLDRUMS’. FACILITY WISE, I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH HIM IMPROVING THE GROUND..IN FACT WHEN HE FIRST STARTED CHUCKING THE MONEY AROUND I SAID I’D ONLY TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY WHEN HE DEVELOPED THE GROUND ALONGSIDE IT…AT LEAST HE’S DONE THAT. FAR TOO MUCH THOUGH.
When people knock Glenn I can see why he gets angry and defensive. A bit of jealousy is to be expected (we used to be jealous of Canvey in the Jeff King days) but hatred and personal abuse is taking things too far. What would our rivals prefer, that BTFC stayed in the doldrums forever, never rising above this level of football, playing in front of 200 fans at a shabby, run-down stadium against other similar teams on muddy pitches with scrappy football? Do they think this represents a pure, unpolluted version of the game, untainted by money?
ONE THING I’M NOT IS JEALOUS OF BILLERICAY TOWN. I’M INTRIGUED AND ALSO EXTREMELY SAD. THE ODDS ARE AGAINST HIM TAKING YOU ALL THE WAY TO THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE, BUT IT CAN HAPPEN. TRUTH BE TOLD HE DOESN’T NEED TO ‘WASTE’ SO MUCH MONEY AT THIS LEVEL. I’M JUST GRATEFUL HE DIDN’T PUT A MANAGER IN PLACE LIKE OUR OWN GAVIN ROSE, WHO HE COULD HAVE GIVEN A BUDGET A THIRD OF WHAT HE’S PAYING, AND ANY PROVEN GAFFER AT OUR LEVEL COULD HAVE CHERRYPICKED OUR DIVISION TO GET A SIDE TO WIN THE BOSTIK PREMIER THIS SEASON. OF THAT I HAVE NO DOUBT.
Things to consider:
1: Yes, GT is spending a huge amount on players’ wages but the kinds of players he has brought in bring excitement and publicity for the club. Personally I think the level of spending is OTT but usually you get what you pay for in football.
I DON’T DIASAGREE WITH THE PUBLICITY…THAT’S SIMPLY WHAT HAD TO BE DONE WITH THE OBSCENE WAGES HE’S PAYING FOR OUR LEVEL, AND IT WILL BRING THE CROWDS IN, AS HAS ALREADY BEEN PROVEN. BUT…WILL IT BRING IN THE NUMBER OF LOCALS THAT HE WANTS? WHEN IT GOES WRONG, IF IT DOES, MAYBE NOT THIS YEAR, BUT WHENEVER, WILL HE TURN AND BLAME THE LOCAL COMMUNITY FOR NOT SUPPORTING HIM ENOUGH?
2: Having a rich backer in football is nothing unusual. Many, many clubs at all levels have this. A sad truth is that if you want to be successful in football you need money. Good intentions and management will only take you so far.
NO IT’S NOT. IN FACT WE ARE EXTREMELY UNUSUAL AT OUR LEVEL FOR NOT HAVING ANY BUSINESSMEN ON OUR BOARD, IN FACT WE DON’T EVEN HAVE A ‘BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ BUT AN OLD FAHSIONED FOOTBALL COMMITTEE OF TOTALLY VOLUNTERRS, NONE OF WHOM HAVE THE PROVERBIAL ‘POT TO PISS IN’. I DON’T THINK ANYONE WOULD BE SO SHOCKED IF HE ‘SPLASHED THE CASH’ BUT IN TRUTH HE IS SPENDING FAR TOO MUCH MONEY THAN IS NEEDED TO GET OUT OF OUR DIVISION. BUT WITHOUT HIM DOING THAT YOU WOULDN’T BE GETTING THE EXPOSURE & THUS THE CROWDS YOU ARE GETTING, SO IT’S WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE FOR YOU, I SUPPOSE. BUT IT IS VERY MUCH A SLEDGEHAMMER TO CRACK AN EGGSHELL, FROM WHERE I’M STANDING, IF IT’S PROMOTION YOU ARE AFTER.
3: The bigger Premier League clubs have far more money than smaller clubs. Should they also be demonised? Football has never been a level playing field in that respect. You are always going to get big clubs and small clubs, rich ones and poorer ones etc.
AS OTHERS HAVE SAID I DON’T THINK YOUR CLUB WOULD BE AS ‘DEMONISED’ IF IT WASN’T FOR SOME OF THE COMMENTS AND ACTIONS THE REST OF THE FOOTBALLING WORLD IS SEEING FROM MR. TAMPLIN. SURELY THERE SHOULD BE PEOPLE AROUND HIM WHO SHOULD BE ADVISING HIM WHAT TO POST, AND THE ETIQUETTE OF THINGS. MANY FANS FROM OTHER CLUBS SHOULD BE EXCITED ABOUT GOING TO YOUR NEW FACILITIES AND SEEING EXACTLY WHAT’S GOING ON…BUT MANY ARE TRADING IT, AS IF IT’S A FREAK SHOW AT A CIRCUS.
to be continued in the next post.....
Thanks for this mate, you speak a lot of sense.
