Dulwich Hamlet 0-3. Billericay, 25th March 2017. 15:00 KO

[Taper]

Let's face it: a week ago, we all thought we had a great chance of winning the playoffs. And now, having been battered by Billericay, we don't. Might change after tonight I suppose.

 

[editor]

As if we don't have glory hunting fans

What 'glory' have they revelled in recently?

 

[editor]

Maybe they are the ones that don't watch the football as well.

Glory hunting ale drinkers and glory hunting chatters. Such glories they have witnessed at Champion Hill!

 

[editor]

Don't know about glory hunting but there are a lot of people that come who aren't all that interested really, it's just a social thing. Obviously it's a long way from the majority and it's annoying when people try and say everyone is like that but I wouldn't pretend there aren't a fair number.

That's quite different to people purely coming because the team are winning and they want to be associating with all that glory.

I haven't got a problem with people coming to Hamlet as a social thing, mind. Some of those people won't come back (after all, why pay a tenner just to drink and chat) but if only 10% become lifelong fans, that's fine by me. Either way, they're putting money into the club and that's fine by me too. The beauty of non league is that if some twat is getting on your tits with their incessant chatter, you simply move out of their vocal range. Problem solved.

 

[editor]

.... on money supplied by a criminal.

Ooh, I like that.

 

[B.I.G]

What 'glory' have they revelled in recently?

Carew's last minute equaliser

 

[editor]

Carew's last minute equaliser

 

[B.I.G]

Imagine what Tamplin would have done!

 

[Taper]

I quite like the social thing. Given that I blend watching the game and walking my dog, then I suppose I would.

 

[editor]

I quite like the social thing. Given that I blend watching the game and walking my dog, then I suppose I would.

The social thing is a huge part of the game for me. If things get boring on the pitch then I'll have a chat. Nowt wrong with that.

 

[Pink Panther]

For me the issue is that it feels like three quarters of the way through the season the rules have suddenly changed. Previously it looked liked to get promoted you'd 'just' have to beat another very strong Ryman Prem side in the play off final, which is difficult enough, but suddenly it's like we've all been told 'er no, actually you're going to have to beat a top Conference National side instead. Sorry about that.'

I don't blame Billericay fans for enjoying the ride but I'm sure they can appreciate that it's more than a little vexing for the other teams, particularly in a league with only one automatic promotion place, to suddenly see the whole picture change after having fought hard all season for a shot at going up.

It's actuially quite bizarre that a team with all those 'galacticos' (relatively speaking) could go up without ever having been remotely close to challenging for the championship. Last summer they seemed to be cost-cutting with several of their best players cherry-picked by rivals - Tom Derry to Ks, their captain George Beaven to Tonbridge, a couple of forwards to Conference South clubs.

Part of the joy of our steady success has been the transition from a team consisting of a few ex-teammates from Gavin & Junior's own playing days plus academy players, through the promotion winning side, to what we have now. I think I'd find it strangely unsatisfying to go from mid-table also-rans to watching a completely different set of players that belongs two divisions higher in the space of a couple of mid-season months.

I'd be very worried if that was my club. We saw the same thing on our own doorstep a few years ago when Fisher Athletic moved in to share our ground. There are some success stories involving mega-rich benefactors giving a club a leg up, but they're are outweighed by those that end in tears.

 

[editor]

It's actuially quite bizarre that a team with all those 'galacticos' (relatively speaking) could go up without ever having been remotely close to challenging for the championship. Last summer they seemed to be cost-cutting with several of their best players cherry-picked by rivals - Tom Derry to Ks, their captain George Beaven to Tonbridge, a couple of forwards to Conference South clubs.

Part of the joy of our steady success has been the transition from a team consisting of a few ex-teammates from Gavin & Junior's own playing days plus academy players, through the promotion winning side, to what we have now. I think I'd find it strangely unsatisfying to go from mid-table also-rans to watching a completely different set of players that belongs two divisions higher in the space of a couple of mid-season months.

I'd be very worried if that was my club. We saw the same thing on our own doorstep a few years ago when Fisher Athletic moved in to share our ground. There are some success stories involving mega-rich benefactors giving a club a leg up, but they're are outweighed by those that end in tears.

If a rich benefactor starting sloshing the cash around at Hamlet the experience of constantly beating teams unable to match our spending would feel really hollow and unsatisfying. That's not what non league is about to me. I'd probably go to Champion Hill a lot less.

 

[goandroam]

Another Billericay fan here, I thought it was great to see so many people at a non league game enjoying their day. Hopefully we can properly engage with the community and build a bigger fan base ourselves, which is something that has slowly started to happen so far and it's exciting to see. I agree that sustainability needs to be the focus for us, spending £20k a week on wages at this level is pretty insane and it's not like you need to look far around this level to see teams who have had some investment for a few years only for it all to go tits up not long after.

 

[Dulwich Mishi]

"Out of interest would you go and watch another non league club when you didnt go to some games ?"

Not one in particular, despite pretending not to be a groundhopper, I'd spend more time going to grounds I haven't been to. And I'd also have a few more trips abroad, to watch foreign sides I have an affinity with like Red Star; Altona 93; HJK & UR Namur, to name but four.

At the moment I feel unable to do this, due to my commitment to our Club...so only miss a couple of our games when on a foreign trip, when I have my annual 'birthday holiday' in late October. With maybe, one other game missed to being on travels, occasionally, the rest of the season.

Regardless of whether we had a 'sugar daddy' or not, I intend to watch a few less Hamlet matches when I decide to step down from the Football Committee at some stage.

I am getting to the age where I feel I have more than done good (and maybe not always good!) service to my Club down the last few decades, and want to achieve some of 'football bucket list' dreams by, say, the end of the decade, and certianly by 2026, when I will reach the age of sixty.

 

[Dulwich Mishi]

With regard to 'dodgy owners'...well there but for the grace of...

Don't forget Sami Muduroglu, who ran Fisher Athletic, and look how that ended up for them! And they have a very 'footballing incestuous' relationship with ourselves to say the least! But for the proverbial grace of...

And no matter what people may think or assume, the future of our Club is still very uncertain until the new ground is sorted. There are many twists and turns to go for us, until we reach the promised football utopia, that I believe can safeguard the future of our great Club, that is Supporter Ownership.

Believe me, if the new ground does happen, that is when the real hard work starts to ensure our future for generations to come.

 

[Paula_G]

Absolutely agree. I think they'll play the same way whoever they come up against. They're so arrogant they won't bother to work the opposition out.

Disagreed wholeheartedly with that. They sent the same scout to both the Kingstonian and Havant games.

 

[B.I.G]

Disagreed wholeheartedly with that. They sent the same scout to both the Kingstonian and Havant games.

And no doubt their manager worked hard on the plan after the feedback of the scout.

 

[planetgeli]

Because a load of us haven't spent time and money going to Imber Court on a rainy, icy December night after work to then watch a previously very average team storm up the league and into the playoffs (and stand a very good chance of winning them) at the last minute on money supplied by a criminal.

Certainly has the smell of being "taken to the cleaners" doesn't it? They'll go tits up, guarantee it.

 

[YTC]

Another Billericay fan here, I thought it was great to see so many people at a non league game enjoying their day. Hopefully we can properly engage with the community and build a bigger fan base ourselves, which is something that has slowly started to happen so far and it's exciting to see. I agree that sustainability needs to be the focus for us, spending £20k a week on wages at this level is pretty insane and it's not like you need to look far around this level to see teams who have had some investment for a few years only for it all to go tits up not long after.

To be fair you've got a huge amount of disillusioned hammers fans around you, need to get at them quick before the the Davids spend big in the summer to keep the fans happy!

 

[DonkeyAssessor]

"Out of interest would you go and watch another non league club when you didnt go to some games ?"

Not one in particular, despite pretending not to be a groundhopper, I'd spend more time going to grounds I haven't been to. And I'd also have a few more trips abroad, to watch foreign sides I have an affinity with like Red Star; Altona 93; HJK & UR Namur, to name but four.

At the moment I feel unable to do this, due to my commitment to our Club...so only miss a couple of our games when on a foreign trip, when I have my annual 'birthday holiday' in late October. With maybe, one other game missed to being on travels, occasionally, the rest of the season.

Regardless of whether we had a 'sugar daddy' or not, I intend to watch a few less Hamlet matches when I decide to step down from the Football Committee at some stage.

I am getting to the age where I feel I have more than done good (and maybe not always good!) service to my Club down the last few decades, and want to achieve some of 'football bucket list' dreams by, say, the end of the decade, and certianly by 2026, when I will reach the age of sixty.

Would the red star be Belgrade, paree or parcelles ?

 

[PartisanDulwich]

Red Star Seaham ?
but
Red Star as in Paris I suspect ?

 

[AveryDave]

Got to say I'm not looking forward to Tuesday

I've never been happier to be shown up as a pessimistic twat.

 

[Dulwich Mishi]

Red Star Seaham ?
but
Red Star as in Paris I suspect ?

No, Red Star from St Ouen, which is just outside Paris. Although they currently do play in Paris, at the rugby ground, next to the Parc des Princes.

 

[qwitch]

With regard to 'dodgy owners'...well there but for the grace of...

Don't forget Sami Muduroglu, who ran Fisher Athletic, and look how that ended up for them! And they have a very 'footballing incestuous' relationship with ourselves to say the least! But for the proverbial grace of...

And no matter what people may think or assume, the future of our Club is still very uncertain until the new ground is sorted. There are many twists and turns to go for us, until we reach the promised football utopia, that I believe can safeguard the future of our great Club, that is Supporter Ownership.

Believe me, if the new ground does happen, that is when the real hard work starts to ensure our future for generations to come.

I was a Fisher Athletic support during the "glory" years of mid 80's until the bitter end in the late 90's. The problems with mis-management started way before Muduroglu turned up, no doubt that was the final nail in the coffin but it wasn't a flash Mr Money bags that caused the downfall, it had been on the cards long before that.

Point being you don't need some megalomaniac to kick things off, those sorts of problems just arise organically, I think ultimately football and business really are not that compatible, many a club goes to the wall when they think they can throw money at the problem, expecting success will generate the funds down the line to support it. Similar thing happened at Maidstone, another of my boyhood clubs, that quickly went to the wall once they were promoted to the Football League (my track record doesn't bode well for the future of Dulwich Hamlet).