Berwick Rangers 2018/2019 Thread

[Borderer]

On 07/06/2019 at 09:19, Back post Willie said:

 

The excitement is palpable
 

 

Agreed but it’s no worse than a PSF v Coldstream on a Tuesday night. Let’s face it, neither scenario is going to see folks racing to the ground in huge numbers. 

[LongTimeLurker]

On 6/7/2019 at 10:19, Back post Willie said:

The excitement is palpable
May have to concede as we don’t seem to have a team as yet......

 

It's really so different from playing Edinburgh City and Cowdenbeath?

[Ducket Lodger]

34 days until our first competitive game, 23 days until the prestigious friendly against Coldstream, but still no word from the club on new signings, I have heard that, despite the boards opinion that players would be falling over themselves to sign for us, being an ex league side, who should be odds-on to be promoted, they are finding the opposite is the reality, most clubs have already done their business and are set up for the new campaign,  in LL circles, our new manager, who incidentally managed to technically get Whitehill Welfare relegated from the LL in the last campaign, does not have the highest standing in the LL set up, therefore players are not lining up to sign for him.

We are left to choose from semi-retired players, problem players and younger players from the EoS who may have the wherewithal to make the grade in the LL, none of this bodes well for the coming season.

As I said in my last post, the board is much the same, give or take, no mention of investment, no communication with the loyal support, they need to keep going and finally sink this once great club, half a job is just not good enough!

[heedthebaa]

4 minutes ago, gogsy said:

Good to see Ducket Lodger is still a raging seething mess.

In fairness he has every right to be pissed off with the silence so far

[A Believer]

In fairness he has every right to be pissed off with the silence so far

No debate about maybe being disappointed. However Mr Lodgers constant flow of finger pointing and doom mongering is just disproportionate. I'd rather wait and hear 'this is what we've done', rather than updates on what we're trying to do, in terms of signings.

[berwicksfinest]

DL is 100% spot on and to be fair has put it more eloquently than I ever could

[heedthebaa]

11 minutes ago, A Believer said:

19 minutes ago, heedthebaa said:

In fairness he has every right to be pissed off with the silence so far

No debate about maybe being disappointed. However Mr Lodgers constant flow of finger pointing and doom mongering is just disproportionate. I'd rather wait and hear 'this is what we've done', rather than updates on what we're trying to do, in terms of signings.

If at this point they’re still at the trying stage instead of the done stage it’s worrying 

[Disc Potato]

1 hour ago, Ducket Lodger said:

34 days until our first competitive game, 23 days until the prestigious friendly against Coldstream, but still no word from the club on new signings, I have heard that, despite the boards opinion that players would be falling over themselves to sign for us, being an ex league side, who should be odds-on to be promoted, they are finding the opposite is the reality, most clubs have already done their business and are set up for the new campaign,  in LL circles, our new manager, who incidentally managed to technically get Whitehill Welfare relegated from the LL in the last campaign, does not have the highest standing in the LL set up, therefore players are not lining up to sign for him.

We are left to choose from semi-retired players, problem players and younger players from the EoS who may have the wherewithal to make the grade in the LL, none of this bodes well for the coming season.

As I said in my last post, the board is much the same, give or take, no mention of investment, no communication with the loyal support, they need to keep going and finally sink this once great club, half a job is just not good enough!

I don't think for one minute players are turning us down because Yano is our manager, he is an excellent coach. Certainly wouldn't hold him responsible for Whitehill Welfare's finishing position last season. 

I do agree with the second part of your post, the lack of information from the club tells its own story.  I can't remember us having so few signed players so close to a new season.  Names that were rumoured to be summer targets are all decent players but there has been no movement at all while other clubs in the LL continue to announce new signings. 

There is still time to put a reasonable squad together but a small update from the club wouldn't go amiss.

[craigiemack]

Ducket Lodger certainly adds some excitement to the LL, long may that continue.

 

Does anybody know who Berwick are rumoured to be signing?

 

[Ducket Lodger]

26 minutes ago, A Believer said:

34 minutes ago, heedthebaa said:

In fairness he has every right to be pissed off with the silence so far

No debate about maybe being disappointed. However Mr Lodgers constant flow of finger pointing and doom mongering is just disproportionate. I'd rather wait and hear 'this is what we've done', rather than updates on what we're trying to do, in terms of signings.

Sorry AB you've missed my point, its not doom mongering or pointing fingers, my point was that time is ticking away, I have accepted the new regime, although I don't agree with Bell's appointment and his approach (I do hope he keeps commenting in his own name on here, cos that is proper entertainment). I did wish them good luck, however, we need to put a competitive team on the park, that means signings that would do a job for us, so far we have heard nothing, disappointing as it may be, we have no choice but to "wait and hear" unfortunately a "this is what we have done" statement will undoubtedly be to late.

DP states Yano is a excellent coach, which he may well be, but, on the contrary, he was responsible for WW finishing position last season, take a look at his record, he was in charge, so the buck stops with him, no question.

At the end of the day, we all want to see a competitive team on the park and I wish Yano well, however,  the man needs players, but players cost money, money comes from investment, investment usually comes from board members, board members currently in office, don't seem to collectively or individually want to put their own money in to start the cycle, this my friends, has been my point from the start, current and previous directors just wanted the kudos to say they were BRFC directors, correct me if I am wrong, but it is a long time since any director stumped up a reasonable sum for investment in the playing squad (which should have happened at Christmas and we may well have not been relegated).

Recently, I understand the club had £80k in the bank, £60k to come from the SFA in terms of season one parachute payment, Speedway income, whatever the Supporters Club are able to donate,  plus Sponsors income for the new season (which could be less owing to relegation) surely, if these sums are correct, they should have a reasonable pot to sign players, tell me why they haven't made any notable signings, there has to be a reason? 

[magoo]

36 minutes ago, Ducket Lodger said:

Sorry AB you've missed my point, its not doom mongering or pointing fingers, my point was that time is ticking away, I have accepted the new regime, although I don't agree with Bell's appointment and his approach (I do hope he keeps commenting in his own name on here, cos that is proper entertainment). I did wish them good luck, however, we need to put a competitive team on the park, that means signings that would do a job for us, so far we have heard nothing, disappointing as it may be, we have no choice but to "wait and hear" unfortunately a "this is what we have done" statement will undoubtedly be to late.

DP states Yano is a excellent coach, which he may well be, but, on the contrary, he was responsible for WW finishing position last season, take a look at his record, he was in charge, so the buck stops with him, no question.

At the end of the day, we all want to see a competitive team on the park and I wish Yano well, however,  the man needs players, but players cost money, money comes from investment, investment usually comes from board members, board members currently in office, don't seem to collectively or individually want to put their own money in to start the cycle, this my friends, has been my point from the start, current and previous directors just wanted the kudos to say they were BRFC directors, correct me if I am wrong, but it is a long time since any director stumped up a reasonable sum for investment in the playing squad (which should have happened at Christmas and we may well have not been relegated).

Recently, I understand the club had £80k in the bank, £60k to come from the SFA in terms of season one parachute payment, Speedway income, whatever the Supporters Club are able to donate,  plus Sponsors income for the new season (which could be less owing to relegation) surely, if these sums are correct, they should have a reasonable pot to sign players, tell me why they haven't made any notable signings, there has to be a reason? 

In no way does the buck stop with yano in regards Whitehill last season, the squad he had at his disposal was absolutely nowhere near ll standard and  I think any manager would have had more or less the same results  what I will say is that from his appointment there was little upturn in the team a new manager brings  and his whole body language imo he just appeared not to want to be there from day1, I would personally be surprised if Berwick bounce straight back up as ther2s a decent few established teams in there that are used to winning on a constant basis

[newcastle broon]

1 hour ago, Disc Potato said:

I don't think for one minute players are turning us down because Yano is our manager, he is an excellent coach. Certainly wouldn't hold him responsible for Whitehill Welfare's finishing position last season. 

Good coach aye no doubts,man management skills are questionable. What's the difference between a coach and a manager  ? 

He brought in quite a few players that made no difference to ww last season ?

[HibeeJibee]

Tbh, it's understandable for fans to feel concerned, it now being under 5 weeks to the first competitive game and thusfar 0 signings and 1 friendly announced. Natural enough reaction.

[A Believer]

Sorry AB you've missed my point, its not doom mongering or pointing fingers, my point was that time is ticking away, I have accepted the new regime, although I don't agree with Bell's appointment and his approach (I do hope he keeps commenting in his own name on here, cos that is proper entertainment). I did wish them good luck, however, we need to put a competitive team on the park, that means signings that would do a job for us, so far we have heard nothing, disappointing as it may be, we have no choice but to "wait and hear" unfortunately a "this is what we have done" statement will undoubtedly be to late.
DP states Yano is a excellent coach, which he may well be, but, on the contrary, he was responsible for WW finishing position last season, take a look at his record, he was in charge, so the buck stops with him, no question.
At the end of the day, we all want to see a competitive team on the park and I wish Yano well, however,  the man needs players, but players cost money, money comes from investment, investment usually comes from board members, board members currently in office, don't seem to collectively or individually want to put their own money in to start the cycle, this my friends, has been my point from the start, current and previous directors just wanted the kudos to say they were BRFC directors, correct me if I am wrong, but it is a long time since any director stumped up a reasonable sum for investment in the playing squad (which should have happened at Christmas and we may well have not been relegated).
Recently, I understand the club had £80k in the bank, £60k to come from the SFA in terms of season one parachute payment, Speedway income, whatever the Supporters Club are able to donate,  plus Sponsors income for the new season (which could be less owing to relegation) surely, if these sums are correct, they should have a reasonable pot to sign players, tell me why they haven't made any notable signings, there has to be a reason? 

You're absolutely fair in much if what you say here DL; we all hurt deeply at the horrible end off the season and desparately want a competitive group of players. My reading us that if the board had some good news on signings, we'd know about it.

Having difficulty attracting good players to the club is nothing new; it's just got even tougher given our new league status and, righr again, it's still down to money.

Where I kinda differ, if I may, is your belief that a critical qualification for a Company Director is a sack of cash to invest. For me it's commitment, desire to succeed and business acumen to underpin a sound strategy in close collaboration with the other Directors. Personally, if people with none of the above, except a sack of cash and little business sense, occupied any Board, I wouldn't be investing in that company.

The Board statement gave the credentials of the two new directors in relation to seeking to secure external funding, and that ambition works for me. I'll be doing all I can to help and support them.

Given the war chests already in place at other LL clubs, I'm worried too that we're probably struggling to sign players, but its not a surprise. We're playing catch up, and all I can see ahead is the need for patience to allow the financial and squad rebuilding to take place.

I'm just not sure you're the patient type Mr Lodger.

[Disc Potato]

1 hour ago, newcastle broon said:

Good coach aye no doubts,man management skills are questionable. What's the difference between a coach and a manager  ? 

He brought in quite a few players that made no difference to ww last season ?

Responsibility for recruitment and man management the major differences between a coach and a manager.

Recruitment has become a major problem for BRFC over recent seasons and that challenge is even harder with our decline down the leagues. Yano like most in his position will be doing the work but getting deals concluded looks a problem with little in the way of announcements. As AB says above this is most likely to come down to finance. 

Preparing for relegation some 8 weeks ago, you could see these problems on the horizon regardless of who was in charge. I did some work with an SPL club who reached out with an offer of  help to us. It was disappointing our club didn’t follow this up with talks to discuss further. It was readily dismissed by some despite individuals doing a fair bit of work to help. BRFC would have been the major benefactor of this agreement. 

[Ducket Lodger]

My point was investment, usually, if you have money to invest, you want a seat on the board to ensure your cash is being spent correctly, that gives you a vested interest in the team and if required you might have do dig deep again, I don't think investing in a football club is for the faint hearted, so fair play to all those who are willing to put in. AB I understand what you are saying but unfortunately cash is king. Today, you will only get out of this league if you invest in the team, that is the sad reality, sadly the days of a sportsman of any type,  playing for a club through loyalty are long gone.

The boards approach in bringing in Pikey and Sarah McMorn is admirable, who are tasked with seeking external funding , the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, but what happens if they fail to get significant investment into the club,  relying on the hope of investment is not investment, you need committed individuals who will come on board to invest and buy into the clubs strategy (if they have one other than the new stadium), begging for a few quid is helpful but not enough.

BRFC are similar to many clubs whether they are League Clubs, LL, EoS, right down to the North Northumberland league and below, they are all run well and rely on volunteer involvement, undoubtedly, there are good people who are unsung heros at BRFC any one of them could sit on the board in the same capacity of Pikey and Sarah, sadly, you can work as hard as you like, but you will fail to get promoted without team investment.

  

[Ducket Lodger]

AB

Sorry, its not about me being patient, I have no control of the goings-on, I would just like to hear some positive news for a change, just so we can get the feeling that we've finally stopped the rot and are now embarking on a solid rebuilding strategy, a sort of upward curve, if you like, currently there is none of this, we still have a silent board and we have no known new signings, to me its worrying in the short-term, especially as the new season is only a few weeks away.

If the strategy is to consolidate in the LL for a couple of seasons, then I for one would be disappointed, but so be it, we all know its going to be a long way back, a trip that we might not be able to make.

[A Believer]

My point was investment, usually, if you have money to invest, you want a seat on the board to ensure your cash is being spent correctly, that gives you a vested interest in the team and if required you might have do dig deep again, I don't think investing in a football club is for the faint hearted, so fair play to all those who are willing to put in. AB I understand what you are saying but unfortunately cash is king. Today, you will only get out of this league if you invest in the team, that is the sad reality, sadly the days of a sportsman of any type,  playing for a club through loyalty are long gone.

The boards approach in bringing in Pikey and Sarah McMorn is admirable, who are tasked with seeking external funding , the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, but what happens if they fail to get significant investment into the club,  relying on the hope of investment is not investment, you need committed individuals who will come on board to invest and buy into the clubs strategy (if they have one other than the new stadium), begging for a few quid is helpful but not enough.

BRFC are similar to many clubs whether they are League Clubs, LL, EoS, right down to the North Northumberland league and below, they are all run well and rely on volunteer involvement, undoubtedly, there are good people who are unsung heros at BRFC any one of them could sit on the board in the same capacity of Pikey and Sarah, sadly, you can work as hard as you like, but you will fail to get promoted without team investment.

  

We're on the same page DL, both hoping that the new board which is developing, and will grow with more people with complementary acumen.

 

You're point is well made 're investors wanting a say in how the money is spent. I would say, I would support that if an investor/ group came up with the £200k plus that would be needed to allow us to compete. Less than that and it'd be bickering over scraps.

 

I do think that when JB and the Operations Group get their teeth into turning our model from a legacy loss-making one, to at least a break-even one, it stands to reason we become more attractive for investors. I'm a believer....[emoji6]

 

[Ducket Lodger]

As I said, proof of the pudding is in the eating, they need to deliver!

With no investors on the immediate horizon and the previous board (essentially the same people) shunning the offers on the table to keep themselves in office, I have to support the, here and now, if the "Operations Group" deliver, then we will all be happy.

In the real world, it would take a real nutter to pump £200k into BRFC, you'd probably need sectioned if you even contemplated £5k or £10k,

We've fell a long way and it will be an even longer way back, both on and off the park. 

[berwicksfinest]

Just a plea to A believer

We were patient with the last 10 seasons or more, we were patient with Johnny Harvey. When is the time not to be patient.

I feel we are where we are because we've been way to accepting in our situation and expecting better to come to us.

Time now to rattle boxes, kick ass whatever it takes to get something done

Edited June 9, 2019 by berwicksfinest