I've had a period of reflection following my visit to the PF last week, and thought I would share these reflections with anybody who may be interested
On the positive side, the man on the main turnstile was warm and welcoming and the staff in both teabars were spot on. I also managed to enjoy the chips before Mick ate them all. It was also great to spend some time in the company of some fantastically loyal supporters for whom I have massive respect.
As to positives, that's where it ends. In the 12 months between my visits, there appears to be no doubt that the club has regressed so badly that it is, in all honesty, depressing. Even when things haven't gone well in the past, I have always found the PF to be a place of inspiration and the stoicism of the loyal supporters uplifting. I know it was a cold day, but the place was flat - no buzz of anticipation, no feeling of optimism, little in the way of vocal encouragement. The atmosphere was as grey and damp as the weather. I admired Pat's attempts to rally the meagre support (another gate less than 300) but his rallying cry was pretty much ignored. I sat on a grubby seat in the crumbling main stand, which appears to have been further patched up since my last visit. Looking around, I could not see any evidence of investment, with crumbling dugouts, a muddy track around the edge of the pitch, a tatty-looking Cole Warren stand all adding to the general malaise that has enveloped the club. I don't think shabby would be an unfair description.
On the pitch, I do not wish to be disrespectful. However, on Saturday's evidence, Messrs. Pelling, Ray and Adams are clearly good enough to play at this level and indeed, would comfortably hold their own in the next League up. Other than that, I could see no evidence of the ability to perform consistently in this league and that is one reason why we are struggling. Young Holden is going to be a good player but to throw a young man into a relegation fight in central midfield is IMO misguided, particularly as there is apparently nobody alongside him who is comfortable enough with their own game to help him out. Add odd tactics to the mix and it's not looking great. Please, please, please stop posting that we are too good to go down, because that is clearly nonsense.
So that is how I found my beloved football club. Perception is reality, as they say. I was going to write to the Chairman with a host of questions - indeed, the letter was drafted and ready to post. Sadly, most of my questions have been answered, so I will save the stamp.
Like many others, I only want what is best for the club. IMO, the ultimate responsibility for the regression in our fortunes both on and off the field lies with the owner of the club. Again, like many others, I believe that it is time for Mr Walters to consider sensible offers and allow others to take control, invest in the club, and stop the club from slipping into oblivion. I am led to believe that such offers have been made in the past and apparently rejected as being not in the best interests of the club. That is fair enough. But IMO, unless we see some form of reinvigoration, we won't have a club in 2 years time. That's how bad it is. As a supporter of 45 years through thick and thin, I am sad, disappointed, and downright angry. I'm only glad I didn't waste a stamp, and had time to call Mick an unrepeatable name..............
Fantastic post, best on here for a very long time. I will just add We Want Our Hastings Back, with people who care for the town and the club. Message to DW sell now you may make a profit, hang on and you will make a loss.
So what could another chairman add that DW isn't? We have a very large playing budget, and we still have a few first team players to come back. Obviously in your whole year out, you've missed some wins and some. Dry good performances.
Young Kyle is a fantastic prospect for the Club and a very promising look for the future, let's just hope that we can keep hold of him.
I'm not going to bite my tongue when I say this, but no wonder the players are suffering from lack of confidence when there's people like you scuttling away to their keyboards to have a moan. Perhaps you should take another year out, and another, and another and another...
Perhaps Liam you should engage what little brain you have and realise that something is seriously wrong, no club gets through managers like us, cuts players money mid season because they feel like it, its not us causing players to be so disheartened, we support them at games, and frankly if I had been treated like some of them I would be pissed off too.
Liam you are a young man who has not seen a football club run in a different way, so for once trust us older and more experienced football people and respect our views instead of going off on one.
I do honestly appreciate your points Chris, and sometimes you make some valid points. But it's the way you word them, usually it's worded as a personal attack on the Chairman. You've been supporting the Club two years? I've been a regular for nearly eight and I can hardly remember the last Chairman. But your constant blame on the Chairman is causing others to pull their hair out and get very irate. This is not entirely the Chairman's fault.
Perhaps Liam you should engage what little brain you have and realise that something is seriously wrong, no club gets through managers like us, cuts players money mid season because they feel like it, its not us causing players to be so disheartened, we support them at games, and frankly if I had been treated like some of them I would be pissed off too. Liam you are a young man who has not seen a football club run in a different way, so for once trust us older and more experienced football people and respect our views instead of going off on one.
So then Chris ... Older ! Granted, More Experienced ?? What clubs have you Owned / Managed and played for ? that so obviously makes you a more experienced football person in your opinion ?? please tell us all so we can bow to your qualifications ....
I'm not here to blow my own trumpet, but I can safely say and enough people on here know me to know my experience in admin, and on committees in Sussex football for the last 20 years entitles me to say what I did.
As someone who blags free entry to away games, you are associated to the club and therefore you have to tow party line Liam so no respect for your views at all.
I think there is a very simple answer on this topic..if you dont agree with a political party you dont vote for them...if you dont like cricket you dont watch it...if you dont like reggae you dont listen to it....if you dont like dancing you dont watch strictly...point is we all have a choice
here. My view is the current regime will stay in power all the time pockets are being filled. Im sure if gates dropped to 150..100..50...then they would need to re assess...maybe a mass boycott would be the answer or catalyst for change but as said we all have a choice here..!!
I think there is a very simple answer on this topic..if you dont agree with a political party you dont vote for them...if you dont like cricket you dont watch it...if you dont like reggae you dont listen to it....if you dont like dancing you dont watch strictly...point is we all have a choice here. My view is the current regime will stay in power all the time pockets are being filled. Im sure if gates dropped to 150..100..50...then they would need to re assess...maybe a mass boycott would be the answer or catalyst for change but as said we all have a choice here..!!
I have been following Hastings for 30 years now and it is the worse football I have seen in all that time and that includes the Sunday League team we played in a friendly and lost!
I will keep following them even if they drop into the county league *Which is a possibility!!*. So a wouldn't like to boycott any games.
I think a change is needed and the buck stops with the Chairmen and I think it is this is how I (and others) can voice their opinion.
I normally just read and rarely comment, my days of home and away games are about 15 years ago. I don't feel the knowledge to give opinions. I like Bert because he makes great factual posts. Watching what goes on here though is kinda depressing. People on this forum don't seem to get that you can disagree without either being rude or meaning the other person is not a true fan etc. forums are surely all about opinion and discussing even hypothetical ideas.
Chris I think you make some very good points but you do allow those with the opposing view an open goal with the personal stuff. It has been shown on here time and again that if you don't agree with their viewpoint they are not above getting nasty, using the catch all we need to get behind the team and or using the less pleasant comments made to close down any genuine debate.
I am sure Mr willis is not interested in my opinion I don't go often enough. I respect the view about loyal supporters, but that was pretty dismissive of a fellow supporter and if you want to build gates in the future you will need to be a heck lot more welcoming. However I would venture players don't check the forum out unless they have a thick skin or just had a great game and want to read the plaudits ( that would be me, although I hasten to add I was never as good as I wanted to be!!). What is wrong with giving opposing views that means you need to be tagged as a keyboard warrior.
It seems a polite debate around the chairman is relevant. What does he bring? what do people expect and what, of those desiring a change, people would want to change? Is it realistic?
Of course I am interested in your opinion, Stubbcook. But what has been said regarding the Chairman on some of these posts is unfair. Many people have replied to these posts talking about the Chairman's forum that was in the clubhouse a few weeks ago. If some of the people who like to criticise the Chairman actually turned up to these question and answer sessions, so many questions would be answered for them. I appreciated that some people may not be able to make some of these events, such as ChrisB who travels from Eastbourne, which, don't get me wrong, is excellent commitment and credit to him for doing so. However, Chris does like to place the blame on the Chairman sometimes.
Also, a lot of these questions are answered in the match-day programme. The three directors of the Club take turns to write pieces for the programme to update us all on anything going on. Although only one of the directors is the Chairman, all three know what is going on and have pretty much the same knowledge. Again, ChrisB doesn't buy a programme, but he doesn't buy one anywhere he goes. Apologies for using you as an example again Chris, but you ticked the box for the second time.
I appreciate everyone's opinion on here, even though I don't agree with some of them, but that's life, that's how it goes.
Of course a polite debate about the Chairman can be relevant but there are constantly so many wrong facts being bounced around and people being led in to false belief. None of the directors like the forum, and understandably so, it's not a very nice place at the moment. There's a lot of silly playground nonsense and yes, I've been a part of that but it's not going to stop me from voicing an opinion that I'm entitled to, which, sadly, it has others.
