Club acquired by website

[andyforest]

I'm not a MYFC member or a Fleet fan. I support Forest so any £35 I spend goes to my club. I don't want to help out any potential rivals.

 

I do think it is a good idea though. My reasoning is I believe in the wisdom of the mob. How many people would have taken Walcott to the worldcup in place of Defoe like SGE did? If there had been a vote on this Defoe would have went and replaced Owen when he was injured.

 

At the very least you get more money. How can you lose? If it goes tits up the club is sold to a local business man or whatever but It will still exist.

 

At the moment you are a midtable non league club that most people have never heard of. Now people all over the world know your name.

 

If this idea catches on worldwide to football fans without an allegance in places like Japan and usa etc you could easy get 1 million members. 1m x £35 annually = one of the richest clubs in the country plus extra sponsorship and gates.

 

Put it this way if you got odds from the bookies on Ebbsfleet ever being in the premiership they would be a lot lower today than yesterday. How can any fan be upset about that?

 

I think a lot of you are scared of change and don't want your club becoming too big but it will still be your club. It will just be everyones second favourite team as well.

 

If it does work you could be settleing down to Match of the day in 10 years time and watching your club play Man U or Arsenal at home. If it dosn't you get a new owner after MyFC is gone, a bit of money and a few new fans.

[Mackster]

Originally Posted By: MattWPBS

Originally Posted By: Mackster

A sensible post Matt, but the whole thing goes against the ethos of football.

You may support Spurs, but may want to go and watch a smaller team that hasn't been taking over the whole Premier League hype machine. So you go to your local non-league club. You stand, its great, you have some good banter, a pie and bovril and its all good. You decide to go again and again...and so on. Point is you need to build some empathy with a club to support them, its the way its always been.

Save your £35 and instead go to Stonebridge Park for a couple of games and see if you like it. If you don't want to do that, then I question why you would even consider the MyFootball thing unless you think it is another football simulation game.

Reject Frankenstein's marriage and go and watch some football instead.

That's the thing Mack, I don't see this entire thing the same as I see supporting Spurs. I can't see how anyone can claim to have two equal teams. There's an opportunity for me to spend £35, know that the vast majority of it's going to go directly into helping a team, and then actually have some small influence on it. If it meant I could vote for the club to invest more in summer schools in the local area, or more in youth training, or cheap admission on certain nights, then it gives more satisfaction than spending £15 to go see Woking (side point at the end, probably boring to most *). This seems to me that the major difference for the fans between a limited company taking over a club, and the MyFC setup taking over a club is that one's doing it to make the members money and the other's doing it purely for football.




* we moved around a lot when I was younger, so I don't really feel the allegiance to any particular local area that some do, especially not as I'm only close to Woking because of work. Who knows, maybe that's symptomatic of greater movement in society and the like? I'm a Spurs fan because my Dad took me to a match at WHL when I was about 9 or 10. Saw Nayim and the rest beat Liverpool and it's gone from there.

You will find a good proportion of fans support a Premier League side and a non-league side. You can't deny your birthright but Premier League & Non-League are like chalk and cheese and personally I find everything about this level of football more enjoyable than Premier League. Its what I call real football. I know a fella who was an Arsenal season ticket last year who bought Fleet family season tickets this year.

I can empathise with you because I was a Spurs season ticket holder in the 80's and still follow them along with Exeter. I ask you if Levy decided to do a similar thing with Spurs and you had 1,000's of rivals fans buying your club because its only £35 and its a bit of laugh how would you feel. Raped, violated and pillaged that's how. So you really should be supporting the true Fleet fans its is the righteous way!

[MattWPBS]

You could ask me if I'd support selling the club to thousands of Gooners with the sole intention of turning the pitch into a car park and the stands into red and white coloured flats, and if it meant getting Levy and Comolli out I'd probably think about it more than once. The entire Jol thing may have made me slightly irrational about those two.

 

That's the thing though, it's not 20,000 supporters from the nearest rival, it's 20,000 football fans from all over the world. I honestly don't reckon it's people doing it for a bit of a laugh, I reckon it's people doing it for a bit of the old romance in the game. Like I said earlier, it's got to be better than a businessman buying the club to sell the ground or something. I'm probably not cynical enough though!

[DA11]

Originally Posted By: MattWPBS

You could ask me if I'd support selling the club to thousands of Gooners with the sole intention of turning the pitch into a car park and the stands into red and white coloured flats, and if it meant getting Levy and Comolli out I'd probably think about it more than once. The entire Jol thing may have made me slightly irrational about those two.

That's the thing though, it's not 20,000 supporters from the nearest rival, it's 20,000 football fans from all over the world. I honestly don't reckon it's people doing it for a bit of a laugh, I reckon it's people doing it for a bit of the old romance in the game. Like I said earlier, it's got to be better than a businessman buying the club to sell the ground or something. I'm probably not cynical enough though!

I could understand if it cost say £2000 that people would take it seriously but £35 pound. Even my 5 year old could afford that and looking at some of the posts on here I best check she hasn't when I get home.

[Hannah]

Sorry folks but I don't like this move at all at present.

I'm a traditionalist, and I like the idea of the fans being from the location that the club is based.

New fans are great but why is it so good when they are coming from all over the place?

The point is money. And for me, thats too artificial.

The thought of 20,000+ people from absolutely everywhere deciding who is playing for us and making decisions is really not a comfortable feeling.

And as much as a lot of them have a lot of regard for the original fans I bet there are just as many of them who don't.

 

I hate the idea, simple as.

Maybe it is just the initial shock and maybe in time I'll get used to it but it is going to take A LOT of evident adavantages to sway me, personally.

[Eastside Urchin]

I had a season ticket at arsenal for 25 years.

I stopped going premiership football about 8 years ago when it started to become more of an industry than it was already.

I had always watched hornchurch,either on a saturday when arsenal were away or a week night when arsenal weren't playing.

Non league football was always my solace,but if you put my club AFC Hornchurch in this position i would be back over arsenal like a shot as some of the ideas with this new venture you guys are about to embark on are positivly ludicrous and can only end up in unmittigating disaster.

All the best Ebbsfleet/gravesend real fans but you as supporters are being stitched up here

[DA11]

Originally Posted By: Hannah

Sorry folks but I don't like this move at all at present.
I'm a traditionalist, and I like the idea of the fans being from the location that the club is based.
New fans are great but why is it so good when they are coming from all over the place?
The point is money. And for me, thats too artificial.
The thought of 20,000+ people from absolutely everywhere deciding who is playing for us and making decisions is really not a comfortable feeling.
And as much as a lot of them have a lot of regard for the original fans I bet there are just as many of them who don't.

I hate the idea, simple as.
Maybe it is just the initial shock and maybe in time I'll get used to it but it is going to take A LOT of evident adavantages to sway me, personally.

Ditto H

[Eastside Urchin]

One of our fans has paid £35,he gets a say in your games,hopefully we can play you in the FA Cup next season and he can put forward the best team for Ebbsfleet to play hornchurch

[andyforest]

How would one fan chose the team among thousands?

[Eastside Urchin]

But one fan has a say,thats wrong.

Someone on here has already admitted to supporting Exeter.

How is it fair that he votes for who plays AGAINST his team.

Football isn't and shouldn't be like that

[barters]

Urchin - I must admit I don't believe that EU have been stitched up. I do have concerns that MyFC are going to alienate existing fans.

 

I would like to see something setup that allows this "experiment" to run to the end of the season and then the existing supporters (say those current season ticket holders or members of a supporters club) get a vote on whether it continues. If the answer is "No" then MyFC walk away - I actually beleive that the vast number of members (such as myself) would respect such a decision.

 

Personally I don't know if long term this can work but I think it potentially could be hugely beneficial to the club.

 

James

[Eastside Urchin]

Yeah and it could also completely rip apart a club

[andyforest]

Many of you say you are dissolutioned with football but also against this change. Could you not conceed it may work? Why should one potentially incompetant owner or manager be better than many voters who will get the right decisions made.

 

A few rouge votes will make no difference. The many serious members will listen to the managers recommendations.

[MattWPBS]

Originally Posted By: Hannah

Sorry folks but I don't like this move at all at present.
I'm a traditionalist, and I like the idea of the fans being from the location that the club is based.
New fans are great but why is it so good when they are coming from all over the place?
The point is money. And for me, thats too artificial.
The thought of 20,000+ people from absolutely everywhere deciding who is playing for us and making decisions is really not a comfortable feeling.
And as much as a lot of them have a lot of regard for the original fans I bet there are just as many of them who don't.

I hate the idea, simple as.
Maybe it is just the initial shock and maybe in time I'll get used to it but it is going to take A LOT of evident adavantages to sway me, personally.

Ok, try and think of the MyFC crowd as an owners trust first, fans of football second, and new supporters of Ebbsfleet third. If you have it in that order, then you can see the club as being brought by a Trust injecting a large amount of money into the club as well as a lot of publicity, and which cannot take money out. That's a really important point - look at what the Kingston supporter said further up, you could have got taken over by a businessman just after the ground to build on.

With the MyFC input into the running of the team (again, think of an interfering businessman instead, and it's a lot better), the spread of the members is absolutely key. If you had a concentration in just one grouping (like UrchinMentalist's mate at Hornchurch), then you get bias that's not for the good of the team coming into play. The key part of the wisdom of the crowds/mob thing that people keep talking about is those individual selfish views get drowned in the large group. People can see why that person's suggesting that particular move, and don't take notice of it. There's probably much better explanations of the concept online, but that's the gist of it.

I can honestly see this leading to Ebbsfleet becoming a cult club like St Pauli. You lot are going to be famous.

[Eastside Urchin]

And if it wrecks the club,what do you say to the fans who worship the club and live that club like its a relation???

Oh well sh1t happens

[andyforest]

Originally Posted By: urchin_mentalist

And if it wrecks the club,what do you say to the fans who worship the club and live that club like its a relation???
Oh well sh1t happens

I don't see how it can wreck the club. Worst that will happen is MyFC sell the club and it's back where it was before it all started.

[Eastside Urchin]

In house fighting,lack of crowds.

Say all the current ebbsfleet fans become dissillusioned with the whole idea and hundreds stay away.Its ok relying on the next few games,of course the crowds will be good for a while,especially while the novelty is still there

Any club needs a fan base and that in non leqgue terms can only be provided by those who live local to gravesend,How many of the MFC new 20'000 live overseas or 100 plus miles away.

How many are going to watch farsley celtic at home on a cold january tuesday night?

[MargateFan]

Could you please stop calling them MFC? That is us, and nothing to do with this venture.

As a non-league fan I am pretty concerned about this. Good Luck G&N.

[Hannah]

Originally Posted By: MattWPBS

Originally Posted By: Hannah

Sorry folks but I don't like this move at all at present.
I'm a traditionalist, and I like the idea of the fans being from the location that the club is based.
New fans are great but why is it so good when they are coming from all over the place?
The point is money. And for me, thats too artificial.
The thought of 20,000+ people from absolutely everywhere deciding who is playing for us and making decisions is really not a comfortable feeling.
And as much as a lot of them have a lot of regard for the original fans I bet there are just as many of them who don't.

I hate the idea, simple as.
Maybe it is just the initial shock and maybe in time I'll get used to it but it is going to take A LOT of evident adavantages to sway me, personally.

Ok, try and think of the MyFC crowd as an owners trust first, fans of football second, and new supporters of Ebbsfleet third. If you have it in that order, then you can see the club as being brought by a Trust injecting a large amount of money into the club as well as a lot of publicity, and which cannot take money out. That's a really important point - look at what the Kingston supporter said further up, you could have got taken over by a businessman just after the ground to build on.

With the MyFC input into the running of the team (again, think of an interfering businessman instead, and it's a lot better), the spread of the members is absolutely key. If you had a concentration in just one grouping (like UrchinMentalist's mate at Hornchurch), then you get bias that's not for the good of the team coming into play. The key part of the wisdom of the crowds/mob thing that people keep talking about is those individual selfish views get drowned in the large group. People can see why that person's suggesting that particular move, and don't take notice of it. There's probably much better explanations of the concept online, but that's the gist of it.

I can honestly see this leading to Ebbsfleet becoming a cult club like St Pauli. You lot are going to be famous.

"You lot are going to be famous." Do we really want that? And even if Ebbsfleet became famous, I'd rather they did it through making their way up through overcoming the problems themselves, and through their own hard work. Not because members of some website have decided to buy into the club and by throwing money at us have literally shoved us upwards.

I understand the benefits, I understand why people like the idea.

But I don't like it. Sorry.

[andyforest]

Originally Posted By: urchin_mentalist

In house fighting,lack of crowds.
Say all the current ebbsfleet fans become dissillusioned with the whole idea and hundreds stay away.Its ok relying on the next few games,of course the crowds will be good for a while,especially while the novelty is still there
Any club needs a fan base and that in non leqgue terms can only be provided by those who live local to gravesend,How many of the MFC new 20'000 live overseas or 100 plus miles away.
How many are going to watch farsley celtic at home on a cold january tuesday night?

How many of those fans have chanted Gravesend till I die or similar at a game. What ever happens if you love your club you stick with it.

Even Wimbledon still have AFC Wimbledon after francise FC came along and this is not nearly as extreme as that case. It's not like the club are being moved or renamed by MyFC. It's just a new trust buying it and pumping some cash and publicity in.

Do you think owners having a say over team selection is something new because it isn't. The only difference is the 20,000 fans have more chance of getting it right than 1 man.