Two seasons. Two promotions. I could get used to this! When Scott put that ball in the net it didn’t matter what Torquay and Southend were doing, all that mattered was the eleven in white (or yellow) in front of us. The final whistle and do you laugh, cry, hug friends and family (and complete strangers), or just concentrate on stopping Paul the convict (no bell today) from disgracing himself? I think I tried all of those (though I failed dismally at the latter).

Recent converts to the Red Army might be forgiven for thinking that life as a CTFC fan is always like this. Promotions, Manchester United, Hull City…..ten a penny, life is one long party. Those of us who have been here a little longer know otherwise, however. We know not only the joy that football can bring, but the pain that is always waiting in the wings. For me, knowing that pain makes the joy all the more joyful! And looking around me today at some of the more experienced members of our army, I don’t think I’m alone. 

People talk disparagingly sometimes about Johnny come lately’s. For me, Johnny can come as lately as Johnny wants, so long as Johnny comes. And brings his mates. We’ll have some big names at the Broadfield next season- Portsmouth, Coventry City, perhaps one of the Sheffield clubs, Hartlepool United (that one’s for you Jeff!)- and we need to be filling the ground week in and week out. League One will have to be paid for.

But for today, no worries about tomorrow. Though perhaps a little reflection, if you will permit me to be wistful. We’ve good people at our football club- people who have put themselves out to keep it going. The players and the management team will get the glory and rightly so, but I’d like to say a particularly enormous thanks to Alan, Susan and Ian, Silpa, Vic, BruceT, Ewan- and all the rest of the Crawley Town crew. There is an incredible amount of work that I get occasional glimpses of and most of us don’t see, and sometimes the people involved don’t get the credit they deserve. So a large round of applause for them from me. Thank you.

(By the way, Alan just rang and said that if I was writing a blog I should say thank you from him and the club for our wonderful support today and this season, so here you go Al, I’m doing it! Oh, and Redz will be open for a party from half past eight- though us weary travellers won’t get there until about 11!)

Finally, I’d like to thank three people who weren’t with us today.  Firstly, John Duly- who started us on the road to the promised land and lost lots of money to make sure it didn’t all go sour. Next, Steve Evans- and whilst that sticks in the throat somewhat it was his team that got promoted today. Yes, we’ve had investment, but you have to use it wisely. He did. All credit to him- even though I hope Rotherham never ever go up (well, not for a while anyway)!

Most importantly though, I’d like to remember someone who we’d have given our eye teeth to have with us today. Because, as always, when the celebrations begun in earnest, we were Bruce Winfield’s Red and White Army. Thanks again Bruce. We won’t forget.

See you all in pre-season! League One Crawley Town. That sounds good, doesn’t it? 

Sorry about the headline, I couldn’t help it. Opportunities to pretend I’m a features writer for the Sun don’t come along very often (and thank the Lord for that).  I’ll think of a few more cliches in a minute, I wouldn’t want it to be lonely.

Well, three coaches set off in convoy from the Broadfield Stadium at midday. Filled with optimism, chewy sweets and dancing Ken. Not that I’m suggesting Ken filled the coach- he’s now a shadow of his former self since Paul Prendergast- Captain Haddock- borrowed his beard. Perhaps we should launch an appeal- buy Travel Ken a new beard? A Beardathon, perhaps? Waffling? Yes, obviously. I will get around to talking about the football, but there isn’t a great deal to say. In honesty, it wasn’t very good.

We arrived in Dagenham shortly after one o clock, after finding the M25 entirely trouble free (there are a few words that you didn’t expect to see in the same sentence). The natives were friendly enough, but although we’ve travelled to a few places this season when it would have been a positive boon to have a couple of spare hours before kick off, today wasn’t one of them. The nearest we came to pre match entertainment was watching the locals park their cars. 

Inside the ground, I decided to buy crisps. “A bag of ready salted please.” 

“We don’t have any. We only have mystery flavour”.

“Ok. A bag of those please.”

“Which flavour would you like?”

  I had a bacon roll. Though I’m not really sure what flavour bacon I got.

We were strategically placed along the side of the pitch. The kind of terrace where both corner flags on your side become a mystery all of their own. You know they’re there, but you can’t see them at all. Think Kingsmeadow with nicer home fans. Luckily it didn’t really matter that we had a restricted view, because we played restricted football. 

Charlie took his goal well. Dagenham scored a cracking equaliser, but it was a poor goal to concede as we let him have far too much time to line the shot up. In the second half, we huffed and puffed but didn’t really create very much – though we did have a couple of chances which might have made the game safe. The referee- I don’t like moaning about referees, I may be fat but I’m not Steve Evans in disguise- was awful, unfortunately. Apparently he’s a Major in the logistics corps. Major Disaster. A big change from last week, when we had Captain Calamity. Daggers played better than their position would suggest, and their fans went wild at the final whistle as that point makes them safe from the drop. Hopefully we won’t need to play them again next season, anyway, so good luck to them.

The best part of today was the result at Kingsmeadow. It isn’t often I want Wimbledon to win, but I made an exception- though I had no confidence in them at all. After their display at the Broadfield last week Torquay must have been dreadful to lose. But lose they did, we go a point clear of them in third place, and the world is a slightly more wonderful place.

Right, on to next Saturday. A truly massive game- both for us and Hereford. Three points and Torquay losing to Crewe, and up we go. Fingers crossed. See you all at the Broadfield.

Michel Kuipers. Thank you for bringing a stressful day to a successful conclusion. Peter Bellamy from CTFC.Net has offered to have your babies. If you’d like to take up that offer please let me know, I have his address!  By the way Peter, if Michel wants you to have his babies, you won’t need to offer- it’ll just happen!

Alan Williams has stated that Steve Evans moved to Rotherham to be nearer his family. Fair enough. Steve Evans has said that it is because he wants to manage in the Championship. Not quite so straightforward given that he’s just joined a team far less likely to get promotion than the one he left. Well Steve, thanks for everything- and you have given us a lot to be grateful for. Though it must be said, your timing stinks. Still, looking at the decision in a positive light, the Steve Evans circus has regularly overshadowed the efforts and hard work of our team and club, and perhaps Rotherham have more room for that particular big top and the occasional clowning that goes on inside it?

Three CTSA coaches left the Broadfield at 1145 this morning full of slightly shell shocked supporters, and the conversation around the rain soaked M25 was, as you would expect, all about one topic. Would Paul Pendergast still be able to walk if we inserted that bell into a sensitive place? Oh, and, of course, why had Evans left? Lots of theories were put forward. Twitter was full of rumour and counter rumour. The truth- be it money, ambition or family circumstances- is likely to be far more boring than the stories it has so far generated. But we still had a football match to play, and eventually thoughts turned back to that.

I’m not going to pretend that today’s game was a classic. If I were a Barnet fan I would be scratching my head in disbelief and demanding that Michel was tested for performance enhancing substances. We started  well. We were very good for about five minutes, and the 500 or so CTFC fans made a great noise. We were then fairly awful for the next 40. Michel made save after save, we defended in a shambolic fashion, Barnet scored and we huffed and puffed without ever threatening. Kuipers made the Barnet keeper work far more in the first half than the rest of our team. It seemed that the manager’s departure had left us all shell shocked.

Stand-in manager Craig Brewster made two changes for the second half. He got them both completely right. Simpson and Davies came on for James and Watt. The team immediately had more balance, more fluency. A header from John Dempster- who had a very good game, incidentally-  flew into the corner of the net. Scott Davies hit a shot from around 25 yards that took a wicked deflection off a defender and flew past the keeper. We had a bit of luck. By goodness we deserved some! We were given little else by the officials. The linesman on our side seemed to have difficulty understanding the offside rule. The Ref turned a blind eye to pushes, shoves and other blatant fouls. Not that Barnet were a dirty team. They were a little one dimensional but they created chance after chance. I’m not sure why they are in such trouble at the bottom of the league if they can create so much. Perhaps every opposition goalkeeper turns into Superman?

The last twenty minutes were pure purgatory. Barnet poured forward, we defended in depth, and Kuipers made save after save after save. Then, with the fourth official (sponsored by “I can’t believe I’m not better” – or at least that’s what I think the pa announcer said) holding up a board adding five minutes to the match, Sergio jumped at the ball with two feet and saw red. He was distraught, we were panic stricken, and Barnet poured forward with renewed belief. Only God- and Michel- know how they didn’t equalise. But we held out. A massive away victory, three possibly priceless points, and a positive end to a stressful day.

As I write, we’re nearly home. Shell shocked perhaps, but generally contented. We’ve five games to go. 15 points to play for. It’s tight. We win our game in hand over Torquay, we go above them. We’ll probably have to play better than that to do it. But we’ve plenty to be positive about. We know we have a good team. We’ve got to play teams who are likely to have little to play for. It’s in our hands. We need to make sure we turn out in numbers home and away, get behind the team, and pray a little. Perhaps we need to find out who Michel prays to, and do the same!

See you on Saturday, for the visit of those fire safety conscious Wombles!

A few events, comments and conversations recently have left me pondering what it really means to “support” a football club. Where should your support start and end? How can you be a positive influence? When does your involvement actually become a hindrance to your club rather than a help? What does loyalty look like- and can it even be a dangerous thing?

If you follow a Premier League giant, then you may not even be able to afford to watch them play- and if you can afford it, you may struggle to get tickets. Your voice, be it used in a positive or negative way, is unlikely to be heard. However dedicated you are to your club, you are a number. That’s not to say that your club doesn’t care about you, but it is unrealistic to expect it to recognise your individual input. There are too many others, just like you, standing in the way. If you withdraw your support, your funding, the likelihood is that unless you are part of some popular movement nobody will notice. Look at FC United of Manchester, a club formed from dissatisfaction with the way Manchester United was being run. Has their formation and the withdrawal of support had a significant impact on the league leading, multi million pound earning, League Champions? I think the latter part of the last sentence answered that question. Yes, there was a sudden swell of publicity, but after it died away the club continued as before. Any void created was quickly filled.

If, however, you follow football at the level of our club, Crawley Town, then your influence can be much greater. With an average gate of around the three thousand mark, your voice will undoubtedly have a fairly good chance of being heard. There are relatively few organs of communication, so an opinion you put forward is likely to be noticed by many of those who are interested in your club. Whether you revel in that status, or not; whether you only present your opinion in anonymity, or openly, your influence is far greater than it would be at a higher level simply because your likely audience is significantly smaller. And, at CTFC, that audience includes the shareholders and Chief Executive of the football club, as they strive to be in touch with the fanbase. Imagine that happening at Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham? Perhaps Roman Abramovich is registered on the half dozen Chelsea forums under the user name “rubberducksalesman,” but I think it unlikely.

So, you’re a Crawley Town Supporter. You may not be a big fish in a small pond, but you’re certainly in a small pond, so if you swim towards the surface and splash about a bit you will be noticed. That gives you something that supporters of big clubs can’t realistically expect to have. Recognition. It gives you something else too, as already mentioned. It gives you influence. It means that the people that run your football club will hear your voice. It means that other supporters will hear it too. And, perhaps, with that influence and recognition should come responsibility.

What do you expect of your club? I’m going to have to generalise here, but I would say that you expect it to be run efficiently and prudently. We all remember what happens when it isn’t, some of us still have the scars (some of us wear them like old war wounds). You expect that those who control it do their best to give us, as supporters, a positive experience. That they invest without spending beyond their means to ensure -so far as they can- that positive experience. That they listen to their customers- for indeed, that is what we are- and, whilst we understand that we cannot always have what we want and that our football club is a business, that they explain decision making as far as they can without compromising business integrity. Obviously some people may have differing opinions and expect constant success, but many years watching football have probably taught most of us that this isn’t realistic!

Conversely, then, what should the club expect of us? Blind loyalty? I hope not, they’ll be sorely disappointed! The club is run by decent individuals, but they’re as human as you and I and humanity is prone to mistakes on occasions, and on those occasions we might need to tell them! A sensible level of understanding and public support? Undoubtedly. In recent times we’ve seen a great swathe of rhetoric about player sales and stadium improvements, some of which has been sensible and insightful, some of which has been hysterical, short sighted and, occasionally, downright insulting. I think that most supporters of CTFC are sensible, rational individuals with an understanding of the financial pressures of running a football club and a view of the bigger picture. But there are also some who have expressed views which take, at best, a short sighted view, and others who seem to be bent on throwing their toys out of their pram.

So, what is support? Well, for me, turning up on a matchday is support. Spending your cash in Redz bar, in a tea bar, buying some merchandise, a programme- all of that is support. Buying a Golden Gamble ticket is support. Travelling to an away match -particularly if you use an Alliance coach and as such know that any profits go back into the Centre of Excellence or a football in the community initiative- and positively encouraging your team is support. Speaking, or writing, positively, or at least constructively, about your football club is support. If you want your support to be even more active, you can get involved in CTSA activities which will all benefit your club- please let me know if you’d like to do this! All of these can have a positive influence and help the club to improve and work towards a positive future. And, as mentioned earlier, at a club like CTFC your chance of being a positive influence is sizeable.

Conversely, then, where does that support stop? If you have a sizeable influence, then that influence can be used in a positive and negative way. Coming from a customer service background I know only too well (unfortunately) that people are far more likely to complain than they are to praise. Anger creates action, happiness creates well being and a feeling of contentment but doesn’t quite as often lead to a need to tell somebody about it, whether this involves pen and paper, fingers and keyboards or face to face interaction. That means that negative reaction is likely to be more noticeable and as such more influential. The events of last week are a good example of that- who remembers the magnificent victory that preceded the final whistle? Actions have consequences. OUR actions have consequences. If we have concerns, we know how to get them addressed. If we rant, rave, try to discourage supporters- home and away- from using club facilities, complain about things before we have full possession of the facts, we create a negative influence and a negative perception about our football club. And mud sticks. We can be heard, we can have opinions, but if we lose sight of the bigger picture we may well be more of a hindrance than a help- our negative influence may outweigh the positive.

Blind loyalty is a dangerous thing. But unrealistic expectations, vanity, self regard and short-sightedness can be similarly dangerous if we really want to be part of a successful football club.

Crawley Town is a small club that hopes to be a bigger club. As supporters, we have to take some responsibility if we want that to happen. And perhaps that means more than just turning up at ten to three waving a match ticket.

What do you think?

Take Care

Ian

Given the debate about coach providers has started up again on the forum (and down at the football club during a snow clearing session earlier) I thought perhaps I’d give you my views on the matter, and take the opportunity to remind you where your investment in the Alliance goes. I’m sick to the back teeth of unnecessary conflict and questioning about the coach situation and I have some hope- perhaps a forlorn hope-that once the facts are out there we can all get on with supporting the club and stop talking about it. And, particularly because our actual number of members is now up into the high hundreds, I thought it may be useful to give more detail on what the CTSA is actually about. So, with perhaps an enormous naivety, here goes…….a potted history, a little info and a few personal views!

First and foremost, do I mind that there’s an alternative coach service? Yes. Not because I bear any ill will to those involved- far from it, in fact, we’ve always got on- but because I think it unnecessary. Last summer we all agreed to work together, Alain stated his intention not to be involved in the running of coaches anymore, and we thought we’d all be one big happy family. But then, as Kevin explained to me, Alain changed his mind about packing in coach travel because he was badgered by a collection of former Supporters Club travellers to keep their travelling “family” together. Well fair enough, thats what freedom of choice is all about. These are nice people, they support our club, so be it. I’d just like them to be doing this under the Alliance banner. I think we should be working together, I’ve spoken and had email conversations a number of times with Kevin and tried to broker an accommodation, but it hasn’t got me anywhere so, reluctantly, I’ve given up. I don’t bear any malice, far from it, but I must admit that it is the one big regret I have since the formation of the Alliance. And I would say that it’s probably the one outstanding regret of the Alliance as a whole. But we’ve moved on, it’s old news!

The issue about the Hull coaches is one which seems to need explanation, as there have been a few underhand accusations from some who should know better and it wont seem to go away. The Alliance announced a price. We’d have made a little money at that price- nowhere near that which was made from the Manchester United game last year, but a small profit. GH decided to undercut that price. We were slightly surprised they could do that, as we once had the same suppliers and we knew how much a match at that distance would have cost from that supplier as we had tiered price bands. But such is life. People have a choice, negotiations happen, everyone must do what they think is best.

The following day we thought again about our pricing structure. The club were worried about getting a large support to Hull as they thought that such a support would give them the best chance of success. The match itself would make a relatively small amount of money for the club. We love having a great squad, but it has to be paid for. If we could encourage a large away support it might make a difference to the outcome and then we’d all benefit.

So we did some number crunching. We had a chat with our suppliers, who were brilliant as always. We worked out how much we’d lose if we reduced prices and how much we’d need to make back in ancillary income to finance it. And then we decided it was possible to make that reduction. So we did so. Cue an outpouring of joy and an outpouring of vitriol. I’d like to make two points. Firstly, yes, we charged £12.50 for CTSA members. But approximately 80% of those who travelled were non members. They paid £15. The same as they were paying across the road. Secondly, our strategy turned out to be the correct one on all levels. We’re in profit and the team are in the fifth round. Everyone’s a winner!

We don’t set out to make enormous profit from coach travel. Our travel strategy at the start of the season was to break even. We’re on course to do just that. If we do make a profit, it is reinvested for the benefit of our community and our club. We offer what we believe is a great travel service, and it is entirely run by volunteers. There are no free rides- even Travel Ken pays what our other travellers pay. We do what we do out of love for our football club (and in Ken’s case, the fame and glory that comes from being a national treasure!).

It has been suggested a few times that we could use our financial muscle to continually undercut alternative provision. And we could. But that’s not a good use of our finances. On the odd occasion where the situation demands a special effort and if we have a strategy which will turn loss into profit, fair enough. But that isn’t a long term business plan. We are convinced we give the best value service, the most comfortable coaches-provided by the national coach operator of the year- CTFC DVDs, complimentary refreshments, special prize draws and free gifts, and scintillating conversation (and singing and dancing) courtesy of Travel Ken and his bevy of beautiful assistants (and Paul).

Centre of Excellence presentation

Where we do make profits- from the Golden Gamble, raffles and events like the Alan Hudson night on the 18th (hopefully!) they go back into initiatives designed to benefit the club and community. So far this season we’ve invested 5k into sponsoring the Centre of Excellence. We’ve also paid for CTFC coaches to go to two local schools for 13 week programmes which deliver football coaching to kids who probably couldn’t afford to pay for it otherwise- kids who now have a firm attachment to our football club and will hopefully be the fans of tomorrow. Every penny we ever make will go into schemes which will benefit us all in the long run. That’s what we’re here for. And if you’d like to look at our accounts, read our minutes, ask us questions- or even vote our board members out of office- that’s your right. We give up our time to serve you and our football club, we’re answerable to you, and we’re damn proud of that.

Bewbush "Soccer Schools" presentation

People should support our football club however they chose. Whether they travel with us, on a different coach, or on a train, in a car, or on a tandem, fair enough. Just turn up, support the team and stay safe (I wouldn’t recommend the tandem on the M25). Supporting the club however, for me, goes further than that. It’s about investing in the other things- buying the merchandise, using the bar, using your spending power wisely and encouraging those around you to do the same. When you spend the money in your pocket on a matchday, you have a choice. You can spend it where it will help your football club to improve the squad that you love, the infrastructure- to positively influence its future- or you can do something different. That choice is entirely yours. And so long as you make it advisedly, it’s the right choice. The only time I have an issue is the odd occasion when I’ve seen or heard supporters of our football club actively encouraging both home and away supporters to spend their money elsewhere. That upsets me, because it’s absolutely short sighted. In the long run, we’ll have what we can afford.

Broadfield East "Soccer School"

So, as an irritating advert on the tv puts it, that’s how we roll. If you’re a member of the Alliance, we hope you’re happy with what we do and why we do it- and if you’re not happy, you can influence change. If you’re not a member of the Alliance, so long as you’re supportive of our football club, we love you anyway! Simples (sorry, that’s two irritating adverts for the price of one)!
Take care

Ian

What can I say about a day like this? I’ve rewritten this blog repeatedly and run out of superlatives on every occasion. Days like this come along very infrequently in a lifetime. In 38 years watching football I can count the number of them easily on my fingers, and most of those seem to have occurred within the last two seasons. Whatever happens over the rest of this season, we are lucky enough to follow a team that has given us the kind of moments we will never forget. Today ranks up there with trips to Old Trafford, victories over Derby and Torquay and title winning at Tamworth. 

Hull are in fifth place in the Championship. In the running for promotion to the Premier League. Today we made them look ordinary. A Hull fan earlier this week- and I wouldn’t say he was typical, as they seemed a good bunch- told me that our team were, and I quote, “a bunch of non league chancers.” Well HCFC Robbo, if we’re a bunch of non league chancers you should be playing in the Blue Square North! Nick Barmby, your boys took a hell of a beating! 

It’s been a long day. Thirteen Clarkes  coaches were safely lined up in the stadium car park this morning by 7AM, and a collection of coach stewards and their assistants were briefed and equipped by a masterful Travel Ken. Coach tickets, raffle tickets, DVDs, prize draw forms, refreshments, sweets, biscuits, hi vi jackets (Paul the Bell has been sleeping in his since Thursday) all present and correct. Bacon rolls and coffee served at the club, check. Hundreds and hundreds of CTFC fans filled with optimism and anticipation? Goes without saying! 8AM and we had ourselves a convoy. Thanks to all the CTFC security team who helped us out today, and to all at Clarkes for their incredible organisation and professionalism. 

On the way up we all got in the mood for the game by watching our lads outplay the other Red Devils at Old Trafford last year. I have to say it’s the first time I’d watched it since the event, and it was magical. I had tried to edit the DVDs so that Brodies header dropped under the bar this time round, but I couldn’t quite manage it! That was all that was missing! Thanks to all the coach travellers who travelled with us today, and those who took part in the raffle and sweepstake. One of the reasons we’re able to keep fares down is by supplementing them with this kind of income- your support is absolutely appreciated. 

I was very impressed with the KC and the Sunshine Band Stadium- and how nice of them to name it after my favourite 70s disco outfit! Modern, clean, good food, nice stewards, good views- I’m not one of those hankering after a nostalgic return to the flea ridden cess pits I used to visit in the 1980′s- Hull’s old ground, Boothferry Park, was undoubtedly one of those- so I was in clover today. And I loved the scoreboard too- particularly at the end when it said Hull City 0 Crawley Town 1! Que Sera Sera, we’re going to Wemberley? Perhaps not, but it was nice to sing it and, for a moment, think that perhaps it might be true……..now onto the fifth round draw tomorrow. It’ll be live in Redz bar by the way, with tv cameras present to record our reaction when we get Arsenal away……or perhaps Stevenage if we’re truly unlucky. See you there from 2PM.

Taking a straw poll on the coaches it seems we’re agreed that Scott Shearer was our Man of the Match, with Sergio a close second. And fully deserved, Scott was quite magnificent- but it seems a shame to pick one, as the whole team was magnificent. Today we showed quite what we’re capable of. The bigger the opponents, the better we seem to play. No fear, no danger of us showing anyone too much respect- we just get out there and make them dance to our tune. Now let’s keep the team together- fingers crossed- close the transfer window and get on with promotion. Bradford City next weekend- who’s coming? £15 if you travelled with the Alliance today, another 26000 capacity stadium, and important that we get three points. So we need a good travelling support.

I love being a Crawley Town supporter. Through thick and thin- and we had plenty of thin- I love the club, the people who follow it, the feeling of togetherness, the shared experiences. And today has been truly magical. 

I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did! Right, 75 more miles to the Broadfield………

What a contrast. Last Saturday against Bristol City in the FA Cup we were majestic. League 2 v Championship, and an uneducated observer would have thought we were the higher level team. If we’d won 3-0 it wouldn’t have been an injustice.

Today, at Rovers, we put out the same team. But we couldn’t get going. We worked hard, we huffed and puffed, but apart from a Tubbs shot saved and cleared away just after the second half kicked off we didn’t really look like scoring. We could also have given away a penalty in the first half- a push from Pablo, a forward on the floor, goal kick given. We were a little lucky. Rovers, for all their lowly league position and dreadful performance at the Broadfield, closed us down quickly and didn’t let us play. We couldn’t deal with it. Well we can’t win them all, the pitch was a ploughed field and that perhaps dictated the play somewhat, and we’re still in the top three. So we’ve plenty to be happy about.

We had a good journey up to Bristol. Clarkes coaches turned up bright and early, Travel Ken told us that his cousin was 50s pop star Marty Wilde, put on an outlandish pair of sunglasses and did a rendition of Blue Suede Shoes (obviously couldn’t remember any of Marty’s hits. Me neither). Pictured alongside Simon Cowell in the programme last weekend, he obviously thinks he’s been touched with x factor magic. I can state categorically that he is unlikely to be duetting with Little Mix anytime soon, and we should all be glad! Ange, Barb and Simon served refreshments. Ange was told by one rather boisterous customer that on the “other coach” the refreshments were being served by people dressed as French Maids. Well Simon offered to dress up accordingly, but was turned down. I’ve no idea why! I was left with a mental image of some of our friends from the other coach dressed as French Maids and I haven’t been able to shake it off.  It’s no wonder I have a headache! 

Anyway, return journey going well and already looking forward to Plymouth next weekend. I shall spend the week researching tractor jokes.

It’s been a busy week. We began with the FA Cup draw, and I must admit to a fleeting moment of disappointment, which was soon replaced by a positivity that it’s a game we can win and a need to start planning travel arrangements. Off to a meeting with Clarkes, who couldn’t have been more helpful, and we had a minimum of five coaches booked for Hull. Bruce T at the club put out our coach prices before we’d actually agreed them (he’s always quick off the mark, sometimes too quick!) and we decided to go with them to stop any confusion before realising that we could probably do better. So a few discussions, a bit of number crunching and a set of reduced prices announced- and given that after two days of ticket sales we’re onto coach number seven this was obviously the right decision, despite criticism from certain quarters. I find the criticism rather bizarre- the club needs our support, and if we can take a large following to Hull and get behind the team we may well get the result we would like. Then perhaps then we can go back to Old Trafford. Or try Anfield for a change! 

We’ll be back at the club on Monday selling coach tickets alongside Kim and Emma, and this will be continued throughout the week- or you could call or email Travel Ken- details on the travel page. He’ll also be selling tickets to Plymouth of course- we need a few more league points before we head off to Hull, so come along to that one too.

Thanks again for all your support. Oh, and look out for an announcement tomorrow!

Take care

Ian

Here are a few interesting numbers. 1896- the year which saw the formation of Crawley Town FC. 1- the number of seasons so far we’ve played League football. 25- the price of the most expensive ticket to watch the FA Cup 3rd Round game v Bristol City. Also the price charged v Derby County in the same round last season. 3109- the average home League crowd so far this season (not including the match with Burton Albion). 2151- the number of new seats in the proposed East Stand. 4996- the current capacity of the Broadfield Stadium.

Now for another number- 55. The age I felt when I got up this morning. The year when Anthony Eden became Prime Minster after Churchill resigned. The number of times that Michael Stipe sings the word “yeah” in “Man on the Moon” (some students may say 56, but I say they can’t count). And the percentage of turnover that clubs in League 2 can spend on wages.

So, why all of these numbers? Since the announcement of the ticket prices for the pending FA Cup Third Round tie with Bristol City, there has been lots of debate about whether the club has got these right. Are they too expensive? The jury appears to be out. Certainly they are more than we’d normally pay for a home League game, but then the opposition is of a higher calibre, and if we win we might well get a lucrative tie in the fourth round. We all remember what a “lucrative tie” looks like. Think back to last season’s Third Round tie? Sergio’s winner? We paid £25 to watch that, and for me the memory alone is priceless, but we are in a recession. It is Christmas, after all. This is, without doubt, an expensive football match. But does it need to be?

Our crowds are on the up- and no wonder, our team is performing exceptionally well. We’re top of the league. We’re in the Third Round of the FA Cup for only the third time in our history. We’re still basking in the glory of the most successful season we’ve ever had. But we have a ground that- currently- holds under 5000 people. It’s about to be expanded, planning permission pending and at not a little expense, but it’s small and so far this season it hasn’t yet been full. It may well be for Bristol City.

And there lies the rub. We all love the success we’ve had- but success costs money. Look at the investment over the past few months. The Centre of Excellence. Additional backroom staff. A new stand to come. Furthermore, we have a team full of players that would walk into any other side in our league. Tyrone Barnett. Matt Tubbs. Sergio Torres. Kyle McFadzean. I’ll stop there before I name the entire squad- but whilst these players aren’t going to be twelve pence behind Wayne Rooney in the wages stakes, they’ll all be earning good money. Where does that money come from? Well it comes from a variety of places; sponsorship, other commercial ventures, merchandise- but chiefly, it comes from bums on seats and feet on terraces. It comes from cash spent in Redz bar on pre and post match beer, from burgers and chips, from programmes. A little comes from organisations like the Alliance. It comes from events like the Sportsman’s Dinner recently hosted by Peter Shilton and next week’s Comedy Night.

We’ve every reason to be happy with progress on and off the field. But if we want to stay happy we need to think about how we make that progress continue. We need to be bringing our friends and family to watch our mighty Reds. We need to be doing what we can to support ventures such as the comedy night. We need to be positively encouraging away supporters to come and drink with us in Redz before the game – and I’ve seen people doing quite the opposite, which I’ll never understand. We need to be taking- for want of a better word- ownership. Football clubs don’t cease to exist on days other than a matchday. We can influence the future of the club by our actions. Or inaction.

So, back to that number. 55. What does that really mean to us? 55% of turnover is how much? Well 55% of our turnover two seasons ago wouldn’t pay for what we’ve got now. Will 55% of what we’re likely to make this season make us successful next year? Well there are other factors to consider as well as money, but how much we make is certainly of chief importance! If we want better; if we want to push on to League One and have sustainable success, we can’t just rely on drawing Manchester United in the cup every year. We need to get more money into our club. Ewan and the commercial team are doing a great job, but there are only so many of them, and so many hours in the day. This is our football club. We need to take some of the responsibility. Football clubs aren’t like other forms of entertainment. I enjoy going to Cineworld, but I don’t think about investing in its future. CTFC is engrained on my heart, so I’ll make an exception. And I’m hardly unique.

£25 for the Bristol City game? It’s a lot of money. But it’s also true that we’ll end up with what we can afford. I loved our days in non league. I have fond memories which I wouldn’t give up. Do I want to go back there? Absolutely not. We’ve come a long way in a short time, and it’s been wonderful. But if we want to continue moving forward we need to remember the cost of success- and sometimes, we need to pay it.That might mean a pint or two less before or after this match, but the investment will certainly be longer lasting and more rewarding!

Take care

Ian

So, to Rotherham. Or actually Sheffield. The Don Valley stadium, just like the Withdean for grown ups. Actually, more like Gateshead- the view was similarly terrible and it was just as cold. But one real difference- we won! Although I’m still not quite sure how. If I was a Rotherham fan I’d be reaching for the Valium.

 I thought we’d begin by comparing celebrity fans. As you know, we have Dan Walker, Simon Calder and Chico (“I’ve been watching Crawley Town for many years”- well he obviously watches in camouflage as I’ve never seen him). Rotherham have the Chuckle Brothers. Well I like Simon Calder, and I like Dan Walker. But I also like the Chuckle Brothers. So which is better? There’s only one way to find out……..actually, I rule in favour of Rotherham, as we will have to lose points for Chico. What time is it? Time the X Factor actually found someone with talent.

The day started well. Travel Ken and James “Bambi killer” Laraman were in good form, Sergio’s Mum and Dad joined us as well, and even better, Paul Prendergast had left the bloody bell at home! Mind you, we watched the Oxford game on DVD from last weekend, and as we scored four goals we heard it regularly anyway. A full coach in good spirits- even better spirits once they’d had a cup of coffee and a kitkat, been allocated their free terrace tickets for the Burton Albion game in a fortnight, had a good breakfast (well, brunch) and some chocolate, and had a go at Travel Kens famous quiz. Well done Paul Clarke for winning it, thanks to Kate Nulty for all of the home made cake- it was apparently delicious (just a shame that some of us are on a diet)! 

Once at the Stadium, it was brought home to us just quite how unsuitable athletics stadiums are for football. Think on, West Ham. Two teams of subbuteo players ran out, one in red, one in blue. We were in blue. For most of the first half we needed to relearn our flick to kick routine. We were dreadful. We were beginning to think that it would be like Morecambe again (sorry, I promised not to use the M word)! If Rotherham had taken their chances it would have been a long way back. But they didn’t, so the second half dawned with us one down and counting our lucky stars. We were cold, as the wind whistled around places where we’d have rather the wind hadnt whistled, and the Rotherham fans near us told us it was actually quite balmy. I’m patently turning soft!

Rotherham fans – and stewards- gave us some hope. They were anything but confident. “Panic under pressure”, “always go to sleep in the second half,” “can’t hold on for more than twenty minutes”, were amongst the phrases used. I wish I could have called Steve Evans, it might have helped with the teamtalk. Not that he needed any help. 

A different team in blue came out for the second half, and Alan Williams undoubtedly said a silent prayer- those blue shirts would sell after all! A typical Tyrone finish, and then a great bit of work from JP led to a good finish from Josh, after his initial effort came back off the post. After that, some Rotherham pressure which we dealt with fairly well, and the three points were in the bag. Rotherham fans begun their fire drill routine.  If I’d predicted a victory at half time you could have had me certified, but as the pundits always say on Match of the Day, sometimes you have to win ugly. We did just that. And with Southend only drawing at home, we’re now second only on goal difference. 

Back to the coach. Unfortunately it had developed a technical problem, but whilst it was fixed we had the chance to go and talk to the team and Sergio’s Mum and Dad got to go and say hello to him. Some of the younger fans came back with a collection of autographs and photographs. Sophie came back dressed as a pink cat. Not sure exactly how that happened. Sergio’s Mum and Dad were offered the chance to go home with the team, but declined. They wanted to travel with us! And that was nice, as we wanted to travel with them! Shame we couldn’t have got the team to give Travel Ken a lift though, save us from more singing and dancing! It’s late, we’re tired, and some of us don’t actually like the Village People. 

Another successful day. Redbridge next week, then Burton, and then a trip to Crewe to look forward to. Oh, and then Christmas! I’m not a fan of Christmas, but I like having time off and the extra football. Thanks to all the crew on the coach for their support, thanks to the club for the Burton Albion tickets and dvd’s, and finally, thanks to the Stewards at the Don Valley Stadium. A lovely, sensible, friendly bunch who were helpful and good humoured throughout. 

Last month I was asked to write an article for the Fanzine, Real Mad Red. The article had to have an FA Cup theme. You may have seen it already, but what you saw was an edited version- cut almost in half. As I laboured over it, I thought I would reproduce it in full here. My apologies if you’ve read it already!

Being asked to write a topical article for an FA Cup edition was always going to be difficult. You see, until last season the FA Cup had brought me nothing but misery and disappointment. I’ve spent most of my life viewing the FA Cup draw with the fatalistic outlook of Private Frazer in a particularly panic stricken moment. And generally I’ve been right.

My misery started here!

From the age of six I supported Leeds United. My first game as a Leeds United supporter? Wembley, May 1973. Leeds odds on favourites to win the cup, and then Ian Porterfield stepped up and ruined it. And where did I live? County Durham- Mackem land, where all of my friends had- at that point, anyway- red and white stripes. I met Jim Montgomery, the Sunderland keeper, in my early teenage years. My friends queued for his autograph. I tried hard to pretend he didn’t exist.

Years of FA Cup misery followed, until 1981 when my home town team, Bishop Auckland, actually reached the first round. Home to Nuneaton Borough (I had no idea where that was. Still not entirely sure even now). I got to be ball boy, behind the away goal. I was so proud. Well, until the Nuneaton fans, whose train had broken down, finally arrived fifteen minutes into the game and took a non-paying shortcut across the pitch, threatening me with violence on the way. I made myself scarce, and joined the throng behind the home goal, but the terraces were so packed I ended up standing behind three big blokes and saw next to none of the game. It finished four-one, a victory, but I saw only the goal Nuneaton scored. By the way, their fans stopped play again by leaving 15 minutes before the end the same way they’d arrived. Didnt you just love the 1980′s?

The second round. Bishop were drawn away to Carlisle United. It rained like hell. At 70 minutes, with the score 0-0 and the pitch in the best condition it had been all game, the ref called it off. The following week it snowed. Not light, Southern snow (!!) but proper northern stuff, four feet deep and impassable. The rearranged game was called off three times. Eventually they moved it to Workington. Ever been to Workington? No? Keep it that way, if you’ve any sense- it makes Barrow look like a beautiful and thriving metropolis. A 1-0 defeat, my scarf nicked by a Carlisle fan, and my so called friends throwing cigarette butts down my wellingtons. Some of them still lit. And yes, I know I shouldn’t have been wearing wellingtons, but it’s easy to be wise after the event……….the fashion police hadn’t been invented and I was worried about the snow! I would also add that I was 14 years old and hated getting wet feet!

Brendan Ormsby- still haunting my nightmares.....

If we mention the 1987 semi final between Coventry and Leeds I may be forced to use foul language. Brendan Ormsby was never the same again. Mind you, he wasn’t much cop before either……In the years to follow I moved to London and watched home FA Cup games at Fulham, QPR, West Ham, Wimbledon (well, Sehurst Park) and Charlton. Not one home victory did I witness- not that I really cared about any of these clubs enough for it to matter. I had friends who would actually put money on an away victory after finding out I was going!

Then, after around a decade in the football wilderness, I discovered the mighty Crawley Town FC. I missed out on the delights of Northampton and the famous loss to Brighton at the Toys R Us stadium or whatever it was called. I do remember that it was the same day that Arsenal were knocked out by Wrexham, but I’ve promised “nearly Scouse Alf” that I won’t mention that and I’m not the type to break a promise. So, it’s 2004, and we’ve drawn Dagenham and Redbridge in the 4th qualifying round. My first red FA Cup match, and a 2-1 defeat. 2005, we lose at home to Braintree. 2006 and a Ben Judge own goal loses a match at home to Lewes. 2007 finds us losing to Aldershot after a replay. By this point I’m convinced that I’m an FA Cup Jonah of the highest order. 2008, Havant and Waterlooville at home, a 3-0 defeat. I almost decide not to go in 2009, but we manage a home draw with AFC Wimbledon, and head confidently into the replay. Only to lose again.

Last season dawned with me optimistic about our League chances but with no hope at all of a run in the FA Cup. We drew Newport away, and I decided that the lads would stand a better chance without me. And I was right! I stayed at home, went to Ikea and later dropped a flat packed tv unit on my foot. But we won! A trip to Guiseley beckoned, and I thought long and hard about staying away. But in the end, I decided to take a chance. If we’d lost, I’d probably have given up FA Cup football for life. Or at least 12 months. Just before the end of the second half, I received a call to say that my eldest boy had been taken ill. Cue me driving down the motorway like Nigel Mansell. But we were through to the second round, and had played brilliantly. My hoodoo had departed!

Swindon- a draw and a victory. The morning after the latter, I managed to slip on the drain cover at the top of our drive and bang my head on the car boot. And began to have irrational thoughts. We’d won three FA Cup games. I’d had two accidents or a panic stricken drive to the hospital after every victory. Was this just a coincidence, or a visit to the Twilight Zone? I put this to the back of my mind.

Next came Sergio’s goal against Derby, and grown men in tears. I then became a “media tart” (copyright: Paul Prendergast) for the weeks leading up to both Torquay and Manchester United. More about that in a moment. Two days after the Derby game I got a chest infection and end up on steroids- this wasn’t my attempt to be the new Arnold Schwarzenegger. And I began receiving calls from the BBC, the Sun, the Independent- asking me about our mighty Reds and our FA Cup Run. This was actually a lot of fun- it was nice having the opportunity to educate people who knew very little about Crawley Town (some of them shockingly little). Then came Torquay, another majestic victory- despite the missed penalties which made us live on our nerves when we could have been out of sight. I’d been telling anyone who would listen that we’d beat Torquay and then draw Manchester United away. Of course, to our delight that came to pass, but by Monday I had a terrible near-death illness- or as my wife described it, man flu.

The weeks between the 5th round draw and the match itself were amongst the most hectic of my life. The phone seemed to ring continually. Over a ten day period I was interviewed by The Sun, The Times, BBC Sussex and Aldershot (sorry!), the Independent, the Obby, the Reds Cafe website (Manchester United), the New York Times and the Dubai National, amongst others. The last two, particularly, were an education!

The Dubai National!

I also got calls from people looking for Welsh speaking Crawley fans to interview, Irish Crawley fans- and remembered with not a little irony the days not so long ago when we struggled to even find Crawley fans in Crawley! The day before the game I received yet another call from the BBC. I’d helped set up interviews with CTFC fans who were flying in from the other side of the world, and expected that this was a similar request, but I was wrong. “We need you and another Crawley fan to appear on BBC Breakfast tomorrow morning”. I protested that I would be on the way to Manchester, but after some discussion involving the promise of an early interview and of a fast car to Euston, I agreed. Then immediately regretted it.

Matchday dawned with a feeling of trepidation. James Laraman had been press-ganged into being “Crawley fan no. 2″, and we were at the Television Centre for 8AM. Shortly afterwards we were in the green room. Simon Calder was in there, Dan Walker just leaving. The BBC had been taken over by CTFC! Simon was very positive about our chances, and a thoroughly nice chap. We then had to go into make up- unfortunately I needed lots of powder due to having a rather shiny head! The interview itself passed in a blur- I recall one of the presenters (whose name I cant remember- sorry)- suggesting that I was doing Sir Alex’s team talk for him by being so positive about our chances. But I felt irrationally confident. James was very much the same.

At Old Trafford, I recall telling Paddy Crerand- who had the temerity to suggest that we’d want a money spinning replay- that we didn’t have time for a replay due to fixture congestion and needed to beat them today! The look on his face was a picture. I was full of confidence and entirely sober, honestly! Paddy wasn’t so cocky after the game! The match has been recounted so often elsewhere that I won’t describe it again- but one moment sticks in the mind more than any other. Two Japanese fellows, Man Utd fans, were sat right in front of us. During the first half, they noisily cheered and disputed every decision that their team was involved in- albeit it in very broken english (not that this is a criticism, it isn’t like I can manage any Japanese!). During the second half, as we took control, they became quieter and quieter, sullen and uncommunicative. Until the moment Wayne Rooney got himself booked. One of them jumped to his feet. “Fluck off Looney”, he yelled, face contorted in anger! We were playing so well that Manchester United fans were turning on their own team. Full time, and we’d outplayed the biggest team in the world. Emotional, but so proud. A feeling that I can still recreate just by writing about it now. Images that will be ingrained in my mind for the rest of my life.

Sunday, I had to speak to The Sun (again), as well as writing a piece for the Crawley Observer and one for the CTFC Matchday Programme for the next home game. Monday it was another stint on BBC Radio Surrey, where I remember pointing out that the Manchester United goal had come from a corner that everyone else in the ground bar the referee had known was a goal kick. And then it was over. Back to normality, back to work, back to “Project Promotion”.

On the way to work, my route was blocked by a collection of schoolchildren milling about on a bus stop near my office. They were discussing football, loudly. One was carrying a Manchester United bag, another wearing a Manchester United hat. I smiled and went to walk around them. I stepped in some mud, slipped, and damaged my back so badly that I’m still in pain six months later.

So, with the FA Cup first round on the horizon, a feeling of excitement mounts. I am quietly confident that I will no longer bring bad luck to my team. And the suit of armour I’ve ordered to protect me from our success is apparently in the post!