There was so much I needed to do tonight. I need to do some more work on the Appeal about that incident that I'm not to talk about anymore, I have proofing to do for work and I need to do some prep work for a meeting early next week with my Dad and Mike Warrick to review the cashflow forecasting; and that's without any of the household chores...but instead I felt a need to update the blog, it's been a while....
It's Friday night and we have a big game tomorrow. A tough game. Leamington are the visitors, genuine title contenders and a serious threat to our 100% home league record.
The last couple of visits from Leamington have been midweek games and have attracted some unsavoury local (Chesham) youths that seem to have been hell bent on tarnishing our good name and undoing all the hard work a lot of people put in to give us as a club that the town can be proud of. For tomorrow's game we have extra stewards on duty, the local CPO's will be paying a visit and all officials are on full alert just incase these youngsters decide to return - unlikely as we have not seen them for a while, but rest assured, we will not be letting them embarrass us in front of our visitors again this Saturday (and I fully accept the comments from any Leamington fan that says we said that last time, we really did not anticipate that they would choose to go in the fields behind the ground and throw things over the fence - who brings up these kids?). It's a shame, the problems seemed to stem from our decision to try and attract youngsters with free entry, but we had to scrap that as a result...another loss for football. I hope Leamington fans get to enjoy the hospitality all other teams have managed to enjoy at Chesham in recent years.
The past week has highlighted some of the successes we are enjoying on the field, through all the teams. Last Saturday saw some of the kids from the Youth set-up have a coaching session on the pitch before the game, we had a couple of really excited mascots, a couple of Youth players have been selected for Trials for the England Schoolboys, the Reserves won team of the month for October and the First XI won their 7th straight home game at The Meadow...maintaining an unbeaten run that stretches back to August 2010 at home.
The win against Cirencester was most welcome, particularly the late winner, as it was a long day at the club. In the morning Brian McCarthy and myself were making a lot of plans about the Appeal, then once at the club we had to arrange a fairly brief board meeting amidst all the matchday going-ons, just to ensure we are in agreement about the way forward.
After the game Mike Warrick and myself also had a meeting scheduled with Andy Leese and Jon Meakes to discuss how the budget is operating, how the season is going so far, what plans we as a club have in place and what plans they as a management team have in place...it was a good meeting, and one we should be repeating more regularly than we do. I speak and email Andy on a regular basis throughout the week, but sometimes you need to find the time to sit face to face and have a proper discussion. It made a nice change to be talking about the team and having a general chat about players, performances, results and tactics...rather than trying to resolve a problem, quash a rumour or chase the wages for the weekend (which reminds, me, haven't had them this week yet!!).
Last weekend finished with a Race Night, once again there was a pretty poor turn out, but I really enjoyed not being the one responsible for organising the evening, that was much appreciated and it is good to see the Supporters' Trust getting some social events behind them and making strides towards putting events on for supporters... even if there will be some depressing turnouts to deal with, that's life I'm afraid. I wish I knew the answer for getting more people more involved with other things away from the pitch, fundraising has the potential to become a huge income source, but we don't seem to be able to make the most of that at Chesham, I don't know why.
Talking of which, the postponement of the John Motson dinner was morally depressing and financially painful. Sportsmans Dinners are notoriously difficult to organise and sell, but when you get them right, they are brilliant, but you need to sell the tickets, and you need to be able to sell them to the right people. I've organised several in my time and know what it is like. I can organise an event like that, but I need help selling the tickets...having had my fingers burned so many times on that front, the decision was taken that as a club we would not take one on, but then came the kind offer to do it on our behalf, an offer we could not turn down.... The new date is now February 23rd, definitely, the deposit is paid, and I hope we belatedly have a great night, and make some much needed cash.
With everyday that passes I feel increasingly confident that our club has the potential to move forward, both on and off the field and if we can keep the finances in check, attract new money and spend wisely, the future can be very exciting. There is no doubt what-so-ever that we are benefitting from having the consistency that comes with keeping a manager and nucleus of a squad in place for a number of years. The temptation to hit the panic button can be too much for some, but Charles Manchester was always very loyal and I have learned the importance of that. Andy Leese wears his heart on his sleeve and can react passionately (and defensively) to criticism, as last week's programme notes showed, but he should be very proud of what he has achieved at the club and we must learn that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but you must keep looking at the bigger picture. We are going into a game tomorrow that will hopefully attract a crowd in excess of 400; two clubs looking for promotion to Conference South - that would be a tremendous achievement.
I know it is all too easy to look at some of the clubs in the league above and think "well, that's where we belong, we used to regularly play the likes of Bromley and Basingstoke...", but you need to forget that past and think of the present; and the future. Don't forget we got to have our heyday in the 1990's on the back of huge investment, and I mean huge, and we are still paying for that today. I would never want to take those days away, they are very precious to me personally as they coincided with my student years when I was in a position to maximise enjoyment with weekend away trips and all night celebrations, but we must be realistic. Prior to that investment, which must have been hundreds of thousands of pounds, we were a fairly consistent Isthmian Division One side jostling for league positions with the likes of Chalfont St Peter, Southwick, Whyteleafe and Kingsbury Town...To reach Conference South, with our current budget, run by a bunch of supporters who happen to enjoy discussing the business side of things over a pint would be, quite frankly, a bloody remarkable achievement.
I semi-jest in the statement above, but it was a phrase used quite regularly in a recent business meeting in which we are hoping to structure things in such a way that we can press forward with our ambitions with less financial burdens around our necks. The way we run our club is probably fairly unique and we continue to learn all the time, identifying where our individual responsibilities lie and where we have to act collectively - there always seems to be something that comes along to muddy the waters. My biggest challenge remains contending with the fact that some people get paid for what they do, some don't, albeit those that get paid, their income is obscenely disproportionate to what they would get paid in a "proper job" - and then all of that effort can lead to resentment when a week's hard graft goes out to pay the playing budget...but that's the harsh reality of running a football club. You see the bits you don't like, as well as the bits you do.
I know I harp on about the little things that you don't always see that go on, but they are the things that prove most troublesome. Another classic example has arisen with Top Notch next door who for the past number of years have rented parking spaces from our designated places, namely in front of the outer wall down the Cricket Club End. It looks likely that that arrangement is now going to come to an end because of some changes taking place over there. Up to now we have not felt a need to police the parking situation. Sometimes they will use more than the agreed number of places, but as long as it is not matchday, as long as they are not in front of the turnstiles, it's never been a huge issue...but what do you do now the agreement is not in place? It might seem pedantic and fussy, but we now need to manage the parking in spaces that we are paying rent for... so look out for some new signage in the car park in coming weeks...
Through all the stress and worries, I think I'm still enjoying it. This period leading up to Christmas is always my busiest, and most stressful, at work, so I know there are challenging days ahead. At the end of the day my priority must remain my family and my work (the bit that pays the mortgage). When I first became Chairman I remember David Pembroke taking me out for a meal offering his help and support, the words that stuck with me were the ones about not letting it get in the way of my family, and I am determined to stick to that (despite a few wobbles on my part). When my youngest, 7 year old Ben, decided this summer he wanted to join Hemel Hempstead Camelot Rugby Club, I promised that going to watch him would become my priority, and I want to stick to that. Fortunately training is predominantly Friday nights and Sunday mornings, but they are running a special offer for kids to go to a Saracens game at Wembley in December, a match that clashes with Cambridge City away... a huge game, but I must stick to my word...?
Hey, these are good days for Chesham United and I am immensely proud to be heading them up. I am under no illusions that what is happening on the pitch is helping to extend the honeymoon period and I am fully aware that it could not be done without some of the extraordinary people around the club. The last month, for various reasons have been incredibly tough and we have had to rely on each other very heavily for support because there have been days when you seriously question why you are doing what you do. I've had some intense email exchanges with some fellow Directors in recent days,. but the upshot is, we believe in what we are doing, we know this current era will not last forever, it might not last another season, but if we can see the club through this period, get it debt-free, and get it in a position to really go forward, then we can look back at our time at the helm with happy memories, and great pride.
Promotion to Conference South? Well that would just be the icing on top of an already very tasty cake.
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