The club announced that it had a problem with a budget shortfall at the Fans
Forum in October and since then supporters have had a virtual collecting tin
shoved under there nose at every opportunity. Today the club has been chasing
hard for people to take up the 250 Club once again.
At
the Northwich Victoria game I paid my £20 to get myself and my two boys in,
paid my £1 extra on the "Golden Gate", bought my £2.50 programme
full of adverts and spent £2 on four golden goals for the kids and then got
assailed by a guy touting the club's 250 Club while my kids queued up for their
burger and chips at the snack bar. Enough already!!
From a couple of the posts today in response to a plea from Steve Thompson to
support the 250 Club on the Online
Forum, it seems I am not alone in this view.
The Vics game was a couple of weeks after the highly expensive loss of the
Canvey Island game, lost to frost on Boxing Day. I was bringing three extra
adults to that game which would have swelled the gate and all of whom would
probably have been talked in to buying tickets in the car draw, which I
understand has made much less than it should have. I am sure I was not the only
one bringing along Christmas guests to that game which is always a big day for
the club bar too.
The decision to postpone the game just an hour before kick off was in most
people's opinion a very poor one by match referee Mr Tomlinson who was obviously
influenced by the Canvey Island players at the time. However, I now understand
that the pitch was left uncovered on Christmas night after all the weather
forecasts said that a heavy frost was expected.
Might the use of the covers on Christmas night have made the difference and
meant the game was played? It almost certainly would have made the difference to
a borderline decision by the referee.
How much did the club lose that day?
The
Vics game was also a week before the Daggers lost an FA Trophy game that they
should have won to net £4,000 in prize money and an eminently winnable home
draw against Leyton and another potential £5,000 and a place in the last 16. In
that game Glen Southam (left) was not available to play because of a daft clause
in the transfer contract signed by the club management precluding him playing
against his old club, a game he would have been well up for and may well have
made all the difference.
A couple more trivial gripes, but ones that again cost the club money and
points to problems in the way things are being run at the moment.
Firstly, in October last year I tried to buy a replica away kit for my
youngest to be told that there were no shorts or socks available. I tried again
early in December and still no shorts or socks. They did arrive, but by that
time Christmas was sorted so the club missed out on my money.
Secondly, the club announced that it had copies of LMA Manager available in
the club shop when it was released, all of the cost of which would go to the
club. When I asked about a copy, shop staff had no idea about it. I'm sure all
the club's copies were sold eventually, but not to me.
A lot of little things adding up to a fairly serious set of troubles for
Dagenham & Redbridge FC at the moment then, on and off the pitch. It is
seriously time the club got its priorities sorted out on and off the field
before coming back to its supporters for more of their hard earned cash.
Oh and by the way, if anyone out there wants to help out with the costs of
hosting this site, please get in touch.
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