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Ollie Sprague
Views: 2812
Once again we lose a player for financial gain.Nothing we can do about it and my only gripe would be that we lost mayo(not enough game time).I thought he was a really promising addition to our squad.Good luck to Ollie but in my opinion if he left us it should have been to someone better than Billericay.The gaffer has a real challenge with these walkouts.Money talks .Rather have players that want to be here than just here for the £s.
Re: Ollie Sprague
Views: 2801
Out of interest, how much does a player get at Hendon and how much at Billericay? Their attendances are not really huge so how come they can pay more? My guess is that at Hendon you'll be on max 100 a game. So Billericay must be paying double that. Am I totally wrong?
Re: Ollie Sprague
Views: 2774
Billericay's new chairman publicly said he's willing to put 10ka a week into the club (Margate levels in other words). If he's willing to spend anywhere near that kind of money then I'm not sure Ollie can be blamed for leaving. Good pay and decent odds of a title medal within the next 18 months.
Re: Ollie Sprague
Views: 2777
10k a week?
Probably a promotion in the next couple of years then crash and burn afterwards when he loses interest.
Re: Ollie Sprague
Views: 2689
Can't blame anybody for moving on for perceived personal growth. Most players believe they are probably better than what actually transpires. At least we appear to have received remuneration. I thought the lad was demonstrating some kind of form which of course is disappointing.
As for Billericay, read the latest news out of Farnborough. A modern ground built for thousands, catering for a couple hundred. Every time I hear a seven year plan to get in the football league, or whatever it's called today - you just know how it's going to end. I don't personally envy clubs with rich benefactors. It's nothing more than a personal ego trip. The long-standing manager has just entered a merry-go-round of insanity - bloody welcome to it. Hendon, and in particular those who oversee events should be damn proud of how we survive. At least we maintain our integrity.
Ollie Sprague and five-year plans
Views: 2799
The last three teams whose seven (five-/three)-year plan to get to the Football League were wholly "successful" were the former Scarborough, Maidstone United and Rushden & Diamonds. All three subsequently went out of business, but all have returned as phoenix clubs with varying degrees of success. It is interesting that Dagenham & Redbridge turned down the new Billericay chairman when he was their suitor. Time will tell whether they were wise or foolish.
As for losing Ollie, it is a huge blow, just as the defence was beginning to look more solid. We don?t stand in players? ways when they wish to move on, so we have to reconcile ourselves to losing players.
Re: Ollie Sprague and five-year plans
Views: 2713
At least this time we actually got a fee. With promising young players, getting them under contract should be a priority.
Re: Ollie Sprague and five-year plans
Views: 2777
I think there is a desire to get these promising young players under contract from the club, however there is no guarantee that the player will want to sign them. I know that Charlie Goode didn't want to sign one for whatever reason and that, ultimately, led to him moving for free at the end of 2014/5.
In Ollie's case, it is disappointing to see him leave, but equally hard to blame him. The chances are the offer from Billericay was too good to turn down from a personal point of view and anyone in any other industry or walk of life would probably have done the same thing. Billericay is substantially closer than Leiston is, which is another reason why I can understand this move a darn sight more than Niko's.
It is good that the club has been recompensed for Ollie's services, and he leaves with my best wishes.
I'd also echo Rob Wakeley's comments - I am proud that Hendon Football is completely debt free, lives within its means and remains competitive at this level. If the money isn't in the bank, we don't spend it. I don't know how I'd feel if a money man came into the club offering Gary £10k per week. I'd probably question his motives and start preparing myself for the moment his interest, or finances waned straight away.
Re: Ollie Sprague and five-year plans
Views: 2652
I agree totally that we should live within our means but that doesn't mean that we should lack ambition. Every business should have a plan which must be constantly reviewed to achieve its objectives.
Fur the club surviving to its recent past is amazing. To have a new home is a dream that has come true for many. Now the foundations must be set for the club to thrive and give supporters players and management a reason to stay.
The last few years have been about survival now it should be about sustainable growth.
Re: Ollie Sprague and five-year plans
Views: 2692
Spot on St Albans Don, when you wrote ?now it should be about sustainable growth.?
As William Shakespeare put in the ?To be or not to be...? soliloquy in Hamlet, ?Aye, there?s the rub.?
Sustainable growth is the bottom line. Without it we will sink into messy oblivion.
Success is hard to achieve without a solid base. At SJP, we have the base, now we need to make it solid and build on upwards. It may take time, and there will be more bumps in the road than in the car park, but we have to believe in everyone at the club.
We all want success. It may not come immediately, but I am sure things will get better. That wait for our first home League win is becoming an ever-growing monkey on our backs. Here?s hoping tomorrow is the that special day when King Kong disappears.
Scarborough 5 year plan & Hendon stuff
Views: 2758
In reply to David H, I can assure him that there was no 5 or 7 year plan at Scarborough. We got lucky and appointed a little heard of young manager called Neil Warnock from Burton Albion!
Loving coming down to SJP. Thanks everyone I've come across who's been so friendly towards my Kingsbury drinking pals and myself. I feel the frustrating inconstancies are a peril of football at this level. Money will always talk unfortunately.
I think it's highly commendable that the board do not overspend, and for what it's worth I don't think they ever should. Scarborough Athletic were formed from the ashes of the old club and in many ways are similar to Hendon; a rich former history, aging support and in exile for about a decade. Fortunately it looks at last like Boro will move home for the start of next season; on a 4G pitch would you believe! Both clubs are owned by the supporters, but my one gripe is that Boro often stretch themselves to the very limit with the playing budget. It's easily done. An expectant supporter base wants success. The board panic if gates and income streams fall so they try and spend a little more to get in the right players and manager. If it goes wrong......
After several years without a home ground, I felt as an outsider looking in that this would be a season of gradual building. It's extremely interesting for me ahead of Scarborough's return to having their own home ground rather than having to share 20 miles away to see how it pans out?
Crowds are obviously an improvement and I'm doing my best to spread the word to get more fellow neutrals involved who probably don't even realise the excellent football on their doorsteps usually served up twice a week from the Dons or Edgware Town.
It's good to stand among fans who generally have sensible expectations. Yes, the play offs and National League South should be the aim, but never at endangering the clubs finances. Purely in my opinion of course. All I ask for when I hand over my admission fee is that I see the players giving 100%, and in the time I've been coming to SJP whether to Hendon or Edgware, it's extremely rare that I see anything less. OK it may be error strewn at times but the effort's definitely there. I think most rational fans are the same, although on my many travels this season I shake my head at a minority who support a side along the Met line and forget the struggles they had to keep their club alive for many years. Anyone who I've brought along, whether lapsed Football League fans or those just fancying a drink and a bit of entertainment are genuinely surprised at the standard and style of play; especially those who last went to SJP to see Kingsbury Town many moons ago!
Well done everyone. SJP feels like a proper home ground more and more each week as it gets worn into. It'll never be Claremont Road, but it's functional and offers good facilities. The bar is warm and welcoming. The beer tastes better by the week. What more could a local non-league or passionate Hendon fan want? OK maybe a home league win!
Incidentally, I'm not a complete newbie. My first Hendon home game was back in 1982-83 against Wycombe Wanderers in the IPL when I was an ailing student based in Borehamwood. I returned another couple of times when I made my move to London in April 1999, living in Willesden Green as well as catching a couple of "home" games at Wembley and then Harrow. I was so happy to see SJP gradually get upgraded and Hendon move in. It's great to roll down that hill, if not as easy going back up with a belly full of pop. Well done whoever put the new ground into the Uber list of addresses!
In closing, welcome to the new players and good luck to those moving on. That's non-league football. Looking forward to seeing Niko make his second debut around Easter!
I can't go tomorrow thanks to shift work, but I'll be following as closely as I can on Twitter, but I'm already looking forward to Tuesday night.
Good luck everyone and thanks again.
Edited by Scarborough_Rob at 20:19:45 on 9th December 2016
Re: Scarborough 5 year plan & Hendon stuff
Views: 2629
What a fantastic post - thanks Rob.
It has been a monumental effort to keep the club alive and, with Rob, Dan and Tom's help, ensure that we've finally got somewhere we can call home but all of that hard work needs to be a springboard to a bigger, better and more sustainable future.
And that is all about getting people to come and watch us at SJP. If we can get that bandwagon rolling, then - and only then - we can start to set expectations of a top 5 finish.
It's great to have you aboard the Hendon bandwagon Rob - I hope you enjoy the ride!
Previous thread: Credit where it is due by rwakeley4/12/2016 00:07Sun Dec 4 00:07:25 2016view thread