The recent blog by Steve Walmsley (Leaving Things to Chansiri) was a tour de force in explaining the litany of errors and mistakes that have led our beloved football club in its current situation.
They include those below…
- Failure to invest in the creation of modern and effective football and commercial infrastructure.
- Lack of proper management structure at executive level that leaves all decision-making resting in the hands of the owner.
- High ticket price policy that causes alienation among the fanbase.
- Terrible player recruitment strategy that leaves us with an ageing squad with little re-sale value.
… with sadly more that could be added to the list.
Steve’s blog not only accurately sums up the creeping (and growing) sense of disquiet that so many have of us have felt about the direction of the football club since the 2016 playoff final, but issues an important question.
Exactly what are we going to do about it?
Keeping quiet is no longer an option in my judgement. Things are getting worse, rather than better. At best apathy among the fanbase will only mean further stagnation of the football club, at worst it could lead us deeper down a path of destruction with SWFC becoming another Bolton/Blackpool/Portsmouth (insert your favoured ex-Premiership team to have fallen from grace here). Heaven forbid repetitive financial mismanagement might mean we become another Bury.
I believe the answer to Steve’s question lies in the creation of a new supporter’s organisation (although other solutions are available for debate).
The exact parameters of the scope and actions of this new supporter’s organisation should be determined by its members. The best outcome would be for this new group to offer a conduit between fans and the present owner providing Mr. Chansiri with a source of new ideas about how to improve our football club and make it more competitive that are taken on board and implemented.
If the supporter’s organisation is not welcomed by the current owner then it SHOULD and MUST have a political edge. It needs to be willing to voice uncomfortable truths to power. It will be essential to communicate (by protest if necessary) the failings supporters feel are holding back our wonderful football club from the success we so much deserve as fan base.
It ought also to develop a new vision. What the purpose of the club is and who it should serve? To many of use our club is both family and community instilling within us a feeling of pride and ownership. It would be nice for it to feel that again. It’s the restoration of that more than anything else should be the focus of our new supporter’s organisation.
So, I’ll finish my blog like Steve’s with a simple question.
Who’s with me?