TheBogEnd » What is going wrong with our football club

Simon Colkin · 23/12/2021 12:51 pm

Hi people I have been supporting tmufc for over 20 years now and I can't remember a more hopeless first half of the season than this first of all we decide to play to many friendless at the beginning then the management can't put out a strong enough team for the first 2months I honestly don't know why the management don't know what to do when they were in charge the previous season and seemed to be having some clue as to how to manage a football club for example the game away at Uxbridge 2 nil up at half time then I goes completely wrong in the second half there are far too many changes happening around our club right now their is a total lack of organisation especially with the management I beg Mr atkins to do the best thing and end this disaster now and get shot of Ashley and cornices it would be a great Christmas present to all

evthedog · 23/12/2021 1:20 pm

Don't be too harsh with the Chuckle Brothers. Remember that Frank had a terrible first season up to March when everything began to fall into place. The following season was magic.

You need to look to the top to trace the reason why the first team is currently so hapless.

daniel collins · 23/12/2021 1:50 pm

Hi Simon what you need to realise when you ask the question what is going wrong with our club is yes the management duo do not have much of a clue but the real villains of the piece here is firstly the owner and the agents attached to the club our club is now used as a shop window for young talent and that is obvious to see just look at the amount of players that have gone through the first team almost 50 players.

You will ask why is this well quite simply this owner has no interest in how the first team do his agenda is his
so called club of progression just basically a revolving door to hopefully make more money for the owner.
Simon please realise this owner has zero and i do mean zero interest in our club progressing and
unfortunely nothing will change until such times as mr adkins sells up and moves on but i dont see any prospect of that happening any time soon.

Mikem · 18/1/2022 10:17 pm

Just when you think it can’t get any worse it does! The loss in the meaningless Surrey Cup to Balham who are 13 the Combined Counties league, just about sums it all up. I am really glad I did not make the long journey to Imperial Fields today, and I feel sorry for the other 90 souls at the ground, except of course for the Balham supporters. 4 games into the new year without a win at least we now know we’ll struggle in the Combined league as well. So much for the Sandy Lane legacy!

It really hurts to see the once great club now falling into disgrace and are completely up the creek without a paddle! Players not even up to Combined Counties League standard, including the management, plus no apparent solution to the dire situation. The team is gradually dying on its feet, you can’t blame the players or the management / coaching team they are like lost sheep and are out of their depth.

20 years plus at new stadium which has been completed wasted, who wants to keep writing negative posts, when there is nothing really else to write about. What a shambles and a pathetic situation to be in.

evthedog · 19/1/2022 5:37 am

Can't really add to that.

Is there anyone from the Members Club out there who can explain the first team masterplan to the rest of us plebs?

daniel collins · 19/1/2022 2:19 pm

I second your post ev yes could someone from the members club post on here and maybe explain what the hell is happening to this club or is steve adkins just trying to run the club into the ground.

Now knocked out of almost everything by a team laying 13th in the combined counties what a joke.
Im a member of the members cluband think the least somebody could do is come on here and at least offer
some sort of explanation for the appaling way this football club is now being run or do you not care

DeePee · 19/1/2022 4:34 pm

Well, I'm still currently a 'Director' of the 'Members Club' but I have no information regarding policy etc.
Our basic remit as I understand it is to help to provide matchday support and funding towards first team activities.
First Team policy, match decisions and so on are taken by those in more powerful positions that we are.

daniel collins · 19/1/2022 6:38 pm

Dave thanks for at least coming on and giving us an idea of where the members club stand so is there anyone connected with the club who is possibly prepared to tell us ordinary supporters what is going on with our club we never have had much information its like its all top secret!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mikem · 21/1/2022 10:10 am

  DeePee’ I admire your bravery in taking off your tin helmet and poking your head over the parapet to respond on comments on the members club posting. I know the restraints which operates at Sports and Leisure. Everyone knows what a great job you’ve done for the football club, especially the great programme you produced in difficult circumstances. It doesn’t take much to read between the lines, and I hope you don’t suffer the fate of many other great individuals who have disappeared over the years.
[list=1]
[*]For those interested, listed below us some basic information on the membership club: -
[/list]
For those wishing to sign up, this is how to do it, which is advertised on the club’s website.
TOOTING & MITCHAM UNITED FC
[img]file:///C:/Users/mikem/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png[/img] MEMBERS CLUB LTD [img]file:///C:/Users/mikem/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.png[/img]
The Home of the Members Club, a part of Tooting & Mitcham Utd FC
YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU !!
Please we would like to hear from as many of you as possible info@tmumembers.co.uk
MEMBERSHIP
We encourage every fan to become a member and now is a really good time. The Members Club have a stake in Imperial Fields so a strong Members Club has a vital role in a successful future.

You can download the forms here:
T&M Standing Order hsbc.pdf       The Membership form (current2021).doc
Apologies for lack of information. We have been looking for an information officer to handle this within the club but we haven't been able to find a volunteer as yet.
[list=1]
[*]Link to Members club registration at
[/list]
TOOTING & MITCHAM UNITED FC MEMBERS LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK (company-information.service.gov.uk)

Lastly DeePee, and Ian, once again I wish the best of luck producing the historical history of the football team, as there maybe not be one around the next 10 years, except perhaps at grassroots level!

Members Club · 21/1/2022 1:53 pm

As some members have asked for an explanation as to the current situation I will respond with a 'one off'. This being an unofficial forum this isn't the appropriate place for general communication of an official nature. The main board together with the MC board have fixed on a policy that we engage with those who have a positive attitude to what we are all trying to achieve. Unfortunately because so much that gets written here that is not based on any evidence but indulges in making unwarranted and untrue attacks on individuals there has been little incentive to engage.
So having got that out of the way I will attempt to give you an update. To give it any kind of context though it has to begin with what has gone before both with us and football in general, particularly how its financed. The fact is the money that comes into football has been syphoned up to the very top level, clubs lower down to fight over what is left. The further you go down the pyramid the less there is to spread around, hardly any club can survive on attendance income and some have resorted to bringing in wealthy directors who treat the team as a hobby until their enthusiasm runs out. Do a search and see how many clubs had money thrown into them and seemed to be going places that have gone in the other direction. That's not the policy at T&M.
If I see another entry about our good old days, I shan't know whether to scream or cry. Over 40 years ago the seeds of destruction were sown through the failure to modernise its practices, its infrastructure and running of its finances were outdated. These situations are a 'slow burn' so by the time we were due to leave Sandy Lane it was on the verge of liquidation, and having scraped through that we almost ended up doing the same thing by running football the same way as the 'good old days'. at the new ground.

So to now answer the question 'What is the plan' it is summarised in this statement T&M UTD FC AND IMPERIAL FIELDS have to be made financially viable in a sustainable way till long after both the current leadership of S&L and the MC have retired. That is why so much effort and money has gone into getting the block of flats approved at the front of the site, a near impossible achievement. There is much more happening to make viability a long term reality so that the football club can have a future, whilst many others don't. The financial cost of running the stadium and Farm Road is enormous, making enough to cover those costs especially through a covid pandemic has been a massive challenge. The innuendo about tens of thousands being taken out of the club need to stop and if you are a true fan speak out against it when it comes your way.
Following on from what Deepee shared the MC also has a place at the top table. I recognise you all want to know what is going on and you feel frustrated, but T&M is a business and its business has to be confidential. To balance that those fans that are members do have representation at the decision making level. That is through the the MC chairman who is appointed by the MC directors. That is currently me and my role is to represent the membership, fight its corner and also support or oppose the business plan. It comes down to whether you , as members, believe that you can trust me to be your eyes and ears.
So to the thing that part of the business you are really concerned about, the first team. Firstly I can tell you that there is not one person, from the very top down who is not really concerned at our results. The set up over the two past interrupted seasons seemed to be going well so what has happened this year has caught us all by surprise. Initially we thought it was a blip but that now seems not to be the case. I can assure you it is not an issue around money. Everyone is on the case to see how it can be be put right so please give your support. If you are one of those making abusive calls to the club then try offering some help instead and try from here on in to be both positive and objective and don't buy into silly comments.

Chris Woolley MC Chairman

casey · 22/1/2022 11:53 am

So little information comes out of the club. I don’t mean financially I mean player wise. Players come and go and some are injured,but next to nothing is said. And that’s why rumours start.

Stan Churchillmann · 25/1/2022 4:04 pm

Below is what Chris Woolley told the members of “the club” in 2005:-

The Vision for The Club and The Hub

We see this will enshrine the following principles:

1. Total transparency between Club and Hub

2. A one cost centre with a unified administration operated on a strictly not for profit basis.

3. The active participation of the Club and all its members in the running of the Club and the Hub to the greater good of both.

4. A substantial growth in the Membership of the Club brought about by the appeal of the Club as a committed partner to users of the Hub.

5. The provision of key local resources the Concept behind which is already attracting interest from other clubs as pioneer and model.

6. The challenge is to make Tooting & Mitcham United FC the best semi-professional club in the land, one built on sound foundations of good practice in all matters.

I will repeat that for the hard of hearing

The Vision for The Club and The Hub

We see this will enshrine the following principles:

1. Total transparency between Club and Hub

2. A one cost centre with a unified administration operated on a strictly not for profit basis.

3. The active participation of the Club and all its members in the running of the Club and the Hub to the greater good of both.

4. A substantial growth in the Membership of the Club brought about by the appeal of the Club as a committed partner to users of the Hub.

5. The provision of key local resources the Concept behind which is already attracting interest from other clubs as pioneer and model.

6. The challenge is to make Tooting & Mitcham United FC the best semi-professional club in the land, one built on sound foundations of good practice in all matters.

Will Chris Wooley please give everybody who views this forum an update.

For instance

When is it anticipated that "Tooting & Mitcham United FC will become the best semi-professional club in the land"?

Last edited by Stan Churchillmann (25/1/2022 10:27 pm)

Mikem · 25/1/2022 6:14 pm

Well Mr Members Club, you have emerged like the ghost of Christmas past on this unofficial forum Again. You have been instrumental in the mistrust of fans and the downfall of the Football team since your involvement with the club. You have been one of the main causes of the vitriol and hypocrisy on this forum in the past with your defence of the indefensible, and your unbelievable remarks. Since then. Many fans and even Club Members, Directors have deserted your sinking ship, and supporting the team. Not to worry though you will eventually be replaced by another puppet. As for defending DeePee, you’re covering your own inadequacies and lack of communication about the football team, don’t pass the buck onto others!

It has taken posting on this forum to rattle your gilded cage, as Chairman of a more than useless Members Club, which owns some worthless shares in S & L. The true supporters of this club have just asked what is happening to their football team, you as the so-called representative of the fans have let them down badly. The Members Club are just the messenger boys for S & L. The fans are not idiots, everyone knows about the financial state of affairs of all non-league clubs, and the actions they take to survive. I am going to cut from this message now, but you have opened up a can of worms again, so be it on your head, if this now turns into for future discussions on here.

daniel collins · 25/1/2022 6:47 pm

Very well said mike you put it much better than i ever could, one thing i would say though is i found some lines in chris wooleys statement quite infantile and insulting to long standing supporters like myself.

evthedog · 28/1/2022 12:43 pm

What a load of vacuous guff. How did planning for the flats impact on putting that little bit of extra cash into the first team when we were being humiliatingly hammered a few years ago in the Premier Division? All of the supporters that I talked to at matches, and on this forum, knew full well that the team needed a bit of strengthening to survive promotion, get a foothold, and that did not mean spending wildly. This is far away from the old trope that people like you trot out that we want an owner with deep pockets: I have never heard any supporter wanting that. All that is required is what is actually needed for the team to either survive at that level or, to go further. Going further may not have been optimal for the club at that point, but staying in the Premier, playing clubs like Carshalton, Lewis, Folkestone, Horsham (to name a few (with the crowds that go with them)) rather than Sutton Common, Chalfont, Chipstead, South Park. This is surly preferable than wading through the mire of our current division. If Merstham and The Casuals can hang on in there why couldn't we?

Ambition has a lot to do with it. Dorking, who finished second to us in that fantastic championship winning season are now leading Conference South, with our old rivals Dulwich also serious contenders for Conference football next season, looking to take on some really big teams whilst we travel to teams like Sutton Common.

So Mr. Members Club, I ask once more: what is the plan? Not complex financial details, but just a simple five year plan, a year by year breakdown . Where does the club see us at the end of the 2027/28 season when all of the housing has been built and sold off? Maybe this has not been discussed yet. I am not holding my breath.

Last edited by evthedog (28/1/2022 1:52 pm)

Stan Churchillmann · 28/1/2022 1:54 pm

The PLAN is "to make Tooting & Mitcham United FC the best semi-professional club in the land, one built on sound foundations of good practice in all matters".

However I can't give you a year by year breakdown or tell you where TM United will be at the end of the 2027-2028 season. You will have to ask Chris Woolley that, although I wouldn't hold your breath, as he will probably say that "T&M is a business and its business has to be confidential"

Last edited by Stan Churchillmann (28/1/2022 1:56 pm)

evthedog · 30/1/2022 9:43 am

Gary Walker wrote:
Ps , I think for transparency sake we need profit and loss sheet on the next set of accounts, so the fans can see exactly where we are for when you and Steve retire. Please include directors earnings if any so we can get a consortium together to maybe take over
Thanks

Bloody hell Gary, I forgot what a laugh you are. True comic genius😂

evthedog · 30/1/2022 12:34 pm

The thought if any MEANINGFUL information coming from anywhere within the club 😨

Mikem · 30/1/2022 12:53 pm

Hi Ev, Anything meaningful at all within S & L on the football team, would be a first,

Since 2005 :The challenge is to make Tooting & Mitcham United FC the best semi-professional club in the land, one built on sound foundations of good practice in all matters!!

The Administrator · 06/3/2022 12:26 pm

I have received the undermentioned message from a fan who does not use any social media:-Everything about T&M is rotten. A team without a recognized striker, managers that are inept that can’tsee where the team is currently heading. Emphasis on the academy without any concerns to the first teamand where they are in the league and obtaining grants for changing room facilities when the club can’t evenmaintain the men’s toilet in the supporter’s main stand. A club that is failing at every level and where it has completely lost it’s way, and that those who supposedlycare, just stand by and watch the clubs decline, saying nothing, doing nothing, and above all believing thateverything will work out in the end. However, unless the management attitude changes and gets to gripwith the situation, the team will sink to the lowest depths ever and the supporters will turn their back onthe club they have supported for so many years. Complete incompetence and where a manager(s) of a football team should have been sacked a long timeago based up this season’s results but for reasons the supporters know they are still there, and that whythe club is rotten to the core focusing on other priorities that have nothing to do football as we knowwhy! If we go down, I’m out as I see nothing of team that really wants to stay up because I have seen too manygood T&M teams that wanted it that badly, and I haven’t seen it from those who care sufficiently about the cluband where they are in the league. The truth hurts, but it seems to be hurting the supporters more than what management are putting out, week in, week out!

Since 2005: The challenge is to make Tooting & Mitcham United FC the best semi-professional club in the land, one built on sound foundations of good practice in all matters!! (You can’t make this up lol)

daniel collins · 06/3/2022 5:29 pm

unfortunaly there is only one person to blame for everything thats happened and thats the man that owns everything MR STEVE ADKINS what an excuse for an owner YOU ARE A SICK JOKE ADKINS.

evthedog · 09/3/2022 6:02 am

Hot from the official T&M web page. Feberuary news items were three in number. 1. The signing of Reece Cave and Simon Ofie. 2. Charity Easter Egg donations. 3. A charity match. And that was all that happened regarding the first team folks!
There is no news on the official site for March yet.

Sums up the club really: nothing on the field and nothing off it.

Stan Churchillmann · 09/3/2022 10:22 am

Ev

It is only 9th March and Easter is not until the middle of April so there is plenty of time for the first team to get many more Charity Easter Eggs donated.

Mikem · 09/3/2022 12:04 pm

Hello Ev,

Your posting just about sums up the pathetic state of the Football Club. While the volunteers keep the club going somehow. The dramatic decline of the club since 2005 both on and off the field is now reaping its rewards. Many great people who supported and volunteered for the club over the years have now sadly left in total disillusionment. A proper website takes time and devotion to produce, plus a certain amount of information and news gathering.

The unofficial website keeps rolling along year after year, without any input from the club, and is only kept going by a devoted Tooting fan of many years. What a waste of a great resource!
There is a lot of information on the site about the club, take a look: -
Home (tmu-fc.co.uk)

A couple of examples from our league both the teams quoted do not have a ground of their own, but have first-class websites covering all of the club’s functions.

Firstly, Sutton Common Rovers . This club which is followed by one man and a dog, and are facing relegation battle with Tooting, should be proud of their website, this is the link:
https://www.suttoncommonrovers.com/

Secondly, Basingstoke Town with another fine website, and visit Imperial Saturday with promotion hopes, and will bring a large away following.
Basingstoke Town FC Official Website (btfc.co.uk)

When Tooting eventually win a game expect a measle rash to be all over social media sites, pathetic really.

Since 2005: The challenge is to make Tooting & Mitcham United FC the best semi-professional club in the land, one built on sound foundations of good practice in all matters!! (You can’t make this up lol)

evthedog · 09/3/2022 2:19 pm

Mike, I don't know what planet you are on. I've just looked at the Sutton Common Rovers link and was shocked to find that there was nothing but football, at all levels at the club, on it. Even match reports.

I ask you: have you ever seen anything as ludicrous as posting match reports on a football club's official website?

No wonder we are above them in the league!