Sad bastard............

[Pigman]

..............I know, but I've got the day off work and decided to start the day by having a look back through a few of my old match day programmes, to glean a few useless facts while having my morning cuppa.................I've been reading for the last hour and a half !!!! 8-)

As many of you know, I wrote the " A View from the Terrace" column for the programme for a few years, and reading some of my articles brought back to me what a dreadful time we have had in recent years, looking at what I wrote in 2005 and 2006 makes me look like a candidate for suicide, I'm actually amazed they printed some of my articles, I was a tad critical at times, rightfully so in my opinion, but reading comments like "if we deliver many more performances like that then we'll be visiting Hayes next season......no players came out of that game with credit, our defending was a joke, our midfield looked jaded and lacklustre and as for our attack, toothless and more worryingly, clueless.......a big attitude change is required" and "they lacked passion and committment, I know for a fact I could pick 11 young men out of the PDB and they would grind themselves into the dirt trying thier best, thats all we ask" makes me realise I did perhaps go a tad over the top at times, fair play to the Editor for allowing some truth to be told

What I'm trying to say is - thanks Justin, thanks for turning the ship around, until I read back I guess I'd forgotten how bad it had been. If I'd been writing now I think I'd be struggling to find anything negative to write about ;) I don't know about you, but I feel energised, alive, excited and looking forward to the next match, I really can't wait for the next 4 games, I'm filled with trepadation, but the anticipation is brilliant. Even if we lose 3 out of the 4 (please god we don't lose to the scum) I know Justin has a side that will work its arse off - we'd been lacking that !!!

I don't care if we lose out on the play-offs (well, okay, I do a bit, a big bit ) we have at last got a side who are playing with some passion and committment and not without the odd bit of skill. That is down to Justin and Michael Stone, whose role in this success is perhaps overlooked by many, I think they are proving to be a really good management team.

I spoke to someone at the club yesterday (they know who they are!!) and what I heard really pleased me. They said the feeling of togetherness and positivity at the club is at an all time high, Justin makes everyone feel welcome and part of the team, no matter what their role at the club - I think that is brilliant news !!! My feet remain firmly on the ground about our future, but I just wanted to share a few thoughts, beats doing some housework which is the alternative

[ferrers]

Yes Pigman that sums up how a lot of us feel,i have only been watching the team for the last 5 years so this is the most excited i ve been,so i ve endured the bad time and i hope coming into another dawn,this time it will be more of an achievment in my eyes(as i did not see the winning years and max effect) as we have done it on a low cost team with a great management team.The chairman also has to have some credit as it must not be easy for anyone in business sticking with football all you seem to make is loses.
I know we have nt acheived anything yet but it is good going to games with a positive feeling,yes i think you do forget those bad times when success starts to appear.

[Formic]

<<snip >>

I spoke to someone at the club yesterday (they know who they are!!) and what I heard really pleased me. They said the feeling of togetherness and positivity at the club is at an all time high, Justin makes everyone feel welcome and part of the team, no matter what their role at the club - I think that is brilliant news !!! My feet remain firmly on the ground about our future, but I just wanted to share a few thoughts, beats doing some housework which is the alternative

Some excellent thoughts the two posts above - it's such a shame those seasons of dross drove so many away - a good number of whom were the backbone of the Diamonds Supporters Culture, one of the key reasons it was such a great club to support. We need to get the "togetherness and positivity" going amongst the fans as well. We still have some great people working for the club, or as volunteers, or as dedicated regular fans (home and away), but you can easily think of many more from those categories who are no longer seen around Nene Park or the away grounds we visit.

I think we've discussed a few times the merits of mailshotting the historic fan base, but now could be a good time to do that - or if the costs are deemed too high then enlist the current support to help out. We need to find out what the key reasons were those people don't come any more, and if there is a way we can tempt them back, now that the obvious reasons of "having to watch dross" or "the manager is clueless" are less applicable.

[Diamond_ Wolf]

Well you not the only sad bastard Pigman. Ive got a box and a half full of programmes and every so often i have a butchers at them and recall the good :mrgreen: and bad times :(

Do you collect any programmes or just R&D ones out of interest?

[Pigman]

Very often I don't even buy programmes now - I have a big box of old Diamonds programmes from 1994 to about 2007, but in recent years I've not really bothered getting one (its Red Dragon's fault, when he started to write in them I didn't understand half of what he was writing, the words were too big and he spoke Tottenhamese too often for my liking ;)

If any "coffin dodgers" to coin a phrase used elsewhere, wish to leave me their prized Diamonds programme collection in their wills, I'd be happy to accept and look after them

[Red Dragon]

Didn't understand the words I used? Really? You should hear me speaking Welsh!

[Pigman]

Didn't understand the words I used? Really? You should hear me speaking Welsh!

I knew that comment would flush you out :lol:

[Pigman]

I think we've discussed a few times the merits of mailshotting the historic fan base, but now could be a good time to do that - or if the costs are deemed too high then enlist the current support to help out. We need to find out what the key reasons were those people don't come any more, and if there is a way we can tempt them back, now that the obvious reasons of "having to watch dross" or "the manager is clueless" are less applicable.

Totally agree formic - we have something to sell at last !!! The club must have a database of people who used to buy tickets but haven't for some time - if they could pull a mailing list together and print off some letters, I'd certainly offer my time to stuff envelopes and get them sent out - I'd even donate a tenner to cover some of the costs !!

As we come to the business end of the season it'd be great to tempt a few of the old supporters back.

[SCARECROW]

I think mail shooting the old fanbase would not necessarily work, peoples lives change and i am sure there would be a vast majority of the old faithful whose circumstances have changed, ie moved, married, died :shock:The row in front of us in the South stand is known as death row as it started of with 5 old codgers in the Griggs days and now there are none. At the end of the day it is results on the pitch that count and a succesfull team can not fail to attract new supporters and people do notice how succesful local teams are. My mother, who has to my knowledge never watched a live match in her life, comments to me regularly how well the Diamonds are doing, and how k#trins season is slowly slipping down the pan, only for them to return to the lower league oblivion which is where they belong! ( Ok, the last bit is a lie) But seriously as long as we can build on what we have achieved so far this season people will notice and play offs and even promotion must bring publicity, resulting in bigger gates. The last time we had a succesful side the ground was packed evry week, ok half of them were not paying to get in, but we would be happy with the half that were right now!

[DiamondsFan]

I think sending out letters would be a quality idea. If it attracts at least 50 people who would never normally come to Nene Park then it could be considered a success.

I know plenty of people who go watch a premiership team once a month who used to come to Diamonds (and be long-term season ticket holders!) but left because it all got a bit shit. I reckon quite a few of them would come back like flies to shit.