Update from the Chairman

[Glyn]

https://www.hednesfordtownfc.com/2024/0 ... e-chairman

[Del]

QUOTE: "Some of you may have noticed we turned off commenting on our social media posts this week. This isn’t to silence fans, I made the decision as I want our official communications to be for information and statements only, sometimes having comments can be an unhelpful distraction. We have made significant improvements to keep the fans up to date recently with video highlights, manager interviews, training pictures and new signing announcements and we’ll continue to keep the fans informed as much as possible."

Then surely any official statements should be made on the Club's offical website .. not via chitter-chatter social media such as facebook and Twitter?

Let's hope the new owners join this forum where free speech is not silenced!

[PitmanKeith]

No pitch improvements then, thought that would have been a priority.

[Perton Pitman]

People should simply join the forum if they want to pass comment on things.

I'm glad that some improvements are being made - I don't park in the car park but someone raised the point a while ago about the state of it.

Agree that the pitch needs looking at, but perhaps that will be dealt with over the Summer. Can't do much at the moment. Also good to see that fans are going to be given discounts for things etc - the devil is in the detail, but all the right noises are being made and thankfully we aren't aiming for the football league in 5 years.

[stonnall pitman]

News and information can be provided over numerous platforms and as here imported to share and exchange views. Whether we stay up or not we have a team to follow and support. The long term decline and more rapid decline under recent past ownership is the major reason for where the club is as of now and it will still take time to recover. It seems to be in safe hands for the first time in ages.

[akb junior]

I don’t entirely agree with the comment function being removed on both Facebook and Twitter posts. If the comment function is going to remain disabled, there are a number of Hednesford independent Facebook pages/groups where people can share their opinions if they wish to do so.

Either way, social media is the way that the club should be releasing official statements, alongside the official website. People don’t want to have to go out of their way to find out what’s happening with the club. They want information fed to them via platforms they already spend so much time on. EG Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.

[njp]

I’m happy there is a statement has been released and I’m really happy they now have full control but I think ‘we aren’t doing it to silence fans’ and ‘comments are an unhelpful distraction’ are one and the same aren’t they really. The second statement is just their justification in doing the first

[Perton Pitman]

People should simply join the forum if they want to pass comment on things.

I'm glad that some improvements are being made - I don't park in the car park but someone raised the point a while ago about the state of it.

Agree that the pitch needs looking at, but perhaps that will be dealt with over the Summer. Can't do much at the moment. Also good to see that fans are going to be given discounts for things etc - the devil is in the detail, but all the right noises are being made and thankfully we aren't aiming for the football league in 5 years.

I take it all back. It seems we are
https://twitter.com/Hednesford_Town?ref ... r%5Eauthor

[Perton Pitman]

People should simply join the forum if they want to pass comment on things.

I'm glad that some improvements are being made - I don't park in the car park but someone raised the point a while ago about the state of it.

Agree that the pitch needs looking at, but perhaps that will be dealt with over the Summer. Can't do much at the moment. Also good to see that fans are going to be given discounts for things etc - the devil is in the detail, but all the right noises are being made and thankfully we aren't aiming for the football league in 5 years.

I take it all back. It seems we are
https://twitter.com/Hednesford_Town?ref ... r%5Eauthor

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/les-reed ... r1t4f6l31s

[Lee K]

We’re going to the Football League lads, it says it there…

[PitmanKeith]

We’re going to the Football League lads, it says it there…

The MIDLAND Football League

[Perton Pitman]

I just wish we were being a bit more realistic and managing expectations. Graham and Ade had big plans for us and yes, maybe our new owners have deep pockets, but whatever is done has to be sustainable and we shouldn't be relying on the generosity / profligacy of one or two people.

Aiming to get back to step 3 within 2 years is what we should be seeking to do.

[akb junior]

If we are relegated and are playing at step 5 next season, I think aiming to be back at step 3 in the next 5 seasons is relatively ambitious but still achievable.

To do that we don’t just need to bring in a big name (probably someone who knows nothing about this level) and chuck loads of money at it. We need a manager who is familiar with steps 3-5, has good contacts, is given time and a decent budget.

Aiming for The National League in 5 years is not realistic at all. Even if our new owners do have deep pockets, 9 times out of 10 there will always be someone with deeper ones.

[Rambling Syd]

Despite the risk of appearing to be over ambitious, the statements and adverts etc that have been published today give the club an air of professionalism and organisation that in terms of ownership, we haven't had for sometime. We must indeed be wary of not having expectations/ ambitions which are unachievable and make sure decisions and investments are sustainable, but it strikes me that the new owners are looking to appoint and recruit a professional structure to set us out on a good footing. Whatever the end of this season may bring the future certain looks positive.

[Scott]

As the person who helped instigate and run the club's social media channels (as well as being involved in social media for my day job) I find it an interesting decision by the club. Sadly you can go back to four years ago when it all started to unravel on the HTFC social media channels with previous incumbents allowing things to just spiral into somewhat of a mess by allowing said channels to become a free-for-all, which they gleefully joined in with.

Social media, along with a website and forums, can be a powerful tool if used correctly. I can remember the early days when we ran a competition through the HTFC Facebook page, with two match tickets up for grabs. We had hundreds of entries and the random winner turned out to be someone who hadn't been to a game for years, fast-forward 14 years I know they still attend games to this day. I'd say that was a real win for social media.

Good to hear another update from the Chairman though, giving some indication of what future plans are.

[PitmanKeith]

Despite the risk of appearing to be over ambitious, the statements and adverts etc that have been published today give the club an air of professionalism and organisation that in terms of ownership, we haven't had for sometime. We must indeed be wary of not having expectations/ ambitions which are unachievable and make sure decisions and investments are sustainable, but it strikes me that the new owners are looking to appoint and recruit a professional structure to set us out on a good footing. Whatever the end of this season may bring the future certain looks positive.

Welcome back Syd

[PitmanKeith]

If we are relegated and are playing at step 5 next season, I think aiming to be back at step 3 in the next 5 seasons is relatively ambitious but still achievable.

To do that we don’t just need to bring in a big name (probably someone who knows nothing about this level) and chuck loads of money at it. We need a manager who is familiar with steps 3-5, has good contacts, is given time and a decent budget.

Aiming for The National League in 5 years is not realistic at all. Even if our new owners do have deep pockets, 9 times out of 10 there will always be someone with deeper ones.

A manager with good contacts at our level will be futile if the DOF is doing all player recruitment.

[akb junior]

If we are relegated and are playing at step 5 next season, I think aiming to be back at step 3 in the next 5 seasons is relatively ambitious but still achievable.

To do that we don’t just need to bring in a big name (probably someone who knows nothing about this level) and chuck loads of money at it. We need a manager who is familiar with steps 3-5, has good contacts, is given time and a decent budget.

Aiming for The National League in 5 years is not realistic at all. Even if our new owners do have deep pockets, 9 times out of 10 there will always be someone with deeper ones.

A manager with good contacts at our level will be futile if the DOF is doing all player recruitment.

I agree, and a reputable manager at this level may be put off by a DoF being in place. If the DoF is going to work alongside the manager then it may work, if the DoF is suggesting signings to the manager based on them agreeing on needing a certain type of player, them facilitating a signing in terms of negotiations etc. but the manager should have the final say on ALL signings. If the DoF is making the decisions on who we sign, then this will put off a lot of the types of managers we should be targeting.