Do the chairman’s tweets miss the point?
Rob Fielding writes…
I have always been dubious of Norman Smurthwaite’s need to discuss the club on social media. I don’t think it’s needed, I feel it does more harm than good and the club has perfectly good official channels to use.
In the last few hours, Norman has been replying to a number of tweets and I have to say that I can’t understand his rationale.
So take this one for example:
Lg1 Club No debt owns it own stadium top half finish.I sometimes think l am reading York or Dag Red Forums then pinch myself
— Norman Smurthwaite (@smurfpvfc) May 25, 2016
Now surely that begs three pertinent questions. If the club’s in such good shape then…
Why does he want to sell? Why hasn’t there been a flood of buyers? Why has the manager felt that a sideways move to a League One rival would be best for his career?
Perhaps the answer lies in the asking price of the club. If the reported overall asking price of £4.25m for the club and stadium includes £2.5m of directors loans then how does that equate with being debt-free?
I also think he’s got it the wrong way round when he says Vale fans complain as if the club is a (by implication) little outfit such as Dagenham.
Now I know a Daggers fan and I would argue that far from miserable, the fans of small clubs have realistic expectations. In the case of Dagenham they know their geography means many people go to West Ham and I believe they were just grateful for a chance to see their small club playing in the Football League.
In fact, I would argue it’s fans of bigger clubs that are more likely to complain. Clubs like Sheffield United who are underachieving will have fans who moan far more frequently than Daggers fans.
Any groans from Vale fans are not going to be because of a problem with the size of the club but much to do with missed opportunities. Now only the manager can control events on the pitch but off the pitch there is an awful lot the club could try and do. I think people complain because they feel there is a lack of effort in promoting season tickets and other offers and an overall failure to communicate with the fans. People are upset at the inability of the club to listen to what many fans keep telling them – they need to do better with marketing and communication.
And by communication I’m sure most fans don’t mean mixed messages on social media!