TSSC Bar

[jeffers1]

The supporters bar will be closed for the new season as it is being turned into a gym.

[realbeast]

Yeah I heard a rumour 2 weeks ago about that all that hard work for nothing I want my suvs shirt back if that's the case not happy at all 😡

[tenacres]

Its a shame.

I can see that as & when the new clubhouse opens it would not be so necessary, guess I hoped TSSC bar would stay open until the new facility was available.

[SPITFIRE-CRAIG]

Bit of a joke. Lot of hard work from fans. One real perk of being a tssc member was using the bar. !!

[stewartdonald]

Craig - do you know the full picture? Just in case you don't. The problem is we need a gym - short term. So the idea is use TSSC bar for 3 months - inconvenient but surely no more than that - then either the TSSC can have a new super improved bar in the new building or we put in a gym and you have the old one back. 

It does not mean we do not value the work done it means us all working together for the long term future benefit of the club. It would be far easier to do nothing and I could also save all the investment I was planning but it won't improve your chances of membership in the long run by not taking advantage of the new building.

There were no plans for a TSSC Bar or gym in the new building but when it became apparent both would be beneficial the plans were altered to incorporate both and so it seemed the best short term solution as we have managed to substantially increase the capacity of the clubhouse over the summer - due to fans volunteering.

I do get the fact fans have worked hard and contributed. I have done my bit also and the investment of having a TSSC bar in the new building was a considerable expense and would be a huge improvement

This action was only taken in the best long term interest of the club with a view that the players were in need of a gym as it was felt it could be a vital piece of giving the club a real edge in our aims for promotion. We have invested in a fitness coach, state of the art body measuring equipment and a gym was the final piece of the jigsaw. It was felt the fans would prefer this especially if they knew that a new improved facility was only months away.

Whether these improvements would deliver a fitter, more professional and ultimately well equipped team would not be known for a while.

The pitch to a lesser extent the same. New equipment, enlarged workforce and an extra 50k spent on it this season means judging it now is not what matters but in February and March. Indeed two weeks time the pitch should be unrecognisable and such a huge improvement on the previous season. Today is not the day for that judgement.

I appreciate a couple of lines on the forum don't give the full picture so hopefully this will give your more understanding. You may feel the decision is still a joke which is fair enough. There are also 4 or 5 other things that we have to announce about the club before the start of the season so hopefully when they are all taken as a whole the decision regarding the TSSC will seem fair, logical, and a step in the right direction for the club.

I am not sure what dialogue Jeff and the TSSC has had regarding these points and who they have spoken to at the club. Chris and I always communicated frequently and I do feel that perhaps we need to improve this as the fact some fans felt more part of the club two years ago and the TSSC Bar changing to the gym is released as one line on the forum is not a recipe for a harmonious relationship between fans and board.

I have been puzzled by a few comments on social media recently as I feel the club communicates better than it used to yet some fans have commented they feel less informed. This needs to be corrected as it will leave fans feeling less inclined to support and an owner less inclined to do the same. Neither are what we need to be successful and I fear both are starting to happen. I am sure a regular meeting with the TSSC and the club will correct this. I always certainly felt we had a great relationship when Chris Blake was involved and we need to build on that - however that is not solely the clubs responsibility. Some of the recent comments regarding the club I feel are unfair.

One very simple example is the comment made that regarding the club when asking for volunteers through the summer and the fact that fans feel less part of the club due to not communicating as well this summer. The club has asked more than ever for help - and indeed have received lots. I think actually the website and social media etc has asked for help a lot - which is where people have seen it and helped. The area where we have had less communication for help is actually through the TSSC. Now I accept that this summer it was important for the TSSC to organise and restructure itself - there were far more questions about what benefits you would get for your £15 than anything else and the TSSC is evolving. With a new board this will take time and Jeff and Co need to developing the role and there has been a lot for them to take on. As a club we are settled and have been communicating the same way so our message has not changed. I think it is also fair to say Chris was extremely good and proactive and getting that message out. That for me is the difference not what the club has done regarding communication. The other huge factor was two years ago it was all hands to the pump to ensure our ground was ready for National League football - in the last two years we have not had such a project so to be fair the TSSC at the moment haven't needed to bang the drum like Chris did. Therefore the fact there is less promotion of it via the forum and their members is fully understandable. This will change with the new building I am sure.

The TSSC and the club need regular meetings and these will happen - that will improve things all round I feel and we need to discuss how we can recognise fully those people who join the TSSC and really help push the club on. That is something that Jeff and the board need us to do and until we do Jeff will have a much harder job than he should have.

[SPITFIRE-CRAIG]

Stew very good reply back , wasn't really slating it. the gym is a good idea . you got to put it somewhere.

[stewartdonald]

Appreciate that mate but fans quite rightly need to understand the logic behind the decisions as on the face of it just taking it over after all the hard work is not really on. I understand the issue but we need to communicate these things correctly. Again the club will be making a statement on this and the new building once planning has been decided so people are fully informed.

[Deleted]

I agree with SD about communication. Being a bit of an outsider, I just read the first post and thought "Thats a bit of a kick in the balls to the fans after all the work they put into converting the bar"
But having seen SD's full explanation that makes sense and I agree with the "all in this together attitude" to move the club forward.

Better communication on the "why's & how's" would definitely be helpful.