a clerical error?

[bixieupnorth]

remember reading yesterday about a clerical error causing us to lose out on a player as the loan window slammed shut, but cant find it again today, can anyone shed any light on this??

doesnt seem we're having the best of times recently behind scenes, what with the jake situation, the matlock fiasco, the late departure for northampton and now this?

[bixieupnorth]

another poster had mentioned greg tansey?

[Awayday]

What I couldn't work out was most Torquay fans got to the game in time, most of which would have travelled from Torquay. It doesn't take a genius to think, it's Friday, we are going to hit rush hour traffic, add an extra hour on top of that just in case there is an accident. If you are not going to go up the night before, why not leave in the morning and rent a training ground in the area. If Northampton wouldn't lend us theirs then there is R&D just around the corner or failing that the car park was empty until 6ish.

[Plymouth Gull]

Personally, I didn't see a problem with the time the squad left. 12pm, for a 7:45pm kick off, for a 4 hour journey. Yep, friday traffic + potential accident = I'd say an extra 2 hours, tops.

That would have taken it to 6pm, so it leaves just under 2 hours to get ready and everything. I left at 3pm. I got there at 7. Maybe we went a quicker route, as we came off the M5 and onto the M4 before the queues. Their route looked very weird on the map, up and around and down instead of across. Still, it's happened now so there isn't much point grumbling about it.

[ferrarilover]

I do, it's hardly ideal prep, travelling on the day of an evening match, travel the night before.

Matt.

[Fletch]

I dont see a problem with it either. You've got to draw the line somewhere on what constitutes needing a night stop, and Northampton is realistically close enough not to.
Have you considered what the players would prefer Matt? Would you sooner stay the night in a travelodge in somewhere godforsaken, or spend it at home with the family?

[Awayday]

Personally, I didn't see a problem with the time the squad left. 12pm, for a 7:45pm kick off, for a 4 hour journey. Yep, friday traffic + potential accident = I'd say an extra 2 hours, tops.

That would have taken it to 6pm, so it leaves just under 2 hours to get ready and everything. I left at 3pm. I got there at 7. Maybe we went a quicker route, as we came off the M5 and onto the M4 before the queues. Their route looked very weird on the map, up and around and down instead of across. Still, it's happened now so there isn't much point grumbling about it.

Why shouldn't we grumble. All of us pay good money and took time off work for this game. The least we expect is our own team to get there in time and be fully fresh and raring to go, instead they turn up late, I guess they were all rushed to get ready for training and they had already had to move from one coach to another. Lastly it meant we go to leave later than planned and it is disrupted alot of TUFC fans who travelled by train and had return train times to think about (also they closed the A43 so there was a massive diversion as well).

If we had lost or drawn and it was just solely because we played badly or we were out played then fair enough, nothing to complain about, but I am sorry we (as supporters) have all the right to moan and groan if there are other factors involved that are in the clubs control? I know people will say "an accident on the motorway is out of the clubs control" but for a club who are pushing for promotion I have to agree with Matt (even though the club cannot afford it) we should have gone up the night before or worse still left in the morning and hired a training ground.

[ferrarilover]

I have considered that the players are paid by the club and part of the privilege of getting to play a children's game for damn good money is foregoing getting your leg over the night before a match. Judging from the RedCliffe apartments (or wherever it is that 90% of the squad live), it's hardly as though they leave salubrious, palatial pads to be stuck in some backwater motel. It seems to me that the players stay in 5* places which, in many cases, provide greater comfort and luxury than their own apartments. Judging from Twitter, the boys don't mind staying away, they have a laugh together and it's like a jolly boys outing, what really pisses them off is time spent on that God awful excuse for a bus which Hookways very kindly provide. In all cases, They would be better off having a nice easy coach journey up to wherever, with no worries about deadlines or FA sanctions for failing to turn up on time, spend the night in a nice hotel relaxing and doing what guys left alone together do, then having a leisurely kick about, a stroll and a spot of lunch on match day, before heading to the ground in plenty of time to get their bearings and familiarise themselves with the state of the pitch etc.

Matt.

[Fletch]

Matt, the players don't stay in 5* places. Teams that visit here may well stay at the Grand or the Imperial, but our lot usually stay in Travelodges/Premier Inns etc.
As Awayday points out, its a bloody expensive exercise getting rooms for 20 or 25 people every other week. Where would you draw the line at making it a day trip for an evening kickoff? Cheltenham? Stevenage? Wycombe? Oxford?
The club have to juggle the finances and therefore have to draw the line somewhere on night stops.

Incidentally, the FL regs, whilst being pretty wooly on expenses etc, use a guideline of a before 9am departure on match day or over 4 1/2 hours travel to return after a match as their yardstick for claiming for a hotel stay (in case of postponement). Rule 26.4 for those interested

[Awayday]

Fletch - Don't worry, Matt still thinks his Ford Escort with orange go faster stripes is faster than Southampton Gull's Mercedes Vito. Therefore in his world I would expect his level of 5* accomodation is that of Travelodges or Premier Inns.

[ferrarilover]

Matt, the players don't stay in 5* places. Teams that visit here may well stay at the Grand or the Imperial, but our lot usually stay in Travelodges/Premier Inns etc.
As Awayday points out, its a bloody expensive exercise getting rooms for 20 or 25 people every other week. Where would you draw the line at making it a day trip for an evening kickoff? Cheltenham? Stevenage? Wycombe? Oxford?
The club have to juggle the finances and therefore have to draw the line somewhere on night stops.

In which case, I want to know which Travelodge they stayed at in Southend, with a large conservatory style breakfast room and vast sculpted grounds.

Matt.

[cambgull]

In which case, I want to know which Travelodge they stayed at in Southend, with a large conservatory style breakfast room and vast sculpted grounds.

Matt.

I'd imagine they spent a bit more money knowing they'd be on TV!

[Fletch]

I'd imagine they spent a bit more money knowing they'd be on TV!

My guess would be Holiday Inn, Basildon on this occasion (from the photos). £39 per standard room in September according to the HI website. Hardly pushing the boat out though

[Plymouth Gull]

Why shouldn't we grumble. All of us pay good money and took time off work for this game. The least we expect is our own team to get there in time and be fully fresh and raring to go, instead they turn up late, I guess they were all rushed to get ready for training and they had already had to move from one coach to another. Lastly it meant we go to leave later than planned and it is disrupted alot of TUFC fans who travelled by train and had return train times to think about (also they closed the A43 so there was a massive diversion as well).

If we had lost or drawn and it was just solely because we played badly or we were out played then fair enough, nothing to complain about, but I am sorry we (as supporters) have all the right to moan and groan if there are other factors involved that are in the clubs control? I know people will say "an accident on the motorway is out of the clubs control" but for a club who are pushing for promotion I have to agree with Matt (even though the club cannot afford it) we should have gone up the night before or worse still left in the morning and hired a training ground.

I know we do. I'm sure the club expected to get there a good 2+ hours before kickoff, so they would have been fully prepared and raring. Unfortunately, a woman threatening to jump off one of the bridges over the motorway caused all sorts of trouble. I do feel for the fans whos plans were screwed up - that is a shame, but again, the club can't really be blamed for that, in my mind. I know they closed the A43 as it threw us right off track and added about half an hour to the journey.

I can see why the club decided not to stay overnight as it would have cost a fair lot (would make an estimate but I don't even know what region of £Â£Ã‚£ it is). We're already making big losses, or have done for the past two years, so we need to be as prudent as we can, in my mind. You even say "Even though the club can't afford it".. So how would we have paid for the hotel/training ground, exactly?

[Awayday]

We are lucky if we don't get a massive fine for playing a player who shouldn't have been on the pitch, we will be lucky if we don't get fined for delaying a kick off, we lost a very very good player (and a cheap loan deal) due to some c@ck up in the club office......... it all adds up, but in 10 years time when all at the club have buggered off else where, it will still be the same fans dipping their hands into their pockets week in week out. The club are good at recognising the fans and the efforts we put in. We have one of the best away travelling support in all league football based on the % of average home gates, we have one of the most family friendly clubs but sometimes, just sometimes, we all need to have a moan and groan and we deserve that.

As per my previous post what ever the delay was, was not the clubs fault, however if they stopped wasting money with fines we could afford these luxuries of over night stays and hiring training grounds.

.......if only we beat sodding Creepy Crawley