What's the point? | Page 3 | Vital Football

What's the point?

Having supported the Imps for some 53 years, through thin and thiiner, I can say with hand on heart, this last five years have been the best of the lot. Hugely grateful to Clive and the board for all their input.

I shy away from 'entitlement' but it's always perspective that's required. As Notty has often said, never forget (pr was it remember) North F**King Ferriby!

We're all disappointed with the way this season has panned out thus far and some are wont to overanalyse and lead themselves into thoughts of sacking everyone when the job is not yet even half done.

Keep the faith Clive - keep doing what you're doing and we'll all get to where we want to be - maybe not this season but sooner rather than later, I'm sure

UTI
 
the one legged imp said:
The stacey west stand only had 300 away fans in on boxing day
The co op stand had at least 1000 empty seats
The Selenity had at least 3 or 400 empty seats.
How could it possibly be a crowd of 8300..

At best in my opinion a crowd of 7000 ish.

Which is still decent considering the covid situation.
Anyone sat in the Selenity on boxing day would have a similar view to me, I suspect
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Yes I agree. The usual question is though, do ST holders count even if they don’t attend
 
Ok, I will be the first to say it. Whatever the outcome of this season is I will DEFINITELY be renewing my season ticket, come what may. Whatever may happen on the pitch, this club is in the safest of hands that it has known for the last 50 years. If you want a structure to stand the test of time you need to give it the firmest of foundations and understand that this may take time. That is exactly what Clive, Harvey, the other Directors and Liam have, and still are, battling to achieve. Just listen to Michael Hortin's interview, or Gary Hutchinson's interview with Harvey and Clive and if you were any doubt before hand you won't be once you have listened to either of them. As we all know, chances like this don't come round often, if at all, for a club like Lincoln City. If we don't grasp the mettle now and stick with what these guys are trying to achieve for us now we will regret it for ever.
 
Supporting LCFC in all sorts of ways has been in our family since at least the 1930's, one relation George Wright was Chairman for 9 years, it was and is something that you did, go to SB pay your money and support the Imps, simple really. There is nobody in our family who did not do this, and many attend home and away as often as possible.
Trying to convince my Grandson who is 6, that Arsenal near where he lives, is not what he should be doing ! Work in progress ! I have no interest in any other team, apart from England, whatsoever.
The GT years were fantastic as have the last five years, we as supporters will be there and I am sure we will get out of the situation we are in at present. No one likes losing and seeing poor displays, seen plenty of those, some will abandon ship , I think we all know one or two like that really, but for me and my mates we will still be there, hopefully for many Seasons to come , Up The Mighty Imps, a great Club.
Thanks for all you have done Clive, and are still doing.
 
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There will always be a difference between those who go to watch Lincoln City play and those who go to watch Lincoln City win. I remember saying after promotion in 2017 that the greatest challenge the directors would face in the short term would be keeping the new supporters on board regardless of whatever happened next.

Included within the definition of 'new supporter' would be not only those who had never been to Sincil Bank before, but also those who had stopped coming at some point in the past. As it transpired, we enjoyed almost constant success and excitement after 2017, and crowds remained constant. That was built on a foundation of outstanding investment, great club management and the kind of momentum that comes along once in a lifetime for most clubs. The acid test was always going to arrive when the wins stopped coming, and that is where we are right now.

The fact that we pulled in over 8,000 against MK Dons in the face of poor form and a devastating global pandemic suggests the directors have done a great job in fan engagement, and that must surely be cause for great optimism. I was genuinely surprised by that attendance, and it suggests that the majority of that new fanbase remains. If we can maintain a similar level of support next year despite a disappointing season this, I would say the club has completed the task of converting those newcomers into stayers. That is a great achievement and lays a strong foundation for whatever comes next.

Turning a club with a hard core average support of 2,500 into 9,000 within five years comes straight from a Hollywood script. For Dartford, read Oxford; for Alfreton, try Bolton; replace Guiseley with Sheffield Wednesday. Sometimes, perspective is everything. If there are some who prefer to drift away in spite of that transformation, there is nothing more anyone can do to dissuade them. If some simply want to 'support' a winning team, let them go find one.

If ever the chairman or any of the directors or investors feels unappreciated, that is a real shame. However, those with any intelligence at all will surely recognise Lincoln City's achievement for what it is: one of the greatest success stories in football today, and the directors should all be very proud of that.
 
I think I posted a couple of years ago, after the Cowleys left and MA arrived, to say that it is a sad fact about attendances in Lincoln that they will rise and fall dependant on our position in the table, regardless of which division we are in.

Like some others on this forum, I have been a supporter since the 60s, and this has always been the case. Lincoln supporters have traditionally consisted of the true die hards (probably about 4,000), the new supporters who started to come along regularly during the successful times but who might leave as soon as the success declines (probably another 3,000), and the relatively uncommitted who come along when we are winning or on special occasions like Wembley (another 3,000 and potentially a lot more).

Unfortunately our home record under MA has not been great, especially during the past 12 months. MA is also not the type of manager who gets the home crowd going, as the Cowleys did. Both factors may contribute to a decline in home crowds until we start winning again and until we start putting in entertaining home performances.

The attendance for the MKD game was heartening and very decent under the circumstances. But if our home performances don't improve, we could be down to the 5-6,000 mark by February/March I'm afraid. That is just Lincoln. Historically, we don't have the higher numbers of true die hards that some other cities and towns do.
 
Clive I have been watching the Imps for 66 yrs. I always remember we were bottom of the league and possibility of going out of the league when it was a vote. I arrived by bus in Dixon Street then realised I had lost my admission money. Ran all the way home and begged my dad to take me to the ground and have a sub on my pocket money. Arrived just in time for kick off. i
It annoys me when people get upset about a small hiccup we are having. Unfortunately we will always have fans only here for the good times.
 
the one legged imp said:
The stacey west stand only had 300 away fans in on boxing day
The co op stand had at least 1000 empty seats
The Selenity had at least 3 or 400 empty seats.
How could it possibly be a crowd of 8300..

At best in my opinion a crowd of 7000 ish.

Which is still decent considering the covid situation.
Anyone sat in the Selenity on boxing day would have a similar view to me, I suspect
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Reason being, which I don’t personally agree with, is that we’ve started counting tickets sold rather than people through the gate. This has been clear since the home game v Fleetwood and confirmed by sources within the club.
 
Can anybody explain to me why a town like Burnley has, in the past, and currently, been able to provide tip flight football for it's populace and a City like Lincoln has peaked out at the second tier. Given that it was us or them going out of the league on the final day in 1987. If we were Burnley I don't think anyone would be questioning our fans' commitment.
 
Thank-you.for the post Clive, hopefully a wake up call to the fans who only support the club when we are winning. Like many others I have been coming to SB since the middle 1960's and have seen all the ups and downs. I now live 50 miles away but still have a ST. I always try and stay positive but on a recent post on here I was critical of some tactics and ability of some of the players to play the MApp way. I'm entitled to that opinion but in no way am I entitled...........like a small dumb minority are. The season will turn around I'm sure and the club is in fantastic hands. You will never know the depth of gratitude I have for you and the Board (and Bob D). One day I will shake your hand and buy you a beer.
 
Really appreciate Clive being so open with us, ultimately I think the problem is that this is the first time we're going backwards for the first time since maybe 2014ish. Every season since then has seen some kind of progression so it's natural there'll be some frustration about given that we're not even going to equal last season, let alone better it.
 
I don't feel it is right to talk on behalf of the many, so I will limit myself to talking about me. Supporting Lincoln isn't dependent on results, it is just a given. It has been for 46 years and a slip in results isn't going to change that.

Involvement and engagement on the other hand are influenced by other factors. For me, some of that is financial at the moment, but results, games, transfers, posts on message boards, the feeling of connection to the club and news in general are others. There is definitely a negative spiral of poor results, constant injuries, Covid, postponements, exiting the Cups and 'possibly' getting too far from sixth place to mount a late charge for a play-off place. However, negative spirals are always reversable and two or three wins on the bounce are all that is required.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip with my son to Wednesday and Wigan but since then it has been hard to muster the same level of enthusiasm. I haven't bought into the doom-mongering, but I do accept that it has kept me relatively quiet on here and I haven't moved as many family things around as I might to make myself available to watch/listen to all of all of the recent games.

My more active support (as opposed to merely stated support) is a little like a coiled spring. It is waiting for the slither of hope, the run of results, the wonder goal, the inspiring signing, the big money sale, to unleash it. There is no sense of entitlement in my current malaise, nor is it a retreat to the self-fulfilling negativity of the post-Jackson era, but I accept that it has seeped in and welcome the opportunity to spot it and do something about it.

We should take heed of Barney's mantras, Come on you Imps.
 
Hopefully this post that the chairman has done today will get about the fanbase over the next few days.
Wouldn't it be great for the fans to get fully behind the team.
We have had a tough couple months and we need a win urgently. The fans that are currently disgruntled or worse deluded. These fans need to realise this is when you're support is needed most.
Lincoln city are not a big club and regardless of how much hype we have received in the last 5 years we never will be a go to destination for many players. That's just a fact of football life.
But we can play our part in making Sincil Bank a horrible place to come.

Somebody mentioned Burnley earlier and asked why they have thrived in the last 20 odd years. It's often down to the fans, and Burnley is one of those places that players dont like going to.

Lincoln need to get that back before we can start looking forward again.
 
NottyImp said:
I don't see too may "entitled" fans on here. Maybe they're on other forms of social media that I don't use.

This is a message-board for fans. It will have on it the endlessly positive, the endlessly negative and everyone in between.

And none of it should be taken too seriously by anyone.
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I would also argue that the fact so many still take their time to post about their displeasure at current performances, is a sign of how invested in the club we all are.
 
I was lucky to jump aboard the Lincoln loco at about the same time as Clive did. Buying a party seven (or is that bitter?) after the Ipswich game and turning out home and away till the end of that season.
So this is the first season since then that things have tipped the wrong way.
i wasn’t the only one during Clive’s first season watching the imps to return back to the Bank. There are people on here whom I have traveled the length and breadth of England and Wales watching city. And you can be certain that I moaned when things went wrong.
Any of you on the pitch baying for Gilbert blades’ head?
I wasn’t.
But that’s football.
players, managers, and yes chairman of Lincoln city will eventually move on.
I will still be there. With my lads, my nephews, grandson, brother in laws, cousins, uncles…
Yes that’s all true as well.
UTI
 
My 1st 3 seasons watching 60/61 relegated from division 2, 61/62 relegated from division 3, 62/63 applied for re-election in division 4. Since that point we have spent just 11 seasons at this level and spent 7 years out of the football league. The remainder of the 61 years spent in the bottom division. We are currently run by one of if not the most savvy board of directors during that time with and just my opinion 1 of the 3 best managers we have had during that period, Most will work out the other 2. Some of the newer fans need to take a good hard look at our history to appreciate that entitlement is not something you get as a supporter of Lincoln City. Grit your teeth and clench the arse cheeks folks it is going to be a bumpy ride between now and the end of the season. If we stay up then great if we don't we regroup and have another crack at getting back to this level next season and however many it takes after that.. UTI
 
I read something Rob bradley posted the other day about being stood in court when Lincoln City as a football club nearly ceased to exist. Without people like Rob .Bob dorrian and Now Clive and the present board we wouldnt even be having this discussion. Roger Bates worked tirelessly to keep the academy going whilst it takes time to produce i think the seeds are in place to hopefully see the fruits of labour. I know the recruiting team spend hrs looking searching travelling to games hoping to find the next tayo or Harry. The board would spend countless hrs on video calls meetings making sure numbers stack up. I believe M Appleton one of the best coaches around in this league and maybe even the championship and prob the first to admit hes disappointed with this season so far .We will have ups and downs but going forward i think we are in good hands . There may some even rockier times to come . But look back twenty years and it could be a whole lot gloomier. Sincil bank could have been a housing estate or even playing with york darlington or macclesfield
 
Clive's post was a sickening blow to the stomach and understandable on his part. Just consider the time, money, commitment and effort he puts in for a club that he has no geographical link with and has battled his way through the pandemic to support. Multiply that by the unstinting efforts of many other people connected to the club, who Clive may well feel considerable loyalty towards.

As much as it was uncomfortable reading to see how he is feeling, I am glad he has posted it because it needed to be said and so he should after a pretty miserable trip for the reasons he has outlined.

On a positive note, whilst some are adjusting to the reality that success is not dependant on finishing higher every season and winning every game; speaking for the area of the ground around me (Selenity black), that does not represent the overwhelming majority of the people I chat with, or the mood in general.

What resonates strongly around 'us' is the understanding of what the club have been building and a respectful acceptance of what is proving to be a very difficult season for all the well documented reasons; with thankfully no air of entitlement. That needs to be replicated around all areas of the ground and those I cannot speak for, but if Selenity black is anything to go by the majority are not for turning.

However this should be a wake up call and no mistake. Hopefully that is what it is and not a water shed. The naysayers perhaps need to tone it down and those of us who are naturally a little more reserved during games maybe need to raise our game. An atmosphere lift would help in the short term and it is imperative that those who get the bigger picture put their hands in their pocket and show substance when the season tickets go on sale. If that doesn't happen it will be an embarrassment to Lincoln City supporters and one I will feel keenly.

It would be awful to see so much good come to a crashing halt and for my small part to Clive personally, I would like to say how much appreciated your (and many others) astonishing efforts and success have been.
 
brisimp said:
I read something Rob bradley posted the other day about being stood in court when Lincoln City as a football club nearly ceased to exist. Without people like Rob .Bob dorrian and Now Clive and the present board we wouldnt even be having this discussion. Roger Bates worked tirelessly to keep the academy going whilst it takes time to produce i think the seeds are in place to hopefully see the fruits of labour. I know the recruiting team spend hrs looking searching travelling to games hoping to find the next tayo or Harry. The board would spend countless hrs on video calls meetings making sure numbers stack up. I believe M Appleton one of the best coaches around in this league and maybe even the championship and prob the first to admit hes disappointed with this season so far .We will have ups and downs but going forward i think we are in good hands . There may some even rockier times to come . But look back twenty years and it could be a whole lot gloomier. Sincil bank could have been a housing estate or even playing with york darlington or macclesfield
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it was Birmingham high court I studying and living literally round the corner so went along. I wasn’t the only one it was like an away match with the amount of red and white. I can remember the closing remarks saying something like I can see how much this club means to people. The same can be said today.
 
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