Its late in the game,the Fife are turning in another awful performance,an ex player has totally owned our central defenders scoring twice in the process,the Bayview faithful are sitting in grim silence,when suddenly it becomes too much for one auld punter.He stands up shouts "Fuck yez aw!!" and promptly walks out of the ground.How we all felt his pain.Fuckin` hilarious.

He has been an East Fife supporter for decades and who can blame him.

The thing is how many are feeling the same way? I left after the 2nd goal went in and wont be back this season. Sod that.
Watching that crap isn't a pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I`d rather spend it with the wife. At least she gives a shit about what she does unlike that shower of wasters pretending to be footballers!

Aye it's grim,nowt on the pitch to get excited about,zero atmosphere (to be fair,every club in the 2nd div has this problem) and where are clubs our size going? Nowhere,people on here can argue all they want,but why else can no more than 300-400 fans be arsed turning up every second Saturday. Am really gonna have a think over the summer about wether to keep attending,cos right now I really am starting to think what is the point?

A bit harsh? surely it's also about meeting with mates, socialising, having a few beers and feeling part of the club?

They are all side products. I don't go to the cinema, gigs, the theatre etc to socialise, have some refreshments and a chat, I go to see the product, the show. In our case that's football and if that and the atmosphere at games is sub-standard and the main product is poor, then there are only so many beers that can compensate.

Not necessarily Bette.
I drive to the game from 25 miles away, don't drink and not one for socialising.
That aside, the football is still rank rotten and i`m done with it for this season.

Is it fuck. That is why we are constantly shit and some folk just accept it. No wonder we have no crowds left. I want East Fife to win at football and show those Cowden fucks that they are nothing.

Do Cowden get a good crowd then?

No they don`t, which makes their situation as way better than us even more remarkable.

It seems that the ambitions of some fans are the same as those running the club. That is, low.

Perhaps we get the type of supporters, and the numbers of them, we deserve.

I'm just thinking how much better the atmosphere is going to be at Bayview, with all the moaning, whinging b'strds not there? Bet the team start to play better!

^^^^^^^^^
This X 2

^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^

Is this what you mean? I don't get it??

You will probably find they are helping keep this club afloat! But honestly ask yourself,if a supporter who reportedly on here has been watching us for decades shouts out what he did on Saturday,then heads for the exit,things really have got to a low point.

Exactly, but EF supporter is too thick to realise this it would seem.

What a load of garbage! After one lucky,undeserved win in eight games, surely people have a right to be concerned?

I suppose you think that they are not real fans like you?

How Billy couldn't see that we need help defensively is a complete mystery. Both Durie and McCormack have been garbage for months.

The situation regarding White is a joke.

£70 for Stranraer.
£30 for Forfar

and were served up with that sh*te?? Is it any wonder why people aren't coming back??

I won't be back this season and if it makes me less of a supporter then so be it. Can't afford to pay that kind of money to feel like my eyes have been taken out of my head and physically raped.

There needs to be some serious changes at this club. If it wasn't for Gray we would still be languishing at the bottom of division 3.

SHITE.

Spot on!
Why Brown is on the bench week after week is also a mystery. He`s the only one apart from Barr worth a mention.

The rest are either spent/old/done/washed oot or simply pish.
Crowds will only get worse with week after week of same old lackluster crap on display.

IMPLODING SLOWLY BUT SURELY.

That there is THE reason I don't feel part of the East Fife thing anymore (aside from the team not even looking like our black and gold striped-East Fife on the pitch in our prison yard, 3-walled, ground). It was never a get-out-of-the-house-on-a-Saturday hobby for me, chalking up the usual loss to lesser clubs (and hammerings to Cowden) to 'a bad day at the office'. I'm not bothered about showing Cowden their place but they have played good, fast, attacking football for a decade and chosen some great managers for them (unlike us on both counts). We've underperformed and under Baikie, Crawford and Robertson had the players (as we showed on occasion) to match your Cowdens and Dumbartons. If it's a hobby, East Fife's as well joining the junior leagues as far as I'm concerned. I was raised on stories of Cup wins, victories at Ibrox, missing out on the top league in the 80's, skelping Dunfermline in the league. I can't believe any Fifer would settle for mid-table 3rd tier with lesser Clubs doing so much more.

All that and the fact you've got no mates

What's me having no mates got to do with me and other fans walking away from East Fife?

Should you choose to attend NBV you are paying 13 quid for live entertainment and I don't think that is unreasonable. We are not the only club to have done hee-haw in the last 30 years.

Live entertainment haha

That's just it, 'entertainment' is a by-product to most. It's about your team giving you bragging rights. Tribal. Tell me some teams who are the size of East Fife, with even a fraction of our history, with the catchment area of Levenmouth and beyond, who have been both as badly run and done less than East Fife over 30 years?

Queens Park for starters.

Levenmouth population = 36,000. We are not talking Mexico City here.

Queen's Park have been in the bottom league for most of the last 30 years and are amatue - winning their Cups when most teams weren't even in existence. Poor, poor example. Brechin, Dingwall, Dumfries, Cowdenbeath, etc. All have had far more league success than East Fife over the last 30 years - none of them being situated in Mexico City either - and none have our history.

Why are less and less people choosing to spent £13 at NBV??

Come on, more teams other than Queen's Park which is an absurd example... I'm glad Queen's Park was just for starters!

There isn't one SPF, apart from maybe Clyde (they won the cup twice in the 50's), but even their current period of crapness is very recent. But your point is correct, we have been mince give or take the odd season or two for 25 years and it is disgraceful how the teams you mention have consistently been better than us for the past 10-15 years.

Cowden have hammered both Falkirk and Dunfermline in the past 4 days. We cannot compare or compete with that. Great for them but pretty depressing for us to see how far we have fallen behind.

There is little prospect of change when people like Bette Noir can't even acknowledge what the record books show for the last three decades. Fans can't even rally together, or debate the problems, without Bette or Jocky denying what has happened to East Fife. And in general terms, the willingness of too many fans to accept and excuse failure is the slow death of the club's purpose. I don't see how the club can have a bright future. Not enough people who once cared enough are still interested.

"And in general terms, the willingness of too many fans to accept and excuse failure is the slow death of the club's purpose. I don't see how the club can have a bright future. Not enough people who once cared enough are still interested."

Nobody can be happy with what has happened to East Fife in the last thirty years but the first sentence above suggests there are two ways to go. You either continue to support and do what you can to change things or you walk away and post on here about all that is wrong which is almost the same as doing nothing.
It would be interesting to know what some of the posters on here did to change things except shout at individual players or shout "sack the board"

Like it or lump it we support a club which has an absentee landlord as the major shareholder. It would be interesting to hear suggestions as to how that situation can be changed.

I thought it was against SFA rules to own two clubs. That must be easy to report to the powers of the game.

We are debating it; no-one is denying what has happened to East Fife in recent years (we did win the third division title a few seasons back). I don't know any East Fife fan that accepts failure.

There are quite a few on a Saturday afternoon. You have to admire them. They are the hardcore. Its just unfortunate there aren't many of them.
The sensible ones are giving up.

The fact that we are talking about a thirty-year period should be enough for you to realise that all those well-intentioned supporters who continued to turn up week after week actually changed nothing over those decades. Or those lost fans were able to change so little that they realised they could not make a difference, and continued attendance was only going to expose them to more of the same throughout their lives.
This is how people become disillusioned. This is how they lose faith. This is how they find that they enjoy doing something else instead on a Saturday afternoon. Why do you feel the need to have a go at them, for choosing to do something better with their lives than follow a club that has been going nowhere for thirty years?

This pretty much sums it up i`m afraid.
Apathy set in long ago and as supporter has said, people now find themselves alternative things to do on a Saturday afternoon.
I think the thing that has triggered this off more recently is the constant changing of managers and yet we are still struggling to come up with a decent team. This current crop (and the ones before them)just don't look up to the task. They don't look interested never mind capable. Durie assembled a squad full of hoofers and Brown is struggling to get anything from them.
Brown said Saturdays performance was one of the better ones recently. Based on what i saw it doesn't hold out much hope for the rest of the season if that's the view of the manager. Maybe its the quality of manager we appoint? We`ve certainly went through a fair few these last few years and they all achieved very little apart from Robertson who seemed half decent.
Maybe we should all just accept being Fifes wee shitty team and embrace life in the 3rd division. Its certainly where we`re heading, slowly but surely.
Wullie Gray gave us hope for a while. We knew it wouldn't last but it was great fun at the time and brought some life back to the club. Those days have gone and interest is dying.
In a nutshell, more people are simply giving up on East Fife because the club is no longer interesting and seems quite happy to be 3rd division status. From a board perspective the club/stadium is investment in property and land only. To hell with the fans. They pay their 13 quid and get 13 quids worth of dross week in week out with the occasional decent game.
That to me is sad.
It`s all very well saying we have little debt and live within our means. That's absolutely fine if you want to stand completely still whilst clubs like Cowdenbeath can somehow pull of miracles.

There was recent rumour of an attempted takeover. How i wish that were true. I`d rather take a chance on a completely new set up that continue the status quo with this stagnant shower.
That`s the reason i wont be back. I`ve had enough of mediocre meaningless football to last me a lifetime.
I`ll come back if things improve but I`ve a feeling that wont ever happen.
The scarf is in the bottom drawer and my teenage son has started going to Raith games because it`s a better stadium, better atmosphere and better league. His words not mine. I wont talk him out of it because its his choice and there is very little argument or reason to go watch East Fife in 2013.

I am not having a go at anyone. I was interested in what they had done to change anything other than stop going. A few on this thread have supported EF for varying lengths of time,have expressed their discontent and have walked away. I will continue to do what little I can, as will others, to change things and maybe,maybe someday things will change.

p.s. I still haven't come across something I would rather do on Saturdays

That probably says more about you than it does about following East Fife.

You are probably right.

NTOC, are you not concerned with the way things are going at the club?
Trust matters aside, as a long term devoted supporter of EF what are your thoughts on the current apathy, declining crowds, team performance etc.
Surely even you can see things are gradually getting worse on and off the park.

Are you content with the status quo and current board set up?

And, why are we consistently pish year after year? Bad luck, bad managers, bad players?

I`ve had a season ticket for as long as I can remember. If I didn`t have one then I probably would start to pick and choose games. Doing that would probably end up with me not going back at all.
Like a lot of people, I`m sick of the crap on and off the field.

... patience my friends, patience. The club will be in good hands sooner rather than later. What you don't want is the trust or any other organisation rocking the boat at the moment.
(places palms together & bows in a submissive manner)

Well that's as maybe, but will these alleged good hands be taking over a 3rd division club?

Two tough away games next, another couple of bad results and the size of the crowd at the match against QoS will be interesting. I suspect there will be more in the away end.

I`m 29 years old. We have been shit for the majority of that. Apart from buying the 3rd div and taking the odd scalp in cup we have done hee haw. East Fife have always been my team, however, i have stopped going as the enjoyment isn`t there anymore and imo we are very poorly run as a club and supporters always come last. I will never walk away from East Fife but certainly won`t be going to as many games as i have in the past. Good luck for the rest of the season.

We won the Third at a canter due to a huge cash injection from a spurned Rovers' man who used us to try and get one over them (and failed miserably), it's not even up for debate that we'd still be languishing in the basement league under these, same, current owners we also had then under the Derrick Brown era.

It shouldn't be any great shakes in the grand scheme for a Club like East Fife FC to win the basement league title (it may be for you), it certainly isn't for the hisorically less successful clubs from smaller areas such as Brechin, Cowdenbeath, Ross County and Queen of the South.

One thing is for sure, we need a massive improvement at the back.We are losing goals that a pub team would be dissapointed to lose.Not all the defences fault, as we have a massive gap between the wide men and the defence.Billy brown shouted the whole game last week to push up but the defence continued to sit on top of our box.This left a big hole for forfar to exploit swankie sat in the hole between the midfield and defence and caused all sorts of problems.I would play div muir at centre half,let willis come back into the centre where he has been good recently.Then wide left id play mcbride but let him know he has to put in a shift getting up and down the park.Id start up front with gormley and samuel.Would change right back as well but who else do we have that could play there.But the midfield and defence must get closer together or we will continue to be a soft touch to play against.

Opinion (the real one.) Of course I am concerned about what is happening but from reading this thread the choice is you either walk away or do what you can to move a huge obstacle. I chose to do what I can by continuing my support and by joining the Trust.
To many who post on here the Trust have done nothing to change the situation but I am still interested to hear what efforts the walkers made to bring about change other than to let everyone know they are not coming back.

It's ironic that some criticse the Trust for doing nothing yet Confucious posts what he thinks is a scoop in the form of a cryptic message. He repeats what has been washing-line gossip for months and asks the Trust not to rock the boat.

p.s. all my opinion and not necessarily the opinion of the Trust.

Well said NTOC.

They probably joined the Trust and gave up waiting to hear from you

What is needed is a change in ownership and to people that have a genuine interest in taking the club forward. The current Board and Chairman do not on the whole have that interest, they are in it for the position and the kudos that being in charge of a senior football club brings. If they can make a few bob too when they sell up then so much the better but none of them, as far as I can see, are in a position to make the investment that will bring success. The fans and the local community have been short changed for decades on that score and we just tootle along to no great effect whatsoever. The Trust are also not in a position to make a significant investment in the club, unless they are hoarding some untold riches of which we are unaware.

So people just drift away, fed up of being associated with a crap club where there is no hope for the future. It's all right saying what can you do for your club but other than turning up, paying your 13 quid and watching your team, most of us cannot afford the time, money or both to do any more than that. Fan power and anger got rid of Brown but apathy is harder to tap into and that's what will ultimately kill the club.

I chose to walk away ntoc. My last game was last Saturday against Forfar and i`m done with it. Wont be back. Saturdays are meant for enjoyment. Watching that is not enjoyment in my book.

I really can't see what can be done to remove such a huge obstacle, and the Trust (i respect them by the way) are not going to really make any difference are they?
Hell, i can't come up with any solutions so my input to the trust would be nil.
We all want a club and team we can be proud of but that simply isn't going to happen under this current ownership, board and dare i say it team. A lost cause perhaps.
Too many use our proud history as a launch pad for argument but it`s now that matters and we have been rank rotten for the best part of 30 years.
I hope things improve but somehow i doubt it.

This is the worst thing I have ever read on AFTN. Because what is said is true, and what has happened is real.

The club needs more money to buy/pay for better players and the revenue stream is through the number of fans that attend games. How can putting your scarf away in the bottom drawer and not turning up any more help the club or am I missing something?

Sorry guys, but walking away is what supporters DO NOT do. So in my eyes, you do NOT support East Fife.

Also, many of you are slagging the players off week after week, whether they play well or not. You only base your judgement on a good/bad performance, purely on the result, the football comes secondary to that. What sort of support is that? Do you think that the players, who will be in all probability reading these posts, are going to respond positively to those comments? The answer is no and that will be backed up by yourselves, as there will be a barrage of shite directed at me, because I dared to criticise YOU, proving that you haven't responded in a positive manner to the criticism directed at YOU!

I seriously think that we need a better class of supporter at Bayview, as some of you lot are definitely not role models!

By the way, my son keeps going to Bayview win or lose, because East Fife are the team he WANTS to support through thick or thin.

Your post doesn't make sense Opinion (real, oriiginal or otherwise). Very few of the posts on this thread have criticised individual players far less been abusive to them. You also make the assumption that these same people who have had enough are doing this at matches, where you have no evidence that this is the case whatsoever. What I'm reading here is that those who have chosen not to attend games in the future, whether temporarily or for good, have made rational cases for not doing so. Yes, many have had a go at the Board but they are fair game in my book for doing vey little to arrest the general decline of the club.

Your point about only caring about the result is strange. Of course I care about the result! Yes it's nice to play and win with a certain style but that is a bonus not a requirement. The very good mid80's team were successful but only the most blinkered would say we were the most attractive in the league. But I didn't care, as we were very close to getting to the Premier league. What I wouldn't do to have a team like that now.

You've also fallen into the trap that only those that go now are real East Fife supporters. It's great that you and your lad still go but I've been going for 45 years but have been there less and less over the past few years. I'm still an East Fife fan though, always have been, always will be and I don't care what you or anyone else thinks. It's just that my enthusiasm has waned due to the apparent hopelessness of our situation. Some gave up long before me; our average crowd was over 5,000 in 1972 so over 4,500 of those have jacked it in since then. Frankly I think we all deserve medals for sticking around this long!

I don't buy your better class of fan schtick either. We need MORE fans not a better class of fan. But ask yourself where these people are going to come from? They will only come if we are successful on the pitch and get something out of the match day experience. Im afraid they get neither at Bayview right now and that does not looking like changing anytime soon.

See you next season. Maybe.

Just for the record, I have been going for over 50 years, that is the truth. I have been amongst the crowds you have stated and it is sad that we are nowhere near that now, but remember this, we are not the only club to have declining numbers at games since then, it is true of all clubs in Scotland.

I also remember a great deal of people who went to Bayview then, having their trannies on, listening to a Rangers or Celtic game, cheers going up in different sections of the crowd when one of them scored! The fact is that a lot of them were actually more interested in the OF matches than the games at Bayview. The pubs shut at 2pm or 2.30pm, if I remember correctly and these guys had nowhere else to go apart from the bookies for the rest of the afternoon.

If you read some of the posts on this thread, there are comments saying basically that the team are crap quote - The rest are either spent/old/done/washed oot or simply pish. Therefore, I do have justification for saying the players are being criticised. I never said individual players!

I am sick to death of reading on this forum about all the hard done by supporters. My hard earned cash etc...... £13 for that shite etc... £13 is nothing, you can barely buy a round of drinks for that! How many packets of cigs can you get for that? Think about what it costs to stage senior football at Bayview and be grateful that we still have a senior football club in Methil.

If East Fife go out of business, that will be it for evermore, no more senior football in our area. If you guys think you are short changed, just think about the likes of the East Stirling supporters.

There are only a very few supporters who have seen East Fife win something big, for most, all they have seen us win was the 2008 3rd division, so the supporters need a reality check! We have supported East Fife all those years and you can't tell me that you are so used to success, that what you are getting now is not what you expect at Bayview!

What I am reading in this thread, is about the poor wee souls who have had enough. It's not about East Fife, it's about them wanting to tell everybody how hard done by they are! As if anybody gives a shit!

Appreciate your post and take on board a number of your points. I think we're cut from the same cloth, maybe you're just more tolerant than me of persistent underachievement (btw I'm not asking for SPL glory, the odd season in the 1st would do me!).

Anyway I hope your son continues to keep the faith, we need the younger ones to keep the flame burning and maybe I'll be back myself but can't see it this season though.

Our biggest crowd of the season, our bumper home attendance, is 628. You try to fob us off with the age-old deflection tactic of 'everyone is the same'. There is a bigger problem at Bayview than at most other clubs in Scotland.



This is from a long, long time ago. Do we offer people a more exciting alternative than sitting in the pub all day? No we don't. Other than the diehards, most people say that going to watch East Fife is a grim experience. We all know that, we have all brought friends to the game who have said 'thanks' politely but never asked to come back.



The team is crap, the players are poor. If you don't want to admit that, it doesn't matter to the rest of us. We're not blind. Your denial doesn't change reality.



Be grateful? Why? This is the classic mindset that is going to lead to the death of the club. "Be grateful that for your dire club, because it is better than no club." This is the settle-for-less attitude that we hear again and again. It is killing East Fife, and it is why supporters are giving up on East Fife. it's not because they are not 'real' supporters, it is because they don't enjoy watching their favourite football team. Can you get your head round how bad things must have become to reach this point, where fans don't want to be fans?



Here we go again with the you-should-be-grateful apology. "You think we're badly off, well we're not as bad as the worst-supported team in Scotland." Do you think any East Fife fan, other than yourself, is going to take comfort from being better off than a homeless team with no fans and no real reason for exisiting?



And once more with feeling. "We should be used to being poor." It's not trophies we're looking for, just some evidence that the club's directors give a shit and want to see East Fife play at a higher level.



I give a shit. That's why I have replied to each of your points. I would go back to Bayview if I thought it wasn't pointless, but I have been scunnered. If you don't want to read about people criticising the club that in your eyes is beyond criticism, then don't look. You are in the minority on this forum. All your posts do though is reinforce my belief that watching East Fife is a waste of time, because too many of the remaining supporters are willing to accept being taken for a ride week after week and week, and season after season. So there you have it. I have stopped going to the games, and you have made it less likely that I will return. Well done!

If some fans want to stay away then that's upto them.

Hopefully us that do attend can try and keep showing support to our Manager Billy Brown and our current Players.

Opinion the original one so the real one

Why use someone else's name tag btw?

You are talking out your arse pal. I don't even admire your loyalty. You're clearly a deluded fool.

When I was back a couple of weeks ago, there were a lot of faces I expected to see but didn't.

Can't believe how many have either given up, or cut down or found something else to do for now.

It would be nice to see regular monthly meetings, a thinktank of sorts, between the board, efsc, efst and interested parties to try and see what, if anything, we can do to try and woo some of these old regulars back.

I can't see any progress until this Board or at least the Chairman and senior directors have gone. They just don't have the drive, vision or resources to move the club forward. And its not just the grumpy old gits we need to get back(myself included) but a whole load of new, young fans. It should not be an impossible task for this club to have regular gates of 1,000 but a decent team and some indication that we have even modest ambitions would be a big help. You can have as many meetings as you want but until these fundamentals are in place we will continue to slide into total irrelevance.

Yeah, meant to put in attract new fans as well.

No easy answers, but if the board really have the club's best interest at heart (new or current) then they need to be seen to be doing something to actually move the club and I just don't see that as it stands.

Some kind of hope or outlined plan for the future would at least be a start. All we hear about is money being ringfenced for next year.

Not much point keeping the ship afloat if there's no passengers left on board.

"Fuck yez aw!"I`m going to the fitba.

Admirable and true die-hard.

Hope you met up with mates and had a good bevvy etc to make up for the football.

you've said your bit,your no coming back and every week you come on here trying to justify your action and have a go at those who still want to support East Fife.
Why dont you just F*ck Off

My post wasn't a dig whatsoever. The guy's genuinely a die-hard, travelling to Stenny even though he expects the inevitable. As I said, admirable. I couldn't do it, he can.

I won't fuck off. I like AFTN, East Fife are still, and always will be, my team. Get me banned or don't read.

Aw diddums. I seriously could not give a shit whether you go to Bayview. or not. The same as you don't give a shit if East Fife survive as a club or not. If you did give a shit, then the last thing you would do, is stop supporting them. As I said, it is all about poor wee souls like yourself, now fuck off!

Mind all those folk that said they wouldnt be back if East Fife voted for SEVCO? Some of them seem to have found other reasons for jacking it in.

I don't blame them. Its no been easy watching some of the performances this season and some players seem to think they are doing East Fife a favour just by turning up.

What I dinny get is the need to constantly state and restate their non attendance and have a go at folk that do want, for whatever reason, to keep attending games.

Is like somebody saying tae ye "yere no still going out wi that munter are ye. I shagged her in 1987 by the way when she was a wee bit braw but noo.. fuck sake whit ye thinking abooot!!"

Punch in the puss needed!!

Absolutely. I think.

I think you might just have lost the argument.

What argument?? I am just saying I don't give a shit if any of you that are constantly on here sayin that you won't be going back, so jist fuck off. Nae argument son, jist a statement.

Don't worry SPF, these posters have no other option but to throw personal abuse at you and tell you to eff off. It is all they are capable of doing.

Agree. Ignorant muppets.

I see that's Inverness and Ross County (Dingwall, population 5000) joint second in the SPL tonight (the best of the rest). Phenomenal from Ross County - the same club EF used to whip, same goes for the previous incarnations of what is now ICT.

Dingwall population 5000 maybe SPF, but don't forget, they are the northernmost senior club in Scotland and the local area takes in Conon Bridge, Maryburgh, the Black Isle, Muir of Ord, Beauly, Strathpeffer, Invergordon, Tain, Alness, Evanton and all of Ross and Cromarty! Their chairman is an Invergordon lad.

Yes that's true but our club name is East Fife. There used to be an East Neuk supporters club once upon a time, fans came from this area in decent numbers. Then there is Cupar (was there a Cupar supporters club too?), St Andrews at a stretch plus Glenrothes. When I was at school there in the 60's and early 70's there were certainly more Fife fans than Rovers, though of course most even then were Old Firm glory seekers who claimed to support them but never actually went to any games (I used to take the piss out of these idiots on a regular basis).

My point is that East Fife also have a potentially wide area to draw in more (and lapsed) fans. Only some of the things mentioned on this thread is holding us back.

One major thing holding us back, are supporters who stop going to games.

and County bankrolled by a very rich man.Counties crowds that they give out to the press like sevco are decent but are very much fudged

We are not the only club to whip them SPF. Most clubs below them in the leagues used to do it as well, so why point the finger at East Fife?

Haha! Brilliant!

How is the recent drop in crowds specifically holding East Fife back and how has it held us back for decades ? Also, taking into account the thousands from FC The Rangers too.

Cowden, Brechin etc have less crowds than us. We've been underachieving and outdone by lesser teams, from smaller catchment areas, with lesser crowds and cheaper admission prices, for 20-odd years.

I'd been going home and most away for well over 25 years (with many other now lapsed fans) and guess what, we we're still relatively shite for most of that bar the Archibald season (granted we were not the previously unthinkable laughing stock/minnows of the 4 Fife teams as now).

So how is East Fife's unrivalled terrible record for a good couple of decades the fans' fault ?

It is true that it's a huge concern for EFFC that fans are stopping going but that solely is the board's fault. Their lack of vision and communication, the majority shareholder and the secretive (dishonest) nature of that (Sid publically denying Rankine having anything directly or indirectly anything to do with East Fife shares), phantom new Windygates stadiums, choices of managers, heinous strips - the lot.

How long have you been on the Board, Jocky - and how much tangible success (relative to our lesser peers like Cowden, Brechin etc) has East Fife had since you've been on the Board ?

Also, here's the key, why are fans stopping going ?

Ps, Fair point Coco, I'd like Jocky to tell me the population of the Ross County catchment areas he talks of, though ?

Pps, Cowden, QoS, Rovers, Falkirk, Pars, Dumbarton and Co could probably still give Ross County a decent game tomorrow.

Cowden, Brechin etc have less crowds than us. We've been underachieving and outdone by lesser teams, from smaller catchment areas, with lesser crowds and cheaper admission prices, for 20-odd years.

Yes but there was a club bus that picked them up in the 40's and 50's.

So where do Aberdeen fit in SPF? They get much, much bigger crowds than Ross County, us Cowden, etc? Are they under achievers, even more so than us? They cannae beat Ross County and Motherwell got hammered by them on Saturday. Why point the finger at East Fife, when highlighting Ross County's success?

Aberdeen won a European trophy 30 years ago, have won the national title a few times, numerous cups. They've played most or all of their existence in the top league - still do to this day. What's that could to do with lesser, smaller, cheaper-to-watch clubs doing better consistently better than EF over 30 years ?

Again, we've been underachieving and outdone by lesser teams, from smaller catchment areas, with lesser crowds and cheaper admission prices, for 20-odd years.

Now you answer the other post in reply to your 'stay away fans' dig, please...

i fail to see your arguement SPF regarding Brechin,didnt they finish 7pts behind East Fife last season and i cant recall them having to much success previous to that.

East Fife are a part time club doing worse than some and better than most part time clubs.
Raith Rovers are a full time club doing worse than most and better than some full time clubs.

In black and white for you Jocky....
Teams of arguably similar (or lesser size) of Club/history/catchment area than East Fife and their seasons spent in the 1st Division from the 90's (most, not all, who also often charge a cheaper admission price than us when in our league)

Cowdenbeath
92-93, 10-11, 12-present

Stranraer
94-95, 98-99, 05-06

Brechin
90-91, 93-94, 03-04, 05-06

Stirling Alb
91-94 (3), 96-98 (2), 07-08, 10-11

Dumbarton
92-94 (2), 95-96, 12-present

Alloa
89-90, 00-01, 02-01

Arbroath
01-03 (2)

QoS
02-12 (10)

Clyde
82-91 (9), 93-94, 00-09 (9) (for Mad Man)


at a push (granted, arguably bigger Clubs than East Fife)
Ayr
88-95 (8), 97-04 (7), 09-10, 11-12

Morton
88-94 (6), 95-01 (6), 07-present (5)

We've had one solitary season in the 1st in 96-97 and 8 seasons in the bottom tier.

The fact Montrose, Stenny, Albion Rovers, Berwick etc have done hee-haw is irrelevant as they are lesser Clubs with less fans/income/history than East Fife IMO. East Fife also has a far bigger potential (and actual) support than these teams.

Since 1990, they've only spent 5 seasons in the basement league and have been in the First for 4 seasons. That's far better than East Fife.

You really do write a load of p!sh SPF. You are the person who out of the blue, decided to post a comment about Ross County, yet when I pointed out that RC are doing better than every team that also used to 'whip' them, you slaver a load of more p!sh about teams like Cowden & Brechin?? RC are doing better than Raith, is that correct? Who are they not doing better than? Only Celtic, Motherwell (who they gubbed 3-0), ICT and St Johnstone. SO WHY????? did you single out East Fife?

If you can't understand why stay away fans are not a problem, then you are even more dense that I thought!

You said it's stay away fans who are holding East Fife back - you never said a problem. Explain ?

And, to prove you're not dense yourself, have go at answering the following if you're not full of pish....

How is the recent drop in crowds specifically holding East Fife back and how has it held us back for decades ? Also, taking into account the thousands from FC The Rangers too.

Cowden, Brechin etc have less crowds than us. We've been underachieving and outdone by lesser teams, from smaller catchment areas, with lesser crowds and cheaper admission prices, for 20-odd years.

I'd been going home and most away for well over 25 years (with many other now lapsed fans) and guess what, we we're still relatively shite for most of that bar the Archibald season (granted we were not the previously unthinkable laughing stock/minnows of the 4 Fife teams as now).

So how is East Fife's unrivalled terrible record for a good couple of decades the fans' fault ?

It is true that it's a huge concern for EFFC that fans are stopping going but that solely is the board's fault. Their lack of vision and communication, the majority shareholder and the secretive (dishonest) nature of that (Sid publically denying Rankine having anything directly or indirectly anything to do with East Fife shares), phantom new Windygates stadiums, choices of managers, heinous strips - the lot.

How long have you been on the Board, Jocky - and how much tangible success (relative to our lesser peers like Cowden, Brechin etc) has East Fife had since you've been on the Board ?

Also, here's the key, why are fans stopping going to watch East Fife ?

Are Aberdeen under achieving or not, when compared to Ross County, a team they used to 'whip'? I would say that, with the success that Aberdeen have had (in particular the 80's), with larger crowds than most teams in Scotland, they are far bigger under achievers than East Fife!

What do you reckon?

Arguably, but it's not relative to East Fife (see the seasons spent 1st Div post above if you want that). Aberdeen still play in Europe and challenge for Cups. They can go to Parkhead and beat Celtic now and again. They have not drifted into the wilderness like us. Ross County have over-achieved and done brilliantly. We have not. Ross County with a smaller catchment area (including all the Highland Hamlets you mention) have attracted investment and done brilliantly, being well run, with backing in a short space of time

Are you not able to answer my repsonse to you in the other post ? Full of pish, dense - both ?

I have a cunning plan :- The stay away fans are saving their hard earned £13's every week and are planning a buy out at the end of the season, Saint Pauli Fifer has already stated/gloated he has saved a fortune this season, he's planning a take over

You are a sad man SPF, with an over-active imagination! You have just posted a lot of hypothetical and complete lies that are only in your head. Is appointing Bill Brown showing a lack of vision? Is keeping Bobby Barr at Bayview showing a lack of vision? Unless you know for certain your allegations are correct, in which case you can obviously provide concrete proof of the allegations, then shut the f*ck up! You need to get a life!

PS - I have been on the board exactly 0 seconds! That is not a LIE or a figment of my imagination. I simply support East Fife and have done for well over 50 years, WIN OR LOSE! You my friend, only wants to support a winning team and can't take a defeat. You would be far better off, going to watch Rangers, as they are winning every week now.

I have NEVER left early at any East Fife game, just cos we were getting beaten. You do remember Starks Park a few years ago, don't you?

East Fife supporter my arse!

Eh??? Did we not put the almighty Aberdeen who you so greatly admire, out of the League cup recently?

Ross County are in the fortunate position of having a chairman who is quite obviously spending his money on the club.

Have you praised Gretna with their success SPF. How are they doing now?

That'll do me. You are full of pish after all (and dense). I'm using your insults as that's what you do when you can't argue your own pish.

One or two glorious Cup wims doesn't make up for decades of nothing (if you have any pride in your team). I don't admire Aberdeen, you brought them into it. Never praised Gretna. Praised Mileson for putting thousands into the EF Trust though (you won't lke that).

Don't be foolish in comparing Ross Conty and Gretna. Ross County are a well-off, well-run community Club

http://www.rosscountyfootballclub.co.uk/community.aspx

In other words SPF, you know that you have no argument! You stated in an earlier post -

"It is true that it's a huge concern for EFFC that fans are stopping going but that solely is the board's fault. Their lack of vision and communication, the majority shareholder and the secretive (dishonest) nature of that (Sid publically denying Rankine having anything directly or indirectly anything to do with East Fife shares), phantom new Windygates stadiums, choices of managers, heinous strips - the lot."

If what you are saying above is true, then why can you not just state the facts that you obviously must have and then I will apologise to you? I am particularly interested in the 'dishonest' allegation.

SPF,you raise some good points and have done some fine research regarding teams recent success but i think you have been quite selective in the teams you highlight and what u regard success.

Some of these teams have almost went bust even QOS were faced with huge cut backs last season before they went down, you fail to mention the full time team at East End Park,scottish cup finalists,ex spl team and now virtually no chance of promotion and almost bust,have they improved? Partick Th. almost bust a few years back, clyde ,look where stirling alb are now!

Your arguement is for/against East Fife but i think dwindling crowds are more the norm in scottish football,your facts and findings can easily be transfered over to Raith Rovers( and the majority of other clubs),money problems,dont own their ground,owner doesn't attend/lack of interest,not where they were in football terms 10/15yrs ago.

SPF, I am not on the board of directors! Why do you persist in these figments of your imagination? It destroys any argument you may actually have, by posting complete untruths! See a psychiatrist mate. You have a problem with your very, very over-active imagination.

I asked Sid myself and he denied any Rankine invlovement - if he IS the majority shareholder, directly or indirectly, then that's dishonest). I don't have to prove it. Everyone knows it. Even the Trust Chairman has recently posted in relation to the absentee majority shareholder (I wonder who he could mean ?).

It doesn't matter, folk have accepted the ownership thing whether you like it or not. Some now don't go, with this being at the very least a factor in that decision, and some continue to go and hope the Club changes hands or the Trust can one-day run the Club.

You are saying 'If', which is NOT good enough mate. Yes, you DO have to prove it. I don't know about it, so everybody does NOT, know about it.

Ok dokey. Whatever you say...

I was trying to be selective. Teams who are of equal or lesser size than EF. That doesn't include the Pars or Partick but does include your Alloas, Brechins, Stranraers, etc.

We'd also be in financial trouble ourselves at the moment, just as we were a few years ago, if not for the Rangers tie - and that's with us still not being able to match that selective bunch of those peer Clubs' comparitive league success.

Yes but all of these clubs still exist and most of them are still doing better than East Fife. These are clubs of similar or lesser stature we are talking about as are those mentioned earlier (Brechin, Cowden, Alloa etc). Comparisons with Aberdeen as Jocky is trying to make are totally spurious, they are far bigger than us, always have been always will be and are irrelevant to this debate. We can own the whole of Leven never mind our own ground but who cares if we continue to be shit and piss about the basement leagues. Owning property and having a smaller debt than others is not a measure of footballing success in my book.

If you, Jocky or anyone else can provide clear evidence that we have not underachieved on the pitch in comparison with our peers over the past 20 years then please provide the statistical evidence as SPF so kindly did above.

So, what you are saying is that you only want to support a winning team? It's not East Fife you really want to support? Are they your team, or are they not?

SPF says the lack of vision by the board is the problem, yes? So, as I asked him, which he hasn't replied to - is Bill Brown being appointed a lack of vision? Is Bobby Barr being kept on showing a lack of vision?

Are so-called supporters who like to tell the world on a nameless forum that they are not going to support East Fife, showing vision?

You guys are unbelievable, I can't believe any of you are adults when you go into a sulk, just because East Fife got beat?? Diddums. I know that a lot of babies, do just that if they drop their toys out of the pram!

Grow up for f*cks sake, you are all needing your erses skelpt and told to get to your rooms, until you start acting your age!

You ask if keeping Bobby Barr at Bayview shows a lack of vision. It shows many things, and none of it reflects well on East Fife.
Be in no doubt, Bobby Barr would not be at East Fife right now unless Neil Rankine was involved. Ask yourself why would East Fife, or any club, sign a full-time player to join an entirely part-time squad? Why pay that one player £500 per week, when you could build a stronger squad by using those wages to pay three or four part-time players? Why "show vision" by signing Barr, and then just have a single line on the website last month to say Barr "will remain with us until the end of the season", making no mention of the fact that the loan has been turned into a full signing, or that we have recruited a full-time player to show how ambitious East Fife are? Why keep the full-time deal a secret, only to come to light when the player let it slip in a newspaper interview?
The reason Barr is at East Fife is because Rankine had to pay the player's Livingston contract up to the summer, and used the Rangers cup tie cash to do this. He also instructed the East Fife board of directors not to spend £100,000 of that ticket money. This is common knowledge. Ask a director if you don't believe what you have read here. Pick one who is likely to tell you the truth, privately.
But if you deny that Sid Collumbine is Rankine's representative on the East Fife board, there is no point discussing the matter with you. SPF, take note.

Even if all of what you are saying is true, why should it stop you from going to Bayview? Do you support East Fife, or do you not? Why should dealings at boardroom level affect whether or not you want to support your team? Do you have a vested interest per chance? Do you have shares in the club?

I noticed you side stepped the question of whether or not appointing Bill Brown was showing a lack of vision. Also, the question of supporters who want to tell all the nameless people on this forum, that they are not going to support East Fife any longer, are showing vision?

I don't recall one negative post on this forum when it was announced that Bobby Barr was staying at Bayview. In fact, all I read were complimentary comments. Now that he has gone a few games without scoring, he is useless. You guys are just laughable! It is only when the team are not doing so well, that you all start bleating about the board and who owns the club. SPF for example, probably never missed a game when we won the 3rd division, but walked out of Starks Park a few games into the new season after promotion, because he didn't like to see us being beaten. It is all about himself actually, he admits it himself when he goes on about not for the first time, saying things like - It's about your team giving you bragging rights. In his eyes (and his cohorts), supporting the team is not about cheering them on and trying to encourage them, or sticking with them to show the players you are right behind them, win or lose! By not going, you are proving that you are no better than the glory hunters who think they support Rangers, Celtic, Man Utd etc.

SPF also made the comment - I can't believe any Fifer would settle for mid-table 3rd tier with lesser Clubs doing so much more. Nobody is settling for this at all. I, and many other supporters go to Bayview because we want to see the team play. Of course we all would like them to be in the first division at least and that is precisely why we go, to cheer the team on. This crap about not going to games and still thinking you are a supporter does not wash. YOU ARE NOT A SUPPORTER IF YOU DON'T GO TO THE GAMES OUT OF CHOICE- END OF! In other words, do not pester the rest of us who do want to go and support the team.

Sigh. Here we go again...

If it's true, and it is, then it's a f**king shambles.



Because our boardroom would still have us languishing in the basement league if it were not for Wullie Gray's money a few years ago. That makes a mockery of the proud Club that East Fife is (see other peer Clubs counsistently out-doing us). There's next to no hope that the situation is going to get better under this 'visionary' board.



What vision did they show in this case, please be specific ? Did they headhunt him ? BB chapped their door for the job to get into football management - he "wasn't on the radar", or anything lke it. We'd still have Durie here, otherwise (whether that would've worked out or not is debatable). I will say they did have the vision to sack Robertson who wasn't fit to do the job (and still hasn't had a managerial post since and isn't likely to) so I commend them on that. The folk not going are telling people and board members like you how piss poor and hopeless the situation is.



It's the same owner behind the board under the Derrick Brown era - again, we'd be in the 3rd again, in financial bother if it wasn't for Gray/Rangers money repectively. The team NEVER does well under this board.




I never missed many games for about 28 years - so what ? I walked out of Starks as it was hellish and was yet another sickening skelping by our hated rivals (I was at the 7-1 drubbing too). I'd never before or since walked out of a game. I don't regret it, should I have politely clapped as our capable team were steamrollered by our fierce rivals, showing more appetite and organisation that day ? Following your team IS about bragging rights, that's why people follow football - that's why you have 'rival' teams, derby matches, 3 points for a win, leagues, cups - it's why Fife fans go on about our Cup wins. Are you mental ? If it's not about bragging rights, it's merely a hobby.



Although I'm sure I did say it, please find it and tell me the context it was said and who/what it was specifically in reply to.



It's not necessarily about being in the First, it's about challenging for the First and showing ambition and/or promise for the odd season - not showing that you look like a team that will fight relegation to the 3rd every season, or at best finish mid table in the third tier. If there were bigger and better Clubs above us, it'd be different matter. I went for decades, when I was a supporter, and cheered the team on hoarse, up to including playing in that morgue of a ground - to see them play, like you, and shout constant encouragement. Now with the various factors which've been repeated by me and others numerous times, it's not an enjoyable, rewarding experience nor is there an excuse for it to be as bad it currently is, and will be for the foreseeable future, either. Choosing to not renew a season ticket wasn't a 'throw the toys out of the pram' moment. It was a calm, measured 2-month (wise, it seems) decision.

You win the supporter argument, but so what ? The Club we both love is a shambles.

Now you answer me, why are fans (of many years) stopping going to watch East Fife ?

Ps, if you were going to watch East Fife for a midweek, meaningless game against Elgin with 221 there at home (as I and others were), it's not even nearly all about the winning.

If we're talking about the last 20yrs then success is dismal but to blame the current board for this is a cheap shot.
we should've been investing in youth programmes years ago (Cowdenbeaths set up was years ahead of ours)and also with the ground around our stadium we should've developed plastic pitches for community use,which brings in income outwith a match day,local amateur teams are crying out for training facilities during the winter months.

We've had around 12 managers in the last 20yrs and yet i'm still trying to figure out who's brought through any youngsters of note.It saddens me to read this weeks East Fife Mail and see 3 primary schoolboys sign for Dundee Utd from North East Fife based AMsoccer,14 players have now signed for Utd from this set-up and sadly we'll probably see these boys in about 10yrs when they're sent out on loan to us get match experience.

Hopefully we can watch our own youngsters in the next year or 2 and save on signing players who dont appear to have the club at heart,some of the current squad may not be great but you can tell which players give they're all in a game.

your arguing back and forward is getting boring.....yaaawwwwnnnn (spf and jocky)

Fuck yez aw was back yesterday. I missed the QotS game so he could even have been back for that. A bit disappointing really,I was hoping he would explain repeatedly why he was not coming back.