According to today's Courier the Rovers playing budget is to be slashed for next season (from next to nothing to nothing it appears). Dalziel has be told to rely on young Skillseekers only. Guess who is getting the blame for this sad state of affairs? Yes, it's the fans of course. The statement goes on to say something along the lines that it's up to the Kirkcaldy public to prove that they really want a decent senior team for the area, otherwise...

Sounds familiar?

During the dark days at Starks park many fans stayed away but stated that they would return when the regime at the helm was dislodged. Well that has happened but these fans have simple not returned, leading to the present situation.

Now move along the coast to Bayview, many fans are also staying away or protesting about the regime which is in charge of our club. Once this situation is resolved I wonder how many of the current stay away fans will return.

I'd bet there won't be many.

It will be a slow process.

Going to the football is a habit, once people find other things to do on a saturday, it is a gradual thing for them to come back to the football.

There is a theory that it takes at least 5 times as much effort to gain new business than to maintain existing business - in EFFC case, it will undoubtedly not be easy to encourage the fans who have drifted away over the last few seasons to come back.

The alternative is for the status quo and almost certain further decline

It is better business practice to do all you can to hold onto your customers as (as Stewart K said) it will be a hell of alot more difficult to get them back.

I didn't read the quote as blaming the fans. I felt the sentiment is more like "we'll have to cut our cloth accordingly".

Back to putting out leaflets possibily!!!!!!!!

Again it's the mindset of the people running the clubs that is wrong - and not just at RR or EFFC.

In my business we work really hard to keep our clients happy because we know as is pointed out above that it's much more profitable to retain a customer than gain a new one.

Few of the SFL clubs seem to look at it that way - they make the mistake of believing that their club has a right to be supported. That may have been true in the past but for most people it's no longer the case. We are all much more sophisticated consumers than 30 years ago and we don't accept poor customer service.

As a matter of completely irrelevant fact my first involvement with the club came when I wrote to complain about the absence of pies at a pre-season friendly. Nothing new there then!

From that over the years came a meeting (fully socked) with J Danskin and then some sort of committee and then the Young Fifers and then DB and then the Trust and soon the community running of the club!

The quicker we resolve this then the better.

The quicker Brown goes then the less time the fans have to find other activities.

You listening Deek? If you're as big a fan as you say you are, then surely you only want the best for the Club.

When a club is performing poorly on and off the park the board,s self preservation instinct kicks in. Blame is laid at the doors of the pools companies,Bells,local business and ,of course,the fans.If the board were to admit that in fact they were the true culprits, that would leave them with no option but to resign.That requires more balls than most of them have.

Hey man, i for one am getting pretty sick of all the slagging going on here. you say its the mindset of the people running the clubs that is wrong. it sounds like you think you may have the answers.

so lets see you put your money where your mouth is and post a long term business plan for the recovery of EFFC. the same invitation goes out to all others currently slagging of scottish football.

time to step up to the line and be credible until i see some plans this forum will be no more than a place to come to for a laugh when i am bored, and thats about once a fortnight for about ten minutes.

come on now, dont dissapoint me

Re Dave Marshalls comments:

You cant blame the board for the pools companies refusal to pay out for the use of the clubs name nor can you blame them for Bell's not wishing to renew their sponsorship of competitions. The board may not have the where-with-all to attract local companies to part with cash but that does not necessarily make them poor at their jobs.

Where the board would be guilty is if they did not try to do something about it.

Hey Bob the Builder

Going by the appalling grammar, do you write the news section on the Eastfife.org.

Bob the Builder

My post dealt with the club's attitude to and treatment of its customers, both actual and potential.

Can you - or anyone else for that matter - give me examples of excellent customer service you/they have received from EFFC?

And how would that be balanced by others with the opposite experience?

Walter Pidgeon
The board IS guilty if it does not treat it,s current sponsors properly resulting in them not renewing their sponsorship.It happens all to regularly unfortunately.
When I was in the Royal Navy aboard HMS MOHAWK my Engineering Officer was a certain Walter Pidgeon.I trust you are not he!!

I have one Eugene

Two seasons back the club was given a free mower to cut the pitch (wasnt brand new but did the job while the old one was getting fixed) with the offer to get a new one in place for the coming season, again free of charge, and all the company was asking was that the machine was kept in good order (no prob there with Dave n Dov looking after it) and the display of an advertisment board which they would have supplied. None of the heirarchy at the club contacted the company to say yes (or no), no one thanked the company for the free use of the mower while the clubs one was getting fixed.

To me that is excellent customer relations or have I been taught by the wrong person

Jim Mackenzie of Megatronics has recently TWICE asked to hire accommodation at Bayview for a conference. He was told that they could not accept him as they had no facilities. This is a prime example of MISMANAGEMENT by broon. Hiring the rooms when not in use by the club during the week days is a great money raiser for the club.

I am sure that Megatronics will not request this facility from broon again SAD SAD SAD.

Anyway getting back to the top of the story and the follow-up article in today's Courier, it seems there is a lot of resignation among the Lino fans about the situation. With a bit of luck this will result in relegation next season and a few dismal years not unlike ourselves.