Bin Fire at Binfield

“If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs…. You obviously don’t understand the seriousness of the situation”. 

So here we are. Third from bottom, out of all the cups and it’s not even Christmas yet. My last blog was on the 19th of October, yet again another doom ladened, sad piece of literature more suited to the letters page of the Daily Mail than for fellow Terrors. But now I’m finding things seen to have gone even further backwards since fingering my keyboard back then. A deserved win against Bedfont Sports being the only highlight. Our home form is still mind blowing, we’ve lost to teams who have been shite but still managed to take all the points from us. I hate to say that some of the matches this season, have been some of the worst I’ve ever witnessed. Some very sad faces on the Bog End at full time. 

                   Happy Harry

 Away from Fortress Imperial. The game against local “Rivals” SCR was plain awful. A defeat to a team that probably won’t have an easier game all season and who I’d be very surprised would finish higher than mid table. I watched fellow supporters laughing with some kind of gallows humour to try and keep away the tears as the second half came to an end. SCR players celebrating as if they’d won the Champions League showed how much they wanted to put one over us. 

A handful of fans managed to get over to Walton and Hersham to see a much-improved side play possibly their best performance of the season so far. But too many players switched of during injury time after a quite baffling free kick was given against us and players were having a go at the match officials allowing W&H to score their winning goal in a game, we should have at least left with one point. A bitter pill to swallow after many had made the journey across Surrey on a day when the trains were on strike, some long bus trips and hefty cab fares paid out. But compared with other trips down to that neck of the woods when I’ve seen the travelling Toots outnumber the home fans on several occasions a very low turnout. 

Basingstoke, again defensive mistakes leading to in my opinion three of the four goals against us. Yes, we seemed to have two perfectly good goals disallowed and two penalty shouts turned down along with the two well taken goals scored. The heart-breaking thing was that when we got a goal back to make it 3-2 with about 5 mins to go, after getting a free kick which I think should have been played straight up field, somehow, we gave the ball away after messing around allowing Basingstoke to score from a penalty after their player was brought down…. How from an attacking option we ended up conceding another goal from a situation all of our own making? Players switching off. Last year about 70 Terrors possibly more made the trip, this year about 30 turned up. 

 Now for the bin fire at Binfield. Three goals conceded in 7 minutes when we were already 1 nil down pretty much sums up what a bin fire this season has been so far. I class myself as being lucky not to have been there and only following on social media, which dear reader was bad enough. 

 I am totally at a loss what has gone wrong. It has rightly been pointed out that we have not had a chance to build up any momentum as we have missed playing on a couple of Saturdays. Once due to a tragic accident outside the ground but the other occasions have been due to us going out of the two FA competitions leaving Saturdays free as the clubs, we were due to play progressed into the next rounds. 

A couple of wins could see us move up the table, but with our form at the moment, it’s hard to see where they will come from. A mid table finish is looking like the best option at the moment, the other option doesn’t bear thinking about. 

 My main worry and what the main part of the Blog is about is supporter morale. Along with the long-time fans of Tooting and Mitcham. We have to be honest and say, a lot of our fan base both home and away, we’ve borrowed from other clubs. Supporters from Palace, Fulham, Chelsea Arsenal, Grimsby, Lincoln, WBA, Norwich, Man City, Liverpool, Hartlepool, Newcastle, Leeds, Man United, Tottenham, West Ham and QPR can be found in the stands and on the terraces at Tooting Games. 

Many now watch us like me after becoming disillusioned with the modern game and many due to the cost of watching league football. 

Throw in the geographical nature of the local population that people simply can’t get to see their home teams after moving to South London. Tooting and Mitcham has become their new footballing home. Very easy for them to go and watch one of our many local neighbours. I’ve seen a few Terrors in the crowds at RPV and Carshalton games on the “free Saturdays” and I know of a few others who now go ground hopping for their football fix. 

One of the big reasons to go to games is to meet up with friends and have a laugh and socialise with everyone. I’m under no illusion that Toots will win every game, but it’s also about watching your team or adopted team play well, I’ve seen Tooting lose loads of games and thought that they were unlucky but at least they tried, and I’ve gone home feeling optimistic about things. These last two seasons since the London Senior Cup win have been hard to watch. It worries me that a lot of the fans who I used to see no longer turn up for games. This isn’t some organised boycott. People just can’t be bothered anymore. People talk about life in the Combined Counties and wonder if the club would still be able to get the crowds we get now. 

I’ll be at the game Saturday as I have some important Supporters Club business to deal with, but in truth, I could quite happily miss yet another crap day out watching us play. Even a win on Saturday must not allow people to think that things have changed, and we have turned a corner. Things need to change, and they need to change sooner rather than later. 

Up The Terrors !!!!

Where to start.....

Right where to begin, 

To say that this season so far has been a complete disaster is not far short of the mark. Our home form has managed to be even worse than last season, which I’m sure none of us would think possible. We now find ourselves sitting in the lower half of the table with the Combined Counties looking up at us…. Out of both FA competitions, which in fairness we can only dream about winning or at the very least getting a couple of good games out of now gone for yet another season. Both trophies are considered money earners by clubs at our level and to go out of both so early on must be a big hit in the pocket of the club when it looks at playing budgets etc. Out of the League Cup which is no real surprise looking at our record in the competition is not surprising. Now out of the London Senior Cup, which is a personal favourite of mine. Now our only hope of any cup success is in the Surrey Senior Cup where we have been drawn against Chertsey, so let’s be honest, a very tough draw. Ashley looks as if he’s won a Tottenham Season Ticket in a raffle, and I don’t think I’ve seen him smile in ages. The players look to be suffering low morale and confidence wise and a lack of self-belief especially during home games. Away matches are better, maybe there is less pressure on the players when not at Fortress Imperial. This is a big worry and I’m think I ‘m right saying we’ve not won a home game in the league since December last year. We avoided going by the skin of our teeth last year. In truth two clubs going out of business done us a huge favour but even now I find myself looking at the clubs below to be having worse results than us. It’s only October but I think we need to get the mindset that we at the time of writing are in a relegation scrap. A couple of good results can see us climb the table but it’s hard to see where they are going to come from at the moment. There is a dark cloud hanging over the Bog End. I have not fingered my keyboard in ages, as the results have led to a big hit of “Writers” block as I honestly can’t think of anything to say. I could copy any number of blogs from the last couple of seasons, change a few names and post them up and no one would be any the wiser. The excellent social media output has dried up and it’s very hard to think of what to put out in regard to the club. Crowds are still good but the game against Westfield had a large number of staff from St Georges in attendance and they are not there every week. A number of regular fans have stopped going to home games and I don’t mean the tinfoil hat brigade on the forum. Some pretty heated discussions in the stands and on the terraces when even die-hard loyal fans are questioning the direction the club is taking. In a nutshell, low morale on and off the pitch on match days, low confidence and a huge lack of self-belief missing…. And it’s only October…. We all have our views on what to do to change things but one thing we can all agree with is that things need to get put on track before it’s too late. 

 Up The Terrors….

Happy Clappy Harry

Well, goodbye and good riddance to the 2021 – 22 season. One which will be the stuff of nightmares for players, supporters and everyone else at the club. The Football Gods who had sat up in the clouds laughing and giggling at our plight while thinking up even more fiendish ways to fuck us over decided at the last minute to bring back Whyteleafe into the league equation and therefore pushing us up the table and finally out of harm’s way after victories against other bottom dwelling rivals. 

I don’t think anyone could have seen this happen, although a few Dulwich and Sutton fans probably prayed for it. Two good seasons lost to covid and the London Senior Cup win against the young Wombles meant we started off full of hope for the campaign. The happiness was not to last too long.

Not sure the best way to describe the season in a simplified way. We spent the first third of the season trying to bring in younger academy players and get them involved with the 1^st team squad. But in truth it was looking obvious that it was not working out as well as the club hoped. Stuck in the lower mid table just ready for the second third of the season when a number of players left, and others were brought in to replace them. A couple of whom never really had the impact we all were looking for. Then the final third, when we lost a 3-goal lead at Bedfont sports and then became one of the few teams Staines have beaten this season. Staines went on after their victory to lose their next game 12 nil. The loss of a number of senior players hit hard and the Terrors found themselves in a relegation fight and one for a period of time, that they didn’t look to have any chance of winning. 

Losing top scorer Dan Williams threw a large spanner in the works and it is fair to say the strikers who stepped into the breach had problems hitting the back of the net. Defensively, things looked ok. We didn’t suffer any real heavy defeats and with a bit more luck Infront of goal we would not have ended the way they did. 

 But it all ended with songs, cider and smiles after the Staines game and the Player of The Season awards presentation. Cheers to Joel for being an excellent awards host and for letting me rant and rave while giving out the Supporters Club awards.  

 

Sometimes we all have to accept that the club you support will have a bad season. Even the top clubs have them, but it still hurts when it happens to you. A strange feeling off the pitch this season with splits in the supporters ranks and some really negative stuff going up on a couple of media platforms not helping fan moral. There is so much good stuff going on supporters wise and it’s upsetting to see people turn on each other. The club has been in bad places before moral wise but this season it was hard to see after all the good work that had gone on over the last few seasons.

Lots going on behind the scenes and many new companies coming in as sponsors etc. Kingstonian ground sharing will also help bring more money into the club. As I’ve said before, bills need to be paid and with all of our household utility bills going up the same is happening to all types of businesses including Toots.  I had a number of chats with people who work at and run the club. They all fully understand the frustrations we all felt. I’m sure they are all more than aware that changes will need to be looked at the next season. No one at Tooting and Mitcham wants things to fail. No matter what anyone says. We all want to move up the football pyramid and regain our true position. We all want this club to succeed.

This is a big club with a great fan base and history, one we should all be proud of.

Take a good look at our crowds and remember that more than any other South London Non-League club how much our fan base represents the people that live here.  There’s so much to be proud of. Please remember that, when the dust from this season settles.

I’m handing over running of the Club Shop to the Members Club next season. Anyone interested in running it please come and see me and I’ll point you in the right direction.

I’ll still be involved with the Supporters Club and will be trying to raise their profile through social media etc. and also trying to get new members signed up and involved. A bit hard to do that when also running the shop on match days.

Shout Out Time !!!!!!!!!

 I won’t mention names because I’m always worried, I will forget someone, but a big thank you to all the match day volunteers and people who do so much behind the scenes over at Tooting. Clubs at our level need people to help out so anything you can do please get involved. 

 Good to see so many people from St Matthews Project becoming regulars at our games.

I always look forward to a good to chat with people who help over at SMP. Even if one of them is a moaning old git who manages to make me look like the happiest bloke South of The River. We have a number of links and friendships with the people there. Please visit:

https://thesmp.net

 Spread the word please, so much negative press about young people especially in South London and yet there are so many people making a huge difference who never get mentioned.

 As always, a big thanks to Jimmy and everyone over at the Ramble Inn up near Amen Corner in Tooting for all their support. They have done so much to bring people together and get them down to Tooting games over the last few years. Love and kisses to all the Irish Lot xxx

 Last but not least, Go and visit those South London Is Black and White Herberts for far better Terrors related stuff all written by intelligent sensible people, not the rantings of a mad old bloke in Hackbridge. Been a bit quite on there over the last couple of months but in truth, it’s been hard to finger our keyboards and try and come up with anything happy.

https://www.southlondonisblackandwhite.com

 

 Just remember. No matter how bad things were, we all know that after spending a couple of Saturdays on all those DIY jobs you’ve ignored and spending quality family time in the Asda Beddington Lane you’ll get checking out Twitter hoping and praying for the preseason friendlies to start and to all get together shouting our heading off following the mighty Toots....

Come on you Terrors !!!!!!

Tears on the Wandle - A tale of woe and heartbreak.

A great Irish Philosopher said on twitter that Tooting and Mitcham went from flirting with relegation to sending it dick pics in a couple of weeks. One of the most true posts I've seen on any type of Toots social media.

This will be a short blog. I really can't think of too much to say. Dear reader, If you were there Saturday, you will understand.

 The game against Ashford was awful. The atmosphere was down beat and even the mighty Bog End was often out sung by a single Ashford Loon who had a great afternoon down on the banks of the Wandle. Both teams played as if it was an end of season game between two mid table sides, the trouble is that one of them was in a relegation fight and didn’t seem to know it. Billy Smith hitting the bar was the nearest thing we did to trouble their goalie who had quite a relaxing day between the sticks. I said after the defeat at Bedfont that we were heading for a fight to remain in this division. I thought at the time it was possibly too dramatic and over the top, but it turns out I was right. 

 I have said a number of times that the last time Tooting went down that we sleepwalked into it. Not realising until it was too late that we had a major problem on our hands. That time we were able to build on things for the following season and improvements off the pitch have changed the club for the better. Even now we are still getting good crowds for the league position we are in. The major doubt I have is if that will be the same in the Combined Counties or some strange Kent league if we do go down. Will we still get people willing to volunteer their time on match day to help out? The simple fact is, the better the team is on the pitch, the better the crowds are, and more people will want to get involved behind the scenes. Ask any of our regulars about friends and family who no longer come to games for various reasons. A successful team will bring them back I’m sure, another relegation however, could lose them forever. 

Bog End Ant has missed a number of games this season due to feeling so low after results, we have both swerved away games which we would have gone to normally.... You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger Terror than Ant... If he feels like this, you know there are problems...

This club has so much potential, a great history and fantastic fanbase. I sometimes think this is taken for granted. People need to realise this. All of us will have different ideas on where things have gone wrong. I never want to use this platform to have a go at anyone. I have my views, as we all do, but personal attacks are not the way I do things. I feel sorry for the players and coaches. All good people, all of them now in a horrible position. A big Hackbridge shout out to Nathan Daly who has played his heart out this season...  But I also feel sorry for our fans, many of whom looked crushed on Saturday.

 

More than anything at the moment we need to pull together and show some unity. Yes, easier said than done… But fucking important at this moment in time.

 Come On You Terrors !!!

Guest Blog From Darren Parker

Hello Dear Reader, another guest blog, this time from Darren Parker with his views on the South Park game and also his views on this season and what is happening at TMUFC...

 TMUFC Vs South Park………….time for a change? By Darren Parker.

 Having not attended any Tooting games for a few weeks, and with a weekend off work with no commitments, I decided to head down to Imperial Fields for my footie fix. In truth, I was in two minds as to whether I should go or not, as I haven’t really been enjoying the entertainment on the pitch recently, and thought my time might be better spent catching up with the washing. Having got that ridiculous thought out of my brain, I made my way down to the ground, just in time for a pre match pint, and a catch up with some familiar faces. The first thing that hit me when entering the bar area was the lack of people inside. It wasn’t so long ago, that with an hour to go till kick off, you would have had to wait in a queue at the bar to get served. Perhaps this has something to do with the recent increase in pricing, or are the hard core fans staying away in favour of washing their smalls! Entering the ground I was greeted by the familiar faces of Hackbridge Harry and Dee Pee, the later of who gave me a sneak preview of the new book that is coming out. It looks fantastic, and is a must buy for all die hard Tooting Fans. I would encourage everyone to get in contact with David to make a pre order. I certainly have, and look forward to getting my copy in the next few weeks. I was happy to see that although the bar area wasn’t particularly busy, the numbers inside the ground we’re still up to our normal levels. The team itself was pretty much an unchanged side since the last time I visited. Looking through the team sheet I recognised the majority of the names, which given the number of players used so far this season pleased me no end. I wasn’t particularly happy to see both Billy Brown and Jordan Clarke on the bench, both of whom are exciting experienced players that can make things happen. The game itself was fairly well contested in the early stages, with Toots having most of the possession, and the visitors looking dangerous on the break. We managed to take the lead on the quarter of an hour mark, a cross into the box looping away to Mark Waters on the edge of the box, who done really well to keep his effort down. The shot bounced off the bar and over the line, a good spot from the officials. This seemed to force South Park into a more attacking mentality, and it wasn’t long before they equalised through a penalty. Their big centre forward got kicked in the head, and I don’t think even the most die-hard Terror would argue with the referee’s award of a spot kick. South Park took control of the first half from this point, and I felt we were fairly lucky to go in level at the break. Tooting came out with a new vigour in the second half, and took the game to their opponents. However, we struggled to create any real clear cut chances and didn’t look like we would make the opposition keeper earn his money. I, along with a number of other supporters, became increasingly disgruntled at the seemingly lack of action to change things up, and started berating our Management team as to why Billy Brown wasn’t being introduced. The bog end faithful stirred up a rendition of “We want Billy Brown”, which finally had an effect with 5 minutes remaining. This was far too late in my opinion, but I was nearly made to eat my words as Billy forced the Park Keeper (I have been waiting to use that one!) into a brilliant save to tip the ball over the bar. It was a rasping shot, and came out of nowhere. That’s what Billy can do! Unfortunately, time ran out, and we were forced to settle for a point. Probably a fair result at the end of the day, and is a true reflection on the standard of our football at the moment. I didn’t really fancy a pint in the bar at the end of the game. My partner in crime was down in Exeter, watching a far higher standard of football, and I had promised Mrs P a Curry in the evening, so didn’t want to fall into her bad books by rolling in pissed. Two pints had served me well, and I would only have ended up crying on someone’s shoulder about the lack of experience and organisation within our team. Which brings me on to my thoughts on the current situation at our beloved club. In my opinion, we don’t have enough experienced players in our team, the tactics aren’t working, and things need to change. We very rarely create any clear cut chances, and keeping players like Brown, Clarke, and Hamlin sat on the bench is just criminal. Losing Daryl Coleman was a real kick in the teeth, and just a few weeks later our top scorer in Danny Williams also departs. Player retention is key at our level. For me, too many good footballers have left for pastures new and there is little cohesion in the team. We have given debuts to a number of youngsters, who in my opinion do not look ready for first team football at our level, and the obvious connection with a certain Consultancy company is quite worrying from a player promotion point of view. Sky Sports cameras have been an unnecessary distraction, and having the Manager’s discuss tactics on the pitch at half time so that they can get footage is just ludicrous. Ashley and Cornelius have worked wonders with the youth teams, and up until this season have performed reasonably well as joint first team Managers. Perhaps they have too much to deal with, looking after teams at so many levels, and can’t dedicate enough of their time to concentrate on first team matters. We have been told by our Members club chairman, via an unofficial forum, that everyone at the club, from the very top down, are really concerned about our results, and it is not an issue based around money. So hopefully, they will do the right thing, and make a change. Personally, I would love to see an experienced non-league Manager brought into the club, to take the reins of the first team. Let Ashley and Cornelius continue to work with our under 23’s and below, whilst learning from an experienced hand in first team matters. I am sure there are Managers about that would be happy to consider joining our club, and that would fit into the way that we operate. Thanks to Steve for giving me the opportunity to air my views and opinions at TMUFC, and I look forward to seeing you all at a game sometime soon. Come on you Stripes! 

Cheers Darren for sending this over.

#Disappointing

I have seen Toots lose cup finals and get relegated and still left the ground in a better state than I did when the final whistle blew at the match at Bedfont Sports. 3-0 up and looking good and then to end up losing 5-4 with a last-minute goal left me feeling totally numb. 

 The group of Bedfont kids singing “3-0 and you fucked it up” as the cheered their players off was the icing on the very large cake. Although in fairness to them, it was funny and if you are going to lose to a last-minute goal, it helps if it’s a good one.

 Check out Bedfont’s Twitter account to see the last goal if like me you are a glutton for punishment. Anyone that lobs the goalie from the halfway line should get a bit of respect for their efforts. I'm sure they will talk about that goal for years to come, I know we will.

I was also in the crowd at the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final between Arsenal and Real Zaragoza played in Paris when Ex Tottenham player Nayim, scored a last-minute goal with a 40-yard lob over Arsenal goalkeeper, David Seaman, securing the win. Oh, how I laughed when that went in. Nayim did fuck all at Spurs but will always be classed as a legend over at WHL because of that bastard goal. Unlike Paris however I didn’t get tear gassed when leaving the stadium by heavily armed riot police. 

Every cloud..... 

My first trip to Bedfont’s ground as the last couple of times Toots have played mid-week games there and as the season seems to be getting worse and worse, we must all get used to the fact that relegation is a very real possibility, it could well be my last visit for a while. 

 Tooting and Mitcham are rightly proud of the Academy set up and the way that it is helping young people in South London. But, have those same young people battered and beaten on the pitch every week will not do their confidence any good whatsoever.

 Some very angry travelling Terrors in attendance on Saturday and my mood not helped by the TMUFC official twitter account describing the game as “Disappointing” for about the hundredth time this season. If you're 3-0 up in any game, you should at the very least leave with one point. But this is Tooting I'm talking about and things don't go to plan.

 I don’t know what the solution is, and I have no words of in-depth footballing knowledge to say where the club has gone so badly wrong this season. But it has. The last relegation was bad enough but the whole set up at TMUFC seemed to grow stronger from that and I still regard that as the start of a new beginning at Fortress Imperial. But nevertheless, things need to change and maybe there will need to be some serious discussions behind the scenes about the direction the club is taking. Relegation into the Combined Counties would be nothing less than a disaster for Tooting.

Guest Blog from Bog end Ant

Dear Reader. A bit of a change for this one. A blog written up by Bog End Ant... 

 I feel like I've needed to write this blog for a while, things are just not right at the minute both on and off the pitch. 

 First of all the news come in last week about Kingstonian ground sharing at Imperial Fields with us next season. I am happy to be helping out another local club and have nothing against Kingstonian, another club with a rich history and it is a real shame that they don't have their own home to play at. Although, I and many others have questions about what is happening to Tooting Bec FC. I understand that Bec will definitely not be playing on our main pitch next season but there is still uncertainty about what will be happening to them. Tooting Bec are a good club run by great people who I get on very well with. I do wish them well and I hope that the great relationship our club has with them is not affected by this news. 

 There are plans for a changing block and seating to be installed on the back 3G pitch which is somewhere Tooting Bec could potentially play their games and that leads me onto my next point. My only problem with this is that the stadium plans seem very long term and I can't see them being ready for next season. Tooting and Mitcham have been granted planning permission for a new block of flats to be built right by the ground and next to the site. There are also plans for a new facility to be built on the back pitch as mentioned above when talking about Tooting Bec. 

 If the plans do happen (I'll believe it when I see it), then I think they will be a brilliant thing for our football club. I believe that the idea is for the money from selling the flats will go straight back into the club for building the other new facilities. This all seems like good news and hopefully everything works out for the best. 

 On the pitch, this season has been dreadful for Tooting and Mitcham, after the London Senior Cup success last season, this season was expected to be a big one and we had high hopes of potential promotion, unfortunately this hasn't worked out at all. We have had 50 players play for us so far this season which is both very inconsistent and very concerning. 

The last 2 games away to Staines and at home to Hanwell both ended in 2-0 defeats. Staines were bottom of the league at the time and outmuscled and outplayed us all night, it was embarrassing to watch. The home game against Hanwell was a similar story with us not having a shot on target in either game. To be fair to Hanwell they are a very good team who are chasing a play-off spot, they were well up for it against us looking for revenge for last season’s Cup semi-final so I weren't expecting much going into the game. 

 There are still concerns that we could get Relegated, we are only 6 points of the drop and the teams that are in the Relegation zone at the minute are Staines who beat us the other week and Guernsey who still have many games in hand and are playing us next Saturday which is increasingly looking like a relegation 6 pointer. 

I do hope that we have enough to stay up but we can't be naive as we made the same mistakes the last time we got relegated in the Bostik Premier. 

 In my opinion it is clear to see that there is not enough experience in this current squad and we are desperately missing key players. The club prides itself on developing youth players and we have a brilliant track record with the likes of Isiah Jones, Hady Ghandour, Abraham Odoh, Sam Forlain and Saidou Khan all playing professional football. It is great to see all these players doing well especially Isiah Jones who is playing week in week out and getting Man of the match awards in the championship. He has become a fans favourite at Middlesbrough, and it won't be long until top Premier league clubs are looking out for him. However, I do wonder how this ethos benefits the first team as it is clear that things are not working at the minute.

I am very concerned that the current model and ethos of the football club is not the right way in trying to get this club promoted and to be sustainable in a higher league. There have been many successful things happening at the club lately with the youth academy, planning permission being successful and the Farm Road project, but as many others have said this success doesn't seem to translate to the first team which in the end of the day is what us supporters care about most at the club. 

 Monday's game vs Hanwell attracted a crowd of 333, our highest of the season so far. To be fair to Hanwell they brought a fair few supporters with them. There are many new faces at Tooting games but with the way we played on Monday and so far, this season it will be difficult to keep these people coming to games especially with how successful many other clubs have been nearly. Sutton United are now in the football league and chasing promotion to League One, AFC Wimbledon are back at Plough Lane, Carshalton Athletic are doing well in the Isthmian Premier and attracting very good crowds, even Walton & Hersham are getting good crowds this season with 503 watching them on Monday. With all these clubs nearby being very successful, if you are a local floating fan looking for a game to watch, then Tooting would probably be one of the last places you'd look to at the minute. 

 As many people are aware Sky sports are currently filming a documentary on young footballers in South London. They have been filming at many Tooting games this season both home and away. They've been using microphones during half time talks with managers and even asked the linesmen to move out the way at the Hanwell game. They've also been using drones at games. 

Many of us on the Bogend have made ourselves clear what we think about the cameras both vocally at games and also on social media. It's not just our supporters who don't like them, If you ask many of our players they will say that they don't like the cameras following them around and find them a distraction. Another reason why I don't like these cameras is that they give opposition teams extra motivation to beat us. They see the cameras there following Tooting and that gives them the extra will to win. An example of this Is when we lost 2-0 away to South Park on a Tuesday Night. After the game South Park's twitter tweeted how their win was caught on camera and many of their players had tweeted how good it was to win in front of them. 

 Social media wise Tooting and Mitcham have come a long way in the last few years. The people running our club’s social media have brought this club into the 21st century and I'm really happy and grateful for that. However, in my opinion, the main 2 Hashtags the club use at the minute, which are #ClubOfProgression and #TerrorsTogether couldn't be further from the truth at the minute. 

 At the moment it seems like all our local rivals including Carshalton and Corinthian Casuals are progressing very well both on and off the pitch with crowds going up and both doing well on the pitch in the Isthmian Premier. Many other clubs nearby seem to be progressing and going places, but Tooting still seem to be stuck where we are, exactly the opposite of what I'd consider a Club Of Progression. #TerrorsTogether is another hashtag the clubs uses on social media, used with the best of intentions but Tooting And Mitcham are not a together football club at the minute. 

There is a major split between the fans and the club, and it does feel like us vs them for a lot of our supporters. There also seems to be a big split in our own fan base between older and newer supporters which has turned quite sour this season especially in recent weeks with there being many arguments happening recently about the way the club is on and off the pitch. Tooting and Mitcham isn't a happy place to be at the minute and in my opinion, the opposite of a together football club. 

 This club has got so much potential with a great ground and great facilities but at the minute we are not living up to it. So after all I've said and moaned about, if you think I'm going to Bedfont Sports away on Saturday you'd be absolutely right.

The Joy of Football - Part 38

Hope you all had a groovy Christmas and are looking forward to a fantastic 2022 both on and off the pitch…. And that Dear Reader is about as happy and cheerful as this blog gets….

 Now for the Hanwell game and where to begin is a tough one. A bad game in which we didn’t seem to trouble their goalie at all. Very sad to hear booing at the end. Many of these players are very young and looked totally crushed when they came up to the fans that stayed behind after hearing the jeers. But the fans pay good money to watch the team. Their weekends can be ruined by bad results just as much as the players and coaches. They have a right to be upset and to question what has happened this season. It upset me to hear the jeers and it upset me to see the players faces, but it also upset me to see the faces of many of our fans as they headed home or to the bar for the after-match discussion. 

 Sky TV are still filming over at Fortress Imperial. I’m sure when they first come into film the team and academy, things were buzzing after the progression of a number of players though the footballing pyramid and the London Senior Cup win. It would have been great to get more media exposure and help raise the profile of the club. At the moment, hopefully they will have lots of positive footage from behind the scenes as there has been very little to look forward to if the match day footage gets shown. It’s bad enough seeing the team lose but to know that it’s being filmed for all to see is sickening. A couple of people involved in the footballing side of things have said that having Sky walking around filming has been a distraction that the players and coaches do not need. It’s also obvious that the Bog End faithful are not happy with the cameras at games. I for one do not blame them. 

Non-League football has become more and more popular, Sky will know that. The chance to stick their nose into a number of places will be too much for them to turn away on their hunt for viewing figures and the chance to fuck up yet another sport…. Bear that in mind if in 5 years’ time our away game with Chipstead is on Pay to View on Thursday night at 9pm. 

 There are splits growing in the ranks of our supporters. The various reasons would fill a blog in on their own, one I may well do. Different groups with different views on how things could or should be done. All of their views valid and worth listening to even if they are not the views you want to hear or agree with. I like to think that I know most of the people who come to see Toots and have heard various views on how the clubs has gone wrong and what the club is doing right. Covid has caused the cancellation of a meet the people who run the club night. A new date needs to be looked into and if possible and able to be done safely as I know a lot of people are concerned about the direction the club is going. Some kind of clear the air meeting should be done to at least try and heal some of the bad feeling at Toots.

 Kingstonian will be ground sharing at Fortress Imperial next season it has been announced. Strange move for them as they were over at Corinthian Casuals and at least were playing games in the Kingston Area. An awkward journey for many of their fans and one that many seem unhappy with. This is meant to be for a couple of years / seasons until they are able to go back to the Kingston. As for Tooting Bec and the various teams they have set up, I should imagine there will be major changes for them. What this will mean for all three clubs remains to be seen but I’m fully expecting various weird and wonderful conspiracy theories.

 Let’s face some facts here. TMUFC have lost two years’ worth of income including gate money due to Covid so in all honesty extra gate money coming in will help out any short falls that have happened over the last couple of seasons. I work in the facilities industry. This involves looking after and managing budgets, invoices and bills. We need to face facts that to run Imperial Fields is very costly. The Electric, gas and water utilities have to be paid. Insurance and rates. The upkeep of the ground and pitches. Ironically the Sky sports subscription to show games in the bar, not forgetting the wages of the staff etc. Plus, the added cost of finding funds for the playing budget all needs to be found. 

I get on with both Steve and Jackie and have no axe to grind or hidden agenda against them or the way the club is run as a business etc. But I believe that supporters should be given some idea of the costs of the day to day running of TMUFC. I'm not suggesting anything untoward, but how was the money collected on the Crowd Funder page put to use at Imperial Fields. A lot of people put money into this and would like a rundown of what the money went towards I would ask for more information from the club and the Members club, who I believe own 10% of Imperial Fields on what goes on behind the scenes and what goes on in general. The social media side has much improved in the last few years, but supporters need more updates. The rumour mill often goes into overdrive when announcement are made. Two and Two becomes Five as people try and find out what is happening. For a start some of the conspiracy theories that often spring up could be put to bed early instead of growing and growing. A lot of the good work that the club does with the local community and local business either goes unnoticed or is not explained allowing Roswell/ JFK type conspiracies to spring up. Recently, the club has had to find a lot of money to upgrade the ground after recommendations and regulations that have come into force since the terrible fire at Grenfell. Plus, the work done on the pitch. Yet this is not common knowledge. If more people knew this, they may well become more understanding when it comes to the costs of running the place. Bills have to be paid and staff have to be paid. My job possibly may give me a better idea of costs and budgets. Not everyone has the same experience. We don't need to know everything and see every single invoice but an idea of what is going on behind the scenes could help people understand more. Might even help stop more of the negative stuff that goes up on various platforms. 

 At this moment in time many people do not know what the Members Club do or their role in the club and what stake they have in the set up at Imperial Fields. There is very little communication between the Directors of the Members Club and the other supporters when it comes to these matters. Directors sit in the stand and are not seen or visible before and after games. It has been good to see Chris Woolley walking around and chatting at resent home games, it would be good to see a bit more of that in future. In short and maybe unfairly, many fans do not know who the Directors of the Club are and what the Members Club do. There needs to be more open dialog between the Members Club and the supporters when it comes to their part in the running of the club and financial matters. Supporters need to be informed of what the Members Club are asked / expected to contribute to the Team / playing budget each season. What other costs the Members Club may also be responsible for during the year. Without this information people do not know where their money is going or what it is being spent on. A regular newsletter given out on match days or regular articles in the programme could go a long way to heal the "Them and Us" feeling that some supporters have in regard to the Members Club. The club over the years lost a number of supporters who were willing to help out but became disillusioned with things at TMUFC. Last of information and bad communication often playing a part in this. 

Christ, how depressing was that…. It must be bad enough having read it if you managed to get this far. Believe me it was hard enough writing the thing. I’ll be there Saturday and I’ll be cheering the team on. None of us are enjoying this. Not the players, fans, coaches, owners or staff. Try to stay positive and cut others some slack if you don’t agree with them. We are stronger together than we are when split up into various factions. 

 Up The Terrors !!!!!