Re: David Tarry gone : Tue Jun 19, 2012 6:36 pm  

Ave It! wrote:

Totally different. Your shop is local shop is good, it keeps itself ticking over quite nicely and keeps its regular customers happy so they keep coming back.

No ambitions to catch up with Tesco then?

Ave It! wrote:

Salford don't. The club do not do the simple things right like: getting a phone line on time, getting internet installed on time, getting ticktes out on time, answering the phone when you ring, shutting the club shop with people waiting outside (then calling the fans who suggested it was shut liers), Installing a card machine on time so people who wanted to purchase goods can do so without carrying large amounts of cash wit them, the turf we've been promised has been with a 'Small family run firm' forever. The fans/customers expect a better level of service, we're always left in limbo about so many things and people don't want to come back (many who haven't as well), but do so, not because of the 'good work' by the people in charge, but because they have a love and passion for Salford RLFC.

Not good enough, but all are issues linked the to the Stadium move. A pretty exceptional event that doesn't quantify how we've been run for 30 years.
Could you offer some advice on how poorly we've handled commercial/sponsorship revenue opportunities? I've seen articles where we've boasted some big figures. Just good fortune?

Ave It! wrote:

All this fans bar thing, mascot, junior devils, on line shop, new website and everything is great, but this should have been done at the start of the season. I don't think it's any coincidence that this has all come into play within the last couple of months, whilst this consultants been in. DT was just happy to sit back and do very little. He was happy to let the club 'market itself'. In fact his exact words during a recent meeting with him was "well if the team are doing well, then we don't need to do that much as the marketing will be done for us". And he's had that attitude for years, he just thought if we built a stadium everyone would come flooding through the gates and he convinced everyone else on the board that would happen, well I'm sorry he's been proved wrong and now he's gone.

I'm inclined to agree with him - a winning team should draw better crowds than posters and radio freebies. The Facebook feed from the club confirmed all the money goes into the team ahead of marketing for just that reason. Alas, even with our marketing coin in the squad budget, it's not enough.
I wasn't privy to those devious board meetings. Was he offered a massive marketing budget but couldn't be @rsed with the hassle of spending it?

Re: David Tarry gone : Tue Jun 19, 2012 7:07 pm  

At the end of the day, we tried to continue running the same operation that we ran at The Willows despite the opportunities that a new stadium presents both on and off the pitch, and within months it has been found by a strategic review that changes need to be made. Think that says it all really.

Re: David Tarry gone : Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:32 pm  

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

Not good enough, but all are issues linked the to the Stadium move. A pretty exceptional event that doesn't quantify how we've been run for 30 years.

The commemorative shirt season ticket offer that was pulled after season tickets were sold, promised later in a season and never arrived. Ending the Junior Devils. Repeatedly late season tickets, and replica jerseys continually missing the Christmas market. Club website being out of date regularly for years. Being the only club on the Magic Weekend promo material wearing last year's shirt. Not selling online for years after amateur clubs have been doing it. Mysteriously only getting shirt sponsors who are linked to the chairman's companies or who are tied up with the club in land deals. Being the only English club not represented at a season launch event. Repeatedly sending duplicate letters to some season ticket holders and nothing to others. Failing to market 2012 season to the 10000 people who bought tickets for the last game of the 2011 season.

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

I've seen articles where we've boasted some big figures.

I've heard that we've always been at war with Eastasia.

Re: David Tarry gone : Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:48 am  

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

I'm inclined to agree with him - a winning team should draw better crowds than posters and radio freebies.

So we just live in hope then and pay someone X amount of pounds? You are Mark Tarry and I claim my £5.

Re: David Tarry gone : Wed Jun 20, 2012 9:07 am  

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

No ambitions to catch up with Tesco then?

Of course they might want to reach Tesco's level, but realistically its not going happen. So they have the right idea in concentrating on what they're good at and what they need to do in order to keep their customers happy and make a nice living. In rugby terms we're never going to be as big as Wigan, but that doesn't excuse us from p1ss poor customer service (or does that cost money?). We need to keep our fans happy so they keep coming back, whilst trying to spread the word to attract new fans/customers. I really don't get your argument about your local shop and Tesco as it has no relevance to Salford and the way we've been run?

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

Not good enough, but all are issues linked the to the Stadium move. A pretty exceptional event that doesn't quantify how we've been run for 30 years.

Finally you've agreed that something isn't good enough, I must say I'm shocked! The Stadium move was in planning for 10 years it didn't just pop up out of the ground over night, if that was the case I can understand why we didn't have these necessities in place. But as everyone knew what was coming things should have been in place. These faults didn't happen at Warrington/hull/Wigan etc when they moved so why should it happen here? The board and people at the top should have been liaising with the builders, council and Peel to make sure simple things like a telephone were in place, not just for the first game of the season, but a week or two before our friendly against Leigh.

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

Could you offer some advice on how poorly we've handled commercial/sponsorship revenue opportunities? I've seen articles where we've boasted some big figures. Just good fortune?

Trish Goldsmith did a lot of good work with sponsorship she got sponsorship for the the Golden Angel scheme which was a great idea. A lot of other sponsors throughout the years have been from John's companies and John's business connections as well as friends such as Godliman and Watson. The recent sponsorship from the Trafford Centre and now Media City have a big part to do with the Salford City Council, Salford City Reds and Peel Holdings working together for the new stadium and also Peel and the Council working together to build Media city. I seriously doubt that DT clinched any of these deals.

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

I'm inclined to agree with him - a winning team should draw better crowds than posters and radio freebies. The Facebook feed from the club confirmed all the money goes into the team ahead of marketing for just that reason. Alas, even with our marketing coin in the squad budget, it's not enough.
I wasn't privy to those devious board meetings. Was he offered a massive marketing budget but couldn't be @rsed with the hassle of spending it?

Yeah, of course a winning team will bring people through the gates, but for him to sit there and say that he's relying on the team to do well is ludicrous as was his thinking that everyone would come flooding to watch Salford as soon as the stadium was built. Marketing does not have to cost that much money, your biggest marketing tools are already in place, the fans! If you keep them happy (which many haven't been for years), then they will bring friends, family etc along and word of mouth gets around. This thing about we're crap because we have a low budget is just an excuse. Yes money helps of course it does, but there are plenty of things that can be done on the cheap without costing the world.

I think the fact that we're even having this conversation and the fact I know of more people around the club that have my way of thinking speak volumes for the years under DT's leadership. The club has a lot of work to do to improve the trust and relationship between fans and that relationship didn't just fade overnight, but after years and years of mismanagement.

Re: David Tarry gone : Wed Jun 20, 2012 9:20 am  

EX.SALF.UNI wrote: No ambitions to catch up with Tesco then? Why would a corner shop want to catch up with Tesco? EX.SALF.UNI wrote: Not good enough, but all are issues linked the to the Stadium move. A pretty exceptional event that doesn't quantify how we've been run for 30 years. As well as the issues raised by Chester J Lampwick, I'd like to add the following: I emailed the club shop using the advertised email address (towards the end of the 2011 season) on the online shop, retail@reds.co.uk, and never got a response. I finally managed to get in touch with someone only to be told nobody knew where that email address went to. That's not the fault of the staff in the club shop who, Amanda in particular, were very helpful once I'd made contact, but someone at the club should have been responsible for checking the advertised address was live and, if not, either removing it from/changing it on the website or setting it up on a computer somewhere at the club. I'd also like a special mention for the issue of East Stand season ticket holders turning up for the second game, after the club had issued replacement cards to everyone, to be told they had to go around to the West Stand and find somewhere to sit as the East Stand wouldn't be open. They are now sat in there every week with the season tickets still not scanning properly and, despite constant assurances from the club, no replacements have been issued. That's hardly a challenging problem to sort out.

EX.SALF.UNI wrote: No ambitions to catch up with Tesco then? Why would a corner shop want to catch up with Tesco? EX.SALF.UNI wrote: Not good enough, but all are issues linked the to the Stadium move. A pretty exceptional event that doesn't quantify how we've been run for 30 years. As well as the issues raised by Chester J Lampwick, I'd like to add the following: I emailed the club shop using the advertised email address (towards the end of the 2011 season) on the online shop, retail@reds.co.uk, and never got a response. I finally managed to get in touch with someone only to be told nobody knew where that email address went to. That's not the fault of the staff in the club shop who, Amanda in particular, were very helpful once I'd made contact, but someone at the club should have been responsible for checking the advertised address was live and, if not, either removing it from/changing it on the website or setting it up on a computer somewhere at the club. I'd also like a special mention for the issue of East Stand season ticket holders turning up for the second game, after the club had issued replacement cards to everyone, to be told they had to go around to the West Stand and find somewhere to sit as the East Stand wouldn't be open. They are now sat in there every week with the season tickets still not scanning properly and, despite constant assurances from the club, no replacements have been issued. That's hardly a challenging problem to sort out.

Re: David Tarry gone : Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:34 am  

The Black Cat wrote:

So we just live in hope then and pay someone X amount of pounds? You are Mark Tarry and I claim my £5.

I had the same thought as I wrote that. Without much funding, does it require much 'managing'? Assuming no, that would support the redundancy decision but I'm still struggling to see that as a good news story. His salary going into the squad or some glossy posters is a benefit, I suppose.

Re: David Tarry gone : Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:55 am  

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

And presumably you always think their replacements can only improve matters?

No, and you'll struggle to find a post where I have suggested that to be the case.

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

Well there you have it. I don't know if he worked miracles keeping us ticking over with a limited budget or spent his time chuckling into a moustache comb, counting wads of pilfered cash.
I just don't believe you (and others here) know a great deal more than I do. Hope you're right, I'm just struggling to accept a management redundancy as the best news in 30 years

Just because we haven't been shadowing him daily for 30 years doesn't mean we can't assess his job performance by the results he produces. Results, which as several people have ably demonstrated to you on this thread are totally unacceptable.

I'd also like to add player's not being paid on time to list of shoddy club performance. I'm sure even you would agree the playing staff getting their wages on time falls under the remit of the CEO.

Re: David Tarry gone : Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:05 pm  

Ave It! wrote:

More than I fancied quoting...

Yeah, that corner shop analogy has probably run its course. I simply think the club are too small and underfunded to take on some of the initiatives I've seen and that's where they can be found wanting.
In terms of customer experience, mine has been pretty good. But maybe I'm just one of the lucky few.

I still have no idea how this redundancy is going to remedy anything but I take Chico/Lampwick's point about old/stale habits. Again, here's hoping the stand-in/s can kick us on.

Re: David Tarry gone : Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:13 pm  

EX.SALF.UNI wrote:

Yeah, that corner shop analogy has probably run its course. I simply think the club are too small and underfunded to take on some of the initiatives I've seen and that's where they can be found wanting.
In terms of customer experience, mine has been pretty good. But maybe I'm just one of the lucky few.

I still have no idea how this redundancy is going to remedy anything but I take Chico/Lampwick's point about old/stale habits. Again, here's hoping the stand-in/s can kick us on.

Which initiatives are we too small for?

As for customer service, were you not disgruntled to be promised a free commemorative shirt/piece of turf and never receive it? Surely that is a black mark on the 'pretty good' customer service you've had from the club?