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[Frosty]

Good to see an apology but a shame it's not from the person (still unidentified) who made the ghastly decision on the day.

If Jack left the ground and Andrew was at work, who was doing the Twitter after the 15 min mark?

Probably someone who was appointed through the club nepotistical tendancies

[GB Alty]

Good to see an apology but a shame it's not from the person (still unidentified) who made the ghastly decision on the day.

If Jack left the ground and Andrew was at work, who was doing the Twitter after the 15 min mark?

Probably someone who was appointed through the club nepotistical tendancies

All of the 29 know who it was

And yes nepotism sums it up

[Mausoleum Alty]

Good to see an apology but a shame it's not from the person (still unidentified) who made the ghastly decision on the day.

If Jack left the ground and Andrew was at work, who was doing the Twitter after the 15 min mark?

Probably someone who was appointed through the club nepotistical tendancies

All of the 29 know who it was

And yes nepotism sums it up

Big clue here   .....

I continued them after leaving the ground. Andrew and I often do it remotely when being at the game isn't viable

I think Dan Jones might like to explain why he removed the account. No apology from him in there.

[Hulme Robin]

The statement is bizarre - jack was sacked mid-game as a precaution? Where was the planning for that decision?

What a poor way to treat a hard working volunteer.

[alty.fc]

Social media is a relatively new phenomenon... really ?

Facebook is 13 years old and twitter is 11 years old

We are living in the past

[HashtagAlty]

I did the tweets up until 56 minutes

[wayno]

It's very honourable of Bill to apologise for somebody else's mistake.

your right but how much more can the fans take ?

I'm trying to remain upbeat but it's one thing after another

[(S)ALTY]

I find it abhorrent that Bill has been forced to make a statement on this issue, especially considering the circumstances surrounding the game which meant he couldn't be there.

I also think it's a disgrace that "the club" haven't apologised for the actions which have forced somebod, who volunteers a hell of a lot of time and effort, to pen a resignation.

I think it's a shambles that they have then allowed our Social media pages to not update for nearly 3 days, not even with a final score of the Stalybridge game.

It is also farcical that they then allowed the social media updates for the Nuneaton match to be handled by what can only be assumed to be an underperforming primate with severe dyslexia. One that then gave personal judgements on the game and asked who was getting drunk in the CSH after the game.

The whole thing stinks. Yet another PR disaster by the club. I didn't think the board could sink any lower, but forcing Bill to put his name to that caricature of a statement is beyond me.

Apart from a couple of recent TASC related announcements, Since November last year I have chosen not to post anything on the Forum,

This is due to the nature and subject matter and the declining standards that now pervades this once great Forum providing all supporters near and far,  the opportunity to discuss and debate, often with great wit and humour, a wide variety of Altrincham FC topics with fellow fans.    

I do however feel obliged to temporarily break my self- imposed code of silence to comment and refute the comments about the person who provided the Twiitter updates for the Nuneaton match.

Following the mass desertion of our so called ‘Social Media’ team with what I personally consider was a show of childish petulance (look it up Mike if you don’t know what it means ?) and having read Brian Flynn’s post that he and John Edwards had assumed the further responsibility of Twitter updates for Tuesday’s match v Nuneaton, on top of the many other duties both perform on a voluntary basis I offered my services to my fellow Radio Robins colleagues as I had not been selected for commentary duties for that particular match.

Brian was pleased to accept my offer of assistance particularly as John Edwards was acting as match summariser and Brian was overseeing the technicalities of ensuring Radio Robins hits the airways (or more correctly internet).

Unfortunately for myself, some 12 days before the Nuneaton match, I underwent emergency eye surgery at the Manchester Eye Hospital to repair a detached retina.  This resulted in a minimum 14 day recovery period where I suffered from blurred vision and restricted eyesight in my right eye due to a gas bubble inserted as part of the treatment.  This made it particularly difficult when looking downwards at say a keyboard,  

Despite this temporary impediment and having also had no previous experience in ‘Tweeting’ I offered my services. Brian offered me a crash course which took place 10 minutes before the scheduled kick off. This was because I had to make my way across from the Community Sports Hall after conducting the TASC Goal Rush Draws. The ‘Tweets’ were provided from Brian’s own laptop with a keyboard which was unfamiliar to myself.

Anyone who attended the match will also recall that the weather that night was particularly cold.  Not only did the extreme temperature cause my ‘bad’ eye to water excessively, one also had to cope with freezing fingers whilst trying to type without gloves.

Yes the ’Tweets’ were actually been provided by someone who was actually attending the match sat on the Radio Robins/Alty TV gantry in the freezing cold as opposed someone providing Tweets from the comfort of their own front room, or the Tatton Arms with a nice plate of prawn sandwiches and a pint close by.  

Given this set of background circumstances, I was disappointed to read, but decided against commenting on Hashtag Alty’s comment after the Nuneaton match namely ‘As for tonight Twitter. What an utter shambles’  after all everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I do however take exception to the suggestion that the service on the night was ‘ farcical’ the extent that ‘that they then allowed the social media updates for the Nuneaton match to be handled by what can only be assumed to be an underperforming primate with severe dyslexia.’

I fully accept that the standard and quality of the Tweets did not match up to the quality provided by our ‘Social Media’ team and on that score I would apologise to anyone who was following the match on Twitter if the service provided on the night dipped below your expected standards. I hope however that the extenuating circumstances outlined above provide adequate explanation. If given the opportunity again I am sure the quality will be much improved.
Whilst posting, I would further question the suggestion that I ‘gave personal judgements on the game and asked who was getting drunk in the CSH after the game.’

Having re-checked the Tweets made on the night, I am at a loss to understand how such conclusions can be arrived at ? The only two ‘Tweets’ I can only assume you are referring to, to arrive at such a damning conclusion are the following -

1.   Altrincham FC‏ @altrinchamfc Mar 21 Full time whistle - Final Score Atrincham 1 Nuneaton Town 3 Improved second half performance not good enough on night

2.   Altrincham FC‏ @altrinchamfc Mar 21 Everyone off to bar for a hot drink or something stronger ?

If the first ’Tweet’ one above is to be interpreted as a personal judgment then I plead ‘guilty as charged’

If you think the second ‘Tweet’ was an incitement to get drunk in the bar when you have been sat on a gantry for over an hour and a half in the freezing cold, trying to provide a service for our exiled supporters be it either Radio Robins,  Alty TV or Twitter  , then may I seriously suggest you ‘get a life?’ if all you can do is slag off people who have the best interests of Altrincham Football Club at heart.
Just stop for a minute and consider what would happen if Brian Flynn, John Edwards, Mark Bennett and the rest of the Radio Robins and Alty TV volunteers  acted in the same manner as our ‘Social Media’ team and upped sticks and walked out ?

Not only would that deprive many of our exiled Altrincham supporters a vital link, but how would our 'Social Media' team be able to Tweet from the comfort of their own homes. work or even The Tatton Arms ?
We may not be perfect at everything we do, after all some of us are just ‘ underperforming primates with severe dyslexia.’

In fact I may get that printed on a tee shirt and stand at the bar after the match getting drunk?

[Macsporran]

Great post Paul, nothing to add other than to hope that certain individuals who are venting on here take time to consider your comments and understand that you are a volunteer who does not deserve that kind of comment ( I hope you receive an appropriate apology, but somehow I doubt it )

Graeme

[GB Alty]

This from the guy that thought it would be a good idea to have John King present vs Stalybridge

Stop the hard luck stories, you wouldn't have had to jump in if the chairman hadn't spat his dummy out on the Saturday

If you don't understand twitter don't do it. Stop being a martyr - it comes across as a bit sad and depressing

[Spring]

Two points in response to Salty

1) I think it rather ingenuous to call it ' childish petulance ', when as I understand it the volunteers were locked out by someone at the club, changing their password. Equally until today, nobody contacted them to explain this.......you have the wrong person when you start bandying accusations of 'childish petulance about and maybe should accuse whoever took the decision to block the Twitter account.

2) Clearly you were not the right person to take over the Twitter duties in terms of both your health and your experience. I think you should be given every credit for being willing to step in to a situation that you admit was physically 'difficult when looking down at the keyboard' and for which you 'had no previous experience.'

My point is the person who made this decision to change the password created this situation and put you into the situation where you could have impaired your recovery and for which you were not sufficiently trained. You should receive no personal criticism but you have made a irrefutable case for why the person that made the decision should be held to account.  

Who was it that told Dan Jones to change the password ? .... as he clearly created all this, as you have so eloquently described and it is he who should be brought to account.

[markecky2]

Really hope this forum doesn't descend into name calling again, it seemed to have moved on from that in the week or so I've been reading it.

We've been blessed with a very high standard of social media posts through the years (if I may include myself in that as I started the Twitter and Facebook accounts with Brian and people after me were better than I was).  Fair play to Paul for stepping into the breach and doing his best, although you can't expect people to know you were doing it with cataracts or whatever you said mate.  

Statement's been done, doesn't really say much but most people know that Bill played no part in this due to his circumstances at the time and that either Dan Jones saw his arse and changed the password and then told Grahame or vice versa.

I believe the Facebook page has not been updated with any mention of the BPA game which is really sad.  Now it seems that the lads won't be coming back, surely a fresh appeal should be out there for new people to run it?  Sure we've got bigger fish to fry than Facebook but it's a public face of the club followed by many people with a passing interest and should be utilised.

Bottom line is that two very good volunteers with skills have now been lost, it's another hurdle to get over and it is another very very sad episode in a season of sad episodes.

[Teasierbeaver]

I did the tweets up until 56 minutes

As per my previous post, can we assume your update on 56 minutes was relaying info from radio robins or John Laidlers updates?

[Spring]

Markecky

Fair points but I find it totally perplexing that even at this stage, nobody has owned up to making the actual decision.

Why?

If the Club believe it was the right decision as Bill Waterson has stated, why is the decision maker so coy?

I also find it strange that the two volunteers were not contacted within, literally a few hours to have the decision explained to them, as they had clearly done a lot for the club and were keen supporters.

Twittergate, rather like Watergate gives the impression of a cover up .......although of course I could be entirely wrong and everyone has acted entirely innocently and in the best interests of the football club.  

[HashtagAlty]

e are able to perform twitter updates via Radio Robins, John Laidlar updates, and oppositions information - the latter two we use even when present at the game to ensure an accurate and fair coverage of events. So whether we are in the Tatton, at the game, or sat at home, able to provide a consistant level of coverage.

S(ALTY). What absolute drivel you've written.

Just stop for a minute and consider what would happen if Brian Flynn, John Edwards, Mark Bennett and the rest of the Radio Robins and Alty TV volunteers  acted in the same manner as our ‘Social Media’ team and upped sticks and walked out ?

How dare you tag the entire social media team with one brush. I walked out. Not Andrew. Not Jacque. Don't use Social media in inverted comment to imply we're some sort of weird off shoot cult. Grahame Rowley hanging up the phone and refusing to enter into adult communication regarding the whole twitter incidence equally childish.

Secondly, how many children walk out silently when repeated dialogue has failed? Finally, I was only spotted walking out after deciding to offer Pete Foster and Stacey a hand with their community banners which the chairman decided to use as a pawn in the day events.

following the mass desertion of our so called ‘Social Media’ team with what I personally consider was a show of childish petulance

I suggest rather than asking Mike to go look up words you spend a little more time brushing up on your own vocabulary. Mass when used as an adjective means a large number, group or selections of things, items or people. Not 1. The word desertion is a smilie for abandon. The social media account and coverage was never abadoned.