This is the sun, it's out today, so enjoy, biblical stuff is forecast this weekend!
Here at TLG Towers we try to keep a sunny disposition even when it's pissing down so this hottest day of the year had me entering the office with a bigger spring in our step than usual, and even bigger when I get out and go to the pub.
Did anyone catch the wonderful Lynn Jones from Southend Council last night on the local BBC news? What a performance! Informing us how the credit crunch is not hitting sunny Southend, 750 visitors up to 3000 a day flocking to our sandy beaches. I certainly wouldn't argue that figure with the Mum they put in front of the cameras to interview, scary, and that was just the youngest of her three kids, I would have taken the crab on first!
Tilly places the pre-match meal in front of the lads, Macca asks for more chips
As for the team that represents the town the next three friendlies take on a bigger significance that they might have done on paper. This is yet another test for T&B, one I'm sure they will cope with, but writing about legends such as Eastwood, Maher, Flavs, Gower, and, yes, Hunt, as they all start new careers with new clubs makes old bastards such as me pine away a bit.
So far a pattern has not emerged for the new era and some additions to the squad are needed sooner rather than later, this is all old hat of course, but it would be nice for the faithful making the trip to Billericay tonight to see a strong performance. Certainly the manager and the players seem to be making the right noises, hope we get some good feedback, report as usual straight after the game.
Shown for no other reason than to cheer us up
We are truly blessed here at Southend with a number of websites keeping us up to date and amused with what's going on, even the Farmers probably read ours to find out who they are signing, well at least they are, signing players that is!
When I took over the editorship at TLG I knew it was an impossible task to return to the glories of the Mark and Robert's era. It was their excellent writing that kept me informed of the Blues when I was travelling around Australia five years ago and made me want to help out when they left and the site started to decline.
FootyMAD sites can be unloved, and reading some of the message boards I can see why, but if you can fight through the ads, nothing I can do there I'm afraid, there's a wealth of information that the IT boys back at HQ work hard to set up, second only to the excellent SUFC database IMO, full of statistics that covers the whole of the Football League and not just the Blues. Some other sites in the division have got some hard working editors attached as well.
Anyway we aim to keep giving an alternative to the other sights, BBC4, without the boring bits but with The Thick of It, to BBC3. Older but not ancient, thoughtful but not sleepwalking, bringing a smile not a frown, the background to the story as well as the headlines as well as a screaming breaking news on the front page now and again. Certainly not saying we are the biggest, best and first with the news everytime, and certainly not just logging on to NewsNow and reprinting the local papers, (er, we have been guilty of this as well but do try putting in some good old fashioned legwork in at times, however we all have our day jobs to do on occasions.)
Being based in London, and even Thurrock Blue works in the smoke, though I'm not sure Teddington counts, it can be difficult to pick up the local gossip but that should improve in the autumn when hopefully an ambitious young lad will keep his ear to the ground, and the training ground at that, for us all. I got some juicy quotes from Tilly and players last season given to him and his Dad that never saw the light of day as I was not able to edit the site, not anymore. I just hope I can afford them!
Like Gordon Brown's Government, (em, maybe I should change that), we are full of ideas and even though I'm nervous of sharing them now, as many seem to end up in some twilight zone of a state on other sites, oh well imitation and all that, however I'm confident the TLG style of original and witty editorial will win through. We will continue to treat our readers with the intelligence we always try and bring to our work. Certainly the clicks are well up from last year so thanks to everyone, old and new.
1) Name change. It will happen. Alan Little has long gone and the Tilly Gazette just doesn't sound right. I thought about clever names like Brett to Stan, 1-0 or Judas Fry finds Sleeping Dwarf but they were just silly! I like the Gazette name, it fits in what we are trying to do, an old fashioned paper on the web. And it's less work to redesign. So it's The Shrimpers Gazette, yes, just what the world needs, another Shrimper named Southend United website but tough, I'm the boss and I can do what I like. HA, HA, HA, HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Er, The FootyMAD newsletter has jumped the gun but until I get the banner heading right, TLG it remains.2) More sections to add; a) The Day Return section we'll start working on today. b) Back in Time was up for the first time this morning, enjoy. c) The Match is a new section that will hopefully help all those going to the game and those left at home. The legendary EEB Preview, (blimey I sound like an electricity company), will be here for news before the match while Day Tripper will continue to give our reporters view of his trip to the venue as well as a full report with marks out of ten. e) For every home game The TB Report will be giving us Thurrock Blues' pearls of wisdom as well as the odd guest reviewer now and again. f) For most away games there should be a personal report in Day Tripper and TLG will be represented at all away games however if anybody wants to join as a reporter please click on the Email the Editor link on the front page and send your details in. A beer of your choice, or a glass of white wine for the lady, for every half decent report. g) The Club Lounge. Missed a game, want to know the score around the leagues, need to know what's going on at other League One clubs? Put your feet up and enjoy first class service all the way. The perfect section for a Sunday afternoon when back from the pub!
3) The Shrimpers Trust will have a section all to their good selves on the front page. This is hardly exclusive but if it brings one fiver into the Trust's pocket or one extra booking for an away trip it's a job well done.
4) I'm hoping to do the same for the new SUFC Exiles group, as I am one, but I'm waiting to hear back for confirmation from the boss.
5) Well there is a five, and six to ten, but the sun's starting to cloud over here in the capital, no beach for us, and I've got some Greek suntan to keep from fading. May the force be with you, and us, and Southend United F.C. As TB would say, and has, 'In T&B We Trust,' in fact I might add that to the headline, well it's better than 'An Intelligent Alternative,' what the smeg does that mean? And I put it up!
EEB