The PR gaffs just keep on coming from MFC.
We've had Southgate insisting that Downing only enquired about a move whilst Keith Lamb was blithely informing the Press that the winger had in fact put in a written request.
After that, Southgate (again) reassured the fans that our dismal League position was okay when compared to North East rivals Newcastle and Sunderland because we "aren't as big a club".
And now, when Boro need any scrap of support they can stumble across, the club sends a letter to its most vocal supporters telling them to keep the noise down!
Words almost fail me.
The initial letter, which has been reproduced on the ComeOnBoro.com message board by a helpful (and no doubt disbelieving fan), is headed:
'Dear Block 53A supporter. Standing at The Riverside Stadium'
It continues:
"Over the last few games this season the stewards have tried hard to persuade you all to sit down in this area of the ground."
The last few games at the Riverside we have not won, have failed to score and have been almost uniformly awful. If fans are standing up at this point, they are probably contemplating throwing themselves off the roof, or possibly considering offering themselves as a substitute because the football on display can't get much worse.
In another section of the letter, the fans are asked for co-operation:
"We need you to work with the stewards towards a safe environment, this compromise is the way forward and respects the wishes of other fans, which want to sit in the same area as you but cannot stand."
Which fans are these? Obviously Sue Watson, the Safety Officer to whom the letter is attributed, meant 'who' and as mistakes go, it is not a huge one.
I understand that she, or whoever physically typed the letter, may have just made a typing error, or was tired and made a simple grammatical error. After all, as a journalist, I know how easy it is to do.
But unfortunately this is why people are employed to proof read and this is especially important when you are trying to make a persuasive argument.
The actual request made in the letter: "If you could adhere to this but still maintain your level of support then all parties will be happy" is a reasonable one.
Unfortunately, there are two major issues with the letter.
Firstly, it is "badly worded" as Neil Bausor politely put it and secondly, and far more importantly, it is a personal communication from a club that appears to be losing grip of reality.
And if the damage wasn't already done, the letter ends on a sour note:
"Please stop, make as much noise as you like when we score, but this constant noise is driving some fans mad."
This statement is so wrong on so many levels that I'm struggling to comprehend it.
Firstly, if the fans only made noise when Boro scored, the Riverside would be even more deathly silent than it currently is.
Secondly, the idea that there is 'constant noise' anywhere in the stadium other than a couple of fans sobbing quietly into their Boro emblazoned handkerchiefs is ridiculous.
Finally, any fan still supporting the Boro by paying their money to go and watch them in the increasingly futile hope that we win is quite clearly not in their right mind. I know, I'm one of them.
Repeating the same action over and over again whilst expecting different results is one definition of insanity. Does this sound familiar?
The club issued a written apology (which was too little, too late) and when it became clear that that was not going to satisfy the bloodlust, they sent Boro's Chief Operating Officer Neil Bausor to Radio Five Live in a desperate attempt to clear up the mess.
Bausor said that he "understands how the wording of the letter could easily have been misunderstood as discouraging fans from creating a loud atmosphere."
Of course he does, he is not an idiot.
I haven't had many dealings with Neil Bausor, unless you count us both abseiling off the roof of the Riverside Stadium last year for charity! However, I am aware of the positive impact he has made on the club.
I respect the need to make the stadium family friendly and safe - Boro have the highest number of female supporters in the Premier League for example - and I would suggest that this is in part because they do feel safe at the Riverside.
The club are trying to listen to the fans and this letter was intended to make that clear. But boy did they mess it up.
The official apology from MFC reads: "We want to make it absolutely clear, as Sue says in her letter, that Middlesbrough FC encourages the fans to back the team with passion and noise.
"The fans' backing is absolutely essential and we would never discourage passionate support.
"Sue's letter was a result of a number of fans moving from the North Stand to Block 53a to create a louder atmosphere in that area. Unfortunately, other supporters who have sat in that area for some years have been upset by those new to the block constantly standing and banging on the plastic sheeting at the back of the stand.
"We have been consulting with supporter groups in the area and indeed held a meeting with them on Friday with the aim of achieving the best atmosphere for all fans.
"The letter was designed to ask those fans new to Block 53a to continue to back the team with passion and noise but to have respect for their fellow fans too.
"However, we do understand the strength of feeling on this issue and we do accept the letter could easily have been misunderstood. We apologise to any supporters who have therefore been understandably annoyed.
"The club's fans have been excellent throughout what has been a difficult season and we are going to need their support and backing throughout the remainder of the season. We thank the fans for their ongoing support of the team."
The apology, as opposed to the initial letter, is very carefully worded. This begs the question why was there such a cock-up in the first place? It also ends on a positive note, because that is basic PR.
If Boro were winning and the exact same letter had gone out, it would still have been a bad mistake as the fans would still have felt patronised and misunderstood. However, it would have been forgotten far quicker than it will be now.
From a club with a disenfranchised support, driven by dreadful displays of what is still being generously described as 'football', it was a serious own goal and once again the club as an organisation have ended up looking totally inept.
Well, we did ask for consistency...
First published on www.ComeOnBoro.com on 24/2/2009
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