The Royal ForesterWimbmuirinho
Well it's OMA, so excessive bile is the norm.
Podcasts (which btw, usually aren't done by the TTE editor) aren't always as good as they were with Wimb, that's true. But Wimb was exceptionally good - in comparison to other fan-led podcasts and blogs, TTE certainly holds its own.
(No disrespect to Tom Crocker, but they were better with Charlie Watts in there also)
But the thing with the TTE generally is - if you don't like their output, why not submit your own? They are always looking for content.
Much easier to snipe from the sidelines of course, then stick your head above the parapet by getting involved.
Cheers for the kind words, your fivers are in the post
If I didn't have a young daughter, a full-time job and maybe/hopefully a return to The Royal Exchange one day, I'd still love to be doing the show, hopefully I'll sneak back on for a guest spot once in a while.
Running TTE is an thankless task most of the time and one that isn't helped when people snipe at the content or the quality. It becomes even harder to motivate yourself when you read personal pops towards you, when you've given up free time for basically no financial incentive, just to provide a platform and information service for fans.
The podcast is a similar labour of love. To do it properly you need time to research and plan, plus an environment to record and willing guests who can fit around your schedule. I was lucky for many years to have all of those things but people get older/move/have kids/lose interest in the club and suddenly it's that much harder to do it to a top standard.
Marc and Olly are doing a fine job keeping things going and will both get even better as time goes on.
As Muirinho said, why not volunteer your time? Even 1 article a month makes a big difference. If 5/6 fans suddenly gave up their time to do the same it really would step up the content level. Likewise, if you're someone that's got a fair bit of free time and you don't mind editing, why not volunteer to help behind the scenes?
You only need to take a look at Elm Park Royals and how their fan website content died in very quick fashion to understand how tricky it is to keep churning out good, well written content. Fair play to Paul, he seems to have found his niche in 'unedited' podcasts/vodcasts but he quickly discovered how tough it is to run a website largely on your own.
There's a reason things like The Whiff die off and it has little to do with the quality of the product. Without a constant flow of new blood and/or financial investment to keep people around you're always fighting an uphill battle. It's the same with the Chronicle/Get Reading. There's a reason they can't keep top journalists around and I mean no disrespect to any of the guys and girls working there who are likewise doing their best in tough conditions.
So, what you are saying is "If you moan about what you see, come and see if you can do better"?
In a way
I'd say more it's a case of try and help provide something extra and be constructive. Not everyone has got the time, or the inclination to write themselves but there's plenty of ways you can help support the site if you want to see it improve/succeed.