Attendances & Fixture Leaflets

[Martin]

The point of the Trust is pretty clear from its rules which I have quoted above. If you think the current Trust board are ineffective in achieving these aims then you need to be a member so that when half the baord is up for election every year they can be replaced by people who will achieve those aims. The Trust is only as strong as its membership. It is all very well criticising the Trust but when the trust does organise things such as flyers and deliveries of leaflets it is the same very few people who turn up to hand them out. If you think they are just crap ideas poorly executed than sure you can say so but that opinion is worthless if you are not prepared to back it up when it comes to the election process.

 

I think the trust is in its third season or maybe fourth and so far in its history only twelve people have come forward to stand for a position on the Board and there have been no contested elections. That does not represent democracy it just represents the people who can be arsed to do that little bit extra.

 

The Trust is effectively a glorified Supporters Association but with the added "bonus" of an independent legal personality so if required it could run the football club.

[Martin]

I would also just like to add for the sake of clarity that I am not defending the Trust just because I am on the Board. I personally have disagreed with several decisions that the Board have taken in the past. However at Board Meetings matters are decided by vote and the majority obviously carries the decision.

 

However, I do defend the Trust as a notion. I think all football clubs should have Supporters Trusts as a method of protecting fans interests and hopefully of preserving struggling clubs. Sometimes it works well others less so. But the successful Trusts are the ones where the fans all work together as ultimately they have the same interests at heart.

[brighton_rebel]

Well said - but then people always prefer moaning to actually doing. The problem with society is people always want to know what someone/thing will do for them, when really its people getting together, sorting out problems, coming out with solutions that get things done far more effectively than waiting for someone else to sort it out.

Having said that, i'm disapointed the Trust don't want to print minutes of their meeting on the website, and that there isn't even a write up/minutes of the discussion at the AGM on the website.

The supporters of the club have to long been kept in the dark, the Trust should be as open as possible to attract more supporters.

[Barry Scott]

The problem is that people are now getting very fed up with the pretty crap way this club treats its fans. Now although we've had a few relegations along the way attendances have been dropping year after year since we were kicked out of the Conference and look set to drop again this year. People are effectively saying "You don't care about me, so I'll take my money elsewhere", so you have to wonder just how far our attendances have to sink before someone somewhere addresses the rot and comes in with a definite plan to turn this club around. If we all face facts, this club is on life support and can't carry on at its current level with such massive apathy being shown buy its owners

[GarySTFC]

How many people actually speak to Roy/Bernard directly?

[Roger Rebel]

You tell me.

[GarySTFC]

If I had an idea, I wouldn't be asking the question.

[Roger Rebel]

Of all the people i have seen talking to Roy you and Chris are the ones i see the most.

[Barry Scott]

Gary, it shouldn't be up to us as fans to ask things should it? They are running the club so I would guess that they should have some sort of obligation to at least give us an overview of what's going on, not relying on scraps and hearsay. I guess it just goes to show how important the people that pay in the gate are to them in the scheme of things

[GarySTFC]

Why shouldn't it? You want information, you supposedly know the source, yet can't ask for it?

[Barry Scott]

so what about the other 300 people? Don't the deserve a right to know? So why the money to fund the club for this season was dangerously close to not being paid at all? Why hasn't Deaner commited to funding the club next season? Until these questions get answered and there is a definite plan for the future, I'm not going to put any more money towards the directionless ship

[GarySTFC]

So you can't ask and post teh answers you got on here? Too tough?

[Martin]

This is now sliding into an interesting debate on corporate governance. Football clubs are historically poorly run. Just look at the recent Man Utd sale to the Glazers or Leeds pissing money up the wall gambling on the real estate value of Elland Road. The fans are not consulted on the running of the club and in my view that is the benefit of having a trust.

[Ted]

Quote:

Barry_Scott said:
so what about the other 300 people? Don't the deserve a right to know? So why the money to fund the club for this season was dangerously close to not being paid at all?

Sometimes during the summer its easier not to know what is happening, as that way there is less to worry about. I know that Roy spent a fair amount of the summer looking worried, but I'm not sure what everyone else looking worried too would have achieved. Until a ground is sorted out, I think most summers will be fraught.

[Barry Scott]

Quote:

Gary-STFC said:
So you can't ask and post teh answers you got on here? Too tough?

so what's the point of the website then?

[GarySTFC]

Why should that stop you asking questions that you clearly want answers to? The websites main function at the moment is for club information, fixtures, reports and video highlights. When we have time to ask for news, we do.

[Barry Scott]

Because we all know what the answers will be:

 

1. Where's Deaner? Mmmmmm....

2. Any plans for a stadium? Errrr.....

3. Any plans for the future? .......

4. Shouldn't the club's OFFICIAL website be used for OFFICIAL releases from the club? Web....site....We have one?

[GarySTFC]

When did you last ask?

[Barry Scott]

Why should it be down to the supporters to ask what the future of their club is? Surely the owners should be making this sort of knowledge known to all. Instead they fumble around and dodge the question like a true politician. The fact is they don't know, they have never known? Who has been putting pressure on the council? The trust. Who's been taking pictures of possible sites for a new stadium? The fans. But these sort of things the club should be doing, as well as giving us a regular stream of information to its customers but they've failed on all counts and are now driving away the fans. Including me.

[Roger Rebel]

Gary if i ask a question people take as a personal attack on them or there pet project.