Any answer yet from 1893

[lovely stuff]

Its been a month or so since our chairman wrote to Mr Whittington.Has there been an official reply yet? If not,why not? There have been several friendlies now,so people have had the chance to meet and talk with their fellow fans/boardmembers.

 

I would like to see things clarified once and for all before the start of the season.

 

As i understand,it was not an open-ended offer by ETFC,but a final offer of consiliation.As such,1983 need to quickly make a decision either way.Either NO Thank you,or YES to tentative merger talks.Which is it to be?

 

[Man From Mars]

Obviously its No . Steve has started the club again . And your all too cliquey anyway.

[theabbeyabbott]

oooh......

[lovely stuff]

Is it too much to expect the courtesy of an official reply?

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Can't say an olive branch wasn't offered though!

 

Cliquee? We were willing to welcome with open arms you nomads!

[lovely stuff]

Never again,if this final offer refused.Its not an offer that can be taken up a year or two down the line (when all other options have dried up).

 

I have never doubted that the forming of Enfield Town was the correct course of action under the situation faced at the time.Never more so than in the last few months.

[theabbeyabbott]

Originally Posted By: lovely stuff

Is it too much to expect the courtesy of an official reply?

Are you an official?

[lovely stuff]

No.Why do you ask?

 

An offical reply would be of course need to be directed to Towns Chairman.Who would then in turn,inform the clubs members of the response.

[theabbeyabbott]

Was curious, just love how the fans want to know instantly club business. How do you know then they haven't answered.......how do you know delicate negotiations are not taking place? Would you like it plastered over these forums? We could go on.......but others will come out of the woodwork soon enough.

[Gazza]

Oh your so Waltham Abbey its untrue!

[lovely stuff]

Originally Posted By: abbeynut

Was curious, just love how the fans want to know instantly club business. How do you know then they haven't answered.......how do you know delicate negotiations are not taking place? Would you like it plastered over these forums? We could go on.......but others will come out of the woodwork soon enough.

Thats why my topic said 'Any news yet? .And 'Has there been any official reply? Both reasonable questions.

As you know,ETFC is a supporters owned and run club.Every member equally owns one share each.As such,imformation required by members is different to that of other clubs.Nothing can eventually happen with regard to any merger until it has been put before supporters and voted on.If our chairman officially reproduces a letter he has sent to another clubs chairman on the official website,then he is obliged to reproduce any reply that is received.Which i'm sure he will.

[Jim Cunneen]

 

 

EFC's Chairman made his position perfectly clear on their web site and was very polite in doing so.

 

I wish them the very best of luck and all the success.

 

 

[Steph]

Jim

 

I have had a quick look but cannot find it. You'll have to point me to it I am afraid.

[andyetfc]

Originally Posted By: lovely stuff

Originally Posted By: abbeynut

Was curious, just love how the fans want to know instantly club business. How do you know then they haven't answered.......how do you know delicate negotiations are not taking place? Would you like it plastered over these forums? We could go on.......but others will come out of the woodwork soon enough.

Thats why my topic said 'Any news yet? .And 'Has there been any official reply? Both reasonable questions.

As you know,ETFC is a supporters owned and run club.Every member equally owns one share each.As such,imformation required by members is different to that of other clubs.Nothing can eventually happen with regard to any merger until it has been put before supporters and voted on.If our chairman officially reproduces a letter he has sent to another clubs chairman on the official website,then he is obliged to reproduce any reply that is received.Which i'm sure he will.

Are members still not waiting for the outcome of the Brimmo consultation regarding a possible shared lease?

[Mr Happy]

For feck's sake!!! Why should Whittington and his pals merge with us. They have invested their own money into EFC so they ain't gonna throw all that away. Added to that is the fact that they have wiped away the old debt and have re-started just one league lower than last year at a level they have played at before. They are debt free. We are not. We are attempting to share at Brimmo. If that goes through I wouldn't be surprised if the council wipes their hands clean of all this ground situation and give them Donkey Lane. They are business men and don't bet against them raising the finances required. Of course this is just my view but other agree that this could be the case. It is sheer stupidity to think that the EFC board would simply merge with ETFC and walk away. Time for certain people to accept the real world methinks!

[lovely stuff]

Happy.You seem to be putting across the best case senario that could possibliy happen for 1893.No doubt,because you are against any merger.I've no doubt Mr whittington is holding out for the slim possibilty that everything will fall in place and they can get Donkey Lane.As such, i wish he would officially refuse any talks in writing ,so that both clubs can move on.

 

Rather than painting such a rosy picture.The reality is that the likelyhood of things falling into place for 1893 is very very slim.It seems to be a chance Mr whittington is willing to take.Will Town lease Brimo? maybe/maybe not.Will the council dismiss Towns intest in Donkey lane,just because they have a base at Brimo?Will the council insist on both clubs using it? Will the council ever release Donkey lane to either team?Its all ifs and buts.

 

The fact remains that when Mr whittingtons consortium took over the EFC, they knew the club had no income and massive debts,and has subsiquently seen them fall from the ryman prem into minor football,whilst spending all that period still playing out of the borough,and in the process lost the name of the club (and along the way, lost a lot of the respect and admiration that the name 'Enfield Fc' had in the non-league game),but as Happys says,he has put a lot of money into the club to keep it running,and would not be willing to release any of his power,especially with a small sniff of Donkey Lane.

 

To be honest, since EFC folded and 1893 started at a lower level,i have lost interest in a merger.I just want it sorted once and for all,before the season starts.

 

 

 

 

[The Invisible Man]

I tend to agree with LS.

 

Our letter was a good and wise move. No solutins to the problems of different constitutions, financial interests or anything was put forward at that stage, it merely offered initial discussions. Those discussions may well have shown that a merger was not possible, primarily for the reasons Happy describes. But we tried, and if as it seems the reply is a courteous negative (!) then so be it.

 

I cannot see why the council would 'give' 1893 a stadium, QE or anywhere else. Certainly I would hope (probably in vain) that the council would give support to the Borough's senior non-league football club and work with us, but I cannot see how they could use council money to favour a football club from outside the borough in its first season. Possibly that would be open to a legal challenge.

[Mr Happy]

LS, you are wrong. I would love to see a united Enfield. However, I am being realistic regarding the chances for a merger and am concerned that the council would just like to see all parties happy. I just felt that the statement our board made was rather niaive and demonstrated a lack of understanding of the way in which business works.

[lovely stuff]

From my understanding we have previously made a couple of tenative and private approches with regards to opening up some sort of dialogue.I feel that going public was a way for our board to finally draw a line under any talk of merger IF this final public declaration was rejected.

 

I want my board to be as open and transparent as humanly possible.(only very sensitive matters that would hurt the club if becoming public knowledge,should remain private amonst the boardmembers).As such, i was pleased that our board was transparent with their approach to EFC.I also beleive it was calculated decision to go public,rather than a niave one.

[Mr Happy]

I understand your point there and you may be right.