Groundshare?

[Hempstead Gaz]

Originally Posted By: Harry J Allstars

It's all rubbish apparently.

Probably not as much rubbish as you post on Confguide.
Btw, haven't seen JC posting much about the takeover.
In fact he hasn't posted ANYTHING about the takeover. On holiday?

[Jimmy]

He's around.

 

Was at Oxford on Saturday.

 

 

[Slartibartfast]

It could be that he is waiting for some facts to form an opinion on rather than going off half cocked.*

 

 

 

 

*I realise that some of our posters in the past week don't need facts as they are already complete cocks.

[Hempstead Gaz]

Originally Posted By: Slartibartfast

It could be that he is waiting for some facts to form an opinion on rather than going off half cocked.*
*

We could be in for a long wait then!
Can't see why JC is so quiet on the subject. Most regulars have come out one way or another - the fact is unless it all goes belly up in 5 weeks time - we will have new owners, reduced or no debt, spare cash for investment into players and ground.
This is history making stuff, right or wrong it's probably going to happen.

[American FLEET FAN No1]

I know I will be slagged for banging on about this, but do the Math(S). Their contributions will not be able to take care of all the issues you speak about!

If they try to do that, the money will be spread very thinly!

[Hempstead Gaz]

By my reckoning , £632,00 will become available to the club between signing and this time next year.

If nothing else, it will help clear our debt.

 

[American FLEET FAN No1]

IFit cancels the debt, doesn't leave much(if any) for the other issues.

[Santa]

In answer to AFFs point, I don't expect nor would anybody in their right mind (no reference intended to our new friends) would spend all of the money in year one. You predict what the income will be in year two, three and four etc,average and spread it accordingly allowing for a steady progression. It wont give the instant gratification perhaps some MyFC members want but it is one way to smooth any spikes in the income.

[BustaGut]

Originally Posted By: Santa

In answer to AFFs point, I don't expect nor would anybody in their right mind (no reference intended to our new friends) would spend all of the money in year one. You predict what the income will be in year two, three and four etc,average and spread it accordingly allowing for a steady progression. It wont give the instant gratification perhaps some MyFC members want but it is one way to smooth any spikes in the income.

Awwwwwwww come on santa, we all know in real life you always empty your sack fully

[Slartibartfast]

How many members make up that total C.G.? and what makes you think that there won't be more, or less of course.

[Hempstead Gaz]

I'm informed there are now 23,000 paid up members x £27.50 going to the club = £632.500. Roughly. Still more than we can exprect from gate receipts this (and any onther) season.

It's a similar cash windfall to playing Man Utd away in the FA Cup.

[Santa]

Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary

the fact is unless it all goes belly up in 5 weeks time - we will have new owners

This really is what people need to focus on. The controlling interest in the club is being sold. I am not even sure to whom yet, is it the trust or MyFC Ltd ? Regardless, I think the best thing the fans can do is to be in a position to pick up the pieces when and if the froth on this venture blows away.

If the MyFC powers that be and their Trust are truly for a fans club and this thing doesn't work out (a definition of which would have to be agreed) then they should have no problem agreeing to sell their shares back to the Supporters Trust/existing directors. If they cant agree to this then you would start to worry about their motives.

I hope the Supporter Trust might take the suggestion forward. If the ST were to put forward some contingency plans to secure the clubs future then I would join and they can have my money (I dont think I will join MyFC regardless of its merits). I look forward to the outcome of the meeting on Wednesday which I hope will define the ST's position on the issue and the announcement on Thursday.

[Hirsty]

Getting back to the Grays groundshare, I hope they decide on Thurrock, not so far to go equals another couple of beers. That is assuming that both Grays & us are in the same league next year !!

[Bill Kent]

Well, if all goes well, I and a few other of the faithful will also be part of the owners club. Get aboard CG and enjoy the ride (Albeit a little bumpy maybe). We can't lose once the dosh is in the bin.

 

[Hempstead Gaz]

I'll be signing up after the deal has been signed, Bill.

[Hirsty]

Nice one CG.....you and the others might even get to a game soon !!!.....only a joke !! but I couldn't resist !!

 

Cheers,

 

[Harry J Allstars]

Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary

Probably not as much rubbish as you post on Confguide.

See here 27th post down.

"LOL.
Coming from you, Harry.
Side splitting. Another rib has gone!
Brilliant.
And I have just utilised the ignore poster facility for the first time"

Three days that lasted.

Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary

Btw, haven't seen JC posting much about the takeover.
In fact he hasn't posted ANYTHING about the takeover. On holiday?

Last seen sitting on the fence. Why would he go on holiday during the football season and miss some games, he's a REAL fan.

[jc]

Originally Posted By: Chatham Gary

Originally Posted By: Slartibartfast

It could be that he is waiting for some facts to form an opinion on rather than going off half cocked.

We could be in for a long wait then!
Can't see why JC is so quiet on the subject.

It appears Slarti has answered your question – before you had even asked it, in fact. OK, so we’re certainly not in possession of the full facts yet, but we’re slowly getting more of a handle on where this takeover may lead and we’ve all had a chance to think rationally about it after the initial bombshell. Perhaps I just didn’t want to post anything silly straight after the announcement when emotions were running high and it was all a bit too much to take in – clearly something which didn’t concern some.

Now I’ve had time to reflect on it (and, I’m sure like most of us, I’ve done little else since last Tuesday), and since you’ve clearly been so desperate to hear it, Gary, here’s my two penn’orth.

There has been criticism of those who have been unwelcoming to MyFC members, but it’s only natural to feel as though one’s own Club is being invaded to a certain extent. Equally, and on a related point, people’s anger is also (as with the name change) as a result of a sense of powerlessness, i.e. the fact that a board can make such significant decisions about the very fabric of the Club you support with you being unable to stop them – people will express this anger in a variety of ways, and their right to do this must be respected.

Also as with the name change, fans may feel unqualified to comment, further adding to the frustration. With the name change, it was the promise of tangible benefits to the club in the long term, most notably with regard to the new ground, the nature of which couldn’t be elaborated on by the board for reasons of confidentiality agreements etc.; in this case, it’s the indication by the board that the Club financially unsustainable under its current conditions. This may well be true; what is less clear is how close the Club really was to ruin, how urgent the situation was, and whether a reduction in costs and/or a switch back to part-time status could have been an option (something which I would have had no problem with if that was the chosen course of action, even if it meant sliding down the division – since, as I’ve said before, winning at all costs isn’t really something I subscribe to, and my pleasure in supporting the Club wouldn’t necessarily be degraded).

The concept of fans running a club is in essence an excellent one, but I cannot endorse this particular version of it in its entirety, given certain significant flaws: in particular, the fact that the vast majority of members have never had any connection with our team or local area, and therefore are not existing fans (for many, the absence of the emotional attachment that is developed by attending matches means the £35 per year can be terminated just as easily as it was set up – MyFC have promised not to overspend, but with subscription periods likely to commence every January, it will be interesting to see how a large fall in members mid-season would affect players’ contracts); and the concept of people having a say in the selection of a team they’ve in many cases never seen play, coming back to the essential point that (however often certain posters try to dispute it) you cannot legitimately comment on matches you haven’t seen.

The way I’m looking at it to reassure myself is as though there would almost be two clubs: the real club, just as it always has been in a sense, with real loyal supporters, players and staff (after all, control of a club through the internet can only be taken so far; day-to-day tasks such as contract and transfer negotiations would still have to be carried out in private as they always have been, for example, and comments by both directors and players seem to imply the notion of fans picking the team may be somewhat misleading, with Daish having full control over his briefings to MyFC members, and those who haven’t seen recent matches surely unable to authoritatively dispute the manager’s decisions); and the fantasy club followed by those whose only connection to it is through a computer (in light of this, the ‘Championship Manager’ comparisons, while a little simplistic, are hardly totally incongruous). That’s not to say the former is a closed society; indeed, I’d encourage MyFC members to attend games whenever they can – to not do this would be rather like the disturbing concept, unthinkable only two or three decades ago and so prevalent in this Sky era, of claiming to be a true supporter despite never having lived in or visited the club in question or its local area.

The fact that this is of course an experiment isn’t entirely reassuring, as Chris Blanc as rightly indicated in his highlighting of certain conflicting messages as to how the Club will be administered. In the end, though, the takeover seems likely to go through – you can either take the board’s word for the grave nature of the Club’s position (and, in the absence of the full picture, we have little choice but to do this) and appreciate that a major change was the only option, recognize that the Club is a higher and wider entity than whoever is in stewardship of it at any given time, and maintain your support; or find the whole business so unpalatable that you break it off. In my case, it’ll certainly be the former, and it’s vital that the supporters and the Trust stay strong in case things take a negative turn under the new regime.

Thanks for the kind posts Slarti – please feel free to come over and have a chat on Saturday anyway. If it wasn’t for the fact I agree with you so often, you knowing who I was but not vice versa would be quite unsettling.

[Harry J Allstars]

Well you did ask, Gary.

[Slartibartfast]

Originally Posted By: jc

Thanks for the kind posts Slarti – please feel free to come over and have a chat on Saturday anyway. If it wasn’t for the fact I agree with you so often, you knowing who I was but not vice versa would be quite unsettling.

If you and Harry stick your photo's in the fan magazine don't be surprised if you get stalked some noteriety.

Now just refresh my memory, Harry is the one who looks like a Hitler Youth member and you are the young Paul Weller right?