My View - An original fan (for what it's worth...)

[Ian_D]

Well, what an amazing, crazy, strange, gobsmaking, shocking, weird, emotional and, well, unusual few days! I remember getting the text from Kev at work on Tuesday morning saying we were national BBC headline news - Obviously a joke I thought...

 

But no, I rushed to the nearest TV to check the text and it was true. My emotions then were all over the place. The site had been mentioned before on this board so I kind of knew what it was about - but it was so out of the blue you wouldn't beleive. All I wanted to do at that point was go home and see what was going on etc etc...

 

After finishing my shift, which comprised of listening to Liam Daish and the players on Radio 1 (really, really weird), endless phone calls, and a lot of thinking and daydreaming (which all led to the 6 hour shift feeling like a 16 hour one), I finally got home and started trawling through the messages on this forum. Because I had had so much time to dwell on it beforehand, I thought I had prepared myself covering the pro's and con's of the takeover - but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see...(!)

 

It felt like a dream - why was it happening to my club? My little non league club was all over not just the national but the internation news. I've just seen on Wikipedia there's an unofficial dutch Ebbsfleet United site for f*cks sake!

 

After a couple of days, it's sinking in slowly but surely.

 

I have evaluated and reevaluated others views coupled with my opinions, but what makes it really difficult for me to decide on my overall opinion is all the apparent facts that aren't that are flying around. Who actually gets the final say on decisions? MyFC isn't actually a trust so technically it can actually make money legally. Who's sold what shares where and when?

 

To say the least I am completely confused!!

 

There's so many whens, buts and ifs - everything is up in the air regarding, well, everything as far as I can see - which makes it ten times harder to make sense of things!!

 

I started off by looking at the positives: All that extra income, publicity etc etc, more fans, debts paid off, the "fact" that if it all backfires because it's a limited company so no one ends up in debt - or something... lol

 

And then the negatives: me not getting a say in how my football club is run when people who hadn't even heard of the club before Tuesday, potential opposition fans having a say - or do they - does Liam have the casting vote (if so, what on earth have they paid £35 for? A chance to tell Liam he should play Moore instead of Nade and Diash turning back round and saying, no, screw you, you're wrong, I've got the casting vote? In that case MyFC could get done for false advertising and we get in the dodo for it?) Again that word pops up - confused.

 

And then you've got these tw@ts who think they own us. I ask them to look at this: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZEIs6Qmgbk

 

It is me with 4 other people at Aldershot singing our hearts out for our team. There 5 of us V 500 - THIS IS HOW MUCH THIS CLUB MEANS TO US. Some people chose to show their support in a different way - the simple fact that people travel the length and bredth of this country to watch their local team is outstanding, and without meaning to blow my own trumpet, these are the sort of people who should be 100% respected by the new followers.

 

And to my last opinion, and one which I know many of you will not agree with. I still back the board, whatever role they will soon be playing. I beleive that the new people bought in will have enough respect to listen to their voices and opinions. The board are always looking ahead - a mentality many of you do not agree with, but in complete honesty, I do. I have complete confidence in them, and in their ability, and I truely beleive they have put a step in the right direction. I also beleive with their influence, that they can guide us in the right direction, like they have been for the past 9 or so years that I have been supporting my local team.

 

At the end of the day, someone has to be a guinea pig - and it happened to be us. I am relishing this adventure, and whether it goes right or wrong, I will be there when it ends, that is, of course, if it ever does.

 

So, sorry for turning my short speech into an essay - no doubt the majority of people just skimmed through it and then click back to skim through the rest of the thousands of posts, but I feel better for getting half of what I wanted to say off my chest, in a somewhat unordered manor!

 

Onwards and Upwards

C'Mon the Fleet!

 

 

[TopherPlus]

Thanks for that bit of insight.

 

 

[Gordon T]

great, you have confidence in the board, who at the first oppurtunity have [****!!****] off to get money back.

 

Who pissed off at the first oppurtunity. Lets not forget the people who have paid up doesn't equal 700k. therefore more need to pay up. which may not happen, theres so much which hopeullfy and realistically shouldn't happen to actually take over.

 

Then again i refused the name change and you got that ebbsfleet shirt so what do i know eh?!?!??!

 

ps when it goes wrong will you be there in the same level league that afc wimbledon/hornchurch/telford went to?

[rsheard]

Ian, read the whole thing, enjoyed seeing your passion on the video, and hope one day to see you at the ground.

[Graham S]

Originally Posted By: Gordon T

great, you have confidence in the board, who at the first oppurtunity have [****!!****] off to get money back.

ps when it goes wrong will you be there in the same level league that afc wimbledon/hornchurch/telford went to?

This would be the same Board who oversaw us getting into the top level of Non League Football when nobody else gave us a chance. I remember talking to Brian in The Somerset at the start of our promotion season & him saying how he'd researched & costed life a level up & decided it could be done: not somebody who jumps into something with his eyes closed.

Also, they haven't exactly p*ssed off have they. You talk as if they have sold out, taken the money & run. Totally unfair. What profit have they made out of this? How have they p*ssed off when they will all remain directors, doing their old jobs. Bryan said he will still be working on getting us a new ground - he just doesn't have to worry about where the club's share of the funding is going to come from anymore.

Of course I have reservations & like Ian's they're mainly to do with how the whole democracy thing will work on such things as team selection & player deals.

However, I finish with the same question I asked yesterday? What would we be saying about our Board if another Conference Club's directors had secured this deal while ours stood by saying it would never work?

Graham S

[thatguy]

Now the shock has worn off, I feel that there is no point bitching about MyFC taking over, it is going to happen, regardless, so the best way to make sure the club you love is around after the initial year is to pay the £35 and become one of the new owners. Which is what I will do right now!

Who knows, if this does work, then it may be taken up by other teams.

Fleet for life.

 

P.S. Everyone has been asking what can we do to increase revenue and attendance figures, and now a solution has been found. You're still not happy.

[Slartibartfast]

Maybe I am being a bit thick here but just about every quote I have heard from Brian, Jason et al has stated that their ambition is to 'Get the club into the football league'.

 

Although many of us have said that a mid-table position for a club of our size is hitting above our weight that has never been the boards target.

 

They have tried putting a professional club that is capable of doing that in front of the local people and nobody came.

 

Brian has said on more than one occasion that if somebody came forward with the money to take the club forward he would back them, well one person didn't come forward 20,000 did.

 

I am not sure yet that I agree with whats happening but it is consistent with the boards stated intentions.

 

 

[Hannah]

Ian, that is one of the best posts I've read on the topic.

 

 

I'm still not happy with it but it's happening - and it's something that has to be gotten used to and I will support the club no matter what and will buy another season ticket next year (even though I work there)

 

I'm willing to see how this goes.

[MrMushroom]

Good post Ian. The way this was suddenly foisted on us was bound to cause negative reactions and anger. We need to time to think about it (and about what will happen if we don't get the additional funding).

 

Over the 40 or so years that I have followed the Fleet we have been fortunate in having boards of directors that have let the manager get on with managing. But the individuals on the board change from time to time and it would be quite possible to get a strong individual on the board who tries to treat the club as his personal fiefdom. At least this way no one individual can dominate.

 

Will it work? I don't know. But at this level of football the finances are always precarious as evidenced by the number of clubs going into administration in recent seasons, so we have no guarantees of continuing as we are anyway.

 

This looks like a way of improving the finances, raising the profile of the club and probably improving attendances - which will at the very least will keep the administrators away for a few more seasons. If it works it will keep them away for good. On that basis I'm happy to give it a go.