To the‘real’ fans of the club! - an apology

[PaulyH]

Hi guys

 

Hope you are all ok and the news of the latest developments are starting to sink in. I’m am a MyFC member. I paid my £35 quid near the beginning of the project. What a great idea I thought. The concept had me gripped. How cool would it to be to be a part owner in a football club, help pick the team, and help make decisions on the club. As a concept and theory it’s a brilliant idea and in practice it may well work I hope for your sake it does. But before I go any further I just want to tell you something about myself.

 

I’m a Norwich City fan and season ticket holder for my sins, yes things are not going great for us at the moment but that’s part of being a fan isn’t it? You do your bit, you complain about it in the pub after the game but its MY club and if anyone knocks it I’ll defend it to the hilt.

 

Reading through the forum today I realised I missed one fundamentally huge part in this whole takeover. You guys. The fans! I wasn’t naïve enough to think you didn’t exist, or arrogant enough to not care, but because we had no club when I bought into MyFC you and your fan base were not ‘real’ in my mind. Of course until the idea became reality a few days ago.

 

I appreciate my moral u-turn at this point may be considered by some unhelpful now. What if all MyFC members did the same? I feel at this point I don’t want anything to do with it. If this was my club I would be hurting right now. This almost certainly is not ‘just another takeover’.

 

Lets change the badge.

Lets move the ground.

Lets do this.

Lets do that.

 

Who the hell are we to come along in our vast numbers and tell you what we want to do to your club and your heritage? Because until the other day we wouldn’t have cared less about it while, to all extents and purposes, this club’s issues have been at the front of your minds for years. Just like Norwich’s are to mine.

 

It would be distinctly selfish and un-thoughtful to withdraw my investment now. I understand that so I am offering my stake (free of charge) to a real fan of this club, if indeed they want it. I’m not sure how the logistics of this would work but I’m sure it is possible.

 

As I said, I am a genuine fan of another club, maybe the conflict of interests has also had an effect on my conscience. And so from one fan to another I apologise for my lack of foresight and sympathy. If this had been any other business there would not be a problem. But a football club isn’t just another business. It is an emotive business with many people investing their emotions week after week, year after year.

 

I wish you all success with the venture and hope it turns out to be a good thing for the club. Be true to who you are – and never forget where you have come from.

 

All the best

 

PaulyH

 

P.S I’ll try and get in touch with this forum’s mods about the hand over of my stake.

 

[finisterre]

Pauly,

 

Why not just be a silent partner? Leave your money invested to help the club, but don't go to the games, and don't take part in the votes?

[Poultice]

What a truly righteous man you are Paul.

 

I am starting up a small support group to debrief people like yourself who have escaped the clutches of the evil nickyourclub.com cult. You can contact me at realclubsforrealsupporters.com just as soon as I can get seven pound fifty off enough people to get it going.

 

Seriously mate, well done.

[glosrob]

Quote:

Pauly,

Why not just be a silent partner? Leave your money invested to help the club, but don't go to the games, and don't take part in the votes?

This is essentially what I've done. I paid up cos let's face it - £35 isnt a big deal. I hope the money goes towards something good for the club but I won't be attempting to be Arsene Wenger anytime soon.

[doheochai]

Originally Posted By: PaulyH

Lets change the badge.
Lets move the ground.
Lets do this.
Lets do that.

Maybe PaulyH could point out where MyFC ever said the badge would be changed - the name would be changed - the club would be moved etc etc.

To be honest this post strikes me as some one who never visited the MyFC forums. By the way what is your username on MyFC because there doesn't appear to be any record of PaulyH being registered as a member.

[PaulyH]

Well done Sherlock. I am registered on MyFC as PaulyH for your information incase you were trying to imply I wasn't.

 

How can you expect these issues not to crop up with 20,000 people wanting to have their say. I’m not saying these issues have been raised officially by MyFC but I read a thread on the forums today about how one paid up member thought this club should move to the Olympic stadium after the Olympics.

 

Link here: http://members.myfootballclub.co.uk//4_128402_0.html

 

Several on ticket prices, two examples

 

Links here: http://members.myfootballclub.co.uk//4_137401_0.html

Here: http://members.myfootballclub.co.uk//4_139201_0.html

 

One suggestion the club should become or become a feeder club.

 

Link here: http://members.myfootballclub.co.uk//6_128252_0.html

 

Another has started a Daish out campign:

 

Link here: http://members.myfootballclub.co.uk//2_146051_0.html

 

I could go on all day.

 

Yes you get fantacists, yes you get dreamers, yes you get trouble makers. But all these people get a vote in this clubs future be their opinion in the minority or the majority

 

While most have good intentions you can’t deny that these issues are not being discussed by the new shareholders. And while they might not get to the voting stage my point was simply if this was Norwich City and these people were discussing MY clubs future in this way I would be horrified.

 

Hope that offers a little clarity on my position over this.

 

[George Reilly's Hairpiece]

Well done to you Pauly.

 

You've also answered a question that keeps getting ducked, which is why their forums aren't opened to public scrutiny. They want to keep as many people "on message" and can't risk letting all seeing what's going on in the dark corridors of power.

[Mackster]

Originally Posted By: doheochai

Originally Posted By: PaulyH

Lets change the badge.
Lets move the ground.
Lets do this.
Lets do that.

Maybe PaulyH could point out where MyFC ever said the badge would be changed - the name would be changed - the club would be moved etc etc.

To be honest this post strikes me as some one who never visited the MyFC forums. By the way what is your username on MyFC because there doesn't appear to be any record of PaulyH being registered as a member.

For someone who claims to be a mere "fan" I find your post most odd. Why would you go to the MyFc forum to find his login? Are you part of the MyFc Thought Police? What will happen to PaulyH for not toeing the company line, will he be shot at dawn.

Football is a game of opinions, PaulyH has merely expressed his as proper football fan. I think it is about time you told us a bit about yourself Doheochai, add a bit of colour to your personality.

Who do you support, how did you get in to football, best memory, that sort of stuff. I'm sure you will find more people will warm to you then. At the moment you are coming across as a consumate politician, but you need to add a bit of the Tony Blair (invented) football background to your persona to make you more credible on here.

[Kenny]

In fairness, though, Pauly, all those daft ideas were immediately knocked back by the masses. By the very nature of the beast overly radical ideas are never going to succeed.

[Kentish Expat]

Daft ideas are proved daft on the forums.

 

Maybe EU should ask Eurostar for free use of a train to transport the team around the country?

 

(Just trying to make a suggestion that could be seen at first but then the sensible people would point out that it is flawed).

 

The simple thing is this. If a MyFC member posts on here, that is what they should refer to themselves as. They are not owners, and not simply because the deal has not gone through yet. We invested (wisely, stupidly, with an air of gay abandon, you choose) in an Industrial and Provident Society that would seek to gain a controlling interest in a club. We are shareholders in the IPS, we are not the clubs owners.

 

I am truly sorry as well that a lot of existing supporters have been severely narked on here. I hope that it goes through as, as a Kentish Man myself, I would like there to be a team in the greatest county in the land that has a chance of continuing the strides it has made in the last few years. I have always had a dislike for Gillingham (just irrational, no particular reason), and I was saddened when Maidstone United went into the league and folded almost immediately.

 

I would like to add that there has not, to my knowledge at least, been a concerted campaign with any majority support to change badges or playing strips.

 

Maybe we should campaign for D******* or G********* to play in gimp masks.

[PaulyH]

Kentish - you are pushing against an open door there because I agree with you. You are countering a point different to the one I was trying to make. Of course none of these ideas will get the go ahead but....It was the morality of the whole thing, not the practicalities.

[stew1975]

Originally Posted By: glosrob

Quote:

Pauly,

Why not just be a silent partner? Leave your money invested to help the club, but don't go to the games, and don't take part in the votes?

This is essentially what I've done. I paid up cos let's face it - £35 isnt a big deal. I hope the money goes towards something good for the club but I won't be attempting to be Arsene Wenger anytime soon.

Me too, I will become an avid watcher/supporter of Ebbsfleet United because of this venture but will not take part in the public votes etc. I believe and hope that my money will go to the good of an up and coming grass roots club and if all i've got to show for it is a certificate to say I supported the growth of this team then so be it. I will still be proud of that achievement.

[Kentish Expat]

I often do push against an open door - it accounts for my flat face

[PaulyH]

I think most of us do most of the time actually lol

[Del_Boy]

"I’m not sure how the logistics of this would work but I’m sure it is possible."

 

I'm sure it isn't

 

membership is non transferable.

 

I'm afraid you just have to leave your £35.00 in.

 

I think you are misguided though, especially going by the number of really positive Fleet fans that have joined up to MyFC. There are one or two negative ones on here that are even embarassing their fellow fans, and loads more trouble makers from other clubs who have come on here to take the piss in the most negative way.

 

Well, they have succeeded with you - I just hope others aren't so easily pursuaded.

[Del_Boy]

PaulyH's profile on MyFC....:-)

 

Friends

 

PaulyH has 0 friends:

 

Page :

Mutual Friends

 

PaulyH has 0 friends that you share:

 

Page :

 

 

[George Reilly's Hairpiece]

"There are one or two negative ones on here that are even embarassing their fellow fans, and loads more trouble makers from other clubs who have come on here to take the piss in the most negative way."

 

 

Originally Posted By: Del_Boy

PaulyH's profile on MyFC....:-)

 

Friends

 

PaulyH has 0 friends:

 

Page :

Mutual Friends

 

PaulyH has 0 friends that you share:

 

Page :

 

 

Oh the irony!

 

By the way, do these trouble makers extend to the likes of Chairman of existing trusts who are annoyingly pointing out how absurd some of your fellow members claims are?

[Newark Colin (BAFC)]

More smears by the Movementarians? Who'd have thunk it?

[Mackster]

Originally Posted By: Del_Boy

PaulyH's profile on MyFC....:-)

Friends

PaulyH has 0 friends:

Page :
Mutual Friends

PaulyH has 0 friends that you share:

Page :

What an odious character you are Del Boy

Bad move to try and criticise "embarassing" Fleet fans and other fans that care as "troublemakers". Go back to the MyFc forum and come back when you've learn't a bit of humility

[Dewsbury SAFC]

Originally Posted By: George Reilly's Hairpiece

By the way, do these trouble makers extend to the likes of Chairman of existing trusts who are annoyingly pointing out how absurd some of your fellow members claims are?

Cool, it's a while since I've been branded a troublemaker.