Luke Williams

[horlock07]

Possibly for tax reasons and with Jez on board to ensure the trust have the financial backing with the two of them.

Jez.... Jed just coincidental? We all remember that he couldn't spell his own name  

[pauld]

Jez.... Jed just coincidental? We all remember that he couldn't spell his own name 

Jeremy [Wray] also abbreviates to Jez. Has anyone seen any of the three of them in the same room together?

[horlock07]

Thats an easy one....."Property development"......the sale of the Memorial Ground with the possibility of investment in the new ground.

Their owner has showed he is not there to invest in the team, he is there for the planning knock ons from selling the ground and moving to the UWE stadium.

Something of a lure that we do not have with our lovely council owning the CG.

Exactly, people seem to forget when considering the value of the club (and also its availability for asset stripping) the cub own essentially fuck all, there is nothing to strip quietly, the only way anyone could make cash would to be publicly sell all the players and possibly a few cones.

[horlock07]

Jeremy [Wray] also abbreviates to Jez. Has anyone seen any of the three of them in the same room together?

Indeed although why should I listen to you, you failed the Trust previously, I blame Thatcher!

[theakston2k]

Yes, that part of my post was tongue in cheek.

I still think it'd be a disaster, and the people moaning about Power now will be complaining just as much with a fan run board. Unless the fan run board contains 2 billionaires willing to bankroll us to the Premier League.

Agree with this, I used to be pro fan ownership but I don't think it would end well with us as too many of our 'fans' are idiots. The Trust would have no money either so would have to operate a self sustaining model similar to Power anyway. Also don't think fans would be capable of making the difficult business decisions and their willingness to waste £500k on polishing the turd that is the Stratton Bank suggests the use of money wouldn't always be wise.

1 of 2 things need to happen for anything to change which is either a sugar daddy that will throw money at the club or a proper redevelopment of the ground. Swapping Power for the Trust would solve nothing.

[Simon Pieman]

Ling's appointment looked quite promising in that short spell as manager, it's a shame it didn't work out.
Probably had a knock on effect into Williams' caretaker spell which he couldn't sustain.

It's questionable to suggest Power is picking the tactics this season.

[Reg Smeeton]

Exactly, people seem to forget when considering the value of the club (and also its availability for asset stripping) the cub own essentially fuck all, there is nothing to strip quietly, the only way anyone could make cash would to be publicly sell all the players and possibly a few cones.

This old argument was put about by  the Jed apologists on here, even when others flagged up the multitude of ways money can be taken from a club with a little, perfectly legal creativity, some didn't get it.....and still don't seemingly.

[pauld]

Exactly, people seem to forget when considering the value of the club (and also its availability for asset stripping) the cub own essentially fuck all, there is nothing to strip quietly, the only way anyone could make cash would to be publicly sell all the players and possibly a few cones.

That's exactly what people said when rubbishing the idea that Jed could possibly be an asset-stripper. Shortly before he flogged off the catering for the next decade (not that I'm suggesting that should be seen as asset-stripping, but the point is that people always forget about forward selling unrealised profits when blithely declaring "we've got nothing to sell anyway so we're OK"). Similar to Ridsdale's mortgaging Cardiff's future season ticket sales a few years back. Don't underestimate the imaginative ability of some of these chancers to find stuff to flog off.

[Reg Smeeton]

Agree with this, I used to be pro fan ownership but I don't think it would end well with us as too many of our 'fans' are idiots. The Trust would have no money either so would have to operate a self sustaining model similar to Power anyway. Also don't think fans would be capable of making the difficult business decisions and their willingness to waste £500k on polishing the turd that is the Stratton Bank suggests the use of money wouldn't always be wise.

1 of 2 things need to happen for anything to change which is either a sugar daddy that will throw money at the club or a proper redevelopment of the ground. Swapping Power for the Trust would solve nothing.

We could find our level, as a sustainable club....personally I'd rather be in the shit as  a fan owned club, than, as now heading for the shit as Power's plaything.

[Panda Paws]

We could find our level, as a sustainable club

Which is exactly what we're doing right now, while at the same time building a training ground and developing our own young players.

On the pitch there is, arguably, a minor issue developing (but not one that we haven't seen before under with a team 3 times more expensive). We'll still finish mid table though I reckon.

Off the pitch, however....

I just don't get what everyone moaning actually wants (board wise)? Do they want us to spend more money than we have? Do they want us to continue the shambles of our training arrangements?

[horlock07]

That's exactly what people said when rubbishing the idea that Jed could possibly be an asset-stripper. Shortly before he flogged off the catering for the next decade (not that I'm suggesting that should be seen as asset-stripping, but the point is that people always forget about forward selling unrealised profits when blithely declaring "we've got nothing to sell anyway so we're OK"). Similar to Ridsdale's mortgaging Cardiff's future season ticket sales a few years back. Don't underestimate the imaginative ability of some of these chancers to find stuff to flog off.

But what we got to forward sell, season ticket sales are going down the shitter and Power is pissing people off left right and centre, if he had any aspirations of stripping (god forbid) or selling the club for an inflated fee based on future revenues he is making a shitty job of doing it.

We have a team that needs investment, a stadium that needs investment which we don't own and only makes cash 23 days a year, a training ground which is presently a golf course and needs investment, a number of leased Mercedes, even the burger sales go to a 3rd party. We are a financial black hole. Christ if I was going to buy something to strip there are much better options out there, in purely financial terms I imagine certain national League or below clubs would be more attractive than we are.

Therefore it will either be a fan (brilliant although as Fitton proved can often go tits up - Swansea seems the best example of how it can work - did they own the Vetch Field though?)) or someone like Jed/Pa Agombar who like the perceived prestige it brings), the Trust had an opportunity when they only needed a quid to buy the club (they probably had more money in the bank than Jed did) so won't hold my breath.

[horlock07]

Which is exactly what we're doing right now, while at the same time building a training ground and developing our own young players.

On the pitch there is, arguably, a minor issue developing (but not one that we haven't seen before under with a team 3 times more expensive). We'll still finish mid table though I reckon.

Off the pitch, however....

I just don't get what everyone moaning actually wants (board wise)? Do they want us to spend more money than we have? Do they want us to continue the shambles of our training arrangements?

Exactly Tel 

I think a lot of fans remember the positives of the PDC era and possibly forget the financial shit storm that followed (I think the subsequent trials and tribulations of Jed led to a lot of the mess overspending caused being brushed under the carpet in peoples mammaries), the foundations of which had little to do with Jed and more to do with a structure being left that would have bankrupted us.

[theakston2k]

We could find our level, as a sustainable club....personally I'd rather be in the shit as  a fan owned club, than, as now heading for the shit as Power's plaything.

I wouldn't. For example say some idiot from that Facebook group got voted in I dread to imagine where the club would end up and there's enough of them for that to be a possibility. Too many of our fans would moan regardless, I would go as far to say that the worst thing about the club (and the only thing that would see me stop going) is a section of our fanbase revel in it when things go wrong.

[Red Frog]

Which is exactly what we're doing right now, while at the same time building a training ground and developing our own young players.

On the pitch there is, arguably, a minor issue developing (but not one that we haven't seen before under with a team 3 times more expensive). We'll still finish mid table though I reckon.

Off the pitch, however....

I just don't get what everyone moaning actually wants (board wise)? Do they want us to spend more money than we have? Do they want us to continue the shambles of our training arrangements?

This. Blimey, even the borderline normal on here seem to be heading for the cliffs on the back of a couple of dodgy results, such as there have been many over the last century and a half. Sustainable, actually earning money for players, developing a training ground, it's all the things people have been crying out for for years. But when it turns out it doesn't all improve on an exponential upward curve, everyone's lip starts wobbling.

C'mon fellas, get a grip.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

I just don't get what everyone moaning actually wants (board wise)? Do they want us to spend more money than we have? Do they want us to continue the shambles of our training arrangements?

I'll tell you what I want - and it isn't guaranteed promotion flirting every season. I want to go and watch my team without always having the gnawing dread that a monumental cock-up isn't right around the corner.

I don't expect to win every game but I do expect those responsible for putting the team on the pitch to accept what the vast majority of fans already know - the system we play week in week out just doesn't work and never will at L1 level where the squad is built on youth for youth's sake.

Let's not kid ourselves, our budget is decent enough at this level to enable at least a couple of experienced players who wont have a cash value to the club but who could shepherd the promising youngsters we do have.

Inexperienced players led by an inexperienced manager/coach was always going to be a huge punt. It hasn't worked.

Time for a change of direction as the players we do have are, by and large, good enough. They just need to be led properly.