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We will be leafletting fans at the game tomorrow to explain a little bit about the fans' consortium idea, where it came from etc and to ask people to help/get involved etc. It's really a very simple (and inevitably put together pretty quickly) leaflet but hopefully it will provide a little more information to fans who may have heard "something about some kind of takeover plan" or the like but would like some more clarification.

If anyone could help handing the things out, we'd really appreciate it. Meet at the Trust office (next to away travel office, opposite CG) at about 1.45. It's only an hour or so before the game and it means you get to meet lots of people, makes you more attractive to the opposite sex, increases your wordpower and memory, will help you succeed in your career, bring you luck etc etc.

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Count me in mate !

I don't think I'm gonna go to the game, but if I do and manage to avoid the temptations of getting drunk before hand then I'll turn up. I'm not sure what the odds are on that.

you could advertise it as free potential ticker tape at the very least.

Im getting pissed tomorrow so chances are I wont but I might if I remember take some in the CGH for you.

Ace shout Yeovil

Paul ..................... Ill pick some up off of you early doors and take them up to the Merlin

Think I just sorted out some work tonight so I might be going after all. Doubt I'll do much apart from help Fred distrabute them through the merlin.

Thats cool mate

Will be in there about 12-12.30

We should be chucking these up all over town not just on match days where you're preaching to the converted.  Let's take it out to johnny public!!

Yup, good shout, although the leaflets for tomorrow are more of a "You'll have heard a bit about this, here's a bit more info" nature than a detailed argument as to why the whole town should care about it - as I said, short on time this week!  :D

But in terms of a way to move forward, trying to re-engage the whole town with what they should be looking at as their football club is definitely an angle we should be pursuing.

Ah I see.  Unfortunatly I don't think I'll be going to tomorrow's match (shame on me), so unable to help out.

Be great to see how you take the club to the people, as it has a certain if Mohammad won't come to the mountain ring to it...

Just on another issue Paul, do you not think the trust is in danger of spreading itself a little thin on the ground.  I mean you've got the Keep Town in Swindon, then the Say Yes to County Ground Redevelopment (which go hand in hand) then you have the red army fund, now you've got a let's take the board on campaign.

People may start getting confused as to what the function of the trust actually is.

Just an observation.

its simple Jan. the role of the Trust is  surely to make sure we actually still have a club

Good point Jan

Initially we need to prioritise and this certainly is the "now" issue.

I also think that if this is done corectly then the other initiatives you have mentioned will fall into the whole scheme of things anyway.

But we can always do with more troops my friend

Not what I'm getting at Rich, I just worry that the message (or power) of the trust may get a little diluted by the fact it's got it's fingers in so many STFC related pies.

So what's happening with the Red Army fund for example, is that now finished, what's happening with that money?

The redevelopment issue has gone very quiet too.

So out of the last two campaigns you could say that all the trust has achieved is Michael Proctor for two months.

I'm just being devil's advocate, I am not having a dig by any means.

Just think that there needs to be some focus on it's aims.

[quote="Fred Elliot

Good point Jan

Initially we need to prioritise and this certainly is the "now" issue.

I also think that if this is done corectly then the other initiatives you have mentioned will fall into the whole scheme of things anyway.

But we can always do with more troops my friend[/quote]

Yeah I was disappointed to miss this Wednesday's meeting but couldn't manage Tuesday and Wednesday night devoted to the cause, my Mrs would kill me!!  I'll be interested in future meetings though, although that's what everyone says.

oh i see right. yeah thats a fair point. without meaning to sound like Bart does anyone know what is going on with the redevelopment plans?

Yeah I was disappointed to miss this Wednesday's meeting but couldn't manage Tuesday and Wednesday night devoted to the cause, my Mrs would kill me!!  I'll be interested in future meetings though, although that's what everyone says.[/quote]

There are other ways of helping Jan, even to the extent of throwing ideas in the pot.

We are lucky in the extenthat we have an untapped pool of knowledge and expertise in all kinds of disciplines within the fan base. We need to utilise that - two heads are better than one etc .........

That is exactly what the Trust is about.

It is run by the fans, for the fans and produces one democratic voice that is agreed with the fans

Linkage Rich

http://www.truststfc.co.uk/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=14&t=4922&s=07a43bdb36aee5800057ec9ad82fceda

cheers Fred!

sounds like things are going slow on that then

In all honesty I think there will be a period where SBC will want to sit back and see how the consortium shapes up before commiting to any further intense dialogue.

Thats my feelings anyway ............... and I could be way off mark !

Fred do you think Paul Davis might have brainwashed you while you weren't looking? :P

To answer Jan's point, if we seem spread a little thin, we certainly hadn't planned for events to work out the way they have done. Start of the season our focus was finishing off consultation work on ground redevelopment proposals, fund-raising and membership drive/profile raising for the Trust, and obviously trying to hold some collection days/auctions etc for the Red Army Fund.

But the turn of recent events has focused attention on the very core of what the Trust is all about - fans getting involved in the issues over how their club is run and if necessary taking an active role to ensure the club is well run. We could hardly have said "Oooh, I don't know, you know. It's an important issue and all, but we're a bit tight at the moment" (and when I've quite finished being a smartypants, I do know you didn't mean that). So, yes, potentially we run the risk of being spread bit thin. Or we would were it not for the fact that so many people have stepped up to the plate over this issue - the likes of Fred et al mean we're going to be able to run with this at full tilt and that's been sorely needed for a while now, tbh.

As to the issue as to whether we lose focus/confuse people, I certainly hope not. I think it's probably true to say that for the near future, the Red Army Fund may get pushed out of the picture a little. But the issue of the ground redevlopment proposals and the non-football management side of the club as I see it are just two different aspects of the same thing - a safe and stable future for our club. And coincidentally the continued failure of the current regime to even vaguely engage with the council and the likelihood that they will continue to screw things up is one of the main reasons a fan-backed consortium is so necessary - if we let Dunwoody stay in charge we run the real risk of never getting a chance at redeveloping the CG. They've screwed up 2 shots at redevelopment already, and if they're allowed to screw up a 3rd we may not get another chance for a decade or more.

And FWIW, although it might have gone quiet in public on the ground redev, we've been working very hard behind the scenes to consult with council and councillors/local politicos, local residents, community groups, club etc to formulate a framework that everyone will find acceptable.

So, while I take your point, I hope we can manage both - argue the case to the fans that we need a change in direction in the non-football management of the club; while arguing to the town as a whole that the football club (like the council) is an ongoing institution, irrespective of who is in charge, that it is a part of the fabric of our community and that a strongly community focused redevelopment around the County Ground (as opposed to, say, building a load of houses on public space for private profit) is something that will be of benefit to the whole town and should proceed, with suitable safeguards, irrespective of who is in charge of the football club.

Granted, it's a bit of a tough ask, but we've never been shy of a bit of a challenge  :D  Who else is up for it?

Seriously, they're reasonable questions and I hope I've answered them. If anyone got this far  :D

Good answer Paul.  Cheers.

To be honest I see it as part of the plan for us as fans to let you fella's know if interest/direction seems to be getting lost along the way, because that would be cancerous to the cause!!

 :nod:

 :wink:

To be fair, I'd have to find his brain before I could wash it .....

Fair point !

Yup. That's why we held the meeting the other night. And why I post long rambling post-Friday lunchtime replies to stuff ;-)

Keep us honest, Jan!

Dear All

Please let me know how I can be off assistance. I would dearly love to be constructively involved. I live in London but for years was based (and grew up) in the Swindon area, so have supported the Town for over 30 years now. I have a good business mind etc and enjoy working together which is obviously paramount to move things forward with something like this. Please let me know how I can help

Drop an email to
[email protected] stating name, occupation, contact telephone and any relevant skills/professional experience etc. We've had a lot of offers of help in which is brilliant and we're still sifting thru them all.

And thanks for your support!

Oh, and meet at the Trust office about 1.45 tomorrow to help hand out leaflets!