Thetownend.com

Yes speculation etc fair enough BUT here is the link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2007/11/08/stfc_081107_feature.shtml

We have heard all this before but hey...

Just like BEST HOLDINGS....

Dunno Gaz I feel 100% more optimistic about this takeover than I ever did about the BEST one.

Fitton does seem to know what he is on about but.... until it is signed sealed delivered etc I ont get too excited. Did that last time. Good to see he already has a blue print which he will REVEAL TO FANS when it goes through. He seems committed to dealing with the fans. He was quoted in the adver that he was "100% committed to Sturrock and to dealing with the fans in a way that probably hasnt been done in quite some time."

FAN ON THE BOARD PLEASE!

The article says they've agreed terms which is certainly very promising.

Oh I am ever the pessimist up until I see it in writing, but Fitton does seem to be a good bloke, from what I have heard and read so far. As for a fan on the board, maybe he may well accomodate that in the future, only time will tell mate.

It all seems good at the moment doesn't it. But this is STFC, anything can happen.

If Fitton is open and honest and treats the respect this could be the start of something good. We all have to be pulling in the same direction to get this club where it needs to be, because in my opinion the things that are wrong with the club (financial, running of the club, etc) can't be fixed overnight. I'll take a lot more graft than that.

Yeah true, atleast its not saying "minor paperwork". I hope it goes through ofcourse but lets not get too excited just yet until its a done deal and the CVA etc is paid.

All this fan on the board stuff is a bit of a waste of time imho.

If a club is run correctly you don't need it.

If a club is run badly it wouldn't happen anyway.

And the fan who gets chosen to sit on the board, who chooses?

I'd much rather have a club that communicated with all fans directly, instead of a token fan on the board...................................

Fan on the board would have a vote that would be in the clubs and fans interest.

They will be voted for I believe by members of the Trust and they would have to be re-elected every year. I know that system was/still is in place at Stockport County.

When it was muted before and the club said fuck off, I believe Justin Tomlinson was elected last time however I could be wrong. I personally believe Andy Ratcliffe should be elected if this was ever to happen. I would say Paul Davis but you need someone strong to run the trust during that time as well to make sure everything works and falls into place and there is good communication between the club and the members who vote.

Too far ahead of myself I'm sure and probably pie in the sky but hey.... if he is that committed to helping fans it wouldnt hurt.

how about me and yeovil on the board

Not having a pop Gazza, but anyone who thinks a fan would have any clout on the board is living in cloud cuckoo land.

All I want is people I can trust running the club, I really don't care if they have a token fan on the board or not...............

Sorry mate, the boardroom is in The Arkells Stand ...

Maybe Fitton will move the boardroom to The Town End?

A fan maybe not have too much say at boardroom level but they could certainly help make the club part of the community.

If the club is run correctly they'll do all they can to re-engage interest from the local community toward the club.

Let's have a board who are honest, open and good at their individual roles.

I don't disagree with that at all or having an honest and open board. Just saying...

Mex on the Board i say!

I know you're only putting this into the debate Gazzza, but the mere mention of Tory Boy Tomlinson, shows the potential perils of electing a fan to the Board from a relatively small base of voters.

   That episode nearly put me off the Trust, as it ws obvious that Tory Boy has no real interest in the club other than as a means to progress his political career.

   Before the change of articles of association in the mid 80's, most directors were just fans.   A classic example being Dick Mattick, respected local teacher and lifelong fan, who wrote books etc,  he had no money, but you knew he was honest and conscientous

I believe the Trust reps most recently said they'd welcome an open nominations and vote from all fans. Not that they have a say in things mind :)

Quite how that would be policed is another matter. I mean you have to close the door to hijacking from the Oxford scum don't you.

A fan on the Board can work if done correctly, and by that I mean not just a token appointment.  To work, the fan must have full Director status, and as such needs to be someone willing to accept the responsibilities that entails as well.

Ideally they need to be voted via a method of voting that ensures true coverage of the accepted fan base and through a proper audited vote at that.

You'd then be looking at trying to get maybe two people with the correct background, most likely people who have held Director roles or similar themselves (and yes, there are probably plenty, you don't need to be on the dole to be a fan).  Some of the people who could apply would probably have better experience than anyone currently on our Board for example.  I know 1 or two who certainly have control of purse strings in companies far exceeding our clubs turnover.

I think it's Charlton where they have a fan on the Board.  Not done them any harm over the years and a club that seems to have a strong sense of what they stand for in the local community.

The problem has always been the idea flouted by those at the club that it would be some activist who would be after the role and try an use it to simply tell tales on them.  That is certainly not how it should be done.  I think it would be better if it was touted as an "Experienced Executive level Supporter on the Board"

Agree with Hertha here. I can think of no reason (that benefits the Club, not us poor supporters) for a fan to be on the board. I actually feel if the board is open and honest there's no need for any fan to be a token part of the STFC staff. I say staff because as someone said, they won't and imo, shouldn't be part of the board.

There's 2 reasons for this.

1/ No interest financially whatsoever.
2/ Emotional attachment to the club that is:
       a/ Likely to be grossly beyond their personal finances.
       b/ Likely to be beyond the comprehension of 90% of the board.

The above reasons are like those people feel in poker. I love poker, but hate losing money more. Because of this i am unable to play with a clear head when i risk losing too much. Therefore i play with my emotions, I make silly decisions, and fuck the financial issues off, rather than make the corrrect decision for the game by ignoring my emotions.

Business people are like good poker players, they understand the risk and make decisions with a clear head. Fans are like bad poker players to much emotional attachment. Comprende?

So as i've tried to explain in my massively long-winded digressive manner, a fan on the club's board is near unworkable. Unless of course, said fan is willing to put his own finances on the line (in a big way) and helps himself to some of the emotional pain the financial side brings and not just the emotional side a fan feels from supporting the club.

This again raises issues as the fan is then no longer viewed as a fan, but as a board member with money at stake. See from that we can conclude it's all about emotion and that concludes today's lesson in missing the fucking point.

I think you are being a touch unfair on Justin, but you make a valid point about the relatively small voter base at the time (which also effects the potential pool for people to put themselves forward as candidates for what is a difficult and very public position).

Looking back we (The Trust board) were guilty of pushing the issue of a fan on the board to soon. In our defence though, that was the clubs first AGM for some time and there was a fear at the time that if we didnt try then, we would maybe have a long wait for another chance.

Tell that to the 30 odd league clubs who already have supporter representation at boardroom level in some form.

It is a mistake to assume that a board member has to put a large amount of their own money into the club. How many of the current board, or previous boards have done that anyway?

The key thing is, can an elected fans rep improve the decisions taken by the club by better informing the decision making process from a fans point of view, and can they also greatly improve the clubs PR by the fact that everyone knows they are only there because they are voted in, and can just as easily be voted back out.

I think the answer to both questions is yes, as has been shown at plenty of other clubs.Charlton being probably the leaders, but others such as Lincoln have shown the benefits since.

The whole Justin Tomlinson link really put me off the Trust for a long time and I wasnt the only one.It makes me cringe to this day to see his name on the Trust forum.

i think yeovil and i are the dream ticket.

He very rarely goes on the Trust site these days . Is there a problem with him Im not aware of . I dont think actually Swinfdon T can help you progress anything . Justin has probably done better in his own right and the link with Town fc hasnt helped him any . Hes always seemed a nice guy , you shouldnt judge him on his politics on a football site .

Ive resized your avatar for you Gerald

Id like to see Mex on the board however only if he puts money in.  I wouldnt want to see a general fan on teh board as such as I think it would go to their head.

If you want to get involved in your club you have to dig deep

fucked if im putting any money in.


i withdraw the dream ticket of mex and yeovil

You remember us saying about you me and yeovil on the board, id tell that Davis where to go and ban Fred Elliot.  Dont even get me started on Sam and Sonic

and we could tie that spacey up to the goalposts and pelt him with stones

Rocks not stones

ok and those cunts strood and spencer white are getting a kicking. we can peg them to the floor and get the disabled fans to run over them.

Si Pi isnt coming in the ground either or his miserable brother

we would make a great board.

Fucking hell a sniff of power and you turn into a pair of megalomaniacs - you're driving a bigger wedge between the club and the fans than Diamandis could even dream of, you should be ashamed...

tom can come in but his dad can fuck off

Now that I can agree with. :mrgreen:

You're ok for that lift by the way.

ace cheers

 Think what you like mate, but I've spent enough years dabbling in the murky waters of local politics, to recognise someone trying to use all available outlets to further their own agenda.....its not illegal or owt, and a game anyone is free to play, but it wasn't exactly something that covered the Trust in glory.

 It was probably the only time at an AGM when I've cast my vote alongside the Wills block vote  in turning down the Trust rep, being elected to the Board.

I think a fan rep should be in a non-exec capacity and really just be there to oversee the performance of the Board and the integrity of how the club is run. Obviously they can be there to liase with fans but I think a place(s) on the board should really be to provide assurance to the fans that the club is running the club correctly and according to its goals.

  Quite right.....and for that reason it should be someone who is seen to be above corruption.....

So someone really simple, now where did Toni go?

 Think he went from Fiorentina to Bayern.....personally I wouldn't favour an Eyetie when it came to anti corruption.

I think the fan on the board idea can work, but only in the context of that person being an experienced businessman wh ogenuinely knows what they are doing. Otherwise it seems like a pointless novelty

We all know that I'm the only realistic choice.

 Doesn't need to be a businessman at all really...as Si Pie says it needs to be a figure who the fans can trust, who maybe has experience in reaching out to the broader community.

  Our problems stem from the perception (disclaimer: rightly or wrongly) that  the club has been run for years by individuals who are less than reliable in their dealings with all sections of the broader community.

  I think Fitton knows this has to change, but the damage is so deep, that it will take a long time to turn around.

Wouldn't the suggestion from Si be different to having a fan on the Board though?  That would seem to be more having a non exec Board acting as an independent voice/audit system, or something like that.  It's a big step away from having someone able to influence decision making.  The way I see it, a general fan can fill the Si role but to get on any Board a rep has to be seen as someone who would just have easily been recruited by the business anyway.  I'm sure the Charlton approach is a fully appointed person on the Board, but I'll have a check at somepoint.  FWIW, I'd support either option provided it was properly constructed and publicised as being exactly what it said on the tin.  For me, the non exec route does have the issue of being too similar to the Shadow Board pointlessness many years back.

We have to be careful not to mix investors with Boards.  Often Board members are initially simply employees of the company, seperate to those that own it.

Why should they accept a fan on the baord . They dont have to ,it will be of no advantage to the board to have a fan there , and the fan will bring no money with him or her .

did someone ban dear Gerald?

It would have to be someone that can bring something to the table, not merely a fan with no experience, as a normal fan can just be swept along if they can add a skill to the board and help with the running of the club then all well and good.

The person should have full voting rights but being a fan's rep would be looking after fan's interests and they should then be accountable also.

Using the trust is obviously a good way with the trust being 1 member 1 vote it stops it being open to being a flawed vote but there isn't any reason who over is nominated should be a trust member if they have the right skill set to do the job.

Adver today...



Sounds like this one may be going ahead, then. Fingers crossed anyway.

funny how quickly a takeover can be completed when the owners are willing to play ball, isn't it?

And when you supposedly cut out the middle man...

:D That's what i thought as well.

In my head i like to think the boss is angry with the middleman and has decided he wants to cut his losses asap.

The "middleman" has been the barriers to progress thorughout.

Is it Diadis now then?

Diadis is fine, it's the middle 'man' that's the issue.

The speed this appears to be progressing confirms in my mind the Diamandis fall-out has happened and he has been omitted from the negotiations............which can only be a good thing

:D
I liked that

has anyone seen the middleman recently?

watched it years ago, it's shit.


http://www.timeout.com/film/newyork/reviews/73145/the-middleman.html

This is where you have to trust your electorate.  People will vote for whoever they think has the best qualities to bring to the job.

For those that are interested, the Supporters Direct code of conduct for elected fans reps can be read on our web site at the link below.

http://www.truststfc.co.uk/ls_code_of_conduct.php