New beginnings - 25% Truth, 80% Bollocks

[Ƭ̵̬̊: The Artist Formerly Known as CWIG]

I am not sure whether you are joking or not, but the opportunities for back stabbing are enormous and I have had similar thoughts for quite some time.

A friend of mine is presently doing some work for a close associate of Mr Power, I believe the phrase used is 'biding his time'. 

I mean Power got the club by backstabbing Jed in the first place. They're all at it.

'biding his time' sounds ominous.

[Ƭ̵̬̊: The Artist Formerly Known as CWIG]

This is true, but don't forget the loyalty of a football fan runs much deeper than a 'normal' person. I'd say the number of fans that aren't currently going because of Clem is probably a tiny number. People only really stopped going because of Lee Power quite a way into his tenure.

My final straw of no more money at all with Power was the Bristol Rovers abandoned game no refund, so can be pin pointed. Although I was royally pissed off and rarely going before that.

[Ƭ̵̬̊: The Artist Formerly Known as CWIG]

That's lovely and all that, but that ain't gonna happen, so what does sorting it out entail which will be acceptable to our fans, he obviously hasn't got any more cash to fling in so the budget will remain what the budget is (or most likley drop as fans stop going/don't renew next year when we don't get promoted) leading to ever greater disquiet, he has never indicated that he has any intention of getting shot of those in the background, so we are stuck in a perpetuating misery??

Either give us the completive budget we were promised or give us some real and logical answers of why we can stretch little beyond a first XI and a couple of back ups.

Is he getting some of his money back on the loans at the moment because he is skint? That would at least make sense and we'd be reducing our real debt.

He either needs to provide answers or given our past, I'll assume he's a cunt and we'll being fleeced, because things don't add up.

[RobertT]

That's lovely and all that, but that ain't gonna happen, so what does sorting it out entail which will be acceptable to our fans, he obviously hasn't got any more cash to fling in so the budget will remain what the budget is (or most likley drop as fans stop going/don't renew next year when we don't get promoted) leading to ever greater disquiet, he has never indicated that he has any intention of getting shot of those in the background, so we are stuck in a perpetuating misery??

It's something worthy of debate.

If we accept the positive thoughts, that Clem is doing the best he can and has the best intentions and maybe Flynn forgot about the second bank account we keep for a rainy day, then what can we expect if Clem is out of money?

If we finish outside the play offs this season, I'd expect next seasons attendances to drift down again - we rode the Covid wave which was enhanced by the Clem riding in on a Unicorn moment, but our attendances don't usually hang around this level without success.  If they do drift away, and we are already at stretching point and Clem cannot fund losses, then it does look like a circle of decline is ahead of us unless something significant changes.

But, even in that scenario, there is hope.

The Ground development does not require a wealthy backer, just a solid business plan and project plan.  Source external funding, and start bringing in new Revenue (sounds simple, I know it is not).

The Youth Academy approach - could be combined with a watered down version of what we seemed to be trying last season.  Again, invest in facilities and people to get it right behind the scenes first, then let loose on bringing in the best young talent we can afford.  It will need investors - maybe with a promise of returns based on transfer fees?  it may need creativity in finding Government grants and so on, but it can be done.  You are looking at 6 months or so to flesh this out, maybe a couple of years to have it fully in place.  Power actually showed a way you can fund the facilities side - use the Academy/Club as a Trojan horse for another development.  Just need to find a parcel of land in need of a new owner that would get planning permission for both activities.

Basically, even without a rich benefactor, a team working on this full time with the right skills should be able to come up with a Master Plan for how to develop this club over the next 5-10 years, especially given the fact the Ground got sorted for their benefit.  Actually,  the groundwork and foundations laid by Eady and the Trust mean that continued failure is indeed that, a failure.  The hard work has been done to kick start this.

[Mooneyraker]

Either give us the completive budget we were promised or give us some real and logical answers of why we can stretch little beyond a first XI and a couple of back ups.

Is he getting some of his money back on the loans at the moment because he is skint? That would at least make sense and we'd be reducing our real debt.

He either needs to provide answers or given our past, I'll assume he's a cunt and we'll being fleeced, because things don't add up.

Sad to see, having briefly threatened to make some effort to do their job again, that the Trust have gone back to total silence on Clem 'Real Deal' Morfuni.

Assume Zav has taken them all for a slap up meal and reiterated that "the good times for our magical club are coming."

I do think it is worth re-reading the "No Money No Power" campaign details that the then very vocal Trust put forward.

https://truststfc.com/2021/06/23/nomoneynopower-why/

They refer to Clem "as an owner who has committed to transparency and good governance (and who the Trust commits to holding to account for those promises)." Yet here we are...

[RobertT]

I do have a worry, that I think the Trust should be laser focused on.

Clem appointing his man as the Development lead concerns me - did the Trust, as 50% owners of the Ground, do their due diligence in finding the right person to head up this project, or did they just take Clem's demands onboard?  I understand he is the clubs CEO now, and he has experience within the industry (in a broad sense), but he has never been involved in a football ground redevelopment beyond aircon and plumbing as far as I am aware.

Of course Clem and the club need to be on the Board, making the final decisions in tandem with the Trust, but first glance suggests one of the 50% sides has outsized influence.

Were investors in the Trust side not due some sort of report?

[Mooneyraker]

I do have a worry, that I think the Trust should be laser focused on.

Clem appointing his man as the Development lead concerns me - did the Trust, as 50% owners of the Ground, do their due diligence in finding the right person to head up this project, or did they just take Clem's demands onboard?  I understand he is the clubs CEO now, and he has experience within the industry (in a broad sense), but he has never been involved in a football ground redevelopment beyond aircon and plumbing as far as I am aware.

Of course Clem and the club need to be on the Board, making the final decisions in tandem with the Trust, but first glance suggests one of the 50% sides has outsized influence.

Were investors in the Trust side not due some sort of report?

It's a good point. The appointment of Clem's Axis alumni is pretty concerning all round. How many other L2 clubs have CEOs with zero relevant experience? Rob Angus at least cared deeply and had a solid track record at a major financial company.

[The Million Pound Man]

The silence from the Trust is deafening right now. I was a long time paying member, stopped when i felt they were too close to the club but got sucked back in to paying when the CG ownership came up  

(waits for STFC_Manc to come out all guns blazing in support of his boys).

[Mooneyraker]

The silence from the Trust is deafening right now. I was a long time paying member, stopped when i felt they were too close to the club but got sucked back in to paying when the CG ownership came up  

(waits for STFC_Manc to come out all guns blazing in support of his boys).

I'd respect the organisation if it owned its part in this omnishambles.

I fully appreciate not everyone shares my view but I'd be interested to know what motivates the 1498 members still paying in to the Trust.

Are they still pushing voting shares...? When did we last hear about the Community Fund?

I honestly don't know what they do now, other than act as Clem's stenographers at the Monthly Nonsense.

[Nemo]

I'm still paying into the Trust. I'm not absolutely delighted with everything that's happened and happening, but I think there's far more chance of the Trust improving their performance than there is of any other fan organisation replacing them, considering them being the legal body that is part of the County Ground joint venture.

I'm also very aware that they're all volunteers, so perhaps a bit more forgiving on timescales of them doing stuff than others.

[Mooneyraker]

I'm still paying into the Trust. I'm not absolutely delighted with everything that's happened and happening, but I think there's far more chance of the Trust improving their performance than there is of any other fan organisation replacing them, considering them being the legal body that is part of the County Ground joint venture.

I'm also very aware that they're all volunteers, so perhaps a bit more forgiving on timescales of them doing stuff than others.

Agree, no one is going to achieve critical mass with a new body and we are stuck with them because, as you say, they part own the Ground.

I actually think that, on that basis, we should all be far more invested in the Trust. Every fan should be a member.

But their membership model is woefully unclear and I think the board needs 'refreshing' to say the least.

Cue someone saying wHy DOnT YoU STanD iF yoU cARe sO mUCH...

[horlock07]

So in conclusion...

We have an owner that a fair few of the fans don't trust who doesn't have a pot to piss in;

We have a Supporters Trust that a fair few of the fans don't trust and are in fact becoming openly hostile to;

Yes there possibly is hope as identified above, but that needs the club and fan base to be united n(or at lest to pretend to be together with the same objectives), as and when crowds drop (and the online sniping continues) revenues will drop and the ability to borrow will drop similarly (leaving us ever more dependent upon the 'crook' who owns us to fund us), plus no (sensible/straight/legit) investor in their right mind is going to get drawn into such a toxic situation (especially where 50% of the asset is owned by a community organisation with all the potential ball ache that entails), similarly the Academy stuff all sounds nice, and I know a place where it could get planning permission but sadly that's owned by one L Power (possibly his way back in, otherwise you are getting into site finding and planning which is extremely difficult as we have found on multiple occasions over the years.

Would anyone have the 5-10 years leeway to do the above, if Clem et al and the Trust stay on board and we start depending on youth players with an eye to developing them for sale (cos' that approach has gone down really well with our fan base in the past hasn't it), cue pages of accusations about money being taken out when they are sold) I give it an hour before moaning about lack of ambition starts, fuck me we are presently 3 points off the play off's and reading SM you would think we were battling relegation.

We're pretty fucked aren't we, TBH its more depressing on here these days than when we were going out of business every Friday afternoon.  

[Batch]

It's a good point. The appointment of Clem's Axis alumni is pretty concerning all round. How many other L2 clubs have CEOs with zero relevant experience? Rob Angus at least cared deeply and had a solid track record at a major financial company.

it's either great, because he's got people in he trusts to do the best possible job

or it is concerning because the independence of Rob A and the finance guy have gone. The trust should be monitoring as Rob says, and probably are. But you can always pull the wool to the outside world.

it comes down to trust, and the publicly available info that helps drive that perception 

I think you know personally my trust in the setup has gone right now. But that's me

[Batch]

on paying into the Trust, I'm still doing so for two reasons

1. I don't think they are doing anything conspirital. I'm hoping what they say in public and what they think in private are different. Not saying Clem is 'the enemy', but keeping him close may be best for them

2 I'm too lazy to cancel

2b. a The trust isn't a closed shop. Anyone can put themselves up for election. Maybe change will evolve them.

[RobertT]

@Horlock

I think the fans would give some space if a properly detailed "Master Plan" was shared, not just some vague ambitions, but a detailed plan about what we intend to achieve and what we need to do get there and some flesh on the bones about how, including the financial aspects.

I'm not going to come up with that plan in 5 minutes, but I am sure there are plenty of areas of Swindon and it's surrounds that could be utilised for development - I mean, go speak to the Council about assuming the lease on the Oasis land for example (one of many, just throwing stuff out there).

Youth Academy and Recruitment & Sales - package it with the training ground we need, a combined facility and approach to how we make the club a success on the pitch and fund it going forwards.  Identify the investment needed and ongoing costs to support.  Identify options for financing  - you know what, Fitton is well regarded and he openly took money from the Austin sale.  Fans will tolerate a good plan that see people get a return.  Lets say, again this is just spit balling, we finance it by essentially selling bonds - investors/companies/people invest in the deal to set-up the facilities and systems needed, they then get a % return on profit for any player sold who was brought in through that investment.  Fuck, even the fans could chuck their cash at that, like betting but on something you actually care about.  Creativity is key - but having a plan in the first place with clear targets is needed.  Right now we have a winding timeline on a PPT talking about working towards T2 Academy status and some scaffolding.

I know this sort of stuff takes time and money, but you do not get the latter without working on the plan, and we've had over two years to flesh something out.