This thing at Garrison on Tuesday...

I think its commonly considered 80/20 as the 80% is made up of people who weren't involved at the club previously.

What we aren't aware of because of the opacity in HK is how that structure operates and any voting rights that are attached. We also don't know how easy it is to generate a majority for any given group and if that is enough to vote down Conway and Lee.

 

I understand you’re frustrated, but all you’re doing is excusing people who want to behave like nobs.
And sorry to Labour the point, but just like Brexit, if you manage to chase these owners out of town only to be replaced by something worse, when the West Stands been burnt down for the insurance money, we’ve no squad and you can’t even buy a flatbread any more, you’ll smile and conclude you’ve succeeded.

We all want the same thing. A successful well run football club. My lifetimes experience tells me you get successful outcomes not by concentrating on removing the problem, but by looking for a solution.

 

As far as I can see (and I may be wrong here). The trust has approx 3k members. It's only likely to increase I would have thought under current circumstances.

Now as a trust, I believe (and assume) that the trust board is made up of democratically elected people of/from those members.

Therefore if it is as toothless as people say, it isn't impossible (much like local MPs) to join, and stand for election. Then if appointed, views and how it operates (being part of your election pledge so to speak) gives you the mandate to make change to the trust.

But the trust as loko is clearly pointing out, will act on its wishes of its members. Now if all 3k push the trust into real action, they will take that and go with it. If only 10 members of 3k (for example) want the owners out, they are hardly going to act on those 10 people when it isn't a majority wish.

I don't think the trust is being an arse about this. And I've held those same views about them myself in the past.

 

@Loko the Tyke apologies if this has been answered in the previous 23 pages, but has the ST had any response yet to the request to interview Paul Conway? I seem to recall the suggested timescale being the beginning of February, so you'd hope that some kind of contact might have been made by now if he planned to respond positively.

 

Lol, I wasn't actually suggesting that, but more than in all walks of life we hear people talk things down or slate local councillors. One simple way is to stand for it, get elected and then and make that change.

I liken it to a local councillor, as essentially that's what you are doing. But not just taking views and concerns of trust members, you have taken it beyond to non members ie on here. As a trust you'd be quite within your rights to (although it would be an own goal) ignore any person who's not a member.

 

As Loko himself mentioned that figure is misleading. Free memberships handed out like toffee. I’m a lifetime member (go me) but have zero interest or involvement and would look outside the Trust if I was interested in joining an organisation that could change things but my interest is so low that won’t happen.

I would be surprised if active members of the trust as in any one wanting to influence or change the way the club is run rather than someone wanting to go in the Fanzone is more than 50-100.

There seems animosity on both sides in this. The ST and the Facebook Group have completely separate agendas. The Facebook group sees the ST as part of the problem and the ST seemed threatened by them. That’s my view as someone aligned to neither.

“Jaw jaw v War war”

 

There wasn't really a crowd of people. I'm wondering if things might have gone a bit differently if there were no club employees there?

 

Go on, McAllister lad.

 

Since when would they fans have the solution? If we take the group at face value that is the nearest thing we'd get to a solution as there is supposedly a group of local businessmen who want to run BFC as a football club rather than a foreign investment share vehicle.

 

It's not dissimilar to the situation in the FB group (or any other supporters group, I would imagine).

They have 1.8k members in the group. Last night attracted 30ish in the room and less than 200 on live feed (the highest count I recall seeing is 179). That's for their very first meeting, when you'd imagine interest to be at its highest too.

Active members vs members will always be at a massively reduced proportion.

 

I'd agree with your last bit but I think you overestimate the role Fans can play in 'choosing the Owners' which is why, at the moment, I'm simply looking for a commitment from the current owners to put the Club up for sale. (which reminds me - I think you were one of the posters who earlier said they had publicly done just that. Have you got the source?).

Coming back to the point I think some of the people in the FB screwed up enormously by conflating 'Conway Out with New Owners in'. I can see they can try to influence the former but not the latter. Life, and certainly football, is not like that. Fans will have near zero input into who the new owners can/could be. How many Owners have we chosen in the past at Barnsley? IMO they should have simply stuck with the 'Conway (Owners) out message'. They might then not have received some of the things being thrown at them from others.

 

The cynic in me - and I don't like to think this way but it definitely has occurred to me - says that club employees were invited with the expectation that they wouldn't show on the night. The group could then say 'well we did invite them but they turned us down/they're not bothered.' I reckon it was a bit of a shock to Luke when they walked through the door, but I may be wrong. Again, I take nothing away from Luke here, I believe his intentions come from a good place. Also, take nothing away from those from the club who attended. It shows that we aren't so divided, and that 'opposite sides' can be in the same room, civil, and hear the other person out. Kudos to Luke and the club. I think the ST and Luke should get together in person and talk things through (not on Zoom or any of that *****). And I understand that the ST have approached Luke and they've been rebuffed. Now isn't the time for falling out or pride getting the better of people.

 

Well I was replying to someone who repeatedly states he wants the current owners to leave, and has even done it with, they leave, then someone else buys us. But that’s not how the world works.

As per the FB group; I’m not getting into any wrangling, but if there’s a serious bidder to buy the club, aligning with a Facebook group that’s only managed so far to damage the reputation of the club and assault much loved club staff, they’re not exactly winning me over.

 

yes that’s the point I was making. I’d say the ST probably only has slightly more ‘active’ members despite the other lot only existing for a few weeks.

 

Is this the post where you acknowledged (sheepishly) that the CEO had stated that the owners were open to offers?

That’s the Chief Executive Officer; who’s job is to be a spokesman for the club.

What do you want to see? An online video of Paul Conway painting ‘For Sale’ on the front wall of the Ponte?

they’re open to offers, to be actively seeking a buyer would instantly devalue the club, that’s how business works.

 

Like i said perception is a strong entity. A number of people see it that way im afraid, like it or not.

 

I sort of wondered how a player who had not had a visa, been injured and played a total of about 30 minutes had been taken on loan by a second tier Belgian team.

The connection of our very own Paul Conway and Chien Lee and the new owners of Molenbeek may suggest why he's moved on. Clubs for the boys?

I wonder what the terms of that deal looks like? Maybe another question for you @Loko the Tyke when you sit down with Paul Conway.

The text below is more for amusement and does not reflect a real conversation
Conway - Can you take this lad off my hands as its causing me a load of grief at Barnsley?,
Textor - How much will it cost, I mean the lad hasn't played and the show reel is lacking any show?
Conway - You can have him for free, it will get him off my hands for a few months and I can pretend I'm covering his wages.

The Florida Financiers Buying Up Europe’s Soccer Teams (bloombergquint.com)