Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2019 16:28:44 GMT
992 at moment, only 8 more required.
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2019 16:29:29 GMT
Job done 1004.
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tommym9
Joined: December 2018
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Post by tommym9 on Jan 10, 2019 12:34:08 GMT
www.change.org/p/wael-al-qadi-open-letter-to-the-board-of-bristol-rovers-football-club/u/23860806Looks like this has just ticked over 1000 signatures. Huge thanks to everyone who has signed and remember its not too late to add your signature if you haven't already. Me and Steve have arranged to meet before the Wycombe home game. I'll be taking notes and will feedback on the outcomes (if any). I'm aiming to impress on Steve the importance of the fans knowing what the boards long term plan is and how we can open up lines of communication going forward. If there are any burning questions you think I should ask, feel free to add to this thread. Cheers Tom
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2019 12:44:51 GMT
www.change.org/p/wael-al-qadi-open-letter-to-the-board-of-bristol-rovers-football-club/u/23860806Looks like this has just ticked over 1000 signatures. Huge thanks to everyone who has signed and remember its not too late to add your signature if you haven't already. Me and Steve have arranged to meet before the Wycombe home game. I'll be taking notes and will feedback on the outcomes (if any). I'm aiming to impress on Steve the importance of the fans knowing what the boards long term plan is and how we can open up lines of communication going forward. If there are any burning questions you think I should ask, feel free to add to this thread. Cheers Tom He thinks he's now got you where he wants you. Private meetings are, in my opinion, not always a great idea. Think about how this meeting could go, what you want to achieve, what he will be wanting to get out of it, and prepare properly, don't just roll up with a few questions in the back of your mind and see where the conversation goes. Edit. Yeah, I've got a question for him. Ask him if it's true that he acted like a 5 year old and threw a massive tantrum at Swansea because he wasn't allowed into the Directors' box after he had left the club.
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Cheshiregas
Global Moderator
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 2,082
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Post by Cheshiregas on Jan 10, 2019 13:10:35 GMT
www.change.org/p/wael-al-qadi-open-letter-to-the-board-of-bristol-rovers-football-club/u/23860806Looks like this has just ticked over 1000 signatures. Huge thanks to everyone who has signed and remember its not too late to add your signature if you haven't already. Me and Steve have arranged to meet before the Wycombe home game. I'll be taking notes and will feedback on the outcomes (if any). I'm aiming to impress on Steve the importance of the fans knowing what the boards long term plan is and how we can open up lines of communication going forward. If there are any burning questions you think I should ask, feel free to add to this thread. Cheers Tom He thinks he's now got you where he wants you. Private meetings are, in my opinion, not always a great idea. Think about how this meeting could go, what you want to achieve, what he will be wanting to get out of it, and prepare properly, don't just roll up with a few questions in the back of your mind and see where the conversation goes. I tend to agree with Bamber. Whilst you have the backing of over 1,000 fans don't forget that this is an experienced businessman (whatever you may think of him personally) and that he has a business lifetime of meetings. I would recommend sending him a list of the questions beforehand so that he doesn't feel ambushed but nor can he be dismissive and say that he would need to get back to you ~ a way of avoiding giving an answer to the question. He has agreed to the meeting he can hardly start refusing to answer questions. If he does feel he can't answer then you have given him time to say so beforehand and you can know whether the meeting is still worth having. I would also check that he is happy for you to take notes and report back and it may also help if another person goes with you to double check what was said after you come out! I would prepare yourself beforehand by writing out what you want to say (not necessarily producing it at said meeting but at least it will help your thought processes in the meeting), your questions and also writing a limited agenda, say along the lines ~ ~ background to the petition ~ why you feel it necessary to share your (and others) thoughts directly with the club ~ the key points that you feel need addressing going forward ~ how you feel the club could improve communication ~ how the club feel the fans could be part of any communication plan going forward ('we' [the fans] are moaning so we should be prepared to be part of the solution) ~ finish by acknowledgement that we all want the best for the club recognising the fans are the life blood whoever is in charge. Be polite and courteous but be businesslike and don't feel intimidated. The fans who have signed are (hopefully) behind this. just a few thoughts and not my definitive view but may help tactically. Best regards and good luck with the meeting.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2019 13:26:14 GMT
He thinks he's now got you where he wants you. Private meetings are, in my opinion, not always a great idea. Think about how this meeting could go, what you want to achieve, what he will be wanting to get out of it, and prepare properly, don't just roll up with a few questions in the back of your mind and see where the conversation goes. I tend to agree with Bamber. Whilst you have the backing of over 1,000 fans don't forget that this is an experienced businessman (whatever you may think of him personally) and that he has a business lifetime of meetings. I would recommend sending him a list of the questions beforehand so that he doesn't feel ambushed but nor can he be dismissive and say that he would need to get back to you ~ a way of avoiding giving an answer to the question. He has agreed to the meeting he can hardly start refusing to answer questions. If he does feel he can't answer then you have given him time to say so beforehand and you can know whether the meeting is still worth having. I would also check that he is happy for you to take notes and report back and it may also help if another person goes with you to double check what was said after you come out! I would prepare yourself beforehand by writing out what you want to say (not necessarily producing it at said meeting but at least it will help your thought processes in the meeting), your questions and also writing a limited agenda, say along the lines ~ ~ background to the petition ~ why you feel it necessary to share your (and others) thoughts directly with the club ~ the key points that you feel need addressing going forward ~ how you feel the club could improve communication ~ how the club feel the fans could be part of any communication plan going forward ('we' [the fans] are moaning so we should be prepared to be part of the solution) ~ finish by acknowledgement that we all want the best for the club recognising the fans are the life blood whoever is in charge. Be polite and courteous but be businesslike and don't feel intimidated. The fans who have signed are (hopefully) behind this. just a few thoughts and not my definitive view but may help tactically. Best regards and good luck with the meeting. Great advice, from someone who has probably attended more than their fair share of meetings What I was driving at when saying that Tom needs to prepare is that he should consider the replies that are likely to come back across the table to him. Just as an example, if questioned about supporter involvement in communication, Steve may well point Tom towards the SC and remind him that we have a Fans' representative at board level, so Tom needs to consider how he's going to deal with that. And 1000 other possible scenarios. Good luck Tom.
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tommym9
Joined: December 2018
Posts: 123
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Post by tommym9 on Jan 10, 2019 14:10:14 GMT
I tend to agree with Bamber. Whilst you have the backing of over 1,000 fans don't forget that this is an experienced businessman (whatever you may think of him personally) and that he has a business lifetime of meetings. I would recommend sending him a list of the questions beforehand so that he doesn't feel ambushed but nor can he be dismissive and say that he would need to get back to you ~ a way of avoiding giving an answer to the question. He has agreed to the meeting he can hardly start refusing to answer questions. If he does feel he can't answer then you have given him time to say so beforehand and you can know whether the meeting is still worth having. I would also check that he is happy for you to take notes and report back and it may also help if another person goes with you to double check what was said after you come out! I would prepare yourself beforehand by writing out what you want to say (not necessarily producing it at said meeting but at least it will help your thought processes in the meeting), your questions and also writing a limited agenda, say along the lines ~ ~ background to the petition ~ why you feel it necessary to share your (and others) thoughts directly with the club ~ the key points that you feel need addressing going forward ~ how you feel the club could improve communication ~ how the club feel the fans could be part of any communication plan going forward ('we' [the fans] are moaning so we should be prepared to be part of the solution) ~ finish by acknowledgement that we all want the best for the club recognising the fans are the life blood whoever is in charge. Be polite and courteous but be businesslike and don't feel intimidated. The fans who have signed are (hopefully) behind this. just a few thoughts and not my definitive view but may help tactically. Best regards and good luck with the meeting. Great advice, from someone who has probably attended more than their fair share of meetings What I was driving at when saying that Tom needs to prepare is that he should consider the replies that are likely to come back across the table to him. Just as an example, if questioned about supporter involvement in communication, Steve may well point Tom towards the SC and remind him that we have a Fans' representative at board level, so Tom needs to consider how he's going to deal with that. And 1000 other possible scenarios. Good luck Tom. Thanks both! I'll send the questions on ahead and make sure I can either record the meeting/take notes/take a witness. I'd like to believe that Steve wouldn't employ any of the slippery tactics mentioned above, but better safe than sorry. Feel free to fire over any other questions/advice. So far the response has been brilliant.
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2019 14:45:32 GMT
Great advice, from someone who has probably attended more than their fair share of meetings What I was driving at when saying that Tom needs to prepare is that he should consider the replies that are likely to come back across the table to him. Just as an example, if questioned about supporter involvement in communication, Steve may well point Tom towards the SC and remind him that we have a Fans' representative at board level, so Tom needs to consider how he's going to deal with that. And 1000 other possible scenarios. Good luck Tom. Thanks both! I'll send the questions on ahead and make sure I can either record the meeting/take notes/take a witness. I'd like to believe that Steve wouldn't employ any of the slippery tactics mentioned above, but better safe than sorry. Feel free to fire over any other questions/advice. So far the response has been brilliant. It's not about taking a witness, it's just ensuring that you aren't, to give you a full picture, fed just enough information to compromise your position.
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,236
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Post by kingswood Polak on Jan 12, 2019 15:33:56 GMT
www.change.org/p/wael-al-qadi-open-letter-to-the-board-of-bristol-rovers-football-club/u/23860806Looks like this has just ticked over 1000 signatures. Huge thanks to everyone who has signed and remember its not too late to add your signature if you haven't already. Me and Steve have arranged to meet before the Wycombe home game. I'll be taking notes and will feedback on the outcomes (if any). I'm aiming to impress on Steve the importance of the fans knowing what the boards long term plan is and how we can open up lines of communication going forward. If there are any burning questions you think I should ask, feel free to add to this thread. Cheers Tom He thinks he's now got you where he wants you. Private meetings are, in my opinion, not always a great idea. Think about how this meeting could go, what you want to achieve, what he will be wanting to get out of it, and prepare properly, don't just roll up with a few questions in the back of your mind and see where the conversation goes. Edit. Yeah, I've got a question for him. Ask him if it's true that he acted like a 5 year old and threw a massive tantrum at Swansea because he wasn't allowed into the Directors' box after he had left the club. When I was in sales the mantra was KISS. Keep it simple and straight plus fail to prepare, prepare to fail. I will also add in one that was said but just to me..you have 2 ears and 1 mouth. Use them in that proportion and you will find you do better than expected. Just my own opinions, of course
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2019 15:44:31 GMT
He thinks he's now got you where he wants you. Private meetings are, in my opinion, not always a great idea. Think about how this meeting could go, what you want to achieve, what he will be wanting to get out of it, and prepare properly, don't just roll up with a few questions in the back of your mind and see where the conversation goes. Edit. Yeah, I've got a question for him. Ask him if it's true that he acted like a 5 year old and threw a massive tantrum at Swansea because he wasn't allowed into the Directors' box after he had left the club. When I was in sales the mantra was KISS. Keep it simple and straight plus fail to prepare, prepare to fail. I will also add in one that was said but just to me..you have 2 ears and 1 mouth. Use them in that proportion and you will find you do better than expected. Just my own opinions, of course Can't argue with any of that.
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,236
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Post by kingswood Polak on Jan 12, 2019 15:46:31 GMT
When I was in sales the mantra was KISS. Keep it simple and straight plus fail to prepare, prepare to fail. I will also add in one that was said but just to me..you have 2 ears and 1 mouth. Use them in that proportion and you will find you do better than expected. Just my own opinions, of course Can't argue with any of that. Really glad of that. I like many of your posts but thought maybe there had been some misunderstanding. I like others who also are not of the herd mentality, even if I sometimes disagree
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harrybuckle
Always look on the bright side
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 5,394
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Post by harrybuckle on Jan 12, 2019 15:55:37 GMT
www.change.org/p/wael-al-qadi-open-letter-to-the-board-of-bristol-rovers-football-club/u/23860806Looks like this has just ticked over 1000 signatures. Huge thanks to everyone who has signed and remember its not too late to add your signature if you haven't already. Me and Steve have arranged to meet before the Wycombe home game. I'll be taking notes and will feedback on the outcomes (if any). I'm aiming to impress on Steve the importance of the fans knowing what the boards long term plan is and how we can open up lines of communication going forward. If there are any burning questions you think I should ask, feel free to add to this thread. Cheers Tom Ask Steve if the Port Vale cup tie could be a kid a quid game and we could bring in those extra fans as we are now so close very to Wemberee !
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2019 16:02:24 GMT
Can't argue with any of that. Really glad of that. I like many of your posts but thought maybe there had been some misunderstanding. I like others who also are not of the herd mentality, even if I sometimes disagree Hey, I'm glad we disagree on some things, keeps it interesting. I have no time for sycophants who wade in and support people in debates / arguments just because they happen to either know or usually agree with one of the combatants.
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,236
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Post by kingswood Polak on Jan 12, 2019 16:06:42 GMT
Really glad of that. I like many of your posts but thought maybe there had been some misunderstanding. I like others who also are not of the herd mentality, even if I sometimes disagree Hey, I'm glad we disagree on some things, keeps it interesting. I have no time for sycophants who wade in and support people in debates / arguments just because they happen to either know or usually agree with one of the combatants. Sometimes I just cannot help doing that and because loyalty and honour are two thing that are very high up on my list of things I show to friends. It’s how I was raised. Yes, I’ve made many errors of judgment but all my fault and in no way reflecting on my upbringing. I’m just a guy who would do anything for a true friend. I’m not yet sure if it’s a good or bad thing and, at 55, I really should know by now
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Post by swissgas on Jan 12, 2019 21:39:37 GMT
He thinks he's now got you where he wants you. Private meetings are, in my opinion, not always a great idea. Think about how this meeting could go, what you want to achieve, what he will be wanting to get out of it, and prepare properly, don't just roll up with a few questions in the back of your mind and see where the conversation goes. Edit. Yeah, I've got a question for him. Ask him if it's true that he acted like a 5 year old and threw a massive tantrum at Swansea because he wasn't allowed into the Directors' box after he had left the club. When I was in sales the mantra was KISS. Keep it simple and straight plus fail to prepare, prepare to fail. I will also add in one that was said but just to me..you have 2 ears and 1 mouth. Use them in that proportion and you will find you do better than expected. Just my own opinions, of course Not just your opinion KP, there are millions of us who listened when older and more experienced people passed on words of wisdom like that. When Nick Higgs was sitting back with his watertight Sainsburys contract he should have remembered the old sales adage “a sale is not a sale until the goods are delivered and paid for”. It baffles me that so many Rovers fans, despite being bombarded by communications from businesses every minute of the waking day, still pretend that communication is not important and that Rovers leaders are fully justified in taking the stance of “we will communicate when we have something to say”. I think they are deliberately playing at being dumb but still wish Tom all the best with his meeting.
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Post by fatherjackhackett on Jan 13, 2019 11:38:13 GMT
When I was in sales the mantra was KISS. Keep it simple and straight plus fail to prepare, prepare to fail. I will also add in one that was said but just to me..you have 2 ears and 1 mouth. Use them in that proportion and you will find you do better than expected. Just my own opinions, of course Not just your opinion KP, there are millions of us who listened when older and more experienced people passed on words of wisdom like that. When Nick Higgs was sitting back with his watertight Sainsburys contract he should have remembered the old sales adage “a sale is not a sale until the goods are delivered and paid for”. It baffles me that so many Rovers fans, despite being bombarded by communications from businesses every minute of the waking day, still pretend that communication is not important and that Rovers leaders are fully justified in taking the stance of “we will communicate when we have something to say”. I think they are deliberately playing at being dumb but still wish Tom all the best with his meeting. it’s not that I want to play dumb, but there has to be a better model of expressing our views than postings on a message board or Facebook. IMHO there has to be an organised and active Supporters’ group to express these views collectively. Just look at Blackpool and Charlton to see how effective this can be. I have zero confidence, especially post 2006, that the Supoorters Club will ever be capable of doing this. We can all have our moans individually on line, carry on going to matches, and speak on the quiet to so called ITKers. That will achieve nothing. I called publically for an Independent Supporters Association after the relegation in 2001. A group who are not afraid to publically convey all of our thoughts and feelings. Eighteen years later I feel we need one more than ever. Otherwise there is zero pressure for the board to change a single thing.
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2019 12:23:59 GMT
Not just your opinion KP, there are millions of us who listened when older and more experienced people passed on words of wisdom like that. When Nick Higgs was sitting back with his watertight Sainsburys contract he should have remembered the old sales adage “a sale is not a sale until the goods are delivered and paid for”. It baffles me that so many Rovers fans, despite being bombarded by communications from businesses every minute of the waking day, still pretend that communication is not important and that Rovers leaders are fully justified in taking the stance of “we will communicate when we have something to say”. I think they are deliberately playing at being dumb but still wish Tom all the best with his meeting. it’s not that I want to play dumb, but there has to be a better model of expressing our views than postings on a message board or Facebook. IMHO there has to be an organised and active Supporters’ group to express these views collectively. Just look at Blackpool and Charlton to see how effective this can be. I have zero confidence, especially post 2006, that the Supoorters Club will ever be capable of doing this. We can all have our moans individually on line, carry on going to matches, and speak on the quiet to so called ITKers. That will achieve nothing. I called publically for an Independent Supporters Association after the relegation in 2001. A group who are not afraid to publically convey all of our thoughts and feelings. Eighteen years later I feel we need one more than ever. Otherwise there is zero pressure for the board to change a single thing. But is it effective? Yes blackpool gates are down considerably but the team are in the top half of the table and the owners are showing no signs of leaving
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Post by swissgas on Jan 13, 2019 15:46:13 GMT
Not just your opinion KP, there are millions of us who listened when older and more experienced people passed on words of wisdom like that. When Nick Higgs was sitting back with his watertight Sainsburys contract he should have remembered the old sales adage “a sale is not a sale until the goods are delivered and paid for”. It baffles me that so many Rovers fans, despite being bombarded by communications from businesses every minute of the waking day, still pretend that communication is not important and that Rovers leaders are fully justified in taking the stance of “we will communicate when we have something to say”. I think they are deliberately playing at being dumb but still wish Tom all the best with his meeting. it’s not that I want to play dumb, but there has to be a better model of expressing our views than postings on a message board or Facebook. IMHO there has to be an organised and active Supporters’ group to express these views collectively. Just look at Blackpool and Charlton to see how effective this can be. I have zero confidence, especially post 2006, that the Supoorters Club will ever be capable of doing this. We can all have our moans individually on line, carry on going to matches, and speak on the quiet to so called ITKers. That will achieve nothing. I called publically for an Independent Supporters Association after the relegation in 2001. A group who are not afraid to publically convey all of our thoughts and feelings. Eighteen years later I feel we need one more than ever. Otherwise there is zero pressure for the board to change a single thing. My playing dumb comment was a little ambiguous. Wael is playing dumb because he knows he should respond to the four specific communication suggestions in Tom’s open letter but he can easily get away with sending Steve Hamer out to bat and use his smarm to diffuse the situation. Many fans are playing dumb because, although they can see what has happened to the open letter and that the concerns of the 1000 signatories are immaterial to the owners, with the team on a winning run a quiet life is much preferable. It may be worth looking at the history of the Colchester Community Stadium to see what the future holds for Rovers. It was achieved on the back of a 13000 signature petition and if I was Hani Al-Qadi this is the outcome I should be seeking to engineer right now.
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Peter Parker
Global Moderator
Richard Walker
You have been sentenced to DELETION!
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,920
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Post by Peter Parker on Jan 13, 2019 16:53:50 GMT
it’s not that I want to play dumb, but there has to be a better model of expressing our views than postings on a message board or Facebook. IMHO there has to be an organised and active Supporters’ group to express these views collectively. Just look at Blackpool and Charlton to see how effective this can be. I have zero confidence, especially post 2006, that the Supoorters Club will ever be capable of doing this. We can all have our moans individually on line, carry on going to matches, and speak on the quiet to so called ITKers. That will achieve nothing. I called publically for an Independent Supporters Association after the relegation in 2001. A group who are not afraid to publically convey all of our thoughts and feelings. Eighteen years later I feel we need one more than ever. Otherwise there is zero pressure for the board to change a single thing. But is it effectivery? Yes blackpool gates are down considerably but the team are in the top half of the table and the owners are showing no signs of leaving Maybe it hasnt been effective at Blackpool, but fair play to those that continue to boycot. The Oystons are crooks pure and simple
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tommym9
Joined: December 2018
Posts: 123
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Post by tommym9 on Jan 14, 2019 10:55:55 GMT
Not just your opinion KP, there are millions of us who listened when older and more experienced people passed on words of wisdom like that. When Nick Higgs was sitting back with his watertight Sainsburys contract he should have remembered the old sales adage “a sale is not a sale until the goods are delivered and paid for”. It baffles me that so many Rovers fans, despite being bombarded by communications from businesses every minute of the waking day, still pretend that communication is not important and that Rovers leaders are fully justified in taking the stance of “we will communicate when we have something to say”. I think they are deliberately playing at being dumb but still wish Tom all the best with his meeting. it’s not that I want to play dumb, but there has to be a better model of expressing our views than postings on a message board or Facebook. IMHO there has to be an organised and active Supporters’ group to express these views collectively. Just look at Blackpool and Charlton to see how effective this can be. I have zero confidence, especially post 2006, that the Supoorters Club will ever be capable of doing this. We can all have our moans individually on line, carry on going to matches, and speak on the quiet to so called ITKers. That will achieve nothing. I called publically for an Independent Supporters Association after the relegation in 2001. A group who are not afraid to publically convey all of our thoughts and feelings. Eighteen years later I feel we need one more than ever. Otherwise there is zero pressure for the board to change a single thing. I agree 100% with this. I feel like the Supporters Club is at a point where the club no longer needs them for the revenue they were generating and the fans are desperate for someone to hold the owners feet to the fire now that DC has gone. The SC has an elected board so it would mean people putting themselves forward to take on what is an unpaid second job. Not that appealing to a lot of people.
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