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Post by Curly Wurly on Oct 16, 2023 18:56:07 GMT
If you haven't missed the news the club now has new majority shareholders, it seems they have already decided to move on from Wael & TG running the entire show and have brought in BHP Parabis to assist with the new stand plans. Time will tell if TG remains as CEO or they decide to bring in their own CEO. Although I'm not sure what individual fans were supposed to do in the past to stop the club proceeding with whatever plans they proposed. I doubt posting on this forum would have no impact and we have zero contact with the owners directly. Even the BP have been kicked into touch by JB for being negative. I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say but will have a go at replying. Rovers majority shareholder is still Dwane Sports but we’ve been told this company is now 55% owned by Hussain Al-Saeed. Hussain and his son Abdullatif are directors of both BRFC Ltd and BRFC 1883 Ltd whilst their friends Khalid Alkandari and Abdulaziz Alroomi are directors of BRFC 1883 Ltd. BNP Paribas contributed documents to support the original April planning application but have played a much more prominent role in the new application. You say the Al- Saeeds have moved on from Wael & Tom running the entire show but how do we know this because we haven’t heard anything from them since August 14th ? The message in my post is that for the good of the club Gasheads should resist the temptation to deify Hussain, Abdullatif or any of their appointees as has been done with Wael and Tom. Reason number one is that history shows this doesn’t work either for the personalities themselves or for the football club. Reason number two is that Gasheads put the largest portion of funding into the club so there is absolutely no need to be grovellingly grateful to the leaders. It is probably much too early to say whether we should be grateful (grovellingly or otherwise) to Mr Hussain. Truth is we really don't know much about him, his wealth, or his fellow travellers. We know even less about his intentions for the stewardship of the club apart from the brief general statement following the announcement of his investment.
I think I should feel good about it, but I just don't know!!
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Post by o2o2bo2ba on Oct 16, 2023 19:07:45 GMT
This is a part of the South Stand how some may remember it? I think rain stops play... Attachment Deleted |
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trymer
Joined: November 2018
Posts: 2,556 
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Post by trymer on Oct 16, 2023 19:29:35 GMT
This is a part of the South Stand how some may remember it? I think rain stops play... View AttachmentYes,you can just see the south stand bar on the right. No floodlight pylons so possibly late 40s early 50s ? |
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Post by swissgas on Oct 16, 2023 19:53:21 GMT
I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say but will have a go at replying. Rovers majority shareholder is still Dwane Sports but we’ve been told this company is now 55% owned by Hussain Al-Saeed. Hussain and his son Abdullatif are directors of both BRFC Ltd and BRFC 1883 Ltd whilst their friends Khalid Alkandari and Abdulaziz Alroomi are directors of BRFC 1883 Ltd. BNP Paribas contributed documents to support the original April planning application but have played a much more prominent role in the new application. You say the Al- Saeeds have moved on from Wael & Tom running the entire show but how do we know this because we haven’t heard anything from them since August 14th ? The message in my post is that for the good of the club Gasheads should resist the temptation to deify Hussain, Abdullatif or any of their appointees as has been done with Wael and Tom. Reason number one is that history shows this doesn’t work either for the personalities themselves or for the football club. Reason number two is that Gasheads put the largest portion of funding into the club so there is absolutely no need to be grovellingly grateful to the leaders. It is probably much too early to say whether we should be grateful (grovellingly or otherwise) to Mr Hussain. Truth is we really don't know much about him, his wealth, or his fellow travellers. We know even less about his intentions for the stewardship of the club apart from the brief general statement following the announcement of his investment.
I think I should feel good about it, but I just don't know!!
You are not alone in thinking this. Every single one of the Gasheads I’m in regular contact with has a degree of concern and some of them are very worried. There are ultra loyalist fans who proclaim they have faith in the Al-Saeeds but that can only be blind faith because, as you say, we know very little about them. I think there is some justification in having concerns because of the ( admittedly low key) claims which they made about their experience in the sports business. On Gaschat Pirate used his investigative skills but was unable to find any evidence they have a board level connection to a professional football club in Kuwait and such a connection is not mentioned in Abdullatif’s LinkedIn profile whereas his Rovers link already is. And a small amount of internet research reveals that the NBA basketball related venture is very small, little more than a kids summer camp really, and the budget for setting it up was only about $100 000. It’s a pity we can’t have a sensible debate about this on the forums but I’m afraid that would immediately be labeled “ disrespectful”. Some people have even said to me they fear open discussion might upset the owners and make them walk away leaving Rovers in the lurch. A sad state of affairs but this is the Rovers which has evolved over the past seven years through the encouragement of “gratefulness” which is now used by many as a badge of honour. |
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,361
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Post by kingswood Polak on Oct 17, 2023 12:01:11 GMT
It is probably much too early to say whether we should be grateful (grovellingly or otherwise) to Mr Hussain. Truth is we really don't know much about him, his wealth, or his fellow travellers. We know even less about his intentions for the stewardship of the club apart from the brief general statement following the announcement of his investment.
I think I should feel good about it, but I just don't know!!
You are not alone in thinking this. Every single one of the Gasheads I’m in regular contact with has a degree of concern and some of them are very worried. There are ultra loyalist fans who proclaim they have faith in the Al-Saeeds but that can only be blind faith because, as you say, we know very little about them. I think there is some justification in having concerns because of the ( admittedly low key) claims which they made about their experience in the sports business. On Gaschat Pirate used his investigative skills but was unable to find any evidence they have a board level connection to a professional football club in Kuwait and such a connection is not mentioned in Abdullatif’s LinkedIn profile whereas his Rovers link already is. And a small amount of internet research reveals that the NBA basketball related venture is very small, little more than a kids summer camp really, and the budget for setting it up was only about $100 000. It’s a pity we can’t have a sensible debate about this on the forums but I’m afraid that would immediately be labeled “ disrespectful”. Some people have even said to me they fear open discussion might upset the owners and make them walk away leaving Rovers in the lurch. A sad state of affairs but this is the Rovers which has evolved over the past seven years through the encouragement of “gratefulness” which is now used by many as a badge of honour. Yes, Unfortunately and if you dare to question, any club decision or even write that we have no knowledge it seems to bring out the worst in a fair few. It’s quite disappointing as some of them can post with intelligence and pertinence. I just feel the club are blessed in that the majority do not use, know of and get involved in forum discussions. Sorry to change the subject but still not received any reply from gas burner. |
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harrybuckle
Always look on the bright side
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 5,576
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Post by harrybuckle on Oct 17, 2023 12:56:47 GMT
You are not alone in thinking this. Every single one of the Gasheads I’m in regular contact with has a degree of concern and some of them are very worried. There are ultra loyalist fans who proclaim they have faith in the Al-Saeeds but that can only be blind faith because, as you say, we know very little about them. I think there is some justification in having concerns because of the ( admittedly low key) claims which they made about their experience in the sports business. On Gaschat Pirate used his investigative skills but was unable to find any evidence they have a board level connection to a professional football club in Kuwait and such a connection is not mentioned in Abdullatif’s LinkedIn profile whereas his Rovers link already is. And a small amount of internet research reveals that the NBA basketball related venture is very small, little more than a kids summer camp really, and the budget for setting it up was only about $100 000. It’s a pity we can’t have a sensible debate about this on the forums but I’m afraid that would immediately be labeled “ disrespectful”. Some people have even said to me they fear open discussion might upset the owners and make them walk away leaving Rovers in the lurch. A sad state of affairs but this is the Rovers which has evolved over the past seven years through the encouragement of “gratefulness” which is now used by many as a badge of honour. Yes, Unfortunately and if you dare to question, any club decision or even write that we have no knowledge it seems to bring out the worst in a fair few. It’s quite disappointing as some of them can post with intelligence and pertinence. I just feel the club are blessed in that the majority do not use, know of and get involved in forum discussions. Sorry to change the subject but still not received any reply from gas burner. The thing is who is Gas burner no one seems to know Has he insider information or is he purely speculating like the vast majority of us? Questioning the club by fans must be maintained after all once the owners go we the fans remain and continue to support emotionally and financially we have a serious stake in this club which celebrates its 140th anniversary on 9 December I wonder if those schoolmasters who met in the Collins restaurant on Stapleton Road in 1883 realised what they were starting by forming an Association football club when the rugby game was well established in the local area. The Black Arabs Afc was a bold move and we must strive to continue to support our club you know it makes sense. |
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eppinggas
Administrator
Ian Alexander
Don't care
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 8,613
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Post by eppinggas on Oct 17, 2023 13:32:28 GMT
It is probably much too early to say whether we should be grateful (grovellingly or otherwise) to Mr Hussain. Truth is we really don't know much about him, his wealth, or his fellow travellers. We know even less about his intentions for the stewardship of the club apart from the brief general statement following the announcement of his investment.
I think I should feel good about it, but I just don't know!!
You are not alone in thinking this. Every single one of the Gasheads I’m in regular contact with has a degree of concern and some of them are very worried. There are ultra loyalist fans who proclaim they have faith in the Al-Saeeds but that can only be blind faith because, as you say, we know very little about them. I think there is some justification in having concerns because of the ( admittedly low key) claims which they made about their experience in the sports business. On Gaschat Pirate used his investigative skills but was unable to find any evidence they have a board level connection to a professional football club in Kuwait and such a connection is not mentioned in Abdullatif’s LinkedIn profile whereas his Rovers link already is. And a small amount of internet research reveals that the NBA basketball related venture is very small, little more than a kids summer camp really, and the budget for setting it up was only about $100 000. It’s a pity we can’t have a sensible debate about this on the forums but I’m afraid that would immediately be labeled “ disrespectful”. Some people have even said to me they fear open discussion might upset the owners and make them walk away leaving Rovers in the lurch. A sad state of affairs but this is the Rovers which has evolved over the past seven years through the encouragement of “gratefulness” which is now used by many as a badge of honour. You can on this one swiss... you cynical bar steward. Regards, Eppinggas Cynical-Bar Steward. |
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Post by o2o2bo2ba on Oct 17, 2023 17:05:24 GMT
This is a part of the South Stand how some may remember it? I think rain stops play... View AttachmentYes,you can just see the south stand bar on the right. No floodlight pylons so possibly late 40s early 50s ? It says the great flood of 1968? Would/could that be correct? |
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harrybuckle
Always look on the bright side
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 5,576
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Post by harrybuckle on Oct 17, 2023 17:29:15 GMT
Yes,you can just see the south stand bar on the right. No floodlight pylons so possibly late 40s early 50s ? It says the great flood of 1968? Would/could that be correct? Yes the river frome flooded Eastville area i should know I lived there at the time. I remember going over the bridge by Her Majesty cinema to stadium and seeing thousands of Rovers programmes floating along in the car park. Kids like me managed to find some which managed to avoid the 5 feet flood and took them home and that started my programmes collection got every home and away one now back to 1949. The major flood relief scheme was arranged after this big flood a major project in the area and it never flooded again. |
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Post by droitwichgas on Oct 17, 2023 18:40:03 GMT
If you haven't missed the news the club now has new majority shareholders, it seems they have already decided to move on from Wael & TG running the entire show and have brought in BHP Parabis to assist with the new stand plans. Time will tell if TG remains as CEO or they decide to bring in their own CEO. Although I'm not sure what individual fans were supposed to do in the past to stop the club proceeding with whatever plans they proposed. I doubt posting on this forum would have no impact and we have zero contact with the owners directly. Even the BP have been kicked into touch by JB for being negative. We may not be able to do anything but they certainly do read both places and may be influenced by some ideas. I am not sure BP were kicked out due to negativity, maybe you can add why you believe that to be the case ? That's the explanation given by JB? Personally I find it disappointing that the owners have allowed JB to ban the BP when they are the only local press outlet prepared to employ a reporter to solely report on Rovers, if they decided not to cover Rovers we'd never get any news updates. |
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Post by droitwichgas on Oct 17, 2023 18:50:06 GMT
I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say but will have a go at replying. Rovers majority shareholder is still Dwane Sports but we’ve been told this company is now 55% owned by Hussain Al-Saeed. Hussain and his son Abdullatif are directors of both BRFC Ltd and BRFC 1883 Ltd whilst their friends Khalid Alkandari and Abdulaziz Alroomi are directors of BRFC 1883 Ltd. BNP Paribas contributed documents to support the original April planning application but have played a much more prominent role in the new application. You say the Al- Saeeds have moved on from Wael & Tom running the entire show but how do we know this because we haven’t heard anything from them since August 14th ? The message in my post is that for the good of the club Gasheads should resist the temptation to deify Hussain, Abdullatif or any of their appointees as has been done with Wael and Tom. Reason number one is that history shows this doesn’t work either for the personalities themselves or for the football club. Reason number two is that Gasheads put the largest portion of funding into the club so there is absolutely no need to be grovellingly grateful to the leaders. It is probably much too early to say whether we should be grateful (grovellingly or otherwise) to Mr Hussain. Truth is we really don't know much about him, his wealth, or his fellow travellers. We know even less about his intentions for the stewardship of the club apart from the brief general statement following the announcement of his investment.
I think I should feel good about it, but I just don't know!!
All we can do is trust that Wael's not been taken totally by some con artists, there's no real signs coming out of the club, so far anyway, that they are doing anything untoward and you have to assume they are supporting building the new stand as the club's clearly still pressing on with that, and they've also sanctioned the signing of Martin rather than just telling JB he's got to make do. January could be interesting one way or the other as if they really were prepared to sign JCH , I assume he'll sign or we'll sign a similar high profile striker. The worry will start if we only sign cheap free transfer/more loans. One good move is Gibson's left the board so JB's position is a bit weaker. Although what the two new board members actually do is a complete mystery. |
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Post by droitwichgas on Oct 17, 2023 18:50:18 GMT
I’m not really sure what you’re trying to say but will have a go at replying. Rovers majority shareholder is still Dwane Sports but we’ve been told this company is now 55% owned by Hussain Al-Saeed. Hussain and his son Abdullatif are directors of both BRFC Ltd and BRFC 1883 Ltd whilst their friends Khalid Alkandari and Abdulaziz Alroomi are directors of BRFC 1883 Ltd. BNP Paribas contributed documents to support the original April planning application but have played a much more prominent role in the new application. You say the Al- Saeeds have moved on from Wael & Tom running the entire show but how do we know this because we haven’t heard anything from them since August 14th ? The message in my post is that for the good of the club Gasheads should resist the temptation to deify Hussain, Abdullatif or any of their appointees as has been done with Wael and Tom. Reason number one is that history shows this doesn’t work either for the personalities themselves or for the football club. Reason number two is that Gasheads put the largest portion of funding into the club so there is absolutely no need to be grovellingly grateful to the leaders. It is probably much too early to say whether we should be grateful (grovellingly or otherwise) to Mr Hussain. Truth is we really don't know much about him, his wealth, or his fellow travellers. We know even less about his intentions for the stewardship of the club apart from the brief general statement following the announcement of his investment.
I think I should feel good about it, but I just don't know!!
All we can do is trust that Wael's not been taken totally by some con artists, there's no real signs coming out of the club, so far anyway, that they are doing anything untoward and you have to assume they are supporting building the new stand as the club's clearly still pressing on with that, and they've also sanctioned the signing of Martin rather than just telling JB he's got to make do. January could be interesting one way or the other as if they really were prepared to sign JCH , I assume he'll sign or we'll sign a similar high profile striker. The worry will start if we only sign cheap free transfer/more loans. One good move is Gibson's left the board so JB's position is a bit weaker. Although what the two new board members actually do is a complete mystery. |
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trymer
Joined: November 2018
Posts: 2,556
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Post by trymer on Oct 17, 2023 19:05:20 GMT
Yes,you can just see the south stand bar on the right. No floodlight pylons so possibly late 40s early 50s ? It says the great flood of 1968? Would/could that be correct? I thought that initially but I would have thought that the floodlight pylons would have been in the picture,I am pretty sure they were installed in the 50s. |
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Post by swissgas on Oct 17, 2023 19:44:25 GMT
You are not alone in thinking this. Every single one of the Gasheads I’m in regular contact with has a degree of concern and some of them are very worried. There are ultra loyalist fans who proclaim they have faith in the Al-Saeeds but that can only be blind faith because, as you say, we know very little about them. I think there is some justification in having concerns because of the ( admittedly low key) claims which they made about their experience in the sports business. On Gaschat Pirate used his investigative skills but was unable to find any evidence they have a board level connection to a professional football club in Kuwait and such a connection is not mentioned in Abdullatif’s LinkedIn profile whereas his Rovers link already is. And a small amount of internet research reveals that the NBA basketball related venture is very small, little more than a kids summer camp really, and the budget for setting it up was only about $100 000. It’s a pity we can’t have a sensible debate about this on the forums but I’m afraid that would immediately be labeled “ disrespectful”. Some people have even said to me they fear open discussion might upset the owners and make them walk away leaving Rovers in the lurch. A sad state of affairs but this is the Rovers which has evolved over the past seven years through the encouragement of “gratefulness” which is now used by many as a badge of honour. You can on this one swiss... you cynical bar steward. Regards, Eppinggas Cynical-Bar Steward. Perhaps the provision of facilities for disabled fans is a subject which is more likely to stimulate debate. Colyton Gas brings this up regularly and I remember years ago it was something Mancgas used to keep us informed about. The official club message is “ we wish to welcome all disabled supporters to BRFC - It is our aim to ensure inclusivity and understanding for all” We know the facilities at the South end have been extremely poor so building a new stand gave us the opportunity to put this right. But the design and access statement in the original planning application showed that this opportunity had been wasted. The building code specifies 34 seats must be provided for disabled spectators in a stand with 3400 seats but our plans show only 10. The excuse given was that 10 is better than the 6 we had previously and the football club feels 34 is too many. I was astonished when I read this and posted about it here so when it was revealed a new application was being submitted I felt sure this would be addressed. But no, the original design and access statement remains part of the new application and we are going to try to get permission for a stand with 10 disabled spectator seats when the building code stipulates 34. I’ve managed to upset many people by comparing Rovers spending with rival clubs and suggesting we are paying considerably more ( twice as much in some cases) to achieve the same results on the pitch. That point didn’t gain much traction and the loyal supporters of the leadership found numerous ways to defend the excess spending along the lines of “ We are Bristol Rovers we spend what we like”. But perhaps when it comes to the provision of disables facilities Gasheads will be more willing to support the view that we shouldn’t be trailing so far behind our competitors. We want our club to be better than them don’t we ? Lincoln CityNumber of wheelchair user spaces Home Actual: 37 Away Actual: 6 Oxford UnitedNumber of wheelchair user spaces Home Actual: 120 Away Actual: 14 Port ValeNumber of wheelchair user spaces Actual: 28 Burton AlbionNumber of wheelchair user spaces Home Actual: 40 Away Actual: 20 Shrewsbury TownNumber of wheelchair user spaces Actual: 114 Home: 94 Away 20. Exeter CityNumber of wheelchair user spaces Home Actual: 57 Away Actual: 8 Wycombe WanderersAccessibility information Number of wheelchair user spaces Actual: 32 Bristol RoversAccessibility information Number of wheelchair user spaces Home Actual: 19 Away Actual: 6 |
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harrybuckle
Always look on the bright side
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 5,576
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Post by harrybuckle on Oct 17, 2023 19:51:42 GMT
It says the great flood of 1968? Would/could that be correct? I thought that initially but I would have thought that the floodlight pylons would have been in the picture,I am pretty sure they were installed in the 50s. Flood lights installed and used for first time against Ipswich Town Sept 1959 i was not there to see it but i understand proved popular with again the Supporters Club helping raise the funds to pay for them. |
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,361
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Post by kingswood Polak on Oct 18, 2023 7:30:52 GMT
We may not be able to do anything but they certainly do read both places and may be influenced by some ideas. I am not sure BP were kicked out due to negativity, maybe you can add why you believe that to be the case ? That's the explanation given by JB? Personally I find it disappointing that the owners have allowed JB to ban the BP when they are the only local press outlet prepared to employ a reporter to solely report on Rovers, if they decided not to cover Rovers we'd never get any news updates. I find it both disappointing and poor decision making to allow ANY manager so much autonomy. In my view the job of a manager should be training and picking the team. When the time comes where he leaves, as i don’t see him being sacked, he has a huge amount of his friends surrounding him. Wael has put an awful lot into him. what the CEO should be doing is lessened by this. |
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bluetornados
Predictions League
Joined: June 2014
Posts: 15,769
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Post by bluetornados on Oct 18, 2023 8:11:23 GMT
That's the explanation given by JB? Personally I find it disappointing that the owners have allowed JB to ban the BP when they are the only local press outlet prepared to employ a reporter to solely report on Rovers, if they decided not to cover Rovers we'd never get any news updates. I find it both disappointing and poor decision making to allow ANY manager so much autonomy. In my view the job of a manager should be training and picking the team. When the time comes where he leaves, as i don’t see him being sacked, he has a huge amount of his friends surrounding him. Wael has put an awful lot into him. what the CEO should be doing is lessened by this. Agree, in a way, JB has made himself almost immovable with all his fingers in so many 'pies', whilst many other managers have been tossed aside this season, some IMO unjustly... |
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Post by droitwichgas on Oct 18, 2023 9:19:57 GMT
That's the explanation given by JB? Personally I find it disappointing that the owners have allowed JB to ban the BP when they are the only local press outlet prepared to employ a reporter to solely report on Rovers, if they decided not to cover Rovers we'd never get any news updates. I find it both disappointing and poor decision making to allow ANY manager so much autonomy. In my view the job of a manager should be training and picking the team. When the time comes where he leaves, as i don’t see him being sacked, he has a huge amount of his friends surrounding him. Wael has put an awful lot into him. what the CEO should be doing is lessened by this. Problem with that is you then get clowns like TW & MS running the football side of the club and we finish up back in L2 or worse. |
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warehamgas
Predictions League
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,591
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Post by warehamgas on Oct 18, 2023 15:30:35 GMT
I think it’s a problem for any owners where the management structure is so closely linked to the manager. As long as things are going well then all appears fine but there have been some big things that have gone wrong over the past few months. It seems that we have an ever-changing leadership team although tbh with the almost zero communication we get currently it’s hard to know the actual situation. I’d say that this lack of communication in itself is a bad sign. The website carries almost no news and as I don’t do twitter or X or whatever it is then I know almost nothing about what is happening. When there is a vacuum like that then rumour and supposition fills the space.
Tom G, as CEO, has been a constant and that should be a good thing but again without knowing what his actual duties are it’s difficult to think that’s either a positive or a negative esp in view of the South Stand debacle with its ramifications. I’ve liked him and his openness but I’m sure even he’d say the last 6 months haven’t been his best. I hope he is able to resolve the issues the club has.
Into all this has come the new owners and we really don’t know much about them and what their intentions are. I can’t believe anyone would put money or investment into BRFC without some long term plan about the ground situation. It seems totally bonkers to do so without a plan A for the ground seeing as it’s clear to anyone that without a new ground or a re-developed Mem we’ve probably reached a glass ceiling in League 1 without ground development.
Yet, getting on for 3 months later still nothing more than a few smiles and pleasant sentences before a match. It’s a very strange situation.
UTG!
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trymer
Joined: November 2018
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Post by trymer on Oct 18, 2023 18:59:03 GMT
I thought that initially but I would have thought that the floodlight pylons would have been in the picture,I am pretty sure they were installed in the 50s. Flood lights installed and used for first time against Ipswich Town Sept 1959 i was not there to see it but i understand proved popular with again the Supporters Club helping raise the funds to pay for them. So floodlights installed 1959 but not in picture suggests that the picture was pre 1959 . |
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