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Post by swissgas on May 31, 2014 14:36:51 GMT
A meeting of Rovers supporters has been arranged by MarkczGas for 10th June at the Wellington pub to try to bring all supporters together. The main aim is to find out what changes supporters want at the club and what we are prepared to do to make it happen.
I admire Mark and the effort he has put in to arrange the meeting and I've read his heartfelt pleas on the forums. His frustration mirrors mine and we both desperately want to do something to help Rovers change for the better.
But the invitation to the meeting says "No Board Bashers" and I am afraid, because I don't pull any punches in saying what I believe to be true, most people would consider me to be a Board Basher ?
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Bridgeman
Alfie Biggs
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,549 
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Post by Bridgeman on May 31, 2014 14:59:53 GMT
Do you mean to be 'board basher' or are you just perceived as being one ?
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2014 15:01:41 GMT
Probl;em is ,Neil,that you are viewing things from many thousand miles away and basing your opinions on what you hear on a minority forum,which is split in any case.You should know from your experience that you can easily go from hero to villain in just a few games as a player ,manager or director.I am not happy with a lot of things at the club,but cannot see people walking away until a viable alternative is on offer,and i dont mean the occurence of 2005/6.I am talking about someone with real money willing to throw it at the club like Lansdown has at City.These people are few and far between and very few are British,which would you prefer the cousin on the crooked Lithuanian who ruined Hearts,who is looking to launder,sorry invest,his money in an English club or the current board?I ignore Bas,s oft repeated mantra,a bit like a 60s one hit wonder who appears from time to time to sing his one and only song,and bores people solid.You have to be very what you wish for
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brange
Joined: May 2014
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Post by brange on May 31, 2014 15:18:38 GMT
Supporters meeting in a pub, however well intentioned it is meant, makes me question whether this is the right way to go about things. I personally think your views could be voiced attending either the clubs open forum meeting (July?) or the supporters club EGM (17th June) whereby Higgs and Darrel Clarke will be in attendance, so effectively you will be able to speak to them directly rather than just amongst yourselves.
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Post by swissgas on May 31, 2014 15:23:03 GMT
Well Bridgeman I think people probably perceive me to be a Board Basher and I think it's important to get things out in the open because otherwise the fans will be permanently split and people like Markczgas , Jon the Stripe, The BRISA group and others of us who want to do good for the club will not succeed.
If a fan uses personal abuse against members of the board or implies (without any evidence) they are trying to gain personally from their involvement with Rovers then I think they could be classed as "Bashers"
But if a fan criticizes members of the board for what they see as poor management of the club then, to me, even strong words or cutting sarcasm are not 'Bashing" because the ultimate aim is to shake things up and encourage action which will make the club better.
So often I've posted things which I know members of the board will have read, and I've hoped they would come out with a stinging statement destroying my arguments point by point and showing they do have a plan and it's a much better one that mine. Maybe I'm exaggerating and they totally ignore my postings but many others have made extremely strong and well thought out criticisms of the board and the reaction always is.......... nothing or in one case ... banning.
The point of Markczgas's meeting is, I think, to try to engage with the board but this has been tried so many times before and failed. The board don't even have to do anything other than drop a few gentle hints that the people who want engagement are "Board Bashers" and the problem, for them, goes away. The supporters who want to do something are split, the vast majority remain apathetic and the downward spiral continues.
I think one of the aims of any supporters group which wants to work to make the club better should be to nail this "Board Basher" myth once and for all.
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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 May 31, 2014 15:30:14 GMT
I dont think a get together is a bad idea as long as it is constructive and someone will put whatever points across as a spokesmen as it were.
However using a term like no board bashers before such a meeeting is leading to divide before it has been started.
If i went stood up and said my peice, i guess i would be labelled a board basher.
I have my question lined up and it is critical regarding admission of mistakes after relegation to league two and that we would learn, but it appears we didnt. If that is. Board bashing for them not learning when they said they would, so be it
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rovers2
Bruce Bannister
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 326
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Post by rovers2 on May 31, 2014 16:01:06 GMT
I dont think a get together is a bad idea as long as it is constructive and someone will put whatever points across as a spokesmen as it were. However using a term like no board bashers before such a meeeting is leading to divide before it has been started. If i went stood up and said my peice, i guess i would be labelled a board basher. I have my question lined up and it is critical regarding admission of mistakes after relegation to league two and that we would learn, but it appears we didnt. If that is. Board bashing for them not learning when they said they would, so be it Exactly "bring ALL supporters together" and "no board bashers" means the meeting has failed in its objective before it has even taken place. |
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Post by swissgas on May 31, 2014 16:07:31 GMT
Hi Padstow. Yes I accept that being so far away I don't have a complete picture but in some ways the pain is even greater the further away you are. I've had friends and relatives from England contacting me and some deliberately try not to talk about the relegation because it's almost like a bereavement. The fact that Jeff in NZ was instrumental in setting up the IF and Bas when he was in Switzerland was the most radical of the radical shows that ex pats really care.
The point you make about someone with "real money" makes it sound like there is only one alternative but I don't think that's true. The last few years Rovers have copied the Bristol City / Lansdown model and I think that has been our downfall. To say that will be perceived as Board Bashing but why doesn't someone come out and say "no you are wrong Swiss because of a) b) c) and d)" ?
My personal view is that Rovers are one of the few lower league (aaagh non-league) clubs which should be sustainable at the Mem. But because the board have said the club is not sustainable at the Mem and the fans believe them then the common view is "we must have the UWE Stadium and we must have owners with tens of millions to spend. The alternative of running the club properly, including fans, local businessmen and outside businessmen in doing so, squeezing the most out of the assets we have (including the Mem) and having our own footballing philosophy is the exact opposite of the Bristol City method. But it is very similar to the Swansea City method and it's something which IMO should have been seriously considered a long time ago.
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Post by CabbagePatchBlues on May 31, 2014 16:10:15 GMT
I'm bored bashing, let's try another strategy red_card
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Bridgeman
Alfie Biggs
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,549
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Post by Bridgeman on May 31, 2014 16:13:18 GMT
Well Bridgeman I think people probably perceive me to be a Board Basher and I think it's important to get things out in the open because otherwise the fans will be permanently split and people like Markczgas , Jon the Stripe, The BRISA group and others of us who want to do good for the club will not succeed. If a fan uses personal abuse against members of the board or implies (without any evidence) they are trying to gain personally from their involvement with Rovers then I think they could be classed as "Bashers" But if a fan criticizes members of the board for what they see as poor management of the club then, to me, even strong words or cutting sarcasm are not 'Bashing" because the ultimate aim is to shake things up and encourage action which will make the club better. So often I've posted things which I know members of the board will have read, and I've hoped they would come out with a stinging statement destroying my arguments point by point and showing they do have a plan and it's a much better one that mine. Maybe I'm exaggerating and they totally ignore my postings but many others have made extremely strong and well thought out criticisms of the board and the reaction always is.......... nothing or in one case ... banning. The point of Markczgas's meeting is, I think, to try to engage with the board but this has been tried so many times before and failed. The board don't even have to do anything other than drop a few gentle hints that the people who want engagement are "Board Bashers" and the problem, for them, goes away. The supporters who want to do something are split, the vast majority remain apathetic and the downward spiral continues. I think one of the aims of any supporters group which wants to work to make the club better should be to nail this "Board Basher" myth once and for all. That's the problem, perception is everything and if there are individuals intent on making a particular perception apply to a person because they dislike the challenge that person may present them with then they will do all they can to discredit that person. I try not to be critical of other Gasheads but at a time when togetherness was required someone decided to go off and start up another forum because they said they only wanted to talk about 'all things Rovers' not be critical of the board. If you look on that forum most topics are little different to what are on this one, so I have to wonder and ask "what was all that about ?" |
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Post by swissgas on May 31, 2014 16:58:58 GMT
Yes, the point of the topic is to warn that for anyone who wants to work for change for the better at Rovers using the term Board Basher is falling into a trap.
No one registers to post on a BRFC forum with the aim of doing harm to the club or bashing the board for the sake of it we all want to share our thoughts and ultimately help to do good.
If the directors are acting like rabbits caught in a car's headlights then I don't think any of us want to see those rabbits mangled in the road. Some of us want to stop the car and some of us want to coax the rabbits off the road but we are all united in wanting to prevent the crash happening.
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jozer
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 365
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Post by jozer on May 31, 2014 17:08:15 GMT
Might as well hold it in a pub and have a good time, because as far as doing anything good for Rovers is concerned they will achieve **** all.
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dinsdale
Andy Rammell
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 495
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Post by dinsdale on May 31, 2014 17:08:49 GMT
Another meeting I'm not invited to then. Cant stand the supporters club, undecided on buying a season ticket and I'm critical of the board :-(
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LPGas
Stuart Taylor
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 1,240
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Post by LPGas on May 31, 2014 17:15:07 GMT
I don't bash a board with mine , the door yes, but not a board. Well for another month I am stranded in Brentford, then "Hello" boys when I move back to the West Country La La La
Wot no emocicons?
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Post by Strange Gas on May 31, 2014 17:21:43 GMT
Umm, suspect it could be a bit quiet if Mark genuinely wants to exclude people critical of the board. I wouldn't class myself as a board basher but am in no doubt they have not done a good job. You simply can't deny the evidence. My assumption is Mark wants discussion that is more constructive and focused on what we can do rather than create a platform for us to all voice our varying degrees of dislike / distrust of the board, but maybe he should explain. He posted invited on old IF I see . . .
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,255
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Post by kingswood Polak on May 31, 2014 17:47:04 GMT
I notice the invite says open to ALL Bristol Rovers fans.
I say as many should turn up as possible. No need to fragment this. It's what the board want to happen in much the same as the Black & Gold.
I know Mark, he worked for the club and is a very good guy who knows what he is talking about. There is no need for any of is to get precious about this. Just turn up, stay awhile & chat with like minded Rovers fans. If it's not for you then at least you can have a jar or two.
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basel
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,064
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Post by basel on May 31, 2014 18:33:04 GMT
A meeting of Rovers supporters has been arranged by MarkczGas for 10th June at the Wellington pub to try to bring all supporters together. The main aim is to find out what changes supporters want at the club and what we are prepared to do to make it happen. I admire Mark and the effort he has put in to arrange the meeting and I've read his heartfelt pleas on the forums. His frustration mirrors mine and we both desperately want to do something to help Rovers change for the better. But the invitation to the meeting says "No Board Bashers" and I am afraid, because I don't pull any punches in saying what I believe to be true, most people would consider me to be a Board Basher ? Swiss,the post advertising the Supporters Meet at the Welly says nothing about 'No Board Bashers',so i'm not sure where you got this from. It states all supporters are welcome and infact it strongly suggests the unhappier you are the more welcome you are. There are thousands of unhappy Gasheads around now and many are to a greater or lesser extent fed up with the Board,so I assume these are "Board bashers." I see them as 'the sussed' because they have now "sussed Box 1".Or maybe the 'savvy Gasheads'. They know something has to change. Anyway,apparently all are welcome to the Welly meeting. |
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Post by swissgas on May 31, 2014 19:01:05 GMT
Bas, I saw it on the GasChat forum but it's been left off of Pirate49's post on here which is fine.
Ras has just posted he thinks it was Mark's intention was to try to prevent the meeting descending into "Higgs Out" type anger with no meaningful discussion or constructive criticism.
I'm glad I pointed it out because it's best to clear the air in a mature way.
As you say, we need to get a united front, the board have been sussed out, it's not going to get anywhere just slagging them off they need to be confronted by a strong group of fans with a common voice and MASS support.
I'll buy the first pint
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basel
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,064
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Post by basel on May 31, 2014 19:11:19 GMT
Bas, I saw it on the GasChat forum but it's been left off of Pirate49's post on here which is fine. Ras has just posted he thinks it was Mark's intention was to try to prevent the meeting descending into "Higgs Out" type anger with no meaningful discussion or constructive criticism. I'm glad I pointed it out because it's best to clear the air in a mature way. As you say, we need to get a united front, the board have been sussed out, it's not going to get anywhere just slagging them off they need to be confronted by a strong group of fans with a common voice and MASS support. I'll buy the first pint Oh right Swiss,beg your pardon,good,that's sorted. Fair enough,a Gem please. |
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Post by Strange Gas on May 31, 2014 19:13:38 GMT
Thanks KP, I agree that must be how it must be. And cheers Swiss, don't mind if we do. Hope to be there
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