GTFC - A Way Forward For Everyone?

Well, as a fan for over 45 years, I’ve gone through many different stages of emotion following Town over the past fifteen seasons. Primarily it’s been an overriding feeling of despair but along the way it’s been embarrassment, followed by determination, then relief, then hope, followed by frustration, disappointment, frustration and latterly anger. Without putting dates to that long list of fluctuating feelings you could all probably date them yourselves having been through the same rollercoaster ride.

I’ve sort of got to the position where I can’t carry on feeling as angry as I do. I’ve come to the crossroads where I have to find a way to put the anger aside and follow whatever is presented in front of me or let the anger turn into apathy for my own well-being. It’s a natural instinct of mine to try and come up with solutions rather than letting things slide and quite frankly I’m getting a little tired of being that frustrated and angry about everything  GTFC.

So, I got thinking about what could be a realistic working solution for the future stewardship of the club that all parties could buy into. Let’s forget about the playing side at the minute, I’m talking about a solution to galvanise everybody to pull in the same direction. The reason why I’m writing this on the forum isn’t for anyone to speak for anyone else, so and so would never do this, so and so would never do that. I’m asking all of you frustrated fans if the scenario I’m outlining below is a workable solution that you could fully buy into it. There seems to be two sides that are entrenched in polarised views as to how the club should be run and by whom. This needs to change so everyone can be happy going forward.

First of all I’m going to address JF. He has put £2m of his own money into the club which is a huge commitment whether it was by loans or shares. He has also put a mountain of time and effort into running the club. For that amount of commitment anyone would want to leave a legacy. So analysing what sort of legacy he could feasibly achieve that could make everyone happy, it would have to be a new stadium, a lasting legacy that would be fitting for someone who has dedicated so much time and money into doing what he thought was best for the club.

So my proposal for JF would be the following, for him to find a way to rid GTFC of the loan debt. Also to detach himself from the day to day running of the club, still be a director, but fully focus on delivering the new stadium which, when open, should make all of his efforts over the years feel like it was all worth it and he himself would leave a lasting legacy, not only for the club, but the town of Grimsby, the surrounding area and Mariners fans all around the world. I’m sure there would be a groundswell of gratitude and respect to him if he could finally deliver that holy grail. It would be a massive ask of him to relinquish full control, but it would create for him hopefully a single defined deliverable goal.

So that leaves a massive chasm to fill in the day to day running of the club. It’s only been left by one man but in my opinion should be filled by many. An all-encompassing role that should be divided up as seats on the board so various functions within the club are afforded greater scrutiny, from the playing side and PR, right through to the standard of catering in the ground.  

How are these new unpaid accountable board roles going to be allocated and what functions need to be improved? Well, we’ve got a solicitor and an accountant already present so we are in good hands there and also an extremely able SLO who should be automatically co-opted. Trying to compile a list, I’ve come up with the following; PR and marketing, investment procurement, customer care, fundraising, youth development and first team performance.  

The procurement of the individuals should be a transparent procedure conducted by the club, the Trust or preferably in conjunction. Every post advertised with applicants pitching to put their best case forward for each specific role. Maybe even a role pre ring-fenced as the responsibility of the Trust, ie fundraising. If there is more than one able applicant for each role then the applicants are all co-opted on. A greater pooling of minds should result in a greater pooling of talents which in turn should result in a greater pooling of end results.  What develops over time is a growing working co-operative that creates a much greater quality output than one individual. There would still be the need for the usual voting processes across the boardroom to ensure everyone was moving toward a set common goal and also checks and balances into the standard of performance and commitment of each individual.

Even now, in my mind, it’s an idea in crude work in progress , but maybe it’s some kind of structure that would be more welcoming for able professionals willing to make a difference to GTFC and subsequently the wider community, no longer a closed shop, the creation of a much more welcoming and open environment.  I’d like to think it could attract the likes of Alan Buckley and maybe even John Tondeur on the football side or some of the best local PR companies working side by side. Gone would be the day of whoever had the fattest wallet had the final say, it would be who had the most to offer.

It may need a giant leap of faith by JF. It may need the Trust to push themselves even further than they have already and it will need the fans to buy into it even if it’s only at the very least retweeting the latest fundraising venture. It could even be the springboard for another share issue for fans to invest as little as £10 at a time because they believe in it.

We need something for all sides to take a step forward together and if it’s a legacy JF is after, the delivery of a new stadium and the creation of a new breed of football club may just be how he could turn things around and justify the investment of £2m.

I've written this on here in the spirit of trying to show JF (when he reads it) a model that we could all get behind and maybe show him an amicable and fruitful way forward. Rough around the edges I know, but is this some kind of halfway house that could work? One side’s got to blink first and show some kind of third way because anger, loathing and vitriol is not going to get us anywhere and eventually could just result in a waste of energy.

It may be a model that could deter a large investor or conversely inspire one, but the more people that get involved and the more people buy into the idea, it could result in greater income for the club without moving on to the next large single investor to come along and call all the shots..

Feel free to call me a lunatic or agree if it's the sort of idea you would back..

A win can’t come soon enough ☹️

Quoted from Bigdog

Well, as a fan for the past 45 years, I’ve gone through many different stages of emotion following Town over the past fifteen seasons. Primarily it’s been an overriding feeling of despair but along the way it’s been embarrassment, followed by determination, then relief, then hope, followed by frustration, disappointment, frustration and latterly anger. Without putting dates to that long list of fluctuating feelings you could all probably date them yourselves having been through the same rollercoaster ride.

I’ve sort of got to the position where I can’t carry on feeling as angry as I do. I’ve come to the crossroads where I have to find a way to put the anger aside and follow whatever is presented in front of me or let the anger turn into apathy for my own well-being. It’s a natural instinct of mine to try and come up with solutions rather than letting things slide and quite frankly I’m getting a little tired of being that frustrated and angry about everything  GTFC.

So, I got thinking about what could be a realistic working solution for the future stewardship of the club that all parties could buy into. Let’s forget about the playing side at the minute, I’m talking about a solution to galvanise everybody to pull in the same direction. The reason why I’m writing this on the forum isn’t for anyone to speak for anyone else, so and so would never do this, so and so would never do that. I’m asking all of you frustrated fans if the scenario I’m outlining below is a workable solution that you could fully buy into it. There seems to be two sides that are entrenched in how the club should be run and by whom. This needs to change so everyone can be happy going forward.

First of all I’m going to address JF. He has put £2m of his own money into the club which is a huge commitment whether it was by loans or shares. He has also put a mountain of time and effort into running the club. For that amount of commitment anyone would want to leave a legacy. So analysing what sort of legacy he could feasibly achieve that could make everyone happy, it would have to be a new stadium, a lasting legacy that would be fitting for someone who has dedicated so much time and money into doing what he thought was best for the club.
So my proposal for JF would be the following, for him to find a way to rid GTFC of the loan debt. Also to detach himself from the day to day running of the club, still be a director, but fully focus on delivering the new stadium which, when open, should make all of his efforts over the years feel like it was all worth it and he himself would leave a lasting legacy, not only for the club, but the town of Grimsby, the surrounding area and Mariners fans all around the world. I’m sure there would be a groundswell of gratitude and respect to him if he could finally deliver that holy grail. It would be a massive ask of him to relinquish full control, but it would create for him hopefully a single defined deliverable goal.

So that leaves a massive chasm to fill in the day to day running of the club. It’s only been left by one man but in my opinion should be filled by many. An all-encompassing role that should be divided up as seats on the board so various functions within the club are afforded greater scrutiny, from the playing side and PR, right through to the standard of catering in the ground.  

How are these new unpaid accountable board roles going to be allocated and what functions need to be improved? Well, we’ve got a solicitor and an accountant already present so we are in good hands there and also an extremely able SLO who should be automatically co-opted. Trying to compile a list, I’ve come up with the following; PR and marketing, investment procurement, customer care, fundraising, youth development and first team performance.  

The procurement of the individuals should be a transparent procedure conducted by the club, the Trust or preferably in conjunction. Every post advertised with applicants pitching to put their best case forward for each specific role. Maybe even a role pre ring-fenced as the responsibility of the Trust, ie fundraising. If there is more than one able applicant for each role then the applicants are all co-opted on. A greater pooling of minds should result in a greater pooling of talents which in turn should result in a greater pooling of end results.  What develops over time is a growing working co-operative that creates a much greater quality output than one individual. There would still be the need for the usual voting processes across the boardroom to ensure everyone was moving toward a set common goal and also checks and balances into the standard of performance and commitment of each individual.

Even now, in my mind, it’s an idea in crude work in progress , but maybe it’s some kind of structure that would be more welcoming for able professionals willing to make a difference to GTFC and subsequently the wider community, no longer a closed shop, the creation of a much more welcoming and open environment.  I’d like to think it could attract the likes of Alan Buckley and maybe even John Tondeur on the football side or some of the best local PR companies working side by side. Gone would be the day of whoever had the fattest wallet had the final say, it would be who had the most to offer.

It may need a giant leap of faith by JF. It may need the Trust to push themselves even further than they have already and it will need the fans to buy into it even if it’s only at the very least retweeting the latest fundraising venture. It could even be the springboard for another share issue for fans to invest as little as £10 at a time because they believe in it.

We need something for all sides to take a step forward together and if it’s a legacy JF is after, the delivery of a new stadium and the creation of a new breed of football club may just be how he could turn things around and justify the investment of £2m.

I've written this on here in the spirit of trying to show JF (when he reads it) a model that we could all get behind and maybe show him an amicable and fruitful way forward. Rough around the edges I know, but is this some kind of halfway house that could work? One side’s got to blink first and show some kind of third way because anger, loathing and vitriol is not going to get us anywhere and eventually could be just  result in a waste of energy.

It may be a model that could deter a large investor or conversely inspire one, but the more people that get involved and the more people buy into the idea, it could result in greater income for the club without moving on to the next large single investor to come along and call all the shots..

Feel free to call me a lunatic or agree it's the sort of idea you would back..

As always Bigdog, a post of sound thinking and well intentioned. Unfortunately, I don't see Mr Fenty relinquishing control any time soon or even beginning to compromise for the greater good. That said, I've been wrong before and I'm happy for you to do so again Mr Fenty - just think, some fans might even get on side with some collaborative and collective thinking!

Great post again Bigdog but unfortunately Fentys ego will not allow anyone but himself to run the club.

Sensible points made by all, but Fenty realising his legacy will mean he has to do what all micromanagers and autocrats are unable to do, and relinquish some control and trust in other people.  To do that he will first have to understand that he isn't going to get his money back under the present arrangement.

I would propose that the Club (or if they won't do it, the Trust) invite in someone like KPMG's football business analysis team, to conduct an independent review identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the club as a business concern, and are specifically tasked with outlining the best roadmap to making the club attractive to an investor or benefactor.  They will look at the accounts and shareholdings and their findings will make it abundantly clear what the optimal course of action will be.  

It could be that they come back and say "The present board are doing their best in the circumstances and should continue, with a view to clearing the benign loans and making the club sustainable in a new ground."  It may also say "The present club leadership and structure of the loans and shareholdings, are a barrier to further investment in the club and there is evidence to suggest that the personal leadership deficiencies have hampered the performance of the business."  At least then we'll know.

Quoted from HackneyHaddock

Sensible points made by all, but Fenty realising his legacy will mean he has to do what all micromanagers and autocrats are unable to do, and relinquish some control and trust in other people.  To do that he will first have to understand that he isn't going to get his money back under the present arrangement.

I would propose that the Club (or if they won't do it, the Trust) invite in someone like KPMG's football business analysis team, to conduct an independent review identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the club as a business concern, and are specifically tasked with outlining the best roadmap to making the club attractive to an investor or benefactor.  They will look at the accounts and shareholdings and their findings will make it abundantly clear what the optimal course of action will be.  

It could be that they come back and say "The present board are doing their best in the circumstances and should continue, with a view to clearing the benign loans and making the club sustainable in a new ground."  It may also say "The present club leadership and structure of the loans and shareholdings, are a barrier to further investment in the club and there is evidence to suggest that the personal leadership deficiencies have hampered the performance of the business."  At least then we'll know.

The bit in bold is possibly the funniest piece I have seen on here in ages.....

1 The club or Trust could not afford to appoint KPMG

2 Why pay money to be told what any fan who can read a P&L and understand a balance sheet knows.

3 We could spend the money on a new striker which would help solve some of the issues

How about paying a football consultant a bung to tell us what we could do?

Quoted from HertsGTFC

The bit in bold is possibly the funniest piece I have seen on here in ages.....

Yes, the KPMG bit is far-fetched and tongue-in-cheek, and of course the only way this club will see KPMG is if we're put into administration, but it's an interesting thought exercise to get the board to ask themselves, or to have someone from outside put to them just what needs to be done.

As far as I'm aware, there's no active marketing of the football club, and also no specific statement from Fenty that he'd write off his loans in the case of a buyer/investor, so yes it's obvious to us lot (well, obvious, as you rightly say, to everyone apart from the one person who matters) what's holding the club back.  I just wish it could be spelled out in black and white to Fenty's face by someone other than irate fans.  

Do we need to get someone like Adam Pearson or David Ross to come out and say "No chance would anyone in their right mind get involved with this club while JF is there"?  Mind you, I'm not sure even that would sink in to be honest!

I remember when The Fishy was full of over analysis of the games rather than over analysis of the rotten way the club's being run.

Quoted from TAGG

Great post again Bigdog but unfortunately Fentys ego will not allow anyone but him to run the club.

I don't think it is his ego but the amount of money he has invested in the club and who could really blame him?.

Wasn't that something to do with the MP business?

If you want someone else to run GTFC then they most likely will have to have the cash to buy JF out.

Bigdog your post makes perfect sense. A win win for all concerned and hopefully the club. But I feel you have been away from these shores for too long. Us Grimsby folk are many things, but idealistic we are not! We are dour folk, moaners. Just read the comments pages in the Telegraph, when a new exciting venture is proposed. Give a Grimsby man a gold bar and he’ll state it’s not shiny enough! I would like to think Op Promotion demonstrated the town CAN pull together towards a common goal. It would have been great to build on that. For a while many of us believed the supporters and the Trust would be rewarded for their hard work with inclusiveness, a say in how the club is run and developed for the future. But Fenty barely recognised this terrific contribution and gradually he has deconstructed the sense of belonging many felt towards the club. Fenty has shown time and time again that the club is his toy and low and behold anyone who try’s to take it away from him!