Trust seat on the board

Quoted from Chris

VOR, could you link to to somewhere where John Fenty has offered the Mariners Trust a seat on the board because I think I must have missed it?

http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk.....30-detail/story.html

"They are looking to gain credibility, and they are ultimately looking for a seat on the board. I don't have an objection to that."

So the £200K worth of shares have been transfered, the voting rights wavered, now for that seat on the board that JF doesn't have an objection to.

http://www.marinerstrust.co.uk/index.php/news/36

"The logical first step is to achieve a non executive position on the board and discussions about this are very much on going and we feel very confident of a favourable outcome."

"There are two main things. Firstly John was absolutely adamant from the start that he would not purchase any more shares . Secondly he has accepted that we will be involved in the budget setting as described above."

Were the Trust told of the Ryan Bennett deal before agreeing to recommend these proposals?

No we were not but even though it is a significant windfall we don’t think it changes the need to alter the balance of shares in order to unlock more funding, Obviously there had been dialogue in advance of deadline day but with the deal only going through with two minutes to spare nobody could be relying on it with any certainty.

How long do the trust have to wait for a seat on the board before they smell something fishy, pardon the pun.

Thanks, Marinerz but I'm still waiting for the link to an offer of a place on the board. I can see that he is open to the idea, but nowhere there is there an offer? it's a genuine question, I'm not being funny or anything.

As Wrawbs has already said, we've discussed this at length within the Trust board and have also had talks with the club. Those talks are ongoing. It is certainly something we look to progress.

For me personally (NOT Trust viewpoint), a seat on the board is not now the first priority. Growth in membership is key to having a credible shout for a seat. It's chicken and egg Id say because our critics would say we should go for a seat which in turn will improve our membership, others would say how can we have a seat on the board with only 400-450 members (i.e. question how representative we are of the supporters).

Id like to see numbers swelled quickly in persuit of such a seat, justifying our place and then giving those members the voice and the say that they crave.

Quoted from Chris

Please don't make assumptions like this because I can assure you that you're absolutely wrong. Company directors, people from the world of finance and big businesses along with managers, solicitors and civil servants make up the Trust board. We aren't mugs, fella, far from it.

But that's even worse FFS

1) not only has Fenty had a group of clearly intelligent worldly-wise people over but

2) the Trust board (who incidentally recommended to the Trust members acceptance of Fenty's 'offer) clearly does not represent the avearge knuckle-dragging thought-Burton-was-a-hoot fan who is a Trust member

Perhaps your average fan who has to work for a living and saves hard for his season ticket might be a far better bet for the Trust board (and ultimately a seat on the club board) than the high-flying 'non-mugs' who currently occupy the posts

Quoted from Chris

Thanks, Marinerz but I'm still waiting for the link to an offer of a place on the board. I can see that he is open to the idea, but nowhere there is there an offer? it's a genuine question, I'm not being funny or anything.

As Wrawbs has already said, we've discussed this at length within the Trust board and have also had talks with the club. Those talks are ongoing. It is certainly something we look to progress.

For me personally (NOT Trust viewpoint), a seat on the board is not now the first priority. Growth in membership is key to having a credible shout for a seat. It's chicken and egg Id say because our critics would say we should go for a seat which in turn will improve our membership, others would say how can we have a seat on the board with only 400-450 members (i.e. question how representative we are of the supporters).

Id like to see numbers swelled quickly in persuit of such a seat, justifying our place and then giving those members the voice and the say that they crave.

JF announced the seat on the board just before trust members voted and many questioned the timing and nature of it.  I don't think there is an offer in ink but the seat in the boardroom was used to get the majority to vote yes.

Quoted from Chris

For me personally (NOT Trust viewpoint), a seat on the board is not now the first priority. Growth in membership is key to having a credible shout for a seat. It's chicken and egg Id say because our critics would say we should go for a seat which in turn will improve our membership, others would say how can we have a seat on the board with only 400-450 members (i.e. question how representative we are of the supporters).

Id like to see numbers swelled quickly in persuit of such a seat, justifying our place and then giving those members the voice and the say that they crave.

I don't see the gift of half of its shareholding to Fenty as being a very good recruiting point for the Trus, it may possibly have the opposite effect

I expect there was a small increase in numbers around the time the vote was announced from those hoping to qualify for a vote but I would be interested to hear whether membership has increased and to what extent since the result was announced.

Quoted from Ipswin

I don't see the gift of half of its shareholding to Fenty as being a very good recruiting point for the Trus, it may possibly have the opposite effect

I expect there was a small increase in numbers around the time the vote was announced from those hoping to qualify for a vote but I would be interested to hear whether membership has increased and to what extent since the result was announced.

During and after the voting process we had good numbers join up, and we number well in excess of 400 now I believe.

Swin, the point you made about the vote and the seat on the board was a genuine concern I had too. I broached this very topic with Trust secretary directly and he confirmed to me that more NO votes were received AFTER the news of the seat on the board than BEFORE the seat was mentioned. This would suggest people thought as you did, and voted in defiance of it.

From my point of view, I've never seen or heard anything where Fenty or anyone else actually says we have been offered a seat on the board, but merely the committment to discuss how it might happen. I genuinely believe such a seat can and will we won in due course but we genuinely need more people to join up and join in. We were supposed to be releasing a closing statement about hte vote and the questions raised because of the seat on the board being thrown into the ring, but Im not sure it ever got done.

Quoted from Chris

VOR, could you link to to somewhere where John Fenty has offered the Mariners Trust a seat on the board because I think I must have missed it?

"I have embraced both the previous board and the current Mariners Trust board and have already agreed with my colleagues that the Trust will have a slot at GTFC board meetings to present ideas, support and challenge. I can see the merit in having a Trust member on the board and welcome a detailed discussion to set terms with the board relative for this to happen"

The above statement was made by JF, i'm sorry I took that statement to mean he was agreeing for you to join - in all fairness that's what is implied isn't it? hence my original comment...

Quoted from voice of reason

"I have embraced both the previous board and the current Mariners Trust board and have already agreed with my colleagues that the Trust will have a slot at GTFC board meetings to present ideas, support and challenge. I can see the merit in having a Trust member on the board and welcome a detailed discussion to set terms with the board relative for this to happen"

The above statement was made by JF, i'm sorry I took that statement to mean he was agreeing for you to join - in all fairness that's what is implied isn't it? hence my original comment...

Not meaning to be pedantic but the statement only says that JF will have " a slot at GTFC board meetings to present ideas , support and challenge ". This does not mean they will be actively engaged in board business. It also goes on to say that JF  "can see the merit in having a Trust member on the board ". These is different to actually agreeing to have a Trust member on the board. The devil , as they say , is in the detail.

Quoted from rancido

Not meaning to be pedantic but the statement only says that JF will have " a slot at GTFC board meetings to present ideas , support and challenge ". This does not mean they will be actively engaged in board business. It also goes on to say that JF  "can see the merit in having a Trust member on the board ". These is different to actually agreeing to have a Trust member on the board. The devil , as they say , is in the detail.

thats my take on it tbh fenty follows his own path

Quoted from rancido

Not meaning to be pedantic but the statement only says that JF will have " a slot at GTFC board meetings to present ideas , support and challenge ". This does not mean they will be actively engaged in board business. It also goes on to say that JF  "can see the merit in having a Trust member on the board ". These is different to actually agreeing to have a Trust member on the board. The devil , as they say , is in the detail.

" a slot at GTFC board meetings to present ideas , support and challenge "


"I have embraced both the previous board and the current Mariners Trust board and have ALREADY AGREED with my colleagues that the Trust will have a slot at GTFC board meetings"

Seems to me that it would mean they will be quite active in the board meetings or that is what is implied from how I read it... And it also seems that it was agreed...

Don't worry about being pedantic though matey, just crack on and say it how you see it and i'll do the same...