FAO Getyourfactsright

No, not looking to slag the club, manager or players off.

Maybe what we need is something from you to reassure the fans that plans are in place to keep us in this Division this season.

Performances and the heavy handed approach of the police and stewards will soon hit away attendances and home attendances are starting to slide downwards.

One positive is the fans.

We've got to have hope in our hearts.

I think you are wasting your time there.. To run  football club you need money.. Mr Fenty  has no where near enough to run a club out of his money , its just a toy . look at me thing.. a football fan he  may be , and to his local club and he chucked a few bob in.. but thats all it is in football terms . He will not have an equal or anyone with more control than him, because its his ball and will take it home with him . there is no chance of getting a strait answer from anyone in politics everyone knows that,  its either answered by another question or  an answer that brings so many other things in to it it never gets answered.. thats m personal oppinion

What reassurances can he give? No-one plans for relegation but 2 teams must drop out of the league each season. I don't think we will be one of them myself and it's all a bit premature after six games to be talking about it.

I would like to know  after we got the Bogle money,

1. Why did we not buy a decent striker,

2. Why did he allow Bignot and Slade bring so many players in that are not good enough.

Quoted from grimsby pete

I would like to know  after we got the Bogle money,

1. Why did we not buy a decent striker,

2. Why did he allow Bignot and Slade bring so many players in that are not good enough.

At least Bignot seemed to have a plan, Slade seems to prefer quantity over quality. Just my opinion, but Bignot seemed to have a bigger plan than Fenty was prepared to finance and we're now left with a manager on the way down rather than one on the way up.

Quoted from ginnywings

What reassurances can he give? No-one plans for relegation but 2 teams must drop out of the league each season. I don't think we will be one of them myself and it's all a bit premature after six games to be talking about it.

We may not drop out of the League but many on here said that last time.

Yes it is early on in the season but the naysayers said that last time.

The fact that we have an ageing squad consisting of what some might regard as journeymen, forwards who look unlikely to get into double figures, defenders who are making schoolboy errors nearly every game, players who at times look as if they don't give a toss reminds me so much of Neil Woods time as manager and we know how well that went.

I'm not in any way saying sack Russell Slade now but if this form continues then he has to be gone by Christmas we must not do what we did with Neil Woods and hang on in the hope he can turn it around and I just hope JF has learnt that lesson.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

At least Bignot seemed to have a plan, Slade seems to prefer quantity over quality. Just my opinion, but Bignot seemed to have a bigger plan than Fenty was prepared to finance and we're now left with a manager on the way down rather than one on the way up.

By all accounts when we play the ball on the ground we look half decent,

So Russ can we do it more often, ?

I watched Stoke give Man Ure a hard time yesterday with long diagonal balls,

BUT

They had the players capable of kicking the ball in the right place and having another player capable of finding the space for the other player to aim at.

We don't.

Quoted from grimsby pete

By all accounts when we play the ball on the ground we look half decent,

So Russ can we do it more often, ?

I watched Stoke give Man Ure a hard time yesterday with long diagonal balls,

BUT

They had the players capable of kicking the ball in the right place and having another player capable of finding the space for the other player to aim at.

We don't.

The problem we have is that we don't have enough players who work hard enough without the ball. Whether that's tracking back or making space for runners, we don't do it. That must be down to either laziness or poor coaching, or a combination of the two.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

At least Bignot seemed to have a plan, Slade seems to prefer quantity over quality. Just my opinion, but Bignot seemed to have a bigger plan than Fenty was prepared to finance and we're now left with a manager on the way down rather than one on the way up.

How do we know Fenty had the means to finance Bignot's plans? That is an issue people never really consider, just because JF has personal means it does not mean he should be expected to use them on the football club at every touch & turn or the whims of a manager who swung from being a real visionary to a total nut job on a daily basis.

Quoted from arryarryarry

We may not drop out of the League but many on here said that last time.

Yes it is early on in the season but the naysayers said that last time.

The fact that we have an ageing squad consisting of what some might regard as journeymen, forwards who look unlikely to get into double figures, defenders who are making schoolboy errors nearly every game, players who at times look as if they don't give a toss reminds me so much of Neil Woods time as manager and we know how well that went.

I'm not in any way saying sack Russell Slade now but if this form continues then he has to be gone by Christmas we must not do what we did with Neil Woods and hang on in the hope he can turn it around and I just hope JF has learnt that lesson.

Don't get me wrong, i'm well aware of all that and absolutely know that we could repeat what happened under Woods, but my opinion is that we probably won't and it's too early to be thinking that way just yet.

I get that people are p1ssed off and want to have a rant and i'm sure the "happy clapper" line will get thrown out very shortly, but form can and does change quickly in football.

I'm extra p1ssed off because i paid for my season ticket on my credit card and payment in full is due tomorrow. Beginning to wish i'd not bought it but i'm stuck for the long haul now.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

At least Bignot seemed to have a plan, Slade seems to prefer quantity over quality. Just my opinion, but Bignot seemed to have a bigger plan than Fenty was prepared to finance and we're now left with a manager on the way down rather than one on the way up.

If Bignot had a plan I'm not sure I was able to discern it. Just looked like a big mess and loads of bullsh1t to me. Massive, imbalanced squad. In what sense is Bignot 'on the way up'? Sure, he might get a job in the conference again but other than that....?

I can't see the point of this thread really - goading John Fenty to somehow come on here and make it all ok. What do people want him to say? He'd just be opening himself up to abuse and derision really. If you're that bothered about speaking with him, then pm or e-mail him and put your points to him. I never felt that any of his previous appearances on here were anything other than ill conceived and unhelpful really.

Besides, I think we all want to see some action, not hear some more words. I get sick of staff talking a good game and then failing to deliver on that on the pitch. We'll have to wait a bit I think to get a proper sense of where we are and what's going right/wrong. I agree that it all looks a bit cr@p - hoofball, and indiscipline and a lack of cohesion or threat, and I'm really angry and disappointed about that, but we wil have to stick with it for a bit and keep the faith......

Quoted from HertsGTFC

How do we know Fenty had the means to finance Bignot's plans? That is an issue people never really consider, just because JF has personal means it does not mean he should be expected to use them on the football club at every touch & turn or the whims of a manager who swung from being a real visionary to a total nut job on a daily basis.

He has the means but what is clear is he runs the club how he sees fit and since he has been in charge we have gone from bad to excrement with one season that saw us climb out of a league we should never have been in the first place, and it hasn't been a season or two it's over a decade of excrement and it doesn't seem to be improving at all on BIgnot. As for Slade he hasn't won anything so how is he the man to take us to the next level, on current showing if he stays with us long enough he take us to the level below.

Also Fenty doesn't play well with others who do have the finances to fund better players that's why no one is coming forward. Fenty needs to either absorb the benign debt into shares or wipe them out to see if anyone with real drive and determination will come forward.

Also look down the road at Scunny,a nothing club apart from a 2-3 seasons, they appoint a chief executive and bam they are a club on the up. Fenty needs to burry his ego because it's weighting this club down.

Quoted from Marinerz93

He has the means but what is clear is he runs the club how he sees fit and since he has been in charge we have gone from bad to excrement with one season that saw us climb out of a league we should never have been in the first place, and it hasn't been a season or two it's over a decade of excrement and it doesn't seem to be improving at all on BIgnot. As for Slade he hasn't won anything so how is he the man to take us to the next level, on current showing if he stays with us long enough he take us to the level below.

Also Fenty doesn't play well with others who do have the finances to fund better players that's why no one is coming forward. Fenty needs to either absorb the benign debt into shares or wipe them out to see if anyone with real drive and determination will come forward.

Also look down the road at Scunny,a nothing club apart from a 2-3 seasons, they appoint a chief executive and bam they are a club on the up. Fenty needs to burry his ego because it's weighting this club down.

The issue is that even if he wrote off the debt and someone came in this club is not a strong investment opportunity. You could invest in the team, spend tens of millions on a new ground, do loads in the community but you would still struggle to sell your exec boxes, get take up of the facilities mid week and get more than what 8,000 - 10,000 per week at best. Remember the word "investment" suggests that you would get some type of return the only return you might get is the gratitude of the fans providing we win every week as soon as we lose a few that gratitude might disappear, anyone with half a brain and £100 million would run a fukin mile.  

Quoted from HertsGTFC

The issue is that even if he wrote off the debt and someone came in this club is not a strong investment opportunity. You could invest in the team, spend tens of millions on a new ground, do loads in the community but you would still struggle to sell your exec boxes, get take up of the facilities mid week and get more than what 8,000 - 10,000 per week at best. Remember the word "investment" suggests that you would get some type of return the only return you might get is the gratitude of the fans providing we win every week as soon as we lose a few that gratitude might disappear, anyone with half a brain and £100 million would run a fukin mile.  

Like David Ross.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

The issue is that even if he wrote off the debt and someone came in this club is not a strong investment opportunity. You could invest in the team, spend tens of millions on a new ground, do loads in the community but you would still struggle to sell your exec boxes, get take up of the facilities mid week and get more than what 8,000 - 10,000 per week at best. Remember the word "investment" suggests that you would get some type of return the only return you might get is the gratitude of the fans providing we win every week as soon as we lose a few that gratitude might disappear, anyone with half a brain and £100 million would run a fukin mile.  

SO why is Scunthorpe a good investment, they struggle with gates unless they get a local or big club. It seems to me that no one with money wants Fenty involved in any part of the deal. How do you know the executive boxes won't sell, they did in Championship and League 1 and League 2 when we had a side that tried.

Quoted from Marinerz93

SO why is Scunthorpe a good investment, they struggle with gates unless they get a local or big club. It seems to me that no one with money wants Fenty involved in any part of the deal. How do you know the executive boxes won't sell, they did in Championship and League 1 and League 2 when we had a side that tried.

Well firstly the Scunts have been solid league 1 for a bit, had time in the championship and been generally competitive whilst we have been in non league. They have had TV revenue etc.. whilst we have had the "change from down the back of the football pyramid sofa"

I think but don't know but would imagine that Scunny was a better investment as they are more likely to be able to build a new ground than we are. All the push back GTFC has faced on the stadium question increases the risk.

When Swann got involved with Scunny he may have had the choice, 1 Take on a club established in the FL who have a real opportunity to build a new stadium and have some of the gravy train incoming or 2 Take on a non league club with no reality to re-locate, with small income streams and pay in excess of £3 million to just get in the door before you attempt to get them out of a tin pot league where only 2 clubs can go up, park your allegiance to GTFC for a bit and ask yourself what would you do?    

I would really like to ask him one question ..

" what on earth was you thinking ? "

Quoted from grimsby pete

I would like to know  after we got the Bogle money,

1. Why did we not buy a decent striker,

2. Why did he allow Bignot and Slade bring so many players in that are not good enough.

Most likely because picking players and assessing quality is not his job? And most fans would be annoyed if he did assume control of player aquisition and scouting. Those two questions are for the managers imo.

I guess the conclusion of all this is that we have a decision to make about whether the football is more important than the finance. I would find it very difficult to watch our team play non league football again and I suspect that there many others who would say the same. To let it happen once was unfortunate , to let it happen again would be unforgivable.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Well firstly the Scunts have been solid league 1 for a bit, had time in the championship and been generally competitive whilst we have been in non league. They have had TV revenue etc.. whilst we have had the "change from down the back of the football pyramid sofa"

I think but don't know but would imagine that Scunny was a better investment as they are more likely to be able to build a new ground than we are. All the push back GTFC has faced on the stadium question increases the risk.

When Swann got involved with Scunny he may have had the choice, 1 Take on a club established in the FL who have a real opportunity to build a new stadium and have some of the gravy train incoming or 2 Take on a non league club with no reality to re-locate, with small income streams and pay in excess of £3 million to just get in the door before you attempt to get them out of a tin pot league where only 2 clubs can go up, park your allegiance to GTFC for a bit and ask yourself what would you do?    

Fair points but Scunny fan base at League 1 was far shorter than ours at non league level and relied on large away support whilst we were stuck with one man and his dog, in fact we had more stewards in the away end than fans in most games. Most clubs who had financial backing in non league got promoted quicker than those who didn't.

Bignot was sacked because we was losing too many games shipping in 4 or 5 goals , Slades team is now doing the same so I guess without some sort of improvment he'll soon end up going the same way

Quoted from arryarryarry

We may not drop out of the League but many on here said that last time.

Yes it is early on in the season but the naysayers said that last time.

The fact that we have an ageing squad consisting of what some might regard as journeymen, forwards who look unlikely to get into double figures, defenders who are making schoolboy errors nearly every game, players who at times look as if they don't give a toss reminds me so much of Neil Woods time as manager and we know how well that went.

I'm not in any way saying sack Russell Slade now but if this form continues then he has to be gone by Christmas we must not do what we did with Neil Woods and hang on in the hope he can turn it around and I just hope JF has learnt that lesson.

I suppose it is a fact that everyone is ageing but our squad is not particularly old,
3 defenders a midfielder and a striker who are over 30 makes 5 out of what 25/26? May have missed one but it is a myth we have an old squad.

Regarding the opening post I just think the club is stale from the top. The major shareholder, the CEO, the accounts team and the office staff have all been in situ for decades. Stuck in their ways. I think every business benefits from evolving, adapting to change and seeing fresh ideas being brought it. It never happens with GTFC.
The one breath of fresh air we had when LJL Adid his Christmas video etc was brought in by the young chap who had a bit of a fresh approach but he soon moved on and we are back to Dale heading up he PR.

Not saying change for change sake but the whole club is tired and it shows.

It just appears to be JSF's way or the highway. Time to stand aside, even if your loans have to remain and let a vibrant new board have a go

Quoted from grimps

Bignot was sacked because we was losing too many games shipping in 4 or 5 goals , Slades team is now doing the same so I guess without some sort of improvment he'll soon end up going the same way

That is the bottom line isn't it? Slade must start getting the team to gel or he will go the same way as any other manager. I supported his appointment at the time, but if Coventry fans were right and he has lost that spark that every manager needs he will be a goner. He knows this himself of course, and hopefully he will be working very hard to improve the teams performance.

On a more fundamental level, although a decent manager is the most important employee at a club, it is hard to see us doing anything too special without new investment. But to get new investment we need a board that is happy to accept it, and agree on a more collegiate approach. It isn't going to happen is it?

Quoted from ginnywings

I get that people are p1ssed off and want to have a rant and i'm sure the "happy clapper" line will get thrown out very shortly, but form can and does change quickly in football.

. Beginning to wish i'd not bought it but i'm stuck for the long haul now.

Probably what Slade is thinking about some of the players he brought in.

Quoted from grimps

Bignot was sacked because we was losing too many games shipping in 4 or 5 goals , Slades team is now doing the same so I guess without some sort of improvment he'll soon end up going the same way

Slade's record is quite a bit worse

MB:

P 27      W 9      D 7      L 11

RS

P 13     W 4      D 2      L 7

I think it's fair to say that MB was sacked partly for non-football reasons, his results were not bad enough in their own right to be sacked. Slade's only defence  is that he hasn't been given long enough.

Quoted from kevikov

Most likely because picking players and assessing quality is not his job? And most fans would be annoyed if he did assume control of player aquisition and scouting. Those two questions are for the managers imo.

You are right it is not his job but did the manager ask for a lump sum to buy a decent one ?

Plus when we had got to the stage of having about 30 players on the books why did he not ask before it got to that state, why do you need so many players ?

In my opinion most of the Bogle money has been wasted on players wages some of which was never going to play a game for us.

Or does Fenty say its your job you do whatever you want I will not interfere , I don't think so.

When enough fans wake up to the fact that Fenty is the problem and start to act together to place pressure on him to change/leave/show some responsibility for his actions then we may well move forward. Until then we a stuck in this fenty lead misery cycle.

Would be nice to see one of our big away supports really direct some vocal thought on his tenure as chairman instead of some of our players who irrelevant of ability are not the root of all evil.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

At least Bignot seemed to have a plan, Slade seems to prefer quantity over quality. Just my opinion, but Bignot seemed to have a bigger plan than Fenty was prepared to finance and we're now left with a manager on the way down rather than one on the way up.

Did he????
Seems to me he just put names on bits of paper through em in the air.
The first 11 name to hit the dressing room floor got a game.

Quoted from TAGG

Did he????
Seems to me he just put names on bits of paper through em in the air.
The first 11 name to hit the dressing room floor got a game.

He had a long term plan,

BUT

Had not worked out a short term one before he was shown the door.

Quoted from lowerfindus

When enough fans wake up to the fact that Fenty is the problem and start to act together to place pressure on him to change/leave/show some responsibility for his actions then we may well move forward. Until then we a stuck in this fenty lead misery cycle.

Would be nice to see one of our big away supports really direct some vocal thought on his tenure as chairman instead of some of our players who irrelevant of ability are not the root of all evil.

Absolutely this. I'm not old enough to remember Bill Carr but my old man told me he used to get a lot of stick and that was when things weren't going well a couple of divisions above this. We've just had the worst 15 years of the club's history, all under the watch of one man and very little seems to have been said about it, startling really.

Until he steps down, this Club will go nowhere!

I don't think he wants promotion because he is worried about operating costs in the higher division.

Completely 100% right, it's about him and his ego!!

If he loved this Club so much, he'd let it go and release the ransoms of his silly little benign loans!!

As for the Bogle money, I reckon he splashed loads out on Slade!!

Club is spiralling into to Doldrums once more!

Quoted from mariner91

Absolutely this. I'm not old enough to remember Bill Carr but my old man told me he used to get a lot of stick and that was when things weren't going well a couple of divisions above this. We've just had the worst 15 years of the club's history, all under the watch of one man and very little seems to have been said about it, startling really.

I think people have become resigned to Fenty, because there is no obvious way to get him out. Every man and his dog knows the problems stem from the top, and managers are there to take the flak for the lack of proper investment and the inability of the club to really move forward. I think it also common knowledge that Mr. Fenty likes to be top dog; even new investment is not really a goer because he finds it difficult to work with other people and having to share the limelight.

The only way is for Fenty to be bought out which won't happen either as no one is going to pay him for his mistakes, hence the apathy/acceptance from the fans.

Having said all that if we really do get caught up in another relegation scrap I think he will start to feel the heat.  

Haven't seen the last few years accounts but I have a question for anyone who does;

Has JF's loans or shareholding increased at all in, say, the last 3 years?

I am just trying to ascertain if he has made any further investment OR if the club at the current level is essentially funded by the fans and commercial income?

Quoted from mariner91

Absolutely this. I'm not old enough to remember Bill Carr but my old man told me he used to get a lot of stick and that was when things weren't going well a couple of divisions above this. We've just had the worst 15 years of the club's history, all under the watch of one man and very little seems to have been said about it, startling really.

I do remember Bill Carr, a lovely bloke who ended up carrying the can for not taking us beyond the Championship. We've now got a bloke intent on taking us into oblivion for the second time, mainly because he's engineered a situation where we can't get rid of him.

I think it's time to call Fenty to the fishy to justify himself like fans he has called to the club. So come on Fenty, your quick to have your two pence when you want, your pretty quite now though. What do you have to say for yourself.

Like most here I'm just at a loss as to where we go from here.  It's abundantly clear that JF is a millstone around the neck of the club, both in terms of his attitude and interpersonal skills, and the "Benign" £3m revolver pointed at the club's temple.

Like many, during the non-league years, I was prepared to accept his egomaniacal benevolence as a price worth paying at a time when we needed subsidy to stay afloat.  Now, back in the league, we should (should) be able to at least break even, stabilise and at least run the club in a competent manner until someone or something shows up.

I've no idea who might come in to take over, whether it be a local consortium, David Ross or whoever, but one thing looks certain, that won't happen while JF is at the helm.

Perhaps the short term aim of the fans needs to be to clarify exactly what these loans are, and what JFs exit conditions are, then to up the pressure from there?

Quoted from HackneyHaddock

Like most here I'm just at a loss as to where we go from here.  It's abundantly clear that JF is a millstone around the neck of the club, both in terms of his attitude and interpersonal skills, and the "Benign" £3m revolver pointed at the club's temple.

Like many, during the non-league years, I was prepared to accept his egomaniacal benevolence as a price worth paying at a time when we needed subsidy to stay afloat.  Now, back in the league, we should (should) be able to at least break even, stabilise and at least run the club in a competent manner until someone or something shows up.

I've no idea who might come in to take over, whether it be a local consortium, David Ross or whoever, but one thing looks certain, that won't happen while JF is at the helm.

Perhaps the short term aim of the fans needs to be to clarify exactly what these loans are, and what JFs exit conditions are, then to up the pressure from there?

Most businessmen have an exit strategy. I'm struggling to work out what Fenty's is, although I think there's a growing number who might be able to assist his thought process.

Turn the clock back and give Paul Hurst his strength and conditioning coach, or whatever else he was asking for in an effort to take this club forward. I refuse to believe that any of his demands were unreasonable.

He's been the only manager during the last 20 years that has brought any success to this town. You should've just backed him and not listened to the small number of whinging fans who didn't like him because he supposedly never praised us, or sounded dour, or was from Yorkshire, etc.

He got us promoted. He signed the best asset we've had since Ryan Bennett. He proved himself. He'd have proven himself again in League 2 had we just believed in him (which we had no problem doing in the National League, funnily enough, when patience was at a premium).

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Most businessmen have an exit strategy. I'm struggling to work out what Fenty's is, although I think there's a growing number who might be able to assist his thought process.

From what I gleaned from previous fans' forums, I think he believes he can wait for an offer and either be bought out or hand the club over in return for some investment meaning he can recoup some of his money later if there's some "football fortune" (huuuuge transfer, cup run, Sheikh/Oligarch buy-out etc).

I think JF is being wildly optimistic in holding out for some "football fortune" and if he wants to ensure a good legacy, should look at removing himself from the scene, either by triggering an automatic "benign loan write-off" or some sort of debt-into-equity conversion in the event of a takeover, or by just entrusting the football club to the people of Grimsby by cancelling his loans (subject to accountants/tax considerations) and walking away completely, paving the way for others.

Quoted from RichMariner

Turn the clock back and give Paul Hurst his strength and conditioning coach, or whatever else he was asking for in an effort to take this club forward. I refuse to believe that any of his demands were unreasonable.

He's been the only manager during the last 20 years that has brought any success to this town. You should've just backed him and not listened to the small number of whinging fans who didn't like him because he supposedly never praised us, or sounded dour, or was from Yorkshire, etc.

He got us promoted. He signed the best asset we've had since Ryan Bennett. He proved himself. He'd have proven himself again in League 2 had we just believed in him (which we had no problem doing in the National League, funnily enough, when patience was at a premium).

I doubt the S&C coach would have solved the problem, felt like a bit of a smoke screen that sited both sides IMHO.

Quoted from RichMariner

Turn the clock back and give Paul Hurst his strength and conditioning coach, or whatever else he was asking for in an effort to take this club forward. I refuse to believe that any of his demands were unreasonable.

He's been the only manager during the last 20 years that has brought any success to this town. You should've just backed him and not listened to the small number of whinging fans who didn't like him because he supposedly never praised us, or sounded dour, or was from Yorkshire, etc.

He got us promoted. He signed the best asset we've had since Ryan Bennett. He proved himself. He'd have proven himself again in League 2 had we just believed in him (which we had no problem doing in the National League, funnily enough, when patience was at a premium).

I think you're grossly misrepresenting people's opposition to Paul Hurst as manager. And misrepresenting the number.

Quoted from HackneyHaddock

From what I gleaned from previous fans' forums, I think he believes he can wait for an offer and either be bought out or hand the club over in return for some investment meaning he can recoup some of his money later if there's some "football fortune" (huuuuge transfer, cup run, Sheikh/Oligarch buy-out etc).

I think JF is being wildly optimistic in holding out for some "football fortune" and if he wants to ensure a good legacy, should look at removing himself from the scene, either by triggering an automatic "benign loan write-off" or some sort of debt-into-equity conversion in the event of a takeover, or by just entrusting the football club to the people of Grimsby by cancelling his loans (subject to accountants/tax considerations) and walking away completely, paving the way for others.

I suspect the exit plan is linked to getting the new stadium built. The theory is that will provide us with the infrastructure to grow as a club and increase revenues.

That looks like a long shot ("it's all gone quiet over there") and looks like the act of a race horse owner gambling that his next winner will solve his problem.

Genuine question, what would it take for gtfc fans to take over the club? Exeter is fan and family run and runs very successfully. Genuine question, if it's a rediculous amount fair enough, but look what we did for Operation Promotion.. If Fenty was willing to give us a good price to step aside I'm sure we'd raise massive amount because we're mental like that!!

Quoted from lukeo

Genuine question, what would it take for gtfc fans to take over the club? Exeter is fan and family run and runs very successfully. Genuine question, if it's a rediculous amount fair enough, but look what we did for Operation Promotion.. If Fenty was willing to give us a good price to step aside I'm sure we'd raise massive amount because we're mental like that!!

Well I'd wager the cost is that of the value of the benign loans, did someone say 4.1m. We should get a discount for the shares that were given away though! 😂

There seems to be a lot of one red crosses here, Hi John, feeling the love?

Quoted from HackneyHaddock

From what I gleaned from previous fans' forums, I think he believes he can wait for an offer and either be bought out or hand the club over in return for some investment meaning he can recoup some of his money later if there's some "football fortune" (huuuuge transfer, cup run, Sheikh/Oligarch buy-out etc).

I think JF is being wildly optimistic in holding out for some "football fortune" and if he wants to ensure a good legacy, should look at removing himself from the scene, either by triggering an automatic "benign loan write-off" or some sort of debt-into-equity conversion in the event of a takeover, or by just entrusting the football club to the people of Grimsby by cancelling his loans (subject to accountants/tax considerations) and walking away completely, paving the way for others.

It certainly shows twisted thinking imho.

If you wanted or even depended on football fortune then you can either cross your fingers or try and do something to bring it about.

After OP the fans were buoyant and all it took was for Fenty and say Mullen to make a little investment on the basis of speculate to accumulate.

The figures are largely irrelevant but let's say the playing budget was going to be £1m. If The two directors put in say £150k each that would have made it far easier to get the 3 or 4 top quality players in to give it a real go. ( We all saw that last season the League was not fantastic and we could have made at least the play offs)

Once you have secured your signings you go public, saying what you have done and then you want the fans to get behind the plan. It would have instantly boosted gate revenue and if the right players were chosen would be self financing.

Just think what an honest and open approach may do for moral and additional support.

Worst case scenario is it doesn't work and you fall short but I bet some of the additional income would offset the investment.

There will be lots of other ideas which are worth considering but just to cut cut and cut some more squeezes the life out of the club.

We had a brilliant chance to use the momentum of promotion instead JF quickly jumped on the sparks of enthusiasm with his ultra cautious outlook

I'd just like to say, that as pathetic as the gutless hoofball we are currently playing, is the sound of those harping on about Hurst and how we should have believed in him, or the conspiracy to oust progressive top coach of tomorrow Marcus Bignot. There are about four threads full of a load of f***ing cobblers about this and other related guff. Some people have got very short memories and the ability to change their tune because they're unhappy or frustrated. I'd say about 80% of Town fans were sick to death of Hurst about a year before he finally cupped his ears then sneakily nicked off. And Bignot? This board was filled with post after post trying to fathom what the hell he was trying to do and infuriated by his verbal blather. Now all of a sudden, we didn't mean it, some people are pretending they never posted what they did at the time (have a look back some of you) and these men have been squandered by the club. Give over!

We should roll our sleeves up and f***ing get on with it, and that goes for the players too. What's done is done. Whining on and on about the past or the major shareholder - demanding he come on here and explain himself! As if anything he could say could make it better! Let's get 10-15 games under our belt, and if things haven't improved, then decisions will pretty much make themselves anyway. Get a good result Tuesday night, and win at home next Saturday and the end won't quite be nigh will it. If only we'd believed old sniffer Doig eh! What have we done?! FFS.

UTM

According to last year's accounts, year ending May 16, directors loans equal £2,209,700 and Fenty's shares amount to £975,000, which means you need just under £3.2 million to get rid, unless, I have missed something in the accounts.

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00034760/filing-history

Quoted from TheRealJohnLewis

According to last year's accounts, year ending May 16, directors loans equal £2,209,700 and Fenty's shares amount to £975,000, which means you need just under £3.2 million to get rid, unless, I have missed something in the accounts.

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/00034760/filing-history

I think you may have gotyourfactsright

It'll be interesting come November trying to dissect the accounts to see where the Bogle money went.

Quoted from chaos33

I'd just like to say, that as pathetic as the gutless hoofball we are currently playing, is the sound of those harping on about Hurst and how we should have believed in him, or the conspiracy to oust progressive top coach of tomorrow Marcus Bignot. There are about four threads full of a load of f***ing cobblers about this and other related guff. Some people have got very short memories and the ability to change their tune because they're unhappy or frustrated. I'd say about 80% of Town fans were sick to death of Hurst about a year before he finally cupped his ears then sneakily nicked off. And Bignot? This board was filled with post after post trying to fathom what the hell he was trying to do and infuriated by his verbal blather. Now all of a sudden, we didn't mean it, some people are pretending they never posted what they did at the time (have a look back some of you) and these men have been squandered by the club. Give over!

We should roll our sleeves up and f***ing get on with it, and that goes for the players too. What's done is done. Whining on and on about the past or the major shareholder - demanding he come on here and explain himself! As if anything he could say could make it better! Let's get 10-15 games under our belt, and if things haven't improved, then decisions will pretty much make themselves anyway. Get a good result Tuesday night, and win at home next Saturday and the end won't quite be nigh will it. If only we'd believed old sniffer Doig eh! What have we done?! FFS.

UTM

On the money Chaos.

A couple of back to back wins and the 4 threads will sink without trace. A good run and god forbid anyone criticize Fenty or Slade, they'll be having a red cross onslaught!

Quoted from TheRealJohnLewis

According to last year's accounts, year ending May 16, directors loans equal £2,209,700 and Fenty's shares amount to £975,000, which means you need just under £3.2 million to get rid, unless, I have missed something in the accounts.

Thankfully, our impoverished town is teeming with multi-multi-millionaires willing to chuck away a few million quid with the promise of more to follow in the future. I'm sure they'll all be knocking on Fenty's door first thing Monday morning asking into which hole their money should be tipped.

Chances of any new sugardaddy taking over from Fenty are slim to nonexistent, I'm afraid. Not that this would necessarily be a good thing in any case.

Good or ill, I think we're stuck with him until we either get some success or he gets sick of it all. Neither seems too likely at the moment.

Quoted from heppy88

On the money Chaos.

A couple of back to back wins and the 4 threads will sink without trace. A good run and god forbid anyone criticize Fenty or Slade, they'll be having a red cross onslaught!

Complete bollox, a few wins would paper over the cracks that have been papered over countless times before. Arsenal fans moan about failure, they should have tried putting up with 15 years of this tripe.

Quoted from Maringer

Thankfully, our impoverished town is teeming with multi-multi-millionaires willing to chuck away a few million quid with the promise of more to follow in the future. I'm sure they'll all be knocking on Fenty's door first thing Monday morning asking into which hole their money should be tipped.

Chances of any new sugardaddy taking over from Fenty are slim to nonexistent, I'm afraid. Not that this would necessarily be a good thing in any case.

Good or ill, I think we're stuck with him until we either get some success or he gets sick of it all. Neither seems too likely at the moment.

Mike Parker wasn't non existent was he? He has a hell of lot more money than Fenty, but our esteemed leader even managed to member that up.

I am fairly sure that JF has already gone on record ( post Parkergate ) as saying he would welcome outside investment and that his loans would be made benign should he hand over control to someone with the best interests of the club at heart, going as far as to say he wouldnt put the club at risk by calling in his loans, IIRC.
Therefore we should presume that no suitable parties have come forward with honest intentions, suitable funding and realistic plans to meet his requirements and ultimately ours, after all do we want him to just hand the club over to any passing chancer ?  Plenty of old school chairmen have done that to see clubs stripped bare and on the verge of oblivion.

Until we get to a potential suitable takeover scenario then guessing, accusing and supposing what JF will do is pointless and moral sapping.  

That leaves any anti JF movement with a couple of realistic options;

Approach JF through the trust, or directly, to find out what sort of package he would require to pass over his control in the club......then either.....

Set up an independant consortium, seek your own outside investment, raise the capital to initially buy and then run the club to a financial footing at least equal to what we have now....
Or
work with JF to promote the club to potential investor markets aiding JF either secure greater funding to improve our financial picture or to completely sell out.

Its very easy to spend somone elses fortune, its very easy to sit without all the financial and business information on your shoulders and draw blind conclusions.

Is he perfect ?  No

If you want him out then come up with a viable, sustainable alternative to achieve it and put it into action, hounding out someone who we owe around 3m to without a Plan B would not be a wise business move.

Mike Parker might well have more money than Fenty but the fact that he's not involved in the club at all would tend to indicate he wouldn't pony up when it came to the point of losing plenty of it. Not that I'll criticise him for it.

Never met him myself, but a friend who used to work for him says Parker is a decent bloke. Obviously one too busy or sensible to want to own a football club.

A good post that Moosey. I wouldn't want us to force JF into a corner that he HAD to sell up and ended up selling to a dodgy foreign consortium when we could work together to find the best option. It always has to be in the best interests of the club.

Quoted from Maringer

Mike Parker might well have more money than Fenty but the fact that he's not involved in the club at all would tend to indicate he wouldn't pony up when it came to the point of losing plenty of it. Not that I'll criticise him for it.

Never met him myself, but a friend who used to work for him says Parker is a decent bloke. Obviously one too busy or sensible to want to own a football club.

Parker put well over a million quid into the club in shares which is pretty much a gift. He didn't saddle the club with any debt. It's a shame he is no longer in the boardroom. It's also a shame some people still are.

Quoted from moosey_club

I am fairly sure that JF has already gone on record ( post Parkergate ) as saying he would welcome outside investment and that his loans would be made benign should he hand over control to someone with the best interests of the club at heart, going as far as to say he wouldnt put the club at risk by calling in his loans, IIRC.
Therefore we should presume that no suitable parties have come forward with honest intentions, suitable funding and realistic plans to meet his requirements and ultimately ours, after all do we want him to just hand the club over to any passing chancer ?  Plenty of old school chairmen have done that to see clubs stripped bare and on the verge of oblivion.

Until we get to a potential suitable takeover scenario then guessing, accusing and supposing what JF will do is pointless and moral sapping.  

That leaves any anti JF movement with a couple of realistic options;

Approach JF through the trust, or directly, to find out what sort of package he would require to pass over his control in the club......then either.....

Set up an independant consortium, seek your own outside investment, raise the capital to initially buy and then run the club to a financial footing at least equal to what we have now....
Or
work with JF to promote the club to potential investor markets aiding JF either secure greater funding to improve our financial picture or to completely sell out.

Its very easy to spend somone elses fortune, its very easy to sit without all the financial and business information on your shoulders and draw blind conclusions.

Is he perfect ?  No

If you want him out then come up with a viable, sustainable alternative to achieve it and put it into action, hounding out someone who we owe around 3m to without a Plan B would not be a wise business move.

It's basically been said that the loans are benign until the club makes any money. Until they're written off there won't be any interest.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

Parker put well over a million quid into the club in shares which is pretty much a gift. He didn't saddle the club with any debt. It's a shame he is no longer in the boardroom. It's also a shame some people still are.

I don't deny Parker spent/lost a good amount of money. Just pointing out that he didn't want to go the whole hog and take charge. Again, this is fair enough.

Thus far, Fenty is the one who put his money where his mouth is (albeit mostly as 'benign loans'), so that's the current ownership situation and that's where we stand for the foreseeable future.

Fenty put his money in years ago and has added very little (if any) over the last few years. The only money over and above fan and commercial income came from the Mullens.

JSF cannot call his loans in ( and nor can any other director who has loaned the club money) unless the club can afford to repay. They cannot and therefore JSF clings to the football fortune raft.

I think deep down he knows he isnt getting the loans back so an offer for his £1m shareholding and being able to demonstrate you could 'take the club forward' would be an acceptable starting point for negotiation.

You would NOT have to pay anything like £4m to take over GTFC

#operationtakeover

Quoted from lowerfindus

When enough fans wake up to the fact that Fenty is the problem and start to act together to place pressure on him to change/leave/show some responsibility for his actions then we may well move forward. Until then we a stuck in this fenty lead misery cycle.

Would be nice to see one of our big away supports really direct some vocal thought on his tenure as chairman instead of some of our players who irrelevant of ability are not the root of all evil.

JF really has had an easy ride from the terraces when you think of what he`s let happen during his reign.Bill Carr got dogs abuse for far less and I also think the times coming where maybe the fans have now fully had enough of JF and can see the Club going backwards once again.Lincoln have proved what can be done with a positive all for one attitude and where was this at Grimsby following the FGR win at Wembley.Lincoln kept the promoted side together and added we let the team fade away by penny pinching et al now look what we`ve got journeymen who don`t give a rats about the Club.GOING DOWN

Quoted from HackneyHaddock

From what I gleaned from previous fans' forums, I think he believes he can wait for an offer and either be bought out or hand the club over in return for some investment meaning he can recoup some of his money later if there's some "football fortune" (huuuuge transfer, cup run, Sheikh/Oligarch buy-out etc).

I think JF is being wildly optimistic in holding out for some "football fortune" and if he wants to ensure a good legacy, should look at removing himself from the scene, either by triggering an automatic "benign loan write-off" or some sort of debt-into-equity conversion in the event of a takeover, or by just entrusting the football club to the people of Grimsby by cancelling his loans (subject to accountants/tax considerations) and walking away completely, paving the way for others.

I am hoping against all hopes that JF is hanging on to deliver the stadium then walk away leaving what he regards a legacy to the football club and IF he gets a few quid from that good for him.However from a football point of view the sooner he goes the better.

We could do a deal with him,

If we call the new stadium  THE FENTY DOME,

He walks away and takes his loans with him,

That just might work.

Quoted from grimsby pete

We could do a deal with him,

If we call the new stadium  THE FENTY DOME,

He walks away and takes his loans with him,

That just might work.

Nice try Pete but I think it's going to take more than that

Quoted from grimsby pete

We could do a deal with him,

If we call the new stadium  THE FENTY DOME,

He walks away and takes his loans with him,

That just might work.

Pete

There isn't going to be a new stadium, it will never happen

Quoted from Maringer

I don't deny Parker spent/lost a good amount of money. Just pointing out that he didn't want to go the whole hog and take charge. Again, this is fair enough.

Thus far, Fenty is the one who put his money where his mouth is (albeit mostly as 'benign loans'), so that's the current ownership situation and that's where we stand for the foreseeable future.

I would have a closer look at the reasons he left and the share issue. He was shafted out of the club and the issue was wholly avoidable.
A loan is not benign if somebody wants it back however far in the future that might be.

There is so much what has happened behind close doors that we the paying customers do not know about,lack of transparency  only benefits one person and as a business practice is  quite ante antediluvian..

Quoted from Ipswin

Pete

There isn't going to be a new stadium, it will never happen

Stop being so bloody negative, it was only 1995 when the new stadium was announced, give them a bit of time FFS.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

I would have a closer look at the reasons he left and the share issue. He was shafted out of the club and the issue was wholly avoidable.
A loan is not benign if somebody wants it back however far in the future that might be.

Only a selected few individuals know what happened, mainly the two main parties themselves...from what i know of, wasnt it he put his money in shares and JF put his in in loans, which was not what MP was expecting ?

Now to me, if you are sticking in a significant amount of cash into an investment surely you would have the terms for that fully agreed and signed before parting with the cash ? That way if the agreement was broken you would have cause to be reimbursed ?

As i say i dont know the full details but i have always thought it strange that a succesful businessman like MP seemed to pretty much walk away from an investment without an apparent great fight. Was he turned over by JF ? Did he fail in his own due diligence on the deal ? Did he just decide he couldnt work with the board after joining and had enough personal fortune to just walk away ?

Dont think we will ever know.

Quoted from Cloudy

Fenty put his money in years ago and has added very little (if any) over the last few years. The only money over and above fan and commercial income came from the Mullens.

JSF cannot call his loans in ( and nor can any other director who has loaned the club money) unless the club can afford to repay. They cannot and therefore JSF clings to the football fortune raft.

I think deep down he knows he isnt getting the loans back so an offer for his £1m shareholding and being able to demonstrate you could 'take the club forward' would be an acceptable starting point for negotiation.

You would NOT have to pay anything like £4m to take over GTFC

Good post.  Just to expand further, would anyone seriously want the Trust running the club?  Didn't MP offer up that opportunity but the wise heads 'gifted' Fenty the shares.  Are those shares included in fentys holding?

The only way we will ever get rid of him is to stop funding the club through merchandise and tickets.  The club is an utter shambles and has been throughout his tenure.

Quoted from moosey_club

Only a selected few individuals know what happened, mainly the two main parties themselves...from what i know of, wasnt it he put his money in shares and JF put his in in loans, which was not what MP was expecting ?

Now to me, if you are sticking in a significant amount of cash into an investment surely you would have the terms for that fully agreed and signed before parting with the cash ? That way if the agreement was broken you would have cause to be reimbursed ?

As i say i dont know the full details but i have always thought it strange that a succesful businessman like MP seemed to pretty much walk away from an investment without an apparent great fight. Was he turned over by JF ? Did he fail in his own due diligence on the deal ? Did he just decide he couldnt work with the board after joining and had enough personal fortune to just walk away ?

Dont think we will ever know.

He may appear to have 'walked away' from the club, but according to the last Company Accounts he still owns 22% of the shares.

Quoted from 139914

Good post.  Just to expand further, would anyone seriously want the Trust running the club?  Didn't MP offer up that opportunity but the wise heads 'gifted' Fenty the shares.  Are those shares included in fentys holding?

The only way we will ever get rid of him is to stop funding the club through merchandise and tickets.  The club is an utter shambles and has been throughout his tenure.

Ok I'll bite! If The Trust were running the club they'd be running it without me. There would be an obvious need to recruit people with far more experience and business acumen than our current group of very well-meaning amateurs.
The share offer was made around the time of the relaunch of the Trust. At no time was it communicated that we should use the shares to "Go it alone" as far as I'm aware. We were in no position whatsover to run a professional football club-neither did we have sufficient shares to enable it to happen. We must have been over this a hundred times but the decision to make the shares over to J.F. was made by the membership in a vote. The fact that J.F. threatened to sell players may have influenced that decision but it was what it was. As far as I'm aware Mr Parker retains a significant shareholding in GTFC.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

I would have a closer look at the reasons he left and the share issue. He was shafted out of the club and the issue was wholly avoidable.
A loan is not benign if somebody wants it back however far in the future that might be.

Do you have any evidence for that (genuine question) because as far as I'm aware Mr Parker has never revealed in public why he walked away? The decision to "gift" those shares to The Trust caught us completely on the hop.

Quoted from moosey_club

Only a selected few individuals know what happened, mainly the two main parties themselves...from what i know of, wasnt it he put his money in shares and JF put his in in loans, which was not what MP was expecting ?

Now to me, if you are sticking in a significant amount of cash into an investment surely you would have the terms for that fully agreed and signed before parting with the cash ? That way if the agreement was broken you would have cause to be reimbursed ?

As i say i dont know the full details but i have always thought it strange that a succesful businessman like MP seemed to pretty much walk away from an investment without an apparent great fight. Was he turned over by JF ? Did he fail in his own due diligence on the deal ? Did he just decide he couldnt work with the board after joining and had enough personal fortune to just walk away ?

Dont think we will ever know.

I'm sure at the time there were great interviews with Parker who explained the issue. I think the commitment to put money in as shares was made publically at either a fans forum or in an interview. I wonder if anyone can find it now

Quoted from barralad

Ok I'll bite! If The Trust were running the club they'd be running it without me. There would be an obvious need to recruit people with far more experience and business acumen than our current group of very well-meaning amateurs.
The share offer was made around the time of the relaunch of the Trust. At no time was it communicated that we should use the shares to "Go it alone" as far as I'm aware. We were in no position whatsover to run a professional football club-neither did we have sufficient shares to enable it to happen. We must have been over this a hundred times but the decision to make the shares over to J.F. was made by the membership in a vote. The fact that J.F. threatened to sell players may have influenced that decision but it was what it was. As far as I'm aware Mr Parker retains a significant shareholding in GTFC.

Have you sorted out my membership card yet Ian ?

It would have been interesting to see how we'd have started the season under Bignot. Of course hindsight is 20/20 vision but looking back it's difficult to see that MB could have done any worse than Slade. I'm sure people said that he tore the squad to bits at Solihull and left players unhappy but when he got his own players in with his own way of thinking they were successful.

After all, his recruitment was actually quite good, there were a few unnecessary signings but Jones, Osborne, Clements and possibly Asante (when fit) looks to be a good effort for me. I have maintained that he wasted a lot of money on Gunning, Yussuf, Maxwell and even the extension of Comley's loan seemed pointless. He talked a lot of rubbish and sometimes his tactics were baffling but maybe, just maybe with some time and the squad that finished last season we'd have been ok again this season and at the end of the this season he could have fully built up his own side without all of Hurst's signings he didn't want we'd have gone forward as he'd have signed more prospects and they'd have been hungrier.

Slade seems to have signed a load of journeymen who are clearly inferior to their predecessors. Dixon, Hooper, Clarke, Cardwell and Kelly all look like poor signings or worse than what was before. Only Rose, Dembele and maybe DJ look better than what they replaced. Hope they all eventually gel and become a good unit but I doubt it

Quoted from Mariner_09

It would have been interesting to see how we'd have started the season under Bignot. Of course hindsight is 20/20 vision but looking back it's difficult to see that MB could have done any worse than Slade. I'm sure people said that he tore the squad to bits at Solihull and left players unhappy but when he got his own players in with his own way of thinking they were successful.

Interstingly enough Slade, up until Saturday, had started the season with exactly the same run of results as Hurst had the season before, we are currently 1 point worse off than what we managed under what appears in some circles to be the "new messiah's" start after he tore up the promotion squad.

Quoted from barralad

Do you have any evidence for that (genuine question) because as far as I'm aware Mr Parker has never revealed in public why he walked away? The decision to "gift" those shares to The Trust caught us completely on the hop.

He was interviewed on Radio Humberside, I was listening to it travelling to an evening match at BP.

Quote Mariner09

Slade seems to have signed a load of journeymen who are clearly inferior to their predecessors. Dixon, Hooper, Clarke, Cardwell and Kelly all look like poor signings or worse than what was before. Only Rose, Dembele and maybe DJ look better than what they replaced. Hope they all eventually gel and become a good unit but I doubt it

And there IMO lies the problem, by signing players that are not an improvement on what we had even in the Conference, is showing in the results.
It seems that Slade`s opinion on the likes of Kelly, Clarke and Hooper are moulded on what they were, and what they did,  not on today`s reality, the way we think of Herne, Connell and Dis. Can they improve?

Its his bed, he made it he will have to lie on it, I still believe that if we show the same fighting spirit as the play off final team did and discard players who show no desire or skill we will be OK

Quoted from barralad

Do you have any evidence for that (genuine question) because as far as I'm aware Mr Parker has never revealed in public why he walked away? The decision to "gift" those shares to The Trust caught us completely on the hop.

As others have said he gave quite a detailed interview with Radio Humberside. It might be worth a listen if you can still get it.

Quoted from arryarryarry

He was interviewed on Radio Humberside, I was listening to it travelling to an evening match at BP.

I've tried to find it but no luck. Do you have any suggestions as to where it might be possible to get it from?

Quoted from barralad

I've tried to find it but no luck. Do you have any suggestions as to where it might be possible to get it from?

Some of his quotes are on the Fishy 2011, just google Mike Parker interview Radio Humberside

Quoted from Garth

Some of his quotes are on the Fishy 2011, just google Mike Parker interview Radio Humberside

I think that is from when he left the board. Not following from the share issue.

Quoted from Garth

Some of his quotes are on the Fishy 2011, just google Mike Parker interview Radio Humberside

I don't think the interview that is discussed on the Fishy back in 2011 that you find when Googling the above relates to the time when Parker gifted the shares to the Trust, it relates to when Parker stepped down from the board due to board voting issues.  

Quoted from barralad

I've tried to find it but no luck. Do you have any suggestions as to where it might be possible to get it from?

http://codalmighty.com/site/ca.php?article=3416 this gives a breakdown of what Parker said although I can't find the actual interview.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

http://codalmighty.com/site/ca.php?article=3416 this gives a breakdown of what Parker said although I can't find the actual interview.

Cheers. This does seem to predate the big shares handover which if memory serves me correct was October 2011. I suspect at the point of this interview he hadn't decided to weaken his own holding which might suggest that he was looking at what options he had as the second largest shareholder. As far as I'm aware the reasons for giving The Trust the shares is still a mystery.

Quoted from barralad

Cheers. This does seem to predate the big shares handover which if memory serves me correct was October 2011. I suspect at the point of this interview he hadn't decided to weaken his own holding which might suggest that he was looking at what options he had as the second largest shareholder. As far as I'm aware the reasons for giving The Trust the shares is still a mystery.

I think you're right. If you read what was said he talked about installing his own Chairman and having them run the club for him.
The apparent reason for giving the trust the shares is so he didn't have to make an offer for the rest of the club's shares.
This is the key information for me

Quoted Text

[/quote]He proceeded to remind us he is on record more than once as saying he doesn't have either the ambition or the time to be chairman of the club. Now he has to go and look for a Chairman to represent his and the clubs interests. He explained that, as publicly promised, he and Fenty had each put a £500,000 cash injection in to fund the club budget to the end of this season. Parker had invested his monies in by buying shares to strengthen the clubs balance sheet (and to avoid the criticisms levelled at Fenty about 'benign debt' I assume). Fenty had surprised Parker by loaning the club his share of the million quid needed to support the loss-making business through one more season. This created the situation where Parker owned a much bigger percentage of the club then Fenty.

Parker confirmed that his extra shares had only been purchased with full board consent and that the transaction had occurred at the beginning of July 2011. Cue even more surprise he said at reading that Fenty seemed astonished at the turn of events.[quote]

As this thread is aimed for the attention of Mr Fenty, I would like to ask a question.

Is there any aspect of the club, on the pitch or off the pitch, that you feel has improved while you have been in charge?