If the trust are going to act surely the best way would be totally the opposite. Organise a meeting with the board, tell them they're not happy and find out what it would take got US to get control of OUR club. If it's unrealistic or JF blows them out then walk.

Fair point

Posted this on another thread.

Save us Mariners Trust. You're our only hope.

In all seriousness, I think involvement in the Trust would swell massively if they had to take the club on. They've done some great work in recent years and are getting a bit of unfair stick. They are not part of the problem at the club but maybe the solution when the dust settles.

I think they could absolutely run the club, even though the current line up have no desire to yet. With a clear charter of aims that is well communicated with fans, we could see something that the fans could really get behind. The Trust have done things with limited resources in the last few years that have put more money into the club and contributed to improved attendances we saw in the last couple of seasons. The current board have destroyed that good work.

Sorry, didn’t see your post until after I started this thread.

Fenty can start making that exit plan by giving back the £200k he grabbed from the trust.

I don’t get some of the comments I’ve seen tonight saying that no-one on the Trust has any idea how to run a club.

1) it’s not stopped the current custodians giving it a go.

2) it’s a fairly modern idea to have people who make careers out of going to a string of clubs to run them and must be very rare in the lower leagues.

There is definitely a role for our Trust to play in running the club although I maintain that they cannot do it alone and would need a consortium or benefactor to enable the club to be competitive in this division and above.

Does anyone know much about the remaining Trust, GTFC board member? He barely said a word at the fan’s forum. I don’t understand why, as the supposed supporters’ representative on the board, he didn’t resign after the B team debacle, the SLO ill treatment and the club’s lack of interest/support after bragate. Clearly, the above negates any argument that the Trust has an influence over the board.

Is he maybe enjoying the gravy train a bit too much?

Quoted from LH

I don’t get some of the comments I’ve seen tonight saying that no-one on the Trust has any idea how to run a club.

1) it’s not stopped the current custodians giving it a go.

2) it’s a fairly modern idea to have people who make careers out of going to a string of clubs to run them and must be very rare in the lower leagues.

There is definitely a role for our Trust to play in running the club although I maintain that they cannot do it alone and would need a consortium or benefactor to enable the club to be competitive in this division and above.

Disagree with your last point.  We have the potential fanbase and resources to be easily competitive at this level. It'd obviously be much harder in the 3rd division, but 'benefactors' usually come with strings (did I hear anyone say 'benign loans'?) so i'd be happier to remain a middle table League 1 side if we were self-reliant.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Disagree with your last point.  We have the potential fanbase and resources to be easily competitive at this level. It'd obviously be much harder in the 3rd division, but 'benefactors' usually come with strings (did I hear anyone say 'benign loans'?) so i'd be happier to remain a middle table League 1 side if we were self-reliant.

Whilst I agree partly with the ability to be self reliant we haven’t been competitive in this division since 2006 when we had only been in the now Championship two seasons previously so had some funds.

The potential support is a far too variable to be relied upon. We’re not competitive now with £30k input from the board, TV money, gate receipts, sponsorship and a higher than the division average 3000 STHs. How many of our potential support are exiles? I’d guess at roughly half. How many of those are going to put in money equivalent to a season ticket to add to the budget?

I don’t like the idea of single benefactors but a consortium is definitely an option. Of course the Trust could be one of those involved as part of a consortium.

Quoted from LH

Whilst I agree partly with the ability to be self reliant we haven’t been competitive in this division since 2006 when we had only been in the now Championship two seasons previously so had some funds.

The potential support is a far too variable to be relied upon. We’re not competitive now with £30k input from the board, TV money, gate receipts, sponsorship and a higher than the division average 3000 STHs. How many of our potential support are exiles? I’d guess at roughly half. How many of those are going to put in money equivalent to a season ticket to add to the budget?

I don’t like the idea of single benefactors but a consortium is definitely an option. Of course the Trust could be one of those involved as part of a consortium.

I genuinely think it's something people would buy into. You only have to look at operation promotion. I genuinely think more people would attend if they felt part of something positive. I don't think it's unreasonable for the club to average over 5k which would make us more than competitive in this league.

Quoted from LH

Whilst I agree partly with the ability to be self reliant we haven’t been competitive in this division since 2006 when we had only been in the now Championship two seasons previously so had some funds.

The potential support is a far too variable to be relied upon. We’re not competitive now with £30k input from the board, TV money, gate receipts, sponsorship and a higher than the division average 3000 STHs. How many of our potential support are exiles? I’d guess at roughly half. How many of those are going to put in money equivalent to a season ticket to add to the budget?

I don’t like the idea of single benefactors but a consortium is definitely an option. Of course the Trust could be one of those involved as part of a consortium.

We haven't been competitive in this division since 2006 because we've been badly run. The point you make about having been in the Championship two years previously is irrelevant because that fact didn't affect our income in League 2 (other than the on-going after effects of ITV Digital going bust) - there was no parachute money to help.

As Headingly says, people would buy into it. I would buy a season ticket. I wouldn't dream of it at the moment.

It would be interesting to see how many fans would return if Fenty did leave. There must be a sizeable number who don't attend because of his running of the club. Plus the two thousand or so who have stopped going since the start of this season thanks to the most boring football the world has ever seen.

I live miles away but I'd probably buy some sort of shares, membership or season ticket if I knew we was going to be running the club as a group of supporters etc. I know ALOT of people whod do the same. 1 chap I know had a St for a couple of years and only ever went to 2 games. He was happy to give the club a few quid and I'm sure he along with alot of others would re do it again

They’d buy in initially - I know I would - but are they going to do it over years and decades? It wouldn’t be a tenner for a year like the Trust membership would it realistically?

I can only get to three or four home games at the minute due to being based in London and having no income (still studying). But once I'm earning next year I'd happily stick £250 in each season which would imitate me buying a season ticket if there was a workable model that we could get behind and believe in.

Quoted from LH

They’d buy in initially - I know I would - but are they going to do it over years and decades? It wouldn’t be a tenner for a year like the Trust membership would it realistically?

This season we are shite. We play unnatractive football. The board have done their best to urine the fans off and have shown they really don't care what the fans think. It's £20 to get in. Yet even with all the shite going on this season we will still average about 4K. It's about capitalising on that buy in and building for the future.

At the minute the club spends what it brings in, it's not as if the rich men making the decisions are piling money in to take us forward. I could completely see the fans putting more money in than the current administration.  

A club of our side wouldn't need to have big Trust subscriptions to finance the club. The more people through the gates, the more money to spend and I think the trust would be better at getting people to attend.

Quoted from mariner91

It would be interesting to see how many fans would return if Fenty did leave. There must be a sizeable number who don't attend because of his running of the club. Plus the two thousand or so who have stopped going since the start of this season thanks to the most boring football the world has ever seen.

I'm not convinced that many people stop going because of JF, poor results and performance on the other hand..........  

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I'm not convinced that many people stop going because of JF, poor results and performance on the other hand..........  

There's been plenty of comments to the effect that they won't return with Fenty in charge. Whether it's true or not I don't know. I certainly wouldn't spend more than I need to with him there.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I'm not convinced that many people stop going because of JF, poor results and performance on the other hand..........  

I know a number well into double figures who would convince you otherwise.

Forget about the trust running the club. It is one thing running a couple of bars and fundraising it is another taking on the whole thing. No disrespect to the well meaning Trust Board but be realistic.

I think that shows great disrespect oldun. It shows contempt for your fellow Grimbarians - you're basically saying that no one from the area is capable of running a £m business, which is complete balderdash.

It also shows ignorance of what has successfully happened at other football clubs up and down the country.