Even when we beat 10 man Forest Green (which seems like an eternity ago), we looked like a team with no gumption, limited ability and no purpose. Every week, we build ourselves up, what can we change, is there a new formation etc. And yet, every week, there is a crushing inevitability to the outcome.

I honestly felt on the 15th May 2016, the happiest that I've ever felt at a football game, in tears that our club had regained its' league status and ecstatic at the thought that our non-league days were behind us.

Why thefuck are we in this state?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Even when we beat 10 man Forest Green (which seems like an eternity ago), we looked like a team with no gumption, limited ability and no purpose. Every week, we build ourselves up, what can we change, is there a new formation etc. And yet, every week, there is a crushing inevitability to the outcome.

I honestly felt on the 15th May 2016, the happiest that I've ever felt at a football game, in tears that our club had regained its' league status and ecstatic at the thought that our non-league days were behind us.

Why thefuck are we in this state?

You and I both know the answer to that one, the question is really how do we get rid of him?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Even when we beat 10 man Forest Green (which seems like an eternity ago), we looked like a team with no gumption, limited ability and no purpose. Every week, we build ourselves up, what can we change, is there a new formation etc. And yet, every week, there is a crushing inevitability to the outcome.

I honestly felt on the 15th May 2016, the happiest that I've ever felt at a football game, in tears that our club had regained its' league status and ecstatic at the thought that our non-league days were behind us.

Why thefuck are we in this state?

A very simple answer to that
John Fenty

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Even when we beat 10 man Forest Green (which seems like an eternity ago), we looked like a team with no gumption, limited ability and no purpose. Every week, we build ourselves up, what can we change, is there a new formation etc. And yet, every week, there is a crushing inevitability to the outcome.

I honestly felt on the 15th May 2016, the happiest that I've ever felt at a football game, in tears that our club had regained its' league status and ecstatic at the thought that our non-league days were behind us.

Why thefuck are we in this state?

What really p1sses me off is that clearly the likes of Fenty, Marley and Day don't run their own businesses with such a poor level of investment, management, strategy, governance and regard for key stake holders. So why do they think that they can get away with operating like that with something that means so much to so many.      

Because not only have we not learned a single lesson from 2010, we’ve made exactly the same mistakes. Exactly the same.

Bloated squad full of journeymen and loanees, a manager he should never have appointed in the first place and then sacked far too late.

We haven’t so much managed to sleepwalk into relegation but been in Freefall and it’s all been so utterly predictable and preventative. Instead of leading and taking action the club is too busy policing social media and stalking the fishy dishing out warnings for stuff they don’t like. In fairness the entire board is culpable. All of them.

JF told me personally Operation Promotion was the worst thing that ever happened because of the pressure it put the club under.

That will be nothing to the pressure if he takes us down again. And there’s no blaming the fans for this one John.

Quoted from bax

Because not only have we not learned a single lesson from 2010, we’ve made exactly the same mistakes. Exactly the same.

Bloated squad full of journeymen and loanees, a manager he should never have appointed in the first place and then sacked far too late.

We haven’t so much managed to sleepwalk into relegation but been in Freefall and it’s all been so utterly predictable and preventative. Instead of leading and taking action the club is too busy policing social media and stalking the fishy dishing out warnings for stuff they don’t like. In fairness the entire board is culpable. All of them.

JF told me personally Operation Promotion was the worst thing that ever happened because of the pressure it put the club under.

That will be nothing to the pressure if he takes us down again. And there’s no blaming the fans for this one John.

Good to hear from you Bax (and a very good post!)

So, as the fans organised Operation Promotion, that's the fans' fault too? You really couldn't make it up.

If we did go down and John ftenty stayed on I wonder what the season ticket sales would be for the 2018-2019 season and how many fans would stay away in protest.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

You and I both know the answer to that one, the question is really how do we get rid of him?

The real question for me at the moment is; how can we get out of this mess?

Quoted from bax

Because not only have we not learned a single lesson from 2010, we’ve made exactly the same mistakes. Exactly the same.

Bloated squad full of journeymen and loanees, a manager he should never have appointed in the first place and then sacked far too late.

We haven’t so much managed to sleepwalk into relegation but been in Freefall and it’s all been so utterly predictable and preventative. Instead of leading and taking action the club is too busy policing social media and stalking the fishy dishing out warnings for stuff they don’t like. In fairness the entire board is culpable. All of them.

JF told me personally Operation Promotion was the worst thing that ever happened because of the pressure it put the club under.

That will be nothing to the pressure if he takes us down again. And there’s no blaming the fans for this one John.

So so true.

This whole club lacks leadership and charisma. This obsession with policing social media is pathetic when they should have been focussing on day to day improvement of the club. Working on engagement and inclusion. Gradually improving the club in small steps, having a plan yet they led by Fenty have killed GTFC.

I for one really hope he writes off his loans, he has had plenty of freebies in return and cost the club more money many times over with his alienation of fans and potential allies, plus his ridiculous and bigoted decision making.

We need to try and support the players, however bad they are but we need to make Fenty reign untenable. Whatever division we are in next season major change has to happen

Old Codger speaks for thousands I think
Great post
I will admit I used to think JF took unfair stick - but not now
Same mistakes repeated over and over

Slade appt was dreadful in every sense - couldn't wait to get his 'mate' back at the club

Wembley 2016 was one of the vest days ever as a GTFC fan - we had everything to look forward to

And here you have to praise Lincoln - they kept the nucleus of their team; winning habit, togetherness, key players etc

I was very fortunate yesterday to be sat behind Dave Gilbert - had a really good chat with him

He dismssed the Buckley days as "the game's changed" (possibly cos he might have been a bit embarrassed) but it hasn't changed that much as it?

Pass the ball, keep the ball, move into space.... goal threat

I won;t single out what he said about who - but his assessment was 100% what we have been saying on here about the squad etc

I feel for Jolley - I hope he;s not judged by the squad he has inherited. Amy young lad would want to get a foothold in the game and I genuinely believe he will try 24/7 to turn this around

Given the chance he could do well next season - wherever we are

From Bragate to Slade to Matt Dean hatchet job to Checkatrade comment to crap club infrastructure to disconnect with fans to awful PR...and the list goes on... we are in a very bad place on and off the pitch

How HAS it come to this but more importantly how has it been allowed to come to this?

From the top....

Quoted from HertsGTFC

What really p1sses me off is that clearly the likes of Fenty, Marley and Day don't run their own businesses with such a poor level of investment, management, strategy, governance and regard for key stake holders. So why do they think that they can get away with operating like that with something that means so much to so many.      

Fenty? Fish merchant, everyone eats fish.
Day? Solicitor, charge what they like, take as long as they like
Marley? Accountant, charge what they like, take as long as they like.

Not a clue about looking after paying customers between them. Just blame the fans when things go wrong.

Quoted from bax

Because not only have we not learned a single lesson from 2010, we’ve made exactly the same mistakes. Exactly the same.

Bloated squad full of journeymen and loanees, a manager he should never have appointed in the first place and then sacked far too late.

We haven’t so much managed to sleepwalk into relegation but been in Freefall and it’s all been so utterly predictable and preventative. Instead of leading and taking action the club is too busy policing social media and stalking the fishy dishing out warnings for stuff they don’t like. In fairness the entire board is culpable. All of them.

JF told me personally Operation Promotion was the worst thing that ever happened because of the pressure it put the club under.

That will be nothing to the pressure if he takes us down again. And there’s no blaming the fans for this one John.

So the BEST thing to happen in years both on and off the field was

                                                                            "THE WORST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO GTFC"

THANKS, A FECKING LOT FENTY AND CO. WE KNOW WHERE WE STAND bollox well and truly kicked in it won't happen again.

What we see every game is we start ok without looking like scoring, ( normally )

Then we concede and all the experienced players in our team( and there are lots of them) heads go down and we normally concede again.

Well Davies, Clarke, Collins and any other oap in the side start using your experience to gee the team up instead of dropping your heads down,

Do you really want a relegation to non league to be on the bottom of your cv,

Because you will not get another job playing the game,

AND

As for the younger ones show your metal and give everything for every minute you are on the pitch,

Otherwise you will have to get a proper job working 9 to 5 or a lot more on a lot less money,

Now is the time to stand up and be counted.

Quoted from Cod Cheeks

The real question for me at the moment is; how can we get out of this mess?

This is easy.

You cross your fingers we survive this season. Because that's all we can do with the players Jolley has at his disposal.

Then we need a thorough root and branch clearing out of the deadwood both on the pitch and off it. And there's PLENTY of it. There's so much malaise the club is suffering from because it's stale. Everything is done the same way. There's no imagination, no new ways of looking at things. Get people who enjoy their jobs and are paid appropriately for it. Create an ambitious and exciting workplace.

Learn the value of money. It's not just about cold, hard cash. Sometimes you can spend a little and create a lot. And respect the paying customers - they're not all idiots so don't treat them all in the same way.

Don't push people away who bring new ideas and skill sets to the club. I know people who would bring expertise but becasue they can't bring cash the club isn't interested. The club isn't always right. Listen. Invite new blood onto the board and listen to that new blood.

Sadly, none of this will happen and we will continue to be in the cycle of despair we are in right now.

Quoted from Cod Cheeks

The real question for me at the moment is; how can we get out of this mess?

I would try John Fenty at centre forward, with Jackson playing off him.

In other words, I have no idea apart from hoping for the best.

I  like the new Bax  :)

Imho, the board have an assumption that the support will be there no matter what we division we play in. This lack of respect for anyone that supports the team isdisgusting and what has led the club into where we have ended up. Everyone could see where the club was heading under slade and when the axe fell, it's left us up sh1t creek without a paddle. In fact we don't even have a canoe it seems

Quoted from chrissy

I  like the new Bax  :)

Well I’m not being warned about what I can and can’t say anymore...🙄

Quoted from bax

Well I’m not being warned about what I can and can’t say anymore...🙄

And that sentence alone tells us all we need to know.  :o

The whole board spend their entire existence fire fighting. Too much time and energy is wasted desperately trying to put right all the things that go constantly wrong. This obsession with "toxic" fans and trying desperately to lay the blame elsewhere is just so tiresome. They can't see that the fans are the best thing about this club; the only thing about this club in fact, because a team only exists if people turn up to watch it. Sadly, i'm getting to the stage where i will no longer just keep blindly turning up and watching Groundhog Day all over again, and i'm not the only one. The four season ticket holders in my group are at this present time not renewing next season. We've all had enough of the incompetency we see, season after season. The club can blame the Fishy "minority" all they like, but much as everything else, they are totally deluded if they think the feelings and thoughts of the many are confined to just a few on here. The other three i attend with do not use this board and they all feel the same way. They have alienated everyone around them. Fans,  the media, the SLO, the Trust  board members, even our club mascot FFS, and somehow it is all the fault of others.

To be facing our third fight to stay in the Football League in 4 full seasons is staggering in it's ineptitude and as fans, we have no influence whatsoever on the decisions that have taken us there. JF is a nice enough guy, but he is totally deluded and spends his entire time deflecting blame away from himself and his cronies on the board. I can confirm what Bax said about his opinion of Operation Promotion because i got the same impression when i met with him. It may well have put pressure on the club, but it worked didn't it? Maybe now is the time to apply some more pressure, because i can't see me carrying on turning up to BP totally reliant on a board that has produced nothing but relegation after relegation and the three worst winless runs in our history. How have we as a set of fans allowed one man and a couple of million quid ruin what has been such a big part of our lives? We need to take back our club somehow, some way. If it meant ripping it up and starting again from scratch, then that is more desirable to me than this constant inertia we now suffer. If there are not big changes soon, the whole club will implode.

Quoted from ginnywings

The whole board spend their entire existence fire fighting. Too much time and energy is wasted desperately trying to put right all the things that go constantly wrong. This obsession with "toxic" fans and trying desperately to lay the blame elsewhere is just so tiresome. They can't see that the fans are the best thing about this club; the only thing about this club in fact, because a team only exists if people turn up to watch it. Sadly, i'm getting to the stage where i will no longer just keep blindly turning up and watching Groundhog Day all over again, and i'm not the only one. The four season ticket holders in my group are at this present time not renewing next season. We've all had enough of the incompetency we see, season after season. The club can blame the Fishy "minority" all they like, but much as everything else, they are totally deluded if they think the feelings and thoughts of the many are confined to just a few on here. The other three i attend with do not use this board and they all feel the same way. They have alienated everyone around them. Fans,  the media, the SLO, the Trust  board members, even our club mascot FFS, and somehow it is all the fault of others.

To be facing our third fight to stay in the Football League in 4 full seasons is staggering in it's ineptitude and as fans, we have no influence whatsoever on the decisions that have taken us there. JF is a nice enough guy, but he is totally deluded and spends his entire time deflecting blame away from himself and his cronies on the board. I can confirm what Bax said about his opinion of Operation Promotion because i got the same impression when i met with him. It may well have put pressure on the club, but it worked didn't it? Maybe now is the time to apply some more pressure, because i can't see me carrying on turning up to BP totally reliant on a board that has produced nothing but relegation after relegation and the three worst winless runs in our history. How have we as a set of fans allowed one man and a couple of million quid ruin what has been such a big part of our lives? We need to take back our club somehow, some way. If it meant ripping it up and starting again from scratch, then that is more desirable to me than this constant inertia we now suffer. If there are not big changes soon, the whole club will implode.

Here here. I think we should turn our attention, once this season is over, to practical ways we might be able to help John Fenty on his way.

A mass, almost total boycott of the matches/buying season tickets till he agrees to walk away from the day to day running of the club would be a good start.  

Quoted from bax

Because not only have weFenty not learned a single lesson from 2010, we’ve made exactly the same mistakes. Exactly the same.

Bloated squad full of journeymen and loanees, a manager he should never have appointed in the first place and then sacked far too late.

We haven’t so much managed to sleepwalk into relegation but been in Freefall and it’s all been so utterly predictable and preventative. Instead of leading and taking action the club is too busy policing social media and stalking the fishy dishing out warnings for stuff they don’t like. In fairness the entire board is culpable. All of them.

JF told me personally Operation Promotion was the worst thing that ever happened because of the pressure it put the club under.

That will be nothing to the pressure if he takes us down again. And there’s no blaming the fans for this one John.

Edit for the first bit.
It's typical of Fenty to see a massive positive (OP) and turn it into a massive negative.
Probably because it wasn't  his idea and it was a knock for his massive ego.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Even when we beat 10 man Forest Green (which seems like an eternity ago), we looked like a team with no gumption, limited ability and no purpose. Every week, we build ourselves up, what can we change, is there a new formation etc. And yet, every week, there is a crushing inevitability to the outcome.

I honestly felt on the 15th May 2016, the happiest that I've ever felt at a football game, in tears that our club had regained its' league status and ecstatic at the thought that our non-league days were behind us.

Why thefuck are we in this state?

This is what happens when you go for bargain basement players, who have a losing mentality, and aging journeymen.....Clarke (Coventry relegated), Hooper/Kelly (Port Vale relegated), Berrett/Summerfield (York relegated), Rose (Newport when they only just survived relegation).....Collins, Vernon, Davies, Woolford (good servants for their other clubs, but ageing pro's on their way down)....We should have been looking at a better mix of players, hungry young pro's ready to fight for their shirt's...UTM

Quoted from ginnywings

The whole board spend their entire existence fire fighting. Too much time and energy is wasted desperately trying to put right all the things that go constantly wrong. This obsession with "toxic" fans and trying desperately to lay the blame elsewhere is just so tiresome. They can't see that the fans are the best thing about this club; the only thing about this club in fact, because a team only exists if people turn up to watch it. Sadly, i'm getting to the stage where i will no longer just keep blindly turning up and watching Groundhog Day all over again, and i'm not the only one. The four season ticket holders in my group are at this present time not renewing next season. We've all had enough of the incompetency we see, season after season. The club can blame the Fishy "minority" all they like, but much as everything else, they are totally deluded if they think the feelings and thoughts of the many are confined to just a few on here. The other three i attend with do not use this board and they all feel the same way. They have alienated everyone around them. Fans,  the media, the SLO, the Trust  board members, even our club mascot FFS, and somehow it is all the fault of others.

To be facing our third fight to stay in the Football League in 4 full seasons is staggering in it's ineptitude and as fans, we have no influence whatsoever on the decisions that have taken us there. JF is a nice enough guy, but he is totally deluded and spends his entire time deflecting blame away from himself and his cronies on the board. I can confirm what Bax said about his opinion of Operation Promotion because i got the same impression when i met with him. It may well have put pressure on the club, but it worked didn't it? Maybe now is the time to apply some more pressure, because i can't see me carrying on turning up to BP totally reliant on a board that has produced nothing but relegation after relegation and the three worst winless runs in our history. How have we as a set of fans allowed one man and a couple of million quid ruin what has been such a big part of our lives? We need to take back our club somehow, some way. If it meant ripping it up and starting again from scratch, then that is more desirable to me than this constant inertia we now suffer. If there are not big changes soon, the whole club will implode.

Great post Ginny.

The truth is over £100,000 was raised in record time to help this club get back in the league they are not just a few people on the fishy Fenty. These are your customers the lifeline of this club many been there (myself included) years before you and your cronies came on the scene.

Quoted from bax

This is easy.

You cross your fingers we survive this season. Because that's all we can do with the players Jolley has at his disposal.

Then we need a thorough root and branch clearing out of the deadwood both on the pitch and off it. And there's PLENTY of it. There's so much malaise the club is suffering from because it's stale. Everything is done the same way. There's no imagination, no new ways of looking at things. Get people who enjoy their jobs and are paid appropriately for it. Create an ambitious and exciting workplace.

Learn the value of money. It's not just about cold, hard cash. Sometimes you can spend a little and create a lot. And respect the paying customers - they're not all idiots so don't treat them all in the same way.

Don't push people away who bring new ideas and skill sets to the club. I know people who would bring expertise but becasue they can't bring cash the club isn't interested. The club isn't always right. Listen. Invite new blood onto the board and listen to that new blood.

Sadly, none of this will happen and we will continue to be in the cycle of despair we are in right now.

So basically all the worst fears those of us on the outside have about how the club is run are bang on the money. If we go down and the board remain as they are then it will be a huge positive for our esteemed leader as there will be no additional money raised and about 2000 diehards in the ground so nice and pressure free.

I have to add that Bax's comments make me genuinely question whether I want to keep putting money into the trust as well. Exactly what does it stand for now? Even the results of the poll came with an asterix and a caveat that seemed to say 'we're sure they don't mean it now you've sacked Slade'.

Quoted from bax

This is easy.

You cross your fingers we survive this season. Because that's all we can do with the players Jolley has at his disposal.

Then we need a thorough root and branch clearing out of the deadwood both on the pitch and off it. And there's PLENTY of it. There's so much malaise the club is suffering from because it's stale. Everything is done the same way. There's no imagination, no new ways of looking at things. Get people who enjoy their jobs and are paid appropriately for it. Create an ambitious and exciting workplace.

Learn the value of money. It's not just about cold, hard cash. Sometimes you can spend a little and create a lot. And respect the paying customers - they're not all idiots so don't treat them all in the same way.

Don't push people away who bring new ideas and skill sets to the club. I know people who would bring expertise but becasue they can't bring cash the club isn't interested. The club isn't always right. Listen. Invite new blood onto the board and listen to that new blood.

Sadly, none of this will happen and we will continue to be in the cycle of despair we are in right now.

This is exactly what my friend who is a director at Newport said about them. They were stuck in their ways, buried their head in the sand and waited for football fortune. They survived by the skin of their teeth last season, let's hope we do too and engage positive minds to make a difference in the future.

Quoted from bax

Well I’m not being warned about what I can and can’t say anymore...🙄

Warned by whom? Can you share the Bax? (I don't doubt you at all as it rings true with everything else we've heard).

Does he really need to?

At least one member of staff and at least one member of the clubs board.

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

Does he really need to?

It wasn’t JF in fairness.

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

I have to add that Bax's comments make me genuinely question whether I want to keep putting money into the trust as well. Exactly what does it stand for now? Even the results of the poll came with an asterix and a caveat that seemed to say 'we're sure they don't mean it now you've sacked Slade'.

I’ve cancelled my standing order and won’t be renewing so I guess you can take from that what you will. It will be a very interesting summer let’s put it that way!

It sounds like you're not talking about a racehorse trainer, an accountant or a solicitor Bax. And if it's not a fish merchant, that's even more worrying.

Quoted from bax

It wasn’t JF in fairness.

Well not directly !!!

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Warned by whom? Can you share the Bax? (I don't doubt you at all as it rings true with everything else we've heard).

The way it was put to him was 'shut up! Does that narrow it down for you?

Something was wrong with the club before we were promoted and it’s spread like wildfire since. Why didn’t the players that got us promoted want to stay and build on it? Tait, Toto, Nolan, Arnold, Amond all left and Paul Hurst wasn’t far behind them. Why? I’ve never seen a promoted club decimate their personal so much. 2 years since that glorious day at Wembley and there’s only 1 player left of that squad. Surely that speaks of how rotten to the core the club is behind the scenes.

Since then the recruitment of both staff and players has been truly awful. To be fair to Fenty, the idea of Bignot was a decent one and most fans on here were on board with it, but the erratic, scattergun recruitment of players killed anything that Hurst had built. Countless midfielders, disjointed formations, square pegs in round holes, it was awful. Then the decision to appoint Slade added to the misery. His recruitment was even worse than Bignot’s! This squad would struggle in the league below in my opinion, and I doubt there’s much Michael Jolley can do with them to turn this around.

It’s just been a succession of disasters and whilst his best interests should never be questioned, Fenty’s footballing knowledge and decision making have almost put a curse on us. Like Bax said all we can do is pray something happens on the pitch between now and the end of the season and we can miraculously scrape enough points to preserve our league status and start again. But that toxic element has to change as well, and that starts with the man at the top. Surely surely surely he has to recognise that now, and even if there isn’t a way for him to leave the club lock stock and barrel then maybe he can retain control but completely step away and have a chief executive run the club. Even if we dodge the drop in May, we’d be certain favourites for it 12 months down the line.

Come what may in the next few months, but something at this rotten club has to change forever!

Whoever it was it sounds tantamount to bullying. So depressingly familiar to see them get everything wrong, so easy to take every accusation they throw at others and throw it right back at them. You useless bunch.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

It sounds like you're not talking about a racehorse trainer, an accountant or a solicitor Bax. And if it's not a fish merchant, that's even more worrying.

That’s nothing to worry about compared to some of the stuff that’s gone on 😂

Quoted from RoboCod

Whoever it was it sounds tantamount to bullying. So depressingly familiar to see them get everything wrong, so easy to take every accusation they throw at others and throw it right back at them. You useless bunch.

In fairness I absolutely would not say I was bullied. At all.

Quoted from bax

In fairness I absolutely would not say I was bullied. At all.

Fair enough. Sad to see so many many voices hushed though,  whether it's members of the Trust stepping away, or journalists being denied access or just being told to shut up. There seems little room for counter views.

Quoted from ginnywings

The whole board spend their entire existence fire fighting. Too much time and energy is wasted desperately trying to put right all the things that go constantly wrong. This obsession with "toxic" fans and trying desperately to lay the blame elsewhere is just so tiresome. They can't see that the fans are the best thing about this club; the only thing about this club in fact, because a team only exists if people turn up to watch it. Sadly, i'm getting to the stage where i will no longer just keep blindly turning up and watching Groundhog Day all over again, and i'm not the only one. The four season ticket holders in my group are at this present time not renewing next season. We've all had enough of the incompetency we see, season after season. The club can blame the Fishy "minority" all they like, but much as everything else, they are totally deluded if they think the feelings and thoughts of the many are confined to just a few on here. The other three i attend with do not use this board and they all feel the same way. They have alienated everyone around them. Fans,  the media, the SLO, the Trust  board members, even our club mascot FFS, and somehow it is all the fault of others.

To be facing our third fight to stay in the Football League in 4 full seasons is staggering in it's ineptitude and as fans, we have no influence whatsoever on the decisions that have taken us there. JF is a nice enough guy, but he is totally deluded and spends his entire time deflecting blame away from himself and his cronies on the board. I can confirm what Bax said about his opinion of Operation Promotion because i got the same impression when i met with him. It may well have put pressure on the club, but it worked didn't it? Maybe now is the time to apply some more pressure, because i can't see me carrying on turning up to BP totally reliant on a board that has produced nothing but relegation after relegation and the three worst winless runs in our history. How have we as a set of fans allowed one man and a couple of million quid ruin what has been such a big part of our lives? We need to take back our club somehow, some way. If it meant ripping it up and starting again from scratch, then that is more desirable to me than this constant inertia we now suffer. If there are not big changes soon, the whole club will implode.

Great insight Ginny and alarmingly accurate.

Bit in bold - As much as I hate to admit it and will deny it this club is in danger of dying. I think it's inevitable that we will drop into non league and the current culture of the club at the moment would indicate that we could drop again.

In reality John and the other members of the gang of 4 are not of the caliber required to "lead" an organisation with so many stake holders, lead being the main word as leadership from the board has been missing for years. They are like many of the optics professionals I work with in that they believe they are good at everything but can only back that up with a little knowledge so in reality they become quite dangerous.

We can talk all we like about "ways forward" etc.. but the directors and key decision makers in GTFC have been operating in bunkers and silos for too long know and have a strategy of defend you position at all costs. We are in a situation of trench warfare akin to the Western Front in WW1.

The only way to move them out in reality s administration which would be a disaster as the club in whatever form may never come out of the other side.    

What was very alarming was the comment at the MJ press conference from Philip Day about getting back into league 1 and then ultimately taking "our place" back in the championship. We are in a relegation fight FFS and deluded comments like that don't help.

All I hope is that when we go down MJ has enough talent to make us competitive in what due to only 2 promotion places  is possibly the hardest pro (kind of league to get out of  

Quoted from bax

That’s nothing to worry about compared to some of the stuff that’s gone on 😂

Can't the Trust come out publicly and distance themselves from the current regime?

Can they be a catalyst to force change, perhaps through a mass boycott of games/ season ticket sales?

I could see the logic of trying to work with Fenty from within to minimise the damage he does, but it hasn't and never will work.

I think the only course of action for the Trust is to now step away from the board and fight from the outside. It's clear that although they have a vote on the board and may well vote against the prevailing view of the other four, they will always be outvoted. The board have entrenched themselves into a western version of the Politburo and are surrounded by people who toe the party line. Any dissent and you are out on your ear.

Same thoughts at the same time Lew. I think it's the only way. We either take back our club, or walk away, as i can't see any middle ground anymore. I won't support this regime any longer and the other regulars i attend with have said the same.

The trust must resign from the board and fight to take control of the club.
Their seat on the board so far has delivered nothing of note so far apart from giving Fenty more shares.

Have they been on contact with other trusts Wycombe Wimbledon etc to gain experience on how to run a club.

Are only future is to be a fan owned club.
Can our trust deliver this i doubt it very much.

Bax left the Trust as he opposed its direction. Apologies for speaking on his behalf if incorrect but it sounds to me like he has serious issues with the way the club is run so is it the case that the rest of the Trust board don't? If Mr Fenty thinks the money donated by lots of people with not a lot to give was a terrible thing then he can plough on trying to claw back his £2million without any contribution from me including the £30k a year he squeezes from the Trust. I don't want to pay money towards that any longer. He clearly holds our fan base in contempt along with his fellow board members so they'll be relieved  to have one less fan putting any pressure on.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Can't the Trust come out publicly and distance themselves from the current regime?

Yes it could, but it hasn't.

It did a survey to ask fans what they wanted and the majority came back saying that;s what they wanted, but when you have people more interested in self interest than listening to the people they are supposed to represent, what do you expect?

I guess the only way forward I could see is that if JF stepped aside and became a "silent partner" and the club appointed an MD. The blocker would be salary as the caliber of person required to sort this mess out would mean the role would dictate 6 figures plus benefits.    

Quoted from ginnywings

Same thoughts at the same time Lew. I think it's the only way. We either take back our club, or walk away, as i can't see any middle ground anymore. I won't support this regime any longer and the other regulars i attend with have said the same.

It is simply untenable for someone with such a poor record over such a long time to hold all the aces.It is about to get a whole lot worse over the next few weeks as once again we slip out of the football league with hardly a wimper.

Many years I have been railing against Fenty in private and on here, often swimming against the tide but there are fewer and fewer Fenty supporters now. I based my antipathy on what I could see as a fan, a little bit from some contact with him in business, and a lot from genuine people who deal with him close up. I see Bax (formerly) of the Trust is alluding to the same things.

He is a disaster area, completely unsuited to his role apart from his money in the early days, which we were grateful for at the time, but that limited input all those years ago has allowed him unfettered control of a great club and he has just made things worse, very much worse over time.

Despite my 58 years of going to BP I am almost not bothered about what happens to the actual team anymore, as I know as long as we stay in his vice like grip we will be going absolutely nowhere. Sad days are these.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I guess the only way forward I could see is that if JF stepped aside and became a "silent partner" and the club appointed an MD. The blocker would be salary as the caliber of person required to sort this mess out would mean the role would dictate 6 figures plus benefits.    

Well, in the first place, I don't see the board paying anyone six figures, and secondly, I don't see anyone of the calibre required to work for the individuals on the board.

Quoted from bax

Yes it could, but it hasn't.

It did a survey to ask fans what they wanted and the majority came back saying that;s what they wanted, but when you have people more interested in self interest than listening to the people they are supposed to represent, what do you expect?

Politics always gets in the way doesn't it? It is very difficult to get a group of people to pull in the same direction but I am surprised the penny hasn't dropped with the Trust that they are wasting their time.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Well, in the first place, I don't see the board paying anyone six figures, and secondly, I don't see anyone of the calibre required to work for the individuals on the board.

I don't disagree.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

It is simply untenable for someone with such a poor record over such a long time to hold all the aces.It is about to get a whole lot worse over the next few weeks as once again we slip out of the football league with hardly a wimper.

Many years I have been railing against Fenty in private and on here, often swimming against the tide but there are fewer and fewer Fenty supporters now. I based my antipathy on what I could see as a fan, a little bit from some contact with him in business, and a lot from genuine people who deal with him close up. I see Bax (formerly) of the Trust is alluding to the same things.

He is a disaster area, completely unsuited to his role apart from his money in the early days, which we were grateful for at the time, but that limited input all those years ago has allowed him unfettered control of a great club and he has just made things worse, very much worse over time.

Despite my 58 years of going to BP I am almost not bothered about what happens to the actual team anymore, as I know as long as we stay in his vice like grip we will be going absolutely nowhere. Sad days are these.

Agree with this LCL - even with 'fruit loop' Marcus 12 months ago, things were bearable. How can things have gone so catastrophically wrong in such a short space of time? This last year has been a spectacular disaster, even by Fenty's standards.

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

Bax left the Trust as he opposed its direction. Apologies for speaking on his behalf if incorrect but it sounds to me like he has serious issues with the way the club is run so is it the case that the rest of the Trust board don't? If Mr Fenty thinks the money donated by lots of people with not a lot to give was a terrible thing then he can plough on trying to claw back his £2million without any contribution from me including the £30k a year he squeezes from the Trust. I don't want to pay money towards that any longer. He clearly holds our fan base in contempt along with his fellow board members so they'll be relieved  to have one less fan putting any pressure on.

The current direction of the Trust is to support the club's board come what may and discredit anyone who threatens the place on said board. I believe the fans and Trust members should make a decision of that magnitude. It's unsustainable for the Trust to continue to pay £46k a year for a place on the board (yes, that's what was handed over last year) and it will go bust if it continues as it is.

The survey results clearly show fans don't want the place on the board and they don't want to pay £30k a year for the privilege.

Unfortunately there are senior people on the Trust board who believe the place on the club board is more important than anything else. As long as the Trust continues to have the club's board contribute to the writing of its statements and fails to listen to its members as it has with the survey, it will continue to be irrelevant.

I have been as big a supporter of the Trust as anyone and I've spent a hugely enjoyable five years involved with it. But it's no longer fit for purpose and, in my opinion, doesn't listen to or represent the fans anymore.

The irony is there are some fantastic people involved on the Trust board who either don't know what's going on in front of them (or behind the scenes) or are being blindly led by people putting self interest above everything else.

Very interesting, telling and concerning stuff on this thread from bax. Thanks for coming back on here.

Sounds like the Trust is in a right mess. Maybe there should be a voting system for the whole membership to vote/appoint people into Trust Board positions. Equally vote them off. How can a supporters trust be run by people who aren't willing to act on the wishes of the supporters they're there to represent?

Far be it for me to tell you how to spend your time bax but I'd have loved you to stay on with the Trust and out these people and get them away from the MT. Why do you say it will be an interesting summer by the way?

Whilst we're doing a Q and A I wondered what the 'nothing to worry about compared to some of the things that have gone on' referred to?

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Can't the Trust come out publicly and distance themselves from the current regime?

Can they be a catalyst to force change, perhaps through a mass boycott of games/ season ticket sales?

I could see the logic of trying to work with Fenty from within to minimise the damage he does, but it hasn't and never will work.

Is there the appetite for this amongst the Trust board?

We talk about Fenty’s Yes men on the GTFC but I think he’s now managed to get one on the Trust board too unfortunately.

Personally I’d like to see the Trust off the board and do whatever is necessary to rid the club of Fenty - which is what I put on the survey.

I’m fairly certain that in the survey results it was pretty unanimous that the Trust should stop paying the club 30k per year so I’d like to see that implemented and that may bring about an issue between Fenty and the Trust that hopefully results in a Trust vote that ends with the Trust coming off the board and applying as much pressure on Fenty as possible.

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

Whilst we're doing a Q and A I wondered what the 'nothing to worry about compared to some of the things that have gone on' referred to?

Ask for an update on how they plan to pay the £46k based on reduced income from memberships and reduced income from the bars with zero income over the summer months. And if we get relegated...

Quoted from Tommy

Very interesting, telling and concerning stuff on this thread from bax. Thanks for coming back on here.

Sounds like the Trust is in a right mess. Maybe there should be a voting system for the whole membership to vote/appoint people into Trust Board positions. Equally vote them off. How can a supporters trust be run by people who aren't willing to act on the wishes of the supporters they're there to represent?

Far be it for me to tell you how to spend your time bax but I'd have loved you to stay on with the Trust and out these people and get them away from the MT. Why do you say it will be an interesting summer by the way?

Absolutely right Tommy. It seems that there is very little 'independence' on the Trust board and significantly less now that Bax has gone. This, in itself, is very concerning but, together with what he has posted today, is extremely alarming. Total control seems to be the 'goal' of the GTFC board, let's hope it's a goal they are never allowed to achieve.

Sounds like Bax has got a lot on his chest and wants to get rid of it.

Unless Fenty as links to the KGB I would rather he hung on until seasons end only because it would be fair to Mike Jolley who has enough on his plate right now.

I've suspected for a while that the Trust have just turned into club yes men, and i am no longer willing to support them either. The club will get no more money from me beyond this season, and neither will the Trust. I've done the dutiful supporter bit for too long now and enough is enough.

Quoted from bax

The current direction of the Trust is to support the club's board come what may and discredit anyone who threatens the place on said board. I believe the fans and Trust members should make a decision of that magnitude. It's unsustainable for the Trust to continue to pay £46k a year for a place on the board (yes, that's what was handed over last year) and it will go bust if it continues as it is.

The survey results clearly show fans don't want the place on the board and they don't want to pay £30k a year for the privilege.

Unfortunately there are senior people on the Trust board who believe the place on the club board is more important than anything else. As long as the Trust continues to have the club's board contribute to the writing of its statements and fails to listen to its members as it has with the survey, it will continue to be irrelevant.

I have been as big a supporter of the Trust as anyone and I've spent a hugely enjoyable five years involved with it. But it's no longer fit for purpose and, in my opinion, doesn't listen to or represent the fans anymore.

The irony is there are some fantastic people involved on the Trust board who either don't know what's going on in front of them (or behind the scenes) or are being blindly led by people putting self interest above everything else.

Bit in bold - This is all the more reason why they should not have a seat on the board.

My view on the Trust is that it is an opportunity but (i'll get my tin hat on now) I don't see them doing that much to make a difference to the average supporter. This might be going on but I just don't see it. Oddly enough I joined when we did Operation Promotion but I didn't really feel part of a movement and when my subs where due the following year they did nothing to encourage me to pay again.

Quoted from Mrs Doyle

Sounds like Bax has got a lot on his chest and wants to get rid of it.

Unless Fenty as links to the KGB I would rather he hung on until seasons end only because it would be fair to Mike Jolley who has enough on his plate right now.

I agree - more than happy to wait for the rest.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

[/b]

Bit in bold - This is all the more reason why they should not have a seat on the board.

My view on the Trust is that it is an opportunity but (i'll get my tin hat on now) I don't see them doing that much to make a difference to the average supporter. This might be going on but I just don't see it.

Stevenage and Operation Promotion say otherwise and the bars are 100% better than pre-Trust. Don't get me wrong, the Trust has done some amazing stuff over the years and there's absolutely 100% a role for a progressive group that listens and represents the people who PAY to be part of it. But that's not this one.

Quoted from bax

Stevenage and Operation Promotion say otherwise and the bars are 100% better than pre-Trust. Don't get me wrong, the Trust has done some amazing stuff over the years and there's absolutely 100% a role for a progressive group that listens and represents the people who PAY to be part of it. But that's not this one.

Like I say it's a "real opportunity" In fairness I don't see what they do in the bars as I don't drink a BP on match days due to the long drive home.

I did notice something though recently and if I'm right it speaks volumes. I may be wrong here but there is a chap who sits in the directors box suited and booted who I think represents the Trust if this is the case I never thought it was such a hierarchical organisation, maybe 'm wrong but it just appeared odd.      

Don't hold your breath for The Trust to be the saviour of the club. As far as I can see they are a group of well meaning amateurs with the interests of the club at heart, but as far as ousting the board or staging a take over coup, forget it.

Quoted from bax

Stevenage and Operation Promotion say otherwise and the bars are 100% better than pre-Trust. Don't get me wrong, the Trust has done some amazing stuff over the years and there's absolutely 100% a role for a progressive group that listens and represents the people who PAY to be part of it. But that's not this one.

Would you be interested in starting a new Trust?

Quoted from bax

The current direction of the Trust is to support the club's board come what may and discredit anyone who threatens the place on said board. I believe the fans and Trust members should make a decision of that magnitude. It's unsustainable for the Trust to continue to pay £46k a year for a place on the board (yes, that's what was handed over last year) and it will go bust if it continues as it is.

The survey results clearly show fans don't want the place on the board and they don't want to pay £30k a year for the privilege.

Unfortunately there are senior people on the Trust board who believe the place on the club board is more important than anything else. As long as the Trust continues to have the club's board contribute to the writing of its statements and fails to listen to its members as it has with the survey, it will continue to be irrelevant.

I have been as big a supporter of the Trust as anyone and I've spent a hugely enjoyable five years involved with it. But it's no longer fit for purpose and, in my opinion, doesn't listen to or represent the fans anymore.

The irony is there are some fantastic people involved on the Trust board who either don't know what's going on in front of them (or behind the scenes) or are being blindly led by people putting self interest above everything else.

Nice to see someone in the know confirming my view(which I was slated for) that the Trust has become a self interest group totally disengaged from the rank and file fans.

Quoted from davmariner

Would you be interested in starting a new Trust?

Not a chance. I’ve been to one game since Christmas and I highly doubt I’ll get a season ticket next season unless there are significant changes.

Having seen what I have, I have zero desire to do anything for them again.

Thanks for what you did do Bax. Some might not have appreciated it but Operation Promotion is the closest I've felt to the club in years and I know you were a huge part of that.

Well as other will know I have never really been a massive fan of the trust and I have on occasions been involved in some cross words with some people on the trust board but Bax's recent comments I think only support my view that the trust do not represent the fans has much as it should, when Bax resigned as the chairman I did express my concerns over Alan Rutter's role as interim chairman as he has been at fans forums expressing his support at the checkatrade trophy and expressing his opinion that Fenty is doing an excellent job, therefore I believe him to be a yes man, just like Terry Rudrum is and I fear Jon Wood is, amongst others. And that I think ties in with Bax's comment that there are certain people on the trust board who are more concerned about themselves and their opinions rather than the opinions of supporters.

Yes I know everyone is entitled to opinions, but if members of the trust board are making decisions based on their personal opinion rather than the opinion of supporters then that defeats the point of having a supports trust.

I do think we as fans should be entitled to vote in and out the trust board.

Given that the Trust chair has past association with the club- take it as a given he’s answerable and accountable to one person, and not the members who work hard to raise funds.

Trust won’t work until they be rid of ANY association with the club. Shouldn’t be the case - isn’t with other clubs - but ours is unique because of the fella pulling all the strings. If that last fans forum didn’t show everything then some will never see.

With all these comments regarding the trust, I would assume some trust board members read the Fishy, so gentlemen here is your chance to put your/the trusts side of the argument, unless you have to check with Mr Fenty first.

Quoted from davmariner

Would you be interested in starting a new Trust?

The Trust That Isn't The Trust Trust?

I would be interested to see the opinion of Barralad on Bax's revelations as I believe he is a member of the trust board.

Quoted from ginnywings

I think the only course of action for the Trust is to now step away from the board and fight from the outside. It's clear that although they have a vote on the board and may well vote against the prevailing view of the other four, they will always be outvoted. The board have entrenched themselves into a western version of the Politburo and are surrounded by people who toe the party line. Any dissent and you are out on your ear.

This has got to be the way to go.

Quoted from Tommy

Very interesting, telling and concerning stuff on this thread from bax. Thanks for coming back on here.

Sounds like the Trust is in a right mess. Maybe there should be a voting system for the whole membership to vote/appoint people into Trust Board positions. Equally vote them off. How can a supporters trust be run by people who aren't willing to act on the wishes of the supporters they're there to represent?

Far be it for me to tell you how to spend your time bax but I'd have loved you to stay on with the Trust and out these people and get them away from the MT. Why do you say it will be an interesting summer by the way?

There is a vote by members on who is on the Trust board. Very rarely are there more candidates than places or at least not many so there isn’t really a debate over direction.

Having started the thread in the vain hope that someone might come up with a positive or two, I find myself even more fed up with the club than I was a few hours ago.

Bax has confirmed many of my worst fears about how the club is run and, frankly, I find it incredible that the club force someone like him out rather than engaging with a bright mind. Instead, they encircle themselves with groups of nodding heads and hope that 'football fortune' is just around the corner.

We go round in circles saying the same old thing but, I'm beginning to feel that this regime may unravel and hope that there may be a semblance of some pieces of a football club to put back together when it does.

Thanks Bax for your involvement,but this just confirms my view that passion and innovation will be stifled by self interest at this club.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

There is a vote by members on who is on the Trust board. Very rarely are there more candidates than places or at least not many so there isn’t really a debate over direction.

Is that right? A vote by other Trust Board members maybe, but I can't remember (as a mere trust member) being asked go vote on people joining the MT board.

Quoted from Davec

Well as other will know I have never really been a massive fan of the trust and I have on occasions been involved in some cross words with some people on the trust board but Bax's recent comments I think only support my view that the trust do not represent the fans has much as it should, when Bax resigned as the chairman I did express my concerns over Alan Rutter's role as interim chairman as he has been at fans forums expressing his support at the checkatrade trophy and expressing his opinion that Fenty is doing an excellent job, therefore I believe him to be a yes man, just like Terry Rudrum is and I fear Jon Wood is, amongst others. And that I think ties in with Bax's comment that there are certain people on the trust board who are more concerned about themselves and their opinions rather than the opinions of supporters.

Yes I know everyone is entitled to opinions, but if members of the trust board are making decisions based on their personal opinion rather than the opinion of supporters then that defeats the point of having a supports trust.

I do think we as fans should be entitled to vote in and out the trust board.

The solution is not to ditch the Trust but to find people who are not prepared to be yes men and unwilling to rock the boat.

For my money the Trust has always been too conservative (small C). The whole Fenty share gift situation being a classic illustration. Sadly too many members thought the same way as the Trust board at the time did.

Fenty’s comments in the Fenty tapes said it all for me. He doesn’t respect the Trust and, by extension, the members. He doesn’t understand the role of the organisation. He sees the Trust only as a vehicle to smooth his urine poor decision making, and gets the hump when they don’t do this.

We’ve been asking for years to see some evidence of benefit of the Trust’s £30k per year and subsequent seat at the table, but I still couldn’t give one example.

The fans, members and non-members, have given as clear an indication as could be through the recent survey - we do NOT want to carry on paying for that place.

A proper application and interview process for the Trust Chair is due to take place at the end of the season, according to the minutes of the last meeting. Hopefully we’ll see some movement at that point in line with what the members want.

Quoted from Tommy

Is that right? A vote by other Trust Board members maybe, but I can't remember (as a mere trust member) being asked go vote on people joining the MT board.

The board are voted in at every AGM. Every member is invited to attend and vote as necessary but think, as someone else posted, there are normally more spaces that candidates

Dave Roberts, Chris Parker, Paul Savage, Kris Green would make ideal joint trust chairs. Forget board place and start afresh with genuine football people, whom understand what a trust should be, together with understanding and knowing the suppporters. Combined with some acumen, no self interest and only a desire to get things right on and off the pitch. Just my opinion before anyone finds offence.

Quoted from ska face

Fenty’s comments in the Fenty tapes said it all for me. He doesn’t respect the Trust and, by extension, the members. He doesn’t understand the role of the organisation. He sees the Trust only as a vehicle to smooth his urine poor decision making, and gets the hump when they don’t do this.

We’ve been asking for years to see some evidence of benefit of the Trust’s £30k per year and subsequent seat at the table, but I still couldn’t give one example.

The fans, members and non-members, have given as clear an indication as could be through the recent survey - we do NOT want to carry on paying for that place.

A proper application and interview process for the Trust Chair is due to take place at the end of the season, according to the minutes of the last meeting. Hopefully we’ll see some movement at that point in line with what the members want.

I saw some feedback from the survey but imo it wasn't user friendly and didn't really say in black and white what the results were.

Two very pertinent questions if Barralad and anyone else on the Trust board can help, are;

Did the survey show a majority in favour of the Trust Rep coming off the Club board?

Did the Trust survey show a majority wanting to cease to pay over the bar takings in return for ta seat?

I vaguely recall something about a vote being out to Trust members but haven't heard or seen anything since

Quoted from ska face

A proper application and interview process for the Trust Chair is due to take place at the end of the season, according to the minutes of the last meeting. Hopefully we’ll see some movement at that point in line with what the members want.

Unfortunately I very very much doubt that this will happen.
Quite frankly J F will not allow it to happen. And anybody who thinks he can’t influence it is deluded.  Rutter is in my opinion another one of Fentys nodding donkeys. I will not be putting any money whatsoever into the trust. I normally have a pint before the game and two at half time if not driving. Not another penny will go into the bar from me. A shame for the likes of Barra and the good guys. But SCREW YOU JOHN FENTY.

This thread is absolutely damning for the club and the Trust.

I really felt the Trust had gained some credibility with Bax as Chair. It’s clear that other people involved are too closely linked with the club already.

It’s a shame that people like Paul Savage and Chris Parker are no longer involved with the Trust.  

The survey clearly pointed that fans no longer want to pay the club for a seat on the board. It also showed that many want regime change. Whatever happens this season we have to push for huge change in the boardroom.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

This thread is absolutely damning for the club and the Trust.

I really felt the Trust had gained some credibility with Bax as Chair. It’s clear that other people involved are too closely linked with the club already.

It’s a shame that people like Paul Savage and Chris Parker are no longer involved with the Trust.  

The survey clearly pointed that fans no longer want to pay the club for a seat on the board. It also showed that many want regime change. Whatever happens this season we have to push for huge change in the boardroom.

100%. Once our fate is sealed the fans must insist on change

Quoted from Civvy at last

Unfortunately I very very much doubt that this will happen.
Quite frankly J F will not allow it to happen. And anybody who thinks he can’t influence it is deluded.  Rutter is in my opinion another one of Fentys nodding donkeys. I will not be putting any money whatsoever into the trust. I normally have a pint before the game and two at half time if not driving. Not another penny will go into the bar from me. A shame for the likes of Barra and the good guys. But SCREW YOU JOHN FENTY.

What makes you say that Civvy? Intrigued.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Even when we beat 10 man Forest Green (which seems like an eternity ago), we looked like a team with no gumption, limited ability and no purpose. Every week, we build ourselves up, what can we change, is there a new formation etc. And yet, every week, there is a crushing inevitability to the outcome.

I honestly felt on the 15th May 2016, the happiest that I've ever felt at a football game, in tears that our club had regained its' league status and ecstatic at the thought that our non-league days were behind us.

Why thefuck are we in this state?

Its the fans fault remember.
We forced Hurst out, we largely embraced Bignot instead of telling JF he was a froot loop, we never embraced Slade, we didnt attend the checkatrade so we didnt get football fortune, we are toxic, we bully.
I personally would be happy for the club to play the remaining home games behind closed doors if it meant the points were in the bag.

Quoted from moosey_club

Its the fans fault remember.
We forced Hurst out, we largely embraced Bignot instead of telling JF he was a froot loop, we never embraced Slade, we didnt attend the checkatrade so we didnt get football fortune, we are toxic, we bully.
I personally would be happy for the club to play the remaining home games behind closed doors if it meant the points were in the bag.

What, let Fenty play rock, paper, scissors against the opposing non-chairman?

Fenty still believes in the football fairy who will come and sprinkle some football fortune dust on us very, very soon because we've been very very good boys and girls and waited very very (very) patiently for our turn. (Must be true coz he said we'll be in the Championship in 5 years!)  :o :o :o

Quoted from moosey_club

Its the fans fault remember.
We forced Hurst out, we largely embraced Bignot instead of telling JF he was a froot loop, we never embraced Slade, we didnt attend the checkatrade so we didnt get football fortune, we are toxic, we bully.
I personally would be happy for the club to play the remaining home games behind closed doors if it meant the points were in the bag.

In the case of the trust elections it is absolutely the fans fault.if people don't get involved or don't vote then you get the trust you deserve. So easy to criticise from the sidelines .shame that some on here who seem to spend half their life moaning about the state of gtfc don't get off their keyboard and do something positive.

Quoted from forza ivano

In the case of the trust elections it is absolutely the fans fault.if people don't get involved or don't vote then you get the trust you deserve. So easy to criticise from the sidelines .shame that some on here who seem to spend half their life moaning about the state of gtfc don't get off their keyboard and do something positive.

Who mentioned anything about the trust ?  

Quoted from HertsGTFC

What really p1sses me off is that clearly the likes of Fenty, Marley and Day don't run their own businesses with such a poor level of investment, management, strategy, governance and regard for key stake holders. So why do they think that they can get away with operating like that with something that means so much to so many.      

They've made their money on the backs of workers on minimum wage doing 60 hour weeks.

Quoted from bax

Ask for an update on how they plan to pay the £46k based on reduced income from memberships and reduced income from the bars with zero income over the summer months. And if we get relegated...

Well if the Trust can't pay (and I don't see Fenty allowing credit somehow) then the majority of Trust members will have their wish granted as the Trust won't have the seat on the board

Why is it suddenly £46,000 anyway.  :-/

Are the other board members stumping up? I very much doubt it.

Quoted from ginnywings

Why is it suddenly £46,000 anyway.  :-/

Are the other board members stumping up? I very much doubt it.

Yeah why's it gone up from £30,000?

Also, I thought the deal was £30k for two seats on the board?

Since the Trust has only had one one place on the board for months (can't remember, maybe a year?), maybe the amount should be reduced.

Quoted from Tommy

Yeah why's it gone up from £30,000?

Also, I thought the deal was £30k for two seats on the board?

Since the Trust has only had one one place on the board for months (can't remember, maybe a year?), maybe the amount should be reduced.

How many does it take to sharpen the pencils, make the tea and adjust the cushions in Fenty's chair anyway?

Quoted from Tommy

Yeah why's it gone up from £30,000?

Also, I thought the deal was £30k for two seats on the board?

Since the Trust has only had one one place on the board for months (can't remember, maybe a year?), maybe the amount should be reduced.

No idea where the £46k comes from. Never seen that mentioned anywhere previously. Who agreed that?

The £30k ( which came from running the clubs bars) was in return for ONE seat on the board although IIRC two candidates were put forward for the club to choose from. They couldn't split them so voted to take both.

I think the Trust need to say in words of one syllable if the survey results stated the fans wanted to withdraw from the club board. If they did then the promised vote amongst members should have been out by now imo

Quoted from forza ivano

In the case of the trust elections it is absolutely the fans fault.if people don't get involved or don't vote then you get the trust you deserve. So easy to criticise from the sidelines .shame that some on here who seem to spend half their life moaning about the state of gtfc don't get off their keyboard and do something positive.

Your sentiment isn't wrong Forza but..

I joined the Trust in January and to date haven't received a single acknowledgement, not even an automated email, so I don't hold my breath for anything tangible from them at all. On top of that, I saw the survey was posted on Twitter and respectfully waited a day or two for them to post it on here. Didn't happen, I ended up starting a thread and posting it myself. It felt like they didn't want to advertise the results, let alone get them debated in full..

PS I have discussed with Barra about getting involved if there was a change in direction of the Trust. Barra has always been more forthcoming than the organisation itself..

Was about to mention something along the same lines Bigdog. The communication from the Trust is almost nil. I joined, paid my membership each year, but never really knew what was happening or what they were up to. The survey took an age to appear and it all seems to have been forgotten. I had high hopes for the Trust, but it seems they have been assimilated by the Borg collective.

Quoted from Cloudy

No idea where the £46k comes from. Never seen that mentioned anywhere previously. Who agreed that?

The £30k ( which came from running the clubs bars) was in return for ONE seat on the board although IIRC two candidates were put forward for the club to choose from. They couldn't split them so voted to take both.

I think the Trust need to say in words of one syllable if the survey results stated the fans wanted to withdraw from the club board. If they did then the promised vote amongst members should have been out by now imo

Ah yes, that rings a bell now you mention it.

£46,000 is a tad over a 50% rise. Can someone explain why that is, or is it that £30,000 is a minimum requirement and anything above and beyond that is raised is also 'donated' ? I'd like to know where our money is going and what for.

Quoted from Not again.

They've made their money on the backs of workers on minimum wage doing 60 hour weeks.

Fenty sold his business before the minimum wage came in I think, but I get what you mean.

Quoted from Ipswin

Well if the Trust can't pay (and I don't see Fenty allowing credit somehow) then the majority of Trust members will have their wish granted as the Trust won't have the seat on the board

And the difference will be ?

I joined the Trust this season when Bax was still chair and things went awry very quickly. I bumped into Barra in the Trust Bar and asked if my money had been received. He explained some of the background as to why I had no acknowledgement of my new membership due to some website technicalities but was very guarded in his comments. Barra was also helpful over my concerns about Policing issues.
Two days later Bax resigned and I understood Barra's slight hesitation. He seems a diamond chap trying to do the decent thing by the fans and the club. Rock and a hard place! We have some brilliant fans who devote much of their lives to Town. It is telling that some who have stepped back from the Trust front line seem able to enjoy a relaxing pre match pint in the Trust bar while those still involved have furrowed brows.

I am sorry Bax left the Trust before he had the opportunity to order some more membership cards  ;D

Has anybody ever counted how many people involved with the club have either been sacked or have resigned under Fenty's  reign ?

Apart from managers that were under performing but for other reasons,

Newell, Rob Scott, Hurst,  Bignot Mike Parker, Kristine, Mighty Mariner, Bax to name just a few,

I bet there a good few others that maybe some can remember,

Are you proud of your record Fenty ?

How have we gone from a squad of the likes of dizza pearson etc to a squad of journeyman wage snatchers , it really makes me fume that we are in this state all to our own making.

Its sad sad worrying times here now and one man to blame all down a few hundred quid here and there and that penny pinching looks like costing us our football league place yet again due to stubborness no idea how to bring a club together and overall just awful decisions from top to bottom.

This club should be on the up with being back in the league the sale of bogle for nearly a million quid and the way we all came together for operation promotion which it seems now john fenty says was a nightmare according to someone on here .

Im just devoured of any motivation to attend on a saturday afternoon seeing at least 8 or 9 players stealing a wage in what is one of the worst town teams i have ever seen and look destined for non league football under this man yet again, but its all down to one man and i tell you this i wont give up on my club but maybe john fenty you should give up on yours.

Goodnight  :'(

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I guess the only way forward I could see is that if JF stepped aside and became a "silent partner" and the club appointed an MD. The blocker would be salary as the caliber of person required to sort this mess out would mean the role would dictate 6 figures plus benefits.    

Have thought this for sometime and considering the amount of money we have drunk away on excrement players who can't get in the team and the long list of loanees that aren't played then that money would have been well spent.

Quoted from friskneymariner

And the difference will be ?

Absolutely intercourse all in that the Trusts influence will remain at nil just as it was when they were represented on the board. However those who wanted the Trust to relinquish the seat on the board will be happy (I always thought it was a waste of time anyway and that they were there as a token gesture only) The Trust will probably not run the bars as they won't be allowed to keep the proceeds (which as Bax points out will be much lower anyway) that they were forced to hand over when they sat on the board.

Every one is happy, Trust members get their wish and hopefully the Trust continues under new management (Fenty's pals having either left the Trust or having been voted off) not under the thumb of, or inhibited by  having its hands tied by the Board and Fenty and his mates don't have to pretend anymore and have to make their own tea.

Frankly I think it would be a good thing all round and now Bax and co have resigned its probably the only way to get Fenty's 'yes men' masquerading as Trust reps off the board

Glad that the penny is starting to drop for many people re. The Trust. In previous weeks I’ve questioned their motives and position in regard to JF, only to be criticised by a number of posters on this thread who are now rightly asking the same questions.

Good to be pulling in the same direction and highlighting the rot when it comes to GTFC. No coincidence that a number of Trust chairs/secretaries have been unable to work with the GTFC board.

Some say it's better to be on the board than not, but I feel the Trust was far more effective - and closer to the fans - when it wasn't on the board. It was also more of a concern for Fenty and the board while it was 'rogue'.

I've worked at a union and know what it means to represent certain groups of people, and it's always better to be on the inside than the outside. But there's no point being on the inside of an organisation if it's a dictatorship. You just tow the line, no matter what.

And then you have to consider the concerns that our Trust isn't representing the views of our fans.

I relinquished my membership a little while back when I sensed the Trust was drifting from the average fan. It's got too close to Fenty and the board, and clearly that's not something the fans want to pay for.

The problem with this football club comes down to one word: control.

Fenty and the board want to control everything - fans, newspaper, media, questions, message boards, social media... the list goes on, but where has it got him? What has it got him?

A huge 'benign' debt and a list of damaged relationships. He has zero respect from the majority of fans who simply want him to walk away.

I understand he wants to walk away, but wants to make sure he hands the reins over to someone who has the acumen to run a football club.

So, our future owners are potentially going to be selected by a man who wouldn't recognise football acumen if (to quote Blackadder) they stripped themselves naked, painted themselves purple and danced on a harpsichord signing 'I have football acumen'.

Quoted from RichMariner

The problem with this football club comes down to one word: control.

Fenty and the board want to control everything - fans, newspaper, media, questions, message boards, social media... the list goes on, but where has it got him? What has it got him?

A huge 'benign' debt and a list of damaged relationships. He has zero respect from the majority of fans who simply want him to walk away.

I understand he wants to walk away, but wants to make sure he hands the reins over to someone who has the acumen to run a football club.

So, our future owners are potentially going to be selected by a man who wouldn't recognise football acumen if (to quote Blackadder) they stripped themselves naked, painted themselves purple and danced on a harpsichord signing 'I have football acumen'.

100% agree.

Freakish control syndrome!

He does want to control everything from the heating (he literally controls it from home!) to any future owners
Any rationale thinking person finds him impossible to work with for long unless they become totally subservient to him.
Two directors of other clubs once told me ' no wonder nobody likes you (GTFC)" and that makes me think clubs are reluctant to deal with us and make no mistake players will be aware of this despite the majority being mercenarys too.

The repercussions of this control goes far deeper, and spreads much further, than BP and that's is why OUR club is utterly copulated for now and in the future.

I would add that most businessmen want control of everything BUT the ones that are truly successful learn to delegate and learn to listen and consider other views. Sadly Fenty sees alternative views as an attack on him personally

Quoted from bax

That’s nothing to worry about compared to some of the stuff that’s gone on 😂

Go on Paul, spill the beans? You don't owe them anything. Get it out in the public domain so we have a clearer picture of why we are where we are and what needs to happen to improve.

As someone had suggested earlier, probably better to wait until the end of the season otherwise it will be the fans fault again.

Quoted from bax

As someone had suggested earlier, probably better to wait until the end of the season otherwise it will be the fans fault again.

Does that mean you may be willing to come out and say everything when the seasons finished?

This isn’t about me (or at least it shouldn’t be) I just think people deserve to know some truths. The Trust isn’t representative of the supporters, it is led purely and simply by self interest.

There have been plenty of people within the Trust following this and reading it and no one has shot me down because they know it’s all true (and I have it in writing anyway).

It will eventually fall into obscurity or go bust and that’s a huge, huge shame.

I find it odd that anyone sees the Trust as any kind of vehicle for self-interest when, let’s be honest, it’s relatively small organisation with little engagement from members and even less impact on the club on a wider scale. A culture of self-interest being the driving force behind it is even stranger to hear considering it’s had, what, 4 different chairs in a couple of years (of which Bax was one), a member in a senior position and rep on the board stand down, and a basically a lot of well-meaning people on a hiding to nothing. Even the greatest achievement in the Trust’s history, in OP, seems to have delivered little personal gain for the people involved and has only seemingly strained relations with the club (i.e. where the actual power/influence lies) even further. No I’m not saying this isn’t the case - obviously Bax knows s lot more than us - but anyone who thinks they’re gonna get any benefit from being on the board other than something on a CV and the joy of doing something for their fellow fans need their head testing.

Quoted from ska face

I find it odd that anyone sees the Trust as any kind of vehicle for self-interest when, let’s be honest, it’s relatively small organisation with little engagement from members and even less impact on the club on a wider scale. A culture of self-interest being the driving force behind it is even stranger to hear considering it’s had, what, 4 different chairs in a couple of years (of which Bax was one), a member in a senior position and rep on the board stand down, and a basically a lot of well-meaning people on a hiding to nothing. Even the greatest achievement in the Trust’s history, in OP, seems to have delivered little personal gain for the people involved and has only seemingly strained relations with the club (i.e. where the actual power/influence lies) even further.

I can't speak for Bax, but I think the Trust became that sort of vehicle when MP handed them the chance to have a rep on the board.  To some people that is a power thrill.  The fact that it's had 4 chairs in a couple of years tells me that they couldn't work with the club and so resigned.  I do think you have a point about them being on a hiding to nothing, but I put that down to the clubs' (ie JF) stance.
They have proved what they are capable of with operation Promotion and the success of the bars.  If you want to put that as relatively small then I think you over estimate the size of GTFC at this moment in time.  Just think what they could achieve if they weren't operating with two hands and one leg tied behind their back.  

Quoted from Civvy at last

I can't speak for Bax, but I think the Trust became that sort of vehicle when MP handed them the chance to have a rep on the board.  To some people that is a power thrill.  The fact that it's had 4 chairs in a couple of years tells me that they couldn't work with the club and so resigned.  I do think you have a point about them being on a hiding to nothing, but I put that down to the clubs' (ie JF) stance.
They have proved what they are capable of with operation Promotion and the success of the bars.  If you want to put that as relatively small then I think you over estimate the size of GTFC at this moment in time.  Just think what they could achieve if they weren't operating with two hands and one leg tied behind their back.  

I just find it strange that the Trust pays for a seat at a table where their views are superfluous.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I just find it strange that the Trust pays for a seat at a table where their views are superfluous.

Which may well be why resignations are so regular.  Once they realise just how superfluous their views are.
Once JF can add another nodding donkey to the table (even at the expense of genuine Trust members), all will be happy at Fenty Towers

Being perfectly honest I have not paid enough attention to the Trust or their ways of working. However I think most people could have told them trying to work WITH Fenty is a complete no no, and I am surprised more people involved in the Trust didn't realise this straight away.

The only way for it to have any influence is to be a voice of the fans outside of the boardroom and work for the fans as being inside the boardroom is only working for Fenty.

The Trust should be working on a strategy of ways to help remove Fenty once the season is ended.

Quoted from Civvy at last

I can't speak for Bax, but I think the Trust became that sort of vehicle when MP handed them the chance to have a rep on the board.  To some people that is a power thrill.  The fact that it's had 4 chairs in a couple of years tells me that they couldn't work with the club and so resigned.  I do think you have a point about them being on a hiding to nothing, but I put that down to the clubs' (ie JF) stance.
They have proved what they are capable of with operation Promotion and the success of the bars.  If you want to put that as relatively small then I think you over estimate the size of GTFC at this moment in time.  Just think what they could achieve if they weren't operating with two hands and one leg tied behind their back.  

The Trust have been a breath of fresh air the past few Seasons BUT the wheels seemed to come off in terms of momentum after Wembley and since then they also appear to have gone backwards? The Trust are at a crossroads the position of the current board is untenable and the Trust must decide whether to support the current regime or lead the way in getting rid and taking the Club forward.

Just caught up with this thread and it's pretty damning, it almost consolidates our worst fears on how the club is really run. Let's get this season out the way and hope we retain our EFL status then is the time for huge changes, things cannot afford to continue in the same way or the club won't last much longer :(

Quoted from 1mickylyons

The Trust have been a breath of fresh air the past few Seasons BUT the wheels seemed to come off in terms of momentum after Wembley and since then they also appear to have gone backwards? The Trust are at a crossroads the position of the current board is untenable and the Trust must decide whether to support the current regime or lead the way in getting rid and taking the Club forward.

To be honest, if I had been in Bax and the Trust's position and I'd been told by the major shareholder that the Trust's greatest achievement (Operation Promotion) was the worst thing that had happened to the club then I'm not sure I would know what direction to take.

Certainly, it's a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't. If the Club didn't like the (alleged) pressure, then they could have said so at the time but then, like anything else, JF isn't going to turn 110k down.

In my view the Trust has prostituted itself just for privilege of sitting at the top table with the big boys, and are satisfied with whatever crumbs our great leader deigns to throw their way

It's a classic case of keep your friends close and your enemies closer. As soon as the Trust were handed those shares, and therefore a new power block was formed at the club, it was quickly assimilated into the organisation. The board view the money handed over by the Trust as belonging to the club anyway and just a token gesture. In effect, they allow the Trust to run the bars for them, and view any profits as money that the club would have received, with or without the Trust involvement. They don't take them seriously at all because they are no threat to them. They need to get out and become a pressure group for change.

At the end of this season, my time with GTFC is done unless there is a big shake up and everyone i know feels the same way. There is definitely a sea change happening among the fans.

Personally speaking I owe Mariners Trust rather a lot. In the 5 years I spent on the board I grew from just being there for something to do while I learnt to walk again after being paralysed from the waist down to somebody who works in the football industry with lots of scope to develop rather quickly. Are things like Harry the Haddock and Op Pro in my portfolio? of course they are. I am extremely proud of what The Trust has done over the course of it's reformation.

I learnt so much from so many of my colleagues on the board from professionalism to insights into marketing and other industries that all serve me very well now.

So in that respect I think the Trust benefits from people with time to spare and skills that are useful and in return

I haven't read the findings of the questionaire but I hope the current board find it useful and act accordlingly.

Quoted from friskneymariner

In my view the Trust has prostituted itself just for privilege of sitting at the top table with the big boys, and are satisfied with whatever crumbs our great leader deigns to throw their way

The seat on the board taken at face value was a really good thing.In hindsight it appears to have been a Fenty/Board masterstroke it has strengthened the grip via shares ,OP and the ability to deflect any blame pointing out well the voice of the supporters agreed? I am alarmed at the lack of action and noise and it`s certainly quietened down even more of late when the noise should be like the Lincoln siren.Unless things change I will not renew my Trust membership and I have no plans to visit Blundell Park whilst the current board are in  place unless they come out and have a massive change of strategy.As a long time supporter I fully understand at times they need to make decisions like selling Bogle I am not going to like but I can see the logic in what they do. I don`t like or see the logic in not giving Amond,Toto etc 2 year deals replacing Pearson with an older slower player Clarke on more money.Worst of all selling or letting go players mid season who all the fans agreed where our threat players one to a direct rival and bringing in the type of player/players that relegated us last time.Unforgiveable.

Quoted from ginnywings

It's a classic case of keep your friends close and your enemies closer. As soon as the Trust were handed those shares, and therefore a new power block was formed at the club, it was quickly assimilated into the organisation. The board view the money handed over by the Trust as belonging to the club anyway and just a token gesture. In effect, they allow the Trust to run the bars for them, and view any profits as money that the club would have received, with or without the Trust involvement. They don't take them seriously at all because they are no threat to them. They need to get out and become a pressure group for change.

At the end of this season, my time with GTFC is done unless there is a big shake up and everyone i know feels the same way. There is definitely a sea change happening among the fans.

This 100%

Quoted from Wrawby_Mariner

Personally speaking I owe Mariners Trust rather a lot. In the 5 years I spent on the board I grew from just being there for something to do while I learnt to walk again after being paralysed from the waist down to somebody who works in the football industry with lots of scope to develop rather quickly. Are things like Harry the Haddock and Op Pro in my portfolio? of course they are. I am extremely proud of what The Trust has done over the course of it's reformation.

I learnt so much from so many of my colleagues on the board from professionalism to insights into marketing and other industries that all serve me very well now.

So in that respect I think the Trust benefits from people with time to spare and skills that are useful and in return

I haven't read the findings of the questionaire but I hope the current board find it useful and act accordlingly.

Based on your experience do you expect the board to use the information wisely and act accordingly?

Results of the recent survey for those who haven’t seen them -

http://www.marinerstrust.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Survey-Analysis.pdf


I think the general consensus has been to get this season out of the way and then push on from there, which I wouldn’t disagree with really.

Quoted from ska face

Results of the recent survey for those who haven’t seen them -

http://www.marinerstrust.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Survey-Analysis.pdf


I think the general consensus has been to get this season out of the way and then push on from there, which I wouldn’t disagree with really.

The fans keeping off the players backs has been a real surprise given the run were on though it`s for the greater good.They appear to be trying but lack any ability to win.

That is the view of every fan i know. None of them want to see us relegated to non league, as we now know the consequences of that. Everyone is keeping a lid on things until we know our destiny.

Quoted from ginnywings

That is the view of every fan i know. None of them want to see us relegated to non league, as we now know the consequences of that. Everyone is keeping a lid on things until we know our destiny.

I don't see many keeping a lid on things if I'm honest. GTFC will be three season tickets down from Codger Towers next season. Sure, there's stuff that bax wants to keep to himself for wholly understandable reasons but as far as most are concerned, this season has been a spectacular fuckup.

One thing that is certain is you can not work along side Fenty whoever you are,

You either work for him and be a yes man or you walk away.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

I don't see many keeping a lid on things if I'm honest. GTFC will be three season tickets down from Codger Towers next season. Sure, there's stuff that bax wants to keep to himself for wholly understandable reasons but as far as most are concerned, this season has been a spectacular fuckup.

Yeah, agreed, but most are trying to keep the lid on things for the next 8 games was my point. What happens in the close season can be put on the back burner for now.

Quoted from ginnywings

Yeah, agreed, but most are trying to keep the lid on things for the next 8 games was my point. What happens in the close season can be put on the back burner for now.

You're right. What's frustrating me is the predictability of it all. Just onefucking disaster after the next.

Quoted from ginnywings

That is the view of every fan i know. None of them want to see us relegated to non league, as we now know the consequences of that. Everyone is keeping a lid on things until we know our destiny.

You don't ever want to go back to the conference ,after 6 years it makes a change to actually get some away fans in this season than the usual 50-80 that conference teams bring.

Quoted from ginnywings

Yeah, agreed, but most are trying to keep the lid on things for the next 8 games was my point. What happens in the close season can be put on the back burner for now.

I think feelings are on a back burner as such. To be fair, the players have had very little stick considering our position.  I think the fans have just accepted our fate now.  The club is fukced and it's not just this current  squad that are to blame.
Most of them are quite simply not good enough to play at this level.  The ones that could, have been let go.  Even at Lincoln on Sat there was no anger from the fans, no outbursts, just one big collective sigh of acceptance and a very muted 60 minutes.  To be honest, I think that if we stay up it is only delaying the inevitable.  Season ticket sales will be at an all time low and MJ will have 3/5ths of f'all for a budget. One which JF will tell us is competitive etc etc.  This coupled with some sort of announcement that due to circumstances beyond the club/extreme leisure's control the new ground will be yet again dead and buried.  
There are two possibilities for the club to move forward.  John and the board move on as a whole, or the new ground takes off and starts to move apace.  Personally, I can see neither happening.
The majority of this squad will slink off quietly and probably never play league football again.  MJ will battle gamely, before leaving to go as an underling at a bigger club that will give him a reasonable chance to fulfill the potential many believe that he has. The feelings that the fans have now will come to the fore by a vastly reduced attendance.  People are beyond anger now and that's the most dangerous time. When even the feelings of hurt and anger  have gone it means that there is nothing left.  There will be no drama's from the fans over the next 8 games.  If we do get relegated at FGR I doubt very much there will be a 10th of the trouble there was at Burton. I won't be there, that's for sure. As much as I blame John Fenty, the spineless bunch of nodding donkeys that call themselves board members are as much to blame.  They must surely have disagreed with several of JF's decisions but just never had the balls to say so.  

Quoted from ginnywings

Yeah, agreed, but most are trying to keep the lid on things for the next 8 games was my point. What happens in the close season can be put on the back burner for now.

I think feelings are on a back burner as such. To be fair, the players have had very little stick considering our position.  I think the fans have just accepted our fate now.  The club is fukced and it's not just this current  squad that are to blame.
Most of them are quite simply not good enough to play at this level.  The ones that could, have been let go.  Even at Lincoln on Sat there was no anger from the fans, no outbursts, just one big collective sigh of acceptance and a very muted 60 minutes.  To be honest, I think that if we stay up it is only delaying the inevitable.  Season ticket sales will be at an all time low and MJ will have 3/5ths of f'all for a budget. One which JF will tell us is competitive etc etc.  This coupled with some sort of announcement that due to circumstances beyond the club/extreme leisure's control the new ground will be yet again dead and buried.  
There are two possibilities for the club to move forward.  John and the board move on as a whole, or the new ground takes off and starts to move apace.  Personally, I can see neither happening.
The majority of this squad will slink off quietly and probably never play league football again.  MJ will battle gamely, before leaving to go as an underling at a bigger club that will give him a reasonable chance to fulfill the potential many believe that he has. The feelings that the fans have now will come to the fore by a vastly reduced attendance.  People are beyond anger now and that's the most dangerous time. When even the feelings of hurt and anger  have gone it means that there is nothing left.  There will be no drama's from the fans over the next 8 games.  If we do get relegated at FGR I doubt very much there will be a 10th of the trouble there was at Burton. I won't be there, that's for sure. As much as I blame John Fenty, the spineless bunch of nodding donkeys that call themselves board members are as much to blame.  They must surely have disagreed with several of JF's decisions but just never had the balls to say so.  

Quoted from Helgy

You don't ever want to go back to the conference ,after 6 years it makes a change to actually get some away fans in this season than the usual 50-80 that conference teams bring.

Well no, we don't want to, but it's like more and more likely. Funny thing is that when you were in the doldrums, some Lincoln fans i talked to genuinely thought that it was JF "bankrolling" us out of the conference.  :-/

Quoted from ginnywings

Well no, we don't want to, but it's like more and more likely. Funny thing is that when you were in the doldrums, some Lincoln fans i talked to genuinely thought that it was JF "bankrolling" us out of the conference.  :-/

You get that all the time in Lincoln, maybe it suits the agenda of the more ignorant Lincoln fans to think we need millions throwing at us to get back in the league when the reality is millions have been thrown at the club sending us downwards.
Funny thing now is that if the penny drops and they see the truth they'll discover that Town fans funded the League promotion as much as anything. Wow, they'll say, Fenty must have been pleased about that.
No, we'll say, he thought it the worst thing to ever happen to the club.

You can't really blame opposition fans for the confusion :-/

Quoted from RoboCod

You get that all the time in Lincoln, maybe it suits the agenda of the more ignorant Lincoln fans to think we need millions throwing at us to get back in the league when the reality is millions have been thrown at the club sending us downwards.
Funny thing now is that if the penny drops and they see the truth they'll discover that Town fans funded the League promotion as much as anything. Wow, they'll say, Fenty must have been pleased about that.
No, we'll say, he thought it the worst thing to ever happen to the club.

You can't really blame opposition fans for the confusion :-/

And to think he was crass enough to advise them how to stay up!

Quoted from MuddyWaters

And to think he was crass enough to advise them how to stay up!

Just before they went down? ??) ??)

I think relegation is a done deal sadly. We're so awful and bereft of confidence it's difficult to see MJ pulling a win out of the bag.
Our record at home to Chesterfield isn't good and Mad Dog will have Barnet eating raw meat this week. The other games are easily losable.
I truly hope I'm wrong but it feels like everyone's holding their breath waiting for the axe to fall

I think given the season we have had and the mess we are in the support and attendances have held up retry well really. Still better supported than some other teams in league 2

Quoted from Civvy at last

If we do get relegated at FGR I doubt very much there will be a 10th of the trouble there was at Burton. I won't be there, that's for sure.  

So you're admitting it was you at Burton. Shame on you Civvy.

Quoted from RoboCod

Just before they went down? ??) ??)

So this year would complete his hattrick!

Quoted from oldun

I think given the season we have had and the mess we are in the support and attendances have held up retry well really. Still better supported than some other teams in league 2

That just underlines the incompetence of those in charge.

I have never posted on the Fishy before because to be honest I don’t like the anonymity but feel it may be useful to give my observations and also help with some context/history.
As  you may have seen I have recently re-joined the Trust board after stepping down 18months ago having spent 5 years solid helping to get it established. When I saw that someone with Paul’s ability had resigned I felt I couldn’t just sit back without trying to help and so offered my services again. I did this because I feel passionately about the principle of fan representation and also having put so much into building the Trust I am not prepared to let all that hard work go to waste. I am certainly not doing it for any self-interest!!
So far I have had one meeting which focused on the survey results, memberships and events. I will come onto the survey results but two key issues I have observed already is that the membership system is in a mess and needs sorting and also there has been a complete lack of activity in terms of events. Both of these can be and will be addressed very quickly.
One of the last things Paul did, quite rightly, was to instigate the survey to help the Trust understand key issues and determine the direction going forward.  I am a bit confused by some of the comments I have seen because the action from the meeting was to put together an action plan based on the results. I am not aware that we have said anywhere that we are ignoring the results and not representing the fans views.
The key issue coming out of the survey was paying £30k for a board place. As someone who was party to the original agreement I am well placed to give some historical context on this. When the Trust was first re-formed the discussions we had with the club about getting involved resulted in us having to show that we had the ability to organise events and fundraise. To this end we were given the opportunity to take over the running of the bars which at the time were more of a hassle for the club and they certainly were not making much money on them. As we all know we quickly turned them around and improved the match day experience for fans with more outlets and improved facilities. When we had the chance to have a place on the board we were asked to commit to contributing £30k a year to help the budget. As we were in the conference at the time and a good proportion of the funds was being generated from the bars it seems to us entirely reasonable and fair. Let us be absolutely clear that if we were to pull away from the board the bars and it's staff will go back to being the club’s responsibility and the vast majority of the £30k currently raised each year will disappear.  I have also seen a figure of £46K mentioned, for clarity the additional money is not something new and has been in place since day one of the agreement. It is basically the rent for the seven outlets we have and covers the cost of electricity ,insurance, water, rates etc  which are costs the club pay for directly.  
   It is now entirely reasonable to re appraise this agreement and the action from the survey will be that we will be taking a proposal to the club to review the conditionality of the £30k for the board place.

Another key issue raised from the survey are around much better communication and that is something we are definitely taking on board and will be improving.

In terms of fan representation on the board there were some who thought we should step down but more who thought we should be using our place to more effect. Again something we need to take on board and probably links back into the communication issue. From my own experience working with SD in the past and networking with other club’s supporters fan representation on the board is a precious thing and something some other clubs supporters can only dream of. It is not something you can just dip in and out of as you please and so giving it up would need very careful consideration indeed. I know it doesn’t always seem that way but I can assure people from first hand experience that fans views are very strongly represented.
There were also some people who think we should front a fan owned club but nowhere near a majority.  Again to be clear on this the current Trust board have neither the desire or belief to go in that direction, and so if there was suddenly an overwhelming desire by the fans to do that, w  then some others would have to step forward to make it happen. Do we agree that regime change is needed? Yes we do, but we feel that is best served by trying to seek out like minded individuals/groups to work with. The start point is to understand what regime change entails and that work is underway. At some point things will change and we need to be part of driving that and be in place when it happens.

I don’t know what has happened in the recent past as I wasn’t involved but I know it cannot be changed and the only thing that can be influenced is the future. To be honest I don’t recognise the description of people in it for their own self interest and can only ask that people judge on the actions over the next few months which will be driven by the survey, if that is not representing the fans then I am not sure what is. Ultimately it is down to us to regain the faith of the fans and if we don’t manage that then may be it is time to pack up and go home but I for one am not going to let that happen without at least trying.

I think a follow up ballot to members of two or three definitive questions may be in order with simple yes or no answers. The survey was good to collate a general mood and determine what was most pressing in fan's minds, but in no way was it framed to give the Trust board a mandate from their interpretation of the results. If there were more than two answer options per question it is always unlikely that there would have been a majority vote (50%+) for any of the questions.

Trust on the GTFC board                                                                   YES   NO
Primary activity to attract investment to replace current regime          YES   NO
Re-negotiate bar contract                                                                  YES   NO
Support regime change at GTFC                                                        YES   NO

All seem appropriate and would give a clear mandate..

So we have current and ex Trust board bigwigs appearing on the fishy contradicting each other. One saying too many are in it for self interest, and others denying that is the case. Even the Trust is a divisive topic it now seems. Just more sh1te in the GTFC soap opera. I just want to see a football team that, you know, plays football and scores goals. No wonder fans are deserting in droves,

To be perfectly frank, 15 years is plenty long enough to be in control of a football club and plenty long enough to judge how successful that regime has been.

Mr Roberts why did you stand down in the first place?.You have done a lot of hard work in the trust.But what was the real reason you stood down.

Quoted from Tell the truth

Mr Roberts why did you stand down in the first place?.You have done a lot of hard work in the trust.But what was the real reason you stood down.

In truth it pretty much took over my life and having also had a major health scare during that time it was a case of family first.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

So you're admitting it was you at Burton. Shame on you Civvy.

I certainly was at Burton KM. But I can assure you I wasn’t involved in any way at all in the shenanigans that occurred that day.  Funnily enough it was a double whammy for me that day.
Rightly or wrongly Grimsbys hooligan element were respected within the hooligan world. But pre-match at Burton, I witnesssed a fifty odd year old town ‘lad’  marching around with 40 or 50 yoof scaring anyone around. It was pathetic and sad to see. It was then followed by Town getting relegated out of the league and some advertising hoardings getting a right good kicking.
I never went on the pitch. I neither cheered or boo’d. I just stood in the stand for about 15 minutes absolutely gutted on both counts.  I won’t be at FGR. even if we need a result to stay up.
We could fill Wembley full of our own fans and it still wouldn’t galvanise this bunch of non achievers so I wouldn’t waste my time or money.  Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Three months ago we were talking about sending FGR down. How ironic that it could well be the other way round !!

Honest question to everyone.

I can see where it put a massive pressure on players and manager alike but the way things were going the board seemed to be just going through the motions without the financial input to make a difference but............

Do you think without Operation Promotion we would still have got promoted that season?

Quoted from Civvy at last

I certainly was at Burton KM. But I can assure you I wasn’t involved in any way at all in the shenanigans that occurred that day.  Funnily enough it was a double whammy for me that day.
Rightly or wrongly Grimsbys hooligan element were respected within the hooligan world. But pre-match at Burton, I witnesssed a fifty odd year old town ‘lad’  marching around with 40 or 50 yoof scaring anyone around. It was pathetic and sad to see. It was then followed by Town getting relegated out of the league and some advertising hoardings getting a right good kicking.
I never went on the pitch. I neither cheered or boo’d. I just stood in the stand for about 15 minutes absolutely gutted on both counts.  I won’t be at FGR. even if we need a result to stay up.
We could fill Wembley full of our own fans and it still wouldn’t galvanise this bunch of non achievers so I wouldn’t waste my time or money.  Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Three months ago we were talking about sending FGR down. How ironic that it could well be the other way round !!

Mate, it was meant to be a joke. Sorry. I wouldn't imagine you were a hoodie in a million years.

Thanks for clearing that one up Dave

:K)

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Mate, it was meant to be a joke. Sorry. I wouldn't imagine you were a hoodie in a million years.

I know it was. I never took it otherwise. I guess that like most Town fans I’m just a bit fed up at the minute.  

And I’ve certainly never been a ‘hoodie’  😂😂

Quoted from Civvy at last

:K)

I know it was. I never took it otherwise. I guess that like most Town fans I’m just a bit fed up at the minute.  

And I’ve certainly never been a ‘hoodie’  😂😂

Oh flipping autocorrect. I hope you're happy Steve flipping Jobs. flipping control freak - even from the grave.

You did seem a bit less than your usual sunny self Civvy.

Quoted from ginnywings

So we have current and ex Trust board bigwigs appearing on the fishy contradicting each other. One saying too many are in it for self interest, and others denying that is the case. Even the Trust is a divisive topic it now seems. Just more sh1te in the GTFC soap opera. I just want to see a football team that, you know, plays football and scores goals. No wonder fans are deserting in droves,

Not necessarily so.2 people can see exactly the same situation yet have 2 diametrically opposed views.look at   the reactions to today's transitional brexit arrangements for an immediate example.

Anyway many thanks to Dave for coming on and explaining the situation. Glad to hear the membership / communication problems will be an immediate priority. I know my example has been ehoed by others inasmuch that my money continues to be paid over but I haven't had any communications from the trust in years, despite having sent several emails to check that they have my correct details

Quoted from Mrs Doyle

Honest question to everyone.

I can see where it put a massive pressure on players and manager alike but the way things were going the board seemed to be just going through the motions without the financial input to make a difference but............

Do you think without Operation Promotion we would still have got promoted that season?

No. It wasn't just about the money. When you think how frayed tempers got at times. There was still a togetherness that I don't think would have survived without the binding effect of OP making people feel, not just a part of but also partly responsible for, the big push.

That and the fact it did boost the budget by a significant percentage. 5% of turnover. Or 10% of match day receipts. Or 6% of employment costs. Or 85% of Employers National Insurance Contribution. Stick the in your accountancy pipe Jacob Marley.

Quoted from forza ivano

Not necessarily so.2 people can see exactly the same situation yet have 2 diametrically opposed views.look at   the reactions to today's transitional brexit arrangements for an immediate example.

Anyway many thanks to Dave for coming on and explaining the situation. Glad to hear the membership / communication problems will be an immediate priority. I know my example has been ehoed by others inasmuch that my money continues to be paid over but I haven't had any communications from the trust in years, despite having sent several emails to check that they have my correct details

So it's not just Pete then.  ;)

Call me a skeptic but having just read this thread in full, screams to me that Bax wanted to pull in one way straightaway, got voted down and has now thrown his toys out the pram (and stopped going to games seemingly).

His thinly veiled digs at people being in it for self-interest seem a bit far fetched given it doesn’t even look like Jon Wood goes into the boardroom for games. Often see him in the main stand. Unless it’s the group treasurer in it for the glamour of installing new membership systems in their own time...

Comes across like a man with an axe to grind who has waited for the opportune time to throw more oil on the fire.

Your posts always seem very pro-Fenty and the club nowadays Alfie?

Quoted from Dave Roberts

I have never posted on the Fishy before because to be honest I don’t like the anonymity but feel it may be useful to give my observations and also help with some context/history.
As  you may have seen I have recently re-joined the Trust board after stepping down 18months ago having spent 5 years solid helping to get it established. When I saw that someone with Paul’s ability had resigned I felt I couldn’t just sit back without trying to help and so offered my services again. I did this because I feel passionately about the principle of fan representation and also having put so much into building the Trust I am not prepared to let all that hard work go to waste. I am certainly not doing it for any self-interest!!
So far I have had one meeting which focused on the survey results, memberships and events. I will come onto the survey results but two key issues I have observed already is that the membership system is in a mess and needs sorting and also there has been a complete lack of activity in terms of events. Both of these can be and will be addressed very quickly.
One of the last things Paul did, quite rightly, was to instigate the survey to help the Trust understand key issues and determine the direction going forward.  I am a bit confused by some of the comments I have seen because the action from the meeting was to put together an action plan based on the results. I am not aware that we have said anywhere that we are ignoring the results and not representing the fans views.
The key issue coming out of the survey was paying £30k for a board place. As someone who was party to the original agreement I am well placed to give some historical context on this. When the Trust was first re-formed the discussions we had with the club about getting involved resulted in us having to show that we had the ability to organise events and fundraise. To this end we were given the opportunity to take over the running of the bars which at the time were more of a hassle for the club and they certainly were not making much money on them. As we all know we quickly turned them around and improved the match day experience for fans with more outlets and improved facilities. When we had the chance to have a place on the board we were asked to commit to contributing £30k a year to help the budget. As we were in the conference at the time and a good proportion of the funds was being generated from the bars it seems to us entirely reasonable and fair. Let us be absolutely clear that if we were to pull away from the board the bars and it's staff will go back to being the club’s responsibility and the vast majority of the £30k currently raised each year will disappear.  I have also seen a figure of £46K mentioned, for clarity the additional money is not something new and has been in place since day one of the agreement. It is basically the rent for the seven outlets we have and covers the cost of electricity ,insurance, water, rates etc  which are costs the club pay for directly.  
   It is now entirely reasonable to re appraise this agreement and the action from the survey will be that we will be taking a proposal to the club to review the conditionality of the £30k for the board place.

Another key issue raised from the survey are around much better communication and that is something we are definitely taking on board and will be improving.

In terms of fan representation on the board there were some who thought we should step down but more who thought we should be using our place to more effect. Again something we need to take on board and probably links back into the communication issue. From my own experience working with SD in the past and networking with other club’s supporters fan representation on the board is a precious thing and something some other clubs supporters can only dream of. It is not something you can just dip in and out of as you please and so giving it up would need very careful consideration indeed. I know it doesn’t always seem that way but I can assure people from first hand experience that fans views are very strongly represented.
There were also some people who think we should front a fan owned club but nowhere near a majority.  Again to be clear on this the current Trust board have neither the desire or belief to go in that direction, and so if there was suddenly an overwhelming desire by the fans to do that, w  then some others would have to step forward to make it happen. Do we agree that regime change is needed? Yes we do, but we feel that is best served by trying to seek out like minded individuals/groups to work with. The start point is to understand what regime change entails and that work is underway. At some point things will change and we need to be part of driving that and be in place when it happens.

I don’t know what has happened in the recent past as I wasn’t involved but I know it cannot be changed and the only thing that can be influenced is the future. To be honest I don’t recognise the description of people in it for their own self interest and can only ask that people judge on the actions over the next few months which will be driven by the survey, if that is not representing the fans then I am not sure what is. Ultimately it is down to us to regain the faith of the fans and if we don’t manage that then may be it is time to pack up and go home but I for one am not going to let that happen without at least trying.

Dave,

Thanks for posting here and I hope you continue to drop informative posts from the heart on this forum.

I am a very disillusioned supporter of both GTFC and the Trust. I have met you several times and can`t fault your steadfast support of GTFC and your passion for the Trust and the principles of what a Trust should do etc. However and glad to see you have picked up on the fact the Trust seems to have lost it`s way and yes you do have a job on to regain the faith of the fans to me you posting here is a good first step.

Several times since the Forum debacle various posters here have asked for a Trust meeting to clear the air and seek a way forward off the field. I am sure you are aware a large build up of fans and growing in number are at present keeping a lid on things to try and give the team a chance of survival.Most of these fans will be or have been Trust members in the past and most are frustrated by the deafening silence.A lot of people on here have offered to help but heard nothing back me included. Just so we are clear Dave things won`t go on the same come May whatever division we are in because if nothing changes I promise you a massive drop in crowds.We have all had enough of seeing the same mistakes made time and again off the field leading to more of the same rubbish on offer on the field. We either change it for good in May or large numbers me included walk away.I am sick to death of being asked to be patient and lied to that things will get better and I am not prepared to put up with it again this board have failed us for 15 years.Change or Leave

Quoted from KingstonMariner

No. It wasn't just about the money. When you think how frayed tempers got at times. There was still a togetherness that I don't think would have survived without the binding effect of OP making people feel, not just a part of but also partly responsible for, the big push.

That and the fact it did boost the budget by a significant percentage. 5% of turnover. Or 10% of match day receipts. Or 6% of employment costs. Or 85% of Employers National Insurance Contribution. Stick the in your accountancy pipe Jacob Marley.

One of the main points about OP was when things were not going well an armada of fans on here quickly got stuck into the doom mongers pointing out OP could not be labelled a failure til the last ball was kicked.Those posters proved to be right and yes it took a Play Off but OP was a success story and no matter what BS got poured on it`s achievements at the Forum without OP we would still be languishing in non league.

Quoted from 1mickylyons

Dave,

Thanks for posting here and I hope you continue to drop informative posts from the heart on this forum.

I am a very disillusioned supporter of both GTFC and the Trust. I have met you several times and can`t fault your steadfast support of GTFC and your passion for the Trust and the principles of what a Trust should do etc. However and glad to see you have picked up on the fact the Trust seems to have lost it`s way and yes you do have a job on to regain the faith of the fans to me you posting here is a good first step.

Several times since the Forum debacle various posters here have asked for a Trust meeting to clear the air and seek a way forward off the field. I am sure you are aware a large build up of fans and growing in number are at present keeping a lid on things to try and give the team a chance of survival.Most of these fans will be or have been Trust members in the past and most are frustrated by the deafening silence.A lot of people on here have offered to help but heard nothing back me included. Just so we are clear Dave things won`t go on the same come May whatever division we are in because if nothing changes I promise you a massive drop in crowds.We have all had enough of seeing the same mistakes made time and again off the field leading to more of the same rubbish on offer on the field. We either change it for good in May or large numbers me included walk away.I am sick to death of being asked to be patient and lied to that things will get better and I am not prepared to put up with it again this board have failed us for 15 years.Change or Leave

100% agree with every word of this.

I also think it was Kingston (?) who said that as a properly constituted organisation with the affiliation to Supporters Direct, The Trust has to be the way forward.

That may well be that the Trust Board as it is now has to stand aside and a new board elected to be more aggressive in its demands but these people, and I know there are many, need to come forward and stand for leadership/board positions of the Trust

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

Your posts always seem very pro-Fenty and the club nowadays Alfie?

Far from it. The club desperately needs fresh voices in the boardroom but I just don’t see the queue of knights in shining armour to save us all.

I’m more concerned as to why Bax seems to be looking to undermine the work volunteers are doing with his thinly veiled comments while claiming to not be a excrement-stirrer (choosing to intervene a few days after a derby defeat).

Comes across as someone who couldn’t influence those on the Trust board in his five minutes as Chair so took his ball, cancelled his standing order and stopped coming to games. All town aren’t we.

All this infighting is what happens when organisations are on the brink of collapse. A reckoning is coming and everyone is shuffling for position. JF has gone dark and we haven't heard from him for a while. The Trust hierarchy are obviously split on the direction we should be taking and all the while, the important bit, namely the team, is floundering and without direction. It's a complete fooking mess to put it bluntly.

Think i'll lock myself in a cupboard for 5 years and come back when we are in the Championship.

Quoted from Alfie

Far from it. His record speaks for itself and the club desperately needs fresh voices in the boardroom but I just don’t see the queue of knights in shining armour to save us all.

I’m more concerned as to why Bax seems to be looking to undermine the work volunteers are doing with his thinly veiled comments while claiming to not be a excrement-stirrer (choosing to intervene a few days after a derby defeat).

Comes across as someone who couldn’t influence those on the Trust board in his five minutes as Chair so took his ball, cancelled his standing order and stopped coming to games. All town aren’t we.

Comes across to me as someone who’s telling it how it is ( I don’t know him ) and unfortunately it’s ruffling a few feathers. The people in the trust who have fronted it and sat in the meetings with board and then left have all come to the same conclusion by the look of it.  As soon as the shares were transferred the trust lost credibility , hence the membership never really kicked on and the whole thing is becoming farce

I wondered how long it would be before people came out to discredit me!

Time to getourfactsright

The Trust has financial issues. Income is down, expenditure is up. For various reasons. The Trust pays £30k a year for a place on the board and last year paid another £16k for things such as bar rent to contribute towards the costs on the club. This was renegotiated last year and at the minute is actually exacerbating the expenditure problem. I wasn’t involved in the negotiations (they started before I was Chair) but at the last meeting I attended in January it was stated the bar contributions would be in excess of the payment last year and income from them would be lower.

If money is tight you look at income and expenditure. The biggest expenditure is the £30k. I also felt it was absolutely right to get the fans and members’ views via the survey. You can’t make big decisions without a clear steer from the members. I had a meeting with the club board which discussed a number of issues, one of which was the £30k. I think it’s fair to say that at that time the club had no interest in discussing a reduction. So we issued the survey. The results would then give a fair mandate to say ‘look, the £30k is crippling us, we need a sensible discussion’. I was accused of being militant which I wasn’t. I waned a sensible discussion to solve a problem.

During the writing of the survey delays were put on including that £30k question. It was intimated the club didn’t want us to include it (I cannot day for certain if this is true or not) Nevertheless it went in. It’s vital that this is looked at. The agreement is 6 or 7 years old and was made when the Trust was in its infancy. Only 2 or 3 people remain from that agreement. It needed to be looked at. Crucially the viability of the Trust is at stake.

There are people on the Trust board who are of the opinion the Trust comes off the club board over their dead body. That’s their opinion. I’m ambivalent personally. It has huge value, but are fans listened to? And is the cost of it affordable? Personally I hoped that discussions would lead to the £30k being dropped and the board place remaining. The best of both worlds. That was my own personal hope of what we could achieve. If that makes me naive so be it.

During all of this there was a second board meeting to discuss Russell slades future. The board had unanimously backed him at the first meeting (as was well publicised) and it was clear  that the fans didn’t agree with that.  if iat that second meting it came to a vote I suggested  the fan rep should vote in a different way. The conclusion of that board meeting was that Russell would remain (again as was publicised)

I’ve alwsys felt it important to be transparent to the members we represent. The Trust hasn’t always been as transparent as it could be (I’ll hold my hands up to that) and I pushed for a statement to say what the Trust wanted to do. This went out and upset the club board. Again I’ll hold my hands up - I wanted the fans to know the Trust was listening and the statement I wrote wasn’t 100% in line with what was originally put to me (but had been agreed by all). The club wanted a clarification statement which went out, the content of which was agreed by the club board and not the Trust board. I don’t believe any Trust statements should go through the club board.

The statement I wrote for the Trust caused a rift on the club board over collective responsibility. During this process I was informed that the clubs board had been told by the Trust board rep he ‘idealogically opposed’ the direction of the Trust (ie the survey and transparency) in a bid to save his seat on the board. I say told, I have the emails where that and other things were discussed. After seeing the emails I resigned with immediate effect.

The Trust needs strong leadership. If that’s not me I’m big enough to take it on the chin and someone else can have a go. But the Trust needs to be run to represent its members and not throw people under the bus to save their seat on the board. That’s self interest. It’s not ‘collective responsibility ‘

I understand the Trust board members haven’t been told any of this and it’s been kept from them. Why?

Am I excrement stirring? People can judge however they like. I know that I tried to represent the fans whilst on the Trust and I know I’m not prepared to be part of something that doesn’t represent them.

There needs to be change. I don’t know what (I know I don’t want to be part of it) Or by who. But change is required.

Quoted from bax

I wondered how long it would be before people came out to discredit me!

Time to getourfactsright

The Trust has financial issues. Income is down, expenditure is up. For various reasons. The Trust pays £30k a year for a place on the board and last year paid another £16k for things such as bar rent to contribute towards the costs on the club. This was renegotiated last year and at the minute is actually exacerbating the expenditure problem. I wasn’t involved in the negotiations (they started before I was Chair) but at the last meeting I attended in January it was stated the bar contributions would be in excess of the payment last year and income from them would be lower.

If money is tight you look at income and expenditure. The biggest expenditure is the £30k. I also felt it was absolutely right to get the fans and members’ views via the survey. You can’t make big decisions without a clear steer from the members. I had a meeting with the club board which discussed a number of issues, one of which was the £30k. I think it’s fair to say that at that time the club had no interest in discussing a reduction. So we issued the survey. The results would then give a fair mandate to say ‘look, the £30k is crippling us, we need a sensible discussion’. I was accused of being militant which I wasn’t. I waned a sensible discussion to solve a problem.

During the writing of the survey delays were put on including that £30k question. It was intimated the club didn’t want us to include it (I cannot day for certain if this is true or not) Nevertheless it went in. It’s vital that this is looked at. The agreement is 6 or 7 years old and was made when the Trust was in its infancy. Only 2 or 3 people remain from that agreement. It needed to be looked at. Crucially the viability of the Trust is at stake.

There are people on the Trust board who are of the opinion the Trust comes off the club board over their dead body. That’s their opinion. I’m ambivalent personally. It has huge value, but are fans listened to? And is the cost of it affordable? Personally I hoped that discussions would lead to the £30k being dropped and the board place remaining. The best of both worlds. That was my own personal hope of what we could achieve. If that makes me naive so be it.

During all of this there was a second board meeting to discuss Russell slades future. The board had unanimously backed him at the first meeting (as was well publicised) and it was clear  that the fans didn’t agree with that.  if iat that second meting it came to a vote I suggested  the fan rep should vote in a different way. The conclusion of that board meeting was that Russell would remain (again as was publicised)

I’ve alwsys felt it important to be transparent to the members we represent. The Trust hasn’t always been as transparent as it could be (I’ll hold my hands up to that) and I pushed for a statement to say what the Trust wanted to do. This went out and upset the club board. Again I’ll hold my hands up - I wanted the fans to know the Trust was listening and the statement I wrote wasn’t 100% in line with what was originally put to me (but had been agreed by all). The club wanted a clarification statement which went out, the content of which was agreed by the club board and not the Trust board. I don’t believe any Trust statements should go through the club board.

The statement I wrote for the Trust caused a rift on the club board over collective responsibility. During this process I was informed that the clubs board had been told by the Trust board rep he ‘idealogically opposed’ the direction of the Trust (ie the survey and transparency) in a bid to save his seat on the board. I say told, I have the emails where that and other things were discussed. After seeing the emails I resigned with immediate effect.

The Trust needs strong leadership. If that’s not me I’m big enough to take it on the chin and someone else can have a go. But the Trust needs to be run to represent its members and not throw people under the bus to save their seat on the board. That’s self interest. It’s not ‘collective responsibility ‘

I understand the Trust board members haven’t been told any of this and it’s been kept from them. Why?

Am I excrement stirring? People can judge however they like. I know that I tried to represent the fans whilst on the Trust and I know I’m not prepared to be part of something that doesn’t represent them.

There needs to be change. I don’t know what (I know I don’t want to be part of it) Or by who. But change is required.

Thanks for the honesty and I believe you.Sadly you only did the job a short while and reading this post it`s clear why.The MT is supposed to represent the views of the fans and clearly that is what you tried to do.100% MT statements should not go through the flipping board.

Jon Wood is just another yes man.

It's been publicly stated that Jon voiced the fans concerns at board level but that could have easily been voiced in a way that supported Slade, what if Jon Wood said something like this "many fans are concerned about Slade's management for X, Y and Z reason however I believe a few wins could easily change this and I believe that Russell and Wilkinson are both vastly experienced so therefore he deserves time to strengthen us in January and those new signings deserve a chance to settle in so therefore I am more than happy to give Slade more time"

At the fans forum he said he voiced the concerns about the Checkatrade trophy but he fully backed and supported the boards view on that!!!

The fact of the matter is that we don't know how Jon Wood voted on the Russell Slade issue or anything else for that matter, he could well be a yes man...

Quoted from bax

During this process I was informed that the clubs board had been told by the Trust board rep he ‘idealogically opposed’ the direction of the Trust (ie the survey and transparency) in a bid to save his seat on the board. I say told, I have the emails where that and other things were discussed. After seeing the emails I resigned with immediate effect.

Thanks for the insight Bax, in light of this Jon Wood's position as the Trust rep on the club's board is clearly no longer tenable.

Quoted from Davec

Jon Wood is just another yes man.

It's been publicly stated that Jon voiced the fans concerns at board level but that could have easily been voiced in a way that supported Slade, what if Jon Wood said something like this "many fans are concerned about Slade's management for X, Y and Z reason however I believe a few wins could easily change this and I believe that Russell and Wilkinson are both vastly experienced so therefore he deserves time to strengthen us in January and those new signings deserve a chance to settle in so therefore I am more than happy to give Slade more time"

At the fans forum he said he voiced the concerns about the Checkatrade trophy but he fully backed and supported the boards view on that!!!

The fact of the matter is that we don't know how Jon Wood voted on the Russell Slade issue or anything else for that matter, he could well be a yes man...

Make your mind up Davec ;)

IIRC Jon Wood said at a recent open meeting that IF the fans wanted the Trust to move towards fan ownership then that was fine but it would not include him.

He nailed his opinion in an open and public forum. That is not going behind anyone's back IMO.

Having said that the Trust can only represent their membership and I agree 100% with Bax on this. It is hard because it is extremely difficult to know what the membership thinks.

I believe it is fair to say that many who frequent the Fishy are more militant and it could be that other paid up members who do not use social media are of a different view?
The only way to know is to ask all the members. Hence the survey, but I thought too many of the questions were not direct enough and it was too flowery and wishy-washy.

Ask direct questions and you are more likely to get direct answers!

The area which is very murky to me is the sacking of Bignot and the appointment of Slade,was the Trust member on the board involved in the decision making,was there a vote?.
If so how did the Trust board member vote and how did they arrive at their mandate,we have never been informed and as a member I would be very upset if the Trust member voted for the return of Slade without any form of consultation.

Two sides to every story and were yet to hear Jon`s but the fans views on Slade would appear to have been ignored ?

Quoted from bax

I wondered how long it would be before people came out to discredit me!

Time to getourfactsright

The Trust has financial issues. Income is down, expenditure is up. For various reasons. The Trust pays £30k a year for a place on the board and last year paid another £16k for things such as bar rent to contribute towards the costs on the club. This was renegotiated last year and at the minute is actually exacerbating the expenditure problem. I wasn’t involved in the negotiations (they started before I was Chair) but at the last meeting I attended in January it was stated the bar contributions would be in excess of the payment last year and income from them would be lower.

If money is tight you look at income and expenditure. The biggest expenditure is the £30k. I also felt it was absolutely right to get the fans and members’ views via the survey. You can’t make big decisions without a clear steer from the members. I had a meeting with the club board which discussed a number of issues, one of which was the £30k. I think it’s fair to say that at that time the club had no interest in discussing a reduction. So we issued the survey. The results would then give a fair mandate to say ‘look, the £30k is crippling us, we need a sensible discussion’. I was accused of being militant which I wasn’t. I waned a sensible discussion to solve a problem.

During the writing of the survey delays were put on including that £30k question. It was intimated the club didn’t want us to include it (I cannot day for certain if this is true or not) Nevertheless it went in. It’s vital that this is looked at. The agreement is 6 or 7 years old and was made when the Trust was in its infancy. Only 2 or 3 people remain from that agreement. It needed to be looked at. Crucially the viability of the Trust is at stake.

There are people on the Trust board who are of the opinion the Trust comes off the club board over their dead body. That’s their opinion. I’m ambivalent personally. It has huge value, but are fans listened to? And is the cost of it affordable? Personally I hoped that discussions would lead to the £30k being dropped and the board place remaining. The best of both worlds. That was my own personal hope of what we could achieve. If that makes me naive so be it.

During all of this there was a second board meeting to discuss Russell slades future. The board had unanimously backed him at the first meeting (as was well publicised) and it was clear  that the fans didn’t agree with that.  if iat that second meting it came to a vote I suggested  the fan rep should vote in a different way. The conclusion of that board meeting was that Russell would remain (again as was publicised)

I’ve alwsys felt it important to be transparent to the members we represent. The Trust hasn’t always been as transparent as it could be (I’ll hold my hands up to that) and I pushed for a statement to say what the Trust wanted to do. This went out and upset the club board. Again I’ll hold my hands up - I wanted the fans to know the Trust was listening and the statement I wrote wasn’t 100% in line with what was originally put to me (but had been agreed by all). The club wanted a clarification statement which went out, the content of which was agreed by the club board and not the Trust board. I don’t believe any Trust statements should go through the club board.

The statement I wrote for the Trust caused a rift on the club board over collective responsibility. During this process I was informed that the clubs board had been told by the Trust board rep he ‘idealogically opposed’ the direction of the Trust (ie the survey and transparency) in a bid to save his seat on the board. I say told, I have the emails where that and other things were discussed. After seeing the emails I resigned with immediate effect.

The Trust needs strong leadership. If that’s not me I’m big enough to take it on the chin and someone else can have a go. But the Trust needs to be run to represent its members and not throw people under the bus to save their seat on the board. That’s self interest. It’s not ‘collective responsibility ‘

I understand the Trust board members haven’t been told any of this and it’s been kept from them. Why?

Am I excrement stirring? People can judge however they like. I know that I tried to represent the fans whilst on the Trust and I know I’m not prepared to be part of something that doesn’t represent them.

There needs to be change. I don’t know what (I know I don’t want to be part of it) Or by who. But change is required.

The weird statement that came out of the Trust was actually written by the club?

If that has happened it is absolutely unnacceptable and I think it is clear that some of the things you have said are not widely known. Thank you for sharing - i am not sure there is any way back for some people in the trust after this. I expect it to be rubbished, but it sounds like you have hard evidence and are completely confident in that.

Nothing surprises me. The absolute control that Fenty craves has killed the relationship between the fans & the board and usurped any trust (!) we may have had in his integrity.

I thought the seat on the board was secured due to the 30k payment in any case?

Quoted from headingly_mariner

The weird statement that came out of the Trust was actually written by the club?

If that has happened it is absolutely unnacceptable and I think it is clear that some of the things you have said are not widely known. Thank you for sharing - i am not sure there is any way back for some people in the trust after this. I expect it to be rubbished, but it sounds like you have hard evidence and are completely confident in that.

Surprised? NO

In the secret recordings.. JF critisied the Trust for sponsoring the fan match with Donny Rovers, saying "how can the trust do that?" Because its the voice of the FANS John, and NOT the voice of the club.

As twatish as it was to make those recordings, it did at least let you know what we all suspected, JF is not willing to listen to the fans, and the opinion of the fans are to be ignored.

Thanks for giving us information Bax. I must confess this is making me angrier than ever at the Trust board. And I always caveat it with the fact that they are volunteers and dedicating free time.

But being so wedded to what you think is best to the extent you don't listen to members and pass statemens through the club board suggest it is becoming closer to another arm of the club rather than a body to represent fans.

Quoted from Caesar

Thanks for giving us information Bax. I must confess this is making me angrier than ever at the Trust board. And I always caveat it with the fact that they are volunteers and dedicating free time.

But being so wedded to what you think is best to the extent you don't listen to members and pass statemens through the club board suggest it is becoming closer to another arm of the club rather than a body to represent fans.

I think we need to hear from Jon Wood and get both points of view before we can make a proper judgement.Clearly bax spoke from the heart and I have no reason to doubt him at all but want to hear the other viewpoint?

Quoted from 1mickylyons

I think we need to hear from Jon Wood and get both points of view before we can make a proper judgement.Clearly bax spoke from the heart and I have no reason to doubt him at all but want to hear the other viewpoint?

True. And I would want to hear more, but part of the problem is it seems like trying to get blood out of stone just trying to get information. And I know this is me making a judgment without much evidence but it does feel like the Trust is very close to the board.  I understand these things take time but there is nothing that suggests the Trust are starting to renegotiate the seat on the board.

Quoted from Caesar

True. And I would want to hear more, but part of the problem is it seems like trying to get blood out of stone just trying to get information. And I know this is me making a judgment without much evidence but it does feel like the Trust is very close to the board.  I understand these things take time but there is nothing that suggests the Trust are starting to renegotiate the seat on the board.

I get the feeling with what`s come out on here the past two days it`s just given you know who another Ace?

Quoted from 1mickylyons

I think we need to hear from Jon Wood and get both points of view before we can make a proper judgement.

Indeed, I look forward to hearing from Jon Wood. (Maybe John F will be on hand to help with that communication  :P )

Personally I’m surprised people didn’t work this out weeks ago. Sav has his faults, as well do and I’m sure he’ll agree, and maybe would do one or two things differently now (responses on social media) but that was possibly brought about by frustration.   Agree with him or not - he tried to do things for others- as do certain others in the Trust. For the right reasons. On the counter side Ipswin makes a valid point. In effect the Trust has always been undermined/used when suits/looked down on. And infiltrated since Day 1 with representatives or friends of the ‘regime’, still is to this day. And that influence renders the work and efforts of others as fruitless.

When push comes to shove, the only way a Trust can get going and challenge decisions is from the outside looking in.  A board place isn’t worth £1 with current incumbents. So first part is to get a completely new Trust board, some of which are in place already, rid themselves of ANY associations with club hierarchy, vote and decide on way ahead. If that means stopping payments, losing board place - so be it. Then publicly state opposed and no confidence in club board. Of course then there’ll be the expected reaction, the threats, then the ‘I didn’t want to be in this position but I did’ saga, - so what?? Carries on there’ll be non league football and gates of 1500 or so. Situation that can’t continue long term. The failure will eventually hit home, the pot will run dry. The threats become meaningless. Of course no one wants it to come to that - you’d hope common sense prevails somewhere along the way.  But sadly common sense hasn’t been evident for some time. More interested in school ground arguments.

Anyway, for me that’s the way forward. John Fenty and pals have to understand/appreciate the club is bigger than individuals. Always will be.  And due to a succession of events their position is now almost untenable.  I’m not sure people understand the feelings of many about the club, some from afar. It won’t ever go under, despite the sound bites of those who want you to think it’s future is dependent on 1 person. Balderdash.

Quoted from Caesar

True. And I would want to hear more, but part of the problem is it seems like trying to get blood out of stone just trying to get information. And I know this is me making a judgment without much evidence but it does feel like the Trust is very close to the board.  I understand these things take time but there is nothing that suggests the Trust are starting to renegotiate the seat on the board.

It certainly feels like the Trust rep on the board is perhaps 'too respectful' of his fellow board members ( probably at their request!) and maybe lost sight of being the fans representative??

Who knows?

I hope the Trust have already prepared the members voting forms re the re-negotiation or complete withdrawal from the club board

I believe Bax,JOHN WOODS place on the board is unatenable and he should stand down immediately.At the end of the day it seems the mariners trust rep is so far up fentys behind.MR Woods need to explain his actions.

Quoted from marinerjase

Personally I’m surprised people didn’t work this out weeks ago. Sav has his faults, as well do and I’m sure he’ll agree, and maybe would do one or two things differently now (responses on social media) but that was possibly brought about by frustration.   Agree with him or not - he tried to do things for others- as do certain others in the Trust. For the right reasons. On the counter side Ipswin makes a valid point. In effect the Trust has always been undermined/used when suits/looked down on. And infiltrated since Day 1 with representatives or friends of the ‘regime’, still is to this day. And that influence renders the work and efforts of others as fruitless.

When push comes to shove, the only way a Trust can get going and challenge decisions is from the outside looking in.  A board place isn’t worth £1 with current incumbents. So first part is to get a completely new Trust board, some of which are in place already, rid themselves of ANY associations with club hierarchy, vote and decide on way ahead. If that means stopping payments, losing board place - so be it. Then publicly state opposed and no confidence in club board. Of course then there’ll be the expected reaction, the threats, then the ‘I didn’t want to be in this position but I did’ saga, - so what?? Carries on there’ll be non league football and gates of 1500 or so. Situation that can’t continue long term. The failure will eventually hit home, the pot will run dry. The threats become meaningless. Of course no one wants it to come to that - you’d hope common sense prevails somewhere along the way.  But sadly common sense hasn’t been evident for some time. More interested in school ground arguments.

Anyway, for me that’s the way forward. John Fenty and pals have to understand/appreciate the club is bigger than individuals. Always will be.  And due to a succession of events their position is now almost untenable.  I’m not sure people understand the feelings of many about the club, some from afar. It won’t ever go under, despite the sound bites of those who want you to think it’s future is dependent on 1 person. Balderdash.

Good post Jase.I would like a say in who sits on the trust board and I have been unhappy with a few of those appointed in recent years and I certainly never viewed them as being best to represent me or fans I know.Their appointments have also seemed to coincide with the Trust`s sliding backwards of recent Months.Dave Roberts did an excellent job previously and I have faith in him turning this round as long as he gets the support from the fanbase who need to remember his previous good work.

Quoted from friskneymariner

The area which is very murky to me is the sacking of Bignot and the appointment of Slade,was the Trust member on the board involved in the decision making,was there a vote?.
If so how did the Trust board member vote and how did they arrive at their mandate,we have never been informed and as a member I would be very upset if the Trust member voted for the return of Slade without any form of consultation.

So does no member of the Trust wish to answer this.

Quoted from friskneymariner

So does no member of the Trust wish to answer this.

I think no-one wants to answer this. I may be totally wrong, but I don't think we would be 22nd in the table if he'd stayed no matter how 'fruit loop' he was. And before anybody brings up Chester, he inherited a right mess there and I wasn't his biggest fan but his signings in one window were better than anything Slade came up with in two.

Idea

Why do we have to buy JF out, why can’t shareholders vote him out?  You don’t have to be on the board of directors if you are a significant shareholders. (see Parker/Mullens/Dodgy Ticket Tout). So here’s my suggestion, which might be flawed, but here goes. JF is due re-election to the board in 2/3 year’s time, so the Trust should plan to oust JF on this re-election date.  At the GTFC AGM shareholders with links to the Trust should attend and vote for new members (those with Trust links) to be added to the board of directors prior to JF re-election and vote against JF election accordingly when it comes to re-election.  The following questions I have might blow this whole idea out of the water:

Do Shareholders get a vote to elect directors or do the directors vote amongst themselves for re-election?
Can shareholders elect members onto the board without the current directors' approval?
When shareholders vote at the AGM, are the votes weighted so one Fenty vote is greater than a Trust/Avg Joe vote because JF holds more shares?

I’ve read through the article of association for GTFC and the above isn’t clear to me.

The new board of directors only have to have £500 worth of shares to be a part of the board. We are not looking for people to finance the club only to run it effectively. There are numerous people around this town with business acumen, but without the capital to invest.  Get people in to run the club that’s only interest is the benefit the club and not one’s own interest, like JF has. I would also suggest the new board use all the maximum 10 board members allowed. See Newport for example. The club at present is sustainable without major investment, but it’s not thriving. It’s being run like a Fish processing factory, the cheapest possible labour and staff available and everything is about cost-cutting. We need people with the vision to build for the future with minimal investment, so we don’t have to rely on one man to fund us.

So what happens to JF current investment in the club, Shareholding, and loan? Shares nothing, just like everyone who own shares in the club, if they want rid, find some to buy them off of you. Loans, well assuming that JF is true to his word, then until GTFC come into a football fortune we don’t have to pay him anything back.  I would want this is writing as I don’t believe a word JF says.  Personally, I would like to see JF walk away with intercourse all, I want him to write off his £2m and for him to accept this is his cost of failure. This is not going to happen though because in JF’s eyes he hasn’t done anything wrong and has never made a mistake and if it was your money would you give it away?

If this plan was feasible then the Trust has a couple of years to find the right people, increase membership with this vision and get everyone in the Town pulling in the right direction, OP showed it’s possible.  The Trust would need a pot of money in case we have a bad season, currently, it’s a debenture of £300k which is underwritten by JF, so the trust would have to have similar funds available.

fire away...

Is it actually true that the GTFC board wrote a mariners trust statement - surely that can't be correct!? If so that would make a mockery of the Trusts role! I also think we need answers on the trusts position when the board meeting was held to discuss sacking slade. I recall the statement said that slade was supported and the word used was not unanimously but som thing similar but not quite th same. I took that to mean trust rep had voted against keeping slade. If that was not the case then I think the trust rep needs to explain why he did not vote for the sacking, by that stage it was obvious that I what the overwhelming majority of fans wanted. I think an explanation would definitely b needed if the fans rep had voted for him to continue. This could then be considered by members when they vote on who should be rep in future (and if they even want a rep anymore on the board). It could be that Jon Wood did vote against slade being retained, but I just feel more transparency is warranted on what was a vital vote for which the views of fans were pretty clear in my opinion.

Is that right that that the club wrote a Trust statement?

I haven't read or heard that previously. If true I am surprised 'bax' didn't resign on the spot.

I have been a very minor shareholder for decades and although I attended the night/day of the long knives when Bill Carr was a ousted I haven't been since. I am sure that Fenty 43% of whatever is more than enough to retain absolute control as it is not one man one vote. He cannot be voted off the board

The Trust usually hide behind Collective Responsibility,this being the case the should take collective responsibility for our present position.

Quoted from Cloudy

Is that right that that the club wrote a Trust statement?

I haven't read or heard that previously. If true I am surprised 'bax' didn't resign on the spot.

I have been a very minor shareholder for decades and although I attended the night/day of the long knives when Bill Carr was a ousted I haven't been since. I am sure that Fenty 43% of whatever is more than enough to retain absolute control as it is not one man one vote. He cannot be voted off the board

I think your correct in that he can't be voted of the board with that amount of shares. I may be wrong but I think that's the reason he stepped down as chairman, because as a chairman I think it's correct that he only has a casting vote ,but as a shareholder he can vote on all matters, and with his amount of shares he can not be outvoted. If I am incorrect I apologise and stand to be corrected.

Quoted from Perkins

I think your correct in that he can't be voted of the board with that amount of shares. I may be wrong but I think that's the reason he stepped down as chairman, because as a chairman I think it's correct that he only has a casting vote ,but as a shareholder he can vote on all matters, and with his amount of shares he can not be outvoted. If I am incorrect I apologise and stand to be corrected.

I don't recall hearing that previously but you may well be right. It would explain why JF doesn't want to be Chairman

Quoted from marinerjase

Personally I’m surprised people didn’t work this out weeks ago. Sav has his faults, as well do and I’m sure he’ll agree, and maybe would do one or two things differently now (responses on social media) but that was possibly brought about by frustration.   Agree with him or not - he tried to do things for others- as do certain others in the Trust. For the right reasons. On the counter side Ipswin makes a valid point. In effect the Trust has always been undermined/used when suits/looked down on. And infiltrated since Day 1 with representatives or friends of the ‘regime’, still is to this day. And that influence renders the work and efforts of others as fruitless.

When push comes to shove, the only way a Trust can get going and challenge decisions is from the outside looking in.  A board place isn’t worth £1 with current incumbents. So first part is to get a completely new Trust board, some of which are in place already, rid themselves of ANY associations with club hierarchy, vote and decide on way ahead. If that means stopping payments, losing board place - so be it. Then publicly state opposed and no confidence in club board. Of course then there’ll be the expected reaction, the threats, then the ‘I didn’t want to be in this position but I did’ saga, - so what?? Carries on there’ll be non league football and gates of 1500 or so. Situation that can’t continue long term. The failure will eventually hit home, the pot will run dry. The threats become meaningless. Of course no one wants it to come to that - you’d hope common sense prevails somewhere along the way.  But sadly common sense hasn’t been evident for some time. More interested in school ground arguments.

Anyway, for me that’s the way forward. John Fenty and pals have to understand/appreciate the club is bigger than individuals. Always will be.  And due to a succession of events their position is now almost untenable.  I’m not sure people understand the feelings of many about the club, some from afar. It won’t ever go under, despite the sound bites of those who want you to think it’s future is dependent on 1 person. Balderdash.

The only way to do that is for people (ordinary members) to participate in Trust meetings, and for people to stand for election against the 'regime infiltrators'. We need contested elections to the Trust Board. The problem is who wants to volunteer?

Quoted from toontown

Is it actually true that the GTFC board wrote a mariners trust statement - surely that can't be correct!? If so that would make a mockery of the Trusts role! I also think we need answers on the trusts position when the board meeting was held to discuss sacking slade. I recall the statement said that slade was supported and the word used was not unanimously but som thing similar but not quite th same. I took that to mean trust rep had voted against keeping slade. If that was not the case then I think the trust rep needs to explain why he did not vote for the sacking, by that stage it was obvious that I what the overwhelming majority of fans wanted. I think an explanation would definitely b needed if the fans rep had voted for him to continue. This could then be considered by members when they vote on who should be rep in future (and if they even want a rep anymore on the board). It could be that Jon Wood did vote against slade being retained, but I just feel more transparency is warranted on what was a vital vote for which the views of fans were pretty clear in my opinion.

Unequivocally was the word used. Statement below is from the 9th January. This will go down as one of the worst decisions the club has ever made. Interestingly we give Forest Green as an example of a side struggling after getting promotion. That's Forest Green who are well on the way to survival helped by one of our most creative players.

The GTFC club statement in full
"Grimsby Town Football Club’s Board of Directors met yesterday – as scheduled – to discuss a number of footballing and operational matters. The board wish to place on record how disappointed they are with recent performances and the nature of those performances. The supporters are the lifeblood of our club and have every right to express concern following such performances. Quite frankly – we all expect better.

This has led to some calling for a change in the senior leadership of the Football Club.

The Board met yesterday and voted unequivocally to support the existing management team financially in the current January transfer window and throughout the summer to continue their rebuilding exercise of the playing squad.

Russell and Paul have also set out a clear vision to the Board to continue rebuilding the squad towards a tighter-knit, leaner but higher calibre playing squad. We want to reduce it in size but increase the quality over the next six months.

We can today announce that the club have recouped their initial investments on Jamey Osborne (the Directors place on record their disappointment with how this has turned out - despite Russell's best efforts to retain the player) and Tom Bolarinwa as they return to the clubs from whom they joined us. There will be further departures throughout this window and in the summer.

The Board have always provided support in the windows and the additions of Jake Kean and Charles Vernam will be followed by others. There is an intention to add some quality signings to improve our matchday squad while also moving on players who do not fit within the manager’s plans for the team. We are committed to bringing goals and the buzz back to Blundell Park.

We have decided to inject money to help the manager improve the playing squad - whether that is through new additions or reducing in size - to ensure our budget is competitive within our league.

Russell is as disappointed as we all are at the dip in form particularly after three wins on the bounce. It is gut wrenching that we haven’t built on this form. Russell is determined to make adjustments to the squad which he believes will bring back goals and increase its confidence so that we can enjoy Saturday afternoons at Blundell Park and away.

Russell Slade and Paul Wilkinson are vastly experienced. They continue to increase and improve the professionalism of the football club and implement their football ethos throughout the club.

This ethos has seen them employed by several high-profile football clubs throughout their careers. They are meticulous in their preparations and are well respected in the game. However, they have also inherited a playing structure largely built by two other managers with so many full time first team professionals on our books. It is clear that our squad is in transition and we ask supporters to remain patient.

While some of this rebuilding took place in the summer it is not always something that can be completed overnight. When you lose big characters like we have over the past eighteen months and have lots of new faces, it takes time for things to gel together and have that desired effect.

The directors genuinely believe, whilst there have been and will be further bumps in the road, that they will ensure that we consolidate as we find our feet back in the Football League and build a team that is capable of challenging next season.

While the Board accepts that there have been examples of some teams being promoted from the Conference and building on that success through momentum, there are also many examples where clubs have been promoted and done far worse than we are doing now.

Whilst Luton and Mansfield are now rising up the table and challenging for promotion spots this has taken them four years to do so competitively. Likewise Barnet, promoted the year before us have been through several managers since and now sit at the bottom of the table.

Similarly, one only has to look at how Forest Green Rovers have fared in their first season in the league to know that a second successive mid-table position – 13 points clear of the relegation places and nine off the play-offs – isn’t what we had hoped for, but it also isn’t the complete disaster promoted by some.

The Club needs stability right now and the Board are asking the fans to be even more patient and get behind the manager, club and players as we continue this rebuilding process back in the league.

Russell, Paul and the team are continuing to work tirelessly to bring back the goals, confidence and success to the club. However this will only be possible with the support and backing of our fans. Our club has been through much worse than this before and come out the other side stronger. Together we are stronger and the only way we can make Blundell Park a fortress is by turning out and backing the team.

The players need us to show that support starting on Saturday against Newport County - we owe it to the club we all love by putting our differences aside to unite together.

Let’s show that relentless support for the team that has seen us recognized nationally in the past and here’s to bringing the goals, confidence and buzz back at Blundell Park"

"13 points clear of the relegation places and nine off the play-offs – isn’t what we had hoped for, but it also isn’t the complete disaster promoted by some"



Which buffoon decided that they should put that in. :-/

Quoted from arryarryarry

"13 points clear of the relegation places and nine off the play-offs – isn’t what we had hoped for, but it also isn’t the complete disaster promoted by some"



Which buffoon decided that they should put that in. :-/

The type of people who are reactive instead of proactive. It's also the thinking that led to the release of Jones, Osborne, Asante and Clements. The very opposite of "providing more funds".

Was having a great chat and debate with tbe old man on sunday and 1 thing we both agreed on (which is rare) is that leading up to Christmas we was doing alright.  Then bam.....cant buy a win....players leaving left right and centre.  We are both convinced something major has happened behind the scenes.  It must have surely?  I still believe it all started with Jamey.

Quoted from Vance Warner

Unequivocally was the word used. Statement below is from the 9th January. This will go down as one of the worst decisions the club has ever made. Interestingly we give Forest Green as an example of a side struggling after getting promotion. That's Forest Green who are well on the way to survival helped by one of our most creative players.

The GTFC club statement in full
"Grimsby Town Football Club’s Board of Directors met yesterday – as scheduled – to discuss a number of footballing and operational matters. The board wish to place on record how disappointed they are with recent performances and the nature of those performances. The supporters are the lifeblood of our club and have every right to express concern following such performances. Quite frankly – we all expect better.

This has led to some calling for a change in the senior leadership of the Football Club.

The Board met yesterday and voted unequivocally to support the existing management team financially in the current January transfer window and throughout the summer to continue their rebuilding exercise of the playing squad.....

"

Yeah "unequivocally", that was it. At the tme I thought that was clever use of wording to make it seem like the board was as fully behind slade as possible whilst being unable to put unanimously because the Trust Rep had voted against keeping Slade. I still hope that was the case. It would be great if the Trust was able to clarify, even if they have to wait until the end of the season before all this comes out, as it will have to I think.

Is this the statement that has been alledgedly written by someone at the club and put out by the Trust?

“The Board of The Mariners Trust is happy to clarify that following his input at Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Grimsby Town F.C. regarding the views of the fan base, as communicated to The Trust about the current situation at Grimsby Town F.C, Jon Wood confirmed that there was a consensus reached before he contributed fully to the discussion that culminated in the issue of the statement by the Board later that day giving his full support to the final draft.”

I can absolutey believe this came out of the club because it was confusing then and it’s confusing now.

Quoted from Meza

Was having a great chat and debate with tbe old man on sunday and 1 thing we both agreed on (which is rare) is that leading up to Christmas we was doing alright.  Then bam.....cant buy a win....players leaving left right and centre.  We are both convinced something major has happened behind the scenes.  It must have surely?  I still believe it all started with Jamey.

Might be. As a fan, the thing that nailed it for me was the Forum - proof that the club is a shambles from the top down.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Might be. As a fan, the thing that nailed it for me was the Forum - proof that the club is a shambles from the top down.

When was the forum OC?? It may have had an impact but not sure the forum would have had an affect to the players though.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

Is this the statement that has been alledgedly written by someone at the club and put out by the Trust?

“The Board of The Mariners Trust is happy to clarify that following his input at Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Grimsby Town F.C. regarding the views of the fan base, as communicated to The Trust about the current situation at Grimsby Town F.C, Jon Wood confirmed that there was a consensus reached before he contributed fully to the discussion that culminated in the issue of the statement by the Board later that day giving his full support to the final draft.”

I can absolutey believe this came out of the club because it was confusing then and it’s confusing now.

That reads like it has been translated from Chinese by Google translate.  :-/

Quoted from TheRealJohnLewis

Idea


The new board of directors only have to have £500 worth of shares to be a part of the board. We are not looking for people to finance the club only to run it effectively. There are numerous people around this town with business acumen, but without the capital to invest.  Get people in to run the club that’s only interest is the benefit the club and not one’s own interest, like JF has. I would also suggest the new board use all the maximum 10 board members allowed. See Newport for example. The club at present is sustainable without major investment, but it’s not thriving. It’s being run like a Fish processing factory, the cheapest possible labour and staff available and everything is about cost-cutting. We need people with the vision to build for the future with minimal investment, so we don’t have to rely on one man to fund us.

So what happens to JF current investment in the club, Shareholding, and loan? Shares nothing, just like everyone who own shares in the club, if they want rid, find some to buy them off of you. Loans, well assuming that JF is true to his word, then until GTFC come into a football fortune we don’t have to pay him anything back.  I would want this is writing as I don’t believe a word JF says.  Personally, I would like to see JF walk away with intercourse all, I want him to write off his £2m and for him to accept this is his cost of failure. This is not going to happen though because in JF’s eyes he hasn’t done anything wrong and has never made a mistake and if it was your money would you give it away?

If this plan was feasible then the Trust has a couple of years to find the right people, increase membership with this vision and get everyone in the Town pulling in the right direction, OP showed it’s possible.  The Trust would need a pot of money in case we have a bad season, currently, it’s a debenture of £300k which is underwritten by JF, so the trust would have to have similar funds available.

fire away...

really £500 for a life time season ticket........am i wrong or do directors attened without buying a ticket ......that is only 100 and a few pennies more than what we mortals pay for a season(or i use to till my lad worked saturdays ) so really i paid more in one season to the club to get me n my lad in then these board memebers ........really!!!

Quoted from headingly_mariner

Is this the statement that has been alledgedly written by someone at the club and put out by the Trust?

“The Board of The Mariners Trust is happy to clarify that following his input at Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Grimsby Town F.C. regarding the views of the fan base, as communicated to The Trust about the current situation at Grimsby Town F.C, Jon Wood confirmed that there was a consensus reached before he contributed fully to the discussion that culminated in the issue of the statement by the Board later that day giving his full support to the final draft.”

I can absolutey believe this came out of the club because it was confusing then and it’s confusing now.

good shout headngly - doesn't really make sense does it. If this or any other statement that the Trust issued was written by the club board then that is a complete undermining of the club role, it is mean to represent fans to the clubs and others, not be a mouthpiece of Fenty to the fans.

Quoted from Meza

When was the forum OC?? It may have had an impact but not sure the forum would have had an affect to the players though.

End of November I think. Not saying it affected the players directly, certainly eroded any confidence I had in Slade, confirmed how much respect Fenty has for the fans (subsequently confirmed by Bax re Operation Promotion) and showed that the Clubs' other directors were of similar mind.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

End of November I think. Not saying it affected the players directly, certainly eroded any confidence I had in Slade, confirmed how much respect Fenty has for the fans (subsequently confirmed by Bax re Operation Promotion) and showed that the Clubs' other directors were of similar mind.

Yeah i knew what went on just couldnt remember when it was.   I did think at the time why a fans forum was called in the first place.  But im still convinced something went on behind the scenes.  I think the way RS shipped players out probably didnt sit right with other players.....maybe?.