Should the trust be disbanded.?

Quoted from Helgy

Question is do they have any real power on the board don't think any trust does unless they actually own the club.
Giving away their shares was not a good option , they should have used the money they raise to buy more shares in the club so then are regularly putting in money & getting more influence money talks.
When fans raise the money exchange it for shares instead of just handing it over?

Agree in hindsight Helgy and under this regime I’d argue they have very little say at board level, then again I doubt they’re alone in that looking at the historic behaviour and attitude of our major shareholder, the chairman and an accountant who tells people to “shut up” when he can’t deal with an alternative opinion.

It's like the night of the long knives on here. What next, book burning?

As someone round these parts says, " don't throw the baby out with the bathwater"

Quoted from Marinerz93

The trust had no option at the time but to give those shares up, go back to that timeline and read what was said at the time by Fenty if it didn't happen.

Wasn't it something to do with the possible sale of Liam Hearn?

Quoted from Marinerz93

The trust had no option at the time but to give those shares up, go back to that timeline and read what was said at the time by Fenty if it didn't happen.

However painful it is at the time, it is always always best to call the bluff of bullies.

The long term affects of unbalanced relationships / uneven power dynamics are inevitably worse.

The trust have a significant role and can still influence whatever now happens.

Quoted from arryarryarry

Wasn't it something to do with the possible sale of Liam Hearn?

Yes, an ultimatum if I remember rightly coupled with I won't be putting any more money in the club just to strengthen the threat.

Quoted from arryarryarry

Wasn't it something to do with the possible sale of Liam Hearn?

Pure brinksmanship from Fenty just like we saw on Christmas Eve when he announced the deal was off and just like the Christmas Eve threat (Shutes came back) the Hearn threat worked and the Trust stupidly fell for it.  

Threatening to sell Hearn was one thing, its not like the days when Matt Tees and Rod Green were told to 'report to the Valley on Monday', he could have said no.

Quoted from GrimExile

I would to love to know how many of those who criticise the Trust are actually members. Plus someone has suggested the Trust (and I quote), is “An organisation that holds the Club to account on behalf of the fans.” Really? Surely the Trust answers to its members. Finally I don’t know Dave Roberts at all well, but he is in my opinion one of the most honest and well meaning of men who’s interest is to do the best for the Trust and GTFC. I am 100% sure he would never use his position to obtain free tickets, perks etc. #UTM

Agreed Emma...Dave is a good man who holds the respect of those who have worked with him. It's just so sad that people like him have been dragged into this.

Quoted from Ipswin

Pure brinksmanship from Fenty just like we saw on Christmas Eve when he announced the deal was off and just like the Christmas Eve threat (Shutes came back) the Hearn threat worked and the Trust stupidly fell for it.  

Threatening to sell Hearn was one thing, its not like the days when Matt Tees and Rod Green were told to 'report to the Valley on Monday', he could have said no.

I don't think the trust were stupid when faced with the ultimatum they got, they did it to protect the club as best they could. They were placed in a situation and all that ultimatum did was put in plain sight what we were being told by others about dealings with how Fenty works.

My main problem with the Trust is that apart from pulling pints in a bar they haven't actually achieved anything in any area of GTFC.

They certainly haven't influenced decisions on how the club is run through their presence in the board room, it is (was) a token gesture only with no power or weight and therefore the membership gained nothing,.(not even a membership card in Pete's case) The trust is totally toothless

Quoted from Ipswin

Pure brinksmanship from Fenty just like we saw on Christmas Eve when he announced the deal was off and just like the Christmas Eve threat (Shutes came back) the Hearn threat worked and the Trust stupidly fell for it.  

Threatening to sell Hearn was one thing, its not like the days when Matt Tees and Rod Green were told to 'report to the Valley on Monday', he could have said no.

Knowing you Swin I feel sure you are incorporating the Trust membership in your general umbrella of "The Trust". If not it is time for my periodic reminder to the contributors to this rather disappointing thread that the fate of the shares was put to the membership and the members at the time decided overwhelmingly to give up the shares. From memory the result was overwhelming with support "for" being over 80%. It's called democracy and it is completely irrelevant that the Trust had a far smaller number of members then than at any time since.
The donation to the Trust of the shares came completely out of the blue. I was rung at 11 p.m. at night by the then secretary to receive the news.
If all of those who repeatedly line up on here to criticise that aspect of the Trust had all joined perhaps the result would have been different.
People are of course entitled to their opinions but it is my experience that opinions are easiest to come to when in possession of a few facts.
The accusation that the two members of the Trust Board who are on the Board of GTFC would seek to benefit from freebies is a strange one. The notion that two fans of the club would give up their normal match day traditions antagonising the members they represent in the process is beyond parody.
As Ginny says it amounts to open season on here at the moment. If I had a pound for every thread of a similar vein that Yoda starts I'd offer to join Shute's consortium.