Transfer Embargo LIFTED

[barrowfan]

Then some sort of general manager to pull it all toegther day to day, accountable to the BOD.

I believe that is the way forward. It would of course cost money but would be worth it in the long run.

Their duties would have to be very specifically focused on running the club and not necessarily fund-raising. It seems that in the past people have been given roles and then expected to do other things too, so taking them away from what should be their area of focus.

It would of course cost money and the BOD would have to trust them and allow them to take on that responsibility without interference.

[tictactoe]

Didn't the club employ someone recently to fill the commercial managers role? Are they not there now.

Out of interest, would it be possible to do some sort of poll on here to see how many think we would be better of staying in the conference and how many would prefer us to be in the BSN. I know it won't make any difference to our current situation but I personally would be interested to see the results.

[sempre contigo]

Is it a thankless task though?

Can't that be said about anything. I'm a manager of a shop, when things go well, like they're exspect to I get abit of praise now and then. As with any job I will always be judged on how I handle the more trickier situations. It's like anything in life, its easy to be good when the going is good but what makes a person is how they deal with things when times are though.

The Keens have done some fantastic work wich everyone has been greatfull for but what has gone on recently is not on. The supporters have been alienated, this is one of resons I follow my (once) local side, to be a part of the club. This leaves a very bitter taste in the mouth.

Did they not say at a supporters meeting a while back that they have ran it like a private company and that was wrong... What's changed since then? Nothing as far as I can see.

We are, and have to to remain the most important thing this club has. They need us as much as we need them so we need to work together if not we need to think of an alternative.

[1AFC]

It is in the fans hands. We are a members' club and the members (of whom there are relatively few these days) elected the Board. If we oust the Board (if that's what you are suggesting) we will then have to elect another group of Board members to run the club and I don't have any doubt that a load of fans will still be dissatisfied with the way they do it. It is a totally thankless task to run a football club like Barrow and if the Board have made mistakes they have done it with the best intentions and the interest of the club at heart. Would you step up to the plate and offer to take responsibility and could you have done any better?

Very well put, totally agree.

A very thankless job that they put a lot of time in, and probably have to make decisions that will not please everybody, but like you say, always have the best intentions of the club at heart.

Lets be honest none of us will lose any sleep over this, but I'm sure the BoD may, knowing they made a cock up and most 'juniors' on here want them out.

[1AFC]

Is it a thankless task though?

Can't that be said about anything. I'm a manager of a shop,

Do you work at the shop for free, Manager?

[sempre contigo]

Not the point

[SKIPPER]

We have never been a proper members club have we tho and that's why membership dropped anyone who believes this club Is mad

Nail on the head.I have in-laws who are members of Wrexham Supporters Trust and friends who have bought in to the Chester 'model'. Both clubs have been through turmoil which makes ours look like a tea party. I look at the way these clubs are now run and how they are moving forward. I then look at us and cringe.There are probably only a few on here who like me stood in the old Public Hall 50 years ago listening to Stanley Matthews plead with the public of Barrow to save the club.For much of the remainder of the 20th century we often stood on the edge of the precipice without a pot to p*ss in.The difference between then and now was that the fans knew about it straight away. To the Keens I'd just use an old but true saying. 'When you're in a hole stop digging'. I'm sure ,unlike some, that they are genuine people with the welfare of the club at heart . They just need to swallow their pride and ask for help.

[1AFC]

Not the point

It is. If I got paid to do a good job and didnt 95% of the time, I should be slated for the 5% I wasnt good.

If I was a volunteer and did a good job 95% of the time, I should be thanked for the 95% of the time.

Replace the BOD, sure the new blood will do a good job for a few weeks, even months. Until they get bored and the novelty runs off.

[sempre contigo]

We have never been a proper members club have we tho and that's why membership dropped anyone who believes this club Is mad

Nail on the head.I have in-laws who are members of Wrexham Supporters Trust and friends who have bought in to the Chester 'model'. Both clubs have been through turmoil which makes ours look like a tea party. I look at the way these clubs are now run and how they are moving forward. I then look at us and cringe.There are probably only a few on here who like me stood in the old Public Hall 50 years ago listening to Stanley Matthews plead with the public of Barrow to save the club.For much of the remainder of the 20th century we often stood on the edge of the precipice without a pot to p*ss in.The difference between then and now was that the fans knew about it straight away. To the Keens I'd just use an old but true saying. 'When you're in a hole stop digging'. I'm sure ,unlike some, that they are genuine people with the welfare of the club at heart . They just need to swallow their pride and ask for help.

Bob on

[Bingo]

It is in the fans hands. We are a members' club and the members (of whom there are relatively few these days) elected the Board. If we oust the Board (if that's what you are suggesting) we will then have to elect another group of Board members to run the club and I don't have any doubt that a load of fans will still be dissatisfied with the way they do it. It is a totally thankless task to run a football club like Barrow and if the Board have made mistakes they have done it with the best intentions and the interest of the club at heart. Would you step up to the plate and offer to take responsibility and could you have done any better?

Very well put, totally agree.

A very thankless job that they put a lot of time in, and probably have to make decisions that will not please everybody, but like you say, always have the best intentions of the club at heart.

Lets be honest none of us will lose any sleep over this, but I'm sure the BoD may, knowing they made a cock up and most 'juniors' on here want them out.

As sad as it might sound to some I do lose sleep over it - Barrow AFC is a massive part of my life as it is many others - when things don't go right then it's a massive worry and more distressing is the feeling we can't do much about it.

[1AFC]

Very well put, totally agree.

A very thankless job that they put a lot of time in, and probably have to make decisions that will not please everybody, but like you say, always have the best intentions of the club at heart.

Lets be honest none of us will lose any sleep over this, but I'm sure the BoD may, knowing they made a cock up and most 'juniors' on here want them out.

As sad as it might sound to some I do lose sleep over it - Barrow AFC is a massive part of my life as it is many others - when things don't go right then it's a massive worry and more distressing is the feeling we can't do much about it.

Bingo, yourself and a few other will agree with what your saying. I wrote my post aiming it at the witch hunt crew that what Bayliss out last week now the BoD this week.

Sick of people just wanting to moan, and always wanting to point the finger at someone.

[spirit of 1990]

Just my take on it Ian, hope you don't mind the quote.

Didn't mind the quote at all Phil.

I understand pretty much all of what you are saying but my original point was, it's all very well people calling for the BoD's to step down or be voted off but there is no plan behind that, no thought - nothing.
Will any of these people be willing/able to do the job or are they just hoping that someone like you or some high profile local business man steps up & takes on the role(s)?

Let's say the usual suspects (& they know who they are) get their way & convince us to vote the Board off, whats their plan then? have they got one?
So come the day after the AGM we'd have a club in a relegation place with money problems, a ground that needs money spending on it & possibily thirteen players in the squad & a manager who can't see a way forward.......without a Board, brilliant.

This, as I said earlier isn't me blindly defending the Board but being realistic. If they threw some sort of plan into the equation perhaps I could take their protests a little more seriously but at the moment it's just people sounding off without a thought for the day after the AGM.

[Spanner]

In my view, there are plenty of people on this forum (indeed in this thread) that I think could do at least as good a job as several of the current BoD. I won't embarrass or upset anyone by naming (or excluding!) them, but all this talk of needing particularly "skill sets" is largely nonsense - running a successful business isn't rocket science, but it does takes passion, graft, teamwork and the self-awareness and confidence to ask for help from others when you don't have specific skills or knowledge. If (let's say) the current BoD suddenly stood down en masse it's inconceivable to me that a group of fans wouldn't organise themselves in some way and put themselves forward for election at a hastily-arranged EGM to create a viable new Board.

As things stand however, I don't blame anyone critical of the current BoD for not sticking their head above the parapet and announcing themselves as wanting to stand for election or take over control. It should be perfectly clear to anyone that the current BoD is largely a closed shop (and has been for some time) and anyone joining who might be in the slightest way challenging of the Keen hegemony will be marginalised to such an extent that their input to decisions becomes close to meaningless. And even with recent events, the BoD almost certainly still have sufficient goodwill (and probably also plenty of their cronies) among the membership for any Colin Moore-esque vote of no confidence / takeover attempt to be doomed to failure.

[Reg]

I'm not sure if I'm allowed, but can I send someone to the AGM for me as proxy? I cannot attend, would be happy for Phil, or Reg or Ste, or whoever to do so on my behalf.

I intend on becoming a member before the AGM Steve.

[PRR]

Good post Spanner.