Monday Nights Meeting with Paul Casson

[saltcellar]

Your post (and previous others) have a whiff of Negativity about them...
Thank God there's a new regime wishing to bring some hope and sunshine into our lives!

You mean anyone who has any doubts and doesn't agree with your view that we should just accept everything we are told is negative you mean.

The main thing that is worrying me is the lack of detail and not only that moreso the lack of figures? I also have issues with some of the details he did mention and think he just told people what they wanted to hear without providing any proper details/costings?

PC said he'd have all the players and manager living here if we get promoted. Last time in Conf Prem it was a struggle to get players to come here to play and it was only because of training in Manchester that some joined. I believe the only way players would come here and stay here is if you pay them huge salaries to get them here if living here is part of the deal, last time our wage bill was 10K a week for a mediocre team, how much extra would we have to pay to get them to live here permanently plus the cost of renting about 6 houses. This is a decision PC seems to have made and he hasn't even bothered consulting Darren Edmondson about it, never mind what the total extra cost of this would be? I think Edmo knows more about non-league football than PC, so why didn't PC speak with DE about this first? The season after Wembley we lost 171K and now we are gonna spend lots more money than we did back then.

PC also mentions about making it a good experience and people will come. If he puts a roof on the Holker end and does up the toilets but we are playing badly, its cold, there's a Champions League game on etc will people still come and watch, I think not.

The way I understand it he thinks that by paying for the stadium to be upgraded then he will make more money in other ways and as he puts it he'll grow the assets to make it sustainable. How the hell is this gonna happen when you look at the figures? In addition to this there will be no membership money or donations or presumably FBS Affinity money which total an additional 50K we won't be getting. In the earlier proposal there were some figures but this time there weren't any - why? Alfreton increased their admission prices to £18, will the same be done here to help pay for Conf Prem football and everything else associated with it? I fail to see how we'll make it sustainable when there's probably an extra half a million we'd need to find in addition to the ground improvements that PC seems to be paying for?

There are other issues like no safeguards on the ground when it may come up for sale again. I fully appreciate that PC may have the best interests of the club at heart but how many other people will? The person that buys the ground from PC may not and something needs to be set up so some sort of local Supporters/Community Group or Trust can buy the club from PC but who will set this up and how will it happen? The same goes for buying shares off PC after 2 years when he mentions he'll sell some shares to a Supporters Trust - well where is this Supporters Trust?

Whilst PC seems to have good intentions but I'm concerned by a lot of what he says and the lack of details/figures. I also know there are no other options other than what we currently have which isn't really an option. If we are to accept PC's bid then we shouldn't just accept it no questions asked (again what's in his proposal will be of interest). IMO we need to do other things for the long term future of the club - ACV, set up a Supporters Trust or similar but again who's actually gonna be bothered to do this?

You John?

By the tone and length of this post, you seem to have plenty of time on your hands.

[John Very Little]

lol Ken.
I've been involved with the Constitution Meetings and have copies of all the AGM/Accounts details so its easy to quickly reference.

[Bluey VIII]

I can't make the meeting tomorrow night but I think one question that needs answering is whether the current BOD, and Messrs Keens inparticular, are committed long term should PC's takeover bid not get sufficient support from the members. We all seem to be assuming that the current incumbents are prepared to stay on long term if necessary, but that goes against some of the rumours I'm hearing about certain BOD members looking to get out. It would be a real shame if PC's bid is rejected by the membership but then some members of the current BOD resign soon afterwards! If that happened the club could face an even more uncertain future than the one PC Is proposing!

[strawberry]

Why would PC consult Edmondson about anything at this stage? I wouldnt worry john very little im pretty sure mr Cassson will have a good business plan.

[blue nige]

people on hear keep banging on about supporters trust,leeds have one of these and look what state they are in!


the bottom line is we can have trust`s,members group etc,


BUT WITHOUT ANY CAPITAL/DEBTS REMAINING IT IS ALL PIE IN THE SKY!

[Kieran]

What further "detail" do you want to hear Tidds?

Genuine question as I've heard one or two people say the same, but I think PC has told us all I would expect him to at this stage.

There is absolutely no need for him to be talking to Edmo about anything yet in my view, that should only come if and when his bid is succesful.

[barrowaberdeen]

I wasn't at the meeting but might make tonight.

FWIW

I think Ste's points are very well made about options we do have but I do share a lot of Tidds' concerns and am a little wary of some of posters' blind acceptance of what seems to be laudable, well thought out but not concrete proposals thus far. The vast majority of this board, including me, want change at boardroom level in Barrow but please, not just because we have various gripes or moans with the present incumbents, deserved or otherwise.

Just MO

Edit, nowt to do with Edmo yet! Let him get on with it. :flag:

[blue nige]

yes there are "grey areas" on what was said at the meeting,but for all that what options have we?

massive debt (we have no of chance clearing),a board who are understandably reaching for the exit (it`s a thankless task)

no capital to invest in much needed changes to the infastructure of the ground/to increase the playing budget

no long term plan, whether you like it or not you have to accept this if not please tell me how we get out of our present situation?

and so far no one has (and will).

[Ilford Mouse]

[quote= set up a Supporters Trust or similar but again who's actually gonna be bothered to do this?[/quote]

Or who would be willing to go on the B.o.D. and take all the flak for the lack of investment, the state of the ground etc.?

Unless one of us wins the Euro Millions tonight I'm struggling to see a brighter future than is being offered by PC. None of us can predict the future but some people are better at imagining it. The World Wide Web is 25 years old and it has changed things dramatically and yet Bill Gates could see no future for it. 15 years ago Apple made well regarded but boring looking computers but Steve Jobs' vision turned it around and into the largest music retailer in the world - who saw that coming? Who, when they were elected into the football league in 1977, would imagine that Wimbledon would win the FA Cup just 11 years later and who in 2002 would have predicted that Fleetwood Town of the North West Counties league would become a Football League team 10 years later?

Perhaps PC has a vision for how to grow the assets of Barrow AFC to make it a sustainable business, the imagination to make it happen and the finance to support it while it becomes established. He said on Monday that he didn't see himself as a benefactor but as an investor. The best investors look towards long term growth not a quick profit.

[spirit of 1990]

Right at this moment in time I'm as certain as I can be which way my vote will go but the small % that is still nuetral in me will wait until the BoDs give us their opinion tonight, which I hope they will be advising us on one way or the other.

If they advise us to not accept (and it isn't) I'm not too sure where this goes from here. We'd have a board that want their money back (fair enough) but without any realistic hope on the horizon of getting it apart from what might be on offer at the moment.
We'd have the continuing negative feeling about the finances & more than likely - no investment for either team or facilities anywhere in sight, we only have to go back two weeks ago to see the trouble a boiler that needed servicing caused.
We'll carry on owing money out all over the spot & just waiting for one of the companies (or persons) to come calling for their cash which might just tip the balance as to whether we have a club or not anyway!

Or......do we trust a single owner again?

95% certain which way I'll be voting at the moment.

[barrowfan]

The vast majority of this board, including me, want change at boardroom level

Are you on the board then?

[tictactoe]

I went to the meeting the other night, and although I was pleased with what PC had to say, I still have lots of doubt about the whole thing. I wasn't going to attend tonight but think I will now just to hear what the BOD have to say. That said, I don't want the BOD to tell me whether to vote yes or no for PC's takeover because only I can make that decision. The BOD imo don't want to be here anymore, the club can't survive as we are, so yes PC's takeover seems the only way to go, but I do think there are "catches" we won't have been told about. Call me sceptical but after last time you can never be too sure.

[DaveP]

I really appreciate most peoples concerns and agree the need for more "flesh on the bones" of the deal BUT we all know there are only two options don't we?

I wish it were not so since its not the best place to be when the purchaser seems to hold all the aces but I can't see any other way.

Therefore I say yes get the best deal possible and do our damnedest to put as many safeguards in place as possible including fans representation.

The only other option is an agonising death of our beloved club one which I fear will come sooner rather than later

[Gazza]

There seems to be a few more doubters posting recently which is a bit of a worry. I do hope the board use tonight as the best opportunity to be absolutely honest and realistic about the future prospects for the team, proper ground improvements (no disrespect to the lads who have done a fantastic job so far) and club as a whole, should things remain as they are. Hopefully it will achieve what is needed, which is convincing those who either can't decide or making it clear to those who for what ever reason are firmly against it, that in the long term there is no other realistic option and that as far as they can see, there is ABSOLUTELY NO reason why Paul Cassons proposal should not be voted in if they honestly believe that. I'm sure the current board will not just say they think it should be voted in just because they will get their money back, but from their point of view it is the only chance they are ever going to get and be honest who could blame them even if this was their motive for sanctioning it. They have served us pretty well on the whole over the past however many years, but this is an incredible, probably never to be repeated chance for everyone to come out of it happy.

[walney rock]

We have 2 options
1. Stick with the keens and watch the club disappear
2. Take pc's offer and take the chance to be apart of something that could be fantastic

In my opinion there is only 1 option & that is vote pc