|
Post by Matt on Dec 23, 2017 16:00:43 GMT
That the sheer shambolic mess we're in? CFU for hiring Mark McGuire?
We have amateurs running the Club who have decided to let a failed CEO do the running of the Club. Next season in front of 600 supporters. We'll be lucky to stay up next year. The Club is only going down and will continue while the current shower is in charge.
|
|
|
Post by South Wirral Blue on Dec 23, 2017 16:09:02 GMT
Those running the club currently cannot be trusted to take us forward, they didn't take the situation seriously enough last season and their chronic lack of judgement has got us relegated.
I fully blame them.
|
|
|
Post by cfc-blue on Dec 23, 2017 16:10:30 GMT
Not sure who or where the blame can lie fully, but the club is unrecognisable in terms of the ethos and values that it was established with and worked hard to build.
I fear we are just to become an average conference north side at best, like many of our neighbours, playing in front of 800-1500 depending on our season, occasionally having a foray into the conference prem before a swift relegation back to our level. All with little chance of a FL return.
In the ilk of Southport, altrincham or Hyde.
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Dec 23, 2017 16:10:31 GMT
Jon McCarthy.
|
|
|
Post by Matt on Dec 23, 2017 16:14:27 GMT
Those running the club currently cannot be trusted to take us forward, they didn't take the situation seriously enough last season and their chronic lack of judgement has got us relegated. I fully blame them. So I take it the people on CFU board www.cityfansunited.com/cfu-board.html are the ones who put the CEO in charge and also wanted McCarthy to stay on?
|
|
|
Post by embalmer on Dec 23, 2017 16:23:14 GMT
The blame lies firmly with the board, of that I am in no doubt. As far as I can see, there has been a sustained and fairly catastrophic period of time now where they have been totally out of touch with the fanbase. McCarthy should never have been appointed in the first place after he laughed and mocked fans during Burr's demise. Nor should he have been given a 2 and a half year contract extension and he should have absolutely been sacked at the end of last season. Instead, he was allowed to spunk our biggest budget up the wall.
Unfortunately, most of the board are wholly unqualified to sit on a board of directors of any business, let alone one that is the size of Chester FC. I don't really care if that sounds harsh, but journalists, PA's and marketing executives don't run businesses and there is a very good reason for it. As such, some of them were seemingly unaware of the magnitude of their responsibilities and allowed really quite unprofessionally friendly relationships to develop with Jon McCarthy which led to his continued employment in the face of almost unanimous disbelief from the fanbase.
The club made an operating loss last season with a budget of £100,000 less than this season and yet the decision was still made to put every single penny of the Sam Hughes money into the playing budget with an absolute flagrant disregard for building a long-term strategy to develop the infrastructure of the business. I shudder to think what the state of the club's finances will look like at the end of this season. We are very likely to be facing relegation to the Conference North having wiped what will likely be known as a rather ironically named "rainy day fund" which will be almost non-existent by May.
I would think at that point, an EGM would be inevitable if the board hadn't already done the honourable thing and resigned.
|
|
|
Post by btb on Dec 23, 2017 16:23:33 GMT
The current board. Previous board members. Maguire is the ceo so him too. McCarthy has a large portion of the blame pie. Bignot is making himself accountable. The players are an absolute disgrace. They couldn't give a shit the lot of them. I've praised Astles to the hilt but look at his conditioning. Is that giving 100%? I dread to think how many pigs in blankets he's going to have on Christmas Day. And he's arguably the only one I'd keep! Which tells you exactly where we are on the playing side currently.
|
|
|
Post by gezzer on Dec 23, 2017 16:29:13 GMT
CFU - Completely F***ing Useless. Many respected posters on here continually telling us how much good hard work MM is doing but unfortunately without any help from any other board member. Looks like some posters are going to get their wish of CN football next season but me thinks its the start of the end with back to back relegations unless we find a new way of working and being a proper professional set up. But heyho its our club.
|
|
|
Post by Matt on Dec 23, 2017 16:30:11 GMT
The current board. Previous board members. Maguire is the ceo so him too. McCarthy has a large portion of the blame pie. Bignot is making himself accountable. The players are an absolute disgrace. They couldn't give a shit the lot of them. I've praised Astles to the hilt but look at his conditioning. Is that giving 100%? I dread to think how many pigs in blankets he's going to have on Christmas Day. And he's arguably the only one I'd keep! Which tells you exactly where we are on the playing side currently. Hahaha, it really will be plenty!! but that's the problem with this team. No discipline. They have treated this Club as a bloody Holiday camp
|
|
|
Post by paulie on Dec 23, 2017 16:45:07 GMT
I disagree, as useless as he was the buck stops with the imbeciles that didn't put him out of his misery before the season started and allowed him to spunk £450k of the budget on shite.
|
|
|
Post by Lobster on Dec 23, 2017 16:48:43 GMT
We're all to blame. That's the downside of being a fan-owned club. We take the praise when things so well, so we need to be self-critical as well.
You, me, and everyone who calls themselves a Chester fan. We start with a clean slate, and we're all complicit in it turning into this, whether through not asking the right questions at the right time, making poor decisions, or not stepping in to make a difference ourselves.
Perhaps that's the problem. We need to get out of a blame culture. What are YOU doing to make it better?
|
|
|
Post by South Wirral Blue on Dec 23, 2017 16:50:24 GMT
I disagree, as useless as he was the buck stops with the imbeciles that didn't put him out of his misery before the season started and allowed him to spunk £450k of the budget on shite. Thats why there needs to be true accountability for this and not just an explanation in the blue & white. Serious money has been wasted by a board who were repeatedly warned on here and in person. They can't be allowed to duck responsibility for being so careless with OUR money...not theirs.
|
|
|
Post by Deva Chanter on Dec 23, 2017 16:51:51 GMT
I disagree, as useless as he was the buck stops with the imbeciles that didn't put him out of his misery before the season started and allowed him to spunk £450k of the budget on shite. Thats why there needs to be true accountability for this and not just an explanation in the blue & white. Serious money has been wasted here by a board who were repeatedly warned on here and in person. They can't be allowed to duck responsibility for being so careless with OUR money...not theirs. What was the explanation in the Blue and White, out of interest?
|
|
|
Post by hackett on Dec 23, 2017 17:05:09 GMT
The players.
You can't make excuses for that sort of performance.
|
|
|
Post by Little Blue Boy on Dec 23, 2017 17:06:23 GMT
I agree that we are partly to blame. We re-elect these people to the Board despite clear failings and a complete lack of delivering any of their manifesto promises. Our Chair is a prime example. I can't see how he has implemented a single thing he promised in his last manifesto. His marketing strategy is to ask for teenagers to come up with a marketing strategy. He is up for re-election next year, and what's the betting that he get's re-elected?
Neil Bellis' barked on about improving communication - is anyone satisfied that he has achieved that? Yet re-elected a few months ago with the 2nd highest amount of votes.
Regarding finances, I would go a step further. The rainy day fund will be completely non-existent and then some at the end of the season. Unless Kirby sexes it up with a donation from Swettenham et al like he did with the Sam Hughes money, I can't begin to imagine how he is going to try and make the financials look respectable come the end of the season.
|
|
|
Post by g1 on Dec 23, 2017 17:09:30 GMT
Mark Maguire he's the problem been involved in every bad decision that's gone wrong with the club he ruined hull he ruined Stockport now he's ruining us fact
|
|
|
Post by g1 on Dec 23, 2017 17:10:22 GMT
The players. You can't make excuses for that sort of performance. who picks the players exactly
|
|
|
Post by Mean Machine on Dec 23, 2017 17:13:25 GMT
Not sure who or where the blame can lie fully, but the club is unrecognisable in terms of the ethos and values that it was established with and worked hard to build. I fear we are just to become an average conference north side at best, like many of our neighbours, playing in front of 800-1500 depending on our season, occasionally having a foray into the conference prem before a swift relegation back to our level. All with little chance of a FL return. In the ilk of Southport, altrincham or Hyde. Excellent post, when we returned to the conference, under neil young and struggled from the start I thought exactly what you have posted I have seen little since to suggest otherwise
|
|
|
Post by southernblue on Dec 23, 2017 17:13:43 GMT
The board for failing to appoint Barrow.
|
|
|
Post by tarvinblue on Dec 23, 2017 17:16:30 GMT
From top to bottom our club is an absolute mess and has been ever since Durkin was elected onto the board. Since that moment the club lost the values that made it so successful and re-election after re-election doesn't seem to have rid the board of what is quite clearly a cancer within it. Some of the appointments have been diabolical and ultimately the board and the CEO have to take responsibility for that. We seem to have been cursed by people who talk a good game but don't back it up with action at every level. Those elected onto the board have been trusted and they have let us down badly. Can any one of them justify what they are doing? There is no external sign of them doing anything. Maguire may talk a good game and bring in a few sponsorship deals but he is at the heart of the desperate decision making. Anyone who thinks he wasn't the key driving force behind extending McCarthy's contract, allowing him the summer and handed him 350k to spend needs to give their head a wobble.
|
|
|
Post by uptonblue1 on Dec 23, 2017 17:27:25 GMT
Mark Maguire he's the problem been involved in every bad decision that's gone wrong with the club he ruined hull he ruined Stockport now he's ruining us fact Exactly.
|
|
|
Post by gone4eva on Dec 23, 2017 17:34:34 GMT
Fans happy to put up with dross.
Those who point out problems get hounded.
We will keep getting hammered, will go down, Bignot will leave in the summer but elements of the club will remain exactly the same.
|
|
|
Post by Paul Da Part on Dec 23, 2017 19:56:57 GMT
Who’s fault is it? The board. End of.
I could say so much more but what’s the point?
We are “fan-owned” and us fans have asked time and time again for better communication etc..... what gets done about it? Fuck all.
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Dec 23, 2017 20:14:09 GMT
From top to bottom our club is an absolute mess and has been ever since Durkin was elected onto the board. Since that moment the club lost the values that made it so successful and re-election after re-election doesn't seem to have rid the board of what is quite clearly a cancer within it. Some of the appointments have been diabolical and ultimately the board and the CEO have to take responsibility for that. We seem to have been cursed by people who talk a good game but don't back it up with action at every level. Those elected onto the board have been trusted and they have let us down badly. Can any one of them justify what they are doing? There is no external sign of them doing anything. Maguire may talk a good game and bring in a few sponsorship deals but he is at the heart of the desperate decision making. Anyone who thinks he wasn't the key driving force behind extending McCarthy's contract, allowing him the summer and handed him 350k to spend needs to give their head a wobble. I think it's too easy to point fingers over the contract extension. I think it is pretty common knowledge that Port Vale were circling, and at the time it looked to everyone that we had one of the brightest managerial talents around. I actually think we had to roll the dice and extend his deal and I still back the decision. If we hadn't and he'd left, we'd all have asked why it was allowed to happen. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but nobody could have predicted the scale of our deterioration. For me, the board and MM need to answer questions on why he was allowed to continue over the summer. That's the biggest balls-up of the lot.
|
|
|
Post by trev on Dec 23, 2017 20:31:15 GMT
From top to bottom our club is an absolute mess and has been ever since Durkin was elected onto the board. Since that moment the club lost the values that made it so successful and re-election after re-election doesn't seem to have rid the board of what is quite clearly a cancer within it. Some of the appointments have been diabolical and ultimately the board and the CEO have to take responsibility for that. We seem to have been cursed by people who talk a good game but don't back it up with action at every level. Those elected onto the board have been trusted and they have let us down badly. Can any one of them justify what they are doing? There is no external sign of them doing anything. Maguire may talk a good game and bring in a few sponsorship deals but he is at the heart of the desperate decision making. Anyone who thinks he wasn't the key driving force behind extending McCarthy's contract, allowing him the summer and handed him 350k to spend needs to give their head a wobble. I think it's too easy to point fingers over the contract extension. I think it is pretty common knowledge that Port Vale were circling, and at the time it looked to everyone that we had one of the brightest managerial talents around. I actually think we had to roll the dice and extend his deal and I still back the decision. If we hadn't and he'd left, we'd all have asked why it was allowed to happen. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but nobody could have predicted the scale of our deterioration. For me, the board and MM need to answer questions on why he was allowed to continue over the summer. That's the biggest balls-up of the lot.
It was the length of the contract extension which was ridiculous as no one seemed to have considered the worst case scenario and the obvious financial problem the Club would have in paying him off. From what I can see this was the main reason he was kept on after the Borehamwood game last season as it made absolutely no footballing sense whatsoever. We didn’t seem to learn after burrs contract was extended.
|
|
|
Post by rcb on Dec 23, 2017 21:36:31 GMT
If only this sh*t had hit the fan many months ago, and ideally at the end of April. Even when McCarthy got the chop at least 4 months too late then the Board, no doubt heavily influenced by Maguire, continued the f*ck up process by going for a man with virtually no National League experience at all, and none in the North-West. At best an optimistic gamble. I take no pleasure in feeling right in my opinion that we are well past any long term survival. My observation on 17th. September remains true for me. “Get Barrow and Holden in as a dynamic duo for the short term and the future, or pass through the National North on the way to oblivion.” The fan owned model was essential in getting the new club going, but reached a plateau following promotion to the National League, in my opinion. I bought a new car in January and think the world of it. Like the fan owned model I find first gear essential in getting me started, but realise it’s not going to get me far so I move up through the gears. That’s not to criticise either better gears or the fan owned model. Perhaps I could get away with staying in first gear if I only made very short journeys.
|
|
|
Post by Little Blue Boy on Dec 23, 2017 22:00:37 GMT
It was the length of the contract extension which was ridiculous as no one seemed to have considered the worst case scenario and the obvious financial problem the Club would have in paying him off. From what I can see this was the main reason he was kept on after the Borehamwood game last season as it made absolutely no footballing sense whatsoever. We didn’t seem to learn after burrs contract was extended. Not the case. The pay-off was minimal. The reason he was kept on for so long was because the Board didn't have the required experience or ability to make a tough decision, add to the fact a lot of them worshiped the ground McCarthy walked on and it was a recipe for disaster.
|
|
|
Post by rcb on Dec 23, 2017 22:04:04 GMT
It’s obviously the fault of the weather. When McCarthy was appointed, and then when Bignot was appointed Maguire said the the quality of their presentations at their interviews “blew me and the board away.” Clearly the wind wasn’t strong enough because both Maguire and the board are still here.
|
|
|
Post by Lobster on Dec 23, 2017 22:39:40 GMT
It was the length of the contract extension which was ridiculous as no one seemed to have considered the worst case scenario and the obvious financial problem the Club would have in paying him off. From what I can see this was the main reason he was kept on after the Borehamwood game last season as it made absolutely no footballing sense whatsoever. We didn’t seem to learn after burrs contract was extended. Not the case. The pay-off was minimal. The reason he was kept on for so long was because the Board didn't have the required experience or ability to make a tough decision, add to the fact a lot of them worshiped the ground McCarthy walked on and it was a recipe for disaster. This is what I really struggle to understand. I don't much rate the current board, but what I don't doubt is that they care and hurt in the same way we do when they lose, so how could they have seen the whole McCarthy situation so differently? I mean, McCarthy was a dead man walking for months. The fans knew it, the media knew it, I think even he knew it and had an air of a man who wanted to be put out his misery at times. Fans of other clubs were finding his continued presence as Chester manager strange and amusing. And his legacy speaks for itself. What was he doing behind the scenes that caused the board to see him so differently to the terraces? Other than getting a volunteer to fit a new dressing room.
|
|
|
Post by embalmer on Dec 23, 2017 22:56:03 GMT
Not the case. The pay-off was minimal. The reason he was kept on for so long was because the Board didn't have the required experience or ability to make a tough decision, add to the fact a lot of them worshiped the ground McCarthy walked on and it was a recipe for disaster. This is what I really struggle to understand. I don't much rate the current board, but what I don't doubt is that they care and hurt in the same way we do when they lose, so how could they have seen the whole McCarthy situation so differently? I mean, McCarthy was a dead man walking for months. The fans knew it, the media knew it, I think even he knew it and had an air of a man who wanted to be put out his misery at times. Fans of other clubs were finding his continued presence as Chester manager strange and amusing. And his legacy speaks for itself. What was he doing behind the scenes that caused the board to see him so differently to the terraces? Other than getting a volunteer to fit a new dressing room. He was quite astute in becoming very good friends with key decision makers on the board. You can already see it with the way the chairman interacts with Bignot at CFU meetings - it is utterly unprofessional. They act like mates who are down at the pub for a pint with each other. And the big problem with that is that the board members, inevitably, are going to have to make a fairly unpleasant decision about that person at some point. When that person is "your mate" it becomes much more difficult to make the decision to sack them. It is just further evidence of how unsuited to their positions the board is - they're too busy making friends with the manager, seemingly completely unaware that their his boss and should retain a sensible, somewhat distanced relationship in order to remain in a position to make the correct decisions. They catastrophically failed to do this and we are know all reaping the whirlwind of abject shite for which they were the principal sowers.
|
|