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Post by Si on May 7, 2020 21:21:23 GMT
First things first, we need clear dialogue from both the board and Stuart. Is the club in such dire straits that we've almost invited the offer from Stuart? Or has this been Stuart's intentions all along? Until I hear from both parties then I think it's approach with caution.
I've always been supportive of fan owned model. When we've had the highs it's been amazing as it's all been done by ourselves, but in the cold light of day without the increased revenue streams that better facilities can provide then in terms of cashflow without Stuart I'd guess we're a mid table Conference North team, and I'm not sure how many are happy with that. I'm inclined to protect the valuable asset we have, but the ambition in me can't help but feel we should consider alternatives where appropriate. I'd echo what others have said in that the timing feels a little predatory, but I don't want to leap to conclusions without hearing Stuart's plans for the club and how the fans stay involved. Ultimately this is our club that we build, so we don't surrender that without a bloody good alternative that at least gives us all a meaningful say.
We also have to be considerate of all opinions here, as depending on age and circumstances everyone has valid reasons for preferring one option over the other. For example, my old man is 71 and has seen it all following Chester - external investment is probably our best shot of him seeing Chester play league football in his lifetime again, which I know means a lot to him. Whereas for me as a 33 year old, its a massive roll of the dice because ultimately I just want a football club in Chester for me and my daughter to watch, and if that's Conference North then so be it, but I have to admit the temptation is there. I've not looked on social media yet but I feel like now it's more important than ever to not vent at others who don't share your opinion on the direction of the club, but for sensible discussion on what would appear to be a crucial point during this reformed club. It could be a missed opportunity or a dodged bullet, and details feel a little thin on the ground to decide which way right now which is why I'm inclined to protect what we have until I hear Stuart's details.....
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Post by martin on May 7, 2020 21:41:25 GMT
I am totally opposed to any one individual, no matter who they are, owning a controlling stake in Chester FC.
In order to progress, I might be persuaded by a hybrid model such as AFC Wimbledon
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Post by agl on May 7, 2020 21:47:02 GMT
Plenty of food for thought but at this stage it's a simple question from me. Has Stuart so far fulfilled all his promises to the club? If the answer is yes, then let's hear what he has to say and where we stand without him (bearing in mind the possibility of no football at our level until 2021) and make an informed decision. If the answer is no, then he can't be trusted.
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Post by avfo on May 7, 2020 21:48:53 GMT
First things first, we need clear dialogue from both the board and Stuart. Is the club in such dire straits that we've almost invited the offer from Stuart? Or has this been Stuart's intentions all along? Until I hear from both parties then I think it's approach with caution. I've always been supportive of fan owned model. When we've had the highs it's been amazing as it's all been done by ourselves, but in the cold light of day without the increased revenue streams that better facilities can provide then in terms of cashflow without Stuart I'd guess we're a mid table Conference North team, and I'm not sure how many are happy with that. I'm inclined to protect the valuable asset we have, but the ambition in me can't help but feel we should consider alternatives where appropriate. I'd echo what others have said in that the timing feels a little predatory, but I don't want to leap to conclusions without hearing Stuart's plans for the club and how the fans stay involved. Ultimately this is our club that we build, so we don't surrender that without a bloody good alternative that at least gives us all a meaningful say.
We also have to be considerate of all opinions here, as depending on age and circumstances everyone has valid reasons for preferring one option over the other. For example, my old man is 71 and has seen it all following Chester - external investment is probably our best shot of him seeing Chester play league football in his lifetime again, which I know means a lot to him. Whereas for me as a 33 year old, its a massive roll of the dice because ultimately I just want a football club in Chester for me and my daughter to watch, and if that's Conference North then so be it, but I have to admit the temptation is there. I've not looked on social media yet but I feel like now it's more important than ever to not vent at others who don't share your opinion on the direction of the club, but for sensible discussion on what would appear to be a crucial point during this reformed club. It could be a missed opportunity or a dodged bullet, and details feel a little thin on the ground to decide which way right now which is why I'm inclined to protect what we have until I hear Stuart's details..... From Dave Powell on twitter replying to someone wanting 'some level of fan ownership' - 'I don’t think a percentage split is on the table'.
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Post by Oaks Blue on May 7, 2020 21:54:50 GMT
Anyone who is yet to renew their CFU membership best do so pretty quick, as your club needs you!
Morris and Murphy out
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Post by bing on May 7, 2020 22:02:25 GMT
Anyone who is yet to renew their CFU membership best do so pretty quick, as your club needs you! Morris and Murphy out Morris too? Good lord.
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Post by Oaks Blue on May 7, 2020 22:04:08 GMT
Anyone who is yet to renew their CFU membership best do so pretty quick, as your club needs you! Morris and Murphy out Morris too? Good lord. Wake up and smell the coffee. This has been on the cards for months
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Post by devablue on May 7, 2020 22:09:00 GMT
Won't get over 75% of votes from CFU members. It would only work if there was some 51-49 rule in favour of fans.
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Post by hbomb on May 7, 2020 22:09:07 GMT
Wake up and smell the coffee. This has been on the cards for months You volunteering to replace him?
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Post by Oaks Blue on May 7, 2020 22:11:27 GMT
Wake up and smell the coffee. This has been on the cards for months You volunteering to replace him? Ah the old "you cant criticise if you don't volunteer yourself" comment. No mate, I'm not. But I know a fraud when I see two of them 👍
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Post by bing on May 7, 2020 22:15:27 GMT
Wake up and smell the coffee. This has been on the cards for months I suspected something was afoot with Jeff's Twitter dialogue a couple of weeks ago. A couple of months? Please explain.
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Post by Oaks Blue on May 7, 2020 22:18:45 GMT
Wake up and smell the coffee. This has been on the cards for months I suspected something was afoot with Jeff's Twitter dialogue a couple of weeks ago. A couple of months? Please explain. Because businesses, fan owned or otherwise have board meetings and contingency planning. If you think this is a takeover bid that was thought up in the last 2 weeks then you are possibly stupid enough to believe it's for the good of the club too. Good lord!
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Post by hbomb on May 7, 2020 22:20:55 GMT
You volunteering to replace him? Ah the old "you cant criticise if you don't volunteer yourself" comment. No mate, I'm not. But I know a fraud when I see two of them 👍 Fair enough. You haven’t criticised though. You haven’t backed anything up. Just an accusation of ‘this has been on the cards for months’ You’ve just launched an attack on Andrew Morris. Maybe rightly. Maybe wrongly. But from your tone it sounded like you have an alternative motive.
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Post by bluejon on May 7, 2020 22:25:03 GMT
Board need to be honest with the fanbase (not just CFU members) about what the ramifications are of this bid ONCE Murphy submits his business plan for the club. What would be the result of Murphy pulling his investment out of the club, what would be the benefits based on the business plan and make their recommendations based on this information. Currently without Murphys involvement supporting the playing budget I believe that the club is not sustainable, let that news sink in a minute or two. That would result in budget cuts for next season whenever that may be, loss of players, possible loss of backroom staff if budgets are cut, possible loss of funding for the King George V development for which Murphy pledged 300k towards. The board are closest to the detail and will understand the pros and cons. They need to be open and honest with us all so we can make the decision that benefits the club and community as a whole. This is something we have to address if/when we continue as a fan owned club. There's no reason anyone in the fanbase shouldn't be in the CFU, it's a pound a month. Given the club statement states that he has to settle his outstanding commitments by the 11th May please tell me that the Board hasn’t been buying players and incurring costs based on a promise of “jam tomorrow”, Christ, was nothing learned from the shambles of the Johnny Hughes era?
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Post by Oaks Blue on May 7, 2020 22:25:16 GMT
Ah the old "you cant criticise if you don't volunteer yourself" comment. No mate, I'm not. But I know a fraud when I see two of them 👍 Fair enough. You haven’t criticised though. You haven’t backed anything up. Just an accusation of ‘this has been on the cards for months’ You’ve just launched an attack on Andrew Morris. Maybe rightly. Maybe wrongly. But from your tone it sounded like you have an alternative motive. You make my experience in global business sound like I am some sort of deviant with something other than the club's best interests at heart! The truth is, I don't have any hard facts yet, but I do know that Corona hit in march, DHW resigned a week or so ago, Morris took temp charge and now this. Care to back up your thoughts?
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Post by bing on May 7, 2020 22:36:08 GMT
I suspected something was afoot with Jeff's Twitter dialogue a couple of weeks ago. A couple of months? Please explain. Because businesses, fan owned or otherwise have board meetings and contingency planning. If you think this is a takeover bid that was thought up in the last 2 weeks then you are possibly stupid enough to believe it's for the good of the club too. Good lord! But by using the phrase, "wake up and smell the coffee" you rather patronisingly insinuate that I'm missing something that you haven't. And again, seeing as you weren't listening, I'm willing to listen to both sides and make an informed decision when the time comes - you'd look a lot less silly if you did the same.
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Post by bluejon on May 7, 2020 22:39:00 GMT
Let no one think that this has come about due to recent circumstances. This has been coming for two years, SM has played the Board for fools building up their dependency on his funding. I have said over many months that I didn’t trust his intentions and his actions now only go to prove that point. What is most worrying is that it seems that he has not even put his money where his mouth is, given the fact that the club have given him until Monday to pay his outstanding debts, which is possibly our financial year end. We are damned if we do, and damned if we don’t. Let him take the club and we’ve lost ownership of our club, reject his offer, he takes his bat and ball home and we lose our club. Like it or not we’re in a lose lose situation.
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Post by hbomb on May 7, 2020 22:44:07 GMT
Fair enough. You haven’t criticised though. You haven’t backed anything up. Just an accusation of ‘this has been on the cards for months’ You’ve just launched an attack on Andrew Morris. Maybe rightly. Maybe wrongly. But from your tone it sounded like you have an alternative motive. You make my experience in global business sound like I am some sort of deviant with something other than the club's best interests at heart! The truth is, I don't have any hard facts yet, but I do know that Corona hit in march, DHW resigned a week or so ago, Morris took temp charge and now this. Care to back up your thoughts? My thoughts? I know little about Andrew Morris. Can’t say either way yet. The Murphy move feels opportunistic. But that in itself isn’t a bad thing as such. I need more information to his plans and what he wants. And how he’ll guarantee to provide the means to complete these. At heart I want to be a fan owned club. But long term I don’t think it sustainable this way. In 10 years we’ve had 3 great ones then stagnated then fallen back. I’m not sure we can go forward again in our present state. I think eventually to progress we’ll need outside investment. Is Murphy the man? I’m not convinced yet. But equally I’m not too sure there’s many others knocking about.
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Post by Si on May 7, 2020 22:52:34 GMT
I really think its up to Stuart to persuade us his intentions are genuine, and as adults/owners we make our own minds up. I don't want to leap to conclusions without hearing both sides of the story - it doesn't make Stuart some sort of villain that he's made an offer. Worst case scenario is that we say no and Stuart pulls out his funding, then we adapt to the money we have - what that means for the level of football and quality of our team we cannot say right not as I imagine many clubs are in much better states than us.
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Post by avfo on May 7, 2020 23:05:43 GMT
I really think its up to Stuart to persuade us his intentions are genuine, and as adults/owners we make our own minds up. I don't want to leap to conclusions without hearing both sides of the story - it doesn't make Stuart some sort of villain that he's made an offer. Worst case scenario is that we say no and Stuart pulls out his funding, then we adapt to the money we have - what that means for the level of football and quality of our team we cannot say right not as I imagine many clubs are in much better states than us. A number of club owners are predicting that players wages will fall by around 40% for the next couple of years as clubs readjust to the new normal, so maybe CFC could compete in its current form at its current level.
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Post by everhopeful on May 7, 2020 23:28:17 GMT
I can't see a chance in Hell he gets a 75% vote to take ownership, his plans for the 1885 Village are at best a touch unrealistic. Feels like he's making a very opportunistic grab for the club amidst a nationwide pandemic, ruthless and opportunistic to say the least. If he believes in the club there's no need for him to take ownership like he's stated numerous times previously. As I said on the other thread, we have to make sure he doesn't get loads of his friends to become members of CFU and then vote for everything he wants. We need to stop all NEW membership applications NOW until this is all sorted one way or the other.
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Post by utb on May 7, 2020 23:28:53 GMT
Has Stuart Murphy actually confirmed that he will be pulling any current/future investment out of the club if his approach to takeover is rejected? If so then he’s got us by the bollocks. It was only a few months ago when we broke the National League North transfer record to sign John Johnston, which will have no doubt been funded largely by him. How are we going to afford his wages among others without his investment?
I’m skeptical but open to discussions. I’d like to see the business plan and proof of funds before I make a decision on how I’d vote but gut feeling is I can’t see him getting a 75% no matter what is on the table.
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Post by everhopeful on May 7, 2020 23:39:41 GMT
Crucial that Stuart comes out ASAP and tells us what has prompted this offer. As AVFO posts above he’s previously made it clear he doesn’t want to own or run a football club. Why the change? I can’t believe that so many people honestly fell for the nonsense that he didn’t want ownership of the club from day one. Sorry Danny, no change, just an admission of what has always been the objective. Sad that he felt it necessary to adopt the selfless benefactor fan role for so long. I am no supporter of fan ownership in the longer term. Undoubtedly it was a necessary step in 2010, and will always be grateful for those first three seasons. Shame that we had to get relegated to level Six in order to show the limitations of fan ownership. My only concern about this particular attempt at ownership is that it is by someone who has been so dishonest from the start, and has successfully fooled so many diehard supporters in the process. Why now? Announcing now, given the current fear for future football, it may well deter people from renewing CFU membership. That being the case, dear uncle Stuart simply pays for all his supporters to take out membership, vote for him and there is your 75%.Exactly right. As I said higher up, new membership should be closed NOW until all this is settled one way or the other. If it isn't, we'll have OUR club stolen from us! BEWARE!!
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Post by Moltisanti on May 8, 2020 0:29:13 GMT
First things first, we need clear dialogue from both the board and Stuart. Is the club in such dire straits that we've almost invited the offer from Stuart? Or has this been Stuart's intentions all along? Until I hear from both parties then I think it's approach with caution. I've always been supportive of fan owned model. When we've had the highs it's been amazing as it's all been done by ourselves, but in the cold light of day without the increased revenue streams that better facilities can provide then in terms of cashflow without Stuart I'd guess we're a mid table Conference North team, and I'm not sure how many are happy with that. I'm inclined to protect the valuable asset we have, but the ambition in me can't help but feel we should consider alternatives where appropriate. I'd echo what others have said in that the timing feels a little predatory, but I don't want to leap to conclusions without hearing Stuart's plans for the club and how the fans stay involved. Ultimately this is our club that we build, so we don't surrender that without a bloody good alternative that at least gives us all a meaningful say. We also have to be considerate of all opinions here, as depending on age and circumstances everyone has valid reasons for preferring one option over the other. For example, my old man is 71 and has seen it all following Chester - external investment is probably our best shot of him seeing Chester play league football in his lifetime again, which I know means a lot to him. Whereas for me as a 33 year old, its a massive roll of the dice because ultimately I just want a football club in Chester for me and my daughter to watch, and if that's Conference North then so be it, but I have to admit the temptation is there. I've not looked on social media yet but I feel like now it's more important than ever to not vent at others who don't share your opinion on the direction of the club, but for sensible discussion on what would appear to be a crucial point during this reformed club. It could be a missed opportunity or a dodged bullet, and details feel a little thin on the ground to decide which way right now which is why I'm inclined to protect what we have until I hear Stuart's details..... Was going to post an essay but no need to, you’ve said exactly where I am with it.
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Post by midfieldgeneral on May 8, 2020 0:49:43 GMT
First things first, we need clear dialogue from both the board and Stuart. Is the club in such dire straits that we've almost invited the offer from Stuart? Or has this been Stuart's intentions all along? Until I hear from both parties then I think it's approach with caution. I've always been supportive of fan owned model. When we've had the highs it's been amazing as it's all been done by ourselves, but in the cold light of day without the increased revenue streams that better facilities can provide then in terms of cashflow without Stuart I'd guess we're a mid table Conference North team, and I'm not sure how many are happy with that. I'm inclined to protect the valuable asset we have, but the ambition in me can't help but feel we should consider alternatives where appropriate. I'd echo what others have said in that the timing feels a little predatory, but I don't want to leap to conclusions without hearing Stuart's plans for the club and how the fans stay involved. Ultimately this is our club that we build, so we don't surrender that without a bloody good alternative that at least gives us all a meaningful say.
We also have to be considerate of all opinions here, as depending on age and circumstances everyone has valid reasons for preferring one option over the other. For example, my old man is 71 and has seen it all following Chester - external investment is probably our best shot of him seeing Chester play league football in his lifetime again, which I know means a lot to him. Whereas for me as a 33 year old, its a massive roll of the dice because ultimately I just want a football club in Chester for me and my daughter to watch, and if that's Conference North then so be it, but I have to admit the temptation is there. I've not looked on social media yet but I feel like now it's more important than ever to not vent at others who don't share your opinion on the direction of the club, but for sensible discussion on what would appear to be a crucial point during this reformed club. It could be a missed opportunity or a dodged bullet, and details feel a little thin on the ground to decide which way right now which is why I'm inclined to protect what we have until I hear Stuart's details..... From Dave Powell on twitter replying to someone wanting 'some level of fan ownership' - 'I don’t think a percentage split is on the table'. If thats the case, its a No from me. The alternative is hoping he turns out better, than the last 4 piss poor chairman and I wouldnt bet on that. What happens if the Sports Village goes tits up? The fans will again be left to pick up the pieces.
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Post by Frank Owen’s Paintbrush on May 8, 2020 6:02:50 GMT
Imagine us flying the flag for reformation and fan ownership for a decade then to give (not sell, there’s nothing to sell) full ownership to a private businessman who has already gone on record as wanting the council-owned land for development.
Any outsider looking in will say we’d f****d it up big time.
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Post by citricky on May 8, 2020 6:43:01 GMT
Imagine us flying the flag for reformation and fan ownership for a decade then to give (not sell, there’s nothing to sell) full ownership to a private businessman who has already gone on record as wanting the council-owned land for development. Any outsider looking in will say we’d f****d it up big time. Please change your offensive avatar. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that you won't be taken seriously as long as you persist on using it. Deleting my comment again won't make me go away.
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Post by billyw on May 8, 2020 6:55:54 GMT
There are some right hissy fits on here - why not just wait to see the details before going into panic mode. When we have the facts from both parties we can make a reasoned decision.
For all we know the club may be in danger of folding due to the current crisis - would some on here prefer that to a Murphy buy-out. Chill until you know the facts.
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Post by g1 on May 8, 2020 7:06:52 GMT
All those that love the fan owned (which I do by the way) just remember it was only 2 years ago two chester board members nearly killed the club aka Maguire and Kirby who were voted on for themselves not for the good of the club so whilst we have had good apples we had some bad apples too being fan owned not all it cracked up to be
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Post by Frank Owen’s Paintbrush on May 8, 2020 7:22:13 GMT
Wake up and smell the coffee. This has been on the cards for months Morris has positioned himself well to act as Murphy’s stooge. It’s obvious. He’s notably pro-Murphy and notably anti-fan ownership. His actions on this message board raise a few eyebrows.
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