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Post by Dodleston Blue on Apr 20, 2017 21:18:58 GMT
He's actually helped organise the new youth development scholarship which I think is a positive step forward. I wonder how much he has actually 'helped'. There are a lot of good people involved in the youth and community, who I imagine have done the work around this. I imagine old pipedream has just given it the okay. Correct, people in the game who have had experience of his previous football activities wouldn't touch him, in a business project, with a barge pole. |
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Post by Frustrated on Apr 20, 2017 21:32:45 GMT
I wonder how much he has actually 'helped'. There are a lot of good people involved in the youth and community, who I imagine have done the work around this. I imagine old pipedream has just given it the okay. He is also in talks with a potential new sponsor. Comet and Brantano!! |
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Post by tarvinblue on Apr 20, 2017 22:03:52 GMT
I wonder how much he has actually 'helped'. There are a lot of good people involved in the youth and community, who I imagine have done the work around this. I imagine old pipedream has just given it the okay. He is also in talks with a potential new sponsor. He's always in talks, there's always potential. Let's see some hard evidence of impact. 12 months on I'm still waiting for old pipeline to start delivering. |
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Post by border collie on Apr 20, 2017 22:34:54 GMT
So ,if you wanted to find out tonights agenda you had to be there
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Post by Dodge on Apr 20, 2017 23:13:29 GMT
Did some notes from tonight's meeting (uploaded quickly after a long day so excuse typos etc) Mark Maguire did a presentation on what he has added to the club to address the concerns of fans. He told the board at the time of the interview that it would take 18 months for him to have a full impact and he stands by that now having a CEO costs £17k a year more than a commercial manager (I.e Tracey Smith) Having meetings with Bank of America regarding continuing their connection with the club following their sale of MBNA Lots of conversations going on - want to tell you about what's happening but can't it's confirmed - need to be judged over a period of time He's never been more confident that in he is now that he is going to deliver commercial and financial success for CFC Sponsorship was a mess when he came and a number of sponsor boards in the ground hadn't been paid for for a year or sometimes two years which had mostly been resolved now There were examples of businesses being asked if they wanted to purchase an advertising board who had turned down the opportunity but the boards were still produced Abbey gate college one example of that - now they have linked with community trust to do outreach work for lonely people in rural area, which helped them get funding for 3G pitch and now will be sponsoring the club He recovered the total fitness sponsorship which CFC was going to lose - which saves the club £14k a year in gym memberships - this will continue next year as well He recovered the maxi flow sponsorship which saves the club £8k a year There are a number of things he has done that have not delivered profit but have provided large savings such as alcohol sponsorship, he estimated this "other savings" had saved the club a total of £38k He had made the club £5k in up sales on advertising existing sponsors Overall new deals made during his time as CEO had generated the club £21.5k Another new sponsor expected in the next month would save the club £9k a year for 3 years He is currently working on further income through stadium revenues which would result in a £37.5k a year income for the club, but this was still in the "pipeline"  Perception of club commercially - had to make self unpopular to prevent others from approaching sponsors - upset fundraising group at times - can damage our commercial integrity if we keep going "cap in hand" to particular businesses instead of establishing a strategy He was building key relationship - dozens over a period of time 2 key initiatives in the next few months:- "100 club" - recruitment of 100 companies paying £1000 each to be part of a group of business which would provide networking and community outreach opportunities, not going to deliver 100 in year one but hopefully 30 or so in the first year and 100 in the second year "Affinity marketing" - establishing a marketplace for everyone interested in CFC where you can benefit the club by buying goods and services from businesses that would then contribute to Chester FC. He is already in talks with a betting site and its expected to bring the club £5k in commissions. A number of energy companies have also expressed an interest and other businesses such as broadband providers, barbers, printers, restaurants etc were being contacted. He stressed that he is a Chief Executive as well as a Commercial Manager. He said that he had helped steer the good work of those involved in the youth set up. Had protected club in terms of FA, fought them twice this season and "won both." It had taken up a lot of his time, but by appealing the charges it saved money, integrity and morale - took a week and a half to collect the info on the Wrexham incident and In the end CFC submitted a 20 page document to the FA which resulted in the charges being dropped. Hotels for away travel - last year when we stayed away it was £2.5k a time Having worked in the hotel industry, he negotiated better deals so it's now £1.9k a time Ticketing - nobody knew who floating fans were Now got software to communicate with people The current approach is rather than give away free tickets which creates market for free tickets and doesn't bring data, we do initiatives which collects data and we will be trying to get them back Season ticket campaigns People look at Bradford City - £149 in March then went up each month after that Cash flow the reason, most football league clubs need cash after they receive their central funding in January/February time - hence why they launch their campaign early We don't have that cash flow problem - no need to release them early unless need to It makes sense to launch the campaign on the back of positive things - if we were in a promotion plus we would have done it by now Results been awful so not done that It has to be on back of some positives for next season Mark's "fault" but stands by it The new season ticket package is going to address some of demographic issues in the crowd Going to be great Online shop - We have collected data and there are more improvements to come Want to make it easier to buy from us Make it too difficult here at the moment and that will be solved with technology and a big piece of work Mark's connection with David Felgate was instrumental in getting him to come to the club Sam Hughes - Mark managed to convince the board to turn down bid from Barnsley - confident will come to fruition in the coming weeks - "judge me on that" We had previously struggled with car boot sales and had made a loss on occasions Mark got someone with experience of car boot sales to run it and the club are now forecasting £7k-£10k a year from the car boot sale once up and running |
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Post by Just sayin on Apr 20, 2017 23:18:00 GMT
It's not a snipe to comment that in 12 months despite some work in an area that's not the most pressing shall we say, we're actually MINUS 1 in major sponsors. As ever we just want the paid employees taking the club / fans money to be accountable
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Post by Dodge on Apr 20, 2017 23:32:32 GMT
Q&A
Q: What is happening with the Lookers Vauxhall deal?
A: Ends in the summer, was 2 years but needs to be renegotiated
Q: Some of the criticism of Mark Maguire was because he had not done before what he has done tonight - in future can we have a quarterly statement?
A: Yes it's important, need more of it and to do it on a wider basis e.g holding fans forums elsewhere, such as pubs to get the messages out
Q: You said people need to having realistic expectations - the club need to explain the difficulties Jon faces in terms of injuries and budgetary limitations, otherwise questions are asked and it makes the situation worse
A: Don't want to come across as negative if we keep making excuses. There are things we are looking at doing to address these issues next season. We need to look at medical team, we are looking at training regimes to help prevent injuries for next season
Q: We need to make sure we are always talking about our financial position and our place in the community, we need to get stats out such as the agent fees stat that was recently released, people's perceptions will change
A: The worst emotion is apathy when it comes to football, anger is a positive emotion and we welcome it. It's about bragging rights, we want kids to be able to brag about chester in school, we need to make the club more accessible for youngsters and create a buzz e.g training with the team
A: We are looking at offering a direct debit option for season tickets where a monthly payment is made over the season
Q: What is the predicted loss?
A: Won't know until end of season, pay at the gate at the moment is £8k behind, be about £10k after Boreham Wood on current projections, season tickets £15k below budget, so project a £25k loss on gate receipts
Q: Last game could be difficult - might get more in if its a relegation battle and we publicise it
A: An email is going out tonight to Season Ticket Holders to bring a mate for £5
A: Also lapsed STHs and those who have bought things online will receive an email offer to come to the Boreham Wood game for £10
Q: Why is it only lapsed season ticket holders and people who have bought things online who get the £10 ticket offer?
A: We will be assessing the uptake and will decide whether to roll it out across the board in due course
Q: How do we make general public more aware of good news? Eg standard?
A: New website will mean that it automatically feeds into all social media avenues, and coordinate that with press releases, so will be more organised soon
Q: Should everyone be able to vote for player of the year? Can alienate people?
A: It was also sent out to expired members
A: Delicate balance between protecting benefits of being a CFU Member but also realising that not everyone wants to be a member, but we need to raise the profile of CFU
Q: There are other benefits of being a CFU member not just being able to vote for player of the season, we should open it up to everyone to be inclusive and gather more details from voters
Q: Chronicle providing fantastic coverage and should be thanked and we should link to them on our new website
Q: Will Sam Hughes go to a tribunal?
A: Like to think we will get the money before start of season to bolster the playing budget for next season
Q: Prepared for any other players leaving? E.g Alabi
A: Yes
Q: Plans to utilise grounds during close season? Concerts?
A: Had conversations with concert promoters, Mark introduced it at Hull with JLS and Olly Murs playing the KC Stadium - the lead time on these things is about 12 months, but will be disappointed if nothing materialises of the discussions
Q: Are we looking at turning the pitch into 3G/4G?
A: Be wrong not to explore every avenue, we have massive space here that needs to be further utilised
A: Circus generated £2.5k
A: The Football League last voted on 4G pitches in Nov 2015 and out of the 72 teams, 38 voted for, 38 voted against 4 abstained
Q: Car park needs repairing
A: We are looking at this as we speak
A: More use of events will allow us to demand fees to improve the car park
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Post by MPW on Apr 20, 2017 23:55:10 GMT
Thanks for the notes Dodge, good work.
No update on training ground then?
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Post by billyw on Apr 21, 2017 6:41:30 GMT
Q&A Q: What is happening with the Lookers Vauxhall deal? A: Ends in the summer, was 2 years but needs to be renegotiated Q: Some of the criticism of Mark Maguire was because he had not done before what he has done tonight - in future can we have a quarterly statement? A: Yes it's important, need more of it and to do it on a wider basis e.g holding fans forums elsewhere, such as pubs to get the messages out Q: You said people need to having realistic expectations - the club need to explain the difficulties Jon faces in terms of injuries and budgetary limitations, otherwise questions are asked and it makes the situation worse A: Don't want to come across as negative if we keep making excuses. There are things we are looking at doing to address these issues next season. We need to look at medical team, we are looking at training regimes to help prevent injuries for next season Q: We need to make sure we are always talking about our financial position and our place in the community, we need to get stats out such as the agent fees stat that was recently released, people's perceptions will change A: The worst emotion is apathy when it comes to football, anger is a positive emotion and we welcome it. It's about bragging rights, we want kids to be able to brag about chester in school, we need to make the club more accessible for youngsters and create a buzz e.g training with the team A: We are looking at offering a direct debit option for season tickets where a monthly payment is made over the season Q: What is the predicted loss? A: Won't know until end of season, pay at the gate at the moment is £8k behind, be about £10k after Boreham Wood on current projections, season tickets £15k below budget, so project a £25k loss on gate receipts Q: Last game could be difficult - might get more in if its a relegation battle and we publicise it A: An email is going out tonight to Season Ticket Holders to bring a mate for £5 A: Also lapsed STHs and those who have bought things online will receive an email offer to come to the Boreham Wood game for £10 Q: Why is it only lapsed season ticket holders and people who have bought things online who get the £10 ticket offer? A: We will be assessing the uptake and will decide whether to roll it out across the board in due course Q: How do we make general public more aware of good news? Eg standard? A: New website will mean that it automatically feeds into all social media avenues, and coordinate that with press releases, so will be more organised soon Q: Should everyone be able to vote for player of the year? Can alienate people? A: It was also sent out to expired members A: Delicate balance between protecting benefits of being a CFU Member but also realising that not everyone wants to be a member, but we need to raise the profile of CFU Q: There are other benefits of being a CFU member not just being able to vote for player of the season, we should open it up to everyone to be inclusive and gather more details from voters Q: Chronicle providing fantastic coverage and should be thanked and we should link to them on our new website Q: Will Sam Hughes go to a tribunal? A: Like to think we will get the money before start of season to bolster the playing budget for next season Q: Prepared for any other players leaving? E.g Alabi A: Yes Q: Plans to utilise grounds during close season? Concerts? A: Had conversations with concert promoters, Mark introduced it at Hull with JLS and Olly Murs playing the KC Stadium - the lead time on these things is about 12 months, but will be disappointed if nothing materialises of the discussions Q: Are we looking at turning the pitch into 3G/4G? A: Be wrong not to explore every avenue, we have massive space here that needs to be further utilised A: Circus generated £2.5k A: The Football League last voted on 4G pitches in Nov 2015 and out of the 72 teams, 38 voted for, 38 voted against 4 abstained Q: Car park needs repairing A: We are looking at this as we speak A: More use of events will allow us to demand fees to improve the car park A brilliant summary - thanks for your hard work. |
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Post by Al on Apr 21, 2017 7:28:24 GMT
Excellent work Dodge, and a good line of questioning from the floor as well which is what I like to see!
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Post by dmcnally on Apr 21, 2017 7:33:56 GMT
Mark has done some great for us so far and it will only get better from here. Excited for the future with him at the top.
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Post by Harry Lime on Apr 21, 2017 8:35:08 GMT
Dodge thanks for the info on the meeting. Much appreciated.
Couldn't go last night. At least I've got most of the detail now.
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Post by Oaks Blue on Apr 21, 2017 9:29:43 GMT
He's not wrong though is he!
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Post by richard on Apr 21, 2017 9:44:52 GMT
He's not wrong though is he! Yes he is wrong, on a number of levels. Just hate it when enthusiasm and openness from youngsters is crushed by cynicism. That needs to stop now on this board. We should cherish our young fans and offer nothing but encouragement. Moving on to MM's presentation at last night's meeting. If there was one thing I took away from this, it was that his salary has been more than covered in sponsorship, contra deals, savings on expenses etc. Also his experience and knowledge has helped enormously when dealing with governing bodies, saving potential fines. The role of our CEO is not in any way JUST about commercial revenues. There are a plethora of areas where management, experience and advice are pivotal to running a football club. Either way, he insists that he welcomes being measured against targets and its up to the board to do this. No amount of uninformed comment by agenda pushing cynics on here will add any value to this. |
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Post by Oaks Blue on Apr 21, 2017 9:54:33 GMT
He's not wrong though is he! Yes he is wrong, on a number of levels. Just hate it when enthusiasm and openness from youngsters is crushed by cynicism. That needs to stop now on this board. We should cherish our young fans and offer nothing but encouragement. Moving on to MM's presentation at last night's meeting. If there was one thing I took away from this, it was that his salary has been more than covered in sponsorship, contra deals, savings on expenses etc. Also his experience and knowledge has helped enormously when dealing with governing bodies, saving potential fines. The role of our CEO is not in any way JUST about commercial revenues. There are a plethora of areas where management, experience and advice are pivotal to running a football club. Either way, he insists that he welcomes being measured against targets and its up to the board to do this. No amount of uninformed comment by agenda pushing cynics on here will add any value to this. I was trying to say that i agree with every poster who opposes Blue 4 Life's views. He needs to be removed from this board, the guy is obviously a WUM |
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Post by richard on Apr 21, 2017 9:56:56 GMT
Yes he is wrong, on a number of levels. Just hate it when enthusiasm and openness from youngsters is crushed by cynicism. That needs to stop now on this board. We should cherish our young fans and offer nothing but encouragement. Moving on to MM's presentation at last night's meeting. If there was one thing I took away from this, it was that his salary has been more than covered in sponsorship, contra deals, savings on expenses etc. Also his experience and knowledge has helped enormously when dealing with governing bodies, saving potential fines. The role of our CEO is not in any way JUST about commercial revenues. There are a plethora of areas where management, experience and advice are pivotal to running a football club. Either way, he insists that he welcomes being measured against targets and its up to the board to do this. No amount of uninformed comment by agenda pushing cynics on here will add any value to this. I was trying to say that i agree with every poster who opposes Blue 4 Life's views. He needs to be removed from this board, the guy is obviously a WUM Oh I see. My apologies. |
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Post by blue4life on Apr 21, 2017 10:16:20 GMT
I need to be removed because my views are different to yours, get a grip.
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Post by eyeswideopen on Apr 21, 2017 10:21:45 GMT
I need to be removed because my views are different to yours, get a grip. Lots of posts removed from this thread for over excessive foul language and some serious trolling. blue4life, having views different from other people is fine and should be welcomed, however expressing them in the manner you often do is unacceptable, this is the third and final time I will remove your posts, the next time I will remove your posting abilities. |
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Post by blue4life on Apr 21, 2017 10:38:36 GMT
I need to be removed because my views are different to yours, get a grip. Lots of posts removed from this thread for over excessive foul language and some serious trolling. blue4life, having views different from other people is fine and should be welcomed, however expressing them in the manner you often do is unacceptable, this is the third and final time I will remove your posts, the next time I will remove your posting abilities. Apart from swearing in which is fair enough but please Explain why my posts are deemed unacceptable? |
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Post by deva feva on Apr 21, 2017 10:42:40 GMT
Fair play if McGuire has done all that. 2 serious questions from me though.
1. One very lucrative potential deal I helped sort out still haven't got a reply 2 months after a meeting with McGuire. Why?
2. Ifmcguire does all that,what does tony Allen do with his 37.5 hours a week?
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Post by eyeswideopen on Apr 21, 2017 10:43:30 GMT
Lots of posts removed from this thread for over excessive foul language and some serious trolling. blue4life, having views different from other people is fine and should be welcomed, however expressing them in the manner you often do is unacceptable, this is the third and final time I will remove your posts, the next time I will remove your posting abilities. Apart from swearing in which is fair enough but please Explain why my posts are deemed unacceptable? You answered your own question in the first part of your sentence above. Verbal abusive language is sometimes unavoidable as it is reactionary, to actually type it out is premeditated and unnecessary. |
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Post by saltneyblueboy on Apr 21, 2017 10:47:40 GMT
So ,if you wanted to find out tonights agenda you had to be there It was freely available from last Saturday on CFU website... |
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Post by blue4life on Apr 21, 2017 10:47:44 GMT
Apart from swearing in which is fair enough but please Explain why my posts are deemed unacceptable? You answered your own question in the first part of your sentence above. Verbal abusive language is sometimes unavoidable as it is reactionary, to actually type it out is premeditated and unnecessary. Fair enough |
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Post by Browser on Apr 21, 2017 11:06:05 GMT
Did some notes from tonight's meeting (uploaded quickly after a long day so excuse typos etc) Mark Maguire did a presentation on what he has added to the club to address the concerns of fans. He told the board at the time of the interview that it would take 18 months for him to have a full impact and he stands by that now having a CEO costs £17k a year more than a commercial manager (I.e Tracey Smith) Having meetings with Bank of America regarding continuing their connection with the club following their sale of MBNA Lots of conversations going on - want to tell you about what's happening but can't it's confirmed - need to be judged over a period of time He's never been more confident that in he is now that he is going to deliver commercial and financial success for CFC Sponsorship was a mess when he came and a number of sponsor boards in the ground hadn't been paid for for a year or sometimes two years which had mostly been resolved now There were examples of businesses being asked if they wanted to purchase an advertising board who had turned down the opportunity but the boards were still produced Abbey gate college one example of that - now they have linked with community trust to do outreach work for lonely people in rural area, which helped them get funding for 3G pitch and now will be sponsoring the club He recovered the total fitness sponsorship which CFC was going to lose - which saves the club £14k a year in gym memberships - this will continue next year as well He recovered the maxi flow sponsorship which saves the club £8k a year There are a number of things he has done that have not delivered profit but have provided large savings such as alcohol sponsorship, he estimated this "other savings" had saved the club a total of £38k He had made the club £5k in up sales on advertising existing sponsors Overall new deals made during his time as CEO had generated the club £21.5k Another new sponsor expected in the next month would save the club £9k a year for 3 years He is currently working on further income through stadium revenues which would result in a £37.5k a year income for the club, but this was still in the "pipeline" Perception of club commercially - had to make self unpopular to prevent others from approaching sponsors - upset fundraising group at times - can damage our commercial integrity if we keep going "cap in hand" to particular businesses instead of establishing a strategy He was building key relationship - dozens over a period of time 2 key initiatives in the next few months:- "100 club" - recruitment of 100 companies paying £1000 each to be part of a group of business which would provide networking and community outreach opportunities, not going to deliver 100 in year one but hopefully 30 or so in the first year and 100 in the second year "Affinity marketing" - establishing a marketplace for everyone interested in CFC where you can benefit the club by buying goods and services from businesses that would then contribute to Chester FC. He is already in talks with a betting site and its expected to bring the club £5k in commissions. A number of energy companies have also expressed an interest and other businesses such as broadband providers, barbers, printers, restaurants etc were being contacted. He stressed that he is a Chief Executive as well as a Commercial Manager. He said that he had helped steer the good work of those involved in the youth set up. Had protected club in terms of FA, fought them twice this season and "won both." It had taken up a lot of his time, but by appealing the charges it saved money, integrity and morale - took a week and a half to collect the info on the Wrexham incident and In the end CFC submitted a 20 page document to the FA which resulted in the charges being dropped. Hotels for away travel - last year when we stayed away it was £2.5k a time Having worked in the hotel industry, he negotiated better deals so it's now £1.9k a time Ticketing - nobody knew who floating fans were Now got software to communicate with people The current approach is rather than give away free tickets which creates market for free tickets and doesn't bring data, we do initiatives which collects data and we will be trying to get them back Season ticket campaigns People look at Bradford City - £149 in March then went up each month after that Cash flow the reason, most football league clubs need cash after they receive their central funding in January/February time - hence why they launch their campaign early We don't have that cash flow problem - no need to release them early unless need to It makes sense to launch the campaign on the back of positive things - if we were in a promotion plus we would have done it by now Results been awful so not done that It has to be on back of some positives for next season Mark's "fault" but stands by it The new season ticket package is going to address some of demographic issues in the crowd Going to be great Online shop - We have collected data and there are more improvements to come Want to make it easier to buy from us Make it too difficult here at the moment and that will be solved with technology and a big piece of work Mark's connection with David Felgate was instrumental in getting him to come to the club Sam Hughes - Mark managed to convince the board to turn down bid from Barnsley - confident will come to fruition in the coming weeks - "judge me on that" We had previously struggled with car boot sales and had made a loss on occasions Mark got someone with experience of car boot sales to run it and the club are now forecasting £7k-£10k a year from the car boot sale once up and running Many thanks for posting all these notes, one of the few things worth reading in this thread. |
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Post by saltneyblueboy on Apr 21, 2017 11:57:50 GMT
To be honest, I didn't really fancy a late night at CFU meeting last night as I'd been in the office since 7.15am but I always find it so difficult to glean the truth from statements on here and other social media so I made the effort and was glad I did.
I feel that Mark McGuire works in a very similar way to myself - patient, relationship building, financially aware and confident in own ability, and by that I mean knowing when to ask for help!
He's trying to move away from milking the same cash cows and it takes time to develop solid relationships with other entities that will add to sponsorships, revenues etc rather than replace them. Producing savings on expenses with contra deals and negotiations is having the same effect as increasing revenue when it comes to the bottom line too.
Whether he's able to produce the results, time will tell but his plans suggest that he's here for the long haul so his actions should produce ongoing positive results eventually or he goes.
Simon Olorenshaw introduced a longterm strategy plan for the club which I sincerely hope is being tracked and tweaked even now. I would hope that CFU Board uses this tool to measure the level of performance and success of all its staff, paid or unpaid.
We are all judged on results and, as fans, we must remain patient, professional and supportive if these people are to succeed on our behalf. The strategy plan is long term - please don't let's spoil it by expecting short term results or this club will definitely fail.
I don't believe the Board and club employees are right in every decision they make but neither do they. Looking from the outside in can be useful as you do tend to pick up on weak areas and these are the comments that should be passed to the club officials. Always ensure that criticism is constructive and can be substantiated and in this manner all fans will prove of great use to the Board. They're crying out for fans' help and this is one easy way for genuine fans to give it
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Post by blue4life on Apr 21, 2017 12:00:48 GMT
I agree with Bing. You come across as not a very likeable person at all.
That may or may not be the case away from here. But I would suggest you think a bit more about what you're trying to say before you post again in future. Having a pop at a young supporter is completely unnecessary, especially when all they've done is try to help the club out.
I've spoken with the young lad on a few occasions on here via PM and he is a very passionate supporter of this football club always willing to help the club using his design skills. The lad should be applauded for his efforts and not have to put up with snide comments like yours earlier.
Ask questions of the paid employees of the football club to find out what they bring to the table, but for gods sake don't attack volunteers for wanting to make a difference.
No Volunteers = No Club
Fair enough I apologise me post was out of order. |
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Post by Al on Apr 21, 2017 12:10:38 GMT
To be honest, I didn't really fancy a late night at CFU meeting last night as I'd been in the office since 7.15am but I always find it so difficult to glean the truth from statements on here and other social media so I made the effort and was glad I did. I feel that Mark McGuire works in a very similar way to myself - patient, relationship building, financially aware and confident in own ability, and by that I mean knowing when to ask for help! He's trying to move away from milking the same cash cows and it takes time to develop solid relationships with other entities that will add to sponsorships, revenues etc rather than replace them. Producing savings on expenses with contra deals and negotiations is having the same effect as increasing revenue when it comes to the bottom line too. Whether he's able to produce the results, time will tell but his plans suggest that he's here for the long haul so his actions should produce ongoing positive results eventually or he goes. Simon Olorenshaw introduced a longterm strategy plan for the club which I sincerely hope is being tracked and tweaked even now. I would hope that CFU Board uses this tool to measure the level of performance and success of all its staff, paid or unpaid. We are all judged on results and, as fans, we must remain patient, professional and supportive if these people are to succeed on our behalf. The strategy plan is long term - please don't let's spoil it by expecting short term results or this club will definitely fail. I don't believe the Board and club employees are right in every decision they make but neither do they. Looking from the outside in can be useful as you do tend to pick up on weak areas and these are the comments that should be passed to the club officials. Always ensure that criticism is constructive and can be substantiated and in this manner all fans will prove of great use to the Board. They're crying out for fans' help and this is one easy way for genuine fans to give it I believe that is most definitely the case. Continuity off the field is a must given the high turnover of board members. That strategy from Simon remains in place and is still being worked on/tweaked to this day. I hope it continues as well into the future. What we absolutely cannot afford is to keep changing direction with every change of chairmanship/board member. If it did we would never get anything done. I believe the board and previous chair - Alan recognised this immediately and as a result are using Simon's blueprint as such to keep that continuity going. |
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Post by Al on Apr 21, 2017 12:11:41 GMT
I agree with Bing. You come across as not a very likeable person at all.
That may or may not be the case away from here. But I would suggest you think a bit more about what you're trying to say before you post again in future. Having a pop at a young supporter is completely unnecessary, especially when all they've done is try to help the club out.
I've spoken with the young lad on a few occasions on here via PM and he is a very passionate supporter of this football club always willing to help the club using his design skills. The lad should be applauded for his efforts and not have to put up with snide comments like yours earlier.
Ask questions of the paid employees of the football club to find out what they bring to the table, but for gods sake don't attack volunteers for wanting to make a difference.
No Volunteers = No Club
Fair enough I apologise me post was out of order. Good man, now lets draw a line under this whole sorry episode and move on. |
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Post by Si on Apr 21, 2017 12:34:20 GMT
Removed some more posts from here which are just pointless bickering and diverting attention away from the important issues from last night's meeting. Blue4life has apologised, lets move on.
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Post by steveo1 on Apr 21, 2017 13:01:19 GMT
Q&A Q: What is happening with the Lookers Vauxhall deal? A: Ends in the summer, was 2 years but needs to be renegotiated Q: Some of the criticism of Mark Maguire was because he had not done before what he has done tonight - in future can we have a quarterly statement? A: Yes it's important, need more of it and to do it on a wider basis e.g holding fans forums elsewhere, such as pubs to get the messages out Q: You said people need to having realistic expectations - the club need to explain the difficulties Jon faces in terms of injuries and budgetary limitations, otherwise questions are asked and it makes the situation worse A: Don't want to come across as negative if we keep making excuses. There are things we are looking at doing to address these issues next season. We need to look at medical team, we are looking at training regimes to help prevent injuries for next season Q: We need to make sure we are always talking about our financial position and our place in the community, we need to get stats out such as the agent fees stat that was recently released, people's perceptions will change A: The worst emotion is apathy when it comes to football, anger is a positive emotion and we welcome it. It's about bragging rights, we want kids to be able to brag about chester in school, we need to make the club more accessible for youngsters and create a buzz e.g training with the team A: We are looking at offering a direct debit option for season tickets where a monthly payment is made over the season Q: What is the predicted loss? A: Won't know until end of season, pay at the gate at the moment is £8k behind, be about £10k after Boreham Wood on current projections, season tickets £15k below budget, so project a £25k loss on gate receipts Q: Last game could be difficult - might get more in if its a relegation battle and we publicise it A: An email is going out tonight to Season Ticket Holders to bring a mate for £5 A: Also lapsed STHs and those who have bought things online will receive an email offer to come to the Boreham Wood game for £10 Q: Why is it only lapsed season ticket holders and people who have bought things online who get the £10 ticket offer? A: We will be assessing the uptake and will decide whether to roll it out across the board in due course Q: How do we make general public more aware of good news? Eg standard? A: New website will mean that it automatically feeds into all social media avenues, and coordinate that with press releases, so will be more organised soon Q: Should everyone be able to vote for player of the year? Can alienate people? A: It was also sent out to expired members A: Delicate balance between protecting benefits of being a CFU Member but also realising that not everyone wants to be a member, but we need to raise the profile of CFU Q: There are other benefits of being a CFU member not just being able to vote for player of the season, we should open it up to everyone to be inclusive and gather more details from voters Q: Chronicle providing fantastic coverage and should be thanked and we should link to them on our new website Q: Will Sam Hughes go to a tribunal? A: Like to think we will get the money before start of season to bolster the playing budget for next season Q: Prepared for any other players leaving? E.g Alabi A: Yes Q: Plans to utilise grounds during close season? Concerts? A: Had conversations with concert promoters, Mark introduced it at Hull with JLS and Olly Murs playing the KC Stadium - the lead time on these things is about 12 months, but will be disappointed if nothing materialises of the discussions Q: Are we looking at turning the pitch into 3G/4G? A: Be wrong not to explore every avenue, we have massive space here that needs to be further utilised A: Circus generated £2.5k A: The Football League last voted on 4G pitches in Nov 2015 and out of the 72 teams, 38 voted for, 38 voted against 4 abstained Q: Car park needs repairing A: We are looking at this as we speak A: More use of events will allow us to demand fees to improve the car park Cheers Dodge, good summary.
Anything added on when season tickets details will be released and any potential deals to get people on board?
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