Former head of the OSC, Bernard 'The Major' Noble, now seems to be a Fleetwood Town fan...
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Bernard Noble
- Thread starter originallambrettaman
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I saw him on LinkedIn recently, advertising himself as something like a 'freelance sports professional'.
Since being involved with the OSC he spent some time working on a supporters group for Torquay which is close to where he lives. Now it's Fleetwood it seems. No idea what the link is there but I suspect he just likes being involved with a club.
He's a nice enough bloke as an individual. Quite entertaining company in fact if you don't mind someone who plays the clown to an extent. But at City he got a close relationship with Assem Allam and even though he only ever seemed to come away with negatives to talk about after meeting with him, he always vehemently insisted that the OSC should support the Allams and oppose supporters or groups who challenged the Allams.
Since being involved with the OSC he spent some time working on a supporters group for Torquay which is close to where he lives. Now it's Fleetwood it seems. No idea what the link is there but I suspect he just likes being involved with a club.
He's a nice enough bloke as an individual. Quite entertaining company in fact if you don't mind someone who plays the clown to an extent. But at City he got a close relationship with Assem Allam and even though he only ever seemed to come away with negatives to talk about after meeting with him, he always vehemently insisted that the OSC should support the Allams and oppose supporters or groups who challenged the Allams.
I think this is where the general loathing of the OSC, and Mr Noble in particular, came from - I don't think most people had a problem with the OSC supporting the club, it is after all what OSC's are for; what caused the grief was when the hierarchy of the then OSC decided to ignore an OSC members vote which came out against the name change with the lame excuse of ''we also have to support those who voted the other way'' (apologies for not recalling the exact wording) - Fleetwood is just about far enough away for this major apologist.
A bit odd this. I attended a meeting just before the 6-0 win against Fulham in December 2013. I was there in my then capacity as chairman of the HCSS. Two members of the nascent CTWD group were there, and three members of the OSC. The meeting had been called to see if there was a possibility of the three groups putting out a joint statement opposing the name change (in a respectful way). We'd already done the spadework on our poll on the name change at the HCSS - which was showing an overwhelming opposition to the change - so I'd said we'd do it once the poll was closed in early January. Two members of the OCS seemed open to trying to reach some sort of common ground, but then Bernard dominated everything. He was media officer of the OSC at the time, I think, so technically the least senior member of the OSC board there. Once he got going, barely anyone else got a word in. He told us that he had it from the highest possible authority that if the fans kept chanting opposition to the name change, that no more money would be put into the club and it would be made clear that it was the fault of the dissenting fans. Whether he was or not I don't know, but he certainly acted like he was Assem's mouthpiece within the fan base. I had many reservations about the Allams at that point but that was the final straw for me. I watched and enjoyed the game, but it was my last time in the KCOM for a match. I'll return when the Allams are gone.
I watched Bernard closely after that. He angered me further when he explained to the national press that the reason for the low attendance at (I think) the Sheffield Wednesday play-off final (though it could have been the Sheff Utd semi) was because of the rugby being on, thus perpetuating the myth that Hull is a rugby city (when there is plentiful evidence to the contrary).
That said, when I wrote up a list of potential interviewees for my book, I tried to make it Allam-agnostic (partly because I knew the Allams would barely get a mention). I didn't want to only interview people who held the same opinions as me. I tried to develop a mindset of who I'd have sought out pre-Allam, and the senior figures of the OSC would certainly have featured then so they should now (or then - you get what I mean). I contacted Bernard, and he explained how he'd fallen out with the Allams over the concessions issue and was now working with a Torquay United supporters group. That set me back a little, as I just can't understand transferring your allegiances like that. However, as the interview went on, I found him very likeable. Passionate about City, and knowledgable too. I suspect he just likes running football fan groups. Which in some ways is laudable. I know from my time at the HCSS how difficult it is getting people to give you their time when it comes to running things. But all of this does cast a new light on his time at the OCS. I suspect that to some extent he was more beholden to the Allams and his own status among the fans than he was Hull City. It was, and still is, a travesty that he was used so frequently as the voice of the fans back then.
I watched Bernard closely after that. He angered me further when he explained to the national press that the reason for the low attendance at (I think) the Sheffield Wednesday play-off final (though it could have been the Sheff Utd semi) was because of the rugby being on, thus perpetuating the myth that Hull is a rugby city (when there is plentiful evidence to the contrary).
That said, when I wrote up a list of potential interviewees for my book, I tried to make it Allam-agnostic (partly because I knew the Allams would barely get a mention). I didn't want to only interview people who held the same opinions as me. I tried to develop a mindset of who I'd have sought out pre-Allam, and the senior figures of the OSC would certainly have featured then so they should now (or then - you get what I mean). I contacted Bernard, and he explained how he'd fallen out with the Allams over the concessions issue and was now working with a Torquay United supporters group. That set me back a little, as I just can't understand transferring your allegiances like that. However, as the interview went on, I found him very likeable. Passionate about City, and knowledgable too. I suspect he just likes running football fan groups. Which in some ways is laudable. I know from my time at the HCSS how difficult it is getting people to give you their time when it comes to running things. But all of this does cast a new light on his time at the OCS. I suspect that to some extent he was more beholden to the Allams and his own status among the fans than he was Hull City. It was, and still is, a travesty that he was used so frequently as the voice of the fans back then.
Good ****ing riddance by the sound of it to the ironically-named Noble.
Too many ****s like this boarded the train and forced their way into the First Class.
Shame the club has listened to so many of them in the last ten years.
Too many ****s like this boarded the train and forced their way into the First Class.
Shame the club has listened to so many of them in the last ten years.
The OSC has a long history of being craven and servile to certain 'unpopular' regimes at City that required fans opposition. Hence its distrust by many longstanding loyal supporters and the need and the success of various protest/independent fan groups over the decades. I've never been a member nor would I ever join the OSC.
I, and I'm fairly sure many others, joined for a year to take part in the OSC vote - thanks to Bernie worra waste of money that turned out to be.
Seconded that. He once turned up at my house in his camper van on the morning of a home game and wanted to spend the day with me after some correspondence between the two of us. I'd said he didn't represent the sort of fans I associated with and to his credit he wanted to meet them. He came dressed head to foot in brand new Hull City attire. Considering his age and the time he claimed he had been following City I did think it was odd that I had never come across him before. From memory he held some official capacity with the OSC, possibly press officer because he wanted me to write something for 'his' OSC newsletter. I never did.
I took him in Tigers Liar pre match which was still a bit of a meeting place in those days. No-one knew him in there and he was a like a fish out of water. So much so that he disappeared after an hour or so and I never saw him again. His camper van had disappeared off my drive by the time I got home from the game.
This was early Premier League days and he wasn't the only one of this type who sought me out., four others did, and I wont name them to save their embarrassment, but all four attached themselves to the club in their own way, all claiming to be 'life long supporters'. One got a job there, another made money on the back of the club, another had doors opened for him because he claimed to be part of the club ( he wasn't) the other is a story for another day.
I'd never seen any of them at a City game before, home or away and I certainly haven't seen them since 'supporting' Hull City at a match.
Cityman is spot on.
Just thought of a fifth, who doesn't go now either.
Larger then life character who burst on the scene as City got in the Prem, then disappeared just as quickly when we were relegated, blaming everything except the fickleness of his support for no longer attending.
I think the thread title should be changed to “Bernard Noble Has Done One”.
He phoned me when he was Media Bod or Communications Officer or something similar at the OSC, regarding my objections to how Member’s views had been mis-represented in his press releases. He had no interest in discussing the issues & just wanted to know if I’d do an article on being a supporter from afar, or summat like. I asked him to email me some details, he told me he couldn’t do emails. Never heard from him again.
I was only a Member for a year. I joined to get a vote in their name change poll. I told him this & it didn’t seem to sink in.
He phoned me when he was Media Bod or Communications Officer or something similar at the OSC, regarding my objections to how Member’s views had been mis-represented in his press releases. He had no interest in discussing the issues & just wanted to know if I’d do an article on being a supporter from afar, or summat like. I asked him to email me some details, he told me he couldn’t do emails. Never heard from him again.
I was only a Member for a year. I joined to get a vote in their name change poll. I told him this & it didn’t seem to sink in.
Me too Spes
I also toyed with a coup to take over their Board, which would have been easy I think
Decided that wasn’t fair for the genuine OSCers who like their events, but as you say the fee was ultimately wasted
The club had pretty much lost contact with the fans, even before the Allams showed up .
Duffen/Bartlett courted the corporates at the expense of the normals, and the Allams inherited a way of managing that fanbase.
What none of them seemed to have bargained for was the fickleness of the corporates, many of whom won't watch even mid table PL stuff.
Even in the last ten years football and the PL has changed so much, the Allams probably realised this and made bungled attempts with the name change, and the Hull City Tigers India fan group etc to try and court a global fanbase.
They completely misunderstood the mentality of the average global punter who demands trophies. They made the fatal error of alienating the local fan base who they thought would be a very minor actor in their strategy.
wrong. WRONG WRONG
And that's where we are now - a club that has been gradually and competently downsized to keep it in the Championship with a low wage bill, lean structure, managed lowish debt in comparison with many others at this level.
Leaving aside any investments in playing assets and the like, the club has eliminated the fabric of what fans think a club should be about. Pride, involvement, passion, shared vision, clear identity based on tradition and local identity.
No one seriously believes that 'supporter in the boardroom' or fan ownership thing do they?
There are plenty of good models in the Championship of clubs who understand their fanbase and work with them not against them, and who share the vision.
When the Allams do one, pray that the next lot have the savvy to assess the devastation that has been done and address the issue that makes us a hollowed-out zombie of what we used to be and should be.
That was 100% not the reason for the name change. I'm surprised at you peddling this widely known untruth.