It's incredible to think that anyone could have spent time putting the scheme together or reviewing it and thinking any part of it was a good idea. Once the main stream fans heard the outline, the bulk saw straight through it. You can't really run a club by committee, but you can encourage as wide a spectrum of fans as possible to be involved in helping to inform decisions.
I believe the Trust distributed more than 7500 "Red Cards" with a very small minority of people turning down the opportunity to take one when offered. Many supporters, of all ages, were actively seeking the distributors & going out of their way to obtain a card. The main reason more people didn't raise a card is that there wasn't enough cards for everybody who wanted one. The level of support for the protest from such a wide spectrum of fans was evident to all. Excellent & well thought out effort by the Trust organisers.
7500 plus those of us who had already brought our own (only because Mrs Tash organised me, and others!)
Bruce can **** off now, his comments against the red cards are a disgrace. He's right, this period will only be remembered for the name change and membership scheme but whose fault is that? As a fan how would he feel if Mike Ashley threatened to change their name to Newcastle Magpies and ended all concessions for young and pensioners? Enough, Bruce Out.
There is no organised call for a boycott from the Trust, or any one else, so what Steve Bruce said is going to have little or no effect on those considering whether or not to join the scheme. It is an easy thing to say and chimes with Assem Allam's advice to opponents of the name change, if you don't like it don't come. What Steve Bruce didn't say was if you don't like the membership scheme don't come to the play-offs or Wembley if we get there.
He's don't say nowt bad about the cards did he? He's actualy gone up a bit in my estimation, he didn't just trot out the old man Allams put in gazillions bla bla bla bollocks he routinely comes out with.
He did sadly: "The one thing that disappoints me is all the protests and red cards. At the end of the day the chairman, at the moment, is not well at all and this will not help him. "He's put £70 million of his own money into the club. He's obviously upset and disappointed but just be careful what you wish for. "I can't see many more people round here who will bail out Hull. When I first met him he bought the club for the community. He has built cancer hospitals. "It's been the best five years in the history of the club and it will be remembered for the membership scheme and the name change."
he actually did - plus he's given to cancer hospitals - plus no-one else would put money into little ole hull - plus he's not well and the protests would upset him - what Brucie forgot to say was why he ****ed up February and March and we've not been promoted automatically
Those quotes have been made up. Steve would never speak like that, and the interview I actually listened to was almost completely contradictory to that crap you just fabricated.
But Bruce can quite rightly argue that he wanted Gray and the Allam's let him down. We can't expect the team to play well all season but if you have a couple of good strikers you are still in with a chance.
Despite the attempt at humour he did actually do two interviews which, although not actually contradictory, did give a completely different tone. The "anti protest" interview was right after the game and the "anti membership scheme" interview was in a more formal setting. Steve Bruce is in a difficult situation. He is an employee and he can't really criticise something that hasn't got anything to do with him but has been dreamed up by his employers. It certainly has an effect on the players - I'm not saying they are going to crumble on the pitch - but it's a lot different to walking out to a crowd urging them on. We've always complained about the timings of the Allam announcements. It's as if the Allam's waited for Allam Senior to go into hospital before announcing the scheme. If it was my club and I had a chance of promotion to the Premier League I wouldn't announce major price changes before I knew what division we were in. I know clubs have done it in the past but that seems to be a tradition from years ago when clubs knew they were in the same division by March. Increasing prices when being relegated and scrapping concessions is not sensible.
With respect, it's not a difficult situation. A good PR person would brief him beforehand to keep all comments to only on-pitch matters. Prior to the start of the press conference the PR person states to assembled media that as football team manager Steve Bruce only comments regarding on-pitch matters and when a journalist inevitably asks him anyway the PR person interjects again to say he only speaks on football matters. Next question. It is not his role to speak on anything that isnt on-pitch.
His comments don't help, but he is in a really **** position. If I 100% agreed that my boss was a mentalist with awful ideas and was asked by the press about it over a period of months and years, like Brucie is, i'd probably be making similar type statements. There aren't many of us who'd openly question our bosses in the national press.
