BRSC Extraordinary General Meeting Update Bristol Rovers Supporters Club executive committee are to hold an EGM between 7.00pm and 9.00pm on TUESDAY 17th June 2014 in The Bristol Room of the Memorial Stadium. This meeting will allow members the chance to discuss with representatives of the football club and the supporters club executive their concerns over the situation of the football club. The purpose of the meeting is to consider the causes and impact of our relegation and to be informed of the strategy and plan of campaign to regain our league status at the earliest moment. It is felt that these issues are too serious to wait until the next AGM. There are three related issues to be discussed at this meeting. Firstly, a review and evaluation of the causes and impact of our unprecedented relegation from the football league at the end of the 2013/14 season. Secondly, an understanding of the strategy and plan of campaign to regain our league status as soon as possible. Finally, a sharing of ideas on how best the supporters club and its members can assist the football club to succeed in the future. The meeting has been scheduled on a date when it is hoped that the Chairman and/or other directors of the football club and the first team manager can attend. This meeting also needed to be at a time when most members of the BRSC executive committee were able to attend. Could members please forward their questions for the meeting to the BRSC shop, (199 Two Mile Hill Road, Kingswood, Bristol, BS15 1AZ), or to [email protected] by Friday 30th May. Please include your membership details and head your correspondence "BRSC EGM." A complete list of the submitted questions from the membership will be placed on the BRSC website by Tuesday 3rd June. Similar questions may be grouped together and representative questions may need to be asked on behalf of a category. Members will be able to ask their personal questions at the EGM. Additional questions from the floor may be possible, time permitting, after the submitted questions are considered. This meeting is for supporters club members who joined during the 2013/2014 season and those who have already joined for the 2014/2015 season. Please bring your valid supporters club membership card with you to the meeting. We hope that there will be a healthy attendance at the BRSC Extraordinary General Meeting and that this special meeting may prove to be a positive step forward for all of us. Order of EGM Business Agenda 1. Chairman's opening remarks 2. Business as detailed. 2.1. A review and evaluation of the causes and impact of our relegation from the football league. 2.2. An understanding of the strategy and plan of campaign to regain our league status as soon as possible. 2.3. A sharing of ideas on how the supporters club and its members can best assist the football club to succeed in the future. 3. Close of the meeting no later than 9.00pm. Taken from the supporters club site.
Wouldn't mind going along but will struggle to get back in time. Just hope it doesn't turn into a slanging match, with things the way they are we need unity.
Hello Gashead ! This is what I called for in a letter to NH and i wrote to Geoff and he is very interested. Since the campaign by me and a few others was launched the board suddenly announced a Q & A in July and now this. We feel that a Q & A should be even sooner if you support this you can contact me at my email address which is on another thread about protest or keep contacting the club (twitter/email). we have to unify and speak out. Sadly as a non BRSC member i won't be there but we have some good questions on two themes ready ! UTG !!
Thanks CJS ! It's diasppointing to see that there are only 5 comments to this thread - I personally think this is much more important than why we haven't signed any players yet. We have failed big time for four years. Will we get success on the pitch next season without a proper shake up of the club from top to bottom ? What faith have you got Gasheads that there will be a winning mentality running through the club based next season ?
Not much to be honest. Far from having a genuine root and branch reform the board seem to be lurching from one disaster to the next. Their PR is appalling. Clarke's is still largely an unknown quantity, we have no idea who will be playing for us next season, relegation seems to have come as a total shock to the board - they don't even know what kind of money we'll get next season. All in all, it's still a bit of a shambles and I don't expect this EGM to be a particularly savoury affair. There's a lot of angry Gasheads out there who haven't been able to vent their fury at those responsible for our predicament - the directors.
Thread bumped to remind us all this is happening tonight.... Those attending - make sure you remember your valid membership card with you to the meeting. The event is being held in Bristol Room at The Memorial Stadium between 7.00pm and 9.00pm. And here is a lot of the questions that will be raised.... http://www.not606.com/showthread.ph...e-questions-for-the-EGM?p=6590933#post6590933
Tweet from Rovers: "Don't forget to follow @BristolRoversSC this evening for updates from the EGM at 7pm." I will (if around) try and post updates as they come through
Apologise for not being around this evening until now. Things out of my control. I will now get copying and pasting all the tweets from tonights EGM.
these are the tweets.... * There is a healthy turnout for the EGM * The EGM has now begun with the opening comments from the chair. * Agenda: Section 1 - review/evaluation of relegation from the Football League. * Section 2 - sharing ideas on how the supporters club can best assist BRFC to succeed in future. * Section 3 - understanding of the strategy and plan to regain our league status as soon as possible. * Darrell Clarke says Oliver Norburn's departure was strictly John Ward's decision and adds he would have released him last summer. * DC again says it was John's decision to swap Eliot Richards for Alan Gow. * Chaiman Nick Higgs says that John Ward did not want to be manager for the whole of the 2013/2014 season, thus his move "upstairs". * NH: "We did not want to alienate our fans". He is explaining that as often as the club can be "transparent" they are. * Nick Higgs says without the board there would be no Bristol Rovers. Everything has been done in the club's "best interests". * A question on any criminal activity by any member of Rovers' squad last season has been dismissed. * Toni Watola says John Ward was "actively encouraged" to bring in a striker and turned down a number of strikers. * The ones he did go in for turned us down but the manager was convinced we had enough quality. * Darrell says he disagreed and is intent on building his own squad with quality up front. * NH: "We have to learn by our mistakes and build a squad capable of taking us back to the Football League as quickly as possible". * Toni Watola admits the club were not anticipating relegation in regards to budgeting for 2014-2015. * The club has lost just under £500,000 from relegation. more to follow..... just getting a beer!
more tweets.... * The club have asked the FA to be brought up to date with alleged third party ownership at Wycombe Wanderers. * Darrell says he is preparing for life in the Conference, not L2. "I'm working hard to get recruitment right." Incentive-based contracts. * NH: "We are always looking for additional financial support." He says he has spoken to several people over the years in regards to this. * The community department will lose some of its funding but the club do not anticipate losing any community projects. * DC: "I'd love Lee Brown to stay with us but we will not be held to ransom. Every player is replaceable at this level." * Darrell says, in his opinion, John Ward was his own man and he wasn't able to learn as much as he had hoped. * Brian Seymour-Smith says neither he nor Ken Masters sit on the board "shaking their heads". He says they ask challenging questions. * NH says the two supporters club directors are "valued members of the board". * Darrell says his expectation is to win the Conference Premier but fans support is vital to move forward. * NH: "The stadium is the future of this club. It will be the impetus to further investment, in a big way." * Barry Bradshaw says he wants the club to work further with the supporters club in future and listen to their ideas. * Both BSS & KM say they believe recruitment needs to change and that DC is rectifying this. A scouting network needs to be implemented. * Toni Watola says the sell-on received from Rickie Lambert will be paid in instalments over a year and a half. * Nick Higgs says the official forum had to close because of potentially libellous comments being made on there. * DC says he doesn't intend to offer long contracts. Both Jamie White and Matty Taylor are on 1 year deals with a year's option. * DC also says he is confident we can compete at the very top. "It won't be easy but I am confident." more to follow.... need another beer!
more tweets * NH says we will be bringing in a new external CEO when the club move into the UWE Stadium. We do not have the revenue to do so before. * Toni Watola is currently finance director and CEO within the club, according to Nick Higgs. * NH says the new stadium has taken a huge amount of time and work and may have had a detrimental impact on footballing matters. * Darrell says Stuart Gray was John Ward's scout and is no longer working for/with the club. * DC says he will be hands on with scouting and will use his contacts to utilise the loan system. He believes we haven't done that recently. * DC: "We do everything we can to limit injuries but I do like to work my players hard. It's about getting the balance right." * "Lack of goals cost us relegation" says Nick Higgs. Alan Gow's injury, in his opinion, was a huge loss. * Darrell says he is probably guilty of trying to change things too quickly when he took over. He needed to change mindsets as well as tactics * DC accepts responsibility and says he wants to play the game his way with attacking football. The response is he was not to blame. * We will also be looking to send our young players out on loan to get them professional experience. * Toni Watola says the club intend to keep the youth setup as it is, despite the loss in revenue next season. * The long-term plan of the club is to have a "state-of-the-art training facility" but we cannot afford to do so before moving to the UWE. * In regards the UWE, BRFC need to finalise 5 legal agreements before building commences. TW: "We're on track but not until end of summer." * TW says the Conference do have financial fair play in place but don't put a cap on wages. * DC says new players need to "tick the boxes". Taylor had bigger offers but chose to join Rovers ahead of them. * DC "can't guarantee" promotion but can guarantee his players will always "fight". He will be "going for it" in games. * The board are looking into ways to entice young Bristolians to the stadium in future. * The board are looking into ways to entice young Bristolians to the stadium in future. * A new CEO, in future, will overlook workings both on and off the pitch. NH has spoken to CEOs currently in work in the Football League. * The EGM has now drawn to a close with the chair thanking the directors and everyone who attended * A huge thank you to everyone who gave their time freely tonight behind the scenes to allow our EGM to go ahead * Thank you to Nick Higgs, Darrel Clarke, Barry Bradshaw & Toni Watola for taking the time to come and talk to our members tonight * And finally thank you to all our members who came tonight, asked questions, and contributed to the evening very interesting! your thoughts gasheads??
Think not much has been declared that wasn't already in the public domain. Glad we are offering short 1 year incentive based contracts with options. So look like the board or rather Higgs has admitted the stadium might have diverted attentions from the football side. Lack of goals cost us .....no really this man Higgs is Sherlock! Boycie wants to work together with supporters club.....sorry but that man should be knowhere near this club PERIOD!
So basically Nick Higgs is playing a game of poker with Rovers and his ante is the UWE stadium..."says it all really
Reflecting upon last night's SC EGM I was reminded of Johnny Nash's 1972 hit single -There Are More Questions Than Answers' The questions came thick and fast, but the answers were short and there was little opportunity to follow up or challenge an answer. The meeting was quite well run, with about 80/90 there; though as a percentage of the overall SC membership that was nothing more than reasonable. I found it a bit like a meal which initially tasted ok, but as time goes on you don't feel so good. Today I feel as if a job was done on us. I realise that we were told quite little and there is scant chance of meaningful change. Key points for me were: * JW was seen as the main culprit. Yes, his second stint as manager was a huge disappointment. But it is not he who has overseen the decline at our club since we sat in L1. * TW wields extensive influence. Director of Finance, de facto CEO and clerk to the BoD. * incredible that no contingency planning for relegation took place. Nobody even scribbled a few figures on the back of an envelope! * BB thrust himself forward into the limelight a fair bit. About to take a more prominent role? * NH always looks ill at ease when challenged. His default setting is if it wasn't for the board there'd be no club. He doesn't realise that if there were no fans there'd be no club! * I thought their answers to questions about the stadium were very vague. I may be wrong but I sensed that all was not well. NH still believes 'The stadium is the future of the club' * The review...no added info about areas of focus, who's looking at what, deadline and publication. Amazingly NH said that he never thought, and no-one had suggested, external input!! * Gates of about 9,000 are needed to break even. Well how the hell do smaller clubs do better than us? Nobody at the table realised it's down inefficient and poor management! *Debatable point....'The Supporters Club reflects fans views' * DC's enthusiasm and commitment is admirable. However there is a naivety about him which older and more experienced heads in management may exploit.. I also found his repeated distancing from everything JW did somewhat disloyal. Some things you think but don't say. The bloke after all gave him a job! Obviously there was much more, and it has been covered on another thread. But the bloke (Mr Smith?) over by the windows who stood up at the end hit the nail on the head. To paraphrase he said that the directors just don't seem to have got it. We're in the bluddy Conference and they took us there!
