S.A.F.C. - the future

[Glencoe]

I wonder who Kyril's advisors are, football or money people, probably both. He will have great connections from his OM days and I've read before was very close to a number of players.

This is the most excited and optimistic I have been for years. Very good to read about Kyril watching his phone for days up until the deal was sorted which shows he is massively invested in us and isn't just a hobby which he is going to play at.

 

[Guinness Guzzler]

Apologies if I'm getting ahead of things GG but do RAWA link in to the FSA and then feed up to the dept for culture media and sport to try and get us back to the matches? Just trying to work out how big the remit of RAWA actually is. Cheers.

Dave Rose is one of the committee members of RAWA and is deputy CEO of the FSA so yeah there's quite a big tie in and he'll be well aware of the discussions around getting fans back in at the FSA level. RAWA have also been having quite regular meetings with the safety officer at safc about the eventual return of fans, just basically making sure that the club were aware of issues the fans might have and trying to make sure we can safely get as many back as possible. Fingers crossed we get the chance to get back soon mind , this Christmas has felt strange without it!

 

[Royaldragon]

My one wish is to go to a European game to watch SAFC away

I still think we'll do this in my lifetime (I'm nearly 53). You just never know in football, some might say it's impossible but the impossible happens to this club. If someone 4 years ago told us that we'd be marooned in Division 3 for a number of years in a pandemic not seen by the World in 100 years. Not many would have believed it. Once this club gets on a roll, with the reasonable and sensible financial backing of competent owners with deep pockets when the time is right to do so, this club will go a long way.

With the long term vision set by the proposed new owners, the setup they have already partially set up, plus the proposed networks and with top analytical systems in place within 5 to 10 years I'm hoping we're hearing all the top pundits saying Sunderland is the model professional setup how to run a modern progressive Football club in the Premier League and ultimately in Europe as well. Do things right and good times will happen as if by magic.

 

[SAFC2403]

I like the fact that KLD loves a rave up in Ibiza - man after my own heart.

 

[Vincemac]

The supporters groups puzzle me if I am honest. No doubt they started with good intentions but it seems, to me at least, they feel they want more influence over the club which I dont want to see. I actually hope the new owner is less communicative than Donald and co. I would happily hear only from Johnson so he can explain footy stuff. Shareholdings, accounts and any other legal or corporate governance stuff can be published according to rules of accountable bodies, and not discussed at public fan meetings etc.

I am old school so like others want my club to play footy matches so I can get together with the lads and have a cracking day. I dont want or expect to have any influence over the inner workings of the club - that is for the owner who invests his money and the directors he appoints frankly. Enough in life to occupy my limited brain...

Fans groups are great
I’ve been member and ran them
Enjoy the charity events social nights and away days
I was even at the centenary big bash at the Mecca
However having said that
Let the manager pick the team
Let the owners run the team
That side has nowt to do with the supporters

 

[Guy Incognito]

The supporters groups puzzle me if I am honest. No doubt they started with good intentions but it seems, to me at least, they feel they want more influence over the club which I dont want to see. I actually hope the new owner is less communicative than Donald and co. I would happily hear only from Johnson so he can explain footy stuff. Shareholdings, accounts and any other legal or corporate governance stuff can be published according to rules of accountable bodies, and not discussed at public fan meetings etc.

I am old school so like others want my club to play footy matches so I can get together with the lads and have a cracking day. I dont want or expect to have any influence over the inner workings of the club - that is for the owner who invests his money and the directors he appoints frankly. Enough in life to occupy my limited brain...

Whilst I dont disagree with having a fans group, I believe they are soon to become a trust with cash changing hands from the members to the trust. Once that happens there is a decent chance things could get messy. Nothing to do with the the people who are members or who are on the 'board' of RAWA but once money changes hands and people don't get their own way it tends to get messy. It doesn't matter if it's broadband, gas, electric, water, mobile phone, Amazon prime or whatever - once the green stuff gets involved...

If I were them I would register [email protected] as an email address now.

Really hope they do a good job though, just a bit worried when statements come out saying 'fans want X, Y and , Z' when they haven't actually been asked.

You've both hit the nail on the head. Fans groups shouting now about what they want to see happen is very v,ery risky. We've already started to get a reputation as a fickle bunch from outsiders, when you look at how often we've changed managers. It plays into the hands of the shysters who can argue that fans turned on them too quickly, despite genuine reasons in most cases. Most fans just want to support the team and will back the managers and owners to do the right things to make us successful.

Fans groups, podcasts and fanzines don't represent every fan, we've all got different views and opinions, but if they keep shouting loud enough, theirs can become the "official" fan position. And the risk is they get high jacked by people pushing what they want, rather than what's needed and people with different views shut out. Just look at the laughing stock the Mags are with the shop shouting and mock funerals. I know enough decent mags that cringe every time Steve Wraith get his face on TV as an "official" fan spokesman. We certainly don't want the same to happen to us. Let's just try and give him a chance, we've a helluva lot of crap to clear up and it's going to take some time to do that.

 

[Vincemac]

You've both hit the nail on the head. Fans groups shouting now about what they want to see happen is very v,ery risky. We've already started to get a reputation as a fickle bunch from outsiders


much the same

 

[sheepman]

Good post mate.

TBF the 'nothing is happening' brigade would do themselves a favour by coming on and saying 'fair enough' ...

... but, despite a thousand posts saying that, they simply can't manage just one more and slink away.

They're pathetic little people who'll hide until our first defeat.

You can spot them a mile off mate
I get as pissed off as the next man with the running of the club and have an occasional rant. But as soon as I read the match thread or someone starts talking about some obscure away game then you realise why we support the lads. These people seem to have no opinions about the actual football no stories nothing

anyway ignore them back to the takeover. One thing that was missing from the statement was where Sartori fits in I had half expected him to come in partnership with KFD

 

[Smug in Boots]

To be fair, RAWA have never claimed to speak for all fans. All they can do is speak for their members (and if the members disagree with the position RAWA take on various issues they can vote the people out at the AGM). I think when they say "fans are concerned about..." it tends to quite accurately reflect the fan base. Obviously the committee have their own opinion , but they also have various reps (myself included) who feed back on things they are hearing. That might be Ghandi Floss feeding back on common concerns on RTG or malcolm feeding back on things the senior supporters have voiced concern over. Then there's the surveys and the chats we have with fans at the various meetings. By and large I think most concerns are reflected.

The trust thing is a big change, and I know where you're coming from in terms of accountability etc. All I can say is that, so far, I'm very impressed with the people on the committee and don't think they'll ever do anything other than the right thing. The key thing for me (which I know they're going to do) is to be very transparent about what money is coming in and where its being spent.

I wouldn't worry about them having any sort of negative take on things. Obviously as a coopted rep I'm on a group chat with them and I'd say every single person on there is delighted with KLD coming in. Furthermore there's a bit of a feeling that recently RAWA has almost been like a protest group, or certainly some wanted them to go that way. If protesting was what the club needed then I dare say they'd have helped lead something, but a lot of people are looking forward to being able to do other things. I'm hoping there's a decent relationship between RAWA and the club so that I can get involved with the community stuff, things around supporter experience, atmosphere etc. No one has any desire to be a pain in the arse for KLD, no one wants to mouth off for attention, and as long as we're looking like a professionally run club (and initial signs are positive in that regard) having a supporter's trust will hopefully be beneficial for the club. Hopefully good times ahead, let's just enjoy it!

You talk a lot of sense, as always, but I honestly think we should let the lad get through the door first.

As an opening statement saying,
"RAWA have made it quite clear supporters will want to see evidence of an assured plan of long-term progression", sends out the wrong message imo, made it clear to who? Are RAWA claiming to have spoken to the new owner? After months of relentless tension and negativity I believe we should have a period of joy and hope before the demands begin.

In reality 'an assured plan of long-term progression' means nothing and, imo, is just setting more of the kind of deadlines we grew sick of with Donald.
Let's not allow his duplicity taint the new people before they've been given a chance.

There are times when we just have to trust the owners, get behind them and hope for the best ...

... let's not back them into a corner at this stage.

 

[Oliver's Army]

Dave Rose is one of the committee members of RAWA and is deputy CEO of the FSA so yeah there's quite a big tie in and he'll be well aware of the discussions around getting fans back in at the FSA level. RAWA have also been having quite regular meetings with the safety officer at safc about the eventual return of fans, just basically making sure that the club were aware of issues the fans might have and trying to make sure we can safely get as many back as possible. Fingers crossed we get the chance to get back soon mind , this Christmas has felt strange without it!

Spot on. Fingers and toes crossed.

 

[Oliver's Army]

You talk a lot of sense, as always, but I honestly think we should let the lad get through the door first.

As an opening statement saying, "RAWA have made it quite clear supporters will want to see evidence of an assured plan of long-term progression", sends out the wrong message imo. After months of relentless tension and negativity I believe we should, at least, have a period of joy and hope before the demands begin.

In reality 'an assured plan of long-term progression' means nothing and, imo, is just setting more of the kind of deadlines we grew sick of with Donald.

There are times when we just have to trust the owners, get behind them and hope for the best ...

... let's not back them into a corner at this stage.

I'd have opened with we warmly welcome KLD as our new majority shareholder and look forward to engaging with him at the earliest opportunity to align our vision for the club.....blah blah....

 

[Smug in Boots]

I'd have opened with we warmly welcome KLD as our new majority shareholder and look forward to engaging with him at the earliest opportunity to align our vision for the club.....blah blah....

I appreciate RAWA are going down the 'once bitten, twice shy' route but we have to wipe the slate clean in my honest opinion.

I'm so tired of negativity tbh, let's just go daft like we did in the good old days.

 

[Royaldragon]

Only if this takeover has exorcised the Wembley curse that has plagued our club in recent years.

 

[7Mackem78]

I appreciate RAWA are going down the 'once bitten, twice shy' route but we have to wipe the slate clean in my honest opinion.

I'm so tired of negativity tbh, let's just go daft like we did in the good old days.

Totally agree, clean slate. It's like getting a new boss and storming in to their office on day one, stamping your feet and kicking off about why your old boss was rubbish.

Hardly going to come off well.

 

[rowley]

We have had power to control immigration for years but have chosen not to. We still won’t but will pretend we do for political reasons.
https://ukandeu.ac.uk/we-can-control-eu-migration-we-just-havent-done-it/

Yes. But when in the EU we had absolutely no say at all in the inflow of people from the EU. This was not a matter for debate.

Immigration has always been a part of this and most other countries' make up. But when a country loses it's control over so much of the matter, as it did here concerning the theoretical potential for almost 400m people to legally arrive on any given day, then you clearly, as a country do not have control at all. And in order to try and manage numbers, you then refuse entry to say, an Indian doctor in preference to an unskilled, not well educated, inexperienced man with a dependant family from a poorer EU country , the matter was obviously thrown into sharp relief, although pity the politician who articulated this clear truth. These choices were obviously never consciously or directly made, but they were the inevitable effect of EU membership.

 

[Smug in Boots]

Haway lads, there must be a Brexit thread for this EU stuff ....

 

[rowley]

Haway lads, there must be a Brexit thread for this EU stuff ....

Correct. Nowt more from me!

Howay KLD!

 

[Guinness Guzzler]

You talk a lot of sense, as always, but I honestly think we should let the lad get through the door first.

As an opening statement saying,
"RAWA have made it quite clear supporters will want to see evidence of an assured plan of long-term progression", sends out the wrong message imo. After months of relentless tension and negativity I believe we should, at least, have a period of joy and hope before the demands begin.

In reality 'an assured plan of long-term progression' means nothing and, imo, is just setting more of the kind of deadlines we grew sick of with Donald.
Let's not allow his duplicity taint the new people before they've been given a chance.

There are times when we just have to trust the owners, get behind them and hope for the best ...

... let's not back them into a corner at this stage.

Can't disagree at all. I'm assuming (haven't seen it so don't know) that any correspondence to KLD will sound a lot more welcoming and less forthright than that. I'm assuming it's just worded like that to prevent criticism from some fans who might suggest the group are being too trusting, are already in need with the new owner etc. Like I sa , everyone is delighted he's coming in and he'll absolutely get trust and support from the group unless there's any clear reason not to (which at present there certainly isn't!). He seems like a very safe, capable pair of hands, certainly I'd be letting him crack on and I'm sure that's the same for everyone else!

 

[SnakeEyes]

I appreciate RAWA are going down the 'once bitten, twice shy' route but we have to wipe the slate clean in my honest opinion.

I'm so tired of negativity tbh, let's just go daft like we did in the good old days.

The negatively has to go or we'll never move forward.

 

[Alebeac]

Yes. But when in the EU we had absolutely no say at all in the inflow of people from the EU. This was not a matter for debate.

Immigration has always been a part of this and most other countries' make up. But when a country loses it's control over so much of the matter, as it did here concerning the theoretical potential for almost 400m people to legally arrive on any given day, then you clearly, as a country do not have control at all. And in order to try and manage numbers, you then refuse entry to say, an Indian doctor in preference to an unskilled, not well educated, inexperienced man with a dependant family from a poorer EU country , the matter was obviously thrown into sharp relief, although pity the politician who articulated this clear truth. These choices were obviously never consciously or directly made, but they were the inevitable effect of EU membership.

When Tony Blair signed us up to the Social Chapter in 1996 it created free movement for European citizens within the European Union.