peasepud

I presumed he was referring to the rally at Grey's monument tbh. Ahhh, so a rally which was designed to get the fans behind the team and one which you yourself attended and have confirmed was not shameful. Oh btw theres no shame in sticking up for the NUSC you know

When have we ever demanded to be on the board? and give one instance of the SSN comment, are you seriously suggesting that NUSC have stood in front of the cameras and shouted abuse, acted pissed up and generally done any of those things? You arranged a protest whcih will only attract the type of shameful appearances you get on SSN. Demand might have been the wrong word, but you requested for a seat in the boardroom when decisions were made in your open letter to Llambias/Ashley. Again though, you see that as a bad thing? asking for supporter representation at board level? the ability for the fans to have some say in the way the football club is ran? Which protest? you say "will only attract the type of shameful appearances on SSN" , surely if we'd done it and it had happened then you'd be able to refer to some specific shameful appearance because I cant remember seeing it. Im not even sure which protest we are supposed to have arranged.

In answer to that, you would do nothing. A clear majority would be required for anything major. Like you say if 49% of the votes disagree then thats way too many people to just be an accident. You would expect those putting forward the motion to go away and reformulate their arguments before any other attempt was made to re-do the motion. You have to be looking at something like 75% of the voters agreeing something before you do it.

When have we ever demanded to be on the board? and give one instance of the SSN comment, are you seriously suggesting that NUSC have stood in front of the cameras and shouted abuse, acted pissed up and generally done any of those things?

Eh? It's a mature and reasoned response to your post. What more do you want like? I didn't say it wasn't a mature and reasoned response, my argument is if you say anything negative about the NUSC they'll be a counter post straight away that makes you feel you're wrong unless you follow the belief that the NUSC is great. Which is a shame, as it rubs me the wrong way as if I'm being forced to think they're some great group working to better Newcastle United, when as of yet I haven't seen anything to suggest it is. Firstly, apologies in advance for replying to the above, but why are you on an internet debating forum if you dont want the counter argument? If I posted on here and nobody replied then I wouldnt be chuffed thinking I was right, Id be pee'd off with the thought that nothing Id said affected someone enough to reply. So you dont see anything we've done as working to better Newcastle United? Just out of my post above: Al-together now campaign, SBR day, £3000 raised by NUFC fans and national coverage of all fans supporting one of the greats of English football. Honouring deceased players. Showing NUFC fans respect other fans and their loss (ie Hillsborough) Helping make the stewarding better. Just a few things that have already been mentioned but you didnt see those as working to better the football club? Out of interest what sort of things would we have to do to make you think that?

Totally and utterly agree and I was trying to make that point in my post, just not very well

tbh I think you must be mixing this up with a different forum because I've never seen any examples matching that on here. If anything I class this forum as coming across as fairly anti-NUSC, its not the case that everyone is that way but it has given some of the more "out to the left" comments in the past. Its the internet, thats what its for but Im not sure where you could have got that impression from. Its definitely not coming from me, I understand that membership of a group is an individuals right and decision and neither I or anyone else on the committee would ever have a go at anyone for not being a member of the group. What I do have a problem with is unsubstantiated rumours and hearsay being given out by people when it comes to the NUSC. What Midds is referring to is the fact we've attempted to get people from the main forums together and discuss this, put forward our views and plans and let them ask questions directly, something that hasnt really been taken up very well. To be fair to one member who did reply they appear happy to hear what weve got to say and will at some stage come along and have a chat. Thats all we ask. I dont have a problem with what James has said other than nothing is backed up by fact, hes having a go at the countdown clock, fair enough you didnt like it but it still turned out to be true. Many on here at the time made that out to be some kind of ultimatum by us, something along the lines of "you now have x days and y hours to sort it or else". That is not what it was, it was merely graphically pointing out how long was left for the board to sort out our season by bringing in the players we needed. They didnt do that and we all know what happened next. As for the Llambias interview, I have to admit to not understanding how any Newcastle fan could have a problem with us disclosing things that were said and done by our Managing Director and showing the interview to be different to what was said by the local papers. History has since proven a number of the things said by him to be false, promises made to not being kept etc. All things that you, me and everyone else would not know were incorrect if we hadnt published them. We didnt go into that meeting and agree to keep it quiet, there was nothing said there which included a confidentiality clause. We did what any supporters group would and should do, took the facts and presented them to the fans. No group, can ever claim to be a voice of all the fans, its impossible, no matter what there will always be differing views. What the NUSC does though is legitimise the concensus of fans opinion and give them an opportunity to voice it. The NUSC now has good links within the football club, even the current regime have used us as a sounding board and worked with us to try and sort problems out. That will follow on further and deeper with any new owners, people within the football club are already planning on getting the NUSC further involved with the club. If anything, our problem is that we dont shout enough about our achievements and what we are doing. We work at it quietly and that is probably a bad thing when it comes to how we are perceived. Arguably, the best two atmospheres seen at the ground this season were down to us working with the club and the Chronicle to organise things that would raise the levels via the Al-together now campaign. Okay so it didnt acheive the aim of keeping us up but it did raise the bar at the games involved, trouble is the football club became complacent after the Boro game and thought it didnt need to keep it going for Fulham, big mistake which could well have cost us survival. As for the website, any comments on that are more than gratefully received by me, if someone has a problem with something then I need to know about it otherwise how can I sort it? On all of the test browsers Ive used there is no black on black as there is a semi-opaque white background behind the text, if thats not coming through on your browser then I need to know the details so I can do something about it. If its too opaque then I can reduce it and make it clearer, again, so far the bulk of comments have been positive and those that have had problems Ive worked on changing. For instance, for a lot of people the twitter updates on the site were causing too big a delay in loading so Ive removed them. I definitely though do not see NUSC as a lobby group but even if we were, what is the problem with that? if theres a problem at the club and the fans arent happy shouldnt someone be lobbying for it to be changed? The simple fact of life is that the NUSC started off at a difficult time because many people wanted to protest, it wasnt a dozen of us saying lets protest, there was a public meeting and 250 people turned up, were vocal and said this is what they wanted. Thats how we started however after a short period of time a number of us realised this wasnt the way forward, that the club had been put up for sale and there was nothing we could or should do to influence that. We then took the SC forward to mould it into a proper Supporter Club, one that does the things fans want, organise events, help local charities, defend the fans when they get stick and provide a facility for those fans who suffer problems with the club to make their voices heard. As we did with the stewarding problems in Level 7, fans were, at times being randomly plucked out of the crowd and in some cases physically assaulted by heavy handed stewards, we took that up with the club and worked with them to cut the problem out. Problem is, all some people see is the early stuff, in some cases, things that werent even anything to do with us, the "Cockney Mafia out" banner for instance, nothing to do with the NUSC, the owner wasnt even a member but we took the stick for that and it was used by people to beat us with. So after a whole load of rambling above the simple fact is that the NUSC is not a protest group (it is however a group that would be willing to protest should the need arise), its not some dodgy scam for us to make money, its not a vehicle for us to get ourselves on telly and make out we're something we're not. Its simply a group that is there to raise the profile of Newcastle fans, a group that can and will provide help to fans who have problems. A group that will organise little things such as sending flowers from all Newcastle fans to the funerals of ex players or laying a wreath from Newcastle fans at Anfield to honour the Hillsborough dead. And the final point is, if you have any doubts on that then come along to a roadshow, theyre not political rallies or anything, theyre a chance for fans like yourseles to get together with members of the committee and have a chat, hear our plans, talk to ex players and media people (such as John Gibson, Mick Lowes) and have a few beers, a daft quiz and some entertainment. More importantly its a chance to ask those burning questions and get honest answers back in person in front of witnesses.

I find that very very hard to believe as every email is answered personally by one of the committee members, its something we pride ourselves on. Maybe in the first couple of weeks or so while we were bedding in then there could have been strays but everything since has been carefully read, discussed and replied to. As for your last question, ask me as a member, send me a PM or an email and you'll get the reply.

Hold on, lets get this straight. You are a member, you've paid a tenner over and you want us to take action against whats currently happening, so much so that you're not happy with us and are calling us on a message board because we're not doing what you want. Yet not once have you contacted anyone from the committee, not once have you sent an email stating that you think we're doing things wrong. What you want though is for the committee to make these decisions based on some telepathic means? Or do you think that we should just take your posts on a message board as the way forward? We are currently doing what we believe our members are happy with, not because we "think" thats what they want but because thats what the bulk of the emails and contacts via roadshows etc are telling us. If however we are wrong and there are many more out there like yourself then tell us, whats the use sitting festering about it over a computer keyboard. Bung us a mail (with your membership number and name in) and we'll act on it. As for the system you're on about, that is what we have. A secure email voting system, one that cannot easily be manipulated and is only for the members, the new members area (which you have access to) will contain these polls, motions and other communications within it but its still a week or so away from being finished (and its costing nothing), until then any urgent motions would continue under this email system. The questions you received were not random surveys they were motions, they were attempts to gauge the feeling of members to help structure the way forward, a democratic process to ensure that all members were involved and that we knew how they were feeling and werent running off half cocked on some route that the people who mattered didnt agree with. At any time, any member can raise a motion its simply a case of contacting us and raising it. Give it a go, send us a mail and see what happens. You cannot however seriously sit on a message board and moan that you've joined us, paid money and arent happy with the way we are going if you've not made any attempt to notify us of this dissatisfaction, no attempt to say that you think we should do alternative things.

hmmm strange, then your email address is definitely correct. Not sure whats going on there then if you've not had any of the others.

Yeah theres been quite a few, PM me your membership number and name and I'll send you a test one to see whats happening. We've sent out poll questions, details of roadshows, updates on whats happening, newsletters and other bits n bobs. You should have had one two days ago detailing your login for the website and one yesterday about the South Shields Roadshow.

Out of interest, how would you see these votes working? via email maybe? we put out a vote on email asking you to give your views, members reply and depending on the results (which are also on the website to be viewed) action is then taken. If, as this one was its clear which way the members want to go then theres nothing further to do. What timescales do you think these things run to? we put a vote out, give it a week for reply then take those replies and formulate a motion, call a meeting, arrange it, get everyone there a week later and ask them the same question again but in person this time? oh but hold on, what about the high percentage of members that live outside the region? how could we get them to vote? I know, as well as running the motion at the meeting we'll ask them via email oh hold on we already have. Now no offence but Ive asked you three times for your membership number and name so we can ensure that you are receiving all the stuff you should be, for some reason you dont seem to be in a position to supply that info. If it was me and Id paid a tenner to be part of something and then heard nowt from them Id sure as hell be on their backs trying to see whats going on. On finding other members had been getting information and I hadnt then I would also be chasing up why not and giving my details to someone who could help that out.

Nope, Im referrring to the other 30 or 40 emails that have winged their way to every member (including the one that asked, what do you want us to do now?). Theres been 2 emails gone out in the last day or so, like I said PM me your membership number and name and I'll check the email address and send you a test message.

You used the magic words there though bob, "just might". As you say, he just might get his finger out then again he just might not but the buyers (if they exist) may just get out too. The fact is none of us know exactly what is going on and for all we know it could be the other sides taking their time (frankly I wouldnt blame them, if I ever bought something from SD then I'd spend a good 20 minutes checking it for holes, rips and ensuring it was the real thing!). Personally, I dont think the time is right for any visual protests, boycott the Leeds game by all means, its a pointless game so its not like we'll be affecting the team or anything. If howeverr all of this falls flat and he makes the "Im taking the club off the market and all will be well again" statement then yes, I reckon protests would probably be advisable.

Where do we draw the line PP? Ashley is always setting deadlines, it’s high time we set him one. What is it with NUSC. They happily let people stump up £10 on the basis they were going to try and hold Ashley to account. Yet, at some point they changed tune without ever consulting it’s paying members. There is no line to be drawn though. Currently the club is being sold, the sooner the better for my and everyone elses liking but every protest has to have a meaning and an expected outcome. The original protests got an outcome he put the club up for sale. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing we will never know just what would have happened if he hadnt done. In this instance though, what outcome would you want? that he walks away handing the keys to the nearest person? that he holds a raffle in a Dream Team stylee for the next owner? As for the nusc comment, you're probably one of the same people that slated us for protesting, using that as your reason for not joining up. You then probably used the change in our direction as the next reason not to join and now the fact we dont think protesting is a good idea means you'll use that as the stick to beat us with. Everything has to be looked at with the head not the heart, in the early days the NUSC let their hearts lead without always fully thinking it through, that happens we're all fans, you, me, the NUSC members and the non-members, we all want whats best for the club and we all think we know how to achieve it. Sometimes it takes a good long sit down and think before acting though. Oh and the paying members were consulted on what they wanted to do at that stage and the majority agreed. Just like the majority of people in this thread appear to be disagreeing with protests now. If you want I can ask all the members their views but I already know what the answer will be, I read the emails we receive, I hear the stuff said at the Roadshows and I know generally the feeling of our members because quite rightly they let us know if they're unhappy about anything either in what we're doing or the club itself. I was one of the people who turned up for the first meeting and handed over my money, since which time the committee have disappeared up their own arses. Took our cash and treat us with contempt, just like Ashley. You say NUSC let it’s heart rule it’s head in the beginning, but what you really mean is the committee s*** its pants at the first sign of criticism and fell into line like a good little poodle. If they’d had the guts to put the change of strategy to the members then fair enough, but they didn’t did they. It’s not about what I want, it’s about what the membership want. However since NUSC can’t be bothered to canvas the membership it’s become about what the committee want. Shameful it is. Not to worry, when the club goes bust you can release some balloons. Have you actually read what I wrote? I clearly state that the memebrs were canvassed, if you havent got the email (along with the many many others that we've issued) then we need to confirm the email address you supplied because there is regular stuff going out. PM me your membership number and name and I'll look into it for you.

Where do we draw the line PP? Ashley is always setting deadlines, it’s high time we set him one. What is it with NUSC. They happily let people stump up £10 on the basis they were going to try and hold Ashley to account. Yet, at some point they changed tune without ever consulting it’s paying members. There is no line to be drawn though. Currently the club is being sold, the sooner the better for my and everyone elses liking but every protest has to have a meaning and an expected outcome. The original protests got an outcome he put the club up for sale. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing we will never know just what would have happened if he hadnt done. In this instance though, what outcome would you want? that he walks away handing the keys to the nearest person? that he holds a raffle in a Dream Team stylee for the next owner? As for the nusc comment, you're probably one of the same people that slated us for protesting, using that as your reason for not joining up. You then probably used the change in our direction as the next reason not to join and now the fact we dont think protesting is a good idea means you'll use that as the stick to beat us with. Everything has to be looked at with the head not the heart, in the early days the NUSC let their hearts lead without always fully thinking it through, that happens we're all fans, you, me, the NUSC members and the non-members, we all want whats best for the club and we all think we know how to achieve it. Sometimes it takes a good long sit down and think before acting though. Oh and the paying members were consulted on what they wanted to do at that stage and the majority agreed. Just like the majority of people in this thread appear to be disagreeing with protests now. If you want I can ask all the members their views but I already know what the answer will be, I read the emails we receive, I hear the stuff said at the Roadshows and I know generally the feeling of our members because quite rightly they let us know if they're unhappy about anything either in what we're doing or the club itself.

The point is though what exactly are you protesting against? The sale taking so long? I for one, have no idea how long these things take but seeing as buying a house usually takes 6 weeks or so then Id assume an entire football club takes a good while especially when you couldnt trust the person you're buying off. The non-appointment of Shearer? It could be that one of or more of the front runners dont want him there, therefore you couldnt give him a contract just for them to have to get out of it. Before anyone shouts though, the NUSC did push last week for Shearer to be appointed but theres a big difference in saying "we think this would be a good idea for all concerned" and "do this or face the consequences". While the "sale" rumbles on then personally I think theres nothing people can or should do to protest that, if however there is no sale and we're being fed crap just so that Kinnear can walk back in then people should definitely reevaluate their stance and would legitimately have something to protest about.

Madras is right, step on the pitch and you will see the inside of a police van followed by the outside of the ground on match days. The law is clear, step out of line in a football ground and be banned from matches for years. Whether you're going on the pitch to lamp a player or to make a peaceful protest, chances are you will be banned and possibly a criminal record.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supporters_trust

Nice one, thats all it takes, if we're talking shite or just a protest or an anti-Ashley group then you'll soon suss that out and will have every right and evidence to batter us with it.

Out of interest, what reasons? dunno tbh i dont really agree with the protests This is something I was saying to Madras the other day, the protests are old news, yes they were how we started but we moved away from that and into this sort of work (even then, we didnt start the protests, they were already happening, what we attempted to do in forming was bring some structure and consistency to things). Everything done by the nusc nowadays is for the benefit of all Newcastle fans, yes we will never be able to speak for everyone (but nobody ever would be) but we do have the best interests of the football club and fans at heart. The best way to be able to see what we are about is to come along to one of our roadshows and hear what we are doing, ask questions and re-evaluate your thoughts. Roadshows coming up in next month or so are at South Shields, Blakelaw, Winlaton and central Newcastle. Come along, have a drink and see whats what. The roadshows and other events can be found here > http://www.nusc.org.uk/events.php?viewtype=new

Information on what a Supporters Trust is > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supporters_trust

Out of interest, what reasons?

Man City and Wigan both managed to buy better players than we had, plus Wigan and Bolton managed to sell their shite off.

unlucky. Erm...you've highlighted my point. He accepts we want to hear from him direct, but he's not going to make it happen. what difference does it make? we want communication and now we get it. you've really embarrassed yourself recently with all this point scoring s***. Oh the irony