Guest elbee909 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 The funny(?) thing is that I'd wager that the majority of fans still want rid of Ashley, maybe the depth of feeling is subsiding over time but even those of us who agreed in principle with where he was taking the club appreciate that his intentions here have failed (whether his primary motive was sustained organic growth or quick stabalisation and sale). However, I'd also wager that within this majority the majority are dead set against the protests and boycotts as they are putting the club and fans in a bad light and in many ways devaluing the one major asset the club has - i.e. its support base. Comments alluding to only supporting an owner if they do exactly what a small supporters group wants (and I doubt that at such a fledgling stage even the forerunners of the group are 100% sure what that is) will do nothing to someone looking at the club. It may only be part of the picture an investor will look at, but if its an investor which is looking to take the club forward (a la SJH's days pre floatation - at which point the blueprint changed imo) then he will consider this to be a big black spot on the prospectus I'm not sure that the majority do want Ashley out because they want him out specifically. I think the majority just want the club run in a professional manner and they want the club to start moving forwards again. The last 4 months have been shit and people want an end to that and don't think Ashley can change his position and get the club back on a good footing. If he's in a position where he has to stay then to do that he's got to win over the trust of the fans, that isn't an option for him, it's a must do. the club had been run in a "professional manner" for years. They backed their managers and tried all the time to improve the squad and team with players - like Villa are doing now - and had more to show for it than most. Its only those who are "embarrassed" by a load of bollocks that didn't accept it. And let's start trying to ruin another thread. Nice one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE5 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 The funny(?) thing is that I'd wager that the majority of fans still want rid of Ashley, maybe the depth of feeling is subsiding over time but even those of us who agreed in principle with where he was taking the club appreciate that his intentions here have failed (whether his primary motive was sustained organic growth or quick stabalisation and sale). However, I'd also wager that within this majority the majority are dead set against the protests and boycotts as they are putting the club and fans in a bad light and in many ways devaluing the one major asset the club has - i.e. its support base. Comments alluding to only supporting an owner if they do exactly what a small supporters group wants (and I doubt that at such a fledgling stage even the forerunners of the group are 100% sure what that is) will do nothing to someone looking at the club. It may only be part of the picture an investor will look at, but if its an investor which is looking to take the club forward (a la SJH's days pre floatation - at which point the blueprint changed imo) then he will consider this to be a big black spot on the prospectus I'm not sure that the majority do want Ashley out because they want him out specifically. I think the majority just want the club run in a professional manner and they want the club to start moving forwards again. The last 4 months have been shit and people want an end to that and don't think Ashley can change his position and get the club back on a good footing. If he's in a position where he has to stay then to do that he's got to win over the trust of the fans, that isn't an option for him, it's a must do. the club had been run in a "professional manner" for years. They backed their managers and tried all the time to improve the squad and team with players - like Villa are doing now - and had more to show for it than most. Its only those who are "embarrassed" by a load of bollocks that didn't accept it. And let's start trying to ruin another thread. Nice one. I'm not. Its true though. You should accept it and move on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzieMandias Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 As well as the emoticon for yawning and the emoticon for shaking your head sadly, we need an emoticon for biting your lip. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE5 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 the club had been run in a "professional manner" for years. They backed their managers and tried all the time to improve the squad and team with players - like Villa are doing now - and had more to show for it than most. Its only those who are "embarrassed" by a load of bollocks that didn't accept it. Are you trying to get another thread locked? no, I'm saying in reply to you saying you want a club "run in a professional manner" that you had one and didn't want it. You should concede this point but I'm not going to "ruin" the thread, nor do I expect you to admit what I'm saying is true, although if you did, then it wouldn't "ruin the thread" would it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
themanupstairs Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 the club had been run in a "professional manner" for years. They backed their managers and tried all the time to improve the squad and team with players - like Villa are doing now - and had more to show for it than most. Its only those who are "embarrassed" by a load of bollocks that didn't accept it. Are you trying to get another thread locked? no, I'm saying in reply to you saying you want a club "run in a professional manner" that you had one and didn't want it. You should concede this point but I'm not going to "ruin" the thread, nor do I expect you to admit what I'm saying is true, although if you did, then it wouldn't "ruin the thread" would it Sorry like, but the club under the previous regime had its great moments and its fair share of shambles as well. You cannot but admit that. Anyways, if you want to discuss this any further, let's take it to the thread it belongs in. Back on topic: NUSC blows goats Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Shitty off-topic posts get deleted from here. Thanks once again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benwell Lad Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Before the Hull City game when they were lobbying I was offered one of their leaflets. I always refuse flyers offered to me in town as they do little more than create a huge litter problem. This is created by people who chuck litter on the ground not the people dishing out flyers. Bit like Wrigleys are not to blame for City Centre pavements having black circles all over them. Yes. The people who produce the flyers truly believe they will be read diligently and then carefully placed in a litter bin. No wonder you fell for the NUSC propoganda. You and 49 others it seems. Anyway the point was not taking a leaflet equals not being a Newcastle supporter in the eyes of those handing them out. How pompous is that ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzieMandias Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Before the Hull City game when they were lobbying I was offered one of their leaflets. I always refuse flyers offered to me in town as they do little more than create a huge litter problem. This is created by people who chuck litter on the ground not the people dishing out flyers. Bit like Wrigleys are not to blame for City Centre pavements having black circles all over them. Yes. The people who produce the flyers truly believe they will be read diligently and then carefully placed in a litter bin. No wonder you fell for the NUSC propoganda. You and 49 others it seems. Anyway the point was not taking a leaflet equals not being a Newcastle supporter in the eyes of those handing them out. How pompous is that ? It's pathetic, but not entirely unfamiliar -- like people on here bellowing "mackem" at someone who doesn't agree with them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasepud Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Before the Hull City game when they were lobbying I was offered one of their leaflets. I always refuse flyers offered to me in town as they do little more than create a huge litter problem. This is created by people who chuck litter on the ground not the people dishing out flyers. Bit like Wrigleys are not to blame for City Centre pavements having black circles all over them. Yes. The people who produce the flyers truly believe they will be read diligently and then carefully placed in a litter bin. No wonder you fell for the NUSC propoganda. You and 49 others it seems. Anyway the point was not taking a leaflet equals not being a Newcastle supporter in the eyes of those handing them out. How pompous is that ? And I would agree totally, that kind of attitude should have had no place in it. The leaflets I handed out were offered and if it looked like they werent interested I withdrew my hand. Not a problem at all, its everyones right to read or ignore anything thats handed to them and frankly Id rather it was turned down than be taken and just lobbed away without reading. All I can say in defence of the NUSC is that was clearly NOT an instruction to those leafletting. All were clearly told to just offer, never force and walk away in any kind of confrontation and under no circumstances get involved in an argument. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bealios Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Its pretty simple really. The aim for NUSC should be to act in the best interests of the supporters of the club as a whole, same as the directors of a company have to. Not a small group with a blinkered agenda. Not having "change" as an aspect of its motto. This should involve: 1. Helping to give a positive image of the fans as a whole, and the points made by above about doing good things in the community, letter to Sunderland fans family who lost life etc. are good steps in the right direction. You would expect a body like NUSC to be vocal about ensuring better ticket allocation, season ticket payment methods, opportunities for elderly/disabled fans etc. 2. Trying to guage the views of fans as a whole so they have some idea of the opinion of fans who can't attend the meetings, or who don't pay the membership fee, so they can direct their efforts accordingly. Surely a free to register internet poll or something can guage the views of fans better than 50 people at a meeting? 3. Ultimately engaging with discussions with whoever the club owners are to work together in the best interests of the club. My problem with NUSC at the moment is that they don't seem to have a grasp on point 2 - the opinions are limited to those of the founding members I think, or the limited few who turn up to the meetings. There is no effort to guage the opinion of fans as a whole. Its all very well saying that if you don't agree, turn up to a meeting and voice an opinion, but in practice how many normal fans would be prepared to turn up in the Irish Club whilst 50 other fans are discussing how best to hurt Ashley (financially), and say "Hold on a second lads, can we just chat about whether this is really a good idea this whole I hate Mike thing?" My second problem is with point 3. How can a group which has its stated aim as "change" and ousting Mike Ashley act in the best interests of supporters or indeed the club as a whole? What if the best thing for the club at any given time would be for Mike Ashley to remain in charge? What if the only interested buyer wishes to saddle the club with massive debt to finance the acquisition? What if the new owners aren't actually planning to put their own cash into the club? Those who snorted at Ashley's £20m a year pledge will be aware that Gillett/Hicks/Glaziers have not put in a penny of their own cash into the operating costs of the club. I'm not saying the NUSC has to be pro-Ashley by any means, but to adopt such a blinkered approach to their agenda is damaging for both the club and the supporters. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Excellent post. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredbob Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Its pretty simple really. The aim for NUSC should be to act in the best interests of the supporters of the club as a whole, same as the directors of a company have to. Not a small group with a blinkered agenda. Not having "change" as an aspect of its motto. This should involve: 1. Helping to give a positive image of the fans as a whole, and the points made by above about doing good things in the community, letter to Sunderland fans family who lost life etc. are good steps in the right direction. You would expect a body like NUSC to be vocal about ensuring better ticket allocation, season ticket payment methods, opportunities for elderly/disabled fans etc. 2. Trying to guage the views of fans as a whole so they have some idea of the opinion of fans who can't attend the meetings, or who don't pay the membership fee, so they can direct their efforts accordingly. Surely a free to register internet poll or something can guage the views of fans better than 50 people at a meeting? 3. Ultimately engaging with discussions with whoever the club owners are to work together in the best interests of the club. My problem with NUSC at the moment is that they don't seem to have a grasp on point 2 - the opinions are limited to those of the founding members I think, or the limited few who turn up to the meetings. There is no effort to guage the opinion of fans as a whole. Its all very well saying that if you don't agree, turn up to a meeting and voice an opinion, but in practice how many normal fans would be prepared to turn up in the Irish Club whilst 50 other fans are discussing how best to hurt Ashley (financially), and say "Hold on a second lads, can we just chat about whether this is really a good idea this whole I hate Mike thing?" My second problem is with point 3. How can a group which has its stated aim as "change" and ousting Mike Ashley act in the best interests of supporters or indeed the club as a whole? What if the best thing for the club at any given time would be for Mike Ashley to remain in charge? What if the only interested buyer wishes to saddle the club with massive debt to finance the acquisition? What if the new owners aren't actually planning to put their own cash into the club? Those who snorted at Ashley's £20m a year pledge will be aware that Gillett/Hicks/Glaziers have not put in a penny of their own cash into the operating costs of the club. I'm not saying the NUSC has to be pro-Ashley by any means, but to adopt such a blinkered approach to their agenda is damaging for both the club and the supporters. Sums my feelings up perfectly, point 1 should of been nailed with there very first public statement. Good post. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benwell Lad Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Its pretty simple really. The aim for NUSC should be to act in the best interests of the supporters of the club as a whole, same as the directors of a company have to. Not a small group with a blinkered agenda. Not having "change" as an aspect of its motto. This should involve: 1. Helping to give a positive image of the fans as a whole, and the points made by above about doing good things in the community, letter to Sunderland fans family who lost life etc. are good steps in the right direction. You would expect a body like NUSC to be vocal about ensuring better ticket allocation, season ticket payment methods, opportunities for elderly/disabled fans etc. 2. Trying to guage the views of fans as a whole so they have some idea of the opinion of fans who can't attend the meetings, or who don't pay the membership fee, so they can direct their efforts accordingly. Surely a free to register internet poll or something can guage the views of fans better than 50 people at a meeting? 3. Ultimately engaging with discussions with whoever the club owners are to work together in the best interests of the club. My problem with NUSC at the moment is that they don't seem to have a grasp on point 2 - the opinions are limited to those of the founding members I think, or the limited few who turn up to the meetings. There is no effort to guage the opinion of fans as a whole. Its all very well saying that if you don't agree, turn up to a meeting and voice an opinion, but in practice how many normal fans would be prepared to turn up in the Irish Club whilst 50 other fans are discussing how best to hurt Ashley (financially), and say "Hold on a second lads, can we just chat about whether this is really a good idea this whole I hate Mike thing?" My second problem is with point 3. How can a group which has its stated aim as "change" and ousting Mike Ashley act in the best interests of supporters or indeed the club as a whole? What if the best thing for the club at any given time would be for Mike Ashley to remain in charge? What if the only interested buyer wishes to saddle the club with massive debt to finance the acquisition? What if the new owners aren't actually planning to put their own cash into the club? Those who snorted at Ashley's £20m a year pledge will be aware that Gillett/Hicks/Glaziers have not put in a penny of their own cash into the operating costs of the club. I'm not saying the NUSC has to be pro-Ashley by any means, but to adopt such a blinkered approach to their agenda is damaging for both the club and the supporters. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE5 Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Its pretty simple really. The aim for NUSC should be to act in the best interests of the supporters of the club as a whole, same as the directors of a company have to. Not a small group with a blinkered agenda. Not having "change" as an aspect of its motto. This should involve: 1. Helping to give a positive image of the fans as a whole, and the points made by above about doing good things in the community, letter to Sunderland fans family who lost life etc. are good steps in the right direction. You would expect a body like NUSC to be vocal about ensuring better ticket allocation, season ticket payment methods, opportunities for elderly/disabled fans etc. 2. Trying to guage the views of fans as a whole so they have some idea of the opinion of fans who can't attend the meetings, or who don't pay the membership fee, so they can direct their efforts accordingly. Surely a free to register internet poll or something can guage the views of fans better than 50 people at a meeting? 3. Ultimately engaging with discussions with whoever the club owners are to work together in the best interests of the club. My problem with NUSC at the moment is that they don't seem to have a grasp on point 2 - the opinions are limited to those of the founding members I think, or the limited few who turn up to the meetings. There is no effort to guage the opinion of fans as a whole. Its all very well saying that if you don't agree, turn up to a meeting and voice an opinion, but in practice how many normal fans would be prepared to turn up in the Irish Club whilst 50 other fans are discussing how best to hurt Ashley (financially), and say "Hold on a second lads, can we just chat about whether this is really a good idea this whole I hate Mike thing?" My second problem is with point 3. How can a group which has its stated aim as "change" and ousting Mike Ashley act in the best interests of supporters or indeed the club as a whole? What if the best thing for the club at any given time would be for Mike Ashley to remain in charge? What if the only interested buyer wishes to saddle the club with massive debt to finance the acquisition? What if the new owners aren't actually planning to put their own cash into the club? Those who snorted at Ashley's £20m a year pledge will be aware that Gillett/Hicks/Glaziers have not put in a penny of their own cash into the operating costs of the club. I'm not saying the NUSC has to be pro-Ashley by any means, but to adopt such a blinkered approach to their agenda is damaging for both the club and the supporters. Sums my feelings up perfectly, point 1 should of been nailed with there very first public statement. Good post. its good, but what would help the NUSC is to have some high profile people on their side, to publicly raise the stakes and the newsworthiness of it all, like Malcolm Dix did. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredbob Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Its pretty simple really. The aim for NUSC should be to act in the best interests of the supporters of the club as a whole, same as the directors of a company have to. Not a small group with a blinkered agenda. Not having "change" as an aspect of its motto. This should involve: 1. Helping to give a positive image of the fans as a whole, and the points made by above about doing good things in the community, letter to Sunderland fans family who lost life etc. are good steps in the right direction. You would expect a body like NUSC to be vocal about ensuring better ticket allocation, season ticket payment methods, opportunities for elderly/disabled fans etc. 2. Trying to guage the views of fans as a whole so they have some idea of the opinion of fans who can't attend the meetings, or who don't pay the membership fee, so they can direct their efforts accordingly. Surely a free to register internet poll or something can guage the views of fans better than 50 people at a meeting? 3. Ultimately engaging with discussions with whoever the club owners are to work together in the best interests of the club. My problem with NUSC at the moment is that they don't seem to have a grasp on point 2 - the opinions are limited to those of the founding members I think, or the limited few who turn up to the meetings. There is no effort to guage the opinion of fans as a whole. Its all very well saying that if you don't agree, turn up to a meeting and voice an opinion, but in practice how many normal fans would be prepared to turn up in the Irish Club whilst 50 other fans are discussing how best to hurt Ashley (financially), and say "Hold on a second lads, can we just chat about whether this is really a good idea this whole I hate Mike thing?" My second problem is with point 3. How can a group which has its stated aim as "change" and ousting Mike Ashley act in the best interests of supporters or indeed the club as a whole? What if the best thing for the club at any given time would be for Mike Ashley to remain in charge? What if the only interested buyer wishes to saddle the club with massive debt to finance the acquisition? What if the new owners aren't actually planning to put their own cash into the club? Those who snorted at Ashley's £20m a year pledge will be aware that Gillett/Hicks/Glaziers have not put in a penny of their own cash into the operating costs of the club. I'm not saying the NUSC has to be pro-Ashley by any means, but to adopt such a blinkered approach to their agenda is damaging for both the club and the supporters. Sums my feelings up perfectly, point 1 should of been nailed with there very first public statement. Good post. its good, but what the NUSC need is some high profile people on their side, to publicly raise the stakes and the newsworthiness of it all, like Malcolm Dix did. Persoanlly i think they need to get there direction and organisation sorted out before they look for high profile backers. As it stands with whats been said and released so far, no one with an ounce of credibilty will go near them, which is unfortunate because the general idea has massive potential. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bealios Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Its pretty simple really. The aim for NUSC should be to act in the best interests of the supporters of the club as a whole, same as the directors of a company have to. Not a small group with a blinkered agenda. Not having "change" as an aspect of its motto. This should involve: 1. Helping to give a positive image of the fans as a whole, and the points made by above about doing good things in the community, letter to Sunderland fans family who lost life etc. are good steps in the right direction. You would expect a body like NUSC to be vocal about ensuring better ticket allocation, season ticket payment methods, opportunities for elderly/disabled fans etc. 2. Trying to guage the views of fans as a whole so they have some idea of the opinion of fans who can't attend the meetings, or who don't pay the membership fee, so they can direct their efforts accordingly. Surely a free to register internet poll or something can guage the views of fans better than 50 people at a meeting? 3. Ultimately engaging with discussions with whoever the club owners are to work together in the best interests of the club. My problem with NUSC at the moment is that they don't seem to have a grasp on point 2 - the opinions are limited to those of the founding members I think, or the limited few who turn up to the meetings. There is no effort to guage the opinion of fans as a whole. Its all very well saying that if you don't agree, turn up to a meeting and voice an opinion, but in practice how many normal fans would be prepared to turn up in the Irish Club whilst 50 other fans are discussing how best to hurt Ashley (financially), and say "Hold on a second lads, can we just chat about whether this is really a good idea this whole I hate Mike thing?" My second problem is with point 3. How can a group which has its stated aim as "change" and ousting Mike Ashley act in the best interests of supporters or indeed the club as a whole? What if the best thing for the club at any given time would be for Mike Ashley to remain in charge? What if the only interested buyer wishes to saddle the club with massive debt to finance the acquisition? What if the new owners aren't actually planning to put their own cash into the club? Those who snorted at Ashley's £20m a year pledge will be aware that Gillett/Hicks/Glaziers have not put in a penny of their own cash into the operating costs of the club. I'm not saying the NUSC has to be pro-Ashley by any means, but to adopt such a blinkered approach to their agenda is damaging for both the club and the supporters. Sums my feelings up perfectly, point 1 should of been nailed with there very first public statement. Good post. its good, but what would help the NUSC is to have some high profile people on their side, to publicly raise the stakes and the newsworthiness of it all, like Malcolm Dix did. You need to have the objectives sorted first before you start thinking about backers/publicity. Sorry for the corporate analogy again, but the thing that happens with a company is that they set out a memorandum of association which sets out the goals and objectives of the company. This is what should have happened with NUSC. The committee should then be appointed to run the SC on the basis of those clearly defined objectives. Those key objectives, like my points above, should be page 1 of any leaflet, website, publication. I would personally like to see someone on the committee who is independent i.e. isn't associated in any way with the running of NUSC or connected in any way to the other committee members, whose sole job is to monitor the actions of NUSC to see if they are complying with these objectives. I also think that different parts of the committee should focus on the different objectives to ensure that all objectives are being pursued i.e. a member whose job it is to find the best ways possible to gather supporter opinion, and not get involved in any other aspect etc. You have to get the basic setup right, otherwise despite your best intentions you end up looking like a single issue focus group, which to be honest it is starting to look like. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggio Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 This is the sort of thing you want from a supporters group, shame they've gone about things the way they have so far as I doubt the club will have much to do with them now and if that is the case then the supporters club will offer little that is useful until a takeover is completed, whenever that may be. http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=44942.0 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzieMandias Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Its pretty simple really. The aim for NUSC should be to act in the best interests of the supporters of the club as a whole, same as the directors of a company have to. Not a small group with a blinkered agenda. Not having "change" as an aspect of its motto. This should involve: 1. Helping to give a positive image of the fans as a whole, and the points made by above about doing good things in the community, letter to Sunderland fans family who lost life etc. are good steps in the right direction. You would expect a body like NUSC to be vocal about ensuring better ticket allocation, season ticket payment methods, opportunities for elderly/disabled fans etc. 2. Trying to guage the views of fans as a whole so they have some idea of the opinion of fans who can't attend the meetings, or who don't pay the membership fee, so they can direct their efforts accordingly. Surely a free to register internet poll or something can guage the views of fans better than 50 people at a meeting? 3. Ultimately engaging with discussions with whoever the club owners are to work together in the best interests of the club. My problem with NUSC at the moment is that they don't seem to have a grasp on point 2 - the opinions are limited to those of the founding members I think, or the limited few who turn up to the meetings. There is no effort to guage the opinion of fans as a whole. Its all very well saying that if you don't agree, turn up to a meeting and voice an opinion, but in practice how many normal fans would be prepared to turn up in the Irish Club whilst 50 other fans are discussing how best to hurt Ashley (financially), and say "Hold on a second lads, can we just chat about whether this is really a good idea this whole I hate Mike thing?" My second problem is with point 3. How can a group which has its stated aim as "change" and ousting Mike Ashley act in the best interests of supporters or indeed the club as a whole? What if the best thing for the club at any given time would be for Mike Ashley to remain in charge? What if the only interested buyer wishes to saddle the club with massive debt to finance the acquisition? What if the new owners aren't actually planning to put their own cash into the club? Those who snorted at Ashley's £20m a year pledge will be aware that Gillett/Hicks/Glaziers have not put in a penny of their own cash into the operating costs of the club. I'm not saying the NUSC has to be pro-Ashley by any means, but to adopt such a blinkered approach to their agenda is damaging for both the club and the supporters. Well summarised. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Its pretty simple really. The aim for NUSC should be to act in the best interests of the supporters of the club as a whole, same as the directors of a company have to. Not a small group with a blinkered agenda. Not having "change" as an aspect of its motto. This should involve: 1. Helping to give a positive image of the fans as a whole, and the points made by above about doing good things in the community, letter to Sunderland fans family who lost life etc. are good steps in the right direction. You would expect a body like NUSC to be vocal about ensuring better ticket allocation, season ticket payment methods, opportunities for elderly/disabled fans etc. 2. Trying to guage the views of fans as a whole so they have some idea of the opinion of fans who can't attend the meetings, or who don't pay the membership fee, so they can direct their efforts accordingly. Surely a free to register internet poll or something can guage the views of fans better than 50 people at a meeting? 3. Ultimately engaging with discussions with whoever the club owners are to work together in the best interests of the club. My problem with NUSC at the moment is that they don't seem to have a grasp on point 2 - the opinions are limited to those of the founding members I think, or the limited few who turn up to the meetings. There is no effort to guage the opinion of fans as a whole. Its all very well saying that if you don't agree, turn up to a meeting and voice an opinion, but in practice how many normal fans would be prepared to turn up in the Irish Club whilst 50 other fans are discussing how best to hurt Ashley (financially), and say "Hold on a second lads, can we just chat about whether this is really a good idea this whole I hate Mike thing?" My second problem is with point 3. How can a group which has its stated aim as "change" and ousting Mike Ashley act in the best interests of supporters or indeed the club as a whole? What if the best thing for the club at any given time would be for Mike Ashley to remain in charge? What if the only interested buyer wishes to saddle the club with massive debt to finance the acquisition? What if the new owners aren't actually planning to put their own cash into the club? Those who snorted at Ashley's £20m a year pledge will be aware that Gillett/Hicks/Glaziers have not put in a penny of their own cash into the operating costs of the club. I'm not saying the NUSC has to be pro-Ashley by any means, but to adopt such a blinkered approach to their agenda is damaging for both the club and the supporters. Sums my feelings up perfectly, point 1 should of been nailed with there very first public statement. Good post. its good, but what would help the NUSC is to have some high profile people on their side, to publicly raise the stakes and the newsworthiness of it all, like Malcolm Dix did. You need to have the objectives sorted first before you start thinking about backers/publicity. Sorry for the corporate analogy again, but the thing that happens with a company is that they set out a memorandum of association which sets out the goals and objectives of the company. This is what should have happened with NUSC. The committee should then be appointed to run the SC on the basis of those clearly defined objectives. Those key objectives, like my points above, should be page 1 of any leaflet, website, publication. I would personally like to see someone on the committee who is independent i.e. isn't associated in any way with the running of NUSC or connected in any way to the other committee members, whose sole job is to monitor the actions of NUSC to see if they are complying with these objectives. I also think that different parts of the committee should focus on the different objectives to ensure that all objectives are being pursued i.e. a member whose job it is to find the best ways possible to gather supporter opinion, and not get involved in any other aspect etc. You have to get the basic setup right, otherwise despite your best intentions you end up looking like a single issue focus group, which to be honest it is starting to look like. I think the sticking point is no 3 which you have raised. From what I have seen put out by NUSC their whole point of existence seems to be based on ousting Ashley so I find it difficult to see how they will be able to reconcile themselves to working with his organisation in the event the club isn't sold. NUSC is a half-baked pressure group and that's how it should be treated until it's earned the right to be viewed otherwise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benwell Lad Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Before the Hull City game when they were lobbying I was offered one of their leaflets. I always refuse flyers offered to me in town as they do little more than create a huge litter problem. This is created by people who chuck litter on the ground not the people dishing out flyers. Bit like Wrigleys are not to blame for City Centre pavements having black circles all over them. Yes. The people who produce the flyers truly believe they will be read diligently and then carefully placed in a litter bin. No wonder you fell for the NUSC propoganda. You and 49 others it seems. Anyway the point was not taking a leaflet equals not being a Newcastle supporter in the eyes of those handing them out. How pompous is that ? And I would agree totally, that kind of attitude should have had no place in it. The leaflets I handed out were offered and if it looked like they werent interested I withdrew my hand. Not a problem at all, its everyones right to read or ignore anything thats handed to them and frankly Id rather it was turned down than be taken and just lobbed away without reading. All I can say in defence of the NUSC is that was clearly NOT an instruction to those leafletting. All were clearly told to just offer, never force and walk away in any kind of confrontation and under no circumstances get involved in an argument. Thanks for clarifying that, I appreciate it. If everyone had adopted your attitude I'm sure they would be taken more seriously. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I think what nobody saw was how "difficult" the sale would prove - the movement or whatever you want to call it as far as I can see was setup to try and correct the wrong impression of the "sky mong" brigade and try and ensure the relationship with the club was better in the future - be it for times of disagreement or not. Now that we're caught in this no-mans land its position is a bit awkward - it wants to sweep the old regime out so that it can start from scratch with the new with all the good stuff Belios mentions but finds Ashley's contiuning presence to be a problem. I think the best way forward in this light would probably be to sit back and wait for the sale and then take it from there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggio Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 NUSC seeks meeting with Ashley over future of NUFC. Newcastle United Supporters Club, PO Box 621, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 9AD 30th October 2008. Ref: Request for Update on the sale and future intentions towards Newcastle United FC The Newcastle United Supporters Club (NUSC) is a newly constituted representative body. It has an established constitution and growing membership and is the only such representative organisation for Newcastle United supporters. Supporters of the club are naturally extremely concerned regarding the current uncertainty and instability related to the intended sale of Newcastle United and extremely perturbed at media reports regarding the intentions towards. Further, we have great anxieties regarding the intentions of the club’s executive management in the forthcoming January transfer window and our prospects for maintaining our status as a Premier League club. The purpose of this letter is to request a meeting with the club’s owner, Mike Ashley and the Managing Director, Derek Llambias as well as Keith Harris (Seymour Pierce) to seek an update regarding the progress regards the sale of Newcastle United FC. We are not seeking access to confidential commercially sensitive information but believe as a representative body for supporters we are entitled to a dialogue with the people who are currently pivotal to the future of the club we have all supported for many years. We are proposing that three members of the NUSC Committee meet with Messrs Ashley, Llambias and Harris at the earliest convenience and would urge you to appreciate the concerns supporters, or your paying customers, have regards the strategic direction of Newcastle United going forward. In that sense we would ask that this meeting take place as soon as possible. We do not believe it unreasonable to request that this meeting take place in Newcastle, though if necessary will travel to London or anywhere else in the UK if this is more agreeable to you. We would urge you to find a suitable date before the end of November 2008. Please be assured details regarding any meeting’s arrangements will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be disclosed to any media sources without your express consent. However, we will communicate the broad content with supporters following any meeting, which you will understand is part of our representative function. I look forward to your speedy reply. Malcolm Shiels, Chair, Newcastle United Supporters Club (NUSC) [email protected] 07505122178 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzieMandias Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 They need to look up the word "representative". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredbob Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 NUSC seeks meeting with Ashley over future of NUFC. Newcastle United Supporters Club, PO Box 621, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 9AD 30th October 2008. Ref: Request for Update on the sale and future intentions towards Newcastle United FC The Newcastle United Supporters Club (NUSC) is a newly constituted representative body. It has an established constitution and growing membership and is the only such representative organisation for Newcastle United supporters. Supporters of the club are naturally extremely concerned regarding the current uncertainty and instability related to the intended sale of Newcastle United and extremely perturbed at media reports regarding the intentions towards. Further, we have great anxieties regarding the intentions of the clubs executive management in the forthcoming January transfer window and our prospects for maintaining our status as a Premier League club. The purpose of this letter is to request a meeting with the clubs owner, Mike Ashley and the Managing Director, Derek Llambias as well as Keith Harris (Seymour Pierce) to seek an update regarding the progress regards the sale of Newcastle United FC. We are not seeking access to confidential commercially sensitive information but believe as a representative body for supporters we are entitled to a dialogue with the people who are currently pivotal to the future of the club we have all supported for many years. We are proposing that three members of the NUSC Committee meet with Messrs Ashley, Llambias and Harris at the earliest convenience and would urge you to appreciate the concerns supporters, or your paying customers, have regards the strategic direction of Newcastle United going forward. In that sense we would ask that this meeting take place as soon as possible. We do not believe it unreasonable to request that this meeting take place in Newcastle, though if necessary will travel to London or anywhere else in the UK if this is more agreeable to you. We would urge you to find a suitable date before the end of November 2008. Please be assured details regarding any meetings arrangements will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be disclosed to any media sources without your express consent. However, we will communicate the broad content with supporters following any meeting, which you will understand is part of our representative function. I look forward to your speedy reply. Malcolm Shiels, Chair, Newcastle United Supporters Club (NUSC) [email protected] 07505122178 Roughly translated as "Please let us talk to you so we can find out when your fucking off" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
themanupstairs Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Decent worded letter that, and respectfully written. I wonder what the chances of Ashley meeting with them are, and if that happens, I wonder what the chances are of these fellas coming out the meeting totally mesmerized by him and changing their tune Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now