a very comprehensive and welcome statement from him .... to mark, not the end of the current troubles, but the start of a new beginning for a stronger and brighter future for Welling United. well done all concerned ....
If Dan isn't too busy on the 28th, then before the match against Bromley he should be allowed to take the field to a round of applause, and then be presented with a player of the month award!
-- Edited by Dogme on Wednesday 15th of December 2010 05:42:16 PM
1) who is the mystery investor? He says he is a football man. (andy Townsend?) and is he still LIVE
2) how much debt is outstanding? And how will the club intend to repay? As I suppose the idea is to be debt free?!?
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At a football club, theres a holy trinity the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors dont come into it. They are only there to sign the checks
Well done to Dan Chapman - certainly achieved much more for our club than his two namesakes ever did!!
I have read the statement and a lot of it makes sense but I am also sceptical on one thing in particular.
Apparently we went to the Dec 1st hearing with a "letter of intent" from a purchaser. At that time the fans hadn't really started delving into their pockets so I assume this letter must have carried some weight with HMRC at the time....?
So what has happened to this purchaser. I thought a paragraph must be missing from Dan's statement as that is the only mention of it? Do they still exist? Are they no longer a potential buyer?
Questions.....questions.....and we deserve an answer NOW!!
The only people that deserve an answer are the 42 that have given/loaned substantial amounts of money to the club. Everybody else can request and ask for an answer/s.
At a football club, theres a holy trinity the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors dont come into it. They are only there to sign the checks
Well done to Dan Chapman - certainly achieved much more for our club than his two namesakes ever did!!
I have read the statement and a lot of it makes sense but I am also sceptical on one thing in particular.
Apparently we went to the Dec 1st hearing with a "letter of intent" from a purchaser. At that time the fans hadn't really started delving into their pockets so I assume this letter must have carried some weight with HMRC at the time....?
So what has happened to this purchaser. I thought a paragraph must be missing from Dan's statement as that is the only mention of it? Do they still exist? Are they no longer a potential buyer?
Questions.....questions.....and we deserve an answer NOW!!
Not really a day for being pedantic but Dan Chapman the first was a very good player in his first spell at the Club regardless of how and why he left etc!
1) who is the mystery investor? He says he is a football man. (andy Townsend?) and is he still LIVE
2) how much debt is outstanding? And how will the club intend to repay? As I suppose the idea is to be debt free?!?
Jose registered on this forum on 29 November: two days before the court hearing; two days before the "letter of intent" was presented to the court. If his profile is correct he is the chairman of Bexley Borough FC: a club that also includes Simon Kidby and Richard Pleydell among its officers; a club that has recently entered into a groundshare agreement with Erith and Dartford Town; the same (Erith and) Dartford Town that merged with Erith Town for a short period in the summer before it went sour.
As has been metioned before on this forum Dan Chapman's statement mentions the approach from from "a purchaser with a football background" - who do we think that might be? The statement says no more on the matter save a throwaway comment regarding "sale to a genuine party". Is the "purchaser with a football background" no longer regarded as a "genuine party"?
If he is, what of the club's new constitution should a sale happen before it is established in January 2011?
As I wrote at the start, I believe Jose can expand more. So over to him...
Actually I can't! I'm not the purchaser, lol i can just about afford to keep bexley borough afloat! I've done my best to help welling as if things went sour I would offer watching football to the supporters. and only even knew about this forum from reading the Kent league forum 'new club in step 6' thread!
One other thing. Pleydell is NOT on our committee and hasn't been since early September.
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At a football club, theres a holy trinity the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors dont come into it. They are only there to sign the checks
Lol just reading my posts! I'm just on the hunt for supporters. Russ look at my other posts! All supportive of the help welling cause! So bloody cynical!
I always was welling in the old championship manager games, you've got it all wrong china.
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At a football club, theres a holy trinity the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors dont come into it. They are only there to sign the checks
Yeah it was me. 1st time ever at the ground just came down to throw my pennies at the gate and wish the team well.
Bad idea really as it was bitterly cold and had nobody to talk to.
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At a football club, theres a holy trinity the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors dont come into it. They are only there to sign the checks
Actually I can't! I'm not the purchaser, lol i can just about afford to keep bexley borough afloat! I've done my best to help welling as if things went sour I would offer watching football to the supporters. and only even knew about this forum from reading the Kent league forum 'new club in step 6' thread!
One other thing. Pleydell is NOT on our committee and hasn't been since early September.
I didn't claim you are the potential "purchaser with a footballing background". But I believe you know who that is which leads me to question why you ask who the mystery investor is.
My apologies regarding Richard Pleydell - the minutes of your AGM from June state he was elected Advertising and Sponsorship officer and I didn't see any subsequent announcement to the contrary.
Not everything that happens always gets announced. It's a bit different when you get 20 at home games opposed to 600. Lol
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At a football club, theres a holy trinity the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors dont come into it. They are only there to sign the checks
Russ made a good point, if this new investor (my view..... connected with local teams and involved in previous take over attempts/mergers lower down the pyramid) takes over, then what happens to the new constitution that will happen after some of the supporters raised 60k.
My point is that if an investor raised 60k they would have an executive place at the club and a say in the running. Will the new constitution include an executive position for the supporters rep (Matt Mein). What have the fans actually got in the way of control or clout for that 60k that saved the club that an investor would have got/ will get? or for the proposed work in driving the club forward and raising money and awareness and providing stability and organisation?
Or will will see a takeover where someone hasnt put in a shilling and let the club go to the hearing 3 weeks ago with a chance of being wound up, then who stood by and watched the fans raise 60 grand before coming on board. Will that person get an executive role and a degree of control or outright control and the fans have lip service?
IF the exciting new supporters association/trust are going to raise funds and awareness for someone to come in and cherry pick a stable club and do what they want, that doesnt sound right to me. So my opinion is if a trust/association is going to drive the club forward the aim must be to control it in the future, The 60k raised to save the club MUST get a degree of say as we stand and be a platform for an increased involvement and protection against any tom dick and harry just taking over when a lot of the hard work and a lot of hard earned money has been contributed.
The sooner we get behind a supporters association and get a lot of people signed up the better as while we are still getting it together the things i am/ others are concerned about could overtake us.
I look forward to the association's committee meeting with the club to establish where we stand and where we go. I do hope that 60k and saving of the club doesnt get us an extra press release a week and a platform for anyone to gatecrash a constitution for their own agendas and control of our club (New Investor) and swipe away the fans and an attempt at them having more say and some clout.
I dont know about you lot but i am behind the Supporters Association/Committee and it cant come soon enough. So at the first chance of you all joining, i suggest you do.
The 60k and proposed committee/association/trust MUST give the fans some official say and protection against a vulture or someone just gatecrashing it. It wasnt the investor who saved the club and they had every chance to do so.
-- Edited by JgFc on Sunday 19th of December 2010 03:04:38 PM
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Alexander O'Neal 1987 "I'm fed up cos all you wanna do is criticize "
Russ made a good point, if this new investor (my view..... connected with local teams and involved in previous take over attempts/mergers lower down the pyramid) takes over, then what happens to the new constitution that will happen after some of the supporters raised 60k.
Or will will see a takeover where someone hasnt put in a shilling and let the club go to the hearing 3 weeks ago with a chance of being wound up, then who stood by and watched the fans raise 60 grand before coming on board. Will that person get an executive role and a degree of control or outright control and the fans have lip service?
To be able to claim ownership the new investor will have a £64k debt to the supporters to pay off as the solicitors have ensured that all monies were properly accepted as loans. The new investor will also have all other outstanding debts to clear and will also have to pay however much compensation the Hobbins' want to buy the club (assuming they want to sell up completely).
If outright control is achieved then I guess they could remove a supporters representative from the board but would they want to alienate the paying public? I still have two years left on my season ticket after this one. Is that 100% safe if there was to be a change of ownership.
I shall be joining the newly formed association as soon as the constitution is ratified and membership fees have been announced. I agree with you in your suggestion that a big membership will give the chairman more sway when meeting with club officials.
Jgfc/Russ I now get who you think the investor is but I haven't spoken to this person about welling so if it is him he hasn't mentioned it to me. Sorry to let you down but my involvement in this is purely to offer football to local supporters who might big have had a club at one point.
Doubt I will be involved in welling unless this potential sponsor, who ever you are, wants my help! Lol
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At a football club, theres a holy trinity the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors dont come into it. They are only there to sign the checks
Reading the recent posts on this thread prompted me to check on the New Constitution Announcement as everyone seems to have forgotten that a separate member to represent the supporters who had made loans was to participate in the running of the club along with a representative of the general supporters. I assumed they were to be part of the Management Board of the club (remember there is no Board of Directors.) The wording of the announcement, copied below, causes me to doubt whether this is what is proposed. It could be read to state that a separate committee is to be formed including the two representatives and the executive Management Committee will continue as before and merely liaise with and advise the other committee. I hope my doubts prove unfounded because, if not, the committee containing the representatives will be pretty toothless and very little will have changed. Definitely some clarification from the owners is required.
New Constitution
As agreed in the Open Meeting on Saturday the 4 December 2010 the Club can confirm that should it survive on the 15 December 2010 through the settlement of the petition debt then a new constitution will be formed to ensure that the Club has the best possible future, and that there is a transparent structure in place to ensure communication between the various stakeholders and to maximise any commercial or football opportunities available to the Club.
The Club's Solicitors have already been put on notice that such a constitution is to be prepared.
New (voluntary and unpaid) posts will be created to include a :
Lending Group Representative (To represent and protect the interests of the individuals who have collectively lent funds to the club to clear the petition debt, and to regularly report to all lenders)
Supporters Association Representative (to represent the newly formed Supporters Association with particular regard to fund raising, cost cutting initiatives and the interests of all supporters of the club)
Financial Officer (To assist the club with the production of a plan to ensure it meets both its financial commitments and financial objectives and then monitor report and advise on its performance against it to the Club and the various Representatives)
Legal Advisor (To provide the club and its representatives, as required, with access to appropriate legal advice and support)
The above posts would all form part of a new committee, and would report to and be reported to by the Chairman, Club Secretary, owners of the Club and any other executive posts. An election process will be undertaken where there is more than one interested candidate for a post.
An excellent posting by you at 14.32. From my perspective, it is vitally important that the supporters who have raised £64K to save the Club should have a significant voice in the running of the Club in the future. The proposed constitution of the new Committee/Association/Trust does not appear to grant sufficient power/influence or recognition for the supporters who have raised this significant amount of money.
It is highly likely that if this money had not been raised by the supporters, the Club would have ceased to exist in its present form or perhaps not at all!
It is also vitally important that the financial control of the Club must be the first priority of the new Committee/Association/Trust otherwise the Club could end up in the same financial situation which has led to their recent appearances with the HMRC in the High Court.
Difficult one - some people may not buy a season ticket because they don't have the money up front but still go to all games - don't think they should be disenfranchised.
However I don't think the person who turns up 3-4 times a season should have the same say as some-one who does turn up week in week out.
The aim of a supporters trust is to be united . So lets say one of the committee puts in 100s of hours, is he more valueable than a season ticket holder?
What about old fred whos been supporting the club for 25 years but can only afford to go one game a month?
Its all for one and one for all. No cracks, no factions.
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Alexander O'Neal 1987 "I'm fed up cos all you wanna do is criticize "
MEMBERSHIP..... £XX per year. Money for the club. Votes for the members. Say in how the club is run. A feeling that "You the member" are part of Welling United.