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Trust meeting with directors 18:22 - Nov 14 with 23984 views

442Dale

https://www.daletrust.co.uk/2019/11/meeting-with-the-directors-nov-2019/

Poll:

Greatest Ever Dale Game

Trust meeting with directors on 08:15 - Nov 15 with 2767 views

TalkingSutty

Trust meeting with directors on 02:11 - Nov 15 by pioneer
Dont forget the goalkeeper we are paying for doing precisely nothing. I cannot take seriously these claims of frugality when the club have signed a gaggle of goalies and not bothered to use the one they already had.

What a depressing response from the Chairman...so survival is now our only ambition. If that really is the case then maybe he and the Directors should step aside and others with a bit more ambition and drive should step forward. We can’t be skint neither, the amount of money that has come into the Club since January tells you that. Money that hasn’t been budgeted for...the selling of Magahey, Cannon, Rafferty, Adshead, 900K add on from the Dawson transfer, £463 K from the United game. Around about £2 million and it’s just dismissed by those running the Club as a insignificance, the fans need to take more notice and think about what is being suggested. Maybe we are waiting for some ofthe money to be paid but we wouldn’t spend it all at once anyway so that’s irrelevant.

I’m not saying we will ever be flushed with money but at this moment in time when the budget has been slashed then we shouldn’t be in financial turmoil. If that’s the case then how did the previous Chairman and Directors manage because they never had the financial windfalls we have had over the last 10 months.

I also have a question for the Trust Board in relation to their meeting with the Directors and I know they all read this forum...Did the Trust forward the fans questions to the Directors PRIOR to the actual meeting or did they look the Directors in the eyes and ask the questions face to face on the day of the meeting?

Trust meeting with directors on 08:20 - Nov 15 with 2754 views

dingdangblue

Trust meeting with directors on 19:06 - Nov 14 by SuddenLad
So, no money for players in January. "We got less than you might think from the United game". We got £463,000 - which the club hadn't budgeted for when the season kicked off. I don't know whether that's more - or less than some people expected. I know it's a significant amount of money and I know the team needs strengthening. Ambition seems to be sadly lacking.

I'm sure if BBM is after a certain player in Jan or if one becomes available he will be allowed to persue it. We dont sign players for money so any signing would have to be a loan or a free transfer - that has always been the case so I'm not quite sure what has changed? We needed McShane because of Jim's injury so BBM was allowed to bring him in - if the manager needs to strengthen he will - regardless of what was said - they are hardly likely to tell us.

	Its a BRILLIANT goal to cap a BRILLIANT start by Rochdale - Don Goodman 26/08/10
Poll:	Are fans more annoyed losing or not playing Henderson centre forward?

Trust meeting with directors on 08:41 - Nov 15 with 2712 views

SuddenLad

Trust meeting with directors on 08:15 - Nov 15 by TalkingSutty

They might as well e-mail the questions and wait for a reply, if they are seen in advance. Waste of time actually attending a meeting.

Anyway, there should be plenty of food for thought in there for the shareholders to wrestle with. I'm sure they will sit up and take notice and get out their calculators.

I'll bet they don't get fobbed off with questions submitted in advance, effectively answering the ones you choose and not the probing, difficult ones.

The club is moving further away from the fans with every passing week.

Team Rochdale ? It's becoming a joke.

â€œIt is easier to fool people, than to convince them that they have been fooledâ€

Trust meeting with directors on 09:02 - Nov 15 with 2681 views

Plattyswrinklynuts

Trust meeting with directors on 21:40 - Nov 14 by scarrow
If McShane moves on and Lillis you'd hope those wages would be put towards new players coming in.

Got to keep McShane IMO, he’s looked a cut above & has clearly steadied the back 4. Don’t think we'll be able to offload any of the fringe / out of favour players til July when contracts run out.

Trust meeting with directors on 09:02 - Nov 15 with 2680 views

oddjob007

So much cr&p posted on this thread.

Yes we have made money that was 'unbudgetted' - but how do you know we weren't heading for the abyss before we received that money?

I'm also pretty sure that the taking on the stadium company is causing us much more additional cost than we thought - we are also subsidising our egg chasing neighbours!

Yes we made best part of half a million from the United game - how much do you think McShane is on? I've heard numbers between £5k and £10k a week. He was captain of a Championship team last season!

I've said it before on this forum, if anyone thinks getting involved with Rochdale is a way to make money then give your head a wobble!!

Trust meeting with directors on 09:18 - Nov 15 with 2645 views

fitzochris

Trust meeting with directors on 09:02 - Nov 15 by oddjob007

McShane is on nowhere near those figures with us.

Blog:

Rochdale 2018/19 part three: Getting points on the board

Trust meeting with directors on 09:24 - Nov 15 with 2631 views

rochdaleriddler

I’m a bit in the middle of the range of opinions here, I get that costs had to be cut, but once the budget was set , surely a little windfall would allow some wriggle room for some squad investment, and I don’t mean transfer fees. The board quite rightly took action last season to prevent us slipping into league two . It was bold to sack Hill. If our current form with our unbalanced and thin squad continues, we will be facing a crisis again, when it may actually not cost much to improve the squad , and the mood at spotland on match day

[Post edited 15 Nov 2019 9:25]

Poll:

Will you download and use the contract tracing App being launched by the Govt

Trust meeting with directors on 09:45 - Nov 15 with 2596 views

nordenblue

Trust meeting with directors on 09:02 - Nov 15 by oddjob007

How can we be subsidising the rugby club,surely the money if/when they pay is additional money we wouldn't of had,if they'd not been playing there?

How/why were we heading for the abyss prior to any of the unexpected windfalls came in,we've hardly been chucking cash around for years on end?

Trust meeting with directors on 09:45 - Nov 15 with 2596 views

judd

Trust meeting with directors on 08:15 - Nov 15 by TalkingSutty

"A number of concerns regarding Goldbond have arisen. Rather than discuss them all at this meeting, the questions were submitted to the club with a view to a specifically arranged meeting at the Trust’s request to discuss these. Further questions had also been received that will be sent following the meeting."

The questions surrounding Goldbond issues have been submitted to the club. It would not surprise me if those answers you see were similarly submitted.

Poll:

What is it to be then?

Trust meeting with directors on 09:57 - Nov 15 with 2580 views

kel

Trust meeting with directors on 09:02 - Nov 15 by oddjob007

Accuse others of talking crap and then come out with figures like that.

Brilliant.

[Post edited 15 Nov 2019 9:58]

Trust meeting with directors on 10:57 - Nov 15 with 2486 views

Toffeemanc

Trust meeting with directors on 07:36 - Nov 15 by EllDale
At what stage does the conversation happen where the board say to BBM, "we've no money for new recruits BUT we've had a sizeable offer for O'Connell (or Henderson or Rathbone)".

Most likely in a couple of months in the January transfer window if the boards comments are to be believed.

The answers given by the board to the trust suggests to me we genuinely have no money and the monies received since January are being used to fill a black hole that was already there, most likely from a combination of the the oversize squads that Hill had and the subsequent costs of sacking him. If this is the case and we have been accruing debts over the last couple of years just to stay in league one whilst still making increasing losses then ultimately it can't continue without investment. Maybe this is the issue behind the ousting of Dunphy as Chairman as the other members of the board maybe weren't prepared to go along with it any longer?
It certainly appears from the answers given that we are skint and actually can't afford to compete in league one without making losses and that the last two seasons of last ditch survival are the boards template of our foreseeable future if we don't get any investment.
Personally if we are as skint as suggested then I am more worried about what happens when the inevitable/eventual relegation back to league two happens. The boards comments have left me in no doubt that we would also struggle to be competitive there too due to the inevitable decrease in funds we would have accompanied by the lack of investment from our current board.
It feels to me that since this new board took over all we have seen is nothing but them implement cuts on the playing side of things, smaller squad, lower budget, less coaching staff etc, whilst making changes in other areas like Golden Gamble, Goldbond, matchday pricing, catering etc. all in an effort to try to increase income without actually spending any money.
The effects of this cost cutting on the playing side are being seen most weeks on the pitch and will eventually lead to smaller crowds and less income which will only make the long term situation worse, its all pretty concerning to me.

[Post edited 15 Nov 2019 10:59]

Poll:

Now the club has refused to move on sesaon ticket prices what will you now do?

Trust meeting with directors on 11:01 - Nov 15 with 2480 views

SuddenLad

Trust meeting with directors on 10:57 - Nov 15 by Toffeemanc

[Post edited 15 Nov 2019 10:59]

Don't be brainwashed into thinking that our 'natural level' is the Conference. That's part of the game.

â€œIt is easier to fool people, than to convince them that they have been fooledâ€

Trust meeting with directors on 11:29 - Nov 15 with 2446 views

Dale27

Trust meeting with directors on 00:16 - Nov 15 by Dalenet

Well that isn't true is it? We could only budget to lose £300k per season if somebody ultimately covered it. I suspect the gap nowadays is closer to a £1m unless we have a cup run or sell players. Our directors don't own the club and take all the value out of it like the Glaziers. There is little value to be had and they probably haven't got the cash or be prepared to cover the gap, Why should we expect that?

Something is wrong and we will just have to see what the accounts suggest in time. But to suggest that they are trying to make money out of the club is disrespectful.

Not disrespectful one bit.

Figures don’t lie.

Trust meeting with directors on 11:49 - Nov 15 with 2406 views

Dalenet

Trust meeting with directors on 11:29 - Nov 15 by Dale27
Not disrespectful one bit. Figures don’t lie.

So which figures have you got access to that shows that the directors are making money out of the club? I can't tell whether figures don't lie when we can't see them

Trust meeting with directors on 11:50 - Nov 15 with 2403 views

Dale27

Trust meeting with directors on 11:49 - Nov 15 by Dalenet
So which figures have you got access to that shows that the directors are making money out of the club? I can't tell whether figures don't lie when we can't see them

Have you read this thread at all?

Trust meeting with directors on 12:19 - Nov 15 with 2350 views

SuddenLad

Trust meeting with directors on 00:16 - Nov 15 by Dalenet

I doubt it would be possible, in the accepted sense' to 'make money' out of this club. No-one would expect that. There was some talk a while ago, that Directors were 'considering' being paid/receiving expenses for travelling to away games, if that counts ?

Of course, that rumour was denied. Surely no-one would try and do such a ridiculous and underhand thing like that, especially when they are treated like Lords by the host club and have access to the best of the facilities, denied to travelling, paying supporters. They simply wouldn't.

The club annually budgets to lose £300k. Or it did. That was openly stated. Since then, we have trimmed the squad to basic operating levels and somehow expect to be able to compete.

Let's not pointlessly bleat on about Portsmouth, Sunderland, Ipswich et. al. We don't need telling they have astronomical budgets. A few seasons ago, we were beating Southampton, Bournemouth and Portsmouth. This club - in League One with a hungry competitive squad of players.

Of course, staying in this division is a priority, but that priority has now become the absolute main aim. There is no ambition beyond that. Not even a finish in the top 8. Fifth from bottom is now the promised land. There might be some merit in that, but it's not going to make the turnstiles to click.

People on the terraces need to have belief that the club wants to progress, year on year and that it has some ambition. Supporters of the club know full well that finances are key but
if you remove ambition there is little point turning up.

The club finances will always be a priority, I accept that, but we have had more income in the last 18 months than at any time in our history. Perhaps the club accounts will reveal a tsunami of Bury proportions, we will have to wait and see, but if you constantly play the 'doom and gloom scenario', it turns people away.

Give BBM a fighting chance.......and the supporters a reason to turn up.

â€œIt is easier to fool people, than to convince them that they have been fooledâ€

Trust meeting with directors on 12:37 - Nov 15 with 2311 views

TalkingSutty

Trust meeting with directors on 10:57 - Nov 15 by Toffeemanc

[Post edited 15 Nov 2019 10:59]

Well Chris Dunphy and Bill Goodwin both left the Club at the end of the year, the circumstances of their departures have already been discussed but let’s remember both these men are local to the Town and are known to a lot of supporters. Bill Goodwin was holding the fort as the temporary CEO just before his departure while a person with expertise in that department was appointed, so he was fully aware of the financial standing of the Club.

The Club was in good financial health with money in the bank when they both left, Chris Dunphy actually stated that on his departure in one of his interviews and nobody in the current Boardroom disputed that. Plenty of fans know Bill Goodwin and if you speak to him he will confirm when they left the Club it was in good health. When you see them both,approach them and just ask them if the Club was skint when they left, i’m sure they will confirm either way. In fact they might even sign up to this forum and give their side of the story.

Since their departure we have had to pay the management team off, they haven’t been replaced as such and the playing squad has been slashed, so a very big saving in wages. We have also generated a lot of money into the Club , as outlined previously. To suggest that Chris Dunphy is responsible for overspending to the extent that we now don’t have a pot to piss in isn’t right. Hills budget was increased and he had too many players but a lot of those were loan signings.

My own personal thoughts are that the youth academy and training ground are seen as priority over the first team and which league we are competing in. Is there a burning desire from the Chairman and those in the Boardroom to keep us competing in League One and to constantly keep trying to improve the product on the pitch? I don’t think there is. The BBM interview following the Wrexham game was also a big worry, if he thinks the fans should be pleased by what we had to endure that afternoon then god help us, it was a performance which harked back to the early 1980s.

I’m genuinely concerned about the Club because the reply from the boardroom to the question posed by the Trust just screams of lack of ambition and doom and gloom. The Chairman is a mute and might as well not be there, having listened to him speak he doesn’t sound right arsed whether he’s involved or not anyway. It’s a rudderless ship, a ‘us and them’ and a feeling that certain individuals think they can do exactly what they want and everybody else has to either like it or lump it.

The fans need to wake up and start thinking things through, find there voices because if things don’t change it’s going to end up badly this. It’s not even personal against those running the Club, if they are struggling then say so and hand over the reins to others who might be able to do the job better. Using bury’s demise to justify the Boardrooms ambition as ‘survival’ is totally wrong...their demise was down to con men/charlatans infiltrating the boardroom and abusing the structure of the club. Their fans also contributed because they believed everything that came out of the Chairman and Directors mouths, their supporters trust ( Forever Bury) were also too close to the Boardroom and ended up in their back pocket!

Trust meeting with directors on 13:48 - Nov 15 with 2198 views

krafty80

Quite rightly there has been much discussion about finances on this thread, but the part of the Trust interview which really struck me was the 'vision' bit.

The Chairman apparently stated that his vision is:

'A survivability and to not end up like Bury. The intention is always to do better than “as well as we can”.'

That worries me, partly because I am not sure it makes sense as actual words. I used to think that visions, mission statements etc were a load of David Brent-esque waffle with no importance attached. But partly because of some work stuff I've experienced, I am starting to rethink. I wonder if the club has a genuinely holistic vision for what it wants to be? My own wild stab would be:

Rochdale Football Club will seek to:
- have the first team playing at the highest level possible in the professional game without threatening its long term financial viability
- seek to play positive football that is perceived as attractive to supporters
- to educate and develop young footballers through a high performing academy, both for its own teams and as a means to generate future revenue from transfers
- to reflect through its values and ethos its role as an ambassador for the town of Rochdale

Anyone know if the club has a statement like this?

[Post edited 15 Nov 2019 13:51]

Trust meeting with directors on 15:31 - Nov 15 with 2116 views

TVOS1907

Trust meeting with directors on 11:50 - Nov 15 by Dale27
Have you read this thread at all?

Do you mean

(a) making money for the club, or
(b) making money for themselves?

When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf?

Trust meeting with directors on 16:08 - Nov 15 with 2080 views

EllDale

How this club misses Paul Hazlehurst.

Trust meeting with directors on 16:45 - Nov 15 with 2034 views

judd

Trust meeting with directors on 22:22 - Nov 14 by 442Dale

The main thing is establishing the overall direction of the club, everyone singing from the same hymn sheet. For example: outside investment now required or the model that’s worked so successfully over the last decade?

<<“Given the club have admitted to having “Non-Disclosure agreements” signed, how far along is the club in obtaining investment, and will the club agree to keep the Trust abreast of any club ownership developments as agreed in the MOU?
The Board admitted that they were in negotiations but the nature of a non-disclosure agreement meant that they were limited to what they could say about it. They agreed that they would keep the Trust informed of any potential changes.”>>

It’s good that the club have agreed to keep the Trust informed, as per the MOU, of any potential changes now this issue has been raised - after the news around “non-disclosure agreements” was mentioned in media articles in August.

That last point is so pertinent to how many see the relationship.

Fans stumble upon an exercise in self-promotion during which monthly running costs are disclosed as well as the news of a number of non-disclosure agreements having been signed.

Why disclose the news of non-disclosure agreements in this manner when unable to disclose details of a non-disclosure which, by its' very nature, should not be disclosed outside of agreed channels?

Poll:

What is it to be then?

Trust meeting with directors on 17:44 - Nov 15 with 1964 views

nordenblue

Trust meeting with directors on 16:08 - Nov 15 by EllDale
How this club misses Paul Hazlehurst.

I think the biggest loss in all of this is a certain Mr Dunphy to be honest, it's all gone very strange since he "stepped down"

Trust meeting with directors on 19:18 - Nov 15 with 1851 views

judd

I wonder if we'll see the resurrection of the gala dinner for end of season awards night?

Poll:

What is it to be then?

Trust meeting with directors on 19:22 - Nov 15 with 1845 views

ChaffRAFC

Trust meeting with directors on 19:18 - Nov 15 by judd
I wonder if we'll see the resurrection of the gala dinner for end of season awards night?

If we have a gala dinner, separate from the end of season do, brilliant. If it replaces it, we'll have a repeat of the reaction we had last time!

If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor

Trust meeting with directors on 19:25 - Nov 15 with 1837 views

ChaffRAFC

On a serious note, the report of the meeting is a thoroughly depressing read and does leave a bitter taste in the mouth. It should make the next set of accounts a very interesting read as well.

Interesting that the Goldbond is such a hot issue that it requires a separate meeting as well.

If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor

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