| Open Day 1st July on 21:49 - Jul 3 with 2166 views | AtThePeake |
| Open Day 1st July on 21:38 - Jul 3 by 49thseason |
As my comment below, about the open day seems to have attracted some criticism, let me pose a few new questions..
"But comments like "The club needs to start an urgent enquiry into a) the decision to have an open day and its implications and b) having made that decision, what steps were taken to ensure it would be a success" seem to be a tad overblown to me when in general it seems like the open day was a success and the kit seems to have gone down pretty well with most supporters."
So let me ask ...What was the objective? Was it a shirt launch? Was it to attract new fans? Was it aimed at younger fans? Or was it meant to be all of the above?
If it was to attract new fans, how would they have known about it? Was it put on Rochdale Online? Were there any flyers given out to schools, pubs, shops? Any mentions on the local radio stations? If it was aimed a younger fans, fine, but again, how was this transmitted to the target audience? Did the Football in the Community crowd have leaflets or posters to put in schools? Wouldn't it have been a good opportunity to invite people from the local streets where there are parking issues to come into the club and get a feel for what actually goes on and give them a chance to meet people? How many local junior football clubs were invited?
As someone once said, "if you dont know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?".
So, what was the objective? how successful was it? How many people actually turned up? How many shirts were sold? What was the staffing cost vs additional income? Did every kid who turned up get something to take home, maybe a free match ticket or a voucher for the club shop? Did we find out what schools the kids went to? These might be questions for the Trust to ask, but they are worth asking and as a final point, to what extent was the trust involved in the planning?
BTW..I loved the photo of the kids in blue and yellow jazzy kit, but who are they, what club do they play for?
Or... is it enough just to work on the " build it and they will come" principle? Maybe it is, why try to change something that hasnt really worked well for as long as anyone can remember? After all, its only little Rochdale.... |
I'd say the objective was to start rebuilding some of the relationships between players and fans. I'd also say, judging by the feedback from people who attended, it did a pretty good job of doing that as a first step.
If we'd just won promotion, I'm convinced people would be saying what a great show of togetherness the open day was and how it was great to see the players engaging with the fanbase.
Instead, because there are undoubted issues elsewhere and because we've just been relegated, people are projecting and finding further issues that aren't really there.
It was an open day for kids to get the new shirt and get some selfies with the players. It really isn't that deep. |  |
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| Open Day 1st July on 22:19 - Jul 3 with 2091 views | wozzrafc |
One word sums up both sides points of view ‘Frustration’
Dalemark I don’t think anyone is moaning for moaning sake. These issues do keep arising and people will feel like they are banging their head against a wall. I think they feel like they are being ignored by the club, more and more issues happen and Frustration turns to anger.
But looking it from another angle it that there appears to be a constant barrage of criticism and people almost looking to criticise every angle. We all know things can be done better.
On the pitch it’s been 5 seasons since we have remotely looked like competing and the club has felt like it’s been in decline and doom /gloom.
For me this has to stop. There has to be an upturn in the outlook for the club, we have to turn the tide.
We can look at this week end from two points of view:
1) another example of the club being a shambles, links not working on the online shop, the kit being launched with the online shops not being updated, the design of the kit changing without telling the fans and more spelling mistakes on the season ticket vouchers.
2) the club and players engaging with fans and people having fun, a kit which the majority of fans like, the club shop doing a roaring trade selling merchandise which has improved in quality.
Both views have valid points and the reality is it’s probably somewhere in the middle.it was not a disaster but things still need to be looked at
We as a fanbase need to be balanced. If we only look at the negatives then it becomes harder to change the momentum, but if we don’t point out where things are going wrong then will they ever be put right.
For me it seems like there has been a lot of criticism some justified and some not. You you can’t open a post Facebook or Twitter with a constant list of smart arsed replies. There doesn’t seem to be much on the positives. If it’s all negatives then it’s easier to ignore everything and miss the legitimate concerns.
The trusts recent initiatives in terms of the meeting are an excellent approach and I’d hope that the club do take it onboard and in the sprit it is meant. If we can see improvement then the frustration will die down (a few quick wins wouldn’t go astray). For that part the trust and the club need to be open and above all the club have to prove they want to engage, improve communication and admit we’re things are wrong and how they will look to put it right. Fans want to know they are being heard.
And we as fans we need to understand years and years of issues are not going to be resolved over night. Not everything is this boards fault (they are not without blame) and we need to to be measured.
The fans forum in a few weeks is an opportunity to clear the air. Raise your concerns and listen to what the board have to say. I do believe everyone now at the club want what is best.
I just want to enjoy supporting my club again. I know things are bad I just want to believe that they can get better. I don’t believe we are at war, we just need to start working together. |  | | |
| Open Day 1st July on 22:28 - Jul 3 with 2067 views | 442Dale |
| Open Day 1st July on 22:19 - Jul 3 by wozzrafc |
One word sums up both sides points of view ‘Frustration’
Dalemark I don’t think anyone is moaning for moaning sake. These issues do keep arising and people will feel like they are banging their head against a wall. I think they feel like they are being ignored by the club, more and more issues happen and Frustration turns to anger.
But looking it from another angle it that there appears to be a constant barrage of criticism and people almost looking to criticise every angle. We all know things can be done better.
On the pitch it’s been 5 seasons since we have remotely looked like competing and the club has felt like it’s been in decline and doom /gloom.
For me this has to stop. There has to be an upturn in the outlook for the club, we have to turn the tide.
We can look at this week end from two points of view:
1) another example of the club being a shambles, links not working on the online shop, the kit being launched with the online shops not being updated, the design of the kit changing without telling the fans and more spelling mistakes on the season ticket vouchers.
2) the club and players engaging with fans and people having fun, a kit which the majority of fans like, the club shop doing a roaring trade selling merchandise which has improved in quality.
Both views have valid points and the reality is it’s probably somewhere in the middle.it was not a disaster but things still need to be looked at
We as a fanbase need to be balanced. If we only look at the negatives then it becomes harder to change the momentum, but if we don’t point out where things are going wrong then will they ever be put right.
For me it seems like there has been a lot of criticism some justified and some not. You you can’t open a post Facebook or Twitter with a constant list of smart arsed replies. There doesn’t seem to be much on the positives. If it’s all negatives then it’s easier to ignore everything and miss the legitimate concerns.
The trusts recent initiatives in terms of the meeting are an excellent approach and I’d hope that the club do take it onboard and in the sprit it is meant. If we can see improvement then the frustration will die down (a few quick wins wouldn’t go astray). For that part the trust and the club need to be open and above all the club have to prove they want to engage, improve communication and admit we’re things are wrong and how they will look to put it right. Fans want to know they are being heard.
And we as fans we need to understand years and years of issues are not going to be resolved over night. Not everything is this boards fault (they are not without blame) and we need to to be measured.
The fans forum in a few weeks is an opportunity to clear the air. Raise your concerns and listen to what the board have to say. I do believe everyone now at the club want what is best.
I just want to enjoy supporting my club again. I know things are bad I just want to believe that they can get better. I don’t believe we are at war, we just need to start working together. |
The fans forum, while always a welcome addition, is an opportunity for the club to answer questions yet has no real commitment to make changes.
We’ve had good forums before under previous regimes where the club has received praise afterwards. They are what they are, a good opportunity to improve PR and provide details to fans who want to find things out on the night.
There simply has to be something visible and structured put in place so everyone knows where they stand going forward. Without that structure, we’ll be having the same conversations all season long. The proposals are there about what would be required, it’s either achieved or it isn’t. |  |
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| Open Day 1st July on 22:39 - Jul 3 with 2026 views | wozzrafc |
| Open Day 1st July on 22:28 - Jul 3 by 442Dale |
The fans forum, while always a welcome addition, is an opportunity for the club to answer questions yet has no real commitment to make changes.
We’ve had good forums before under previous regimes where the club has received praise afterwards. They are what they are, a good opportunity to improve PR and provide details to fans who want to find things out on the night.
There simply has to be something visible and structured put in place so everyone knows where they stand going forward. Without that structure, we’ll be having the same conversations all season long. The proposals are there about what would be required, it’s either achieved or it isn’t. |
Isn’t that what the trusts/clubs initiative is supposed to be about?
The important thing is there needs to be open communication and a sense of progress. Above all the fans need to feel like they are being listened to and there’s a plan. | | | |
| Open Day 1st July on 22:45 - Jul 3 with 2004 views | 442Dale |
| Open Day 1st July on 22:39 - Jul 3 by wozzrafc |
Isn’t that what the trusts/clubs initiative is supposed to be about?
The important thing is there needs to be open communication and a sense of progress. Above all the fans need to feel like they are being listened to and there’s a plan. |
Yes, unfortunately we’ve been here before on that front. This time it’s a non-negotiable to illustrate progress.
The details are in an earlier post about what has to be put in place and adhered to as per the Trust’s own Action Plan. | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 04:00 - Jul 4 with 1895 views | TalkingSutty |
To be honest i think the Chairman and Directors welcome the meetings with the Trust and the fans forums etc, it gives them a opportunity to promise much and deliver very little, another chance to keep kicking the can further down the road and buy them some time.The Supporters Trust are given lip service by those running the club and it's now become very obvious that the Chairman's only plan to progress the club is to try to keep it's head above water and pray that somebody will turn up with a pot of money. That's the plan. There is no plan to turn the club around themselves because they don't have the hunger, desire, drive, experience or expertise to do it.
The Chairman seems more interested in the football in the community than he does in the supporters trust, the shareholders and the fans. The set up in the Studds Bar at Saturdays Open Day summed up the priorities for me..the Trust Desk was the furthest away from the entrance and more or less tucked behind a little alcove at the back of the room, you almost stumbled on it by accident. It feels to me as though the Chairman is just holding the baby and unless something happens soon the club will be in intensive care, i think it already is.
As a fan base and Trust, shareholders, i think our inaction also now makes us culpable when it comes to this downward spiral because this has been going on for a long time now and it's obvious that well intentioned meetings are not going to change things to the extent that is required. I think the time for meetings etc is over. It's all we ever seem to do or talk about and it deflects from the bigger picture..the people who are running the club, their lack of ambition and their decision making.
There needs to be a serious discussion with the Chairman because we need a new one with a personality and drive to lead the club. That has seemed obvious over the last twelve months, he isn't a leader of men and he doesn't inspire as a Chairman. We need a CEO with a big personality who is passionate about getting the club firing on all cylinders and fully embracing the Supporters Trust and fan involvement. We need Directors who are embarrassed with failure and want to see the club improve season on season. We need a manager who is hell bent on winning football matches who can ignite the fan base and spark a interest around the Town.I wish Mc Nulty good luck because i think he's going to need it, i feel sorry for him to be honest.
The alternative is to just accept our lot, shut up and just be grateful for what we have. I think as a collective that's what we as fans are now guilty of doing, we've lost the fight and we've lost the ambition for the club to return to recent past glories.
With the Trust leading the charge supported by the shareholders we can turn this around though, at the moment it's either that or we carry on watching the slow death of our club while trusting a Chairman that is clearly not able to stop the continued decline. He knows it, his Directors probably know it and the fans know it. Source a interim Chairman and Directors if need be and call a EGM, we either grasp the nettle and try to kick start the club or continue to head towards the rocks and eventually sink to the bottom of the sea. Those seem like the only two choices that we now have. We have plenty of battle hardened fans who can get hold of the club and the Trust have some excellent people who can formulate a plan and show leadership. I would like the shareholders and fans to come together and attempt to try to stop the downward spiral and bring about change in the boardroom, lift the mood and spirit of our club and turn the ship around. Why trust Simon Gauge to do it when we can do it ourselves as a collective? It's nothing personal towards him, he's proved that he's incapable of getting the club fully functioning and his communication skills and personality don't tick any boxes when it comes to running a business, engaging and inspiring people and running a football club.
[Post edited 4 Jul 2023 6:34]
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| Open Day 1st July on 08:10 - Jul 4 with 1756 views | Dalenet |
| Open Day 1st July on 04:00 - Jul 4 by TalkingSutty |
To be honest i think the Chairman and Directors welcome the meetings with the Trust and the fans forums etc, it gives them a opportunity to promise much and deliver very little, another chance to keep kicking the can further down the road and buy them some time.The Supporters Trust are given lip service by those running the club and it's now become very obvious that the Chairman's only plan to progress the club is to try to keep it's head above water and pray that somebody will turn up with a pot of money. That's the plan. There is no plan to turn the club around themselves because they don't have the hunger, desire, drive, experience or expertise to do it.
The Chairman seems more interested in the football in the community than he does in the supporters trust, the shareholders and the fans. The set up in the Studds Bar at Saturdays Open Day summed up the priorities for me..the Trust Desk was the furthest away from the entrance and more or less tucked behind a little alcove at the back of the room, you almost stumbled on it by accident. It feels to me as though the Chairman is just holding the baby and unless something happens soon the club will be in intensive care, i think it already is.
As a fan base and Trust, shareholders, i think our inaction also now makes us culpable when it comes to this downward spiral because this has been going on for a long time now and it's obvious that well intentioned meetings are not going to change things to the extent that is required. I think the time for meetings etc is over. It's all we ever seem to do or talk about and it deflects from the bigger picture..the people who are running the club, their lack of ambition and their decision making.
There needs to be a serious discussion with the Chairman because we need a new one with a personality and drive to lead the club. That has seemed obvious over the last twelve months, he isn't a leader of men and he doesn't inspire as a Chairman. We need a CEO with a big personality who is passionate about getting the club firing on all cylinders and fully embracing the Supporters Trust and fan involvement. We need Directors who are embarrassed with failure and want to see the club improve season on season. We need a manager who is hell bent on winning football matches who can ignite the fan base and spark a interest around the Town.I wish Mc Nulty good luck because i think he's going to need it, i feel sorry for him to be honest.
The alternative is to just accept our lot, shut up and just be grateful for what we have. I think as a collective that's what we as fans are now guilty of doing, we've lost the fight and we've lost the ambition for the club to return to recent past glories.
With the Trust leading the charge supported by the shareholders we can turn this around though, at the moment it's either that or we carry on watching the slow death of our club while trusting a Chairman that is clearly not able to stop the continued decline. He knows it, his Directors probably know it and the fans know it. Source a interim Chairman and Directors if need be and call a EGM, we either grasp the nettle and try to kick start the club or continue to head towards the rocks and eventually sink to the bottom of the sea. Those seem like the only two choices that we now have. We have plenty of battle hardened fans who can get hold of the club and the Trust have some excellent people who can formulate a plan and show leadership. I would like the shareholders and fans to come together and attempt to try to stop the downward spiral and bring about change in the boardroom, lift the mood and spirit of our club and turn the ship around. Why trust Simon Gauge to do it when we can do it ourselves as a collective? It's nothing personal towards him, he's proved that he's incapable of getting the club fully functioning and his communication skills and personality don't tick any boxes when it comes to running a business, engaging and inspiring people and running a football club.
[Post edited 4 Jul 2023 6:34]
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Did you not enjoy the Open Day? | | | |
| Open Day 1st July on 08:26 - Jul 4 with 1728 views | pioneer |
| Open Day 1st July on 04:00 - Jul 4 by TalkingSutty |
To be honest i think the Chairman and Directors welcome the meetings with the Trust and the fans forums etc, it gives them a opportunity to promise much and deliver very little, another chance to keep kicking the can further down the road and buy them some time.The Supporters Trust are given lip service by those running the club and it's now become very obvious that the Chairman's only plan to progress the club is to try to keep it's head above water and pray that somebody will turn up with a pot of money. That's the plan. There is no plan to turn the club around themselves because they don't have the hunger, desire, drive, experience or expertise to do it.
The Chairman seems more interested in the football in the community than he does in the supporters trust, the shareholders and the fans. The set up in the Studds Bar at Saturdays Open Day summed up the priorities for me..the Trust Desk was the furthest away from the entrance and more or less tucked behind a little alcove at the back of the room, you almost stumbled on it by accident. It feels to me as though the Chairman is just holding the baby and unless something happens soon the club will be in intensive care, i think it already is.
As a fan base and Trust, shareholders, i think our inaction also now makes us culpable when it comes to this downward spiral because this has been going on for a long time now and it's obvious that well intentioned meetings are not going to change things to the extent that is required. I think the time for meetings etc is over. It's all we ever seem to do or talk about and it deflects from the bigger picture..the people who are running the club, their lack of ambition and their decision making.
There needs to be a serious discussion with the Chairman because we need a new one with a personality and drive to lead the club. That has seemed obvious over the last twelve months, he isn't a leader of men and he doesn't inspire as a Chairman. We need a CEO with a big personality who is passionate about getting the club firing on all cylinders and fully embracing the Supporters Trust and fan involvement. We need Directors who are embarrassed with failure and want to see the club improve season on season. We need a manager who is hell bent on winning football matches who can ignite the fan base and spark a interest around the Town.I wish Mc Nulty good luck because i think he's going to need it, i feel sorry for him to be honest.
The alternative is to just accept our lot, shut up and just be grateful for what we have. I think as a collective that's what we as fans are now guilty of doing, we've lost the fight and we've lost the ambition for the club to return to recent past glories.
With the Trust leading the charge supported by the shareholders we can turn this around though, at the moment it's either that or we carry on watching the slow death of our club while trusting a Chairman that is clearly not able to stop the continued decline. He knows it, his Directors probably know it and the fans know it. Source a interim Chairman and Directors if need be and call a EGM, we either grasp the nettle and try to kick start the club or continue to head towards the rocks and eventually sink to the bottom of the sea. Those seem like the only two choices that we now have. We have plenty of battle hardened fans who can get hold of the club and the Trust have some excellent people who can formulate a plan and show leadership. I would like the shareholders and fans to come together and attempt to try to stop the downward spiral and bring about change in the boardroom, lift the mood and spirit of our club and turn the ship around. Why trust Simon Gauge to do it when we can do it ourselves as a collective? It's nothing personal towards him, he's proved that he's incapable of getting the club fully functioning and his communication skills and personality don't tick any boxes when it comes to running a business, engaging and inspiring people and running a football club.
[Post edited 4 Jul 2023 6:34]
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We are a fan owned club….the shareholders are fans and some of the fans with larger shareholdings are the folks you seek to remove. I think we need.a clearer pathway to what you hope to achieve | | | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 10:22 - Jul 4 with 1580 views | James1980 |
Apologies that my start to this thread wasn't particularly engaging | |
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| Open Day 1st July on 13:00 - Jul 4 with 1360 views | DaleiLama |
| Open Day 1st July on 08:26 - Jul 4 by pioneer |
We are a fan owned club….the shareholders are fans and some of the fans with larger shareholdings are the folks you seek to remove. I think we need.a clearer pathway to what you hope to achieve |
Indeed. Looking at the holdings of RK, SG (and wife), JS and JW on the latest confirmation statement, they have a combined 260,719 shares out of what appears to be 977,580 issued, or 27%.
If you look at the top 13 shareholders, I think I looked at, it was a total of 409,475 or 42%.
I'm not privvy to the exact details of board presence/voting-affiliation, but somewhere in the middle of those two points is a powerful lobby, however you look at it. Even if this board could be replaced, which new Chairman and board members are going to replace them @ 12.5k x £2.35 = ~£30k/seat at the table minimum.
Should a board be untouchable? No.
Is it practical to replace a Chairman and board of RAFC after dropping from L1 to NL in recent years, and if so, where is the queue of folk waiting in the wings? |  |
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| Open Day 1st July on 15:29 - Jul 4 with 1116 views | TalkingSutty |
| Open Day 1st July on 08:10 - Jul 4 by Dalenet |
Did you not enjoy the Open Day? |
I only went to pick up season tickets and buy a shirt for my lad, wandered around and had a chat with various people and left. The kids seemed to enjoy getting autographs and photos with the players so that was a good thing. I enjoyed having a chat with Hendo and Mc Nulty, so on reflection yes i did enjoy it. I think Stuart Ashworth in the shop deserves a big shout out, he was the only person working and serving in the shop and it was packed out while i was there. He looked frazzled. I've been to these things before and the open days have been on a much larger scale in the past. | | | |
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