Does FGR's relatively lowly finishing position prove that simply having business men (and fairly rich ones at that) involved in a football club is not in itself any guarantee of success?

And what happens when he walks?
Same at Accrington.

newgroundrodney wrote:Does FGR's relatively lowly finishing position prove that simply having business men (and fairly rich ones at that) involved in a football club is not in itself any guarantee of success?

And what happens when he walks?
Same at Accrington.

Let us not forget that Chesterfield and York City were both fan owned clubs before the pressure to relinquish power to the investors / businessmen became too great for their boards to resist. It would be nice if someone could highlight who these investors are.

Not saying give the whole club away there are ways that keeps us fan owned to have say in the way the club can go forward because this model is not working

owlsabout wrote:Not saying give the whole club away there are ways that keeps us fan owned to have say in the way the club can go forward because this model is not working

Contrary to what many may think I am not adverse to a change in the model , but in fairness you need to state who you want involved and why. Without wishing to get involved in a slanging match, just stating investors does not really do it for me.

We certainly need to develop new income streams. If they want to keep the fan base on board and in the absence of investors , that’s where the money will have to come from , then the board had better keep the fans informed of our financial position. You can’t expect to come cap in hand when things have reached crisis point if you are habitually keeping supporters in the dark about the finances.

Ok gents (and ladies) - play nice, we support the same team!

Alan G Bryant wrote:

owlsabout wrote:Not saying give the whole club away there are ways that keeps us fan owned to have say in the way the club can go forward because this model is not working

Contrary to what many may think I am not adverse to a change in the model , but in fairness you need to state who you want involved and why. Without wishing to get involved in a slanging match, just stating investors does not really do it for me.

That is the responsibility of the board, not the fans.

In my opinion, the board should present in an unbiased way to the fans what the options are, and then ask the membership what they want - a or b.

Armed with this information they should then implement the wishes of their supporters.

Reading through minutes of previous meetings it is clearly stated that the current board will decide whether or not to seek or accept external investment - for me, that is above their elected mandate.

I will try again. I am saddened of course that the rantings abusive posts of a single poster resulted in the entire thread being taken down however it is a topic on which I would like to hear the argument of those who disagree with me.

In terms, notwithstanding that the trust model seems not to be working at the moment, it is the model properly implemented that would be the best way forward. Put simply I have no problem with having business people on the board, indeed running Newport County as a going concern is vital. However if business people wish to assist County for altruistic reasons, I don't really see why they should have total control. Messrs Sherman, Rogers and Ford hardly stand out as models of proberty. Twice in 25 years it has been fans who have put up the cash to save the club.

So really for those who believe that County should be owned by private individuals, could you explain why and how this should/can be done.

It seems that Newpôrt County are unique in this situation. I may be wrong but that is how it feels to me. There just not seems to be a scenario that fits the County. I don't have the answer.

The best idea to me seems to be something that another poster put up a few days ago. That is the Bundesliga scenario. in some clubs, the fans apparently own 51% and other private owners 49%. If we could get the rich benefactors on board (whoever they are), that could work. I just feel that in certain circumstances you need to have a pot of gold to dip into. The Trust model with all the financial prudence in the world is not capable of doing that.

Until we sort out a stadium of our own, or a proper share in RP, I can't see what any business man would see in the club, certainly not in terms of completely taking over and ditching the supporter funded model.
We have no ground, no land, no retail units to let out, no car park to collect fees from, no function room to rent out, little to no share of beer / food sales. We exist little more than "on paper".
So for now, the status quo is probably the best way forward unless some single individual with lots of money can buy out RP, and use its potential extra income streams to get some returns.

pembsexile wrote:It seems that Newpôrt County are unique in this situation. I may be wrong but that is how it feels to me. There just not seems to be a scenario that fits the County. I don't have the answer.

The best idea to me seems to be something that another poster put up a few days ago. That is the Bundesliga scenario. in some clubs, the fans apparently own 51% and other private owners 49%. If we could get the rich benefactors on board (whoever they are), that could work. I just feel that in certain circumstances you need to have a pot of gold to dip into. The Trust model with all the financial prudence in the world is not capable of doing that.

Hi Mike,
This is what I just don't understand. Imagine for a moment you are a rich businessman. Now being astute you decide to make available to Newport County a pot of gold. Why would you do that other than you are a County fanatic and for utterly altruistic reasons?

Of course you could make the argument that being astute you can use the pot of gold in such a way as to make a profit for yourself and Newport County. But we don't exactly have a good track record there do we? Also if it is possible to make business decisions that mean the club can make a profit surely the way forward is to have business people on the board to advise on what we should and should not be doing.
I think someone said that things haven't been plain sailing for Exeter. I am sure that is right but they are in playoffs. It seems to me that those who are prepared to take responsibility for their own destiny tend to do better than those who rely on a financier. For every philanthropist it seems to me that there are any number of those who know a chance for self progression when they see it.

looks like stand obsession with me means I’m now mentioned in all his posts.

To get back on topic I don’t believe that the trust model is perfect but I think on balance it’s best for county.

the rich businessmen who want to invest is just pie in the Sky. isn’t peter Madigan meant to be worth £300million? why hasn’t he chucked money in he is already on the board.

the fact is without any assets no one wants to chuck money down the drain. the simple answer is that the fans need to find a a way to plus the gap that clubs lie ours lose every single year.

Doesn’t matter who is on the board the gap will always be there. so how do we plug it is the question

Jimmy Exile wrote:looks like stand obsession with me means I’m now mentioned in all his posts.

To get back on topic I don’t believe that the trust model is perfect but I think on balance it’s best for county.

the rich businessmen who want to invest is just pie in the Sky. isn’t peter Madigan meant to be worth £300million? why hasn’t he chucked money in he is already on the board.

the fact is without any assets no one wants to chuck money down the drain. the simple answer is that the fans need to find a a way to plus the gap that clubs lie ours lose every single year.

Doesn’t matter who is on the board the gap will always be there. so how do we plug it is the question

Really good points, almost entirely in line with my own thinking. I honestly believe everything we do needs to be underpinned by regular donation. That is the way forward. The B& R Scheme should be used to pull everything together by allowing Trust Membership + Season Ticket + Monthly Contribution, all nicely rolled together in one monthly payment for those who want it that way.

Hi Brendan,
I accept what you say about benefactors. It is surely a 'given' that an astute businessman would not look to make a profit out of the County. He would be a fool to try. As NGR has highlighted- we have no assets to manage.

However, surely there is a very rich County nutter out there who could do a job. Terry Matthews type. I would willingly sit at his feet and dof my cap. (Well maybe!) I don't even care if he did it for prestige aka Lez. As long as it is legal, get the money in.

My problem is this. If I was a lottery multimillionaire I would spend money on my passion - the County. I fail to understand why other rich County fans don't feel the same way. What's the matter with them?

Ok, rant over. Other than the rich businessman, I don't really have any other ideas. Unfortunately it will probably always be this way. Oh, the sheer bliss of being a County fan.

I am not sure what the answer is , but I am pretty certain that demanding that certain unnamed board members stand down to make make way for certain unnamed investors to step in is not the robust structure we are looking for.