Familiar face takes on Supporter Liaison role

[Foxy]

A familiar face amongst many Blades fans will be taking on a new role vital to communication with the fan-base.

In line with a major new UEFA directive, John Garrett will undertake the role of Supporter Liaison Officer for Sheffield United – an area in which he has been very active assisting and supporting colleagues in the past.

Long-serving staff member John has taken on the new role following a restructuring process at Bramall Lane.

“As part of the European football governing body’s new initiative, it will see it a mandatory requirement for all football clubs to have their own Supporter Liaison Officer,” remarks John, a lifelong Blade from Sheffield.

“I have been fortunate to have had the chance on many, many occasions to interact with the various Supporters’ Groups around Bramall Lane down the years and have played a part in many of the Fans Forum nights that have taken place over the past couple of years.

“A successful club has to have excellent two-way dialogue between itself and its supporters at all times and whilst I think that we all have to respect that opinions on all matters will vary from time to time, it is important to listen to each other more closely and find that common ground.

“The club is changing, as is football, and whilst I will not always be able to be an agent of change in all areas, I am delighted to have the opportunity to certainly put people, ideas and opinions together in the right way and at the right time.”

John is currently putting together a structure of communication with supporters, which it is hoped will again involve Fans Forums, and hopes to work closely with a number of supporter representatives, who will act as points of contact.

For more information, contact John at [email protected]

As always, S24SU are happy to continue to put forward any issues, questions or comments, so let us know if there is anything we can raise on your behalf.

View this article on the Main Site

 

[SwissBlade]

Here we go again.... I can only see this going one way... sadly.

I'm sure the intentions are good from the club, but i'm not sure this will work any better than the last attempt unless they are seen to engage with all fans, not just a few at clandestine forum meets.

First point then - Whats happened to Pembo, Batho and Tony Currie... And is Jamie Hoyland now at the club.

The club could do well by just using the Official Website properly and making it user friendly. Right now its crap and people avoid using it.

Also Blades Player Commentary. Its crap again, its been decent for one game. It's a complete con as they can dish out a crap product knowing that many of us have no choice but to use it. Yet we can only use it on a PC, its not set up for the Mobile or Tablet market (bigger combined market than PC's) and we have nowhere else to get our matchday commentary fix if we are outside Radio Sheffield catchment area.

 

[Railway Blade]

Great that the link to the supporters doesn't even merit a picture.

 

[beightonblade]

Waste of time.

 

[Selly]

View this article on the Main Site

There's a Main Site????

Supporter Feedback as follows:

The website is shite, it looks like it has been designed by a 3 year old.

BladesPlayer is shite, it doesn`t work. Its also flash based, completely killing the Apple and Android 4.0+ users.

get out of the Premium TV ASAP and do something that isn`t the same as every other website in the FL.

Get rid of the 0870/0845 numbers. You are fleecing your fans trying to buy tickets.

 

[Darren]

There's a Main Site????

Supporter Feedback as follows:

The website is shite, it looks like it has been designed by a 3 year old.

BladesPlayer is shite, it doesn`t work. Its also flash based, completely killing the Apple and Android 4.0+ users.

get out of the Premium TV ASAP and do something that isn`t the same as every other website in the FL.

Get rid of the 0870/0845 numbers. You are fleecing your fans trying to buy tickets.

Also bring the programme subscription back in house. You used to get a programme that would arrive on the morning of the game and if there was ever any problem, you could ring up Mick Rooker and get the problem solved straightaway.

They have now farmed this out to a company in Cornwall which does a few other clubs subscriptions and you generally get the programme days after the game (I am still waiting for Saturday's programme), if it comes at all - they forgot to send me the Bury one and had to chase them for it. If you ring them up you get "Sheffield who? hang on, let me check what happened...."

No doubt this is cheaper for the club but, again, at the expense of pissing off the fans.

 

[Bergen Blade]

There's a Main Site????

Supporter Feedback as follows:

The website is shite, it looks like it has been designed by a 3 year old.

BladesPlayer is shite, it doesn`t work. Its also flash based, completely killing the Apple and Android 4.0+ users.

get out of the Premium TV ASAP and do something that isn`t the same as every other website in the FL.

Get rid of the 0870/0845 numbers. You are fleecing your fans trying to buy tickets.

To fix that and to avoid other commercialisation of thing at the Lane, we may have to stop bringing in one month loan players and make do with young players already contracted to the club. Are fans prepared to make that sacrifice?

 

[Selly]

To fix that and to avoid other commercialisation of thing at the Lane, we may have to stop bringing in one month loan players and make do with young players already contracted to the club. Are fans prepared to make that sacrifice?

personally, yes

However, make a better product and people might actually use it more. Leading to increased advertising revenue, and more subscriptions, and more tickets sold.

 

[TarquinDelouche]

Also Blades Player Commentary. Its crap again, its been decent for one game. It's a complete con as they can dish out a crap product knowing that many of us have no choice but to use it.

The choice is: use it or don't.

 

[secretchief]

This will end well.

 

[Linz]

Here we go again.... I can only see this going one way... sadly.

I'm sure the intentions are good from the club, but i'm not sure this will work any better than the last attempt unless they are seen to engage with all fans, not just a few at clandestine forum meets.

It kinda is irrelevant as to whether we or indeed the club think it's worthwhile... as mentioned in the stuff Foxy wrote, it's some sort of UEFA requirement for all clubs to have a Supporter Liaison.

 

[Rodders]

There's a Main Site????

Supporter Feedback as follows:

The website is shite, it looks like it has been designed by a 3 year old.

BladesPlayer is shite, it doesn`t work. Its also flash based, completely killing the Apple and Android 4.0+ users.

get out of the Premium TV ASAP and do something that isn`t the same as every other website in the FL.

Get rid of the 0870/0845 numbers. You are fleecing your fans trying to buy tickets.

Ahem.... and the WP7 users. (yes I was the guy that bought one)

 

[Selly]

Ahem.... and the WP7 users. (yes I was the guy that bought one)

 

[beightonblade]

The players should be the liaison officers ........... doing it on the pitch.

 

[broomhillblade]

I've dealt with John Garrett in the past.

He struck me as a decent bloke and one who is enthusiastic about the Blades. It sounds like a good appointment to me.

 

[Micalijo]

Well John you are right on one thing - the club is changing no doubt.

Your gaffer has changed it into a tin pot lower league outfit.

As Beighton says - nobody bar a few regulars in the Golden Lion could give a toss about liaison - sort things out on the pitch should be the message.

 

[Dog Blade]

We have to have this role, so that’s that point done with I suppose.


John Garrett is a proper hard working, loyal, committed, knowledgeable and talented Blade.


At times like this I think the club needs people like him, Rooks, Toddy, Claire etc etc, not your Birches, Farnan’s and so on. For me it’s the right appointment.


Let’s hope ‘when’ we reach the dizzy heights again McCabe or whoever is in charge remembers to keep the old faithful and just add to it wisely.

 

[madeinsheffield]

I've known John a good number of years and he is part of the foundations of the club along with Rooks, Claire, Pete, Cookie etc. He is a nice bloke and will always do anything to help, like the other poster said, I would rather that than an unknown coming in who doesn't understand the club or fans.

Good luck John

 

[JohnDenver]

Good luck to him.

It's a thankless job. Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right...

 

[SwissBlade]

The choice is: use it or don't.

Well its not really though is it... I mean I want to listen to the commentary, but have no option but to use BladesPlayer. So if I want to listen to the games, this is my only option as BladesPlayer have a monopoly.

It kinda is irrelevant as to whether we or indeed the club think it's worthwhile... as mentioned in the stuff Foxy wrote, it's some sort of UEFA requirement for all clubs to have a Supporter Liaison.

I have no issue with the need for it, I think its a good idea, but the club should take this as an opportunity to use it properly... they haven't done so far

 

[SotonBlade]

When i saw the headline i thought Foxy had been signed up!

 

[Bergen Blade]

Has Batho left the club?

 

[Foxy]

Has Batho left the club?

Richard Batho is no longer employed by Sheffield United.

First point then - Whats happened to Pembo, Batho and Tony Currie... And is Jamie Hoyland now at the club.

Pembo - No longer with the club.
Richard Batho - No longer employed by the club.
Tony Currie - No longer employed by the club.
Jamie Hoyland - Professional Development Lead Coach, responsible for U18s

 

[SwissBlade]

Richard Batho is no longer employed by Sheffield United.



Pembo - No longer with the club.
Richard Batho - No longer employed by the club.
Tony Currie - No longer employed by the club.
Jamie Hoyland - Professional Development Lead Coach, responsible for U18s

Are you the supporter liaison bloke foxy - learnt more in this one post than I have I 3 months from the os

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Does this Supporter liaison guy know how to use such new fangled tech as email then ?

 

[alcoblade]

As far as the appointment is concerned, John Garret is a good call.

As far as the measure of success of the role, sadly it will be 99.9% correlated with the fortunes on the pitch. If we get promoted, nobody will give a fuck about the pies. If we don't, there's nothing JG will be able to do to please fans.

UTB

 

[Foxy]

Does this Supporter liaison guy know how to use such new fangled tech as email then ?

JG does indeed use email

 

[alcoblade]

JG does indeed use email

Whay happened to Batho Foxy? Surely he was signed on in times of austerity and not on a McCabe super overpaid contract?

UTB

 

[Foxy]

Whay happened to Batho Foxy? Surely he was signed on in times of austerity and not on a McCabe super overpaid contract?

It's not really my place to say, nor is it something that should be particularly chewed over in public.

However, he was one of the victims of the restructuring.

 

[Tuns]

Had some dealings with him and excellent appointment.

The key is ditching the tired old model of this role in which you answer emails look at internet forums and meet a handful of active fans in pubs and think you know what the fans think.

He needs to do all the above (forums and supporter groups are vital) but it's crucial he reaches out to hear the whole range of opinions from the fans whether they are part timers like me or ST holders and away Blades or even lapsed fans who don't go any more.

If you find ways to engage with all types of fans - not just the vociferous or organised ones - then you go a long way to improving things for everyone from improving match day experience (hate that term) to increasing attendances and revenue for a skint club.