SUFC Supporters Trust

[Son_of_Cartman]

I'm thinking of putting together a Sheffield United Supporters Trust and I'm looking to recruit anyone who may be interested in getting actively involved in the group. If you're not sure what a supporters trust is or does, please check out the following website: http://www.supporters-direct.org they do a much better job of explaining in their FAQ section than I ever could. The initial idea of the trust would be to bring together all independent fans, indendent supporters groups, and the official supporters club. Supporters with or without shareholding would be welcomed and if there's enough interest, we would propose a public meeting for open discussion on the idea. At present, there's a few people interested and an independent supporters group showing some serious interest. I've set up a Facebook group called Sheffield United Supporters Trust and so, if you use Facebook, please feel free to sign up. Anyone wanting to discuss anything with me personally, please feel free to email me directly at [email protected] and I'll be happy to explain anything.

Thanks for letting me post this and I look forward to hearing any feedback or comments on the forum.

SOC

 

[Nick Jansky]

Nice one, this is long overdue. Count me in. I'll head over to Facebook now.......

 

[Linz]

I think talking to BIFF might be the best plan, seeing as the group already have a working relationship with the club.

See here for more info: http://www.s24su.com/showthread.php...pendent-Fans-Forum-amp-Chinese-visit-to-BDTBL

 

[Nick Jansky]

The Facebook group isn't coming up on Search. Any chance you could post a link please?

 

[Zlatan]

The Facebook group isn't coming up on Search. Any chance you could post a link please?

http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_102378043164272

 

[BIFF]

It's great to see people taking an active interest in terms of dialogue with the club and the supporters as a whole having a voice.

As you can see from the link Linz posted, we've been actively running for over a year and have already amalgamated representatives from a number of independent fans organisations/groups, we have regular contact directly with the club with an interest in communicating any issues, experiences and opinions of the supporters. BIFF are now at the stage, with the understanding of the club, to start casting the net wider and seek to involve and gain further input from the wider community of Blades supporters.

The door is of course open for yourself and indeed anyone to chat with BIFF and raise their concerns, opinions and thoughts which will also be communicated to with club via the proper and now well established channels.

Obviously, the football side of matters is firmly Gary Speed's domain and we don't seek to concern ourselves directly with the manager, players or footballing results of the club.

As above, the offer is there if you would like a chat about your ideas and opinions.

Regards,

BIFF

 

[Nick Jansky]

http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_102378043164272

Thanks for that.

 

[Son_of_Cartman]

I really appreciate the work BIFF has already done and are doing to bring fans of the club together. Open dialogue wth the club is exactly what we want and have wanted for some time. However, I would personally like to see a supporters trust formed and see what further involvement we can acheive at the club. The are lots of supporters trusts around the country and over 50 of those have members on the board of directors. Some have a non voting role and some have enough shares to vote. My idea is largely different from an independent supporters group being consulted on various issues at the club and I would like to see supporters with an active role at board level. The fans at SUFC have been largely kept in the dark about the finances, direction and strategy at the club. The bottom line is numbers though and without people supporter the idea, it will never get off the ground. If you're interested in the idea and want to know more, please email me [email protected] or sign up to the facebook group.

SOC

 

[SwissBlade]

Personally whilst I think that these groups are showing that people want to stand up and have their say, having fans on the board often appears detrimental.

BIFF looks a great idea and I would not like to get views of what BIFF are intending clouded by a Trust.

I really don't see the point to a Supporters Trust, surely its just a glorified Trade Union and lets face it, Unions do very little of benefit and the more active unions are more destructive than providing a voice.

Son of Cartman - whilst i'm sure its early days for your plans and i'm sure that you're intentions are for the good of our club, you haven't told us anything about yourself, your background and history.

 

[lenners]

Personally whilst I think that these groups are showing that people want to stand up and have their say, having fans on the board often appears detrimental.

BIFF looks a great idea and I would not like to get views of what BIFF are intending clouded by a Trust.

I really don't see the point to a Supporters Trust, surely its just a glorified Trade Union and lets face it, Unions do very little of benefit and the more active unions are more destructive than providing a voice.

Son of Cartman - whilst i'm sure its early days for your plans and i'm sure that you're intentions are for the good of our club, you haven't told us anything about yourself, your background and history.

Yeah right, the people who run our clubs, from Man Utd down, really do such a great job - from loading them with astronomical debts to buy them in the first place to the countless clubs run into administration.
And you think supporters trusts are a bad idea.
Breathtaking.

 

[JohnDenver]

Yeah right, the people who run our clubs, from Man Utd down, really do such a great job - from loading them with astronomical debts to buy them in the first place to the countless clubs run into administration.
And you think supporters trusts are a bad idea.
Breathtaking.

All the above...

...plus the role of the trade unions in securing improved working conditions and fighting exploitation of vulnerable workers.

 

[raul]

Below stairs - the pair of you....

 

[Nick Jansky]

Unions do very little of benefit and the more active unions are more destructive than providing a voice.

Totally and fundamentally disagree. The workers are a vital stakeholder in any organisation, and the possession of a collective voice is essential. When a business works constructively with a union, it is usually to everybody's benefit.

The analogy with a Supporters Trust is interesting, are you suggesting that supporters, who are the most important stakeholder of all in any club and provide most of the funding, should not have a means of holding the board to account?

 

[Foxy]

The fans at SUFC have been largely kept in the dark about the finances

Isn't the publication of the accounts kind of a clue as to the financial position?

 

[JohnDenver]

Isn't the publication of the accounts kind of a clue as to the financial position?

Yeah, but no bugger actually understands them.

 

[MunXy]

id suggest making the facebook totally open, as one of the few non facebook users, unless you log in you can not see it, just my 2 cents.
as for the whole idea, why not give it a shot, why so many pissing on it before breakfast?
surely as supporters the more we know about whats going on the better?
On the flip side on a slave galley, would it be constructive for the helmsman to pop down and tell the rowers every time he steered them away from danger?
some may not see how that fits but as i see it IF you have confidence in your board/managers then do you really need to know every decision made by them ie how much spent on bog roll, tea spoons and high class prostitutes (oops sorry this is SUFC not manure )
as long as the decisions that affect the squad and the running of the team are known say thru BIFF is there much else we as a whole need to know really?

MunXy

 

[bricktop]

I really don't see the point to a Supporters Trust, surely its just a glorified Trade Union and lets face it, Unions do very little of benefit and the more active unions are more destructive than providing a voice.

.

The only people who don't like trade unions are people who want to screw their staff over.

The trade union i'm a member of has secured me year upon year above inflation pay rises through collective bargaining.

This country would be a lot better if the trade unions combined together, and the workers overthrow the Eton educated, Tory bastards who are in it for themselves and fucking the rest over.

 

[lenners]

Isn't the publication of the accounts kind of a clue as to the financial position?

How does directors have to loan the club money, fears about the club being a going concern tally with what you were told at forums, Birch saying support for Speed would be there, not relying on loan players etc, etc?
More supporters involvement might help a bit more straight-talking from the club.

 

[broomhillblade]

The only people who don't like trade unions are people who want to screw their staff over.

The trade union i'm a member of has secured me year upon year above inflation pay rises through collective bargaining.

This country would be a lot better if the trade unions combined together, and the workers overthrow the Eton educated, Tory bastards who are in it for themselves and fucking the rest over.

I thought this kind of rhetoric was a thing of the past. (Sigh...)

 

[bricktop]

Why should it be a thing of the past?

 

[alcoblade]

This country would be a lot better if the trade unions combined together, and the workers overthrow the Eton educated, Tory bastards who are in it for themselves and fucking the rest over.

Aye, we became a powerhouse in the 70's because of the unions.....




UTB

 

[JohnDenver]

Aye, we became a powerhouse in the 70's because of the unions.....




UTB

And in the 2000s we did so well with the City running the show. Except this time, there's nobody fighting back....

 

[Foxy]

How does directors have to loan the club money, fears about the club being a going concern tally with what you were told at forums, Birch saying support for Speed would be there, not relying on loan players etc, etc?
More supporters involvement might help a bit more straight-talking from the club.

Pray tell, how does any of that effect the validity and usage of the officially published accounts? I never said anything about supporter involvement, merely that we already get a financial picture from the accounts.

 

[Nick Jansky]

To be fair, company accounts give nothing like a full picture. They give bloody good hints at it, but an awful lot of interesting stuff doesn't get published. Last year, per the accounts, we made a huge profit, but I think we all know the financial state of the club at the moment. The accounts are useful, but not that useful.

 

[Foxy]

To be fair, company accounts give nothing like a full picture. They give bloody good hints at it, but an awful lot of interesting stuff doesn't get published. Last year, per the accounts, we made a huge profit, but I think we all know the financial state of the club at the moment. The accounts are useful, but not that useful.

...and the more useful stuff? is that ever likely to be a good idea to make public knowledge?

To be ultimately useful, you'd need to be the group chairman and owner of the club.

There is only one way for that to become reality.

 

[Nick Jansky]

...and the more useful stuff? is that ever likely to be a good idea to make public knowledge?

To be ultimately useful, you'd need to be the group chairman and owner of the club.

There is only one way for that to become reality.

Yes, there is. A Supporters Trust, with representation on the board, & full accountability from those making the big decisions.

 

[lenners]

...and the more useful stuff? is that ever likely to be a good idea to make public knowledge?

To be ultimately useful, you'd need to be the group chairman and owner of the club.

There is only one way for that to become reality.

Jeez, yes. It's like the whole financial farce that's rogered the country in recent years never happened for some people.
Some folk seem to have a real problem believing that in the real world plenty of powerful people can be less than trustworthy. Despite the evidence around them day after day.
So yes Foxy, it would be great to have greater transparency at SUFC as it would be in plenty of other walks of life.

 

[Foxy]

So I take it publicising to the world our exact transfer budget and future plans is a good idea these days then?

I totally agree there has to be greater transparency and two-way dialogue.

My point is, to go into the level of detail some want is detrimental to the cause and at the end of the day, the only way you make someone fully accountable to you is to become the owner of the club.

 

[lenners]

So I take it publicising to the world our exact transfer budget and future plans is a good idea these days then?

I totally agree there has to be greater transparency and two-way dialogue.

My point is, to go into the level of detail some want is detrimental to the cause and at the end of the day, the only way you make someone fully accountable to you is to become the owner of the club.

Being transparent about how we're being run would be a damn sight better than the collection of half-truths, untruths and occasional truths that we're currently treated to.
Instead, we get patronised by guff about sister clubs 12,000 miles away and various other kinds of shyte.
We don't even get our chairman deigning to say anything these days. Is he still living and breathing somewhere?
The last we heard from Birch was a truly comical comment about maybe, possibly, some time in the future, perhaps we might get some investment.
Leadership, we currently have none.

 

[Trigger Blade]

Being transparent about how we're being run would be a damn sight better than the collection of half-truths, untruths and occasional truths that we're currently treated to.
Instead, we get patronised by guff about sister clubs 12,000 miles away and various other kinds of shyte.
We don't even get our chairman deigning to say anything these days. Is he still living and breathing somewhere?
The last we heard from Birch was a truly comical comment about maybe, possibly, some time in the future, perhaps we might get some investment.
Leadership, we currently have none.

Leadership, we need.

It's you len, why can't you see it? Your attendance at the AGM is vital to thhe future of the club.

In addition, I reckon everybody at BIFF would stand aside and let you run it properly and if a Supporters'Trust were to get off the ground, with board representation, well, that would be the end of comical comments, as len takes over the reins!

Let's not get ahead of oursleves though, first things first, will you be at the AGM, taking the clueless, useless self-made millionaire board members to task?