[UPDATES/COVERAGE] Fans Forum - Thursday November 8th

[Foxy]

This thread will contain updates/coverage from the Fans Forum at the Lane tonight (live updates are depending on signal/Internet connection on site).

The thread is closed to member replies in the interests of formatting/clarity, any discussion can be had in the following thread - http://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/discussion-fans-forum-thursday-november-8th.28355/

 

[Linz]

Testing - testing 1-2-3...

Right... we're relying on Foxy's mobile working as a wi-fi hotspot so we're reliant on mobile signal but so far and touch-wood, we seem to be ok.

You've got me on this update thread and Foxy updating Twitter and Facebook.

 

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Update: Foxy and Kev Cookson have just disappeared off to the little boys' room together

 

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Right, we're underway and joined by:

John Garrett - Supporter SLO
Dave Green - Football Club Chairman
Ian Cameron - Board member
Kev Cookson - Head of media and programme editor
Steve Bailey - Head of security

 

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Question - intrigued to know why the Club can't get an experienced keeper on the bench as back-up for George Long?

Answer - We're tight with the FFP rules and the 65% of turnover figure. We have a weekly meeting with Danny and Mr McCabe (Scott) and so far, they've said carry on as we are. If anything happens to George, we have a keeper on the bench for that game in George Willis, but the feeling at the minute is that we don't need to cover for that eventuality.

We have a keeper who is out of contract elsewhere waiting on the wings if the worst happens and we lose both our young keepers.

 

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Question - I'm more interested in getting a winger and players to make draws into wins. Why are we carrying players like Tonne, Philliskirk and Chappell instead of getting first team players?

Answer: We have a technical football meeting every Thursday with the key men. We've discussed wingers. Watch this space.

 

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Answer: The club can't go to Danny Wilson and say why can't you do this and why can't you do that?

 

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Question: Going back to the George Long answer... do the club recognise that this is a gamble?

Answer: Do we spend some of the tight budget we've got on a player we might not use?

We know that it's a risk.

Question: But what about if George Long gets sent off?

Answer: Look, don't blame Danny for this because he'd have keeper covers and five wingers and everything if he could. But things are very tight.

Don't forget, George Willis is an England goalkeeper. We know it's a calculated risk. Do you spend £16k on a keeper you never need? We'll bring one in if we need one.

 

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Question: Are we too close to the budget that we can't strengthen in January?

Answer: No, but we have to closely manage it so that we have room to play with. We are looking to strengthen the team as much as we can. We're actively scouting young talent, not old has-beens, and we want someone who can come to this club and make us better. We want to bring young, hungry, skillful players in. Not players at the end of their careers.

 

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Question: I'm not very financially astute, but can you explain to me what benefits there is to not owning our ground but paying rent?

Answer: The ground is owned within the group and the rent is nothing.*

Question: So why have we done it?

Answer: It improves the balance-sheet for SUFC but that's probably a question that's better put to the AGM and we will pass those on.

[Edited... but we'll seek clarification on that one. Don't know if it was a figurative "nothing".]

 

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These are questions that have been put to the head of Academy and he's passed the answers on in his absence... this is in response to a question from here:

With regards U21 development group - there's 9 players (we'll get a list of the names). These are supplemented by over-age players and U18s who've stepped up. This is average for the category of club we are.

[There's some more details which I'll get hold of later but couldn't type fast enough.]

One of the reasons we don't play reserves at the Lane is the council restrictions on health and safety and also the stewarding. If we play them at the Academy, we can do it with 4 stewards. If we were to do it here and open the South Stand, it'd take 16/18 stewards and we'd have to bring the ground staff in the next day to attend to the pitch. So it makes monetary sense to do it at the Academy because the crowds it attracts wouldn't cover the costs to do it at Bramall Lane.

 

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Answer: As you know, the restrictions placed on us by the Safety Advisory Group at the council are very tight and the Club does understand the fans' frustrations.

 

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There's some technical details about the category of the Academy squads which we'll catch later.

 

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Question: Does the club see the future as coming through the Academy?

Answer: Yes. Definitely.

 

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Question: There's a lot of speculation about the Academy being a "speculate to accumulate" process. The feeling amongst the rank and file is that any decent offer for anyone, and that player will be off.

Answer: The board feels the same concern. But if a bigger club comes in and can offer a player more wages...

Question: So why not say no?

We've got the two Kyles, why not wait 6 months more...

Answer: We've covered that one.

Question: But why not make these clubs work for it? We seem to take their first offer.

Answer: All players' contracts have to be renegotiated to comply with the FFP rules and we would fight tooth and nail to keep any players but it's not that easy.

Question: But the fans don't feel that. We don't see what's going on in the background.

Answer: But the club can't come out to the fans and say we've had an offer for X...

Question: But no, but you see teams like Southampton who hold out for a bit more money. You could say to players that we hold you contract and no, you can't go yet.

But no, it seems that isn't the case here...

Answer: Yeah, it "seems".

Question: But the fans don't trust the reasons behind the sales. All we can see is someone, an owner, getting money back at any opportunity.

Answer: There's a bit of a dig at KMc there who isn't here to defend himself, but he's the one going to be writing out a cheque for the running of the club this month.

 

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Question: How much can the club say and how much has to be kept quiet with regards to player transfers?

At the moment, players move but there's no explanation that it was an individual player's choice with their agent.

Answer: Exactly. With regards to the Kyles, we have to be realistic and we can't stifle their careers.

We'd like to have explained the reasons that the players went, but we had to bear the players' feelings in mind. We couldn't lay all the "blame" on them at the time.

 

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Answer: We'll be taking these forums out on the road and trying to get more football-based staff to answer some questions on recruitment so bear that in mind.

 

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Question: The last fans forum held in the Cricketers there was a question asked at the end of last season when we didn't know whether we were going up or staying down, my question was: next season, do we have a plan? The answer was yes. But at the start of this season, the message coming out of the club was that Danny didn't know how much he could spend.

Answer: We do have a plan.

Question: But last season, that doesn't seem to have happened. We were told that we had a plan if we remained in League One. But Danny didn't seem to know his budget at the start of this season.

Answer: The person answering that question was the former Chief Exec and that forum was held in March. A lot of work has been done since failure to get promotion around budgets.

 

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Question: I don't want to be hearing next season, if we fail to go up, that we can't do anything and we can't spend any money.

Answer: Yep... and with these forums, we hope we'll get the same people in front of you time and time again so that you can follow up on what's been said with the person who's said it.

 

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There's some discussion about player budgets and contracts...

Answer: We've halved the wage bill. And the club have worked hard to take control of the contracts the players have. When we came down from the Championship, there were too many open contracts but this is not the case now.

 

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Question: We keep seeing different people from the club at these forums but it's the same 40-odd people from the fans. People have lost interest because they keep hearing the same things from different people and there's a lot of mistrust from the terraces.

Answer: Hopefully we can change things. Hopefully you will use JG to his full capacity.

Question: You have to see where we're coming from.

JG: Part of my job is to work on that trust. What the SLO role gives me is a direct line to the Football Club board and also the PLC board too. People I've spoken to know that I want to use this role as a direct contract to the people that matter. What I've said is that whatever happens, I'll give you an answer, you might not like it but that's it. I'm not a shit filter.

I've asked people to stand up to be a conduit to me but you know with me that I'll fight hard for fans and I might not always get it right but I'll try hard. You know we'll never all agree but I want to find a set of fans who all want to go in the same direction. What I want is for us all to have one voice. It'll be bloody hard work but I'll die trying for it.

 

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Just on a booze and fag break..

 

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Right... we're back.

 

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Question: How much is the rent charge from PLC to SUFC?

Answer: Nowt.

 

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Question: Bladesplayer?

Answer: What that it's not very good? Yep. We agree. We know there are problems. It took us a while, not to get to the root of the problem, but to the people who can find the root of the problem. We think we're there now but keep us up to date. We're monitoring it and if there's an issue again, let the club know and we'll raise it.

As for the website... we know there's problems. It sounds like I'm shifting the blame but it's beyond SUFC's control. It's a Football League issue and they've signed a contract with a company who were perhaps a bit under-prepared. It isn't just our website and they now know they've made one or two mistakes after constant badgering by us and every other club in the league. I've got the evidence to prove they've admitted they've made mistakes. At the moment, bear with us but everyone is working on it. From the feedback we're getting, people aren't going on the website any more. But they're telling us visitor numbers are up. There's a working party been set up in the last month, not just from our point of view but all the other clubs too. We've got to their top brass and things are being done.

Question: Is there a timeframe for that?

Answer: No but we'll find that.

Question: Is there a downturn in ticket sales?

Answer: I've not had any info from retail or tickets about a downturn.

Obviously we've had a few questions about 0871 number... there's some sponsorship deal over the back of the shirts but the deal currently runs until 2014 or 15, we'll check on that. We understand the frustrations but we're tied in and there's sponsorship for the club tied in with that. If you want to avoid it, use the website.

 

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Question: What's the plan for matchday commentary streaming. What's the point where we say enough's enough?

Answer: We know about it but we're contracted in and we can't do anything about it.

Question: With regards to the commentary itself, Radio Sheffield provide it, is that in the club's control?

Answer: Yes, we have a deal with Radio Sheffield to provide exclusive commentary. We can negotiate our own deal but Radio Sheffield are the only party at the table. If we were a Premiership club, we'd like to do our own commentary, but that's a financial issue.

 

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Question: The club as a whole, what's the feeling towards the relationship with Radio Sheffield?

Answer: I know what you're alluding to, but I'll say we'll say what the other clubs say in the region, that we think there's a bias. But the team across the city might say otherwise.

We can't say too much specifically about "certain issues" at the current time.

 

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Question: One of the internet lads would like to know if we plan to offer the ground out to hire. It's a good question.

Answer: We're always approached to stage finals like the Wharncliffe finals and such at the close of season and that's a long-standing arrangement. What we want to try and do is turn it more towards having a ground, and a pitch more to the point, where we utilise the ground to the full extent that we can.

We have looked at staging concerts and the like but last season we were cut short with the play-offs. In an ideal world, we'd fit a hybrid, part-grass, part-plastic pitch but it's a financial issue, so it could take more hammer. We'd love to be like that. If the season is over and done with on the last game, by the time we've got the Sheffield and Hallamshire and the Schools Finals out of the way, we'll see.

Going back to the concert side of things, we're working with the council about the noise for neighbours etc and it seems fairly positive because we have complied with regulations.

 

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Question: But what about offering the pitch to fans for 5-a-side or 11-a-side? People would love to be able to play on the pitch.

Answer: Yep, if we could generate income from doing that, it's a commercial issue and we'll put it to them.

 

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Question: A question about re-profiling the ground, areas that are perhaps over-utilised or under-utilised...? Such as the Family Stand?

Answer: That's for Emma to look at. We're looking at the ways we can use the ground more effectively.

One thing I've spoken to fans about is the Community Hall in the John Street which we put in to get funding from the European Commission. I'm aware that Janet has run a successful fundraiser there for the Disabled Supporters. But one thing I want to put a business plan for is... that one thing we miss is a home for United fans to be together.

Back in the day, we had a social club. After training at Warminster or Abbeydale, the players would come back down to the social club. What this gave people coming down to the club was the opportunity to come into the social club and see the players and management. What I'm getting at is that the supporters had a home.

I want that area in the John Street to be is an area for supporters. I want a good family area with pool tables, Sky Sports etc and get to the point where we can invite visiting fans. Look at places like Bury and their social club and being offering dripping cakes. I want us to have that and an atmosphere like that. I haven't worked out how it's going to work yet. But I see an area that the club and fans could make really, really special.