REMF binfest 2011 - The Idiots Strike Back

[Brighton Breezy]

Last year it was heavily criticised by people on here.

Last year we made a record amount of money.

If it ain't broke...

 

[Simster]

I'm going to say my piece and duck out because I don't much care for this event any more.

I think some of the whiners on here need to be reminded of the very specific issue and totally immoral and wrong behaviour that arose last year that has led directly to this. No point posting it on this thread because it will simply add oil to a very tiresome binfest.

All I will say is that auctioning off to the highest bidder is frought with risk, and therefore not an ideal way to go about it. Personally, I'd have thought running it like a marathon bond place would have been an ideal compromise:

REMF advertise 16 squad places or whatever, but demand, say, £200 (an arbitrary figure) for people to take their squad place. Potential squad members should register and be expected to turn up to a training session to assess their suitability for a squad place. If you are shit, you will be politely declined. If you are not shit, you are in, but must expect to raise this minimum amount for the charity (whatever that amount is). Once all 16 spots are taken, the squad is closed.

On the one hand, this minimum should be low enough to ensure that it's not out of reach to the ordinary player with a bit of effort. On the other hand, it's not going to result in 15 fat bankers waddling about and resentment from those who couldn't afford to play, which incidentally, no-one wants to see.

 

[Joey Deacon's Disco Suit]

post deleted. I'll PM instead

 

[Chesney Christ]

I am not going to get involved other than to say that it seems we are between a rock and a hard place and can never please everyone.

Can we see what happens before we assume the worst. I am standing down as Chairman after REMF 10 as ST said so in future I can say exactly what I think without having to wear the " REMF Chairman " hat and try and take the middle ground. I have tried to represent the fund as best as I can but its time to hand the Baton onto someone else. The criticisms of last year wounded a lot of people and some people have been alienated, good , hard working people who helped to raised hundreds if not thousands of pounds.

Also people have said this may be the end of REMF. With respect it will be the end of the REMF when the Eaton family decide it will be. Several years ago people were saying the REMF should fold and it has gone from strength to strength and raised more money in 2010 than in any year since 2001 when it was launched. For now lets just get behind Andy and Alan and all those who are working very hard to make REMF 10 a memorable and fitting tribute to a wonderful fund and a wonderful decade.

Top post. I am not alone in thinking you have done an outstanding job over the years.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

REMF advertise 16 squad places or whatever, but demand, say, £200 (an arbitrary figure) for people to take their squad place. Potential squad members should register and be expected to turn up to a training session to assess their suitability for a squad place. If you are shit, you will be politely declined. If you are not shit, you are in, but must expect to raise this minimum amount for the charity (whatever that amount is). Once all 16 spots are taken, the squad is closed.

On the one hand, this minimum should be low enough to ensure that it's not out of reach to the ordinary player with a bit of effort. On the other hand, it's not going to result in 15 fat bankers waddling about and resentment from those who couldn't afford to play, which incidentally, no-one wants to see.

This sounds reasonable. Who knows there could be loads of decent players out there who *maybe* have not come forward because they have thought it is a closed shop.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

This sounds reasonable.

you could pay for all of us to play with your HUGE BANKERS BONUS mate.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

you could pay for all of us to play with your HUGE BANKERS BONUS mate.

Regrettably I dont work in banking so no bonuses for me

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Andy....why don't you just pick your team, tell them to raise as much money as they can its not a competition(....oh look my wad raised is bigger than your wad raised) ...and if anyone wants to play who is not part of the original group you have selected, they can come along to the training games and if they are good enough, then they will be selected.

Isn't that how it has always been?

Being the tenth game - and people away for the royal wedding and it being a long weekend- it would be great to get as many people there as possible, and if there is bad feeling about people "buying " their way in to the side, then this could have a negative impact on the gate.


I know its none of our business really, but it would be interesting to see what the distribution of monies are over the life of the fund, initially set up to fund Los Periditos(sp?) in New York where Robert was based. I know there are many of us happy to give our time and money over to the fund and certainly the REMF has changed significantly from the first few meetings with the UK and US people to get this off the ground so to speak.

 

[Chesney Christ]

totally immoral and wrong behaviour that arose last year

That would be a group of mates sullying the name of a charity and everyone involved in it because their mate was left out of the playing squad. You're right, that was pretty shitty behaviour.

 

[Chesney Christ]

Andy....why don't you just pick your team, tell them to raise as much money as they can its not a competition(....oh look my wad raised is bigger than your wad raised) ...and if anyone wants to play who is not part of the original group you have selected, they can come along to the training games and if they are good enough, then they will be selected.

Isn't that how it has always been?
.

Dave - It has always been this way, but after the binfest last year can you really blame Andy for changing the selection policy? I think he's pretty bold to even be involved this year, after the way he was treated last year.

 

[Sheebo]

Indeed. Its gonna be an absolute joke. This isn't to have a pop at Rumble, who is a top man who has been forced into this position by the binfest that happened last year. He has made the only decision available to him.

As for the "isn't the most important thing to raise the most money?" gang, then whilst I agree with the sentiment, what exactly is the POINT of the football match? Why don't we just have a barbecue and raise the money that way? I look forward to the queues of punters paying to see 15 fat, rich bankers waddle around a football field losing 14-0.

As Kevin, the Palace captain seems to be particularly concerned about this as well. I wonder if the Palace team will even want to come down to take place in this debacle.

You've got what you wanted chaps....

Ali and Sam are spot on. Well said.

 

[Da Man Clay]

Andy....why don't you just pick your team, tell them to raise as much money as they can its not a competition(....oh look my wad raised is bigger than your wad raised) ...and if anyone wants to play who is not part of the original group you have selected, they can come along to the training games and if they are good enough, then they will be selected.

Isn't that how it has always been?

Indeed it was. I used to get together an NSC team to play REMF. In the 3 or 4 years I've done it I think 6 or 7 players got selected to the full REMF squad. I personally didn't feel that was too bad a conversion rate.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Dave - It has always been this way, but after the binfest last year can you really blame Andy for changing the selection policy? I think he's pretty bold to even be involved this year, after the way he was treated last year.

Yes I know, but what I am suggesting is that if everyone who wants to play in the game comes along to training games, then Andy and the rest of the non playing team can select people based on these....I know years ago Southwick Seagull was heavily critisised, but to be honest, he did have the right idea re the team.

I think people need to read CPFC BOYZ CAPTAIN's ( Kev's) post earlier in this thread.....that is a very telling post!

 

[Chesney Christ]

Indeed it was. I used to get together an NSC team to play REMF. In the 3 or 4 years I've done it I think 6 or 7 players got selected to the full REMF squad. I personally didn't feel that was too bad a conversion rate.

It might have been even more than that I think...

On top of the other new people who have entered the squad in the last 7 or 8 years. There was ONE member of the playing squad involved last year who played in REMF2. ONE. Closed shop? Bollocks.

 

[Sheebo]

Andy....why don't you just pick your team, tell them to raise as much money as they can its not a competition(....oh look my wad raised is bigger than your wad raised) ...and if anyone wants to play who is not part of the original group you have selected, they can come along to the training games and if they are good enough, then they will be selected.

Isn't that how it has always been?

.

You're right Dave - This has always been how it's been. It's never been a closed shop - that is just a made up myth by people who were bitter last year. The fact is there is always 1 or 2 'trial' matches and the manager picks the team based on selection policy and who he feels is good enough - all players then raise a shite load of cash as per last year (biggest REMF total ever). But like Sam says, you can't blame Andy for proving a point and doing it this way this year - and a point it will prove.

 

[Turkey]

I am not going to get involved other than to say that it seems we are between a rock and a hard place and can never please everyone.

Can we see what happens before we assume the worst. I am standing down as Chairman after REMF 10 as ST said so in future I can say exactly what I think without having to wear the " REMF Chairman " hat and try and take the middle ground. I have tried to represent the fund as best as I can but its time to hand the Baton onto someone else. The criticisms of last year wounded a lot of people and some people have been alienated, good , hard working people who helped to raised hundreds if not thousands of pounds.

Also people have said this may be the end of REMF. With respect it will be the end of the REMF when the Eaton family decide it will be. Several years ago people were saying the REMF should fold and it has gone from strength to strength and raised more money in 2010 than in any year since 2001 when it was launched. For now lets just get behind Andy and Alan and all those who are working very hard to make REMF 10 a memorable and fitting tribute to a wonderful fund and a wonderful decade.

It's a shame that some people have been so put off - it's just classic online community nonsense. People have the outlet to criticise so they will. I can fully understand how people feel wounded. I remember being totally gutted when I got stick from people I thought were my friends because I went to the Wrexham fans united day! It's very easy to voice an opinion here and much easier to make it personal when its not face to face.

I like the idea of opening it up to others and I actually don't think it will be anywhere near as bad as some people are suggesting. If someone's that shit, I can't see them paying to play in front of people when they know they will look rubbish in front of others. I think it will even put off average players. The few on here who have played with me in the past would probably say I'm rubbish although I've been playing most Sunday mornings this season with a work team and think I could do ok.

There's no way I'm going to play though as for me, it's just not worth the nasty comments that will be posted. It will happen, its NSC. I doubt I'm the only one put off either.

 

[Simster]

That would be a group of mates sullying the name of a charity and everyone involved in it because their mate was left out of the playing squad. You're right, that was pretty shitty behaviour.

You know what, I can't be arsed to argue this. Let's just say that you, sheebo and ali jenkins are all absolutely spot on. Everything was fine before and why we made a fuss I simply couldn't imagine?

Let me know when ali jenkins starts his magnificent fund raising effort, involving a very minimal amount of legwork (so I hear) and posting a thread entitled "please sponsor me x" three days before the match, with a link to his justgiving page. Lets see if we can get him past the magical £20 mark this season.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

to be honest after the criticism I got last year for doing the PA, I have decided to take a back seat and just watch the game as a fan

 

[Sheebo]

You know what, I can't be arsed to argue this. Let's just say that you, sheebo and ali jenkins are all absolutely spot on. Everything was fine before and why we made a fuss I simply couldn't imagine?

Let me know when ali jenkins starts his magnificent fund raising effort, involving a very minimal amount of legwork (so I hear) and posting a thread entitled "please sponsor me x" three days before the match, with a link to his justgiving page. Lets see if we can get him past the magical £20 mark this season.

Stick to PM's everyone - though I agree that we are all 100% right

 

[fatboy]

The initial feeling about selection policy this year was to invite the entire REMF1 squad to play in REMF10. That was my idea and I think it would have been good and fitting.

They could not be contacted so instead it was decided to auction off the places this year.

If it doesn't work, and if there is a REMF11, maybe the selection policy will be different next time.

I would imagine this will be the last game so hopefully everyone will get behind the event and make it a good one.