Am I the only person who angry?

[London Irish]

just been in to the shop - no-one else in there and 5 staff walking about. Intended to buy a home shirt but no home shirts in stock in size still.... been trying to get this shirt for a while now - as others may have been - how much lost revenue is that costing them?? ended up buying 2 t shirts and 3 play off hats just to get something....

think they need to get there house in order b4 getting the begging bowls out....

They are in that situation because they've done so well selling all the existing stock of the new shirts. I'm in the same situation as you waiting for a shirt but I don't think it's that big a deal being paitient for a few weeks.

 

[Bobby's Gull]

Fcukin hell, don't get me wrong I love the Albion, but I do think it is a bit cheeky of the club asking every fan to give at least £100, I'll give as much as I can, but I'm skint as it is - I have no money, I'm goin to uni later this month the most I can afford to give is about 10 - 20 quid, I wish I could give more.

Also think it's bollocks not being able to give Knight, Cullip and McGhee extensions to their contracts. Like others have said if we can afford to give contracts to Reid, Piercy, Hammond and pay off Blackwell then we should have been have been more harsher with ourselves, evaluated the squad and got rid of the players that were likely to give the least in the team. I know that sounds harsh, but if this situation is as bad as people are making out to be then it should have been done.

I'm not angry, just shocked and sad about the state in which the Club seems to be.

 

[skr80]

They are in that situation because they've done so well selling all the existing stock of the new shirts. I'm in the same situation as you waiting for a shirt but I don't think it's that big a deal being paitient for a few weeks.

Not too big a deal agreed- but bloody frustrating given the latest begging letter, to see five staff sitting on their A*ses (including two on the booking line) in the shop, it does seem a bit rich that what is possibly a major sales opportunity is being missed - lack of forethought post Cardiff?

 

[Ex Shelton Seagull]

In nearly every single interview with Dick Knight he has mentioned that we are losing money every day, that we are several million quid in the red thanks to the never-ending Falmer enquiry. I was just surprised that it has taken so long for us to launch a campaign like this.

It is the avowed aim of many on the anti-Falmer side to destroy the Albion, to wipe them out. They want this thing to drag on for as long as possible because they believe it will bankrupt us. They may well deduce from the Argus headlines that they are nearly there.

THEY ARE WRONG.

I know that as long as I have a breath in my lungs and blood in my veins (blue and white of course) I will NEVER let this club die. I will NEVER walk away from the Albion. I am far from alone in this, there are thousands and thousands of us who feel the same, thousands and thousands of us who will do whatever we can to help out. When we are mobilised and fighting for one cause we are a powerful force.

When Inspector Hoiles report on Falmer came out we were galvanised into action. People on this board came up with fantastic, amazing, ideas. Ideas that we all helped put into practice.

When the club needed money to buy a new player we responded. We organised and supported an array of events and still do to this day.

Now the club have come forward and told us they need our help once more. We are not in trouble yet, but we soon could be if we do nothing. Imagine if the club had said nothing about these missing funds. Next thing you know we open up the Argus or log onto NSC in a years time to be confronted by the news that we are facing a winding-up order and we have to find a million quid inside a week. Then I would be angry. Then I would feel that I had been lied to. But you know, i'd still help out.

Because no matter how angry or disillusioned I may get with the people at the top, I will never stop loving the Albion, never be unwilling to help out. If the Albion are our church then the people in the boardroom are the archbishops. They are only transitory figures, they are always passing through. When Dick Knight steps down there will be another chairman and another after them and so on. I'm sure we will all be moaning about Knights eventual replacement, that's what comes with the job of being Chairman.

We have a set target to aim for and we have time to achieve the task of meeting that target. Already the ideas are starting to flow, already people are working together towards the common goal. Somehow it is only in times of adversity that we can put aside our differences and get on with the job at hand. I have no doubt that some great events are being planned right now, days that we may look back on months from now with great memories are still being organised.

It was bold of the club to write to so many people and ask for a hundred quid. It's a lot of money and many will be unable to give. No-one should feel bad about that, no-one should be made to feel like any less of a fan because they cannot afford to give such a large amount at such short notice. I'm sure that everyone will be able to contribute something, either through attending some fund-raising event or buying a t-shirt, everyone will give what they can. Of that I am sure. From the wealthy director who may give several thousand to the kid who gives up their weekly pocket money, everyone who contributes, no matter what the amount, is a hero in my book.

I see this campaign as storm-proofing by the club. We need to prepare for whatever the future holds for us. We need to have a little financial lee-way available to us. By giving now we are preparing for the future, we are helping to secure this great club. By giving now we help to stave off the kind of desperate times that Bradford City found themselves in this summer. By giving now we help reduce the possiblity of going through the same torment that those City fans must have gone through.

The club may well have exaggerated the threat that we face, but if that serves to kick people up the arse and get them helping out then so be it. It often proves that scare tactics are the only way to get people to give cash or provide the incentive to keep coming up with ideas. Look at the drop off in interest that followed the outcry over Hoiles report. After nearly a month of organising and arranging brilliant ideas, the motivation disappeared. Apathy took over once again. Same thing goes for the Forty note fund in a way. I was present for the Levellers concert and it was excellent, the Paradox was packed out. When another gig was organised the interest had petered out. If we perceive that the danger is far away we may not respond that quickly.

If the club had put out a press release saying "don't panic but we could do with a bit of additional cash just to make sure we don't get into trouble. If we could possibly dip your hand in your pocket and give us whatever you can that would be great." How many people would have responded to that? How many events would people be organising now? Better to be scared now while we still have time to organise things, than to leave it for until the last minute.

In times of adversity the people who frequent this humble internet message board has proven that they can come up with original, captivating, successful ideas. The call has come once more and I have no doubt that more people will answer the call. When the people on this board work together we can accomplish great things.

WE WILL DO THE SAME THIS TIME.

 

[Brovion]

I think its something to do with some comments that are made.

eg: a few months ago, MP came out and said that now we had managed to get rid of Ecovert, we would have more of a control over the spending at Withdean and also it would reduce our costs.

We also were told that the day to day running of the club is secure as our financial position is under control.

We then wake up to the Argus screaming at us that we were going bust and DK was asking people to give what they could, but £100 and £250 for some incentives were the fugures quoted. Also in that article it transpires that the debt of the company is huge and the shareholders had already put in 7million.

My concern in all of this is communication! We all know how much withdean is crippling us. we have all seen that no "names" have come to the club in transfer deals this year. We hear in the Argus today that McGhee, Cullip and Knight are not being offered extensions to their contracts until Falmer is agreed. What else is going to come out of the woodwork? What other debts have we to pay apart from Falmer...is there any?

Don't get me wrong, I am 100% behind Falmer and the current board, but i am not a lemming blindly expecting to cough up more money without knowing the true facts.

I totally agree. We could have done without it but I can't say it was a 'shock'. However I'm not slavishly following the club line. Like Afters said on another thread I want to be treated like any other investor, £250 is a lot for me, I want Shares not just a pat on the back.

 

[London Irish]

Not too big a deal agreed- but bloody frustrating given the latest begging letter, to see five staff sitting on their A*ses (including two on the booking line) in the shop, it does seem a bit rich that what is possibly a major sales opportunity is being missed - lack of forethought post Cardiff?

Why is a major sales oppotunity being missed? The big rush at the start of the season has been dealt with, and the likes of you and I who came along a few weeks later can order one and get it in a few weeks' time. Where's the problem, apart from we can't have the shirt RIGHT NOW?

Shame you have to have a pop at the club staff though. I'd love to be able to visit where you work and see if you have your nose to the grindstone every second of the day. I'll confess I don't at my work.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I think that waiting to deal with the McGhee, Knight and Cullip contracts until after Falmer is resolved is just, plain WRONG.

Letting the quality go is false economy. Knight only has 30,000 fans to call upon now because of the efforts of precisely those three individuals last season.

I agree with the idea of paring down the squad to save on wages. We can't afford much more than 17 or 18 good pros plus some kids.

Just look at the MK Dons to see what can happen if you sell all of your quality, they're looking at back-to-back relegations and are in free-fall.

 

[Brixtaan]

Worrying but London Irish has come through this smelling of roses.Wise words.

I've always been annoyed with the club over their totally inept marketing,but now it's becoming a crisis so things have to change(albeit in the marketing dept)

 

[London Irish]

Worrying but London Irish has come through this smelling of roses.Wise words.

I've always been annoyed with the club over their totally inept marketing,but now it's becoming a crisis so things have to change(albeit in the marketing dept)

I'd love to be able to return the compliment. But I'm wondering what expertise you have to be able to judge the people who work on our marketing dept.

Why turn on our own? Have confidence that Knight and Perry are good enough managers to employ competent people who will carry out their roles as per their job specifications.

 

[signwriter]

If the club want any more money from me they better think about giving some shares.

I ain't giving the owners of the club £250 notes for them to build a new stadium and then charge me again for the privilege to watch the team I have already paid for.

All thats happening is a lot of already rich people are gonna make money out of us instead of putting the money up themselves.

 

[London Irish]

Having a few shares is exactly the same as having you name on a seat at Falmer. It is utterly symbolic in both cases. Stop making excuses.

 

[Charlies Shinpad]

One day you may take your Blue and White Tinted Glasses off London Irish,you seem to think no one is allowed to criticise it in anyway!!