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Post by Dr Saint on May 10, 2010 13:31:13 GMT
If the Gibsons were all open and honest up front with nothing to hide they'd be wishing to defend themselves and you would think you'd hear at least a squeak from them.
However, as yet, nothing? but I wonder when we will hear! Just how long will they stay quiet and under the covers? Sooner or later something official must be said.
DS
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Post by saintsfan on May 10, 2010 15:46:12 GMT
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Post by Daedalus on May 11, 2010 11:34:44 GMT
This is absolutely shocking if true.
It suddenly makes a whole lot of sense that Gibson is reluctant to move on.
Does anyone know what Karen Gibson actually does for her £21k/£22k?
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Post by Dr Saint on May 11, 2010 12:50:31 GMT
As I questioned in an earlier reply "is there an ulterior motive ?"
Seems that there could well be and the Gibsons do have something to hide,
or surely they would be honest and speak out.
D S
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Post by saintsfan on May 11, 2010 12:54:14 GMT
There defo is "D S". gibbo is taking us all for a ride!
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Post by Dr Saint on May 11, 2010 13:00:01 GMT
Then he needs to be unseated !
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Post by saintsfan on May 11, 2010 13:04:55 GMT
How do we do that though??? Like Assagai or whatever his name is said he has thick skin and couldn't care less about us fans!!!!! Why would he give up his position if he and mrs gibbo are treating it like a nice little earner?  ? And he has people like webbo to protect him and go around bullying people who question his motives......... hw can we force him out!!!! |
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Post by saintsfan on May 11, 2010 13:15:25 GMT
I'm just sick of gibbo and I wish there was a way of getting him out because the club will never move forward wit him there and we are facing relegation or worse to be honest unless we can manage to get him out.....
We need someone like the tannoy guy to lead us because we need a leader who will come up with ideas because nobody is doing anything and gibbo is probably laughing his head off while we all sit around doing nothing....... The trust obviusly aren't going to do anything and while there are people who aren't going to join in force against this man he will just continue and St Albans City will die...... time for people to put there personal opinions behind them and to join together to fight gibson........
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Post by drdi1144 on May 12, 2010 9:25:32 GMT
There's no right or wrong answer to this one, and it's a horrible situation to be in - as fans of Manchester United (at least the ones with a brain) and Chester City are currently experiencing.
On the one hand, paying money to HMRC keeps Saints alive, and also keeps Gibson with his hand on the tiller, in the till and in the game for that Saints stadium-related property development, or whatever goal he's seeking.
On the other hand, allowing the HMRC dispute to run to the bitter end sees the club go under, with the sole (but significant) benefit that Gibson also goes, and a fresh start is then possible, albeit at a lower level.
Chester's ground is council-owned, like Clarence Park, and I understand that the Deva Stadium is to be used by the new Chester club. Without knowing the lease technicalities, I'd imagine that the same circumstances would arise if the same thing happened to Saints, which would at least spare us from park pitches.
The main thing is that the fans at least respect each other's views. Beyond that, it could be a long and messy business. One thing's for sure, Gibson is not going anywhere in a rush.
What do the rest of the Board think of all this? Their silence is both deafening and lamentable.
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Post by Aries on May 12, 2010 10:22:58 GMT
Restarting down the pyramid without Gibbo and his supporters is my preferred option.
We would need the ground and a fighting fund, which it seems the trust has.
This would be a good opportunity to repair the links with City Youth, as being at a lower level may give their older players a shot at first team football.
If we pay the debt then it won't be too long before another and another need dealing with. The club needs to cut its losses then start to rebuild both in football terms, support and its position in the community.
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Post by EFMTFTV on May 12, 2010 11:01:35 GMT
The trust don't have enough money for a fighting fund IMO and don't forget the council love Gibbo so who says they won't just re-lease the ground to him, his plan way well be to wind the club up anyway and start lower down
As for the board, they're all his yes men anyone else with another opinion has quickly departed
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Post by Aries on May 12, 2010 13:23:13 GMT
The Trust may have enough to support a new club at a lower level that doesn't include Gibson and his friends.
With a marketing and advertising initiative it may only be a few seasons before that new City would be challenging to enter this league again.
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Post by assegai on May 12, 2010 13:35:17 GMT
I agree with Aries' sentiments.
And who is to say that Ian Ridley's contacts would not be willing to re-emerge should Gibson be off the radar?
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Post by Daedalus on May 12, 2010 17:47:44 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2010 18:06:24 GMT
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Post by flo on May 12, 2010 19:34:09 GMT
it would help (but don't tell anyone i said that)
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Post by Daedalus on May 13, 2010 9:59:36 GMT
I've never heard of making an annual payment to retain your shares, so it's really £10k per year for membership of an exclusive 'club' ?( I have also never heard of anything like this before. It sounds utterly bizarre to me. Once again, I feel that the Trust would be absolutely mad to do business with Gibson on these terms. It would bring no benefit to the Trust and would be a total waste of time. The more I hear about how Mr Gibson is running this club, the more and more angry I get. No images allowed -http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/Crouchaldinho_SACFC/ranting.gif |
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Post by northamptonsaint on May 13, 2010 18:17:36 GMT
I can see the logic in these £10K payments to become a shareholder.
The club will make some assumptions about income from gates, prize money and sponsorship each season and if there is still a shortfall in the cash required to field a competitive team, the shareholders have to dig into their pockets to make up the difference.
If the chairman is looking for a group of 8-10 shareholders as he has suggested, it shows the likely size of the shortfall and gives a possible indication of the level of debt that the club racks up each season, especially if gates go down, cup runs are short and investors stay away.
All the more reason for getting more people through the turnstiles and finding ways to generate more commercial revenue.
You get the feeling that the chairman doesn’t feel the same way, given his dismissive comments about pitch-side advertising income in that radio interview last month.
And if he prefers to turn down a substantial offer of investment in order to stay in charge, he should at least ensure that the club lives within its means, rather than saddling it with more & more debt each year, even if it means taking The Saints a few steps down The Pyramid to do so.
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Post by Daedalus on May 14, 2010 12:13:55 GMT
I've so many questions at the moment, as I'm sure many of the rest of you do.
Why has the club's telephone line been cut-off? Presumably because the club is in such a bad position that it cannot afford to even pay the telephone bills. Try it yourself - the number is 01727 864296. It has been cut-off for at least 2 or 3 months (possibly longer), so how is the St. Albans City secretary conducting any business involving the telephone in the meantime?
What is the real reason that the reserve team is being moved to the SSML? Does this have anything to do with EuroAcademy and their objective to bring Brazilian players to England to play within the pyramid?
What is the nature of EuroAcademy's involvement with the football club? Why were they previously listed as partners but have recently had their banner removed from the official website?
If EuroAcademy are shareholders/partners of the club, and also intending to act as player agents in order to bring Brazilian players to the club, is this not illegal under FA and FIFA regulations?
Is Karen Gibson really on a £21k or £22k contract and siphoning off money from the club funds? What is the nature of her job and how could such wages, especially in light of the club's financial problems, be justified? Is it also true, as it has been rumoured, that Gibson himself is also siphoning off money from the Oaklands funds? Why have the Gibsons not moved to protest their innocence in the light of these allegations?
What's the story behind the missing 100 club money? Why has it gone 'missing'? Have any members tried to find out where the money is?
Has Steve Castle had his meeting with John Gibson regarding the budget for next season, which he was promised almost three weeks ago? If so, has he managed to come to an agreement regarding a budget so that he can start planning for next season?
Have the Trust managed to contact Gibson to find out the current state of play at the club? What was the result of the Trust's meeting earlier this week and have they discussed the current issues at the club with Supporters' Direct? If so, what was the feedback/advice?
Why does Gibson seem to have taken no interest in the rumoured winding up order and unpaid tax bill? Why has he seemingly unloaded it on to Nick Archer according to the local press?
Just how many job offers has Steve Castle had (I have heard several)? Is he being given any assurances by the chairman and directors that the club can be ambitious next season? Is the club doing everything that it can to keep the manager at Clarence Park?
Have the mystery investors lost interest in the club (I wouldn't be surprised after the way that they have been treated by Gibson)? Is Gibson willing to have a proper meeting with them? Can any progress be made on that front?
Will the club be in the Blue Square South next season? If so, will they be able to compete, or will they be working with a wage bill which would make it impossible, or at least very difficult, to survive in the division?
Just what is the situation with the unpaid tax bill, the transfer embargo and the rumoured 'winding up' order threat? What are Mr Gibson and his directors doing to save the club, to pay the bills, and to plan for the future to make sure that the club continues to survive?
That's just some of them. I'm sure there are many more.
So many questions but no sign of any answers. No images allowed -http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/Crouchaldinho_SACFC/banghead.gif
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Post by Daedalus on May 14, 2010 17:28:12 GMT
Since posting this message, I have been in touch with the Saints City Trust and one of the Trust's officers has responded with some news from their end of things.
As I understand it, two of the Trust's officers met with Supporters Direct (SD) this week and had a productive meeting during which they discussed the concerns that the Trust and the fans of St. Albans City FC currently have. SD have backed the Saints City Trust's current approach and they have also taken away some actions from this meeting, so therefore the communication between SD and the Trust is ongoing.
The Trust have also been in communication with the chairman/directors and asked about board meetings, business planning and for clarification regarding the current financial situation and the issues that the club is currently facing. They have received no response to date but remain hopeful of getting some answers soon.
As we all know, the Trust agreed to spend £4k on specific items at the Special General Meeting (SGM) in March. The payment for the pitch work will apparently be made at the weekend so that the work can commence as soon as possible (there will, I believe, be an official statement on the Trust website about this work at some point soon). I understand that there was some kind of delay in the club responding to the Trust regarding this work, which has resulted in it being slightly delayed. There is also important building work to go ahead on the officials' changing room, which is a league requirement, and this work is also being paid for by the Trust as per the SGM.
It was also made clear to me that the Trust have assured the chairman/directors that they are committed to the club and its future, and that they want to work with them and continue to assist and support the club during these difficult times. They have also made it clear that they would like to have the current financial position clarified in order to pass this on to their worried members and all fans of the club, and that they would hope to be involved in making plans for next season. They are currently waiting for answers to this communication.
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Post by EFMTFTV on May 16, 2010 6:59:04 GMT
So, in summery, waiting for the answers ...... still
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Post by Daedalus on May 16, 2010 11:55:40 GMT
I suppose so EFMTFTV. I reflected afterwards that it seems to me as if the Trust are obviously trying their best to work with the chairman/directors but are being left out of the loop again. It strikes me that the Trust have asked to be part of board meetings and business planning, but with the announcements regarding admission prices and the reserve team already having been made, the board have probably gone ahead without them again.  The chairman/directors have obviously wasted no time in getting in touch to deal with the payments to be made by the Trust. However, when it has come to answering questions about the club's financial state, addressing any of the current harmful rumours surrounding the club and its chairman, and involving the Trust in board meetings and planning for next season, it seems that they have been less forthcoming! As always, keen to have the fans' money but couldn't care less about them otherwise!  I'd like to stress that this is just my opinion though and not the opinion of the Trust officers. I do hope that Supporters Direct will be able to assist them and also that they will have some positive news soon. However, it is my personal opinion that the Trust are facing something of an uphill battle (perhaps an understatement!) in dealing with the current chairman/directors.  |
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? And he has people like webbo to protect him and go around bullying people who question his motives......... hw can we force him out!!!!
