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The Judge

My letter to Mr Foulger

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Dear M Foulger,

As a current season ticket holder I received the rebate pack the other day along with a letter from yourself requesting that I, along with all other season ticket holders, forgo this rebate for the benefit of the playing budget for next year.

Although I am in the fortunate position not to need the money, and the fact that your offer to add to the transfer fund is a generous one, I am out of protest requesting my rebate. I feel this is the one of the few things I can do (other that cancelling my ticket entirely) to make it clear to you and the rest of board (i.e. Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones) that I hold you totally responsible for the situation we find ourselves in, and as such why should I give you more money when I am not convinced in any way you will use it to the benefit of my team. In fact it will just help dig you out of a very big financial hole you are totally culpable for taking the club into.

You use the world economic climate as rationale for the request for us to fore go the rebate, however, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever, that due to the strategies shaped by the current majority shareholders, and yourself, we would be in this dire situation regardless of these harsh financial conditions.

It has been clear to a sizeable proportion of supporters for a number of seasons the strategies you have adopted around investment in off-field activities rather than strengthening the team would result in lack of success on the pitch, and ultimately relegation. My fear is that unless we get new majority shareholders with different objectives around what a successful football club is, (or the current ones fundamentally change their own views which is unlikely) then we will continue to decline and fall down the leagues even further.

You as a board consistently state that your objectives lie around the club being at the centre of the community and significant finances have been aligned to this objective accordingly over the past few years. However I suggest you review this objective and ask the community you state you are serving, what it actually wants from their club ? Does it want lovely facilities, land, roads, restaurants, hotels, refurbished ticket offices, etc etc or does it want a successful football team on the pitch ? One they can be proud of, one which makes them feel happy when they come away from the ground on a Saturday or Tuesday evening ? This is fundamentally what supporters want – a successful team, and this is what you have failed to deliver consistently for numerous seasons. This is what a football club is about – the TEAM, and this is what you have systematically ignored season after season. You may argue that player purchases are the responsibility of the manager, and I agree with that sentiment to a degree, but you as a board appoint the managers and more importantly set the playing budget for that manager to work within. In 3 seasons we went from having Dean Ashton (sold for £7.5m) to Robert Earnshaw (sold for £3.5m) to Jamie Cureton (purchased for £800k). This example can be replicated all over the pitch, and you then wonder why we haven’t been successful !!

I appreciate that the world of football has changed significantly over the past 10 years, and no one can disagree that money is ruining the game, however our stance as a club has been to try and fight against this inevitable change rather than accept it and this has resulted with sad and predicable consequences. This said you as a board, inherited significant investments made by the previous incumbents, and have presided over a period when the revenues into the club have been higher than ever before, yet our debt has increased significantly and the quality of players in our squad has diminished dramatically. Prudence with ambition was the proud mantra the club came out with when we reached the Premiership. Whilst we have seen plenty of prudence we have seen no absolutely no ambition whatsoever from this board in terms of striving for success on the pitch. The counter argument you always used when this provocation was levelled at you in recent seasons was that ‘we signed Darren Huckerby didn’t we ?’’. Well we all know now (and some of us before you went public in a very small sentence in one of Neil Doncaster’s press columns after Darren left) that if it wasn’t for the generosity of Carl Moore we wouldn’t have in fact signed Darren in the first place. So despite the fact that you were given a clear example of what investment in the team can actually deliver, and the rewards this brings, you subsequently chose to assign revenues to ‘safer’ off field investments with the inevitable decline in the quality of the team and resultant league position.

I appreciate that this letter will probably be disregarded as a ‘rant’, and you may state hindsight is a wonderful thing. However a lot of fans have seen this coming for seasons, and if we can see it, surely it is safe to ask why can’t the supposed ‘business brains’ on the board see it, rather than being blinded by personal views, expectations, and desires for what they want the club to be ? and if you didn’t have the knowledge or expertise you should have sought it.

To move forward as a club it is clear we need new ideas, a reappraisal of the objectives for the club, and money. This in my view will only come with a change in majority shareholders and someone on the board with real footballing knowledge. I appreciate Delia Smith and her husband have publicly stated they are willing to sell their shareholding, however this has only happened over recent seasons once the club has been in this steep decline, the debts and running costs have been increasing, and they have realised it is a money pit and are having to put their hands in their pockets year after year to stop the club going into administration. Why didn’t they seek investment when the club was in a stronger position ?  Why did they put ridiculous conditions on the people they were even willing to talk to ? Perhaps it was because they enjoyed the limelight and accolades a bit too much ? We shall probably never know. What we do know now though is that they are now extremely unlikely to recoup their investment and must adjust their asking price accordingly otherwise they will take the club even further down, taking them with it. The Wolves majority shareholder sold his stake for £10 a few years ago, and look at them now. Will Delia do the same ?

You made a step in the right direction with the removal of Roger Mumby and Neil Doncaster, however then took 2 back very quickly with the appointment of Bryan Gunn as manager – what message do you really feel this sends out to the fans following a disastrous relegation ? Doesn’t 6 people out of 500 at a fans forum in favour of his appointment give you some indication of the feelings of the supporters and how out of touch with us you really are. You say you are making changes, but this appointment just shows you are incapable of doing so and who is (and has been) behind all the major decisions at the club. If his appointment was due to financial reasons, say so, at least people will understand even if they don’t agree. Don’t say it was the right appointment for footballing reasons when it so clearly isn’t as we prepare for one of our most important seasons in decades.

Despite your mis-management of the club, I will be there next season, because as a supporter I have little choice. However I pray for the day that I can have real hope for my club again and personally I feel this will only be with new people in control. When that day comes I will gladly give my rebate back and more. 

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Blimey Judge, must have taken you ages to type that lot out! Great sentiments within and hits all the right spots. Would have been proud of it myself!

Mr Foulger will be getting a letter from me also, when I have time over the weekend to do it. I hope he gets several of the same ilk.

It''s a shame that the board promise much but deliver little. We are awaiting these changes, but aside from sacrificing Munby and Doncaster and giving Gunn the thumbs up (officially) what else has changed?

Once again, Judge a great read.

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Brilliant, brilliant letter. I got a little emotional reading that, you have perfectly summed up my own feelings and the exact reason I too am claiming my rebate. Well done Judge.

P.S Please use a larger font next time, had to squint to read it! (worth it though)

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[quote user="Tangible Fixed Assets anyone"]BTW. I''m claiming my rebate too.[/quote]As an NCISA commitee member and anti-board and anti-Gunn you could hardly do anything else could you? Let''s face it, can''t be seen to support the club in some way, can we! [+o(]

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[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Tangible Fixed Assets anyone"]BTW. I''m claiming my rebate too.[/quote]As an NCISA commitee member and anti-board and anti-Gunn you could hardly do anything else could you? Let''s face it, can''t be seen to support the club in some way, can we! [+o(][/quote]

Well they have my season ticket money......Division 3 (old money) prices  for Division 3 football. Thats fair.

You said in the past that you dont agree with the board on everything but when I asked you what have the board done well......I noticed you didn''t answer. So I look forward to reading your clarification on the matter

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[quote user="Tangible Fixed Assets anyone"][quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Tangible Fixed Assets anyone"]BTW. I''m claiming my rebate too.[/quote]As an NCISA commitee member and anti-board and anti-Gunn you could hardly do anything else could you? Let''s face it, can''t be seen to support the club in some way, can we! [+o(][/quote] Well they have my season ticket money......Division 3 (old money) prices  for Division 3 football. Thats fair.

You said in the past that you dont agree with the board on everything but when I asked you what have the board done well......I noticed you didn''t answer. So I look forward to reading your clarification on the matter[/quote]I think the board have made many mistakes, not least, in their choice of managers with Bryan Gunn being the latest. However, we are where we are, and I think all we can do now, is to throw our weight behind the club as unity is the only way forward. This doesn''t mean that I think everyone should not claim their rebates as it must be an individual choice BUT, I would like to see a large majority of supporters donate theirs, as common sense tells us that the more money available to the club, the better quality of player Gunn can sign.

I feel sure that D&M will have got the message by now from the NCISA statements, fans letters and newspaper comments and they must realise that if they let things drift any further it will be very uncomfortable for them. 

As I''ve said before, it was everybody pulling together that saved us in 57, and if we pull together now, we can do it again.

 

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Yeah thats roughly what my letter said!!!!![;)]

What a brilliant and well worded letter,thanks for sharing that because frankly it''s bloody brilliant!!!!!

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Great letter Judge ,my thoughts entirely I have also claimed my rebate money back.

Have spent a lot of money supporting City home and away over the years and will continue to do so even though i feel the board

have learned no lessons from their mistakes by appointing Gunny as manager.

When or if they appoint an experienced manager who knows what he is doing in the very near future the club can willingly have

my rebate money back.

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I hope you made the letter in bigger print than this one, remember that they are old and won''t be able to see.

Good letter thou.

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[quote user="Canaries in Bed"]

I hope you made the letter in bigger print than this one, remember that they are old and won''t be able to see.

Good letter thou.

[/quote]

lol I C&P it and just enlarged the font

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[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Tangible Fixed Assets anyone"][quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Tangible Fixed Assets anyone"]BTW. I''m claiming my rebate too.[/quote]As an NCISA commitee member and anti-board and anti-Gunn you could hardly do anything else could you? Let''s face it, can''t be seen to support the club in some way, can we! [+o(][/quote] Well they have my season ticket money......Division 3 (old money) prices  for Division 3 football. Thats fair.

You said in the past that you dont agree with the board on everything but when I asked you what have the board done well......I noticed you didn''t answer. So I look forward to reading your clarification on the matter[/quote]I think the board have made many mistakes, not least, in their choice of managers with Bryan Gunn being the latest. However, we are where we are, and I think all we can do now, is to throw our weight behind the club as unity is the only way forward. This doesn''t mean that I think everyone should not claim their rebates as it must be an individual choice BUT, I would like to see a large majority of supporters donate theirs, more money available to the club, the better quality of player Gunn can sign.

I feel sure that D&M will have got the message by now from the NCISA statements, fans letters and newspaper comments and they must realise that if they let things drift any further it will be very uncomfortable for them. 

As I''ve said before, it was everybody pulling together that saved us in 57, and if we pull together now, we can do it again.

 

[/quote]But can we be sure that he will? And how can we be sure that any money not claimed will go to the transfer kitty, there has been so much spin over the years they could announce any figure, we couldn''t know for sure that it was the correct amount.

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[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Tangible Fixed Assets anyone"][quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="Tangible Fixed Assets anyone"]BTW. I''m claiming my rebate too.[/quote]As an NCISA commitee member and anti-board and anti-Gunn you could hardly do anything else could you? Let''s face it, can''t be seen to support the club in some way, can we! [+o(][/quote] Well they have my season ticket money......Division 3 (old money) prices  for Division 3 football. Thats fair.

You said in the past that you dont agree with the board on everything but when I asked you what have the board done well......I noticed you didn''t answer. So I look forward to reading your clarification on the matter[/quote]I think the board have made many mistakes, not least, in their choice of managers with Bryan Gunn being the latest. However, we are where we are, and I think all we can do now, is to throw our weight behind the club as unity is the only way forward. This doesn''t mean that I think everyone should not claim their rebates as it must be an individual choice BUT, I would like to see a large majority of supporters donate theirs, as common sense tells us that the more money available to the club, the better quality of player Gunn can sign.

I feel sure that D&M will have got the message by now from the NCISA statements, fans letters and newspaper comments and they must realise that if they let things drift any further it will be very uncomfortable for them. 

As I''ve said before, it was everybody pulling together that saved us in 57, and if we pull together now, we can do it again.

 

[/quote]

So what are you doing to support them financially then Lappin my friend as I know you said you haven''t had a season ticket for many years. Or are you going to send them a cheuqe for £80 to chip in like all the season ticket holders are expected to do??

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I''ve not claimed my rebate because, as I''ve said before, for every £ I invest, the club gets £2. I like that deal. Additionally I pay £10 per month to the Academy and have been doing so since it started. I''m happy to support the club financially (on a very modest scale) and shall continue to do so. It''s the club I support. And that''s all I want to do - support it. I don''t want to manage it so I leave that to those who have got the passion, energy and financial strength to do so. If the club doesn''t succeed under that management regime that''s a shame, I shall hope for a better future but I shall still offer my support. As far as I am aware there is curently no budget for team strengthening so when new players appear on the pitch next season, some good, some rather less no doubt, I shall know that their arrival is achieved with the aid of supporters'' unclaimed rebates and Mr Foulger''s money. That will make me feel good. But whatever happens . . . it''s only a game.

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[quote user="Yellow Shrimper"]I''ve not claimed my rebate because, as I''ve said before, for every £ I invest, the club gets £2. I like that deal. Additionally I pay £10 per month to the Academy and have been doing so since it started. I''m happy to support the club financially (on a very modest scale) and shall continue to do so. It''s the club I support. And that''s all I want to do - support it. I don''t want to manage it so I leave that to those who have got the passion, energy and financial strength to do so. If the club doesn''t succeed under that management regime that''s a shame, I shall hope for a better future but I shall still offer my support. As far as I am aware there is curently no budget for team strengthening so when new players appear on the pitch next season, some good, some rather less no doubt, I shall know that their arrival is achieved with the aid of supporters'' unclaimed rebates and Mr Foulger''s money. That will make me feel good. But whatever happens . . . it''s only a game.[/quote] And dont you think a league 1 club with 18,000 season ticket holders should have a transfer budget ? . This club really is a bloody joke and still some people are to blind to see it .

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