Supporters' initiative to raise funds for The Colony project

You keep throwing this up Knowall about our history and owners etc etc and how they were amateurs etc but that is kind of insulting to all with previous at BRFC.

Our previous directors were businessman and good ones at that, multi millionaires with more financial clout than this forum put together, regardless of your opinion of the personalities behind the fortunes, they were proper businessman who earned the money honestly, that doesnt make them daft or amateurish in the slightest, the Dunfords were millionaires a good few times over from multiple businesses, Geoff especially was an incredibly shrewed businessman. Higgs sold Cowlin for £52m to Balfour Beatty no less and was a millionaire a good few times over before that happened. That doesnt happen by chance, but good business practice, so it is insulting to their achievements to call them amateur.

Ah, but they never had experience of running a football club some crow! Well that is true, but neither have the Al'qadi's. They just have a higher net worth, meaning that they can do more with their wealth than the previous board, should they choose to.

But like I said earlier, that high net worth status won't guarantee a greater commercial opportunity from a commercial or retail brand than before. Look at the club and the stadium around it and then compare it to other teams in L1. Its a limited commercial opportunity which would garner little interest for a big national company. A established local company like Dribuild or Poplar Insulations is the kind of companies that would be interested. Why do you think football clubs sell naming rights to stadiums? Because grounds become known as the Emirates, the Amex etc etc. You say the brand name to identify. But to maximise you would have to be in a position where that gets weekly TV coverage or internet exposure.

Your perception is we are more professional but on what basis are you saying it is, because we have more staff doing more than ever before, paid for by someone who can afford it? That doesnt make us extra professional. Why couldn't we lay a proper pitch and get enough kit for the open day? Would I class Steve Hamer as a very experienced football professional? Not really, he left Swansea 16 years previously and had little to do with running a club since. Tom Gorringe had 2 years previous at Brighton, and is Hamer's sons best mate..all the previous directors the ALQ's bought in left or resigned inside a year. Martin Starnes is the first experienced football board level appointment they have made. So it isn't as if we have poached people from the Championship or Premier League to drive us up. Having said all of that I do think we are in better shape than we have ever been, providing the ALQ's will continue to support it.

The reason I sponsor the club, and not to sound too "look at me" about it is because I can afford it and its another way of supporting the club on top of my season tickets and other hospitality packages I have, to date, there is no other reward/spend available at BRFC. Its nothing to do with embracing a business decision at all, in fact, in terms of spend verses return, it would be a poor decision and I am sure Bob at AB Power would say the same.

Bristol City have always been supported by local business. They always have had and continue to be! DAS insurance, Lancer Scott, Dribuild, Poplar, Hirerite, Sanderson, Arthur J Gallagher, Thatchers, Wessex Garages - just to name a few, and all of these are locally based businesses. I have had 3 cold calls from Bristol Sport in the last year asking for meetings with me regards sponsorship, so its something they definitely target. Their rate card is massive too, but they can charge that because of the facility, league status, rugby games and corporate gigs they can offer. It pains me to say it but it is a much better venue.

No one wants the ALQ's to fail, but BRFC is still a community club and the board need to do more to engage with fans.