|
|
Post by phillistine on Feb 19, 2016 23:17:48 GMT
I have supported Rovers for over 30 years and in that time have seen hundreds of players wear the shirt, many managers come and go, Directors arrive and depart, 3 different grounds. It made me think about Trigger from only fools who proudly boasted that he had his brush for 20 years but the brush had had 6 new handles and 8 new heads.
So when a new guy comes along and announces that he has purchased Rovers then it makes me feel uneasy.
Rovers is a community , a tribe of supporter if you like who follow the blue and white shirts. Legally the club may be a Company with assets and liabilities but that is not what makes us turn up week in week out . It is the sense of belonging , the emotional pull of the club which in a way is completely illogical but very real. We want to feel that our representatives - the guys who wear the shirt - do us proud . For many they are the thing we look forward to all week long
The new owner can do what he wants with his new property - he can change the strip, rename the club fill the team with Jordanian wannabees and there is nothing we can do about it. He could destroy the essence of what is Bristol Rovers.
Dont get me wrong I hope that the guy is genuine and everything is fine but part of me is uneasy that something which is so important to me has been sold to the highest bidder. All of a sudden our destiny in the hands of someone that I had never heard of a week or so ago.
|
|
|
|
Post by miamigas on Feb 19, 2016 23:30:07 GMT
I have supported Rovers for over 30 years and in that time have seen hundreds of players wear the shirt, many managers come and go, Directors arrive and depart, 3 different grounds. It made me think about Trigger from only fools who proudly boasted that he had his brush for 20 years but the brush had had 6 new handles and 8 new heads. So when a new guy comes along and announces that he has purchased Rovers then it makes me feel uneasy. Rovers is a community , a tribe of supporter if you like who follow the blue and white shirts. Legally the club may be a Company with assets and liabilities but that is not what makes us turn up week in week out . It is the sense of belonging , the emotional pull of the club which in a way is completely illogical but very real. We want to feel that our representatives - the guys who wear the shirt - do us proud . For many they are the thing we look forward to all week long The new owner can do what he wants with his new property - he can change the strip, rename the club fill the team with Jordanian wannabees and there is nothing we can do about it. He could destroy the essence of what is Bristol Rovers. Dont get me wrong I hope that the guy is genuine and everything is fine but part of me is uneasy that something which is so important to me has been sold to the highest bidder. All of a sudden our destiny in the hands of someone that I had never heard of a week or so ago. Reminds me of a mate who had won the lottery and was asked how he felt. "Well..............I could get run down by a bus tomorrow". UTG! |
|
|
|
Post by Antonio Fargas on Feb 19, 2016 23:36:49 GMT
I'm looking forward to having a few Jordanian wannabes in the squad.
|
|
|
|
Post by WeAreTheGas on Feb 19, 2016 23:38:16 GMT
Good post and I have similar feelings.
I'm about 90% ecstatic with today's news and 10% apprehensive.
After years of having Rovers fans on the board and pretty much knowing what we're getting season after season, we are now taking a leap of faith into the unknown.
But let's just hope that the, now life presidents, chose the Al-Qadi family because they believe it was the best deal for the club.
All we can do is sit back and see what happens.
At least there's hope now and we're a club with real potential.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2016 23:52:43 GMT
its a fair post because we have seen the hull,cardiff and blackburn chairman being turned on by fans but his interview was very impressive and humble and was very reassuring to me.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gastroenteritis on Feb 19, 2016 23:56:20 GMT
Good post and I have similar feelings. I'm about 90% ecstatic with today's news and 10% apprehensive. After years of having Rovers fans on the board and pretty much knowing what we're getting season after season, we are now taking a leap of faith into the unknown. But let's just hope that the, now life presidents, chose the Al-Qadi family because they believe it was the best deal for the club. All we can do is sit back and see what happens. At least there's hope now and we're a club with real potential. i think at the very least we have a guy who wants to make us sustainable. So even if we don't get pumped with money we will still have a future. I for one think he will deliver a fully owned stadium and invest enough money in the football for steady progression. I can't see us getting promotion after promotion. |
|
|
|
Post by Gas Go Marching In on Feb 20, 2016 0:01:21 GMT
Good post and I have similar feelings. I'm about 90% ecstatic with today's news and 10% apprehensive. After years of having Rovers fans on the board and pretty much knowing what we're getting season after season, we are now taking a leap of faith into the unknown. But let's just hope that the, now life presidents, chose the Al-Qadi family because they believe it was the best deal for the club. All we can do is sit back and see what happens. At least there's hope now and we're a club with real potential. i think at the very least we have a guy who wants to make us sustainable. So even if we don't get pumped with money we will still have a future. I for one think he will deliver a fully owned stadium and invest enough money in the football for steady progression. I can't see us getting promotion after promotion. Sustainability is all I personally ask for. Anything else is a bonus. |
|
|
|
Post by Hugo the Elder on Feb 20, 2016 6:14:53 GMT
I fully understand what the OP is saying and share his fears. Ticket prices are my main worry, but....
What is Bristol Rovers all about? We've had so much crap to deal with over the years. We've been nearly broke, we've had a nomadic existence, fires, failures on the pitch, weve seen our best players move on to balance the books, We've watched our neighbours get rich and yet we've still turned out home and away in good numbers.
I honestly don't think this new guy can do anything that will break our spirit. We're Gas. We deal with sh**. It's what we do best.
|
|
|
|
Post by yattongas on Feb 20, 2016 6:22:17 GMT
No more ragbag rovers , Louis Vuitton bag rovers doesn't trip of the tongue but we'll have to learn to live with it.
|
|
|
|
Post by marcusbrowning4 on Feb 20, 2016 6:32:20 GMT
No more ragbag rovers , Louis Vuitton bag rovers doesn't trip of the tongue but we'll have to learn to live with it. More like Money Bags Rovers now..... |
|
|
|
Post by Henbury Gas on Feb 20, 2016 6:35:25 GMT
I don't think the new owners are going to throw money at the club big time, just spend money on developing the club with better facilities & management
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2016 6:58:27 GMT
Respecting the OPs concerns..
Having had a sleep on this and taking in the youtube vids and some wiki research, as well as reading this and otibs reactions...
I feel pretty positive about it.
The Chairman gave a good account of himself, he seems "normal" which was important for me. There are some lunatics out there who can get there hands on football clubs, Mr Hamer doesn't seem like one of those.
Our new owner also came across well. He faced the camera for a start! He knows football, he has done his research. He doesn't appear to be going for the instant impact approach and his talk of "teamwork" and his step by step theory over a term plan sits fine by me also.
Of course, we aren't going to know how this will develop until it takes shape.. However I am certain that I could have felt a lot worse this morning. Imagine if Lansdown was involved! Imagine if we ended up with some crooks with previous. Imagine if all fell through again and all we had to look forward to was another court date with JSS. No disrespect to the former Directors but we were only going slowly backwards in terms of £££ and hope.
Until it's proven otherwise, I am fully embracing this new chapter, and why not?!
|
|
|
|
Post by pucklegas on Feb 20, 2016 7:56:50 GMT
Everyone should feel a little bit of trepidation with massive change, however no wild promises on day one was positive, sounds like he will do things prudently. Noticed the interview on Radio Bristol contained a ticket price question which the chairman answered with, we ll go with what the previous board had decided, and quick as a flash the interviewer responded by saying you can change what you want now. Don't think he will raise prices to alienate the fans, think we will sustain the same prices. Sad really that Nick never delivered the UWE but that was down to the contract which was watertight! Timing of this is unusual, why not wait until the judges have given their verdict, unless Nick was advised by letter the decision has been made and don't waste your money on a cheap inter city return!
|
|
|
|
Post by Antonio Fargas on Feb 20, 2016 8:05:04 GMT
I don't think the new lot could have presented themselves any better, really. They said exactly the right things, afaic. Had they come in and said we've got loads of money and we're gonna spend it, woo!, it would have looked dodgy. But they were very careful to talk about development and sustainability, which is exactly what we need, and exactly the right way to go about it, imo.
|
|
|
|
Post by stuart1974 on Feb 20, 2016 8:14:19 GMT
I thought they were professional and deliberately understated. Quite refreshing in many ways. It could be an interesting few months in more ways than one and at the moment I am looking forward to it (not often I can say that).
|
|
|
|
Post by Mark Ash on Feb 20, 2016 8:20:01 GMT
I must admit I do have some apprehension. Is it sane to fear too much success?
On the plus side, we surely won't have to worry about DEBT any more, which always troubled me. Going under was my big fear. Also, we will surely get a new stadium, which we have to have. I love the Memorial Ground, but it's from a lost world now and I don't like the prospect of scrabbling for tickets every time we play a half-decent team.
So here's to the Brave New World - with fingers crossed that the new owner really "gets it", if you know what I mean.
|
|
|
|
Post by xplosivgas on Feb 20, 2016 8:38:14 GMT
To be honest if the new owners supply a new stadium and invest enough to improve the squad each year (perhaps even pay a £150k fee or two!), I'll be more than happy.
Not that it matters hugly, but I notice a lot of the media referring to 'billionaire owners'. Are they really in that leauge? I can't see from my internet searching that their Jordan bank shareholding is worth that amount, but I guess they have other business interests in leisure etc. anyone have any reliable info on them?
|
|
|
|
Post by Feeling The Blues on Feb 20, 2016 8:39:09 GMT
Everyone should feel a little bit of trepidation with massive change, however no wild promises on day one was positive, sounds like he will do things prudently. Noticed the interview on Radio Bristol contained a ticket price question which the chairman answered with, we ll go with what the previous board had decided, and quick as a flash the interviewer responded by saying you can change what you want now. Don't think he will raise prices to alienate the fans, think we will sustain the same prices. Sad really that Nick never delivered the UWE but that was down to the contract which was watertight! Timing of this is unusual, why not wait until the judges have given their verdict, unless Nick was advised by letter the decision has been made and don't waste your money on a cheap inter city return! It is apparent that the outcome of the case v Sainsbury is not material to whether UWE gets built as far as the new owners are concerned. All that this might affect is the eventual price that the previous shareholders get for their shares. It would have been a good question for someone to have asked though;- if the court case is won will this mean more money for the FC or the previous owners? |
|
|
|
Post by newmarketgas on Feb 20, 2016 8:41:31 GMT
I fully understand what the OP is saying and share his fears. Ticket prices are my main worry, but.... What is Bristol Rovers all about? We've had so much crap to deal with over the years. We've been nearly broke, we've had a nomadic existence, fires, failures on the pitch, weve seen our best players move on to balance the books, We've watched our neighbours get rich and yet we've still turned out home and away in good numbers. I honestly don't think this new guy can do anything that will break our spirit. We're Gas. We deal with sh**. It's what we do best. Good Lord, all that made sense. You sir are a word smith and a weaver at the loom of the mind.....Well, it was pretty good anyway.  |
|
|
|
Post by Captain Jayho on Feb 20, 2016 9:03:11 GMT
Definitely feeling both excitement and apprehension. Have to say that Wael came across well - very understated but with clear intentions and an understanding of the club, the fans and the time and patience it may take to build the foundations we need. Hamer also came across quite well although a bit of googling will reveal that he's not exactly popular at Swansea. Have to say I'm more concerned about Hamer than Al Qadi.
|
|
