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Post by brianss on Aug 6, 2014 22:15:51 GMT
A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM BRIAN SEYMOUR-SMITH
Dear Friend
I am asking for your support to be returned as a Supporters Club Director on the Board of Bristol Rovers FC.
Without doubt, my three years has been the toughest in our history. Relegation to the Conference and external delays over the new stadium has caused frustration, anger and disillusionment.
However, I believe by pulling together as one, we can and will turn our fortunes around. I hope you share my optimism that Darrell is heading in the right direction with his new squad. With the help of the Supporters Club, we have made it clear that we will continue to do all we can to support Darrell on the field by constantly fundraising to ensure funds are available to share in his and our ambition to have a team in which we can all be proud and returns us straight back to the Football League.
Your Supporters Club has played a major role in supporting youth development at this club. I also praise non supporters club members who have also helped to support our future. However, unless the 1st Team are winning matches, then there is a cascade of disillusionment from the top down. I will personally continue to do all I can to ensure funds are available to help Darrell bring the right quality and passionate players to this club. Players must be here for the right reasons – to win football matches for Bristol Rovers FC. Football is about results and an exciting and prosperous season is very long overdue!
Fans:
When I first came onto the board I felt there was a real divide between the directors and fans and with relegation, this relationship has been strained further. I have therefore worked strenuously to try to change this perception by actively presenting your views and suggestions to the Rovers board and get them acted on!
This includes:
• Admission prices down – encouraged Kids for Quid
• Bar prices down – Happy hours before/ after games
• More youngsters attending matches – 100 children free admission from local schools every game
• Former players brought back to meet fans
• Celebrations of your £1m Share Scheme
• New TV’s in bars
• Encouraged further funding for playing staff at BRFC
• Regular supporters personal and social media contact
• Encouraged the introduction of new ‘open forums’ and supporters club forums to ensure fans have direct access to board members for Q and A’s
• Taken up individual fans issues as and when requested
• Supported board on all aspects of delivering a new stadium
Some may feel perhaps more could have been done to support the case of an individual member? Some, that by the closing down of the Fans Forum, doors have been closed to Box 1?
Some that a Fans Director MUST report all issues back to supporters, even though confidentiality agreements have been signed.
I will admit that I personally feel communication has been slow, leading to scepticism and misinformation - and yes this needs to improve!
However, I have constantly made myself available for all supporters to contact me, either personally, by email, social media or by phone.
However, I have always believed if you want answers ask directly. That is why I totally support my idea of open forums, so that you can get direct answers to direct questions from the decisions makers. I want more of these - monthly Forums in the Dribuild i.e. an evening with the manager and players. Quarterly Full Forum open meetings and the Chairman’s pre-match Q and A sessions continue in the Bristol Room.
Our challenge is to ensure this Supporters Club is at the forefront of helping Bristol Rovers get back into league football and, that we continue to play a significant role in the new stadium development.
We need to attract a whole new generation to the Mem and ensure that when you, your family and friends come to a Rovers match, you go home with a smile on your face having witnessed an entire entertainment experience. I am doing all I can to help make that happen!
There is so much more we can and will achieve together. Rovers we stand divided we fall!
Yours in friendship
Brian
UTG!
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Post by Hugo Admin on Aug 6, 2014 22:18:39 GMT
Brian, thanks for taking tge time to come and say your piece. I know some fans were wanting you to do just that. Best of luck for the upcoming elections. R
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Post by brianss on Aug 6, 2014 22:20:41 GMT
Thank you Ras. Happy to chat if anyone wishes to ask a question!
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Post by Hugo Admin on Aug 6, 2014 22:28:49 GMT
Looks like you will be head to head with Rod. Hw has come up with some pretty decent suggestions and I'm sure the folks here will quiz you appropriately.
My question to you is this and its for non members as much as anyone else. Brian, why should I join the official supporters club and when I do, what can you offer ordinary fans like myself in terms of having a voice in how the club is run?
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Post by brianss on Aug 6, 2014 22:45:17 GMT
Ras, the purpose of the Supporters Club is to do all it can to physically support Bristol Rovers FC. That does not mean that we are at the beck and call of the club at all times, it means our intention is to help provide the funds, volunteers, activities and genral support to ensure the existance of the club we love so much. The share scheme is a prime example of this, as well as Helpline, 50-50, Young Pirates etc. In return, you ave a voice on the board via myself and Ken. Our aim has always been to ensure the issues which affect you as supporters are listened to and acted upon. To do this I spend as much time as possible communcating and personally meeting supporters for their suggestions and ideas which will go to making your enjoyment at the Mem even better. It also means dealing with more serious issues such as the lad who had the accident during the Coventry game. Here I am delighted to tell you that the lad is well and hsi parents will be VIP guests (thanks to help from the club) at a later date. I believe the new forums are the way forward. I want to see these online and questions offered both on the day as well as in advance. I will aslo try to update you regularly on this forum, but appreiate my comments may not always be welcomed by all. What I can assure you is I do my best for you as supporters and for our club. It will be for you to decide on 25th Sept if you feelI'm doing the right thing or otherwise. If not then it wil be for others to take this responsibility on! best wishes Bri
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Post by Hugo Admin on Aug 6, 2014 22:59:31 GMT
Thanks Bri, nicely put. I was uplifted to hear from a respected poster here that you went to shake his hand in the watering rain during one of our darker times just to thank him for being a supporter. Im the sentimental type and that speaks volumes to me. Also, live forums are good but of course I believe online forums have a place too and I hope you will feel welcomed to post and discuss here. I think you will find many of the gaschat members interested in working with you to discuss the direction of the club. So far I have to say I have been pretty impressed. The ticket offers, open day, merchandise panel and sociak media interaction are all great steps in the right direction.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2014 5:39:16 GMT
Thanks for posting Brian. I was keen that you put yourself up on here so you could have your say/answer questions/defend yourself.
I understand the reasons given, but I am still very angry about the overnight closure of the OF. Why did the club do so little to try to moderate that forum. It was clear for weeks that libelous comments were posted yet BRFC moderators seemed more intent on merging or moving threads. Moderaters we watching the offending thread yet did nothing. Why were ordinary fans not approached and given the opportunity to save our community. I don't think the BOD really appreciate the damage they did when the OF was taken away.
Many thanks.
H
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2014 5:54:45 GMT
You say they were libellous but that would only be the case if the comments were untrue. The comments were not removed, draw your own conclusions.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2014 6:00:42 GMT
Hi Brian, as you know I frequently ask you on Twitter about the internal review that has so say been carried out by the club. Why have the results of this review not been released ? when I used to ask you about it I was told it was likely to be made clear at the q and a ? well it wasn't.
Its 2 days before the new season and I'm dismayed we still have not been told the result of this review. I have been holding off getting a season ticket, attending games and even Stripes donation scheme until I have seen the result of the review as a point of principle. It might seem petty to some but to me its vital that we establish and present the reasons for our demise (3 relegations since I started watching) in order to heal and move on. The club made a big deal about how they were doing this. I found the q and a a positive experience but to still not publish this review is poor and if it does not happen it will become another stick to beat the club with like the Kevin Spencer incident, the share scheme share revaluation issue etc.
So please do all you can to get this released before Saturday so that we can move on together,
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Post by brianss on Aug 7, 2014 6:38:24 GMT
Hi Thank you all for your questions:
1. Fourm:The biggest problem we had with the forum were as you suggested the libelous comments made on there. Yes we made every effort to have them removed by the moderators, and yes we could have taken legal action against certain people. However, is it a good use of very limted resources to be taking indivduals to court? We are a football team and our focus should be on winning football matches - not on who said what. The other problem was it was actively reducing our very limited resources and became very time consuming for the moderators.Most of the very detrimental comments came from 10.30pm onwards - meaning people having to stay up to delete or otherwise. Also during matches i.e Wycombe game 500 posts went up during the match and over 1,000 comments were deleted from the time the coaches set off from Bristol and 3pm just as the game kicked off. Thse moderators such as Kirsty and keith are now being used on twitter to give quick answers to fans questions and getting fast replys - been received very positvely. This I think goes hand in hand with open Forums.
2. Internal Review:Yes I regret the delay in the announcement.I know the chairman has been very keen to draw this to a conclusion. The final conclusion has to ratified by the board. There have obviously been holidays etc during the summer break with people away. I sincerely hope this will be done at the next board meeting and conlusions annouced by Nick from thereon.
best wishes
Brian
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2014 6:59:54 GMT
Thanks for the reply to my question.
I don't agree with your answer, and if anything its made me more angry. The club said when it shut it only had 1000 users, yet now it was so well used you couldn't possibly moderate it?? The damaging thread was up for WEEKS not just from 10.30 pm on one evening and nothing was done. I am becoming of the opinion that the Club wanted the forum shut due the the flack it was starting to get from previously supportive posters. I guess we'll never know if the club are telling the truth, and for me that's the saddest thing. I used to trust the custodians of MY club, now I am not so sure. I could go on, but perhaps it best I leave it there.
Good luck with the elections.
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Post by peterparker on Aug 7, 2014 7:00:21 GMT
Hi Thank you all for your questions: 1. Fourm:The biggest problem we had with the forum were as you suggested the libelous comments made on there. Yes we made every effort to have them removed by the moderators, and yes we could have taken legal action against certain people. However, is it a good use of very limted resources to be taking indivduals to court? We are a football team and our focus should be on winning football matches - not on who said what. The other problem was it was actively reducing our very limited resources and became very time consuming for the moderators.Most of the very detrimental comments came from 10.30pm onwards - meaning people having to stay up to delete or otherwise. Also during matches i.e Wycombe game 500 posts went up during the match and over 1,000 comments were deleted from the time the coaches set off from Bristol and 3pm just as the game kicked off. Thse moderators such as Kirsty and keith are now being used on twitter to give quick answers to fans questions and getting fast replys - been received very positvely. This I think goes hand in hand with open Forums. 2. Internal Review:Yes I regret the delay in the announcement.I know the chairman has been very keen to draw this to a conclusion. The final conclusion has to ratified by the board. There have obviously been holidays etc during the summer break with people away. I sincerely hope this will be done at the next board meeting and conlusions annouced by Nick from thereon. best wishes Brian Brian why did the club never ask any of the long standing members to help moderate the forum?
Lets be honest there are two 'new' main fora moderated by the fans which the club has even less control of, both moderated by the fans and none of them would allow such potential libellous comments. Why could this not have happened on the OF?
If a couple of people had moderating power the Ollie Norburn thread would have been removed long before the closure
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2014 8:39:34 GMT
Brian A couple of questions for you.
There has been speculation, false I am sure, that you are powerless on the board of directors and indeed are often excluded from directors meetings. Would you confirm that you have completed Companies House form 288A, and this has been registered at Companies House?
I am going to assume that this indeed is the case, therefore:
As a registered director you will accept that you have a fiduciary responsibility to ALL shareholders, including the upholding of the Articles of Association of their company. You may or not be aware of the rules of the Supporters Club in relation to the role that you now have and its specific tasks as a result of the £1,000,000 of investment, into the company that you are a registered director of, made by its members which allowed your role to be created. But could you confirm that this rule is adhered to and actually actions result?
Funnily enough they are the rules and actually in BRSC constitution written by Mr Slade and others...
13.2.1 Under instruction of the EC, represent and uphold the interests of BRSC, BRSCSS and its membership and on the Board of Directors of BRFC
EC = Executive Committee
also their responsibilities, which their manifesto should address, as pointed out by Stapleton Gas, are detailed in Appendix H.
The Executive Committee then has a responsibility to communicate the results of your, and Mr Masters, feedback to its members, directly. Can you confirm that this is actually happening. Also a) A former member of the supporters club and share scheme has received a lifetime ban without receiving any evidence of any wrong doing. Do you believe that such an action (as a director your equally responsible for this) is acting as this "represent and uphold the interests of BRSC, BRSCSS and its membership and on the Board of Directors of BRFC" b) During your tenure as a full executive director of the shareholders company you have overseen - Substantial financial losses, year on year, continuously - Multiple changes of 1st team management, - The relegation from the league for the first time in the football clubs history
Would you concede that your tenure has been a disaster for the club? Would you also concede that the communications to ALL shareholders has been less that transparent, the resolution from the BoD on how they intend to correct this disaster is less than forthcoming, that the PR (an area of expertise of yours I am led to believe) is amateurish to a degree that attracts derision and in fact brings the company owned by the shareholders into disrepute. There is more, but this post is already too long. A response to these points would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by brianss on Aug 7, 2014 14:07:00 GMT
Dear Oldie, thank you for your questions:
1. Yes I have signed the Companies House form, hence I am a full director of Brisol Rovers FC
2. I report as does Ken on a monthly basis as requested to the Executive Committee of the Supporters club and if for any reason I am un able to attend, which is not often, then I send a written report or Ken reports for me or visa versa
3. As you will appreciate because of signing the companies act, you will be fully aware that this prevents me from openly discussing all issues discussed at board level, as would be the case for Rod should he be elected. However, I would agree that with the very recent closure of the club forum, we now have to look at new ways (apart from the open forums) of communicating with supporters and reporting back as well as listening to thier issues and concerns which I do openly and honestly.
4. As regard to the lifelong ban, you again will be fully aware that I have answered this on numerous occassions. The Chairman gave a very consistant line on this and the matter is very much in Kevin's hands.
5. There's is a suggestion from you, that I am personally responsible for the disappointing results on and off the field in the past three years in which I have served on the board and everything else hat's happened? I agree in collective responsibility and that is why I apolgised to supporters at the Supporters Club AGM. I believe a thoughrough review of the club was needed. I sincerely hope the Chairman is able to provide his finding in the very near future. As to any failings I may personally be responsible for, then that is why there is a democratic vote and the members will draw their own conclusions!
6. Yes better communications.. twitter, open forums and certainly I shall contribute on here as and when I can.
best wishes
Brian
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Post by brianss on Aug 7, 2014 14:33:05 GMT
Hi Hugo
The club felt it could not provide the ongoing montioring support for the forum. The supporters club were asked if they could do this but there were cost and people implications and also again we felt we could monitor sufficiently.
As you wll appreciate, who ever hosts the website is legally responsisble for its content and the monitoring, which would have put enormous pressure on volunteers- something I think other forums forget. Therefore we could not guarentee 24 hour monitoring of content - particualrly at a time when so many posts were coming through. I hope as things improve this is something we may look at again, possibly through the Supporters Club.
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Post by bs10er on Aug 7, 2014 14:38:46 GMT
Good to see you back on a forum Brian,not everyone has twitter,so to be honest you have been "missing" out lately,especially with RC posting on both forums.
Glad to hear the boy who had the accident is now okay and will be given a treat by the club. Am I right in thinking you were the person who spoke to/and arranged this?
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Post by peterparker on Aug 7, 2014 14:47:45 GMT
I appreciate things have been busy and a lot going on and it is not the most important thing right now and I do not suggest it should take precedence over anything (although getting it sorted would be nice) but a s a full director I would have thought you would have been aware of the meeting Mr Spencer and Mr Higgs had to which the apparent outcome was Mr Higgs was going to get the apparent evidence for said ban.
This has apparently not been forthcoming. If the above is true, I would suggest the ball was in Mr Higgs and the boards ball court
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Post by bs10er on Aug 7, 2014 15:57:12 GMT
know nothing about this apart from things I've read and do not know KS,but it clearly is a big issue with some(& KS himself?)So I wish it could be sorted out.Not nice to see a fan banned for life,sounds too extreme for me without knowing the facts. Cannot see what harm there is in letting him into watch,surely that can be a token at least.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2014 16:03:45 GMT
know nothing about this apart from things I've read and do not know KS,but it clearly is a big issue with some(& KS himself?)So I wish it could be sorted out.Not nice to see a fan banned for life,sounds too extreme for me without knowing the facts. Cannot see what harm there is in letting him into watch,surely that can be a token at least. I quite agree. Regardless of anything else they created a martyr. I would think KS is more "dangerous" banned than he would be if he were allowed to attend again. He is hardly the criminal mastermind of the century is he. |
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Post by peterparker on Aug 7, 2014 16:21:13 GMT
know nothing about this apart from things I've read and do not know KS,but it clearly is a big issue with some(& KS himself?)So I wish it could be sorted out.Not nice to see a fan banned for life,sounds too extreme for me without knowing the facts. Cannot see what harm there is in letting him into watch,surely that can be a token at least. I quite agree. Regardless of anything else they created a martyr. I would think KS is more "dangerous" banned than he would be if he were allowed to attend again. He is hardly the criminal mastermind of the century is he. Thing is, depending on what evidence they might actually get round to producing, many of his criticisms appear to be justified with relegation and the club realising they need to change.
I didn't really want to drag the KS thing along on this thread, however (and only going by Kev's comments) I think it was worth correcting/updating Brian on the situation seeing as he says the ball is in Kev's court
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