|
Post by madgas on Jul 27, 2021 15:10:36 GMT
How come? "unreservedly apologize" What else could be said? I'm not saying that it is world beating but what more could be said?
|
|
|
Post by Rod1883 on Jul 27, 2021 15:10:48 GMT
Hmmm - good of him to come out with a letter, but it doesn't go far enough in saying that the content of the statement has been misinterpreted rather than a mistake. There are clearly good things going on in the club, but all that is being overshadowed by the dark clouds that hang over Barton and the club's poor statement wording that appears to ignore the groundswell of opinion. Wael needs to sack Barton now before it's too late.....
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2021 15:11:59 GMT
That new statement headline may as well read "Club President Wael Al Qadi reaping what he sowed"
|
|
|
Post by Jomo on Jul 27, 2021 15:12:22 GMT
Club President Wael Al Qadi has today penned an open letter to supporters...
Dear Gasheads,
I have been here with you now for nearly five and a half years. I hope that through that time you have seen and felt my passion for this club, my openness with supporters and my understanding of the emotions that you feel on a day-to-day basis.
We have a diverse fanbase, as was celebrated in our recent kit launch campaign and all supporters are welcome at The Mem to enjoy watching our club together.
However, the past four days have been tough for us all and I have seen first-hand that there is division within the fanbase which is not what we want heading into a new season.
Firstly, I think it is really important to confirm that as a club we stand firmly against any form of violence. Any individual that is found guilty of any such offences will be dismissed immediately. I understand the concerns expressed by a number of you. However, in line with the basic principles of British law, it is my view that you are innocent until proven guilty.
I have seen and understand the response to the statement that was released last night. Given that this is a legal matter, what we can and can’t say as a club is heavily restricted. That said, I think it is important that some context is given to the comment regarding victimless crimes as I know that has caused some distress. The phrase is a legal term referring to cases in which the victim is either unknown or has not made a complaint/engaged with the police enquiries. We in no way meant to belittle charges of domestic abuse.
I know that this may have been misinterpreted in the statement last night and I wholeheartedly apologise to anyone that was offended.
As has been well publicised we are partners with the team at HerGameToo and continue to play an active role in supporting that initiative. Furthermore, before we were aware of this issue we agreed last week to support a Domestic Violence campaign which we will continue to do heading into the new season. In addition, in 2018 we partnered with the Southmead Project who provide free counselling and support for survivors of abuse and addiction across Bristol and surrounding areas. All of these causes are at the heart of our football club and we will continue to do all we can to support those in need.
This period will have undoubtedly strained relationships, however, I hope that we can retain your trust and confidence as we look to continue to build the club and support our wider community.
I hope that you can all join me in getting behind the team this season, we need your support now more than ever.
UTG
Wael
Club President
Bristol Rovers Football Club
What other managers out there would bring this sort of circus and division to the club?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2021 15:17:07 GMT
Even if the board had little warning about the story going public, this open letter fails to acknowledge that yesterday’s statement should never had been issued in the form it was. He should have apologised to the fans, announced that the statement is retracted, and also announced that Barton is suspended until both court cases are concluded, with Clint Hill in interim charge. That would have started to draw a line underneath this sorry state of affairs.
|
|
|
Post by mariobalotelli on Jul 27, 2021 15:17:54 GMT
How come? "unreservedly apologize" What else could be said? I'm not saying that it is world beating but what more could be said? Just seems to be talking about all the good work the CT does, and the partnerships with HerGameToo and working with domestic abuse charities etc. I understand he’s basically said if found guilty then he’s gone and respect that but he should be coming out and saying until a verdict is reached then Joey Barton has been suspended. “ it is really important to confirm that as a club we stand firmly against any form of violence” but then we go ahead and hire a guy with a horrible track record of violence and a pending court case.
|
|
|
Post by legas on Jul 27, 2021 15:17:59 GMT
The thing I took from this is that the club was apparently unaware of the charge until the weekend. That’s what caught my attention too. If so, they can’t be happy with JB, especially continuing to let him recruit and spend money. I don’t know employment law but surely JB’s on shaky ground for not telling the club?
|
|
|
Post by TugPhase on Jul 27, 2021 15:19:12 GMT
What other managers out there would bring this sort of circus and division to the club? Yeah. Pressure is on to do some pretty remarkable things on the pitch and, even then, is it worth it?!
|
|
|
Post by glengas on Jul 27, 2021 15:22:50 GMT
I feel we have got ourselves into a hole with a poorly worded statement and we are now trying Io dig ourselves out. Unfortunately it appears the damage is already done. As I said last night, I really hope Joey steps aside and we can move on from this.
|
|
|
Post by Gas-Ed on Jul 27, 2021 15:25:55 GMT
How come? "unreservedly apologize" What else could be said? I'm not saying that it is world beating but what more could be said? Just seems to be talking about all the good work the CT does, and the partnerships with HerGameToo and working with domestic abuse charities etc. I understand he’s basically said if found guilty then he’s gone and respect that but he should be coming out and saying until a verdict is reached then Joey Barton has been suspended. “ it is really important to confirm that as a club we stand firmly against any form of violence” but then we go ahead and hire a guy with a horrible track record of violence and a pending court case. I actually laughed when I read that bit. You can’t come out and say you are totally against violence of all forms after hiring a man with convictions for violence and a pending court case for a violent offence.
|
|
|
Post by surreygas4 on Jul 27, 2021 15:29:00 GMT
Disappointing that he is apologising if what was said was misinterpreted, rather than apologising for actually including that statement within the press release. Really poor imo. Also, even though there are many who think Barton should be given another chance (what are we on now, chance 15??), absolutely ridiculous that the fourth paragraph states 'firstly, I think it's really important to confirm that as a club we stand firmly against any form of violence' - but he hired a man with a history of numerous violent offences to lead the club. A man who was awaiting trial for a violent offence when he was interviewed.A man who clearly didn't feel the need to tell him this incident had occurred until the news broke in the media and he went to court. Embarrassing.
|
|
|
Post by gasmania on Jul 27, 2021 15:29:53 GMT
Apologies if this has already been covered.
But is anyone able to explain why Barton has seemingly been allowed to now return home despite the charge against him? Would this not be considered a risk?
|
|
|
Post by cj on Jul 27, 2021 15:33:17 GMT
The thing I took from this is that the club was apparently unaware of the charge until the weekend. If this is true, then how did Barton expect to keep this hidden from the club? I personally think that keeping this from the club should be enough reason for the club to suspend him. However, I don't actually believe the club only just found out at the weekend but instead trying to do some damage limitation work.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2021 15:35:23 GMT
Apologies if this has already been covered. But is anyone able to explain why Barton has seemingly been allowed to now return home despite the charge against him? Would this not be considered a risk? Presumably because the authorities do not consider him to be a risk to the family.
|
|
|
Post by p4perlant3rn on Jul 27, 2021 15:38:17 GMT
From experience, it is unlikely contractually he would have needed to advise he had been arrested (although not good at all from a trust perspective), but would obviously need to if actually charged. I suspect they knew nothing until the weekend, and the evidence from the poor comms to date suggests they have been on the back foot from the start. If they knew the full details in advance, the club would (should) have been more proactive in their messaging.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2021 15:52:21 GMT
So Wael is saying they were not aware of this until a few days ago? Or am I misreading that? The stand out comment of the letter.
|
|
|
Post by 68 on Jul 27, 2021 15:54:42 GMT
How come? "unreservedly apologize" What else could be said? I'm not saying that it is world beating but what more could be said? Just seems to be talking about all the good work the CT does, and the partnerships with HerGameToo and working with domestic abuse charities etc. I understand he’s basically said if found guilty then he’s gone and respect that but he should be coming out and saying until a verdict is reached then Joey Barton has been suspended. “ it is really important to confirm that as a club we stand firmly against any form of violence” but then we go ahead and hire a guy with a horrible track record of violence and a pending court case. Agree with all of that. I'd also go slightly further and say that if, by not telling the Club of the impending issue (which appears to be the case according to the satement), he has breached his contract with the Club they should be able to push him out the door. His not advising them is nothing to do with the incident or the case itself?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2021 16:22:56 GMT
Gasheads Against Domestic Violence
I've set up a fundraiser for Refuge here, this isn't siding with any side but is a solidarity campaign to show Gasheads are against domestic violence. Every pound helps.
UTG recognise you now you loud sarcastic legend lol
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2021 16:34:35 GMT
Sod the reasoning, I just dont like the arrogant nasty little lady garden. f**k off and go bore some other fans with your big mouth. And as for Barton... 😜
|
|
|
Post by cj on Jul 27, 2021 16:47:57 GMT
To be honest, I think a lot of Wael's statement is a P?!stake. I am a big supporter of his and I have a lot of time and respect for him so I am very disappointed with him here. From hiring JB and then last nights awful statement where it certainly looked like they were trying to mislead everyone and now this statement today.
I am pretty angry to be honest, especially with sentences such as...
"I have seen first-hand that there is division within the fanbase which is not what we want heading into a new season."
"I think it is really important to confirm that as a club we stand firmly against any form of violence." "Before we were aware of this issue we agreed last week to support a Domestic Violence campaign"
We didn't want division heading into a relegation battle either yet hiring JB was always going to create division. Wael hired JB knowing it would cause division.
If he stands against violence then why hire a guy who has a long history of violence and seems to never learn a lesson from it. It was always going to be a matter of time before something happened because it is JB. Did anyone really believe that JB would stay squeaky clean? Be honest.
Seems like Wael only found out within the last week. So why is this the case? It cannot be right for an employee to be arrested and the employer only find out 6/7 weeks later.
|
|