The unofficial AFC Rushden & Diamonds messageboard

I guess this is the difference because what isn't certain is that, if we do respond, whether it will make any difference.

Best wishes and thanks to Gill -and Andy Shutlar - who have tried their best to help our club through these difficult times.And, indeed, since Keith Cousins left, the times have not been easy. Not for the club, the fans and even the new directors. Almost the first thing they had to deal with was the sad news about Dale. Then the bad weather. Several big home games like Cambridge and Luton, which would have brought in much needed revenue, falling victim to the snow and frost. Unlucky results caused by poor officials and poor performances on the field which did nothing to bring in new support. The departure of key backroom staff and volunteers. Reports of players threatening strike action over missed pay. Injuries to key players and the forced sale of others. And yet the fans have in the main stayed loyal. Grumbling at times, yes, but loyal. However if all the Beasants want to do is play at running a football club they should purchase a copy of Footnall Manager -still some copies in the club shop, I believe- and be content with that. If they are serious about running - and not ruining - our club they should do everything to keep the fans on board. Keep us informed with real information, not vague promises and comments,for instance, about ' some strong replacements' on the board. Who? Some people who genuinely want the club to survive and succeed and have the necessary resources or just more of the Essex gang who rarely have the club's interests at heart. We don't want to be back in the Gary/Colin Hill days.or to have to sell our facilities cheap to another local gambling man. Many of us on here have supported the club for years.Through thick and thin. We want the club to survive and prosper. We still believe in Max's dream. We value the effort Justin and the team have put in during difficult times We would be prepared to help and even renew our season tickets if we felt we were being included in the plans and not being fobbed off with vague, empty promises which rarely materialise. Come on ,Steve and Liam. We want the club to succeed and if you share that hope, include us in your plans. I'm afraid you will not do that just by telling us to cough up money early or by issuing misleading announcements.

Cotty wrote:Best wishes and thanks to Gill -and Andy Shutlar - who have tried their best to help our club through these difficult times.And, indeed, since Keith Cousins left, the times have not been easy. Not for the club, the fans and even the new directors. Almost the first thing they had to deal with was the sad news about Dale. Then the bad weather. Several big home games like Cambridge and Luton, which would have brought in much needed revenue, falling victim to the snow and frost. Unlucky results caused by poor officials and poor performances on the field which did nothing to bring in new support. The departure of key backroom staff and volunteers. Reports of players threatening strike action over missed pay. Injuries to key players and the forced sale of others. And yet the fans have in the main stayed loyal. Grumbling at times, yes, but loyal. However if all the Beasants want to do is play at running a football club they should purchase a copy of Footnall Manager -still some copies in the club shop, I believe- and be content with that. If they are serious about running - and not ruining - our club they should do everything to keep the fans on board. Keep us informed with real information, not vague promises and comments,for instance, about ' some strong replacements' on the board. Who? Some people who genuinely want the club to survive and succeed and have the necessary resources or just more of the Essex gang who rarely have the club's interests at heart. We don't want to be back in the Gary/Colin Hill days.or to have to sell our facilities cheap to another local gambling man. Many of us on here have supported the club for years.Through thick and thin. We want the club to survive and prosper. We still believe in Max's dream. We value the effort Justin and the team have put in during difficult times We would be prepared to help and even renew our season tickets if we felt we were being included in the plans and not being fobbed off with vague, empty promises which rarely materialise. Come on ,Steve and Liam. We want the club to succeed and if you share that hope, include us in your plans. I'm afraid you will not do that just by telling us to cough up money early or by issuing misleading announcements.

Top post.

Some thoughtful, sensible posts on the last couple of pages that sum up how I think a lot of fans are feeling right now. It's horrible to think that by not buying a season ticket the club might go under but equally no one wants to be taken for a mug. I hope that the new board members have some financial clout but I don't see a direct connection as to why GW & AS had to leave. Its not as if you're only allowed a certain number of directors. Obviously, as GW indicated, there's more to it than that, which is concerning.
I think there's a few local businessmen who have boxes in the south stand. I'd like to think they have got together to work on a plan "B" if needed. Here's hoping.

I'm sorry Cotty but I disagree to an extent. We cannot have all that information about new directors as it may contain information that may ultimately damage our club, some things take time and have to be handled with kid gloves. We are mere "watchers" and have no RIGHT to know everything. I do agree that information coming from the club must be truthful, well timed and speedy though.
I guess we all need the comfort of "knowing", but life's not like that is it? You could go out and spend £10k on a new car, as you drive it off the forecourt it loses £1k by depreciation and it might break down in a few weeks/months. The only thing you have to do then is to get it fixed, if the warranty has run out you have to do it yourself or you have no car. That's all we're trying to do is "fixing" the thing that brings us all together - the football club. There is no warranty, that ran out when Max left. So what if I throw a couple of hundred quid at it and I lose it, I can do that with a car ? But this is something I actually love to do, so I pay the price and don't count the cost. I wont smile if it goes pop and if I'd stood back and did nothing saving that cash, it'll still hurt like hell. So I hold on for dear life KNOWING there's no guarantees. I sincerely hope you do the same.

I think there's a few local businessmen who have boxes in the south stand. I'd like to think they have got together to work on a plan "B" if needed. Here's hoping.

Well it was a well known fact that KC had the Club for sale and would listen to offers so where were these local business people then, i'm afraid you may be clutching at straws in the hope local business will come to the rescue.

Two of Diamonds – thank you for your posting, I will try to answer your questions as best as I can:
Why do you view what the owners have said as preparing to blame the fans?
- I looked at their latest statement and saw a comment suggesting that if the club fails to progress in the way they – the owners – planned, it would be because supporters had failed to support the club financially.
My view would be that if the club fails to survive, it will be because the owners lacked working capital and, on the basis of past performance, had also failed to devise a credible business plan.
Couldn't it be they're just telling the truth of how it really is?
I’m sure they are, but that doesn’t detract from the accuracy of the above observation regarding their business ability and forward planning.
Who would you bring in that's different?
I would prefer to see as owners someone with a proven business background and ideally, with a past connection to our club. I am sure that there are plenty of such people in the area and some, no doubt, with an interest in involvement with the club. However, based on our present owners apparent reputation and their performance so far, I would suggest that no sensible businessman would invest in a club at this time and whilst it remains under their ownership.
This club MUST stand on its own 2 feet in the long term, that means outside income streams - possibly something PBDevs will bring on its own for a start, but the site must be developed to bring additional ones.
Certainly true, but what is required in the short term is business acumen and working capital. So far we have seen no hint of the first and a proven lack of the second. On that basis, how would you hope to attract inward investment?
One final point for you to ponder – most football club owners are, whether they like it or not, local benefactors with a history of interest and involvement with football and, oftentimes, involvement with their club.
The Beasants are not in that category and therefore if they were to be successful in developing the club, who would you expect them to want to see gain the financial benefit of that success in the form of a saleable asset?
And, once you’ve answered that question, in any other enterprise would you think it right that you should be repeatedly asked to bankroll what would be, in those circumstances, their own future commercial gain?

Then the club dies. It is as simple as that. A lot of the arguments and assumptions I've read in this topic are the same old excuses and naiveties that have been peddled out time and time again going back years.

That's a bit harsh. Very little that I've read sounds like naivety or excuses. I would say it is a group of pretty experienced people facing a horrible dilemma. I value many of the opinions on here, regardless of whether I support them or not.

Thanks you for your replies Chammie, they are reasonable and well constructed. The question you must ask yourself is do you want football at Nene Park to continue at this point ? Like me ( a long time supporter ),I suspect you'd like it to be so but we have what we have NOW, and neither you nor I can change it unless we invest heavily to the place. The football club part is separate to the land, so has very few saleable assets (other than the players) at this time. I suspect that the Beasants have taken on the football club with the hope of making a profit from the site in the long term (they have a 3 year option to buy they said), I see nothing wrong in that - in fact I'd actively encourage it so long as the football club benefits from it. If they were to make a success of it, then why should they consider closing the football club? They could have done that the day they walked through the door, and they'd likely kill the goose that lays the golden egg. We had a huge money man in Max and it dried up, so the club must have the income from various sources and not one.
The small amount of support we currently have will not be enough to bankroll their business plans I'm sure, that's why they're asking us to help the club at this point (until theirs is self funding). My point is, if we fail to do so we have lost it and after 40 years I'll be very sad. As Mad Dog intimates we must stop looking for reasons NOT to do something.