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steve.bees89
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hobbsy
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stedders
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A surprisingly good turn out – given the weather etc.
I thought that everyone gave a good account of themselves.
The only slight awkwardness (that I detected) was in respect to rumours doing the rounds that Simon Moore was having a medical at Cardiff. Uwe batted that one away fairly comfortably, but it did reappear on a couple of occasions.
The one stand out point to me was how much Uwe seems to be taking an active interest in things that I wouldn't have thought he would be interested in.
For instance he gave a good defence of why the pre-season friendly against Glasgow Celtic was a good thing. Not just for the Club's profile but also for the team's preparation against stronger opposition. He was very keen to increase the standard of opposition for pre-season friendlies. It certainly appears that the days of games away at Hampton & Richmond will become just a fond memory.
Uwe also gave a strong defence for the switch to Adidas kit (and not just because he is German!)
He thinks we might be signing a central defender, which he conceded was the one area where the team does not have sufficient cover.
Jonathan Douglas is likely to be out until October, maybe slightly sooner, following his op in the Summer.
Genuine optimism for everyone for the season ahead.
Uwe conceded (probably the obvious) that with Wolves' financial muscle they would have to be doing something very wrong not to win the title at a canter (my words not his!)
I thought that everyone gave a good account of themselves.
The only slight awkwardness (that I detected) was in respect to rumours doing the rounds that Simon Moore was having a medical at Cardiff. Uwe batted that one away fairly comfortably, but it did reappear on a couple of occasions.
The one stand out point to me was how much Uwe seems to be taking an active interest in things that I wouldn't have thought he would be interested in.
For instance he gave a good defence of why the pre-season friendly against Glasgow Celtic was a good thing. Not just for the Club's profile but also for the team's preparation against stronger opposition. He was very keen to increase the standard of opposition for pre-season friendlies. It certainly appears that the days of games away at Hampton & Richmond will become just a fond memory.
Uwe also gave a strong defence for the switch to Adidas kit (and not just because he is German!)
He thinks we might be signing a central defender, which he conceded was the one area where the team does not have sufficient cover.
Jonathan Douglas is likely to be out until October, maybe slightly sooner, following his op in the Summer.
Genuine optimism for everyone for the season ahead.
Uwe conceded (probably the obvious) that with Wolves' financial muscle they would have to be doing something very wrong not to win the title at a canter (my words not his!)
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absenteebee
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Cheers. Still fancy us for the title but could Uwe be saying that as he allegedly didnt get the gig there?
stedders
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other bits and pieces:
new membership scheme to be launched next week;
genuine frustration about the kit situation (next year's kit will definitely have stripes on the back)
Uwe spoke at some length about Conor McAleny – not a tall player, but has low sense of gravity, will score goals and doesn't need many chances; the Club had hoped to sign him earlier last season, but he got injured at the wrong time and so we signed signed Trotta on loan (insert own comments here).
Peter G. gave an impassioned speech about how all supporters could act as advocates for the Club to drive up attendances.
Brian Burgess spoke impressively, as he always does, about Lionel Road and the important role supporters have to play (genuine appreciation for all in the room for the work and Chris Gammon have put in on this).
new membership scheme to be launched next week;
genuine frustration about the kit situation (next year's kit will definitely have stripes on the back)
Uwe spoke at some length about Conor McAleny – not a tall player, but has low sense of gravity, will score goals and doesn't need many chances; the Club had hoped to sign him earlier last season, but he got injured at the wrong time and so we signed signed Trotta on loan (insert own comments here).
Peter G. gave an impassioned speech about how all supporters could act as advocates for the Club to drive up attendances.
Brian Burgess spoke impressively, as he always does, about Lionel Road and the important role supporters have to play (genuine appreciation for all in the room for the work and Chris Gammon have put in on this).
absenteebee
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hobbsy
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First lot of notes - may be paraphrased in places
BFC Fans forum 25/07/13
Mark Devlin, Cliff Crown, Peter G, Uwe Rosler, Brian Burgess
Q: Why was the club shop closed whilst queuing for Chelsea tickets, could've sold us hats and scarves etc ..
A: MD - Could not provide a clear answer, probably staffing reasons but can't quite confirm.
Q: Can you tell me about Conor McAleny
A: UR - We have been after him for a year, tried to sign him before we signed Trotta. Seen him several times, natural goalscorer, doesn't need many chances, not the tallest but good change of pace and good finisher. Can play in the hole or wider, a very good signing for us, young hungry and wants to make it happen. Same mould as the other Everton players.
Q: Are we going to persist with the one up front at home
A: UR - We have the best the home record, 80% played with two strikers, away from home we played with one striker. 4-3-2-1, was a bit lop sided last year with Forrester. Would like to play most of our home matches with two strikers and hoping for the same home record again.
Q: Why is our defending of corners so poor?
A: UR - We have been the best team in the league throughout the whole season. Not conceded once in the first phase (first ball from a corner) in any league game, we conceeded one in the Play-off semi and one at Wembley. We mark zonally and will continue to do so, because we didn't have Jonathan Douglas we missed a player who can take the big players out, so it ended with Adam Forwshaw blocking the largest players and he didn't block the centre half, just followed him.
Q: Away form, we had some good solid performances but didn't get the points we deserved.
A: UR – Our away record not as good as our home, away from home teams try to bully us. We didn't create enough chances, we dominated a lot of games but did not put the chances away. We conceded too many needles goals and need to be more clinical and convert more chances into goals. We have to be more dictating away from home and that is the next step in our development.
Update from BB regarding Lionel Road:
10 years ago we unveiled the first plan. 1 year ago MB bought the land and we own the freehold of both grounds. A lot of work over the last year, planning application went in at the end of May and Hounslow Council are working through it. TFL and other organisations are asking technical questions which the club are answering, however the public consultation is the most important part. It is very important that we get as many supporters as possible writing into the council. The club is a valuable asset to the community and that is the essence of what the BFCCST does. It does make us more financially viable,but also gives BFCCST a proper home with new facilities, eg climbing wall. Chiswick residents are slightly concerned, GP residents are happy with us as neighbours. Need to get more positives than negatives.
Will be a wonderful asset for the Football Club, hoping that it will go to a planning committee meeting by October. Hounslow residents are most important but every response will count.
Q: How will the low count effect the application.
A: BB, quality does matter. We want people to really think about they write in, over time we do want to ramp up the numbers. E-mails will be going out to people on the ticketing database which include a personal e-mail from Matthew Benham.
Q: What are the clubs plans if LR gets rejected.
A: BB - we are putting all our efforts into to getting this to work, if it fails we will have to look outside the borough. The council want us to stay in the borough, this the only site that works. Better public transport than GP, brownfield site. This is the site we are focussing on there is no plan B.
Q: Was playing Celtic a wise decision?
A: BB - We got through Millwall without any issues.
UR - Didn't know there was any issues with Lionel Road regarding playing Celtic, this was the best pre season match program the club has had ever. With all respect to our local clubs we prefer to play Cardiff, Celtic and Millwall not Hampton. We have to get used to playing with 6,000 Celtic fans. That made the team better at coping with bigger games this season and next. UR takes total responsibility for it, UR would do it again tomorrow if asked.
Cliff Crown gave an introduction to himself as Chairman
CC: Been at the club for the last two years, attending board meetings in an advisory capacity. invited onto the board when MB took over. Hard to act to follow Greg Dyke, but. these are exciting times there are a lot of good things happening. Need to make sure we are continued to be run in proper business like fashion, which are currently and will continue to be under his chairmanship.
Pays tributes to BB and Chris Gammon, he was heavily involved in the acquisition of LR and is chair of Lionel Road Developments Ltd but none of this would be possible without Brian and Chris.
Q: A question was asked from someone who lives near Copthall, Hendon. Saracens stadium appears to be very successful, with a synthetic pitch. There were lots of objections leading up to it, it is sad that people are negative. But now it is there people are positive.
A: BB - that is a valid point, community stuff outweighs the temporary disruption on a matchday. BB used to compete at the stadium so knows it well. Synthetic pitch is interesting, Maidstone have one so will be interesting to see if it is adopted in 5-10 years time, ie like Russia.
Q: Can you talk about the Membership scheme
A: Leaflets came in today, will be launched on Monday. Trying to create a scheme where loyalty points are also available on kiosks and catering purchases as well. Cabling has been completed to link tills up, but it will be a few weeks before people receive their membership cards – they can start accruing membership points once they receive number. Discussions had to take place with BIAS first which was one of the reasons for the delay.
Q: We have a fantastic squad, do you have an idea of your first team or will there be experimentation?
A: UR - No room for experimentation this year, budget has been improved. MB came into the dressing room after Wembley and said next season we would make it happen. It is very important for the club to keep it's young players on long contracts. Eg Harlee Dean, Jake Bidwell, Simon Moore, Adam Forshaw etc… we got very good value for money, we are not overpaying our young players and we have been able to strengthen our sqaud, the last two years we were thin in some areas. This year we have every position doubled up, except centre half. We have to show we can the keep the same spirit this year, even though some people will play less games. The training is very high quality and nobody is guaranteed place, over time the extra training will go in our favour. I know the team for Port Vale, 10/11 known and it won't be the same team for the D&R game and may different again for Sheff Utd. We have ambitions to be in the Championship as do our players.
Q: A rumour had got out that Simon Moore is having a medical at Cardiff City
A: UR - not that UR knows, he had the day off today and was going to the beach.
BFC Fans forum 25/07/13
Mark Devlin, Cliff Crown, Peter G, Uwe Rosler, Brian Burgess
Q: Why was the club shop closed whilst queuing for Chelsea tickets, could've sold us hats and scarves etc ..
A: MD - Could not provide a clear answer, probably staffing reasons but can't quite confirm.
Q: Can you tell me about Conor McAleny
A: UR - We have been after him for a year, tried to sign him before we signed Trotta. Seen him several times, natural goalscorer, doesn't need many chances, not the tallest but good change of pace and good finisher. Can play in the hole or wider, a very good signing for us, young hungry and wants to make it happen. Same mould as the other Everton players.
Q: Are we going to persist with the one up front at home
A: UR - We have the best the home record, 80% played with two strikers, away from home we played with one striker. 4-3-2-1, was a bit lop sided last year with Forrester. Would like to play most of our home matches with two strikers and hoping for the same home record again.
Q: Why is our defending of corners so poor?
A: UR - We have been the best team in the league throughout the whole season. Not conceded once in the first phase (first ball from a corner) in any league game, we conceeded one in the Play-off semi and one at Wembley. We mark zonally and will continue to do so, because we didn't have Jonathan Douglas we missed a player who can take the big players out, so it ended with Adam Forwshaw blocking the largest players and he didn't block the centre half, just followed him.
Q: Away form, we had some good solid performances but didn't get the points we deserved.
A: UR – Our away record not as good as our home, away from home teams try to bully us. We didn't create enough chances, we dominated a lot of games but did not put the chances away. We conceded too many needles goals and need to be more clinical and convert more chances into goals. We have to be more dictating away from home and that is the next step in our development.
Update from BB regarding Lionel Road:
10 years ago we unveiled the first plan. 1 year ago MB bought the land and we own the freehold of both grounds. A lot of work over the last year, planning application went in at the end of May and Hounslow Council are working through it. TFL and other organisations are asking technical questions which the club are answering, however the public consultation is the most important part. It is very important that we get as many supporters as possible writing into the council. The club is a valuable asset to the community and that is the essence of what the BFCCST does. It does make us more financially viable,but also gives BFCCST a proper home with new facilities, eg climbing wall. Chiswick residents are slightly concerned, GP residents are happy with us as neighbours. Need to get more positives than negatives.
Will be a wonderful asset for the Football Club, hoping that it will go to a planning committee meeting by October. Hounslow residents are most important but every response will count.
Q: How will the low count effect the application.
A: BB, quality does matter. We want people to really think about they write in, over time we do want to ramp up the numbers. E-mails will be going out to people on the ticketing database which include a personal e-mail from Matthew Benham.
Q: What are the clubs plans if LR gets rejected.
A: BB - we are putting all our efforts into to getting this to work, if it fails we will have to look outside the borough. The council want us to stay in the borough, this the only site that works. Better public transport than GP, brownfield site. This is the site we are focussing on there is no plan B.
Q: Was playing Celtic a wise decision?
A: BB - We got through Millwall without any issues.
UR - Didn't know there was any issues with Lionel Road regarding playing Celtic, this was the best pre season match program the club has had ever. With all respect to our local clubs we prefer to play Cardiff, Celtic and Millwall not Hampton. We have to get used to playing with 6,000 Celtic fans. That made the team better at coping with bigger games this season and next. UR takes total responsibility for it, UR would do it again tomorrow if asked.
Cliff Crown gave an introduction to himself as Chairman
CC: Been at the club for the last two years, attending board meetings in an advisory capacity. invited onto the board when MB took over. Hard to act to follow Greg Dyke, but. these are exciting times there are a lot of good things happening. Need to make sure we are continued to be run in proper business like fashion, which are currently and will continue to be under his chairmanship.
Pays tributes to BB and Chris Gammon, he was heavily involved in the acquisition of LR and is chair of Lionel Road Developments Ltd but none of this would be possible without Brian and Chris.
Q: A question was asked from someone who lives near Copthall, Hendon. Saracens stadium appears to be very successful, with a synthetic pitch. There were lots of objections leading up to it, it is sad that people are negative. But now it is there people are positive.
A: BB - that is a valid point, community stuff outweighs the temporary disruption on a matchday. BB used to compete at the stadium so knows it well. Synthetic pitch is interesting, Maidstone have one so will be interesting to see if it is adopted in 5-10 years time, ie like Russia.
Q: Can you talk about the Membership scheme
A: Leaflets came in today, will be launched on Monday. Trying to create a scheme where loyalty points are also available on kiosks and catering purchases as well. Cabling has been completed to link tills up, but it will be a few weeks before people receive their membership cards – they can start accruing membership points once they receive number. Discussions had to take place with BIAS first which was one of the reasons for the delay.
Q: We have a fantastic squad, do you have an idea of your first team or will there be experimentation?
A: UR - No room for experimentation this year, budget has been improved. MB came into the dressing room after Wembley and said next season we would make it happen. It is very important for the club to keep it's young players on long contracts. Eg Harlee Dean, Jake Bidwell, Simon Moore, Adam Forshaw etc… we got very good value for money, we are not overpaying our young players and we have been able to strengthen our sqaud, the last two years we were thin in some areas. This year we have every position doubled up, except centre half. We have to show we can the keep the same spirit this year, even though some people will play less games. The training is very high quality and nobody is guaranteed place, over time the extra training will go in our favour. I know the team for Port Vale, 10/11 known and it won't be the same team for the D&R game and may different again for Sheff Utd. We have ambitions to be in the Championship as do our players.
Q: A rumour had got out that Simon Moore is having a medical at Cardiff City
A: UR - not that UR knows, he had the day off today and was going to the beach.
Brickie Chap
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Thanks to all who reported back. The Beesotted chaps as ever doing a sterling job. Cheers.
absenteebee
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Great write up. Cheers Billy.
Sorry but the 'stripes on the back next season because they ****ed up this season' smells a bit fishy. I am thinking that their general catalogue for next season probably includes a stripey backed template. Oh, and the league must have dropped that regulation and Specsavers have signed a deal with the press pack.
Overall though far too many positives to give a real sh*t about a few hazy details coming from within.
aawharris
Doesn't do well with idiots.
hobbsy
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Apparently their catalogue with the all stripe option has a minimum order of 20,000, so yes they always had it, but no it wasn't available to us.
absenteebee
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absenteebee
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ok. How ridiculous. Makes the story add up though so sorry to cast doubt.
hobbsy
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Fans' Forum Notes
Part 2
Q: How much do we know about Port Vale
A: UR – Alan Kernagan watched on them on Tuesday and the chief scout has watched them twice and will watch them again on Saturday, so we will have seen them four times.
Q: Update on the injury situation
A: UR – Last season we had the 2nd fittest team in the league, Swindon were slightly better than us. We increased the volume of training, went to Germany and worked hard so there is the risk of losing one or two players. Harlee Dean had a dead leg and will play on Tuesday. Simon Moore twisted ankle, already back in training and had the day off on the beach. Clayton Donalddon and Will Grigg had small muscle issues, they will be back on Tuesday again. Farid twisted his ankle in a training session and got a sprain, he didn't feel confident playing against Boreham Wood but will be available on Tuesday. Jonathan Douglas won't be available until October, he was not capable of training towards the end of last season just did bike training, sees no reason why he won't be back in October or maybe before.
Q: Will McCormack take Douglas' place?
A: UR - ask Dougie that question and he will say no, McCormack likes to communicate on the pitch, we have a player on the field who can give information and help the young players. He will be a very good player, he can play with or instead of Dougie. Or Dougie could play instead of him.
Q: Terraces or all-seater at LR?
A: BB – is going over to Borussia Dortmund to stand on a terrace. Went there before and there 24,000 were behind the goal all drinking beer. You can stand safely, regulations would need to be changed. Opinion is beginning to turn, but after three seasons in the championship we would have to seat the stadium. The stadium is designed to be all seater, but the lower tier could be used for rail seats. In Germany they standat league games and sit at Champions League. It becomes difficult if you need to increase the capacity, which we can't do at LR, this a discussion with the licencing authorities.
Q: How much do we know about Port Vale
A: UR – Alan Kernagan watched on them on Tuesday and the chief scout has watched them twice and will watch them again on Saturday, so we will have seen them four times.
Q: Update on the injury situation
A: UR – Last season we had the 2nd fittest team in the league, Swindon were slightly better than us. We increased the volume of training, went to Germany and worked hard so there is the risk of losing one or two players. Harlee Dean had a dead leg and will play on Tuesday. Simon Moore twisted ankle, already back in training and had the day off on the beach. Clayton Donalddon and Will Grigg had small muscle issues, they will be back on Tuesday again. Farid twisted his ankle in a training session and got a sprain, he didn't feel confident playing against Boreham Wood but will be available on Tuesday. Jonathan Douglas won't be available until October, he was not capable of training towards the end of last season just did bike training, sees no reason why he won't be back in October or maybe before.
Q: Will McCormack take Douglas' place?
A: UR - ask Dougie that question and he will say no, McCormack likes to communicate on the pitch, we have a player on the field who can give information and help the young players. He will be a very good player, he can play with or instead of Dougie. Or Dougie could play instead of him.
Q: Terraces or all-seater at LR?
A: BB – is going over to Borussia Dortmund to stand on a terrace. Went there before and there 24,000 were behind the goal all drinking beer. You can stand safely, regulations would need to be changed. Opinion is beginning to turn, but after three seasons in the championship we would have to seat the stadium. The stadium is designed to be all seater, but the lower tier could be used for rail seats. In Germany they standat league games and sit at Champions League. It becomes difficult if you need to increase the capacity, which we can't do at LR, this a discussion with the licencing authorities.
wanderer paul
https://brentfordfcmemorabilia.wordpress.com/
jlove
Well-known member
Fans' Forum Notes
I'm rather pleased that there is so much positive that that stripes on the back of the shirt is the only thing to have a moan about with conspiracy theories!
To Bee Someone
Well-known member
Hamburger Hill
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Anything mentioned re TicketZone chaps? Thanks for the updates on everything else also - it sounds very positive both on and off the field!
larrysigny
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So after all the furore, nobody asked about Celtics first team
I did - in writing - but haven't had an answer so far.
hobbsy
Optimist
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Uwe was happy with the team and it was competitive enough to give them a good challenge. Uwe wanted to answer all questions relating to the Celtic game.
hobbsy
Optimist
Owlsmoor_Bee
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Did anyone else feel the hairs on the back of their neck stand up reading that ? The determination to move the club onto the next level is phenomenal.
Brook Court Bee
Member
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Chatting with Devlin afterwards he said Celtic played 2 of their 3 new signings and the team on the day had 110 first team Celtic appearances between them and so we can't haggle over the fee based on a claim they didn't play their first team. He did say however that they would look to claw back any damages from the fee as a result of clean up costs and pitch invasion etc.
Rosler in the forum pointed out that - as a team that plays in the Champions League - Celtic operate a truly squad system and they played first team squad players. He also pointed out that they won so they were clearly a good team and a worthy challenge for the players - which is a pretty obvious point that somehow most people have missed.
People really need to get over the Celtic game - time to put some of that energy into helping the Club secure the planning permission for a new stadium that will secure the future of the club for generations to come and will have the facilities to enable the club to progress to the next level on and off the pitch.
So many of the grumbles at last nights forum about queues, toilets, Celtic can be answered simply: Griffin Park is not fit for purpose, which is why getting a new stadium at Lionel Road is so important. We should all be focussing on this instead of minutiae.
Rosler in the forum pointed out that - as a team that plays in the Champions League - Celtic operate a truly squad system and they played first team squad players. He also pointed out that they won so they were clearly a good team and a worthy challenge for the players - which is a pretty obvious point that somehow most people have missed.
People really need to get over the Celtic game - time to put some of that energy into helping the Club secure the planning permission for a new stadium that will secure the future of the club for generations to come and will have the facilities to enable the club to progress to the next level on and off the pitch.
So many of the grumbles at last nights forum about queues, toilets, Celtic can be answered simply: Griffin Park is not fit for purpose, which is why getting a new stadium at Lionel Road is so important. We should all be focussing on this instead of minutiae.
Brook Court Bee
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Absolutely, the big picture from last night is this is a club with big ambitions and a management team with the determination and passion to see the project through. Very clear that a lot of this momentum comes from Benham at the top who has put his money where his mouth is - investing on and off the field. Never been a more positive time to be a Brentford supporter.
TW3Bee
Can We Play You Every Week
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I like to look at it that our team played at a high tempo against Celtic, only a couple of days after playing Millwall, also at a high tempo. Most of the Celtic players didn't play in the week, so we only lost 'cos we tired towards the end, while Celtic were more fresh. Let's call it a 'technical draw'
Everyone should get down for Tuesday's game against Cardiff as they will be impressed by our football.
Another thing is, Uwe want's the ground full from match 1, not the last games of the season. Thankfully we're playing Sheffield United, which should mean a big crowd.
hobbsy
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hobbsy
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stevil
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Kettering Bee
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hobbsy
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hobbsy
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maddogging
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wanderer paul
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Does it matter if he did or didn't? No deal is done until its signed.
Kettering Bee
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Yes, it matters. The whole point of the forum is honest responses. Without this, it serves no purpose. There are some things that are confidential and not up for discussion at a fans' forum. Where such issues are raised from the floor, a firm reminder that the issues are confidential should suffice.
Saying someone has gone to the beach is just silly, is it not?
BeeHomeSoon
Active member
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I think that comment about the beach was a spur of the moment excuse thus not expecting the question, hence how feeble it was.
I understand what you mean but look at it this way...
UR says at the.forum "yes Simon Moore is having a medical at Cardiff etc etc".
Then Simon fails the medical or the deal breaks down and he stays with us. Football fans are fickle, every little mistake Simon makes will be scrutinised by the fans.
Calls like his heart isn't in it or his heads been turned etc etc.
All Uwe is doing is protecting his players.
We all saw Andy Scott's man management expertise...
I am sure Uwe hated lying as much as we hated hearing it but unfortunately it was done for the right reasons IMO...
Kettering Bee
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I take your point, and it's a good one. However, I still believe that he should have taken the 'neither confirm nor deny' line. Denying it was plain daft.
Fans' Forum Notes
It wasn't his response to the Simon Moore question that got me, it was the one about players leaving when he said no one had made a bid for any players and I think he repeated that a couple of times. He could of easily said yes we have had a bid for 1 player and not been specific, or said that he expects one to go before September. Given that he got asked the question twice about Simon he must have knew it was all but a done deal.
I was going to ask him about his interview at Wolves but I'm glad I didn't!
Hullbee
Wash your hands you filthy animals
hobbsy
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Final part
Q: Can you provide some details regarding the Adidas contract?
A: MD - 2 year deal, new home and away kit each year. The designs this year were the only designs available. Orange was the original choice for the away kit as MB likes bright colours, but Adidas discontinued they Orange option. Clubs that can purchase more than 20,000 shirts have access to the full Adidas catalogue, hence we had to have the plain back. They have agreed to have stripes next year to compensate for the lateness of this years kit. We will have stripes on the back from 2014/15. Adidas' strategy changed this year from previously providing only to “A list” clubs to providing for all categories, they over committed and their supply chain could not cope.
The design for 2014/5 has already been signed off. The power of the Adidas brand is very successful and some lines have sold out already and is very good quality. When it does fall into place then supporters will be happy. From the football side UR was happy as long as MD could support it, eg in the Academy it is a very strong brand, a pair of Adidas shoes, track suit is more attactive to a kid than a lesser brand etc... There have been endless discussions with the academy and clothing. Adidas took too many teams on in the one year, that is why there are problems this year. UR still believes the deal is a good one for BFC, UR likes them and he's not saying that because he is German.
Q: The new programme looks good and also bees player but the web site is not that great
A: MD – The guys have made a couple of changes to programme, Bees Review is the name, no one in the room seem to mind. Mark Chapman spoke to supporters to see what they liked and didn't like. Programmes are a dying medium due to on-line content, so it is a challenge and wouldn't surprise if clubs start to give it away at the turnstiles within five years. The website is the best that we can do based on the contract with FLI, and we are signed up until 2018. The problems were down to the platform, no one likes the look of it. The upside is it that we generate £60 – 70k of revenue from it, the content is good, but none of us are happy with the look and feel.
Q: Beesotted further question about Simon Moore
A: SM is not having a medical at Cardiff, he's on the beach!
Q: Which teams do think are the biggest challenges?
A: UR - Wolves have £19m parachute, so they have to really mess up to not win the league, Bristol City, will be up there, Peterborough have a £6m budget. We can challenge for the 2nd place, we want to win promotion. We have a squad that is capable of it.
Q: Will the Nextgen come again to GP
A: CC - At the moment we are not sure where NextGen is going, we (I assume Cycad sportts) are in the process of trying formalise a sponsorship game, if it does continue then hopefully there will be an opportunity to play at GP again
Q: Were you disappointed not to have Celtic player their best team.
A: UR - Didn't know some of the players, Alan Kernaghan did, but we found out it was a good side. 24/25 top players in the team and they gave us a very good match,. That was more than good enough to give us a game.
Q: Are we expecting anyone to leave?
A: UR – I will be relaxed on the 31st August at midnight, a lot can happen when you have good players. No firm bids for our players, one or two players will probably be loaned out. Hopes nobody gets sold. Money will be reinvested straight away in the squad.
Q: Five strikers in the squad, which key relationships do you see as key
A: UR - I was a striker and I say you can never have enough strikers! One or two will find it hard, last year, but we had 68 games in 10 ½ months. We need to have a good squad, the main focus will be league but we want to win every game. Cup runs will keep all players happy.
Q: Will Dallas figure a bit more,
A: UR - He had played more than expected last year, he found it hard to get a regular place. He is a very grounded person. A very good professional and knows where he is in his career. Needs to get used to living away from home, and adapt to more than double the amount of training. He has now adapted and has a very good future. Has to compete against good players this year eg Filo.
Q: What sort of crowds would you like to see at GP?
A: CC - The more people that come in the bigger the revenue, the Chelsea game was a good indication, as was the attendances for Portsmouth and Doncaster. We need more people at the start of the season, not just towards the end. We will very hard to increase the attendance, would love to see 10k regularly coming to GP but that might be asking a lot, we can probably get to 8k+ regularly.
UR - Always looking to connect with the fans, as both a player and a manager. A very unique stadium and intimidating and we can make it harder for the opposition at GP. Attendance is improving year on year. We have make it affordable for kids and families and MD is keen on that. MD - The board have put a budget this year with a good marketing budget, we have some of the best footballing prices in London. Marketing campaign will be aimed at young families and young people in general
Q: Would the club do a similar pay what you can, or 2 for 1 etc.
A: MD - We will do a variety of offers throughout the year, obviously keeping in mind our season ticket holders – Shrewsbury targeted for pay what you can.
Q: Twice we had 12,000 and toilets have been a problem, is there anything we can do on a temporary basis.
A: Our facilities are poor, and that can be why some people don't come back. We are hamstrung by the stadium, have tried portaloos in new road but it's not that easy. Electronic tills are in all kiosks and that should help with the some of the queues.
Q: Can ST seats be exchanged for different seats at allocated seated matches?
A: MD - It will be much easier to change a seat next year either on-line or via the box office, box office staff numbers will be increased.
Q: Can we you talk about Javi Venta
A: UR - Spanish football been dominant for some time, however clubs are running out of money in Spain, through MB's network we are concentrating on the Spanish market to see what we can add. Venta is very highly regarded in Spain and he surprised Uwe after Tuesday and did very well. Javi can be the door to bring other players from Spain. When he first arrived he asked the analysts to show him all the goals we conceded last season, and then they next day asked to see all the goals we scored. He is not here for the money, he is here for the life experience and he is convinced he will be here for the next three years.
Q: Good to be going abroad for players?
A: UR – Yes but we need to keep a balance, the core of our team should be English as we are a English team, do not want to be like Arsenal.
Q: Why are senior tickets (80+?) £25 when they were free last year
A: MD - GD suggested that all people pay something, as a token to pay back MB.
Q: Academy, what is the impact of being category two and what about the milk cup defence
A: CC - MB has a great commitment to develop youth football. We are only club in League One to have category two status.
UR - Brentford will never buy themselves out of the league, we have a competitive budget but we have to produce our own players. We either bring players through the academy or we loan from championship, premiership and hope to sign them permanently.
Q: What was your greatest achievement as a player, what can you pass onto the current squad?
A: UR - Never been asked that before - representing his country and being in the Man City hall of fame. Always hard working and played at the highest level and wants to do that as a manager.
Q: Can you provide some details regarding the Adidas contract?
A: MD - 2 year deal, new home and away kit each year. The designs this year were the only designs available. Orange was the original choice for the away kit as MB likes bright colours, but Adidas discontinued they Orange option. Clubs that can purchase more than 20,000 shirts have access to the full Adidas catalogue, hence we had to have the plain back. They have agreed to have stripes next year to compensate for the lateness of this years kit. We will have stripes on the back from 2014/15. Adidas' strategy changed this year from previously providing only to “A list” clubs to providing for all categories, they over committed and their supply chain could not cope.
The design for 2014/5 has already been signed off. The power of the Adidas brand is very successful and some lines have sold out already and is very good quality. When it does fall into place then supporters will be happy. From the football side UR was happy as long as MD could support it, eg in the Academy it is a very strong brand, a pair of Adidas shoes, track suit is more attactive to a kid than a lesser brand etc... There have been endless discussions with the academy and clothing. Adidas took too many teams on in the one year, that is why there are problems this year. UR still believes the deal is a good one for BFC, UR likes them and he's not saying that because he is German.
Q: The new programme looks good and also bees player but the web site is not that great
A: MD – The guys have made a couple of changes to programme, Bees Review is the name, no one in the room seem to mind. Mark Chapman spoke to supporters to see what they liked and didn't like. Programmes are a dying medium due to on-line content, so it is a challenge and wouldn't surprise if clubs start to give it away at the turnstiles within five years. The website is the best that we can do based on the contract with FLI, and we are signed up until 2018. The problems were down to the platform, no one likes the look of it. The upside is it that we generate £60 – 70k of revenue from it, the content is good, but none of us are happy with the look and feel.
Q: Beesotted further question about Simon Moore
A: SM is not having a medical at Cardiff, he's on the beach!
Q: Which teams do think are the biggest challenges?
A: UR - Wolves have £19m parachute, so they have to really mess up to not win the league, Bristol City, will be up there, Peterborough have a £6m budget. We can challenge for the 2nd place, we want to win promotion. We have a squad that is capable of it.
Q: Will the Nextgen come again to GP
A: CC - At the moment we are not sure where NextGen is going, we (I assume Cycad sportts) are in the process of trying formalise a sponsorship game, if it does continue then hopefully there will be an opportunity to play at GP again
Q: Were you disappointed not to have Celtic player their best team.
A: UR - Didn't know some of the players, Alan Kernaghan did, but we found out it was a good side. 24/25 top players in the team and they gave us a very good match,. That was more than good enough to give us a game.
Q: Are we expecting anyone to leave?
A: UR – I will be relaxed on the 31st August at midnight, a lot can happen when you have good players. No firm bids for our players, one or two players will probably be loaned out. Hopes nobody gets sold. Money will be reinvested straight away in the squad.
Q: Five strikers in the squad, which key relationships do you see as key
A: UR - I was a striker and I say you can never have enough strikers! One or two will find it hard, last year, but we had 68 games in 10 ½ months. We need to have a good squad, the main focus will be league but we want to win every game. Cup runs will keep all players happy.
Q: Will Dallas figure a bit more,
A: UR - He had played more than expected last year, he found it hard to get a regular place. He is a very grounded person. A very good professional and knows where he is in his career. Needs to get used to living away from home, and adapt to more than double the amount of training. He has now adapted and has a very good future. Has to compete against good players this year eg Filo.
Q: What sort of crowds would you like to see at GP?
A: CC - The more people that come in the bigger the revenue, the Chelsea game was a good indication, as was the attendances for Portsmouth and Doncaster. We need more people at the start of the season, not just towards the end. We will very hard to increase the attendance, would love to see 10k regularly coming to GP but that might be asking a lot, we can probably get to 8k+ regularly.
UR - Always looking to connect with the fans, as both a player and a manager. A very unique stadium and intimidating and we can make it harder for the opposition at GP. Attendance is improving year on year. We have make it affordable for kids and families and MD is keen on that. MD - The board have put a budget this year with a good marketing budget, we have some of the best footballing prices in London. Marketing campaign will be aimed at young families and young people in general
Q: Would the club do a similar pay what you can, or 2 for 1 etc.
A: MD - We will do a variety of offers throughout the year, obviously keeping in mind our season ticket holders – Shrewsbury targeted for pay what you can.
Q: Twice we had 12,000 and toilets have been a problem, is there anything we can do on a temporary basis.
A: Our facilities are poor, and that can be why some people don't come back. We are hamstrung by the stadium, have tried portaloos in new road but it's not that easy. Electronic tills are in all kiosks and that should help with the some of the queues.
Q: Can ST seats be exchanged for different seats at allocated seated matches?
A: MD - It will be much easier to change a seat next year either on-line or via the box office, box office staff numbers will be increased.
Q: Can we you talk about Javi Venta
A: UR - Spanish football been dominant for some time, however clubs are running out of money in Spain, through MB's network we are concentrating on the Spanish market to see what we can add. Venta is very highly regarded in Spain and he surprised Uwe after Tuesday and did very well. Javi can be the door to bring other players from Spain. When he first arrived he asked the analysts to show him all the goals we conceded last season, and then they next day asked to see all the goals we scored. He is not here for the money, he is here for the life experience and he is convinced he will be here for the next three years.
Q: Good to be going abroad for players?
A: UR – Yes but we need to keep a balance, the core of our team should be English as we are a English team, do not want to be like Arsenal.
Q: Why are senior tickets (80+?) £25 when they were free last year
A: MD - GD suggested that all people pay something, as a token to pay back MB.
Q: Academy, what is the impact of being category two and what about the milk cup defence
A: CC - MB has a great commitment to develop youth football. We are only club in League One to have category two status.
UR - Brentford will never buy themselves out of the league, we have a competitive budget but we have to produce our own players. We either bring players through the academy or we loan from championship, premiership and hope to sign them permanently.
Q: What was your greatest achievement as a player, what can you pass onto the current squad?
A: UR - Never been asked that before - representing his country and being in the Man City hall of fame. Always hard working and played at the highest level and wants to do that as a manager.
- Status