Matthew Benham

[Les Beeavinu]

Please tell all sounds like a good yarn

No, it's not really.

The sshhh was so as not to mention Fighting Chance. Raised a lot of money. Scott Fitzgerald and Keith Dickens did not spend it in the best way they could have done.

The vote rig was when cleverer mods than me on here managed to automate it so that anyone logging on to a page on here fired off a vote to the Coca Cola Win a Player which remarkably resulted in us polling the most votes nationally, winning the competition and thus earning £50k for the club.

Yes folks, if it wasn't for (in part) the GPG and its kind members, we would not have got Neil Shipperley and Chris Moore.

Oh. :grey:

See, I said you shouldn't mention it.

 

[Banana]

Sssshhhhhhhh..........

I must say though as ingenious as it was, I still can't believe how we managed to rig a national competition and get £50k.

It was down to a genius administrator. Still got it too. :shrug:

 

[thenightfly]

abee et al

My recollection from the various conversations last January was that MB was indeed aware of the FFP issues that could have engulfed us if we had not achieved promotion. The view then was that, yes, we could have had a transfer embargo in the 2015/6 season. However we would have assembled a squad capable of promotion before that embargo would have taken affect (which would have been at the start of this transfer window). The view back in January 2015 was make hay when the sun is shining financially wise and i) get promoted or ii) miss out on promotion but have a highly-rated squad that had already gelled and settled etc that could make a promotion challenge this season.

How things have worked out justifies that the above strategy was worth pursuing IMHO. Instead we had a squad that was still being assembled well into the season, a error in a new head coach appointment, new DOFs etc.

That time is still the worst of times. We have to move on but the decision to think shorter-term & match-to-match rather than strategic, longer-term thinking has ballsed-up this season for sure.

One final point, I'm not sure if we knew at the time that the FFP rules were changing. I don't even know what they are anymore, but aren't they averaged over 3 seasons now too? Which would mean that they don't mean a lot until the third season by which time the world will have changed again.

When we do make the Prem and do a 'Leicester' in 2019, make sure you're interviewed; that's insightful reading.

 

[abee]

I simply cannot recognise the above as a summary of my post.

Apologies then........it was an attempt at a summary and it was NLB's lengthy post with his various points that got me kickstarted. I'll slink back into the obscurity I deserve.

When I was heavily involved in the numbers a couple of years ago it usually turned out that the BFC income covered all costs bar the playing budget and it was MB's annual cash injection that enabled the playing budget. In other words the declared loss was more or less the playing budget..........if we lost £5m it was because of a £5m playing budget......a £10m playing budget resulted in a £10m loss and so on. However there were no substantial sales back then and also it seems that the off field overhead has increased substantially so the 'rule' probably no longer applies.

I guess that we can all agree that to keep BFC in the Championship will cost MB around £10m - £15m annually so given RA statement (maybe six months ago) that we expect to be in the Premier in three years under the 'strategy/plan' (call it what you wish) then we have two more full seasons after this one in the Championship with MB having to dig deep and maybe pony up another £30m plus just to get through those seasons.

Given that the monies banked from recent player sales are to be utilised in summer 2016 purchases (PG) then the sales monies are effectively being churned and not utilised to relieve MB of some of the burden.

 

[Edmundo]

I really would take all statements about when we will be / hope to be in the Premier League with a huge pinch of salt. What is Ankerson supposed to say when asked this question, or asked how well we'll do this season compared to last? He's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't, surely? How would it have gone down if back in July/August he'd said that we were in for a season of rebuilding and consolidation and mid-table was probably the most likely outcome? There'd have been instant attacks from the Warbs' fanboys. I know you always like to skewer people on their past statements, abee, but I think you can do better than this, as you know as well as anyone how much spin comes out of football clubs. I think we actually support one of the more transparent and honest clubs, but that could change if a bit of latitude isn't offered to the likes of Phil and Rasmus.

 

[abee]

I really would take all statements about when we will be / hope to be in the Premier League with a huge pinch of salt. What is Ankerson supposed to say when asked this question, or asked how well we'll do this season compared to last? He's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't, surely? How would it have gone down if back in July/August he'd said that we were in for a season of rebuilding and consolidation and mid-table was probably the most likely outcome? There'd have been instant attacks from the Warbs' fanboys. I know you always like to skewer people on their past statements, abee, but I think you can do better than this, as you know as well as anyone how much spin comes out of football clubs. I think we actually support one of the more transparent and honest clubs, but that could change if a bit of latitude isn't offered to the likes of Phil and Rasmus.

Fair enough if that's how you see it. We've been told on here by supporters close to the action that we are in a period of 'transition'....and then when I refer to the what appears to be a toning down of aspirations nobody likes it.

North London Bee (a Bees United board member) actually posted this:

'Yes there were some daft ill thought comments from people high up at the club which should not have been made which are now coming back to haunt them - and rightly so'

......and he was generally praised for his summary of where we are at now so I'll let you take it up with him.

 

[NorthamptonBee]

Fair enough if that's how you see it. We've been told on here by supporters close to the action that we are in a period of 'transition'....and then when I refer to the what appears to be a toning down of aspirations nobody likes it.

North London Bee (a Bees United board member) actually posted this:

'Yes there were some daft ill thought comments from people high up at the club which should not have been made which are now coming back to haunt them - and rightly so'

......and he was generally praised for his summary of where we are at now so I'll let you take it up with him.

I'll say it again though, I want them to tell me that they are going for it, they can tell me top two is on the way and leave it to me to make up my own mind as the season unfolds, as long as a monorail is mentioned, I'm sold.

 

[abee]

I'll say it again though, I want them to tell me that they are going for it, they can tell me top two is on the way and leave it to me to make up my own mind as the season unfolds, as long as a monorail is mentioned, I'm sold.

Infamy, infamy....they've all got it in for me!!

Look I decided to try my hand at posting again on the GPG following North London Bee's lengthy assessment of where we are, how we got here and where he sees us going in the short term. His post I thought was insightful enough to almost justify its own thread.

His summary was showered with praise and thanks and he received 26 'likes' which is probably 25 more than I've ever managed.

I took my cue from NLB's comments and in particular #9,10,12.13,16 and in the knowledge that NLB sees the BFC board papers as a director of Bees United (Owlsmoor Bee passim) so his posts are always worth reading.

When I more or less repeat what we have been told by NLB and by Banana (who I agree has since rejected my summary as being unrecognisable) I am taken to task by a mod with the equivalent of........ '2/10.......could do better. See me after school' response.

 

[Edmundo]

I certainly wasn't giving you 2/10, abee! I was just pointing out that you needed more subtlety on one of your points. So A- would be a better reflection of what I meant!

 

[abee]

I certainly wasn't giving you 2/10, abee! I was just pointing out that you needed more subtlety on one of your points. So A- would be a better reflection of what I meant!

I thought that it would have demonstrated more even handedness if your post #855 had been directed at NLB for his original comments regarding statements made by senior officials at the club. But I get the picture.

Never mind eh!!

 

[NorthamptonBee]

Infamy, infamy....they've all got it in for me!!

Look I decided to try my hand at posting again on the GPG following North London Bee's lengthy assessment of where we are, how we got here and where he sees us going in the short term. His post I thought was insightful enough to almost justify its own thread.

His summary was showered with praise and thanks and he received 26 'likes' which is probably 25 more than I've ever managed.

I took my cue from NLB's comments and in particular #9,10,12.13,16 and in the knowledge that NLB sees the BFC board papers as a director of Bees United (Owlsmoor Bee passim) so his posts are always worth reading.

When I more or less repeat what we have been told by NLB and by Banana (who I agree has since rejected my summary as being unrecognisable) I am taken to task by a mod with the equivalent of........ '2/10.......could do better. See me after school' response.

I haven't got it in for anyone, I'm a happy clapper.

We look at things from different perspectives, the business side is beyond me and one that I try to understand at times but lose interest quickly, my main attraction is the football and what happens on the pitch, I don't think you like how things are managed but that is your professionalism coming to the fore and understandable, I don't really care how the behind the scene stuff is handled, it's all about the games to me, we're not up to last season's performances but it's still very good at times and being in this league again next season is hopefully happening and way behind my thoughts of winning the league in the summer, we will win it next year though and I will still be blind to the off field stuff.

Did you really fund all of the players joining that were mentioned earlier in the thread and why are we only hearing about it now?

 

[davidccpigeons]

Did you really fund all of the players joining that were mentioned earlier in the thread and why are we only hearing about it now?

Don't tell him abee!

 

[Hamburger Hill]

Am I the only one who hates the fact we are only discussing all this again for the umpteenth time because a load of gobsh**es on social media react to any defeat (some of them can't even hold it in that long!) with a load of bilge and bile towards Matthew Benham?

The facts are out there for those that wish to find them, the strategy or otherwise is of course of interest to some posters more than others and given our recent past we have every right to ask awkward questions and challenge the way club does things as that's healthy and helps shape the future of the club...

I really can't stomach any more of the general bitterness and BS that seems to have taken root within GP/BFC - I'm going to turn up and cheer the team on the pitch and avoid reading pretty much anything else...

(PS None of the above is aimed at either NLB,abee or Northampton Bee and Edmundo - they are all lovely people and BFC would be a poorer place without them!)

 

[kevalutonbee]

Who was it said that the only thing worse than being talked about was not being talked about?

 

[Les Beeavinu]

Who was it said that the only thing worse than being talked about was not being talked about?

Adrian Durham I think.

 

[aawharris]

Who was it said that the only thing worse than being talked about was not being talked about?

Piers Morgan?
Katie Hopkins?
Rio Ferdinand?

 

[Banana]

(PS None of the above is aimed at either NLB,abee or Northampton Bee and Edmundo - they are all lovely people and BFC would be a poorer place without them!)

 

[wanderer paul]

Ouch.

That's a low blow. :box:

100 'likes' taken off of HH as a punishment! lol

 

[BURFORD BEE]

Am I the only one who hates the fact we are only discussing all this again for the umpteenth time because a load of gobsh**es on social media react to any defeat (some of them can't even hold it in that long!) with a load of bilge and bile towards Matthew Benham?

The facts are out there for those that wish to find them, the strategy or otherwise is of course of interest to some posters more than others and given our recent past we have every right to ask awkward questions and challenge the way club does things as that's healthy and helps shape the future of the club...

I really can't stomach any more of the general bitterness and BS that seems to have taken root within GP/BFC - I'm going to turn up and cheer the team on the pitch and avoid reading pretty much anything else...

(PS None of the above is aimed at either NLB,abee or Northampton Bee and Edmundo - they are all lovely people and BFC would be a poorer place without them!)

The members that you quote and your good self engage in sensible discussion which is informative and balanced. Its what this forum should be about and the majority of the time is.
We shouldn't let the idiots spoil it for us

 

[mhead bee]

Please tell all sounds like a good yarn

No, it's not really.

The sshhh was so as not to mention Fighting Chance. Raised a lot of money. Scott Fitzgerald and Keith Dickens did not spend it in the best way they could have done.

The vote rig was when cleverer mods than me on here managed to automate it so that anyone logging on to a page on here fired off a vote to the Coca Cola Win a Player which remarkably resulted in us polling the most votes nationally, winning the competition and thus earning £50k for the club.

Yes folks, if it wasn't for (in part) the GPG and its kind members, we would not have got Neil Shipperley and Chris Moore.

Oh. :grey:

See, I said you shouldn't mention it.

The most incredible thing is that we managed to waste it on a hopeless individual.

 

[North London Bee]

The most incredible thing is that we managed to waste it on a hopeless individual.

Now THAT was appalling recruitment. What were his stats I wonder.

 

[kevalutonbee]

No, it's not really.

The sshhh was so as not to mention Fighting Chance. Raised a lot of money. Scott Fitzgerald and Keith Dickens did not spend it in the best way they could have done.

The vote rig was when cleverer mods than me on here managed to automate it so that anyone logging on to a page on here fired off a vote to the Coca Cola Win a Player which remarkably resulted in us polling the most votes nationally, winning the competition and thus earning £50k for the club.

Yes folks, if it wasn't for (in part) the GPG and its kind members, we would not have got Neil Shipperley and Chris Moore.

Oh. :grey:

See, I said you shouldn't mention it.

Didn't we come third? I seem to remember Brighton won it and bought Colin Kazim-Richards

 

[Les Beeavinu]

Didn't we come third? I seem to remember Brighton won it and bought Colin Kazim-Richards

Ah, I think you might be right.

 

[wanderer paul]

Didn't we come third? I seem to remember Brighton won it and bought Colin Kazim-Richards

I think we did. :yes:

As you say, Brighton got top prize and purchased Kazim-Richards for £250,000.

All I can add is, I have Shipperley's shirt - maybe LesB should have it? - and it makes a good duvet cover.

I also have one of Chris Moore's too. :shrug:

 

[WisBee]

That's a shocker actually. I really don't see anything to be gained from being divisive like that.

....................especially as the wndow has closed............................HTH

 

[Wilmslow Bee]

I think we did. :yes:

As you say, Brighton got top prize and purchased Kazim-Richards for £250,000.

All I can add is, I have Shipperley's shirt - maybe LesB should have it? - and it makes a good duvet cover.

I also have one of Chris Moore's too. :shrug:

I could be wrong, but I thought Kazim-Richards was the year before. The competition that year was slightly different too I thought.....but can't remember what it was.

EDIT: Just found this: http://qprreport.blogspot.co.uk/2007/01/coca-colas-buy-player-promotion-ways.html

Quote below so you don't have to click on a QPR website:

"The launch of ‘Buy A Player’ follows on from two successful years of the Coca-Cola Win A Player promotion, which received over three million entries and saw fans from two South Coast clubs – Brighton and Southampton – win £250,000 for their respective clubs transfer kitties in 2005 and 2006.
Last year ‘Win A Player’ gave one main prize of £250K to Southampton fan Chantelle Legg, and two further prizes of £50K to Brentford fan Steven Hearn and Oxford fan Andy Perrin......."

 

[Hamburger Hill]

And you Nana...sorry

 

[jlove]

Has this gone the way of many other threads and strayed somewhat? If hughbee comes on, I'm out for good!

 

[hairman]

I could be wrong, but I thought Kazim-Richards was the year before. The competition that year was slightly different too I thought.....but can't remember what it was.

EDIT: Just found this: http://qprreport.blogspot.co.uk/2007/01/coca-colas-buy-player-promotion-ways.html

Quote below so you don't have to click on a QPR website:

"The launch of ‘Buy A Player’ follows on from two successful years of the Coca-Cola Win A Player promotion, which received over three million entries and saw fans from two South Coast clubs – Brighton and Southampton – win £250,000 for their respective clubs transfer kitties in 2005 and 2006.
Last year ‘Win A Player’ gave one main prize of £250K to Southampton fan Chantelle Legg, and two further prizes of £50K to Brentford fan Steven Hearn and Oxford fan Andy Perrin......."

So we've got Steven Hearn to thank for that.

 

[Humblebee]

If hughbee comes on, I'm out for good!

No chance. This is about football.

 

[PJ]

Did you really fund all of the players joining that were mentioned earlier in the thread and why are we only hearing about it now?

Not sure. Did once hear he had a hand in securing Murray Jones though

 

[WisBee]

IT IS UNTRUE ABOUT SMITH NOT HAVING HIS WAY. THE END.

As for not having a different view, don't give me that, that's just a cop out. You've dropped some bomb, insulted half the people on this board and then try holding your hands up and suggesting "it's all about opinions". b***ocks.

....................................come on OB, get off that fence for a while......................................




............................and maybe get some blood pressure pills?.....................................

 

[Edmundo]

First time poster

I think we should now acknowledge that this was economical with the actualité.

 

[abee]

I think we should now acknowledge that this was economical with the actualité.

Well he was a first time poster if you ignore the other 190.

 

[abee]

I promise I am not on a wind up, but by this, do you mean he has the final say? If so, that's a major change of policy. Or do you mean, he has his say, which is different altogether.

I think that Owlsmoor Bee's post probably needs clarification. With the two negatives in there it suggests that Dean Smith has his own way when it comes to transfer/player policy. I do not believe that is true and he simply and quite rightly has an input which is very different. However unlike Owlsmoor Bee I do not see the BFC board papers so maybe there has been a recent change in policy.

I will however file it away in order not to disappoint Edmundo and keep it in my 'Comments that people can be skewered with at a later date' folder.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

I think that Owlsmoor Bee's post probably needs clarification. With the two negatives in there it suggests that Dean Smith has his own way when it comes to transfer/player policy. I do not believe that is true and he simply and quite rightly has an input which is very different. However unlike Owlsmoor Bee I do not see the BFC board papers so maybe there has been a recent change in policy.

I will however file it away in order not to disappoint Edmundo and keep it in my 'Comments that people can be skewered with at a later date' folder.

Yes, because Owlsmoor Bee with his long history of travelling up and down the country to support the club and off the field help for the club when needed is just the kind of person who needs to be "skewered" when the opportunity rises isn't he?

Anyway, on the subject of Dean Smith's input to transfers, he was asked in his first interview about whether he would have a problem with working in a system where he didn't have the final say on transfers and his response was something like " it's no different to anywhere else he has worked - it's not his money so if the owner or board decides that a target isn't appropriate for whatever reason, that's understandable". I'd be interested to know, during your time on the BFC board, whether you just waived through every possible transfer purchase if the manager demanded it or whether there were occasions where the board refused a transfer.

 

[abee]

Yes, because Owlsmoor Bee with his long history of travelling up and down the country to support the club and off the field help for the club when needed is just the kind of person who needs to be "skewered" when the opportunity rises isn't he?

Anyway, on the subject of Dean Smith's input to transfers, he was asked in his first interview about whether he would have a problem with working in a system where he didn't have the final say on transfers and his response was something like " it's no different to anywhere else he has worked - it's not his money so if the owner or board decides that a target isn't appropriate for whatever reason, that's understandable". I'd be interested to know, during your time on the BFC board, whether you just waived through every possible transfer purchase if the manager demanded it or whether there were occasions where the board refused a transfer.

Calm down it was a joke. I realise that you must still be smarting re our 'first time poster' yesterday but don't take it out on me!!

I was simply being twee because one of your co-mods posted yesterday that I had a penchant for 'skewering' posters for their past comment so whilst I can understand your sense of humour bypass following yesterday I promise not to file it.

There was no occasion when the board refused a transfer during my spell and that is to the very best of my recollection. If anyone knows differently and can jog my memory then they are free to do so. The way it worked then was that the board approved the playing budget and the manager put forward his targets to the three man Exec Team which started with David Heath, Andy Scott and myself. As long as the costs of the target were within the budget and were not out of sync then negotiations commenced and the board were advised on what was going on. The Exec Team had to be unanimous i.e. if either David or myself dissented then it had to go to the board before any action. Also for the sake of clarity when I say 'not out of sync with the budget' then exaggerating to illustrate if we had a playing budget of £1m and the manager wanted to spend £250k on one player they would never ever be approved. Also the Exec Team had caps on how much could be spent on one player and the length of the contract to be offered.

 

[Les Beeavinu]

There was no occasion when the board refused a transfer during my spell and that is to the very best of my recollection. If anyone knows differently and can jog my memory then they are free to do so. The way it worked then was that the board approved the playing budget and the manager put forward his targets to the three man Exec Team which started with David Heath, Andy Scott and myself. As long as the costs of the target were within the budget and were not out of sync then negotiations commenced and the board were advised on what was going on. The Exec Team had to be unanimous i.e. if either David or myself dissented then it had to go to the board before any action. Also for the sake of clarity when I say 'not out of sync with the budget' then exaggerating to illustrate if we had a playing budget of £1m and the manager wanted to spend £250k on one player they would never ever be approved. Also the Exec Team had caps on how much could be spent on one player and the length of the contract to be offered.

Thanks for that. Reading into that then, you would have imposed entirely sensible conditions on possible transfers and you fortunately were never put in a position by the manager at the time where something had to be rejected. Suggests to me that the manager never would have had the final veto on transfers for obvious good reasons - have I read that right?

I do realise that the circumstances are different in that the club is accused now of imposing football decisions on the manager - it would be interesting to know whether Mark Warburton wanted to work your way - and many would argue that that's how it should be - or whether his concern was having a Director of Football being in place potentially making a decision that he wouldn't be happy with. One would hope that a consensus could be formed but maybe Warburton didn't want to answer to anyone else.

 

[FlyBee]

Calm down it was a joke. I realise that you must still be smarting re our 'first time poster' yesterday but don't take it out on me!!

I was simply being twee because one of your co-mods posted yesterday that I had a penchant for 'skewering' posters for their past comment so whilst I can understand your sense of humour bypass following yesterday I promise not to file it.

There was no occasion when the board refused a transfer during my spell and that is to the very best of my recollection. If anyone knows differently and can jog my memory then they are free to do so. The way it worked then was that the board approved the playing budget and the manager put forward his targets to the three man Exec Team which started with David Heath, Andy Scott and myself. As long as the costs of the target were within the budget and were not out of sync then negotiations commenced and the board were advised on what was going on. The Exec Team had to be unanimous i.e. if either David or myself dissented then it had to go to the board before any action. Also for the sake of clarity when I say 'not out of sync with the budget' then exaggerating to illustrate if we had a playing budget of £1m and the manager wanted to spend £250k on one player they would never ever be approved. Also the Exec Team had caps on how much could be spent on one player and the length of the contract to be offered.

Good to see you posting here again Mr A.

 

[abee]

Thanks for that. Reading into that then, you would have imposed entirely sensible conditions on possible transfers and you fortunately were never put in a position by the manager at the time where something had to be rejected. Suggests to me that the manager never would have had the final veto on transfers for obvious good reasons - have I read that right?

I do realise that the circumstances are different in that the club is accused now of imposing football decisions on the manager - it would be interesting to know whether Mark Warburton wanted to work your way - and many would argue that that's how it should be - or whether his concern was having a Director of Football being in place potentially making a decision that he wouldn't be happy with. One would hope that a consensus could be formed but maybe Warburton didn't want to answer to anyone else.

Mark Warburton was more than happy to work that way but I was only with Mark and Uwe for a few months before I resigned from the board in (I think) October/November 2011 as I had other things that I wanted to do and handed over to Mark Devlin and Bob Lampert. My clear memory of MW was that he knew I got up early and he was on the phone to me before 7am most mornings to talk about players just after he arrived at Jersey Road....

To clarify then. Andy Scott/Uwe/MW would put forward a player but invariably with a ceiling on the wage they were prepared to pay. I can think of two or three occasions when we had to go back and say that it seemed extremely unlikely we could get this player for £3kpw or whatever and we then dropped it or if we were talking about maybe a couple of hundred pounds a week the manager was generally left to decide whether he wanted to go the extra mile subject to Exec Team approval.

It was all done very amicably and there was never serious dissent in much the same way that I do not recall a single board meeting where there was a quarrel that had to go to a show of hands.

If you want my personal view as an 'outsider' then the relationship between Marinus and the DoF's probably needed some working out at the start and unless the board had nailed down workable 'Policies & Procedures' then I could see that the DoF's could be in the position of recommending a player to the manager who had never seen him play. I don't know for example how much Marinus would have known of Gogia, Hoffmann and KK but I have no doubt that given everyone has now had six months of experience learning on the job then we have the right balance with Dean Smith having a 'been there, done that' cv in English football.

Just a final note.........I love Owlsmoor Bee to death and he is the only BU board member who comes on here trying to explain where BU stands on everything. Massive respect for that and I did put a 'smilie' at the end of my post that so irritated you.

Likewise I am always hugely suspicious of 'first time posters' who bring with them either a 'Matthew Benham is the spawn of the devil' rant or a 'Matthew Benham is God' piece and when I look them up I always expect to find on the 'About me' tab something like 'Good at taking dictation and learning my lines'.

 

[Easter 1959]

IMO the platform on which the Club now stands is a real achievement to which I, and I know this applies to other supporters, owe a deal of thanks to loads of people.

One of the core elements of the origin of this platform is the way the limited resources that the Club had at its disposal during the 2008/2009 Season were so effectively managed into a playing budget and then into a Team that won us the League; and was one of the first, if not the most important, steps on the road we have so successfully gone down; getting Charlie to sign for instance was an achievement in itself iir.

With Matthew’s tremendous support (and generosity) the Club has evolved forward and it is fairly easy to consign the previous constraints under which the Club had to operate to a history; what matters imo is that the way the Club was managed on and off the field during that period brought success and sustained progress that was key to ‘today’; and it seems to me that this ongoing evolution properly reflects MB’s massive investment (and the differences between then and now) and the fiscal realities of staying competitive over the medium and long terms in the upper reaches of European football.

 

[abee]

One of the core elements of the origin of this platform is the way the limited resources that the Club had at its disposal during the 2008/2009 Season were so effectively managed into a playing budget and then into a Team that won us the League;

Don't remind me........was that the season where I was visited at home in an early morning raid by five inspectors from the NSPCC because I arbitrarily cancelled the Fun Day when the promised sponsor (Barratts) dropped out near to the event. I wasn't prepared to transfer from the playing budget the £6k -£8k required to proceed with the Fun Day, we couldn't find another sponsor at short notice and I stood accused of mentally scarring children for life!!

Or as abee Rule of Business #32 states.........'As a CEO always be prepared for short term unpopularity to ensure your long term unpopularity'

 

[South Acton Bee]

Mark Warburton was more than happy to work that way but I was only with Mark and Uwe for a few months before I resigned from the board in (I think) October/November 2011 as I had other things that I wanted to do and handed over to Mark Devlin and Bob Lampert. My clear memory of MW was that he knew I got up early and he was on the phone to me before 7am most mornings to talk about players just after he arrived at Jersey Road....

To clarify then. Andy Scott/Uwe/MW would put forward a player but invariably with a ceiling on the wage they were prepared to pay. I can think of two or three occasions when we had to go back and say that it seemed extremely unlikely we could get this player for £3kpw or whatever and we then dropped it or if we were talking about maybe a couple of hundred pounds a week the manager was generally left to decide whether he wanted to go the extra mile subject to Exec Team approval.

It was all done very amicably and there was never serious dissent in much the same way that I do not recall a single board meeting where there was a quarrel that had to go to a show of hands.

If you want my personal view as an 'outsider' then the relationship between Marinus and the DoF's probably needed some working out at the start and unless the board had nailed down workable 'Policies & Procedures' then I could see that the DoF's could be in the position of recommending a player to the manager who had never seen him play. I don't know for example how much Marinus would have known of Gogia, Hoffmann and KK but I have no doubt that given everyone has now had six months of experience learning on the job then we have the right balance with Dean Smith having a 'been there, done that' cv in English football.

Just a final note.........I love Owlsmoor Bee to death and he is the only BU board member who comes on here trying to explain where BU stands on everything. Massive respect for that and I did put a 'smilie' at the end of my post that so irritated you.

Likewise I am always hugely suspicious of 'first time posters' who bring with them either a 'Matthew Benham is the spawn of the devil' rant or a 'Matthew Benham is God' piece and when I look them up I always expect to find on the 'About me' tab something like 'Good at taking dictation and learning my lines'.

Top class post as always !

 

[sonofabee]

Don't remind me........was that the season where I was visited at home in an early morning raid by five inspectors from the NSPCC because I arbitrarily cancelled the Fun Day when the promised sponsor (Barratts) dropped out near to the event. I wasn't prepared to transfer from the playing budget the £6k -£8k required to proceed with the Fun Day, we couldn't find another sponsor at short notice and I stood accused of mentally scarring children for life!!

Or as abee Rule of Business #32 states.........'As a CEO always be prepared for short term unpopularity to ensure your long term unpopularity'

Like an old route master lol

Good to have you back

 

[Billy Hunt]

I think we should now acknowledge that this was economical with the actualité.

Wot's all that about, then? :scratch:

 

[gbems92]

Mark Warburton was more than happy to work that way but I was only with Mark and Uwe for a few months before I resigned from the board in (I think) October/November 2011 as I had other things that I wanted to do and handed over to Mark Devlin and Bob Lampert. My clear memory of MW was that he knew I got up early and he was on the phone to me before 7am most mornings to talk about players just after he arrived at Jersey Road....

To clarify then. Andy Scott/Uwe/MW would put forward a player but invariably with a ceiling on the wage they were prepared to pay. I can think of two or three occasions when we had to go back and say that it seemed extremely unlikely we could get this player for £3kpw or whatever and we then dropped it or if we were talking about maybe a couple of hundred pounds a week the manager was generally left to decide whether he wanted to go the extra mile subject to Exec Team approval.

It was all done very amicably and there was never serious dissent in much the same way that I do not recall a single board meeting where there was a quarrel that had to go to a show of hands.

If you want my personal view as an 'outsider' then the relationship between Marinus and the DoF's probably needed some working out at the start and unless the board had nailed down workable 'Policies & Procedures' then I could see that the DoF's could be in the position of recommending a player to the manager who had never seen him play. I don't know for example how much Marinus would have known of Gogia, Hoffmann and KK but I have no doubt that given everyone has now had six months of experience learning on the job then we have the right balance with Dean Smith having a 'been there, done that' cv in English football.

Just a final note.........I love Owlsmoor Bee to death and he is the only BU board member who comes on here trying to explain where BU stands on everything. Massive respect for that and I did put a 'smilie' at the end of my post that so irritated you.

Likewise I am always hugely suspicious of 'first time posters' who bring with them either a 'Matthew Benham is the spawn of the devil' rant or a 'Matthew Benham is God' piece and when I look them up I always expect to find on the 'About me' tab something like 'Good at taking dictation and learning my lines'.

I get jelous reading your posts

 

[wanderer paul]

Wot's all that about, then? :scratch:

An old poster tried to palm themselves off as a newbie. Why? No idea.

 

[Billy Hunt]

An old poster tried to palm themselves off as a newbie. Why? No idea.

Weird! :shrug:

Thank you.

 

[Gee Bee]

An old poster tried to palm themselves off as a newbie. Why? No idea.

ROB has done that loads of times

 

[JTofBFC]

An old poster tried to palm themselves off as a newbie. Why? No idea.

He's not banned is he? Hope not as he was like a breath of fresh air round here under either of his names !