Redevelopment Closer Than Ever?

[guest3548]

TFAMH, it was an LUFC tattoo initially 

[Melbourne Cobbler]

I wouldn’t worry Dave. Half of them on the list followed London teams. And at least three of them ran away at the first whiff of trouble. One of them having MUFC tattooed on his forehead.

And you’re bottom 

You mean like Tom Howe of Chelsea’s “Don’t be a Thug, Don’t be a Mug” fame? Although he’s not on the list, or his mate Paddy McMahon. In fact it’s slightly more notorious for who’s missing.

[guest3551]

How come my old chum Pete Folwell is missing? He was a card.

[Terryfenwickatemyhamster]

TFAMH, it was an LUFC tattoo initially 

I’m pretty sure you’re right.  

I can recall him getting us all in the shít against Boro at home.

We’d all left the Elephant ready to go in the away end. Once about 15 - 20 of us got in, he shouted NORRRRR THAMPTON  NORRRRR THAMPTON  NORRRRR THAMPTON only for the whole spoon cop to turn us. We still had about three quarters of the lads outside.

They were the days.  

[Terryfenwickatemyhamster]

How come my old chum Pete Folwell is missing? He was a card.

Most of the names on there are the quieter ones. I went to a do dayn in the smoke a while back, that was full of the cobblers lads from the late 70's early 80's. I can only see one name on there that was invited. Unfortunately he was too poorly to come.

There was a huge link between lads who followed Chelsea, Milwall, Spurs, West Ham and Arsenal, who turned out for all of the more (shall we say) lively Cobblers fixtures.

[Tabasco Kid]

How come my old chum Pete Folwell is missing? He was a card.

Your mask is slowly slipping..   

[random1]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the trust board are not the trust! They appear, to me, to be operating as an entity separate from the trust membership. That is wrong and undemocratic! In the latest communication from the trust, the trust board met with 5 people, one of the topics discussed was the tone and content of communication between "some individuals affiliated with the trust, the football club and some fans on forums and on social media" It's obvious since then that the co opted trust board member has been absent from here!

Hi

I am still here but haven't been posting as much as we are just all going around in circles.

I still read and try to listen to what other fans are saying.

We have a board meeting tomorrow night, would you like an invite to attend?

[random1]

So Tom and those behind the petition have refused to meet with the Trust board to discuss their concerns further

A couple of things concern me (and many others) with the petitioners wanting to take over the Trust are:

1. They have put forward not one single ethos, plan or idea of what they want to do with the Trust

2. They have not laid out one critical comment or question against the club

3. All of them except Barry Collins (who voted to invoke the ACV) had nothing to do with the Trust in all their years of supporting NTFC

4. The Trust has been asking for more members / Board members / Volunteers for the last 20 years yet apart from BC, none of them choose to at least find out how they could help / get involved.

At the exact moment that KT/DB needs the Trust to withdraw their land offer, Tom obligingly appears

I know of quite a few of the names on the list and don't doubt they are genuine Cobblers fans but do they know exactly what they are signing up for and why?

The Trust was formed to protect the football club mainly from it's owners, it is NOT a supporters club.

In many ways I wish it was able to perform both tasks, but it never had the manpower to mobilise a full on active role in supporter activities whilst being that critical friend that KT mentions.



 

[BackOfTheNet]

4. The Trust has been asking for more members / Board members / Volunteers for the last 20 years yet apart from BC, none of them choose to at least find out how they could help / get involved.

Maybe they didn't feel they had to until now?

[random1]

The last straw for me re KT was him picking up the phone and making GWS withdraw their offer, coupled with WNC saying we had to basically pay them "compensation" if we wanted to own the ACV land

The land, which has been unused for 8 years could have produced a direct income into the club of £250k per year, whilst providing facilities to businesses and fans of Northampton

In almost any of football club in the Country, if fans were given the opportunity to buy (cheaply) land around their ground, then I believe every club's supporters would be doing their uptmost to secure that land

Only in Northampton is the response to kick out the very people trying to bring something medium term and viable to their club.

People need to think about that and why that then led to the Trust then saying OK, KT again has clearly acted in his own interests, therefore WE have to at least try to get something for the fans and the club.

KT has absolutely no interest in finishing that stand, you all know it, it's time to face reality.

KT has stated they own the leasehold so nothing can be done on the ACV, he stated they have the money to finish it, he stated that it makes no sense to delay as they are losing income (doesn't seem to worry them about not getting more income elsewhere)

Given ALL the frustrations, the arguments, the Trust land bid etc etc, why would you not just finish the bloody stand and PROVE you do have the best interests of NTFC as apposed to your own

[Tom]

So Tom and those behind the petition have refused to meet with the Trust board to discuss their concerns further


Do you blame us? Look at what we've been subjected to, now you'll welcome "a few" of us into your little den of abuse? no thanks.

A couple of things concern me (and many others) with the petitioners wanting to take over the Trust are:

1. They have put forward not one single ethos, plan or idea of what they want to do with the Trust

- That's because so many things are still up for discussion, one thing that is not - is the behavior of people like you, everything comes back to conduct, we, and plenty of others have absolutly had enough of how you and other board members & advisors behave.

2. They have not laid out one critical comment or question against the club

More fallacies - https://www.notmytrust.com/transparency - let me guess, we didn't ask the questions specifically how you wanted them asking? 

3. All of them except Barry Collins (who voted to invoke the ACV) had nothing to do with the Trust in all their years of supporting NTFC

Again, just shows we've had enough of the behavior.

4. The Trust has been asking for more members / Board members / Volunteers for the last 20 years yet apart from BC, none of them choose to at least find out how they could help / get involved.

Demonstrates the expected response from the board and advisors to people who you presume to have different views?

At the exact moment that KT/DB needs the Trust to withdraw their land offer, Tom obligingly appears

Or at the moment when you all decided to attack our own fans constantly whenever they disagree with you, and we're back to just pointing at me now are we? c'mon now Derek.

I know of quite a few of the names on the list and don't doubt they are genuine Cobblers fans but do they know exactly what they are signing up for and why?

Yes, because the behavior of people such as yourself are entirely unacceptable.

The Trust was formed to protect the football club mainly from it's owners, it is NOT a supporters club.

In many ways I wish it was able to perform both tasks, but it never had the manpower to mobilise a full on active role in supporter activities whilst being that critical friend that KT mentions.

I suggest reading your own website, and your own model rules. It certainly doesn't exist to attack our fanbase, and to attack our owners and club.

Thanks for the wonderful update as always though, carry on.

[random1]

Maybe they didn't feel they had to until now?

So they felt they didn't need to support or join the only "fan" group at any time in the past 20 years, including 8 years ago when the Trust was paying staff wages and paying for players coaches, whist shaking buckets?

They have just joined to try and take it over, I assume to try to withdraw the land bid, all without meeting or questioning the actual current Board.

Do they realise if they succeed, then THEY will be left handing the can, re the East stand, it will be on their heads if and when KT walks away without lifting a paintbrush to the East stand

Are they really prepared to put all their faith and their reputation on KT's word?

I would suggest they at least ask KT some challenging questions and watch closely how his demeanour changes  (just watch the open forum when someones asks him if is going to invest some of the free money he got from the Chub money back into the Academy)
 

[Tom]

So they felt they didn't need to support or join the only "fan" group at any time in the past 20 years, including 8 years ago when the Trust was paying staff wages and paying for players coaches, whist shaking buckets?

They have just joined to try and take it over, I assume to try to withdraw the land bid, all without meeting or questioning the actual current Board.

Do they realise if they succeed, then THEY will be left handing the can, re the East stand, it will be on their heads if and when KT walks away without lifting a paintbrush to the East stand

Are they really prepared to put all their faith and their reputation on KT's word?

I would suggest they at least ask KT some challenging questions and watch closely how his demeanour changes  (just watch the open forum when someones asks him if is going to invest some of the free money he got from the Chub money back into the Academy)
 

There was at best 700 members in the Trust, if anything it just demonstrates a need for better marketing that nobody got involved beforehand.

We asked questions, and we got a reply within 24 hours - to all of them.

People can look at all of this for themselves:

https://www.notmytrust.com/email-trust-november-14 - Questions to the trust
https://www.notmytrust.com/email-club-november-14 - Questions to the club

And I'll repeat it until I'm blue in the face, you can assume all you want about the bid - we've made no statements about it - simple fact is, our stance is - you're not capable of your roles because you can't behave properly, we've got a broad range of opinions (even those who agree with the ACV vote) - but we all agree on one simple thing, the boards and advisors conduct.

[guest3548]

Hi Random1, thanks for the offer of an invitation to attend the board meeting, current family circumstances don't allow me to go out in the evenings.

[random1]

Thanks for the wonderful update as always though, carry on.

Thanks Tom but its now time to change the record.

We get that you don't like how we have spoke to you and others and yes I agree some of that could have been better, but look how you respond now, every sentence is condesending. Have you ever considered the abuse that I and the Trust board have received over the years and how you would react to it?

OK so you are all about transparency, post the minutes of those discussions - what are your ideas, plans etc

You can't keep trading on just that we have spoken badly to you and a few supporters

I said critical comments or questions, not just lobbed up ones for KT to smash out the park - i notice you didn't give the Trust the same questions and their right of reply

Again the Trust have asked for help, they have asked for meetings but you now are too frightened or can't be bothered ? which is it?  

Every single member of the Trust board want the best for NTFC, they want the owners to take action and believe in our football club.

If KT had done half the things he promised / should have done, they would not be in the mess now.

Even today, I expect things would change if builders and vans and materials turned up at the back of the East stand and KT announced they were going to start finishing the East stand TODAY

But he won't will he, but you already know that don't you !!



 

[random1]

Hi Random1, thanks for the offer of an invitation to attend the board meeting, current family circumstances don't allow me to go out in the evenings.

perfect mate, you can do it from your bedroom, its on Zoom 

[Tom]

Thanks Tom but its now time to change the record.

We get that you don't like how we have spoke to you and others and yes I agree some of that could have been better, but look how you respond now, every sentence is condesending. Have you ever considered the abuse that I and the Trust board have received over the years and how you would react to it?

We've had it from you, and not reacted in the same way - we've demonstrated that we can talk and involve ourselves with people who disagree but do it with some element of respect, the latter is missing from various people involved with the trust board.

OK so you are all about transparency, post the minutes of those discussions - what are your ideas, plans etc

We're not a formal organisation, there is no minutes, and as I've said - the issues around the club is all to be discussed and researched etc once we deal with the issue of conduct - that is why we're here, you've made the assumption that we want to just come in and remove the bid - nobody has said that, the trust is holding all details of that too close to their chest for anyone outside of the board to have a full view on it.

You can't keep trading on just that we have spoken badly to you and a few supporters

Nothing to worry about then is there?

I said critical comments or questions, not just lobbed up ones for KT to smash out the park - i notice you didn't give the Trust the same questions and their right of reply

Like clockwork, we didn't ask the right questions - for anyone reading, read a couple of posts back, this is the exact response I said we'd see.

Again the Trust have asked for help, they have asked for meetings but you now are too frightened or can't be bothered ? which is it?  

People don't want to help the current board, read the room. With each of your posts comes a little flurry of signatures.

Every single member of the Trust board want the best for NTFC, they want the owners to take action and believe in our football club.

I don't doubt good intentions, but you've made your positions untenable with how you've treated our fans.

If KT had done half the things he promised / should have done, they would not be in the mess now.

Even today, I expect things would change if builders and vans and materials turned up at the back of the East stand and KT announced they were going to start finishing the East stand TODAY

But he won't will he, but you already know that don't you !!

This is all just your opinion, which you're welcome to.

[random1]

There was at best 700 members in the Trust, if anything it just demonstrates a need for better marketing that nobody got involved beforehand.

We asked questions, and we got a reply within 24 hours - to all of them.

People can look at all of this for themselves:

https://www.notmytrust.com/email-trust-november-14 - Questions to the trust
https://www.notmytrust.com/email-club-november-14 - Questions to the club

And I'll repeat it until I'm blue in the face, you can assume all you want about the bid - we've made no statements about it - simple fact is, our stance is - you're not capable of your roles because you can't behave properly, we've got a broad range of opinions (even those who agree with the ACV vote) - but we all agree on one simple thing, the boards and advisors conduct.

So I think (as do many others) its time you made some actual statements about the bid etc

You ALL should agree with the ACV vote as fans of NTFC. sorry I don't understand how any fan cannot, especially in these circumstances where the land has remained unused and there on 17 other acres of debt clearing, sorry I mean...of enabling development land

Again you need to look at your conduct too, it doesn't inspire me (or many others) - that you act in the best interests of NTFC or its supporters or its Trust. sorry but that is the fed back we are getting from many many supporters

Again happy to discuss this in more details tomorrow night, shame you are not interested in helping us all move forward with this

[guest3548]

Random1, a deceased parent and the surviving parent falling and fracturing her neck of femur prevents me from doing all manner of things, sitting in my bedroom watching the trust board on Zoom is quite low down my list of priorities at present, but many thanks for the offer!

[random1]

LOL, you have treated no-one at the Trust with respect from day one. Sorry but hoping someone is well at the start of an email doesn't mean anything

Opinion based around the facts and no-action of the owners

Its not about helping the current board, its about protecting the football club but you seem to want to make it all personal

Not sure how we've treated fans and especially members - yes we have responded in kind at times on toxic social media - but how many actual fans are we talking about? 10 or so ?  and were those fans even members of the Trust?  In almost every single case, no they were not.

Again the Trust is not a supporters club. it is trying to protect the business of NTFC.