Ducket Lodger

As I said, proof of the pudding is in the eating, they need to deliver! With no investors on the immediate horizon and the previous board (essentially the same people) shunning the offers on the table to keep themselves in office, I have to support the, here and now, if the "Operations Group" deliver, then we will all be happy. In the real world, it would take a real nutter to pump £200k into BRFC, you'd probably need sectioned if you even contemplated £5k or £10k, We've fell a long way and it will be an even longer way back, both on and off the park.

AB Sorry, its not about me being patient, I have no control of the goings-on, I would just like to hear some positive news for a change, just so we can get the feeling that we've finally stopped the rot and are now embarking on a solid rebuilding strategy, a sort of upward curve, if you like, currently there is none of this, we still have a silent board and we have no known new signings, to me its worrying in the short-term, especially as the new season is only a few weeks away. If the strategy is to consolidate in the LL for a couple of seasons, then I for one would be disappointed, but so be it, we all know its going to be a long way back, a trip that we might not be able to make.

My point was investment, usually, if you have money to invest, you want a seat on the board to ensure your cash is being spent correctly, that gives you a vested interest in the team and if required you might have do dig deep again, I don't think investing in a football club is for the faint hearted, so fair play to all those who are willing to put in. AB I understand what you are saying but unfortunately cash is king. Today, you will only get out of this league if you invest in the team, that is the sad reality, sadly the days of a sportsman of any type, playing for a club through loyalty are long gone. The boards approach in bringing in Pikey and Sarah McMorn is admirable, who are tasked with seeking external funding , the proof of the pudding will be in the eating, but what happens if they fail to get significant investment into the club, relying on the hope of investment is not investment, you need committed individuals who will come on board to invest and buy into the clubs strategy (if they have one other than the new stadium), begging for a few quid is helpful but not enough. BRFC are similar to many clubs whether they are League Clubs, LL, EoS, right down to the North Northumberland league and below, they are all run well and rely on volunteer involvement, undoubtedly, there are good people who are unsung heros at BRFC any one of them could sit on the board in the same capacity of Pikey and Sarah, sadly, you can work as hard as you like, but you will fail to get promoted without team investment.

No debate about maybe being disappointed. However Mr Lodgers constant flow of finger pointing and doom mongering is just disproportionate. I'd rather wait and hear 'this is what we've done', rather than updates on what we're trying to do, in terms of signings. Sorry AB you've missed my point, its not doom mongering or pointing fingers, my point was that time is ticking away, I have accepted the new regime, although I don't agree with Bell's appointment and his approach (I do hope he keeps commenting in his own name on here, cos that is proper entertainment). I did wish them good luck, however, we need to put a competitive team on the park, that means signings that would do a job for us, so far we have heard nothing, disappointing as it may be, we have no choice but to "wait and hear" unfortunately a "this is what we have done" statement will undoubtedly be to late. DP states Yano is a excellent coach, which he may well be, but, on the contrary, he was responsible for WW finishing position last season, take a look at his record, he was in charge, so the buck stops with him, no question. At the end of the day, we all want to see a competitive team on the park and I wish Yano well, however, the man needs players, but players cost money, money comes from investment, investment usually comes from board members, board members currently in office, don't seem to collectively or individually want to put their own money in to start the cycle, this my friends, has been my point from the start, current and previous directors just wanted the kudos to say they were BRFC directors, correct me if I am wrong, but it is a long time since any director stumped up a reasonable sum for investment in the playing squad (which should have happened at Christmas and we may well have not been relegated). Recently, I understand the club had £80k in the bank, £60k to come from the SFA in terms of season one parachute payment, Speedway income, whatever the Supporters Club are able to donate, plus Sponsors income for the new season (which could be less owing to relegation) surely, if these sums are correct, they should have a reasonable pot to sign players, tell me why they haven't made any notable signings, there has to be a reason?

34 days until our first competitive game, 23 days until the prestigious friendly against Coldstream, but still no word from the club on new signings, I have heard that, despite the boards opinion that players would be falling over themselves to sign for us, being an ex league side, who should be odds-on to be promoted, they are finding the opposite is the reality, most clubs have already done their business and are set up for the new campaign, in LL circles, our new manager, who incidentally managed to technically get Whitehill Welfare relegated from the LL in the last campaign, does not have the highest standing in the LL set up, therefore players are not lining up to sign for him. We are left to choose from semi-retired players, problem players and younger players from the EoS who may have the wherewithal to make the grade in the LL, none of this bodes well for the coming season. As I said in my last post, the board is much the same, give or take, no mention of investment, no communication with the loyal support, they need to keep going and finally sink this once great club, half a job is just not good enough!

Just sitting here watching from afar! I've been quiet on here since the new regime has taken over, I don't know if the new appointments will bring significant change to BRFC. Bell has what he wanted, full control of the club, with Corporal Pike as his number 2 , As I have said many times I am not a Bell supporter, but he has the opportunity to take the club forward in the way he see's fit, new stadium or not. Good luck to the new incumbents, however, do the new board have in place investment strategy for team building, we need a competitive team on the park more than anything, so forgive me for pointing to the obvious, but time is ticking away and not many players seem interested in us, most players are already signed up for the new campaign. Are we to be a lowly to mid-table LL team or will we be up and around the top six, poor results and a crap team will see interest continue to dwindle. The board seems to be more of the same, a couple of new faces, a couple of losers dropping out, but essentially it is the same group who got the club relegated in the first place, so I'll stick to my prediction that they will be out of business by May 2022 - Negative or what!!!

On facebook today, Pike has resigned as chairman of Tweedmouth Rangers, no doubt he must be moving on to bigger and better things

Dougster = John Bell's Laddie Criticising your fither is always hard to take! Had away and boil your heid

Yes Broon, I did say Johnny was on gardening leave, in fact his garden is now one of the best in Scotland, behind the scenes I am told, the initial intention by the much maligned Bell, was to reinstate JH, but when he and his flock realised there would be a riot from the few remaining Berwick fans, they bombed that idea, resulting in Yano and Brownlie, who are seen as the next best alternatives, especially when you have got no significant money to spend. Time will tell on how the team will perform on the park this coming season, but to give Yano a fighting chance, the "head in the sand" directors need to attract inward investment, in other words the 300-400 commercial directors need to earn their keep

Serial Bell supporters Redcar and Dougster can slag me off all they want, but yes, I was correct with the Yano and Brownlie appointments. Consider Yano's recent record with WW, not good at all! Yano may well be a decent manager, I have no doubt given the tools he would make a decent fist of it, but without serious investment in the team, I don't believe Yano can significantly improve an already poor team, remember, the club already re-signed a large proportion of this seasons relegated team. More of the same from the boardroom, no communication, no word about new faces or potential investment, so it status quo, which probably doesn't surprise anyone.

Wow! I wouldn't cross the street to see any of these. It just gets worse for BRFC, all we need now is the news from the Boardroom meeting tonight, lady luck is certainly against us just now. Bullshit Bell in control, another nail in the club coffin!

Worst fears will be realised, Bell in charge after tonight's board meeting, Yano confirmed as manager, Brownlie as technical director will be confirmed also, I'm told, no new faces apart from Heston, unless there is a late acceptance, we're doomed I tell you!

Just seen the incoming chairman's statement on the Tizer website, great positive piece, I don't think, talk about negativity, he has said relegation is the result of years of scraping by, jeez, he has been on the board for most of the recent years and is part of the cause of this! why can't he see this! Step down to become a better club, the man is deluded, BRFC have stepped down because they were the worst team in the division, then against lower league opposition in the playoffs, they were trounced 7-0, there was no choice, Bell and his fellow directors drove the club into a brick wall, simple as! Surely, the SC can see what a divisive character he is, definitely not the answer to the clubs predicament, let us see the majority shareholder stand up for once and get rid of this clown and his yes men, then inject some new blood into the club, there are locals who would get involved, but not with clown prince Bell at the top. The alternative is, that this club will be finished in 3 years, they will live on the parachute payments and paltry support for two seasons, then they will fold in the 3rd, I hope I'm wrong but there is more chance I will be close to the mark.

We've no choice but to see what happens, but I bet my predictions are nearer to reality, JB will be sitting in a near empty stadium with a few of his sheep next season (Baa!). Me and my very own club, it's just what I've always wanted!

Redcar, Bluecar or Whitecar makes no difference to me, yes I have slagged Bell off big style, he was a key player in putting the club in its current predicament, I agree wholeheartedly with Yellow Feet, problem is the man doesn't see it himself, he is the problem, he's been on the board for long enough to make a difference, but he's done nothing but produce pie in the sky plans, he's quick enough to get his dish on the telly, then shows his mental acumen by responding in his own name on here. I'd like to know how he thinks his change in status from Director to Chairman will fundamentally change the fortunes of BRFC, many I have spoken with cannot be arsed with him and are more likely to withdraw their support. Really, is that who your faint hope of salvation relies on? Before your Redcar fades to pink, my point was; without inward investment to the tune of £200k the club hasn't a hope, that's not exclusively looking backwards, it's reality, I have said the likely outcome will be Bell and his merry men will keep trying to run the club until it is no longer financially viable, that is also reality, what is hard to understand is why a minority still support Bell, he's done nothing to suggest he is the man for the job, he may look and think he has done half the job by getting the club relegated, next stop oblivion, then job done, what a PLONKER!

Mr Believer, I think we all now realise, the horse has bolted and a large dose of reality has set in, if John Bell has the mandate as chairman from his fellow directors, then there is little can be done to stop him, as you will realise from my previous postings, I am no fan of JB, but as you say, it's a thankless gig being a volunteer or a director, so fair play to all that try. if whoever is in charge, can turn things around, then hats off to them. The sustainable model of a football club, is not going around with the begging bowl, its forming a good progressive team on the park, results put bums on seats and sponsorship follows, for Berwick, getting back into the league system is a must, but keeping us there requires ongoing investment, it's easy to say about mismanagement over previous years, but the current bunch of clowns were able to do what no others had done before them and got us relegated into the LL. I personally don't think there is any way back, without inward investment to the tune of, up to £200k and that is unlikely to happen, if JB and his merry men keep things going, then good on them, but there will come a time when they simply cannot balance the books. Give it 12 months and see where we are, I fear we will be a mid to lower table LL club, with little prospects, the more years we are away, then the more difficult it will become to bridge the gap. Our biggest problem is without doubt geographical, talk about getting players in from the North East is admirable but they will not want to come and play in a league which is on par with the Northern League etc, neither do players from the central belt want to come to Berwick, they prefer something on their doorstep, we are then left with what's left, which is what we have had for a few years now, undoubtedly, players would come if they knew they were going to be part of a project, leading to promotion and success, something they could buy into, sadly, we do not have the wherewithal to do this at this current time. Maladministration is what's happened here, no doubt whatsoever.

Had a lie in today, too much bevy last night. No Agenda here, but I'll tell it as it is. Walla's oot, he's had enough, sick of getting verbally abused in the pubs, he wants rid, Lennie will go as well, these two are like Hinge and Bracket, you don't get one without the other. Bell still wants the top job, even though he's as popular as a fart in a spacesuit, Heston is keen to take on the SC mantel, there's a bit of an ego trip here, offers from the Rowan consortium have evaporated, they don't want Bell anywhere near the club, certainly not as chairman, plus there is another group, who are made up of a few local individuals who want full control, but they are rapidly, losing interest. My man in the know, says, that the board are embarrassed, but aware that the club is now worth naff all. The unforgivable mistake they made in letting the club get relegated is proving more costly than they could have realised or imagined, and they are now acutely aware that they simply cannot compete with the front runners in the LL. The boards fall-back strategy was that they would pop down a level for a season and then get straight back up, which they know now, this is unlikely to happen, so, its many seasons of mediocrity to come, that is if the club can stay financially viable or the club will eventually go bust. The board are aware that, what little money they have, plus the parachute payments will soon evaporate, they expect that interest in the club will diminish and income from gate receipts and advertising will fall up to 60%, this hardly gives the club a firm footing for the future or provides confidence for any investor(s). My opinion, for what its worth is; the club can only be saved by an investor or investor group who will take full control, invest first and foremost in the team, which could cost up to £200k, if they are ambitious. The other alternative with Bell and the gang is just more of the same, living on the hope of a lucrative cup draw. The strategy of getting people and businesses to donate a little or a lot is not going to work, you cannot run a business on handouts. The reality is, no-one will come forward to invest serious money, you might get a couple of £5k or £10k but that is well short of the mark, Bell and his cronies will inevitably take this forward, driving the bus with blindfolds on, interest in BRFC has already diminished, note the lack of postings on here and FB, sadly, there is no way back without serious investment, as I have stated before, the directors are all culpable, so leave them to their plaything and let the club sink until its a distant memory, at least if it completely folds in a year or so's time, the current directors will have someone else to blame. I know it paints a sorry picture, but like it or not, it is the likely scenario. If anyone can be more positive, I'd like to hear it, as your not likely to get any communication from the boardroom as they have never engaged with their fanbase all season apart from the SC prepared statement when relegation was confirmed.

your right, they are all arses!

Mr A Believer, yes I have an agenda and I will keep making my opinion, so get used to it, I'm going nowhere! How do you know this information is restricted, we are not talking the official secrets act here, privileged, yes you might think it has been a privilege to watch the demise of the football club, private, the ones in charge couldn't keep things confidential if they tried, for what it worth, I believe you are a board director and your upset that your management and boardroom plans have been outed before you losers have been able to make the announcements, is that correct or what. My information is not fed by anyone, correct me if I'm wrong but Yano will be Manager and Brownlie will be Technical Director, I bet I have this right!!!!! If you want any more information, straight from the horses mouth, let me know, it'll save you speaking to your fellow board members.

Shite forgot one of the Bellend's 2 Bells enough for any club!

THE NOTORIOUS TWEEDMOUTH ELEVEN REMEMBER; HUSH, EYRE, BELL, PARKIN, BERESFORD, EXLEY, McLAREN, TAIT, HAMILTON, HOOD & WATKIN - COLLECTIVELY GOT BERWICK RANGERS RELEGATED! Nobody else but them! Nearly one week on from loosing our league status, the sound from the boardroom is deafening!!! I'm sure these lot think we are all as thick as the yellow pages, their tactics are clearly to leave it a week or so, until the dust settles, then a couple of directors (Walla and Lennie) will walk the plank, leaving the remaining clowns to try and run what's left. This means Bell as chairman (T*ssa) Heston representing the supporters club (nae idea) then a group of sheep directors (baa!!!) who don't have a pot to piss in, Yano in as manager, Brownlie as Director of football. No way this will get us back, but the reality is that the current board know they cannot compete with others in the LL and if you think top six is realistic next season, then you've been buying something other than blinds from the shop at Highfields. I wonder if they gave each other "I GOT BERWICK RELEGATED!" badges, last Saturday, to wear in the pubs about town whilst chuckling the night away. In all honesty, they couldn't give a shite, no moral compass from any of them, some will fade into the background, others will carry on with their ego trips and will eventually give Bell carte blanch, who knows we might even have a new stadium in time for the EOSL in 2021, these directors; the notorious tweedmouth eleven, didn't even try to retain the clubs league status, they club dropped out the league with a wimper Disappointing and Disgraceful!

The great master plan is, wait for it! it's been well thought out by the club hierarchy!!! Yano manager, great choice after finishing bottom of the LL with Whitehill Welfare, check out his record, it's on par with Harvey!! Brownlie Director of Football! Jeez is that the best they can come up with, I'm informed that this will be sanctioned at the next board meeting, mark my words. Problem is, nobody wants to get involved with the shite team, maybe JB had a point in keeping Harvey. This club is still on a downward spiral, upstairs have still not grasped it, this type of appointment is not going to get us out of the LL anytime soon, time to buy a tombstone!

Mr Unbeatable and Mr Dougster are completely correct in their comments, the common denominator is that we are all seriously pissed off at the final outcome at Shielfield. There are posters on P & B that are critical of all the directors, some are just critical of some, others in the case of JB, defend their own. Truth is, in reality, it wouldn't have taken mystic meg to forecast this situation, it had been on the horizon for years, FFS I went to the Bell Tower School and even I could see this coming. Venting your spleen on P & B probably makes no difference whatsoever, but at least when the tinpot future chairman comments in his own name, you know the directors are looking to gauge the level of criticism being aimed at them, as for provoking a response, I'm the man! This is where I understand we are at this time, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong; The club is a PLC it is owned by its shareholders, this are basically made up of the Supporters Club, the Supporters Trust and a number of individual Shareholders, the SC hold the majority of the shares and also own the Lease from Northumberland County Council, the ST are the next largest shareholder, then you have the individual shareholders. to force regime change, the largest majority shareholder needs to either sell their controlling interest or agree new officeholders. The majority shareholder is the organ grinder, whoever has this is in charge, end of story! At this time, the club has its current bank balance, assets and the £40k parachute payment, nothing more, nothing less. There is no value in any shares apart from the group that holds the majority. Lennie and Walla represent the SC so as I have said, they won't be easy to remove, I would hope they will look to pass the SC mantel to others who they think can take things forward. The statement suggesting an EGM could only be good for the club, even the majority of current directors will agree that changes need to be made, I'm afraid JB is not the man to lead the club forward, I am critical of him only because he doesn't listen and keeps going in his own direction, bollocks to boardroom opinion, that is not how a director operates, he needs to work constructively with his board members. I do have some sympathy for the directors, there is no way they would have wanted the relegation to happen, but we are now where we are, yes the directors were in above their heads, they failed to act when it was glaringly obvious that they needed to do something, that makes them altogether culpable, the club is finished, unfortunately, I can't see any way back for them, there are clubs in the LL and HL who have bigger budgets and are run professionally, even if a new board comes in, how could they take this shambles forward, basically they will be wasting their time. The club needs and investor or investor's but, who in their right mind would invest in a LL club without owning it outright, that means you need to ditch the fan ownership model etc, the only way this could happen is the club should be put into administration, accept the points deduction next season, then build for the following season, the cost of this would be the SC and ST plus individuals will loose the value of their shares, but as they are now worth F*ck all, is it such a bad thing.

Sorry Jason, I take your point I should have said Mark Heston WTF! I stand corrected and apologise to all the cabbies out there!

To be honest it went badly wrong for BRFC when the trust idea of club ownership launched, it produced a faction under Bell who wanted and still wants to take full control of the club, SC and ST buying shares has been the downfall, although they will not admit it, dissect the board and you will realise how the clash of opinions and personalities cannot take the club forward, Bell has in his mind set to where he wants to take the club and will not change, there is lack of investment on the playing squad, no wonder there is infighting, couple that with pish communications and you will understand it is a full blown royal shambles.