The Falkirk FC Thread

[Zbairn]

"However, on the subject of ethics and morals you may be interested to know a FFC Director recorded one of the Teams meetings without permission, which is a serious misjudgement - stones and glass houses springs to mind"

Funny that ... I heard they did the same with another fans group. Suggested that the phone call was private , but had some interested directors listening in. Devious to say the least.

[Shadwell Dog]

4 minutes ago, Zbairn said:

"However, on the subject of ethics and morals you may be interested to know a FFC Director recorded one of the Teams meetings without permission, which is a serious misjudgement - stones and glass houses springs to mind"

Funny that ... I heard they did the same with another fans group. Suggested that the phone call was private , but had some interested directors listening in. Devious to say the least.

That and then refusing to converse in any way other than phone calls so there's no evidence left of the shite they're spewing.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Bainsfordbairn said:

What? 

I have no idea who user FTID is and I have no involvement whatsoever in any board matters. Nor am I using social media to either attack or defend any of the parties who are. I know nothing about it other than what I've read on here. I give you my word of honour on that and will happily meet you in person to discuss it.  

The most "anti-board" person I know is Back Post Misses. I met him for the first time maybe a decade ago when he came along to a Bairnstrust meeting. The conversation turned to the BOD and I told him that I had no interest in boardroom matters and his eyebrows did a Mr Spock impersonation. My feelings haven't changed in the slightest. 

Of the current board, I obviously know and like Kieran Koszary because I've worked with and helped him in his Commercial role for a number of years. I have no relationship with any of the others. That applies to most of the BOD members whom I've encountered. 

The only exceptions are those BOD members whom I got to know because they were around the club on a daily basis. I have a lot of time for Ronnie Bateman and liked Margaret Lang as a human being, though I strongly disagreed with a number of decisions that were made during her tenure. 

Conversely, there are a few BOD people whom I disliked intensely because I saw both how they behaved and how their decisions affected staff members who were friends of mine. Though for obvious reasons I'm never going to name them or go into detail. 

Your allegation about me is both untrue and unfair, given that my name is known on here and I have no idea who you are. 

Will you explain it? 

 

 

Well, given that you have spoken of your dislike in the past tense, then obviously they are no longer there. From that point on, it’s not too much of a leap.

Your liking of Mr Bateman isn’t universally shared, that’s for sure. Maybe it once was, but it’s amazing how opinions can change with just one outrageous lie. Followed by the hallmark silence of course.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Duncan Freemason

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Reggie Perrin said:

The Fred Goodwin school of business.

I think it’s been renamed the Anne Budge School.

[Sortmeout]

2 hours ago, PedroMoutinho said:

Rumours Alston’s going to Kilmarnock.

 

2 hours ago, Peter LaFleur said:

Wow, fair play to him if he pulls that off.

 

2 hours ago, JulioBairn said:

Why cos a “WeAreKillie” twitter page with 1 follower said it?

PedroMoutinho’s source discovered #SourceGate

It’s the other side of Ayrshire I heard he is heading too (and I don’t mean Darvel).

[Shadwell Dog]

3 minutes ago, Sortmeout said:

 

 

It’s the other side of Ayrshire I heard he is heading too (and I don’t mean Darvel).

I'd think so.Freeing Gary dicker and then signing Alston would be ludicrous .

[Guest Caractacus Potts]

51 minutes ago, HopeStreetWalker said:

Back again to point out the reality of the Rawlins involvement. The only asset FFC have is a part share in the stadium, even at that its worthless unless the other stakeholders in the stadium company are bought out. Its the stadium and the surrounding land they want. This fantasy about their sports agency supplying players is soon going to be exposed as the nonsense it always was.

They will buy out the other stakeholders in the stadium company and FFC when it is deemed to be at its cheapest.

I’m not sure what their intentions are but I’m not ok with either particularly buying the stand or land. The council have had us hamstrung for years and the South Stand payments aren’t great for us either. 
 

If they buy the South Stand for a cut price then that’s not good news particularly since it would have been fans money that paid it off. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Sortmeout said:

 

 

It’s the other side of Ayrshire I heard he is heading too (and I don’t mean Darvel).

Interesting choice if that’s where he goes. We are all saddened by how it has ended for him, but if Ayr reckon they’ve got themselves a gem of a player, his physical condition won’t be able to deliver. We all wish him well right enough. It’ll be a long time before we can truly claim that a player was or is “one of our own”.

[FFC 1876]

A midfield of Alston and Todd would be cronic. Both extremely immobile. Hopefully see some of our rumoured pre contract signings next week and we better see the release of Ben Haddy Hall wouldn't even be happy having him as back up. 

[Long Suffering Bairn]

Was Gow involved in last week's failed £600,000 offer again?

[Zbairn]

5 minutes ago, Long Suffering Bairn said:

Was Gow involved in last week's failed £600,000 offer again?

no !

[Stainrod]

5 hours ago, Caractacus Potts said:

I think it’s good to have alternative views but not just for the sake of it. There has been a lot of open comment about the patrons but you want to constantly question their intentions or state the Rawlins defence before they’ve answered. 
 

Judging by the lack of financial investment so far from the Rawlins and the lack of inspiring input to the managerial search including the  appointment of Holt, I think we need to start focussing on them. Why are they controlling the club with a small stake and why did they knock back £600k? Let’s have them answer first before questioning the fans group. 

Simples They are in a position to control ( some elements) of the club because that’s the deal they negotiated. The other board members have no shares and no cash to buy any. ( or much of a clue ))
They knocked back the investment because they would have been reduced to being purely investors. ( You don’t make money investing in provincial football clubs in Scotland) They don’t want to be investors or owners they want to sit in the middle space ( safe from the gaze of the football regulators who don’t allow owners to be agents or owners to have significant interests in other clubs .  ( Watch this space that move will be coming ) They intend to use the club and probably others to have access to the English transfer market where Agents( really it’s what they are or plan to be currently in disguise ) can make millions -particularly if they can control the raw material  .  Rawlings and his lawyer mate know this from their experience at Stoke that control  over the flow of players is critical . They were frustrated as they didn’t have it at stoke or Orlando but they saw exactly how it could work ) They now have it at Falkirk and  our new investors would have interfered with that )

Now the crux of the matter is will it be good for us - my guess is YES it probably will be great as believe me I have every faith under Rawlings we are headed for the premiership. Why because he knows what it takes to be successful in the game and is shrewd.  Now I would rather have both the new investment and his business experience but you can’t have your cake and eat it . 
The shrewdness is the bit we have been missing for so long  and to have that skill on board long term is worth  a lot more than 600k short term . If he makes a few bob along the way he deserves it for devising and executing what is a pretty smart plan . 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Stainrod
Spiein

[Shadwell Dog]

34 minutes ago, Stainrod said:

Simples They are in a position to control ( some elements) of the club because that’s the deal they negotiated. The other board members have no shares and no cash to buy any. ( or much of a clue ))
They knocked back the investment because they would have been reduced to being purely investors. ( You don’t make money investing in provincial football clubs in Scotland) They don’t want to be investors or owners they want to sit in the middle space ( safe from the gaze of the football regulators who don’t allow owners to be agents or owners to have significant interests in other clubs .  ( Watch this space that move will be coming ) They intend to use the club and probably others to have access to the English transfer market where Agents( really it’s what they are or plan to be currently in disguise ) can make millions -particularly if they can control the raw material  .  Rawlings and his lawyer mate know this from their experience at Stoke that control  over the flow of players is critical . They were frustrated as they didn’t have it at stoke or Orlando but they saw exactly how it could work ) They now have it at Falkirk and  our new investors would have interfered with that )

Now the crux of the matter is will it be good for us - my guess is YES it probably will be great as believe me I have every faith under Rawlings we are headed for the premiership. Why because he knows what it takes to be successful in the game and is shrewd.  Now I would rather have both the new investment and his business experience but you can’t have your cake and eat it . 
The shrewdness is the bit we have been missing for so long  and to have that skill on board long term is worth  a lot more than 600k short term . If he makes a few bob along the way he deserves it for devising and executing what is a pretty smart plan . 

So where are these great signings that are going to make Rawlins a fortune and take us to the top flight. Certainly none of the 4 highlighted so far are in that category and neither were any of the players signed in January. So far it's been the usual standard of jobbers. And if this is the case why play hardball with a bunch of boys wanting to stick a few signs up on a stand FFS. We also need to have the funds to pay  these superstars that are coming in. At the moment we have a circa 700k whole in the budget which is why Rawlins is desperate for the patrons cash but doesn't want to give up anything to get it.  He has till Monday to increase his own investment but that seems unlikely now even though deans was basically putting that up as a formality when they first came in. I  await the incoming flow of star players but I won't hold my breath.

 

[Shadwell Dog]

1 hour ago, Zbairn said:

no !

It was Gow that put Deans on to the Rawlins though so make of that what you will.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Long Suffering Bairn said:

Was Gow involved in last week's failed £600,000 offer again?

Absolutely not. This was not an Indian or Mexican or Lithuanian backed group. This was an attempt by Falkirk supporters to have a meaningful say in the future of the club. It would have had a chance of failing like anything else, but as least they weren’t painting themselves in the manner that the Rawlins did with a sales pitch podcast that was straight out of the Carlton Cards Happy Birthday Grandma rack at your local gift shop.

Like many,minhad been giving glowing references about the guy from a former work colleague in Stoke. He has kind of back tracked on just about all of it as something he heard, rather than something he experienced (which was what he had alluded to when he first spoke about him).

[TxRover]

49 minutes ago, Shadwell Dog said:

He has till Monday to increase his own investment but that seems unlikely now even though deans was basically putting that up as a formality when they first came in.

Follow the thought through, is there a finacial reason to complete the investment? If the club is still morbund and disfunctional, is the required capital investment an accurate vaulation of the value received for that investment. That is, how much are they required to invest to get X% stake in the club, and then what is that X% worth in the current environment. Perhaps @HopeStreetWalker has hit the nail on the head and identified the intention of the Rawlins to defer the next investment until the value of the club has bottomed out. With talk of budgetary holes and mooting of part time status, there is certainly room for the club value to fall more, reducing the required outlay and increasing the effective rate of return when (or if, depends on your optimism) a turnaround occurs. Plus, by waiting beyond the agreed upon frame, they open the investment amount to negotiations again.

Once again, consider this investment is buttons to the Rawlins, so anything they do that leverages their return is an absolute no brainer...unfortunately for the fans of FFC. Seeing Rawlins investment announced it seemed positive at the time, now it seems quite less so. There is nothing sinister about the knocking back of the fans group offer, it was simply business...something that is bad news for good football.

[FalkirkBairn2021]

1 hour ago, Stainrod said:

Simples They are in a position to control ( some elements) of the club because that’s the deal they negotiated. The other board members have no shares and no cash to buy any. ( or much of a clue ))
They knocked back the investment because they would have been reduced to being purely investors. ( You don’t make money investing in provincial football clubs in Scotland) They don’t want to be investors or owners they want to sit in the middle space ( safe from the gaze of the football regulators who don’t allow owners to be agents or owners to have significant interests in other clubs .  ( Watch this space that move will be coming ) They intend to use the club and probably others to have access to the English transfer market where Agents( really it’s what they are or plan to be currently in disguise ) can make millions -particularly if they can control the raw material  .  Rawlings and his lawyer mate know this from their experience at Stoke that control  over the flow of players is critical . They were frustrated as they didn’t have it at stoke or Orlando but they saw exactly how it could work ) They now have it at Falkirk and  our new investors would have interfered with that )

Now the crux of the matter is will it be good for us - my guess is YES it probably will be great as believe me I have every faith under Rawlings we are headed for the premiership. Why because he knows what it takes to be successful in the game and is shrewd.  Now I would rather have both the new investment and his business experience but you can’t have your cake and eat it . 
The shrewdness is the bit we have been missing for so long  and to have that skill on board long term is worth  a lot more than 600k short term . If he makes a few bob along the way he deserves it for devising and executing what is a pretty smart plan . 

I'm sorry but to get to the Premiership we need to invest 7 figures in the playing squad. The last time we were promoted under Hughes we threw money at it and recouped it the following season. 

If the Rawlins are prepared to do that fair play. I doubt it very much. 

[Zbairn]

1 hour ago, Stainrod said:

Simples They are in a position to control ( some elements) of the club because that’s the deal they negotiated. The other board members have no shares and no cash to buy any. ( or much of a clue ))
They knocked back the investment because they would have been reduced to being purely investors. ( You don’t make money investing in provincial football clubs in Scotland) They don’t want to be investors or owners they want to sit in the middle space ( safe from the gaze of the football regulators who don’t allow owners to be agents or owners to have significant interests in other clubs .  ( Watch this space that move will be coming ) They intend to use the club and probably others to have access to the English transfer market where Agents( really it’s what they are or plan to be currently in disguise ) can make millions -particularly if they can control the raw material  .  Rawlings and his lawyer mate know this from their experience at Stoke that control  over the flow of players is critical . They were frustrated as they didn’t have it at stoke or Orlando but they saw exactly how it could work ) They now have it at Falkirk and  our new investors would have interfered with that )

Now the crux of the matter is will it be good for us - my guess is YES it probably will be great as believe me I have every faith under Rawlings we are headed for the premiership. Why because he knows what it takes to be successful in the game and is shrewd.  Now I would rather have both the new investment and his business experience but you can’t have your cake and eat it . 
The shrewdness is the bit we have been missing for so long  and to have that skill on board long term is worth  a lot more than 600k short term . If he makes a few bob along the way he deserves it for devising and executing what is a pretty smart plan . 

A few interesting comments in there.

"They don't want to be investors or owners" ? - They are now effectively the owners, blocking investment.

"Watch this space, that move will be coming" ? - You oviously have inside knowledge. Are you a Board Member privvy to this information ?

Access young blood from the English transfer market ? - where have we heard that before - Oh yeah, the Brentford model.  It's been tried at other clubs up here and failed miserably

Shrewdness ? - I would say more devious in the way he manipulated the shareholders (with the BoD's backing) to agree to increasing the shareholding of the club by almost double. That is not an attempt to just have a say in proceedings, that  is an attempt to take ownership by stealth.

If it all goes pear shaped...we the long suffering fans will be the ones who have to pick up the pieces again.... if we can next time.

[Stainrod]

10 minutes ago, FalkirkBairn2021 said:

I'm sorry but to get to the Premiership we need to invest 7 figures in the playing squad. The last time we were promoted under Hughes we threw money at it and recouped it the following season. 

If the Rawlins are prepared to do that fair play. I doubt it very much. 

I believe they miss judged last season - from afar it must have looked like a stick on we would go up. 
if they don’t invest to get us up there is no point in them being involved - I believe this season he will make sure we walk it ! 

[Shadwell Dog]

2 minutes ago, Stainrod said:

I believe they miss judged last season - from afar it must have looked like a stick on we would go up. 
if they don’t invest to get us up there is no point in them being involved - I believe this season he will make sure we walk it ! 

Well why let Holt start signing up the same standard of jobbers we've just got rid of? If he wants us to walk it we'll need to start signing a far better standard than the 4 we have supposedly signed already. Heard we'd also signed some boy Fae Edinburgh city too which is hardly pushing the boat out. If he's not willing to buy another few hundred thousand shares then i can't see him pumping cash into the club to sign players. And why appoint a dof of Holt's standard too? Surely with their contacts they should have been able to get a real top notch dof in to get in the top quality signings they want.