The Falkirk FC Thread

[Proudtobeabairn]

Let's give Lewis a bit of credit, if theres a high volume of questions asking more or less the same thing then he'll be forced to ask it.  He has a little more leeway here than in the pre/post match interviews as the questions are not his.  Hopefully he'll use that leeway and ask the difficult ones.  I've emailed some of mine in anyway and suggest everyone with concerns does the same. 

Good to get a bit more detail over the last few pages on the fans bid.  I still think the fundamental issue is that the Rawlins haven't had time to properly influence the running of the club and do things their way.  They clearly want (and I think deserve) the chance to do that before they will agree to boardroom changes etc.  The proposed changes to the boardroom would have held them back (is the way they'll see it) in terms of decision making.  A change of chairman along with the new fans reps would have made it extremely difficult to get things done especially if the changes they want to make are unpopular but necessary.  

Those on here supporting the fans bid seem to gloss over that point when its raised.  The Rawlins are not fans, they're here to make money and to do that we need to be successful.   

I'd like to see the fans group restructure their investment proposal.  Stagger it over the next 2-3 years and make it dependent on the Rawlins hitting milestones and increasing fans representation on the board over that period.  Trust needs to be regained on both sides and this way we get to see what impact the Rawlins can make but with the medium/longer term balance of power shifting towards the fans.  

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by Proudtobeabairn

[Guest]

If the Rawlins need us to be successful, then why would they take the massive risk of signing L1 standard players on two and three year deals? I agree, McCann is now being held up as the exception to the rule, but he too has been in L1 for a while.

If they were so driven by Falkirk success, they have had enough time to bring about positive and visible change. They haven’t done it. All they have done is ensure they have a Board in place that is 100% loyal to their 26%.

[Proudtobeabairn]

6 minutes ago, Duncan Freemason said:

If the Rawlins need us to be successful, then why would they take the massive risk of signing L1 standard players on two and three year deals? I agree, McCann is now being held up as the exception to the rule, but he too has been in L1 for a while.

If they were so driven by Falkirk success, they have had enough time to bring about positive and visible change. They haven’t done it. All they have done is ensure they have a Board in place that is 100% loyal to their 26%.

C'mon - they've been in the door 5mins and haven't even made it to Scotland yet.  

During that time we've appointed a sporting director, development coach, restarted the development team, changed the management team, released 90% of the first team and are in the process of rebuilding a team that will (hopefully) win the league.  

They've also communicated poorly, hacked off some fans by rejecting their investment and rubbed some of the status quo at the club up the wrong way.  

Its too early to judge them but they must deliver now.  If we win the league with points to spare this season we'll hopefully see more and more of their influence (in a positive way) and investment.  

Edited June 16, 2021 by Proudtobeabairn

[Guest Caractacus Potts]

55 minutes ago, Proudtobeabairn said:

Let's give Lewis a bit of credit, if theres a high volume of questions asking more or less the same thing then he'll be forced to ask it.  He has a little more leeway here than in the pre/post match interviews as the questions are not his.  Hopefully he'll use that leeway and ask the difficult ones.  I've emailed some of mine in anyway and suggest everyone with concerns does the same. 

Good to get a bit more detail over the last few pages on the fans bid.  I still think the fundamental issue is that the Rawlins haven't had time to properly influence the running of the club and do things their way.  They clearly want (and I think deserve) the chance to do that before they will agree to boardroom changes etc.  The proposed changes to the boardroom would have held them back (is the way they'll see it) in terms of decision making.  A change of chairman along with the new fans reps would have made it extremely difficult to get things done especially if the changes they want to make are unpopular but necessary.  

Those on here supporting the fans bid seem to gloss over that point when its raised.  The Rawlins are not fans, they're here to make money and to do that we need to be successful.   

I'd like to see the fans group restructure their investment proposal.  Stagger it over the next 2-3 years and make it dependent on the Rawlins hitting milestones and increasing fans representation on the board over that period.  Trust needs to be regained on both sides and this way we get to see what impact the Rawlins can make but with the medium/longer term balance of power shifting towards the fans.  

 

I think a lot of what you say seems fair but given what’s already went on I’m concerned and the highlighted part is a huge point that I think gets glossed over too. We have to understand how they intend to make money and their plan to make us successful. They’re involved now so no more staged interviews. They have to be open, transparent and accountable for their actions. 

I get it’s early days but if they were as impressive as everyone made out then I’d expect more inspiring people to be brought in to the club in terms of Sporting Director, coach, players and sponsors. Better retail options, better communication, better social media output too. What’s happened so far is nothing different from what I’d expect before they joined. In fact, I’d say things have got worse. 
 

They also presided over one of the worst collapses in Scottish football history. 6 months may be a short time but a lot can be achieved in that period(plus they were in the background before then). All they seem to be doing is further increasing the disparity between fan and club. 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by Caractacus Potts

[Shadwell Dog]

If they are so desperate for success then why have they reneged on investing more cash then. Surely increasing investment in the team and getting us out this league is the number one priority. Everything listed so far are things that we could easily do before Rawlins appeared.  Level of signings and manager are nothing we couldn't have appointed before. This team is still not a shoe in for the league one title by any manner of means.  Let the Rawlins put their cash where their mouth is and get us some real quality in so that winning this league is a formality instead of gambling on the same old quality as before.   What a difference to the side 600k could've made so time for the Rawlins to put up or shut up.

The fact that people aren't concerned that the Rawlins are happy to keep one of the worst chairman in the history of the club as a stooge is also beyond me. Any decent business man looking for success would be binning deans straight away.

Edited June 16, 2021 by Shadwell Dog

[MrDust]

59 minutes ago, Proudtobeabairn said:

Let's give Lewis a bit of credit, if theres a high volume of questions asking more or less the same thing then he'll be forced to ask it.  He has a little more leeway here than in the pre/post match interviews as the questions are not his.  Hopefully he'll use that leeway and ask the difficult ones.  I've emailed some of mine in anyway and suggest everyone with concerns does the same. 

Good to get a bit more detail over the last few pages on the fans bid.  I still think the fundamental issue is that the Rawlins haven't had time to properly influence the running of the club and do things their way.  They clearly want (and I think deserve) the chance to do that before they will agree to boardroom changes etc.  The proposed changes to the boardroom would have held them back (is the way they'll see it) in terms of decision making.  A change of chairman along with the new fans reps would have made it extremely difficult to get things done especially if the changes they want to make are unpopular but necessary.  

Those on here supporting the fans bid seem to gloss over that point when its raised.  The Rawlins are not fans, they're here to make money and to do that we need to be successful.   

I'd like to see the fans group restructure their investment proposal.  Stagger it over the next 2-3 years and make it dependent on the Rawlins hitting milestones and increasing fans representation on the board over that period.  Trust needs to be regained on both sides and this way we get to see what impact the Rawlins can make but with the medium/longer term balance of power shifting towards the fans.  

 

If 99% of the questions asked were similar, we would get the 1% and a skirting around the 99% and license to make up other questions. 

The Q&A set up is as good as pointless, we have had weeks of silence and the set up of getting answers at the Q&A is as well as being silence.

The Rawlins involvement is perhaps broken with covid for now, time will tell for sure but not a lot has changed at the club, the decisions being made are very much the same head scratching as before.

 

[Senator Frimpton]

You'd think if the current powers that be at the club were serious about rebuilding fan trust (and with it healthy seasons sales) they would positively encourage being asked the 'hard' questions all the fans would love to hear answers to. The chat might get feisty, with a few figurative shiners, a bit emotional arms round shoulders singalong tubthumping up and at em togetherness, and some slightly embarrassed sore heads the next morning. But at least the sun would be shining and the season books would sell like hotcakes.

I suspect however the cloak and dagger bullshittery will continue with detailed responses to lollipop questions and a load of vague guff about all being in it together.

I further suspect this is the only way most of them can get a twitch out their baldy half inchers these days, if I may be so frank.

Hope I'm wrong, probably not though.

Get stuck into these shites bairns!

[FFC 1876]

Hopefully a good few trialists at training tomorrow with some photo's to get us all excited.

[Marshmallo]

I've emailed them and asked if they can get me Ben Hall's autograph. 

[TxRover]

3 hours ago, Shadwell Dog said:

They'll come back with the same old shite about if it was a zoom call it would turn into a rabble  with everyone shouting at once. Feck me you just mute everyone but the question asker and then people click their hands up icon if they want to come in.  It's easily doable.

Except you cannot control for people holding up written comments/questions and such, until after you see them doing it and kick them…suggesting they are now (rightly) concerned that some people would do that, and are simply over the moon that COVID continues to give them an excuse not to hold in-person meeting. It’s completely obvious to anyone looking at this from the outside that the BoD do not want to answer some popular questions. You can ask the same question as many times as you like, but they will tap dance around an answer and move on to the next one. The unwillingness to hold even the pre-submitted (and pre-screened, no matter what they say) Q and A live is depressingly entitled and a clear view of how the BoD look down upon the rabble. The really pathetic thing is that the Falkirk TV lad is going to get eviscerated for what happens regardless, which is a crappy way to deal with a volunteer, and really speaks to the attitude of the club leadership.

[FFC 1876]

What was the point in that squad update, we're all aware who's left and who we've signed just announce some more.

Edited June 16, 2021 by FFC 1876

[Harry Kinnear]

59 minutes ago, TxRover said:

Except you cannot control for people holding up written comments/questions and such, until after you see them doing it and kick them…suggesting they are now (rightly) concerned that some people would do that, and are simply over the moon that COVID continues to give them an excuse not to hold in-person meeting. It’s completely obvious to anyone looking at this from the outside that the BoD do not want to answer some popular questions. You can ask the same question as many times as you like, but they will tap dance around an answer and move on to the next one. The unwillingness to hold even the pre-submitted (and pre-screened, no matter what they say) Q and A live is depressingly entitled and a clear view of how the BoD look down upon the rabble. The really pathetic thing is that the Falkirk TV lad is going to get eviscerated for what happens regardless, which is a crappy way to deal with a volunteer, and really speaks to the attitude of the club leadership.

For a fan of another club well said

[MetalWolf]

So I can't really comment about how zoom calls work.  I rarely use that platform, but with MS Teams we have questions asked by typing live and they answer the most upvoted questions.  Surely this would be a better way to handle it?  I guess it doesn't allow them to filter some abuse they may or may not receive.

[Dawson Park Boy]

26 minutes ago, FFC 1876 said:

What was the point in that squad update, we're all aware who's left and who we've signed just announce some more.

You are relentless.

Well said.

[ebobsboy]

37 minutes ago, FFC 1876 said:

What was the point in that squad update, we're all aware who's left and who we've signed just announce some more.

Decent ones especially up top, if Sheerin is planning on going with Dowds and Keena as a pairing we would be aswell just starting to plan for another season in this league already. But I see the BoD have already mentioned geez yer cash so we can get better players for hee haw in return.

[Harry Kinnear]

4 minutes ago, ebobsboy said:

Decent ones especially up top, if Sheerin is planning on going with Dowds and Keena as a pairing we would be aswell just starting to plan for another season in this league already. But I see the BoD have already mentioned geez yer cash so we can get better players for hee haw in return.

They are on a hiding to nothing with this as no matter if we only sell 500 ST's they cannot wheel this out as an excuse if we fail to go up, they turned down £600k of investment after all so they don't need the money.

[AL-FFC]

I just see this Q and A as a chance for the BoD to give the warm and fuzzy and everything is rosy for FFC in so much so its almost like Saddams spokesman comical Ali with the there are no Americans in Baghdad 

[Shadwell Dog]

1 hour ago, FFC 1876 said:

What was the point in that squad update, we're all aware who's left and who we've signed just announce some more.

No mention of the folk still under contract either to give you the full picture of the squad.  

[Guest Brockvillenomore]

On 01/06/2021 at 10:51, Brockvillenomore said:

Exactly right; except now they need to fund the shortfall in season ticket sales, sponsorship and the likely refund we are all due as season ticket holders for last season when the games were drastically reduced. I've see one calculation that puts the refund due as between £150K and £180K; I've also seen correspondence from the Trading Standards sent to all clubs in April confirming refunds are a legal requirement.  I for one will be asking for a refund, or shares, as well as a GIRUY for last seasons 'gift' - refund or shares for them too please. The tone deaf treatment of the CI and the £600k investment is enough for me. This is Deans and Fulston territory now.

In saw a post on FB about this yesterday and made some calls to the lads who, in the early days, organised all sorts of fund raising. In 1997/98 we all rallied around and saved our club. I'd actually forgotten what we all did it was so blooming long ago.

It's difficult to calculate how much we raised as much went straight into the club in buckets, ST holders paying at the gate etc etc  But a conservative effort is we raised £250k equivalent today. Plus the £250k for finishing second that wouldn't have been possible if it hadn't been for us!  What became the MSG bought the club for a several hundred thousand pounds. Say £300k. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12263475.share-buy-out-saves-falkirk-fc/

None of that would have been possible without the fans. For all the money we pumped in we did not get one share, no voice and treated like sh1t, especially the last ten years or so when they retreated into their bunker and objected to being held accountable, surrounding themselves in an echo chamber that would tell them how great they were.

Fast forward to today. Here we are again, £100k ST 'gift' to the club last year, say £165k this year is a total over 18 months of £265k. I've not included what the likes of BFL have gifted, say £40k no idea. Roughly £300K in two f'ing years and the ST p*sh comes out and no mention of the money they're sleeving. We are due a refund, or shares. But what do we get? Zip, nada, zilch. No mention in the paperwork and a ropey exclusion clause.......when people show you who they are,  believe them.

As I said a couple of weeks ago, this is illegal and Trading Standards have written to all the clubs in Scotland and told them so.

The joke of a fans forum is the final straw for me; these guys are running scared and like the MSG don't like to be held accountable; if / when fans are allowed back in the stadium we need to make to clear this isn't acceptable.

[Marshmallo]

Bairn for Life handing over cash for no return in the way of shares was well intentioned I'm sure, but it has definitely contributed to the club's attitude of everything with the fans being take take take. Why would you cede any power to supporters groups when you've got another in BFL that will give you money and not look for anything in return?