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Bairney The Dinosaur

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Posts posted by Bairney The Dinosaur

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    18 minutes ago, Harry Kinnear said:

    I know it’s never going to happen but I’d like to see how McIver and Allan would work together. Even if not from the start try it for a half, say in a game like last Saturday where we were 3 goals up at HT, bring him on and see how it goes. McIver wins a lot in the air and Allan could possibly feed off that.

    I think we've only seen it this season away at Cove? Allan's goal might actually have been from a MacIver flick on.

    The system we have right now works, but if we are going to test a 'Plan B' then games like the Alloa would be the way to do it.

     

    0

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Roboccop said:

    I wasn’t there as it was my son’s graduation party but got sent this:

     

    Only 25 at meeting. Was simply a rehash version of AGM with Club Directors and Jamie doing the same slide presentations. Ideal for those who didn't attend AGM but nothing new if they did attend AGM. Was a presentation from T Begg on Academy, which had heard most of before. QnA ran for 30 minutes at the end.

     

    1 hour ago, AJ1981 said:

    I'd be worried if what was described as an AGM update for FSS members would be any different from the actual AGM 😀; one of the Director's (Keith Gourley) asked who had been at the actual AGM and only 2 or 3 hands went up making the very point that it was a shortened version of the actual AGM presentation.

    FWIW I found it decent tbh mainly because I've never been at an AGM, lots of information and evidence of solid progress, there was a lot of disappointment mentioned at the low numbers attending.

    Tony Begg's presentation was really good and I'd not heard any of it before. 

    The Q and A at the end was also pretty good, with decent questions asked and honest / direct responses from the directors and the committee members.

    I left feeling positive that we're in a lot better place than we've been for a while and pissed off I didn't bring any cash to buy the new strip, if I'd known it would be for sale I would have.

    Yeah both these posts sum it up really.

    Turnout was disappointing as I think most who left were feeling positive.

    0

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    10 hours ago, Harry Kinnear said:

    Think most Falkirk fans have a lot of time for the guy, I went to school with him and a more dedicated Falkirk fan you will struggle to find, he lives and breathes the club, even though he gets a tad excited at times 🤣

    The folk that were close to it all said it's been blown way out of proportion.

    PM wasn't happy at the ball being thrown away and they both exchanged words (BS in his usual red-faced way). PM said something like "I'll get you outside" and BS replied "you don't want that I'd kill you".

    Bit of an embarrassment all round, but the Binos players are trying to turn it into something more than it was. 

    3

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    31 minutes ago, Jimmy1876 said:

    I haven't made any comments up until now since the share issue but quietly reading what people are saying on all sides is interesting and seems a matter of perspective.

    I understand the desperate need to drive more money in. Whether we have FSS or not, or a benefactor or not there is £400k that we need above our current earnings if we want to be full time in league one or have a top end championship budget. The board  have to explore every opportunity to fill that gap - its their absolute fundamental responsibility. This might be exploring external investment, soft loans or otherwise but they would also be remiss and not doing their job if they weren't asking their biggest shareholders for cash. One of these is FSS. And I can only assume the only reason we hear these conversations more often is because of FSS. If we had a different shareholder who was a benefactor its likely the same conversations would be happening with them in private. Its just that now we are that shareholder. 

    But on the other hand I can see that there are elements that might feel patronising in other ways. The over inflated member target makes it feel like the almost 800 people and 100k joining are either being taken for granted or have failed because its still not enough. Rather than praising and highlighting the fact this is over 100k that didn't exist a couple of years ago. At the same time we are only one leg and we don't necessarily hear the other two legs being asked for this money  (which I'm sure is happening and this is why I say its a matter of perspective) but as a result the responsibility of filling the whole 400k falls heavy on the shoulders of the average fan. Finally, for those who are not interested in fan ownership for whatever reason but give money in hospitality, tickets, season tickets, events, kits and merchandise this also feels like its being taken for granted and you're a "bad fan" if you're not also part of FSS. I think people might rightly decide that their hard earned cash go on something else. Maybe they already spend £50 per month and want that £10 to go on some treats for the kids on a day out. So this "its only x per week if you can afford it" rubs people the wrong way when they are already putting far more in per month that £10 but it partly seems ignored, or not enough. 

    I see both sides here. The board have to do what they have to do and these comms have driven about 60 new fans in a week to join up. Other fans can rightly feel like it's a bit annoying. It's just a matter of which perspective you are coming in from. Having a 400k gap to fill just means this is never going to be a situation where everyone is happy. 

    I think that sums up both sides pretty much perfectly. 

    It shows just how hard it would be to get the messaging spot on to both increase the required fan-funding and not piss people off. 

    Perhaps if the wider support had a better understanding of what was being asked of the PG and large shareholders (and I know things have been/are being asked) it would feel like less of the burden was on them. Saying that I know that the larger shareholders particularly don't like there names being mentioned even when linked positive news.

    2

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Braes_Bairn said:

    It feels very much like deflecting the blame to the fans so that directors can walk away and claim it is not their fault when financial difficulties arise in the near future.

    You can say all you want about the cost/value of FSS or that the announcements of 2/2.5/3k members are unrealistic (and I'd agree to an extent with that). 

    The bit I've quoted is just complete fucking nonsense. I'd assume it comes from a place of ignorance rather than anything else and recommend you actually read the big statement that came out after the AGM or, if you are an FSS Member, go to the AGM update night they have planned.

    This is what has been said from the AGM update.

    "Supporters should be reassured that the club now has the ability to be run within its means. However, without an uplift in fan-funding this possibly means becoming part-time or hybrid next season, if still in League One, or having a Championship football budget which isn’t significantly larger than it is this season."

    So because of the money that FSS currently bring in (£110k+) and the improvement in commercial income the club can be run sustainably, although this would likely mean part-time football in league 1, or a low to middle budget in the Championship. If we want to be a club that has a football budget large enough to contain a strong first team squad + an academy then more would be needed. It is as simple as that. 

    5

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    On 06/10/2023 at 17:11, Bainsfordbairn said:

    Is the three legged stool still a thing? 

    You'll know better than me, but I wouldn't have thought the likes of Sandy Alexander / Martin Ritchie were involved now and we're obviously not seeking external investment atm. 

    That just leaves patrons and FSS. I have no idea who all the patrons are or their financial circumstances, but I wouldn't have thought someone who's already put in 10K would be expected to do it again. Whereas a guy putting in a tenner a month can do it for years to come. Albeit some of the patrons did put in more cash to buy shares recently, which resulted in all sorts of wild theories about their motives. 

    In my eyes patrons and FSS are the same thing: ordinary fans who give what they can to help the club they love. 

    I kind of think of it as a one-legged stool nowadays. Am I wrong? 

    Folk probably won't thank me for bringing this stuff back up but I thought it worth mentioning that I'm still completely behind the 3-legged stool model and actually believe it is really important we stick to it. Although I get the premise of what BB is saying, I'm quoting this post as a way of kicking off my thoughts.

    All three legs still/can still play a vital role to me.

    1. (Small) The collective support from FSS, which does need more buying in (not convinced of 2500 yet but 1200 is a good goal). 

    2. (Medium) I think of the Patrons Group as almost like the 'business' element of the support. I think it's less important how much money they have (although I'd assume it's more than the average fan), but that they have the time and expertise to run a business. From what I understand it is the connections these people have that has helped bring in the significant uplift in sponsorship and also allows the club to run events for effectively no cost (the PG 'covers' costs). I'd quite like them to publish more of what they are doing because it is good work. I don't expect this group to be matching FSS cash contribution, but it would not surprise me if they brought in this amount (maybe more?) in sponsorships/free work for club.

    3. (Large) I think BB post is right. The ones currently in this group are not involved in the day to day. I've absolutely no doubt in my mind though that MR and SA would help if things started to turn again and I don't believe their shares will ever be sold and rather returned to club when that time comes. Moving forward though, if the small and medium shareholders can collectively run the club sustainably, the large group becomes so much more attractive for an external investor. I don't think we would see a 4th stand built unless we had someone here.

    I reckon that with our Fan ownership model we do have the potential to have the best of all worlds that you wouldn't otherwise get being fully owned by a Fans group.

    4

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    39 minutes ago, ShaggerG said:

    According to some melt sitting close to us, Falkirk were shite and didn't try. Moaning faced b*****d. Every time Donaldson (who I don't think put a foot wrong) went near the ball it was 'c'mon you fur fuks sake'. Doesn't normally sit anywhere near us so he's probably one of those 'fans' that just turn up for the bigger games so that they can whine their faces off!

    Maybe moans on here too?

    There was a lot more moaning around me as well. First time I've heard it this season and I wondered if it was maybe folk coming to their first game in a while. We weren't great obviously, but not poor enough to deserve a slagging.

    It was disappointing because the KM7 has felt a really positive place to be. Last week against Montrose when we had 2 setbacks during the game the fans never turned. I felt like there was a few starting to today.

    Ultras were good as always in responding to moans by trying to lift it. At one point in the second half I think it was clear they were trying to drown it out.

    3

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    35 minutes ago, Van_damage said:

    Ultimately the most important part moving forward is that lessons have been learned however upon listening to the podcast it seems the blame has been pushed at members for getting the wrong end of the stick more than any miscommunication.

    Caveat this with I haven't listened to the podcast so don't know what was said, but my understanding is that it wasn't the 25% target that was misunderstood but how to get there. 

    The misunderstanding was that for FSS to get to 25% they would require share donation rather than buying the shares from the club. 

    I agree with you though that this was on FSS for not communicating that clearly rather than members not understanding.

    2

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, PedroMoutinho said:

    Interesting statement. Not sure how well the FSS subscriptions now being solely a donation to the club with the FSS membership having effectively no say on how they are spent will go down. Tbh I am surprised that has been agreed to.

    Now that the shares have been bought there are very little other options available other than donation. It is what happens with most fan owned clubs.

    Short-term focus on keeping us full-time but driving towards establishment of Falkirk Academy is what was discussed at the members meeting.

    6

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Mr Grimsdale said:

    BPM? Anyway good try. But the fans are not just FSS are they? We 100% have to stick together I agree. But there is 80% + of the support not in FSS so the Board has a duty to look after all the parts. FSS reps would always take feedback from the members. I assume they meet with the FSS committee on a regular basis to get the feedback? What I want to see is everyone working together. 

    Just a bit of fun 😉

    I took umbrage at what I perceived was a suggestion FSS doesn't need a strong personality who would speak for and garner the support of the fans.

    I'm especially sensitive at the moment that there are attempts circling again to paint football fans as some deviant other - not the club obviously, but wider authorities. It is going to require the same backlash as the OBFTC Act.

    0

    The Falkirk FC Thread

    in Scottish League 1 General Chatter

    Posted

    36 minutes ago, Mr Grimsdale said:

    Rabble rousing Mick Lynch’s are the last thing this club or the fans needs currently 

    Can't agree with you there BPM.

    Now, more than ever, we've got Governments prepared to legislate against not only fans wishes, but fans themselves! Ensuring we've got a board who will not only stand against that (which to their credit the new board have), but can empower the support to stand together is a vital aim of a fan owned club. 

    2
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