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!