Sons' sorrow

[The Moonster]

Look at last season's table. In the championship for three years and fighting chance of four.

I tried to help a man, a grandad with his grandson who had a heart attack leaving a game last year, he sadly died later. His last few hours spent watching Dumbarton playing in the championship with his grandson.

Would we be in the championship without this board of directors and Brabco? I think not.

So don't greet, enjoy today it only lasts 24 hours.

Brooks Mileson took Gretna to the Premier league and the Scottish Cup final, it doesn't mean his business plan stacked up. We cannot equate success on the pitch to putting total trust in the board.

In case you weren't there last night, Brabco haven't invested a penny in us, would we be here without them? Possibly, who knows, it's still irrelevant with what's being proposed here.

[Sweet Pete]

Look at last season's table. In the championship for three years and fighting chance of four.

I tried to help a man, a grandad with his grandson who had a heart attack leaving a game last year, he sadly died later. His last few hours spent watching Dumbarton playing in the championship with his grandson.

Would we be in the championship without this board of directors and Brabco? I think not.

So don't greet, enjoy today it only lasts 24 hours.

That's a really sad story, but what has the league that Dumbarton are in got to do with it?

[son of a bankie]

I was in attendance last night.

I am sure brabco bought out the last chairman, who I understand was ready to do a Jack Steadman.

Sad story yes. He watched his team play in the Championship not 2nd division. A happy Sons fan enjoying watching a successful team.

Maybe it's just me that gets it.

[The Moonster]

I was in attendance last night.

I am sure brabco bought out the last chairman, who I understand was ready to do a Jack Steadman.

Sad story yes. He watched his team play in the Championship not 2nd division. A happy Sons fan enjoying watching a successful team.

Maybe it's just me that gets it.

They bought some real estate, it just so happens that the only way to get the real estate was to buy a football club. The fact they aren't and haven't put a penny into the club (aye, they bought from Rankine but he gets to keep that money, not the club) and have taken no interest in how the club is run should speak volumes.

[son of a bankie]

I am giving up. They bought out Rankine therefore could have saved the club from uncertainty of a future.

[Sweet Pete]

I was in attendance last night.

I am sure brabco bought out the last chairman, who I understand was ready to do a Jack Steadman.

Sad story yes. He watched his team play in the Championship not 2nd division. A happy Sons fan enjoying watching a successful team.

Maybe it's just me that gets it.

Do you really think that a dying man, having spent his last day on Earth with his grandson, gave a shit about what league he had just watched a football game in minutes before the end of his life?

[The Moonster]

I am giving up. They bought out Rankine therefore could have saved the club from uncertainty of a future.

How certain is our future now?

[Silverton End]

I firmly believe that a few of our 'supporters' would rather we were scrabbling around the lower divisions playing Albion Rovers & East Fife (no offence to them) than consolidation as a Championship level side. Some of the negativity on here is sad. We need new revenue streams to compete at the level we are at, some folks don't like change, fair enough. If this re-location scheme fails then so be it too. Like Gilbert said last night, its not costing DFC a penny. So lets have a bit of faith and put some trust in the Board? Or ultimately Sons stay put in our 1 stand "stadium" and stagnate, with our players training on school pitches and public parks. That may probably keep some on this forum happy.

[Nowhereman]

This "we're noisey neighbours" line doesn't wash with me. The club has been at that site for 13 years and those new houses have only been there for about 5ish. The fact is that if the tenants had concerns about the noise or traffic then they shouldn't have bought a house on the road next to a football stadium. To turn around years after our ground has been built and say "the new houses think we're too loud so we'll need to move" just doesn't work. The vast majority of football stadiums are built amongst houses.

Old ones yes but not new ones. The only new ground which could in any way be said to be amongst houses is Peterhead's.

[The Moonster]

I firmly believe that a few of our 'supporters' would rather we were scrabbling around the lower divisions playing Albion Rovers & East Fife (no offence to them) than consolidation as a Championship level side. Some of the negativity on here is sad. We need new revenue streams to compete at the level we are at, some folks don't like change, fair enough. If this re-location scheme fails then so be it too. Like Gilbert said last night, its not costing DFC a penny. So lets have a bit of faith and put some trust in the Board? Or ultimately Sons stay put in our 1 stand "stadium" and stagnate, with our players training on school pitches and public parks. That may probably keep some on this forum happy.

"Won't cost us a penny"

"We'll be rich"

"We have no evidence but trust us"

I'll continue to be cynical thanks very much and as for you inferring that I'm not a fan because I'm not slurping this up like soup is hilarious.

[the auld son]

Only one name for the stadium

The Brabco Special Purposes Vehicle Arena

After all it wouldn't be the daftest we've heard in recent years

[Silverton End]

"Won't cost us a penny"

"We'll be rich"

"We have no evidence but trust us"

I'll continue to be cynical thanks very much and as for you inferring that I'm not a fan because I'm not slurping this up like soup is hilarious.

Who said you weren't a 'fan'?

Carry on with the cynicism.

Are you happy with the Championship level that DFC are playing at?

The current Board have got us this far, can they not be trusted to perhaps progress The Sons a little further, with better facilities?

[Sweet Pete]

My favourite bit about the Board getting us promoted was when Gilbert Lawrie scored the winning goal in the playoff final.

[BallochSonsFan]

I think cynic is the wrong word to use here. You can't change a cynic's mind. Theres no way to convince them of the merits of anything that they fundamentally disagree with.

I'd say most fans right now are sceptics.

It might be semantics but I think it's an important distinction to make. You can never change a cynic's mind but if the weight of evidence is there then you can convince a sceptic. Right now fans who are asking the difficult questions are sceptical of the proposal to move the club to Youngs Farm. I doubt whether anybody is genuinely cynical and scepticism is healthy. If the board won't make a decision based on blind faith and optimism then fans can't be blamed for wanting something more than blind faith and optimism as well.

Hopefully we'll get that and a healthy degree of scepticism should be welcomed. It adds an extra level of scrutiny to ensure that any decision is in the best interests of the club. If it passes the approval of the board and the case is strong enough that it meets the concerns of the sceptics then we can all be happy because we've arrived at a development that should be absolutely in the best interests of the club. In the mean time?

Keep an open mind. Keep asking questions. Keep evaluating the answers.

[johnny graham]

To me the big worry are the brabco six. Who are they.?What do they expect? And when do they expect it?

I appreciate they saved us from the odious Neil.rankine but one day will someone be needed to save us from them?would they really.be worried if Alan jardine and the rest of the board walk away.

The plan seems on the face of it a good one with the secret six eventually walking away with a big profit. But if they have waited this long what is their real agenda. Does Alan or Gilbert or evev calum.know exactly what they want.

I hope every thing goes to plan and we get the new stadium . But when one looks at what has happened at rangers livingston and gretna I Am afraid there will always be doubt. We will see what the next four years Bring and hopefully everything does work out.

[Bring Back Paddy Flannery]

I think cynic is the wrong word to use here. You can't change a cynic's mind. Theres no way to convince them of the merits of anything that they fundamentally disagree with.

I'd say most fans right now are sceptics.

It might be semantics but I think it's an important distinction to make. You can never change a cynic's mind but if the weight of evidence is there then you can convince a sceptic. Right now fans who are asking the difficult questions are sceptical of the proposal to move the club to Youngs Farm. I doubt whether anybody is genuinely cynical and scepticism is healthy. If the board won't make a decision based on blind faith and optimism then fans can't be blamed for wanting something more than blind faith and optimism as well.

Hopefully we'll get that and a healthy degree of scepticism should be welcomed. It adds an extra level of scrutiny to ensure that any decision is in the best interests of the club. If it passes the approval of the board and the case is strong enough that it meets the concerns of the sceptics then we can all be happy because we've arrived at a development that should be absolutely in the best interests of the club. In the mean time?

Keep an open mind. Keep asking questions. Keep evaluating the answers.

Nail. Heid.

[Howlin' Wilf]

This "we're noisey neighbours" line doesn't wash with me. The club has been at that site for 13 years and those new houses have only been there for about 5ish. The fact is that if the tenants had concerns about the noise or traffic then they shouldn't have bought a house on the road next to a football stadium. To turn around years after our ground has been built and say "the new houses think we're too loud so we'll need to move" just doesn't work. The vast majority of football stadiums are built amongst houses.

That may be the layman's view but unfortunately that isn't the way things work in real life. The residents there can complain about anything they like, be that litter, noise, traffic, parking or whatever. How long the neighbouring development has been there does not give that neighbour the right to behave in a manner which is a nuisance to a resident whose home also has planning consent.

Same with live music venues. Doesn't matter how long they've been there before the houses, they still have to comply with the law.

[Aberdeen Cowden]

To me the big worry are the brabco six. Who are they.?What do they expect? And when do they expect it?

I appreciate they saved us from the odious Neil.rankine but one day will someone be needed to save us from them?would they really.be worried if Alan jardine and the rest of the board walk away.

The plan seems on the face of it a good one with the secret six eventually walking away with a big profit. But if they have waited this long what is their real agenda. Does Alan or Gilbert or evev calum.know exactly what they want.

I hope every thing goes to plan and we get the new stadium . But when one looks at what has happened at rangers livingston and gretna I Am afraid there will always be doubt. We will see what the next four years Bring and hopefully everything does work out.

I really hope you guys get your new stadium and don't end up like Cowden.

The scenario sounds familiar.

[Frank Quitely]

That may be the layman's view but unfortunately that isn't the way things work in real life. The residents there can complain about anything they like, be that litter, noise, traffic, parking or whatever. How long the neighbouring development has been there does not give that neighbour the right to behave in a manner which is a nuisance to a resident whose home also has planning consent.

Same with live music venues. Doesn't matter how long they've been there before the houses, they still have to comply with the law.

As does the Travelling Community, and I may be wrong but I can't recall any residents marching down the Castle Road with burning stakes and pitchforks, or for that matter Council or police officers, leaping into any sort of action last summer.

Aye, it's a funny old world when some traffic every second Saturday couple with occasional floodlighting averaging about six hours per week constitutes being a bad neighbour, yet entering and camping on private property and leaving a stinking trail of debris including sanitary waste and committing acts of vandalism is just hunky-dory in 'real life'.

Just like the weans' filthy nappies, this whole red herring stinks; there is no groundswell of opposition, but it sure suits Brabco to plant that message in folks' minds. And irony of ironies, if the deal falls thro, DFC will remain a 'bad neighbour'.

[The Moonster]

Who said you weren't a 'fan'?

Carry on with the cynicism.

Are you happy with the Championship level that DFC are playing at?

The current Board have got us this far, can they not be trusted to perhaps progress The Sons a little further, with better facilities?

Why would you put "supporters" if you weren't in some way questioning that those raising negative points about the proposal support the club? Yes, I'm happy with the league we're playing in. The board have done well to get us here and I thank them for it. It's without doubt been the best 5 years following Dumbarton, especially these last 2. It's clear they are doing their best to run the club well. However, we're talking about this because we have 6 people who own the club with a different motive. We have very sketchy details to go on and some are doubting the masterplan. I'll stop on this topic until we have more detail.