40 replies to this topic

[somner9]

It's come to this! a once rightly proud group of individuals who joined forces, dug deep in their pockets, and worked tirelessly to save our club... now fighting amongst themselves, dragging our club through the gutter press and promoting failed deal after deal from a guy who has no connection, or indeed any shares in our club.

Do you know any other professional football club in the WORLD!!! where on a match day, yes the whole reason for the club being there you can't buy a replica top at the ground???

it's sheer madness to go through a season missing every single commercial matchday opportunity to sell a replica top or decent merchandise to the thousands turning up to support the club. Why the hell is this still the case???

Oh yes the selling coalition are eager to point out they saved the club from falling into the hands of a r*ngers newco via KMcG and his associates, but do we all believe this is indeed what KMcG was about?

Yes they'll get their moment in the spotlight at the EGM to bump their gums, issue conflicting statements and attempt to smear each other. But will the two people co-opted onto the board, neither of whom I believe to this day own a share in SMFC be at the meeting? and will we be hearing from Rea at a shareholders EGM??? I think we should hear him explain why as a non-shareholder he has been in situ for what two years? and in all that time his biggest contribution is to have eradicated matchday merchandise sales, or when you collect a ticket, or at a stadium open day, or when a kids event is on, or just if you drop by the stadium...

If anyone knows another club where you have to drive to another town/city on Matchdays to buy the strip, then let's do a comparison.

ladies & gents let's not beat about the bush the selling coalition formed with the bare minimum majority required to sell their shares to one and, one buyer alone...

why did they feel it absolutey necessary to cut out all the other shareholders (some with considerably more shares than those making up the coalition), if as they say they have the club's future success and survival at heart???

What was/is their driver here? Are we now not in a much more perilous/vulnerable state? They seem to think so, as they tell us r*ngers tried to buy us through the backdoor!!!

If all the shareholders were as one, would this have happened if indeed it carries merit???

The selling coalition have brought this to the club! If they had involved/worked with their colleagues we would not have the need for EGM's, or cosy leaks of emails to their pal Chick at the BBC etc, etc.... And neither would we have the alleged backdoor newco deal fiasco making us look like a mug diddy club, there to be picked up and pumped for the price of a kebab.

If the coalition have the interests of this great club at heart then they'll stop this madness, involve all the shareholders and let SMFC be run, guided and marketed by people that care and love the club. We neither need, nor want to see our club paraded through the press for the rest of the spl to laugh at.

And I believe we don't need the future of our club to be based on the blueprint of scotland's most frequently administrated club, Clyde FC. Could you make that up??? Our great new dawn will be founded on the bedrock that's served Clyde so well over these past years!

End this Coalition, end this madness, let's get the people that love, know and care for the club running it, not some half-assed, continually failing, conflagration of boards that will surely see us follow the trail blazed by our erstwhile mentors... Clyde FC... come on FFS

[FTOF]

You can buy a saints strip in JD sports in Paisley AFAIK.Last time I checked our club was located in Paisley.

Apart from that your post is pretty laudable, but highly naive.If you don't think that issues like this arise at other clubs.

It doesn't make our situation acceptable,but It's part and parcel of running a football club.

It's a pity you hadn't bumped your gums so much previously and highlighted your personal agenda.

I suspect most people will think ,"FFS not again".

[gordonjbell]

this wee rant has made my day

[beyond our ken]

The egm will consider a motion to remove K McG from the board, the motion will be proposed, seconded and then passed, at that point the business of the EGM will be concluded, there will be no mud slinging or pleading of cases. Any counter motions will be dismissed.

Dont expect anything before the AGM.

[somner9]

You can buy a saints strip in JD sports in Paisley AFAIK.Last time I checked our club was located in Paisley.

Apart from that your post is pretty laudable, but highly naive.If you don't think that issues like this arise at other clubs.

It doesn't make our situation acceptable,but It's part and parcel of running a football club.

It's a pity you hadn't bumped your gums so much previously and highlighted your personal agenda.

I suspect most people will think ,"FFS not again".

give them a call, or drop in and try buying an away top!

Silly me to think, or even suggest you could buy a replica top at the actual club shop on matchday.... When there's 3500+ potential customers around

Edited by somner9, 10 April 2012 - 11:37.

[Howard Hughes in BlueSuedeShoes]

Do you know any other professional football club in the WORLD!!! where on a match day, yes the whole reason for the club being there you can't buy a replica top at the ground???

You ever tried buying one at Keanie Park?

[somner9]

You ever tried buying one at Keanie Park?

No can't say i have, are they professional now?

[somner9]

The egm will consider a motion to remove K McG from the board, the motion will be proposed, seconded and then passed, at that point the business of the EGM will be concluded, there will be no mud slinging or pleading of cases. Any counter motions will be dismissed.

Dont expect anything before the AGM.

That will make it a sorry day in the club's history. accusations a plenty, but no opportunity to respond in the same forum as the accusers I.E. the judge & jury!

[FTOF]

give them a call, or drop in and try buying an away top!

Silly me to think, or even suggest you could buy a replica top at the actual club shop on matchday.... When there's 3500+ potential customers around

A pity you ignored the main point of my post.

Silly you indeed.

[div]

I'm not sure we really need yet another thread about the merchandising and replica strip situation when this has already been discussed to death.

I do agree it is barking that you cannot buy a replica kit at the stadium shop and on matchday itself.

It's all part of the JD deal, obviously they are after foot fall into their three stores who do stock the kit and they are hoping for additional purchases.

The fact the kit is accessible in Braehead, Silverburn, Paisley High Street and online makes it pretty accessible to anyone who wants to buy it.

There have been lots of positives about the kit deal as well as negatives IMO;

Positives
Sales have been very good - way ahead of JD projections for club of our size
Club has earned more money on kit deal than in previous years
100% bespoke designs mean better/more popular kits
New home kit will be on sale from start of summer for 1st time
Availability in major shopping centres in the area for 1st time

Negatives
Sales so good that difficult to get some sizes
Can't buy at the stadium

For me the positives outweigh the negatives but I am a half full sort of bloke.

[somner9]

I'm not sure we really need yet another thread about the merchandising and replica strip situation when this has already been discussed to death.

I do agree it is barking that you cannot buy a replica kit at the stadium shop and on matchday itself.

It's all part of the JD deal, obviously they are after foot fall into their three stores who do stock the kit and they are hoping for additional purchases.

The fact the kit is accessible in Braehead, Silverburn, Paisley High Street and online makes it pretty accessible to anyone who wants to buy it.

There have been lots of positives about the kit deal as well as negatives IMO;

Positives
Sales have been very good - way ahead of JD projections for club of our size
Club has earned more money on kit deal than in previous years
100% bespoke designs mean better/more popular kits
New home kit will be on sale from start of summer for 1st time
Availability in major shopping centres in the area for 1st time

Negatives
Sales so good that difficult to get some sizes
Can't buy at the stadium

For me the positives outweigh the negatives but I am a half full sort of bloke.

I can't for the life of me see why a football fan of any club would accept not being able to buy replica tops/decent merchandise at the ground, on a matchday... even the Cubs/scouts/brownies/guides have got their merchandising sorted.

And the positives v negatives of this debacle the selling coalition have brought on the club by cutting out 48% of the shareholders in pursuit of their payday?

[div]

I can't for the life of me see why a football fan of any club would accept not being able to buy replica tops/decent merchandise at the ground, on a matchday... even the Cubs/scouts/brownies/guides have got their merchandising sorted.

And the positives v negatives of this debacle the selling coalition have brought on the club by cutting out 48% of the shareholders in pursuit of their payday?

Well personally I accept it because I wanted kits for myself and my son and I bought them. It's a once/twice a season purchase, I knew where to go and get them so I went and bought them and that was that.

I have said I do agree with the general point but I don't think it's as big a deal as you make out and the number of replica kits in the stands would appear to bear that out too.

I'm not sure what relevance the kit and merchandising deal is to the sale of the club to be honest. You need to separate your arguments as a general venting of spleen about anything and everything is difficult to discuss sensibly.

[somner9]

Well personally I accept it because I wanted kits for myself and my son and I bought them. It's a once/twice a season purchase, I knew where to go and get them so I went and bought them and that was that.

I have said I do agree with the general point but I don't think it's as big a deal as you make out and the number of replica kits in the stands would appear to bear that out too.

I'm not sure what relevance the kit and merchandising deal is to the sale of the club to be honest. You need to separate your arguments as a general venting of spleen about anything and everything is difficult to discuss sensibly.

whilst nicely avoiding the big issue of where the coalition's determination to cut out all the other shareholders in SMFC has led us into this sorry debacle!

here's another for you! positives v negatives of 10000 hours involvement with our club so far

[Howard Hughes in BlueSuedeShoes]

No can't say i have, are they professional now?

When were they not?

[Smtid 1]

I'm not sure we really need yet another thread about the merchandising and replica strip situation when this has already been discussed to death.

I do agree it is barking that you cannot buy a replica kit at the stadium shop and on matchday itself.

It's all part of the JD deal, obviously they are after foot fall into their three stores who do stock the kit and they are hoping for additional purchases.

The fact the kit is accessible in Braehead, Silverburn, Paisley High Street and online makes it pretty accessible to anyone who wants to buy it.

There have been lots of positives about the kit deal as well as negatives IMO;

Positives
Sales have been very good - way ahead of JD projections for club of our size
Club has earned more money on kit deal than in previous years
100% bespoke designs mean better/more popular kits
New home kit will be on sale from start of summer for 1st time
Availability in major shopping centres in the area for 1st time

Negatives
Sales so good that difficult to get some sizes
Can't buy at the stadium

For me the positives outweigh the negatives but I am a half full sort of bloke.

Whats happened to all the other merchandise we used to have as well? All the miscellaneous stuff provans used to sell that you could buy for the kids for birthdays, xmas etc.

That is the biggest disappointment with the whole JD deal IMO. Apart from the strip, there is hardly any other merchandise on sale. And that huge negative weighs out any small positives.

[pozbaird]

Whats happened to all the other merchandise we used to have as well? All the miscellaneous stuff provans used to sell that you could buy for the kids for birthdays, xmas etc.

That is the biggest disappointment with the whole JD deal IMO. Apart from the strip, there is hardly any other merchandise on sale. And that huge negative weighs out any small positives.

The other merchandise, the 'gubbins' is totally separate. The JD Sports deal is simply them replacing Hummel, and before them, Xara.

You'll get no argument from me that the 'gubbins' side needs to be better. I'm also 100% in agreement with Div's observation that it is barking mad not to have new kits on sale at the stadium shop on matchdays when 3,000 plus home fans are in the one place at the one time. I can understand JD Sports wanting the footfall in their stores though. From where I'm sitting, I don't see why they can't have them on sale exclusively in JD Stores at launch, and maybe for the first month they are on sale. After that, get piles of them into the stadium shop too. Surely the idea is to sell as many as possible - which benefits the club and JD Sports?

In regard to the JD Sports deal. As Div alluded to - there were some problems with supply and demand (once past initial launch dates) of the first two kits in 'year one' of the JD deal. As Div also said, this has been discussed many times, and the upshot of it was that JD Sports are trying to improve upon, and learn lessons from, 'year one' of the deal. Hence the staggered launches for the three 2012/13 kits for example.

Edited by pozbaird, 10 April 2012 - 13:51.

[Griff]

I actually like some of the ideas that REA has come up with regarding maxamising all aspects of New St Mirren Park to generate income , I also like the idea of fan involvement and using St Mirren as a vehicle for Community development , I wish it were as simple as a couple of the existing directors selling their shares on and a couple of new directors buying in , and prehaps SMISA buying a few extra shares.

[somner9]

I actually like some of the ideas that REA has come up with regarding maxamising all aspects of New St Mirren Park to generate income , I also like the idea of fan involvement and using St Mirren as a vehicle for Community development , I wish it were as simple as a couple of the existing directors selling their shares on and a couple of new directors buying in , and prehaps SMISA buying a few extra shares.

Sorry Griff but if your points are for "positives" since 10000 hours hove into view then they don't count yet as none of them have actually occurred. Ideas, like talk are very cheap. as opposed to 52% shareholding of SMFC which seems to be worth £2 - 4m and the reputation/unity of all shareholders

It could be as simple as you state above! however the selling coalition, 10000 hours, the company they formed as their preferred bidder, and an insistence it all be funded by grants/loans/subs is what has made it complicated and as yet still an idea!

Edited by somner9, 10 April 2012 - 14:33.

[Stuart Dickson]

Somner, I'm delighted you started this thread. It was all getting a bit boring on here and there wasn't enough consortium bashing for my liking so it's great to see you back again.

However to pick you up on one small point, neither Clyde, Stenhousemuir or Spartans have entered into administration since they became a CIC. Neither have Exeter City, Barcelona, Athletico Bilbao or Green Bay Packers. so they kind of appear to be doing what they are set up to do - protect the long term future of the football club.

[somner9]

Somner, I'm delighted you started this thread. It was all getting a bit boring on here and there wasn't enough consortium bashing for my liking so it's great to see you back again.

However to pick you up on one small point, neither Clyde, Stenhousemuir or Spartans have entered into administration since they became a CIC. Neither have Exeter City, Barcelona, Athletico Bilbao or Green Bay Packers. so they kind of appear to be doing what they are set up to do - protect the long term future of the football club.

ha, ha.... like the weather if you want to see clyde in administration again wait 20 minutes or so. Also they change their home ground almost as frequently! Next stop Firhill??? again...ffs Yeah we could learn so much from them