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Rangers To Be Given South Stand


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Guest TPAFKATS

There are obviously views on both sides of the argument, and I've been thinking about why this has hacked me off so much. For me, this issue just clarifies the 'football is a business' issue.

I completely understand the financial reasons for taking this decision, but the communication from the club has, yet again, been incredibly poor. The communication issue comes up time and time again, and even though we have a Fans Council whose stated role is to improve communication between the club and fans, they weren't consulted on this. That suggests to me that the Board aren't really bothered by fan reaction, and I have an increasing impression that we're there to pay our money and take whatever is going on. I think the Chairman's reported comments of fans as 'knickerwetters' and 'keyboard warriors' at Tommy Craig's Q&A come back to haunt him at times like this, as it could be interpreted as an attitude that prevails in the boardroom.

Football is all about money now, and this is a business decision to bring in more money despite the fact that a proportion of the club's fans will be affected. As a fan, I'm immediately aware that that's a very tricky message for any club to communicate. Why doesn't anyone within the Board or the club in general seem to get that? Particularly when it's one of the Old Firm, who will come to the ground and park where they want, stand, smoke, while we're all stewarded and policed as normal - I will never get my head around the fact that people within a small football ground are stewarded and policed differently depending upon who they support. When the club rented the ground to Celtic in the summer, let them put up their signage and, in my view, made us look a bit of a laughing stock, we were told that the money would get us a couple of extra players. That worked well didn't it, because it's been the second season in a row of watching shambolic performances, so there's no guarantee that we'll see any benefit on the park from the additional money.

I feel an increasing disconnection between the club and myself, and that I'm viewed more as a customer than a fan. Issues like this just add to that feeling. But I understand that other's will see this all as a bit of a storm in a tea cup.

Good post Buddie, (mostly) sums up my thoughts.
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The comms from the club has been piss poor in the last few years. I totally appreciate the directors are fire fighting every day and have to do what's right for the club, but sometimes they don't do themselves any favours with the way they release information to the fans.

They might get on better if they hired a full-time comms/marketing/PR person rather than relying on volunteers, students and someone who is part-time who is tasked with running the website, programme and whatever else is required.

Perhaps some of the £70,000 could be used on that.

If one is utterly nonsense, then why wouldn't both be. Besides, I believe trophy will be handed over on their patch before last game.

One pundit on radio Clyde yesterday claimed £60,000.

The £70k was quotes from Tony F. The stuff about the trophy was only mentioned in one paper so probably nonsense.

Edited by Stu
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Unprecedent demand the statement said - now we are saying that Rangers haven't demanded more tickets,

Fund 1 or 2 new players we said - now we know the figures don't stack up. The only way to make them stack up is to twist them to include income from the 2 and a bit stands we are handing over.

In addition to all that we have now been told that Rangers will also have an allocation of the West Bank.

If funding and segregation is so important why don't the board move ALL season ticket holders to the one stand, not sell any other tickets to saints fans and sell all the remaining seats to Rangers fans? After all why should we deny a Rangers fan the chance to see their team.

All this a few days before we could be dragged right back into a relegation battle.

If we draw Celtic in the cup (or even if we get promoted in the future) will we be looking to be similarly accommodating? After all the same logic applies in those circumstances even more so given that season tickets aren't valid for cup games.

Wrong decision - probably

Wrong timing - definitely

Wrong way of doing it - undoubtedly.

In regard to your line beginning 'If funding and segregation are so important...' If the club know they can punt the regular South Stand clientele elsewhere for this game, why don't they relocate them permanently to a new dedicated section in the Main Stand? Completely close the South stand all season long, and completely close the North Stand (as they do) except for Hibs, Sevco, Falkirk and Morton games... Save a packet on stewarding, heating, leccy', and needlessly having catering open in a stand where the numbers involved each week can clearly be moved easily and without consultation.

Surely mothballing two un-neccessary stands most weeks in 'Division 1' could, over the course of a season, see Alex Rae's budget increase to the tune of another two dud loanees we've never heard of from Morecambe's reserves?

Edited by pozbaird
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My own view is more about having sympathy for the Season ticket holders and people who would normally use that stand.

I would give them a voucher for 2 things as compensation ;

1) A pie & drink for this game

2) 1 home cup tie next season.

The masses that are allegedly going to boycott us wanting unprecedented demand ? Take their cash by all means , but not at any cost.ie upsetting our support.

Edited by whydowebother
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Imagine trying to get consensus on this or any decision!

Decisions should always be based on impact on business performance and service to customers based on values and principles that are embedded in the organisation.

These values are driven by the shareholders, owners and directors.

​I believe St Mirren should always be a Family and Community focused club with development of our club, employees and customer base founded on these values and principles.

With this in mind the decision is easy.

Keep the family stand as just that, for families, foster this locally and you build a community club.

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No he wasn't. Only Drew and I voted him down in the boardroom. And out of the stands - where I wasn't present - it was reported he won the backing of the St Mirren support there too.

I can understand why people want to rewrite history but it was only 4 years ago. It's very fresh in my mind, and there's wall to wall coverage on the internet of exactly what Gilmours views were at the time. He didn't hold back when criticising the SFL Chairmen for having the balls to do what the SPL didn't.

Dicko, here's your post where you claim to have voted the Chairman down in the boardroom, hence me using that term in an earlier post. Now, while no-one who was there and voted differently (to my knowledge at least) has ever expressed any issue with the way both you and Drew voted, Drew never bangs on about his vote somehow being a sign of him being one of only two voices in that room willing to stand tall, strong, and hold the high ground. Once again, it brings me back to the point I made earlier. If you continue to choose to mention the way you voted that night for the thousandth time, you should at least have the decency to mention that everyone else only voted differently from you and Drew when faced with the simple question - if you knew it meant staff redundancies at St Mirren FC, would you still want Rangers completely hammered.

Thanks.

Edited by pozbaird
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First post on this subject the reason being it does not bother me. It was also not hard to work out a large following from Rangers will desend on our stadium for this game as such I had visions of them getting into the home support which could still happen of course. However this messure taken by the board will go some way to try and control the situation . If we are going to make money off them then I would also give them a section of the west stand. I want to see our manager put together the best squad possible for next season. As for attending I will be there to support Saints like I would no matter who we play.

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I have often thought that the best way to contain OF fans in our stadium was to allocate them the North & South stands. That way, the constabulary/stewards could keep these taurags in for 15 minutes after a game. Shock, Horror, I find now they are being allocated their normal part of the West stand as well !!!

I will now seriously consider whether to renew my ST, or start following a local Junior team.

It's the disregard of St Mirren supporters in pursuit of an extra few bob that gets to me, and it is just a few bob!

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'fess up lads. What is really bothering you here? And would you really be quite so bothered if it was Hibs, Falkirk or Queen of the South in the same position? Would YOU really want to deny a father of one of those clubs the opportunity to take their son to see their team win promotion?

Yes this is the nub of it.

To knowingly allow an entire stand to sit empty stand denying 1600 people the chance to watch a big event for their club and denying our own club the chance to make some money is the sort of talk common amongst the sort of people who never have to deal with the financial consequences of such a decision.

To do it simply because it's another team is the sort of bigoted nastiness we accuse THEM of displaying.

Our fans are no better than theirs.

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Stuart... In the game you refer to as a rather odd defence of your patantly antagonistic stance... Can you explain why I was at the game and in the Love Street end with a Celtic supporting friend... but removed by the police and told to go to the North stand "for my own safety"... Only to be asked to budge up and let the Celtic fans in beside us out of the rain?

Rangers fans at both ends... What could go wrong?

Myself and a 15 year old were surrounded and jostled... Baited into a response they didn't get... By a group of these people two seasons ago... Simply because we were walking in the opposite direction with our heads don and they are aparantly people!

Don't be such a simplistic prick... It undermines the good points you make when not being bitter!

There's nothing more simplistic than taking the actions of a small group and extrapolating it to the entire support.

You are as guilty of it as Stuart here.

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Money is the only thing Gilmour and Co will listen to.

I am well within my rights.

I didn't say you weren't.

I'm saying it's a pathetic waste of time.

Seriously. What exactly are you expecting from doing this other than wasting your time and fluffing your damaged ego?

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In regard to your line beginning 'If funding and segregation are so important...' If the club know they can punt the regular South Stand clientele elsewhere for this game, why don't they relocate them permanently to a new dedicated section in the Main Stand? Completely close the South stand all season long, and completely close the North Stand (as they do) except for Hibs, Sevco, Falkirk and Morton games... Save a packet on stewarding, heating, leccy', and needlessly having catering open in a stand where the numbers involved each week can clearly be moved easily and without consultation.

Surely mothballing two un-neccessary stands most weeks in 'Division 1' could, over the course of a season, see Alex Rae's budget increase to the tune of another two dud loanees we've never heard of from Morecambe's reserves?

They should never have built 4 stands, 2 stands with a total capacity of 9000-ish would have been better and cheaper

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Money is the only thing Gilmour and Co will listen to.

So when the supporters take over the club, they're going to run it without money. Come on BuddieinEK, I thought you had more sense than that.

Edited by pod
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So when the supporters take over the club, they're going to run it without money. Come on BuddieinEK, I thought you had more sense than that.

Where did I say that?

I am tired of Gilmour & Co not giving a stuff about the supporters.

If and when the supporters take over, they will have my support.

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So when the supporters take over the club, they're going to run it without money. Come on BuddieinEK, I thought you had more sense than that.

I think you are mischief-making, here.

If you are content with the current standard of PR and communication from within the club, I fear you have very low standards. Its strikes me that this is what BinEK is getting at (though i wouldn't seek to speak for him).

No-one is under any illusions as to the requirement for the club to maximise revenue streams, but not at any cost - specifically when it has the effect of alienating a substantial number of its core financial contributors. That is simply poor business practice.

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