SMiSA's Latest Update

[shull]

Oops 

Time for supper. 

X 

[TsuMirren]

Why is money getting gambled on players? 
Anyway I stopped reading your post after your cheeky first line. 
Lost credibility 

The money is additional and to be spent on club related activities. Posters on here asked that the club be consulted, that activities were undertaken to aid Jack Ross in January and that any money for the USH is provided as a loan. SMISA have done all three and yet some posters on here slaughter the entire SMISA project and those currently in the committee.

In ten years time SMISA should be in control of the club, at which point the USH spend will be business as usual and we'll all be looking to maximise income and ways to boost the playing budget etc. I'm of the belief we should develop that mindset now and assist where we can. If it's not going to be sustainable or its obviously not what the support wants then questions will be and have been asked. There's even the whole "Gordon needs to..." debate and, to be honest, I see that as just another thing to move away from as we progress to fan ownership.

[shull]

12 minutes ago, FTOF said:

My feelings too.

However, if the vote ends up being "No" then I won't feel the need to fabricate a "best mate" and call everyone that didn't agree with me stupid.

And the main shit stirrer of a drama queen doesn't even support the club.

Nearly choked on my Cock a leeki Soup there. 

An absolute total non contributer to this Forum. 

What a shit post. 

[bazil85]

I wish I hadn't even started paying. 
Absolutely outrageous that Gilmour and Co made a fortune selling our screwed Club. 
They should have walked away and kept their Shares and 3 or 4 others could have been voted onto the Board. 
They duped everybody by selling a Company that had never paid out a Share Dividend in it's history. 
I want a refund 

Did they aye?

Bottom line is club will be here a long time after you me, Gilmour, Scott and anyone else has long since left. 1300+ fans willing to pay £12 (£25 if you're Stewart, did he mention that?) a month, that will be Gilmour paid off in 6 years. Club will then get to vote on who forms our board and our chairman. If we run the payments for the full 10 years we're talking £100s of thousands of pounds put into making our club better, on top of all other earnings. This is all so short term to give us best possible chance at avoiding relegation (I think we'll do it regardless tonne honest but happy to go with the boards request)

Surely this is worth pulling together on and toughing it out? The more paying members the stronger we are. The more we can do with our future. Hard times now yes but I would hate to see this fall away because fans throw a strop over how £8,000 is going to get spent.

[rea]

Aye, but is the point not that we (1300 or so of us) are now SMiSA members. Whilst the main motivation for that may have been BuyTheBuds, we are fully signed up members nonetheless - ie: the 'they' is us. All of us.
Anyway, the USH heating thing is a slightly different matter. Personally, I wouldn't lose sleep over it being left as it is (buggered) unless there is potential for it to deteriorate further and cost more in the longer term. We're a diddy club, and if the cap fits.
 

If nothing else it seems we are gradualy weeding out the fantacists and the dreamers leaving those that are in it for the right reasons to get on with it. Always knew there were a few lurking just waiting for the opportunity to make their big stage entrance (and subsequent swift departure).

There hasn't been an AGM in over 6 months so I presume the minutes would have already been accepted and signed off. 
Why the great secret though? I'm not a member as of the next payment due date, but minutes should be readily available to members who ask to see them. 

The minutes of one agm get accepted at the next one normally. That is standard practise

[shull]

Just now, bazil85 said:

Did they aye? 

 

Boom boom 

What a line, Bazzy 

[shull]

I want more soup. 

[Stuart Dickson]

4 minutes ago, TsuMirren said:

 

The money is additional and to be spent on club related activities. Posters on here asked that the club be consulted, that activities were undertaken to aid Jack Ross in January and that any money for the USH is provided as a loan. SMISA have done all three and yet some posters on here slaughter the entire SMISA project and those currently in the committee.

In ten years time SMISA should be in control of the club, at which point the USH spend will be business as usual and we'll all be looking to maximise income and ways to boost the playing budget etc. I'm of the belief we should develop that mindset now and assist where we can. If it's not going to be sustainable or its obviously not what the support wants then questions will be and have been asked. There's even the whole "Gordon needs to..." debate and, to be honest, I see that as just another thing to move away from as we progress to fan ownership.

 

SMiSA deserve slaughtering. It's supposed to be a Community Benefit Society, enjoying the tax breaks that brings. Yet there's not one community initiative on the table, not one! Instead the committee has decided that the only proposal worth putting on the table this month is whether or not members funds should be gambled by a millionaire business owner, on a new player for his latest toy, a football club with a £2.1m turnover. 

I was the person who stated that any money given to the club for USH repairs should be in the form of a loan.....unfortunately whatever Muppet took that on board, missed the important two words before it - "interest bearing". Providing members funds to a business with a £multi million turnover for a basic element of plant maintenance is absolutely ridiculous and the only way this should have been remotely palatable is if the club were willing to pay interest on the funds borrowed, or issue equity in the club in return for the funds. 

[Stuart Dickson]

7 minutes ago, rea said:

The minutes of one agm get accepted at the next one normally. That is standard practise

 

 

You're right, but they should still be available. 

http://masterofmeetings.com/index2/annual-general-meeting-minutes

 

[bazil85]

SMiSA deserve slaughtering. It's supposed to be a Community Benefit Society, enjoying the tax breaks that brings. Yet there's not one community initiative on the table, not one! Instead the committee has decided that the only proposal worth putting on the table this month is whether or not members funds should be gambled by a millionaire business owner, on a new player for his latest toy, a football club with a £2.1m turnover. 
I was the person who stated that any money given to the club for USH repairs should be in the form of a loan.....unfortunately whatever Muppet took that on board, missed the important two words before it - "interest bearing". Providing members funds to a business with a £multi million turnover for a basic element of plant maintenance is absolutely ridiculous and the only way this should have been remotely palatable is if the club were willing to pay interest on the funds borrowed, or issue equity in the club in return for the funds. 

It's not us versus them Stewart. Everyone needs to do what's best for the club. If you aren't a SMISA fan then fine but fan ownership in some form will be best going forward I'm sure.

Community projects is important but I don't see what the big deal is at letting paying members vote to say yes or no to giving this quarters funds to Ross? If it helps in anyway protect our championship status then it's a good thing. Don't see us being a bottom of the league team for long then we can look at what community projects are on the go in the next quarter and so on.

[Stuart Dickson]

2 minutes ago, bazil85 said:

It's not us versus them Stewart. Everyone needs to do what's best for the club. If you aren't a SMISA fan then fine but fan ownership in some form will be best going forward I'm sure.

Community projects is important but I don't see what the big deal is at letting paying members vote to say yes or no to giving this quarters funds to Ross? If it helps in anyway protect our championship status then it's a good thing. Don't see us being a bottom of the league team for long then we can look at what community projects are on the go in the next quarter and so on.

 

So putting £12 per month into an organisation  and abdicating all responsibility to monitor or question the way in which it operates is you doing your best for the club? Letting the committee gamble your funds instead of fulfilling their pledge to put the club at the heart of the community, is you doing your best? I'd hate to see you when you aren't trying  

[Julian Banjos]

• Transparency in selection process for new manager
• Detailed information regarding problems with USH
• New website
• Regular emails from SMISA
• New section built for disabled supporters
• The evening with the Millennium Champions
• Little touches like "Come on ye Saints" signs being put up
• Tony Fitzpatrick's enthusiasm about the "Fab 4" on social media

There will always be gripes, but I think we've taken a step forward under the new ownership. There seems to be a real motivation to improve the experiences of supporters and to bring the supporters closer to the club.

Off the park(!), I'm delighted with what I've seen these past few months.

Edited December 15, 2016 by Julian Banjos

[bazil85]

So putting £12 per month into an organisation  and abdicating all responsibility to monitor or question the way in which it operates is you doing your best for the club? Letting the committee gamble your funds instead of fulfilling their pledge to put the club at the heart of the community, is you doing your best? I'd hate to see you when you aren't trying  

I genuinely don't know anyway to have a proper discussion with you. It's a democratic vote for paying members. The 1300 plus can say no. All the board and SMISA can do is make a request then it goes out to the paying members.

In regards to a gamble, yes spending that money on a player will be a gamble but so is spending any penny they have on a player. At least this way it's a discretionary fund voted on by members. It's money that wouldn't be there in the first place.

I'm looking at the big picture in 6-7 years when we are fan owned and we can vote on who is on our board and who our chairman is. Right now SMISA have a very very tough job to do. I'm all for community work but right now I think we're better focusing on improving what's happening on the park. Long term we're better for the community pushing on from the championship not league 1. Yet again it's only a proposition if the paying members don't like it they can vote to carry the money over.

I don't understand what your concern is, that people might not vote the way you want them to?

[munoz]

2 minutes ago, Julian Banjos said:

• Transparency in selection process for new wanager
• Detailed information regarding problems with USH
• New website
• Regular emails from SMISA
• New section built for disabled supporters
• The evening with the Millennium Champions
• Little touches like "Come on ye Saints" signs being put up
• Tony Fitzpatrick's enthusiasm about the "Fab 4" on social media

There will always be gripes, but I think we've taken a step forward under the new ownership. There seems to be a real motivation to improve the experiences of supporters and to bring the supporters closer to the club.

Off the park(!), I'm delighted with what I've seen these past few months.

Like you , I prefer to look at the many positive things that have been happening . 

I'm sure mistakes will be made , but the good far outweighs the bad for me .

Keep it up .

[Tommy]

Well in around 6 weeks time I will be unemployed for the 1st time in 46 years. I signed up to my £12 knowing this day was coming and that I would also be drawing my pension long before the 10 years were up. Unless something really drastic happen ( kick the bucket) I will continue to do so. If i was to stop the £12 the last thing i would do would to come on here and boast about it. I pay it and my mate doesn't, but it certainly does not mean i am a better or more loyal supporter than him. Who pays and who don't is not the issue, issue is who decide how to spend the spare cash.

[Stuart Dickson]

15 minutes ago, bazil85 said:

 

I genuinely don't know anyway to have a proper discussion with you. It's a democratic vote for paying members. The 1300 plus can say no. All the board and SMISA can do is make a request then it goes out to the paying members.

In regards to a gamble, yes spending that money on a player will be a gamble but so is spending any penny they have on a player. At least this way it's a discretionary fund voted on by members. It's money that wouldn't be there in the first place.

I'm looking at the big picture in 6-7 years when we are fan owned and we can vote on who is on our board and who our chairman is. Right now SMISA have a very very tough job to do. I'm all for community work but right now I think we're better focusing on improving what's happening on the park. Long term we're better for the community pushing on from the championship not league 1. Yet again it's only a proposition if the paying members don't like it they can vote to carry the money over.

I don't understand what your concern is, that people might not vote the way you want them to?

 

What is tough about the job they have to do? Seriously? What is tough? 

Unlike any other business they don't need to produce any goods, provide any service, or buy and sell products to get money in. All they have to do is keep the members sweet, meet the legal obligations of their BenComm Status and collect in the reoccurring payments. 

[MenstrieSaint]

Spoiler

I,m happy if SMISA can accumulate sufficient shares to prevent any individual from having overall control of the club , I,m not obsessed with overall fan ownership . I like the idea of fan representation on the Board of Directors , and of SMISA doing all it can to increase the size of its membership , which in turn will increase the influence SMISA will have on how the club is run. I also like the idea of SMISA running fun raising events that bring the fans and players past and present together . So far I,m quite happy with SMISA  , but I think its important that they try and increase their membership , and actively target fans have not agreed to pay their £12 a month , as I believe SMISA is all about Supporters having a voice.

 

[bazil85]

What is tough about the job they have to do? Seriously? What is tough? 
Unlike any other business they don't need to produce any goods, provide any service, or buy and sell products to get money in. All they have to do is keep the members sweet, meet the legal obligations of their BenComm Status and collect in the reoccurring payments. 

Okay so the SMISA members what benefit is there to them in not doing what's best for the club? Do you think they are on purpose trying to sabotage our team? I firmly believe (like most others) they have the best interests of the club at heart. Yet again they haven't forced anything on us. They've presented a vote based on the request of the board.

I know a lot of people don't share this but I'd probably wager the majority do. I would be delighted if we vote to give the money to the club. We're bottom of the league with no budget left and need to be very smart with who we bring in January. Almost £10k extra will be handy for this. I know you don't agree with that but do you think if there was three options with the other being put the money to XYZ community fund that would win? I genuinely don't think it would have a chance with us in the current situation.

If we were sitting mid table or by April if we are clear of relegation surely that's a better situation to be in to talk about community and other ways to better the community/ club ties? £10k is pennies compared to what will be raised over 10 years if it's difference between an extra player or not surely that's a small gamble worth taking?

[div]

22 minutes ago, renfrew said:

Well in around 6 weeks time I will be unemployed for the 1st time in 46 years. I signed up to my £12 knowing this day was coming and that I would also be drawing my pension long before the 10 years were up. Unless something really drastic happen ( kick the bucket) I will continue to do so. If i was to stop the £12 the last thing i would do would to come on here and boast about it. I pay it and my mate doesn't, but it certainly does not mean i am a better or more loyal supporter than him. Who pays and who don't is not the issue, issue is who decide how to spend the spare cash.

A great post bud. Fans will come and go from the membership scheme for any one of a variety of different reason. Being in our out makes no fan better than another, but every single person who wants the best for the football club is better than the absolute morons who insist on attacking the club at every single opportunity.

It's absolutely relentless. I honestly think some of these people genuinely hate St.Mirren, I really do!

[oaksoft]

1 hour ago, shull said:

Open Forum 

Yes it is. Thats not what I asked you though.

[David Mc]

1 hour ago, Stuart Dickson said:

SMiSA deserve slaughtering. It's supposed to be a Community Benefit Society, enjoying the tax breaks that brings. Yet there's not one community initiative on the table, not one! Instead the committee has decided that the only proposal worth putting on the table this month is whether or not members funds should be gambled by a millionaire business owner, on a new player for his latest toy, a football club with a £2.1m turnover. 

I

Stuart that is pretty pathetic.  I haven'r bumped into GLS for probably 20 years, but I knew him when he was simply a tradesman. He was a Saints supporter through.  Now someone who was smart enough to make his money plus brave enough to step forward and to put his money up to enable supporters to buy the club.  

14 years on the forum and you have been stirring up strife.whether with windups, grudges or launching into pages of "Why I am right" when someone has a different opinion.  It gets to the stage whether it's difficult to discern between what's windup and what's not.  TBH I have absolutely no idea why you don't head off to another club forum that better matches your definition of a community club.

[shull]

1 hour ago, Julian Banjos said:

• Transparency in selection process for new manager
• Detailed information regarding problems with USH
• New website
• Regular emails from SMISA
• New section built for disabled supporters
• The evening with the Millennium Champions
• Little touches like "Come on ye Saints" signs being put up
• Tony Fitzpatrick's enthusiasm about the "Fab 4" on social media

There will always be gripes, but I think we've taken a step forward under the new ownership. There seems to be a real motivation to improve the experiences of supporters and to bring the supporters closer to the club.

Off the park(!), I'm delighted with what I've seen these past few months.

COME ON YE SAINTS !!! 

[shull]

41 minutes ago, div said:

A great post bud. Fans will come and go from the membership scheme for any one of a variety of different reason. Being in our out makes no fan better than another, but every single person who wants the best for the football club is better than the absolute morons who insist on attacking the club at every single opportunity.

It's absolutely relentless. I honestly think some of these people genuinely hate St.Mirren, I really do!

[shull]

12 minutes ago, oaksoft said:

Yes it is. Thats not what I asked you though.

I couldnae give 2 f*cks what you asked me.

So sod off weirdo

Edited December 15, 2016 by shull

[shull]

44 minutes ago, div said:

A great post bud. Fans will come and go from the membership scheme for any one of a variety of different reason. Being in our out makes no fan better than another, but every single person who wants the best for the football club is better than the absolute morons who insist on attacking the club at every single opportunity.

It's absolutely relentless. I honestly think some of these people genuinely hate St.Mirren, I really do!

Not one person on this Forum hates St Mirren, Mr Sooper Dooper Sensational Supporter.