Cherries: Club's plea to fans to help tackle debt (From Bournemouth Echo)

I'm not sure what I think about this because there's an argument to be made that the fans will be paying off debt instead of the board investing. If EM is serious, why can't he offer a deal whereby the board will match donations pound-for-pound which will be ringfenced for debts. I don't understand why we are paying a CEO 50K when it's the fans that are being asked yet again.

I remember being at a meeting where Jeff Mostyn looked my father directly in the face and said very similar words to him, as Eddie is saying here.
So, my father parted with £20,000 of his life savings. Guess what, not a penny of that has been paid back. Strangely though, I beleive EM is doing a good job for the club and I wish him every success. But whilst Jeff Mostyn is part of the 'make up' at
the club, niether my father or myself will be parting with any more monies.

Its a good idea EM, but agree with 4FCB above, old board members could be the problem here, I have spoken to JM and SS on a few occasions last season, not convinced they are best suited to be your directors, however, I will contribute because I want my team and my club to go forward, could this not be a share scheme.

horsted wrote:
Its a good idea EM, but agree with 4FCB above, old board members could be the problem here, I have spoken to JM and SS on a few occasions last season, not convinced they are best suited to be your directors, however, I will contribute because I want my team and my club to go forward, could this not be a share scheme.

Agree with the above about Mostyn etc. You can be rest assured though that when the debt is gone they will also. Mitchell likes to do things his way and hasn't got them as hangers on (at the moment) through choice.
As long as it is regulated and documented openly i think this is a great idea.

Now for 3 points this afternoon please. The weather is going to be good so hopefully people will get out of their armchairs and come and support the boys.
UTC!!

This man is a comedian. He would do well at pyramid selling.
Lets suppose the fans paid off the debts and the club became successful making a mint. Guess who would do very nicely? Thats it, Eddie Mitchell.
The fans would still have to pay to see the team.

molbol wrote:

horsted wrote:
Its a good idea EM, but agree with 4FCB above, old board members could be the problem here, I have spoken to JM and SS on a few occasions last season, not convinced they are best suited to be your directors, however, I will contribute because I want my team and my club to go forward, could this not be a share scheme.

Agree with the above about Mostyn etc. You can be rest assured though that when the debt is gone they will also. Mitchell likes to do things his way and hasn't got them as hangers on (at the moment) through choice.
As long as it is regulated and documented openly i think this is a great idea.

Now for 3 points this afternoon please. The weather is going to be good so hopefully people will get out of their armchairs and come and support the boys.
UTC!!

I agree with Molbol. By the way Pinocchio says "I no wonna go to football nonno and can you tella Molbol that I will stickka my nose where it hurtsa if he does not watcha eh capisc!!!" Enjoy the game mate (I hope is ok to call you my mate!) dadly I will be in the hands of tailors suit fittin for my son's wedding. Up the cherries

L O L

KENETHOMEROD wrote:
L O L

Any chance of expanding Ken? I gather that you offered to throw in half of what is needed am I correct????

KENETHOMEROD wrote:
L O L

Whats the problem now? afraid we just might do it?

And Julian..... I take it from your previous posts that you are now in the process of contacting your mortgage advisor??

Football at ouir level is not a money making exercise and you can't expect the Owners to constantly subsidize the Club. At least this time there is no pretence, no share issue, just an appeal to the Club's suupporters to donate what they can and what they wish to, there is no coercion. Whilst I think it likely that more money will be raised by fund raising than by the appeal, I hope that a reasonable sum will be raised.

nonnogeppetto wrote:

molbol wrote:

horsted wrote: Its a good idea EM, but agree with 4FCB above, old board members could be the problem here, I have spoken to JM and SS on a few occasions last season, not convinced they are best suited to be your directors, however, I will contribute because I want my team and my club to go forward, could this not be a share scheme.

Agree with the above about Mostyn etc. You can be rest assured though that when the debt is gone they will also. Mitchell likes to do things his way and hasn't got them as hangers on (at the moment) through choice. As long as it is regulated and documented openly i think this is a great idea. Now for 3 points this afternoon please. The weather is going to be good so hopefully people will get out of their armchairs and come and support the boys. UTC!!

I agree with Molbol. By the way Pinocchio says "I no wonna go to football nonno and can you tella Molbol that I will stickka my nose where it hurtsa if he does not watcha eh capisc!!!" Enjoy the game mate (I hope is ok to call you my mate!) dadly I will be in the hands of tailors suit fittin for my son's wedding. Up the cherries

No probs mateio. Doesn't Pinnochio know that Tailors open on Sundays?
What is the world coming to - Wedding before footy? - Disgrace!!! LOL. If you have to do it then do like i did and get married in July for Gods sake. Who's he marrying anyway? Is it Hambyl or Jemima?

...irrespective of what as an individual one may think of JM or SS (and I too have my own opionions on them!!)....it is do or die time...how much do we the 3.5k hardcore fans WANT AFCB to survive??...whether EM is doing a decent job is not the point...ALL football club chairman know thatthey can in essence 'blackmail' most ardent fans into giving some money...that is the reality at this end of the football spectrum...I will give and expect nothing in return other than I can still support my team and hopefully watch them be competetive...so even IF satan himself was at the helm...I would donate I guess...we are slaves to our teams...

KENETHOMEROD wrote:
L O L

I see Mr Drone is up early, must have wet the bed again! Does L O L stand for Lack Of Logic in your case?

LAME OLD LARDS

Do you not think that Mitchell should pay Mr Piper his money back first. Remember he lent it in good faith and kept our club alive ? It appears that Mitchell is so desperate that he would take the last penny off the old age pensioners. Sorry folks some may be daft enough to folk out but my cash stays in my pocket and not Mitchells and Mostyn`s. How much did Jeff want off Baker ? was it £800k by any chance ?

Anyone who fools (sic) for this needs to give their head a shake.

We have a Chairman whose figures change daily and we are supposed to trust him with our money. Who is independently overseeing this money?? How will we know the clubs total is accurate?? How many Cherry Shares were there?? Remember Loan Notes?? The common denominator is the fans got stuffed each and every time.

If this scheme was successful the fans would have put in more investment than the current board but own nothing. Even EM s figures on his investment change every time he mentions it. Initially it was £512k, then PROBABLY over £500k and finally yesterday £200k (the £185k share buys is not investment in the club that money went elsewhere) and he wants us to trust him and Mostyn?? Is this £200k a loan like he did at Dorchester and like Mostyn did with us?? If so his money is secure unlike the fans. I'll tell you what Eddie give the fans a debenture over one of your Sandbanks properties in return for their money. That seems a fair proposal. Also put someone independent in charge of all the fans money. After all the season ticket money was going to lift the embargo according to you. You then tell us it has gone on other things as well just like Mr Ridsdale at Cardiff.

No guarantee about getting your money back sums it up.

Desperate, desperate man.

KENETHOMEROD wrote:
LAME OLD LARDS Do you not think that Mitchell should pay Mr Piper his money back first. Remember he lent it in good faith and kept our club alive ? It appears that Mitchell is so desperate that he would take the last penny off the old age pensioners. Sorry folks some may be daft enough to folk out but my cash stays in my pocket and not Mitchells and Mostyn`s. How much did Jeff want off Baker ? was it £800k by any chance ?

If you bothered to read the article you would see that the money would be used to pay all outstanding debts.... including Mr Piper. You seem to be big on mouth... short on ideas. Doesnt surprise me that you wont be contributing but tell me, how do actually intend supporting this club of ours? You Sir, are an a***hole

TowerRed wrote:
Anyone who fools (sic) for this needs to give their head a shake.

We have a Chairman whose figures change daily and we are supposed to trust him with our money. Who is independently overseeing this money?? How will we know the clubs total is accurate?? How many Cherry Shares were there?? Remember Loan Notes?? The common denominator is the fans got stuffed each and every time.

If this scheme was successful the fans would have put in more investment than the current board but own nothing. Even EM s figures on his investment change every time he mentions it. Initially it was £512k, then PROBABLY over £500k and finally yesterday £200k (the £185k share buys is not investment in the club that money went elsewhere) and he wants us to trust him and Mostyn?? Is this £200k a loan like he did at Dorchester and like Mostyn did with us?? If so his money is secure unlike the fans. I'll tell you what Eddie give the fans a debenture over one of your Sandbanks properties in return for their money. That seems a fair proposal. Also put someone independent in charge of all the fans money. After all the season ticket money was going to lift the embargo according to you. You then tell us it has gone on other things as well just like Mr Ridsdale at Cardiff.

No guarantee about getting your money back sums it up.

Desperate, desperate man.

Very very good post, expect however the imminent accusations of you being negative, a moaner or disloyal but don't expect those same people to even try to articulate a decent argument in Mitchells defence because they're too busy dreaming up raffles and sponsored walks that should just about cover 1/5 of Neil Blakes salary. Wood, trees, see, can't. People on here are blind and deserve people like Mitchell as much as he needs naive people like them to fund his hobby of running AFCB.

Firstly i support the club like many others by going to games home and away, giving the team 100% support.
My reasons for mentioning Mr Piper are as follows lol : Part of the take over deal on purchasing the club was that Mr Piper got paid his loan back in full within 30 days. Mitchell never did this and Mr Piper had to use the threat of Bailiffs, hence my concern about Mitchells promises or lack of them.
Finally your use of abusive words gives away your age and inteligence. This is a board for people to give their opinions on issues that may concern them and debate makes the world a better place to live.

I don't necessarily believe that this is the route to go down, however I think it is at the moment impossible to make a decision either way until the full details of the scheme are announced next week.It is my belief that any club can operate at a profit, clear debts and be successful with the correct management in place, a well thought out operation and lots of good incentives and ideas for the fanbase to get involved in.Tough decisions have to be made, to clear historical debt, I believe the club should sell some players if they have to,we HAVE to live within our means everyday from now on.Also for me, the rent that we need to pay is without question ridiculously high compared to other similar clubs, this must be dealt with as a priority!

So whats the alternative? Go back into administration with points deduction this year and next? I dont think we would survive next time. The money has to be found from somewhere and soon. EM says he will not put any more money in. We are not going to be bailed out by a rich benefactor... so why not support this scheme? Unless you have any other ideas. And you can slag off the board and EM and me if you like... but that is not going to make the debt go away.

Couldn't agree more with all the posts slagging off Eddie Mitchell.

I blame him for global warming, fuel duty, earthqukes in Chile and Haiti, the famine in Africa, the Glazers saddling Man Utd with debt, the council buying the Imax etc. etc.

And northstandregular is dead right. While alleged fans waste time and effort trying to think up cranky ways of raising funds to help keep our beloved club alive and kicking, our time would be much better spent having a pop at the board all the time on here; whilst at the same time offering no tangible alternatives.

For Gods sake people, the CLUB WE ALL LOVE would have been gone by now if Mitchell hadn't stepped in. Our situation isn't ideal, Stevie Wonder can see that, but I for one can't wait for this afternoon to watch my beloved Cherries; and any right minded fan will be thinking the same - Enjoy it while we can; if the doom merchants are to be believed. If they're not then here's to many years of cheering on the team we love.

UP THE CHERRIES!!

We need to see the details, but paying off the debt is the only sensible way forward. Please let us have the details ofthe special account and how to contribute and what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that all the money is used to clear off the debt NOW. And PLEASE stop whingeing about Eddie Mitchell; the days of billionaire bank-rollers for Div 2 clubs are over, - and in any case you only have to look at Portsmouth or Notts County to see where large Arab or other puchases of clubs can end up. I'd rather we were honest, modestly funded and well-managed and administered.
Will take any sort of win this afternoon but what the players want to see is a large crowd right behind every player and Eddie H the great ! UTCIAD

merrycherry wrote:

KENETHOMEROD wrote:
L O L

Whats the problem now? afraid we just might do it?

And Julian..... I take it from your previous posts that you are now in the process of contacting your mortgage advisor??

LOL,,,LOL,,

I have just watched Mr Mitchell on Sky talking against a backdrop of the most expensive real estate in the country, giving a woolly description of what is owed and has been paid to HMRC.

So the deal he proposes is:
1. Mitchell buys his stake in the club for £60,000 (previously believed, in monthly instalments) or £185,000 (he said this week). Plus, the deal is, sort out the debts. Because if he had wanted a debt-free club, he would have had to pay a million or two.
2. Mitchell puts in £200,000 (he says this week), in investment (we hope) but loans (possibly - though if it was loans he would have told us this week and included it in his list of club debts)
3. Through his connections, he brings in more commercial income than predecessors, of say £200,000.
4. He imposes business discipline so that he says the club will break even - though we are talking about the in-season months, when something would be wrong if it didn't break even.

In return for this (equity of maybe as little as £60,000) he:
1. Gets a job for his son-in-law
2. Is in the place to ask the fans to sort out the remaining £800,000 to £1 million debts, with a vague promise of getting something out of the sale of assets
3. Which leaves Mitchell owning a club with little debt, which would otherwise have cost him £1-2 million.

So the fans put in £800,000 and get a promise, and Mitchell puts in and gets a debt-free football club.

No, those who are putting in money now should get a stake in the club, possibly a majority.

But the club can't issue shares like that without a proper FSA-regulated issue, which would require proper accounts.

Wont be getting any of my money whilst the vile Mostyn is still there. He still owes the fans (Cherry Share) from when he originally took over the club.

Good summary Geoff C. There's more questions than answers at the moment.

Let's hope we can get three points today although we're probably rather thin on the ground playerwise.

After some realy positive posts, the doubters come out to play! To all the loyal AFCB supporters this might be the one and only chance to clear the debt. We've all lost money in the past, after not so good advice from previous chairman! Sale and leaseback being one. Time to move on, do you want a team or not? Eddie Mitchell might not be everyones cup of tea but thats the deal, time to pay up or shut up!

Geoff C wrote:
I have just watched Mr Mitchell on Sky talking against a backdrop of the most expensive real estate in the country, giving a woolly description of what is owed and has been paid to HMRC. So the deal he proposes is: 1. Mitchell buys his stake in the club for £60,000 (previously believed, in monthly instalments) or £185,000 (he said this week). Plus, the deal is, sort out the debts. Because if he had wanted a debt-free club, he would have had to pay a million or two. 2. Mitchell puts in £200,000 (he says this week), in investment (we hope) but loans (possibly - though if it was loans he would have told us this week and included it in his list of club debts) 3. Through his connections, he brings in more commercial income than predecessors, of say £200,000. 4. He imposes business discipline so that he says the club will break even - though we are talking about the in-season months, when something would be wrong if it didn't break even. In return for this (equity of maybe as little as £60,000) he: 1. Gets a job for his son-in-law 2. Is in the place to ask the fans to sort out the remaining £800,000 to £1 million debts, with a vague promise of getting something out of the sale of assets 3. Which leaves Mitchell owning a club with little debt, which would otherwise have cost him £1-2 million. So the fans put in £800,000 and get a promise, and Mitchell puts in and gets a debt-free football club. No, those who are putting in money now should get a stake in the club, possibly a majority. But the club can't issue shares like that without a proper FSA-regulated issue, which would require proper accounts.

What I have been saying all along. He gets to own a football club for next to no financial input from himself. For all the fans who do buy the club for Mitchell there must be an independent body such as a solicitor to take sole charge of the donations. It would not be right to have this money go into an account that only Mitchell and the other directors have access to. Before you all start shouting me down, I am not making accusations just simply pointing out that this is the proper way to do it.

Not supprised they are in loads of debt.
I just went down there to buy 8 adult tickets and 2 childrens because my son is meant to be a mascott for one of the games. But they refused to let us go in the family stand because there were only 2 children, even though my son was going to be a mascott.
Now I won't even bother and the attitude of the women behind the counter was really bad. So i'm not bothering now and also I won't be down in the future.
They really seemed like they were short of cash turning away supporters.
Absolutely useless!!!!!

bmthmark wrote:
Not supprised they are in loads of debt.
I just went down there to buy 8 adult tickets and 2 childrens because my son is meant to be a mascott for one of the games. But they refused to let us go in the family stand because there were only 2 children, even though my son was going to be a mascott.
Now I won't even bother and the attitude of the women behind the counter was really bad. So i'm not bothering now and also I won't be down in the future.
They really seemed like they were short of cash turning away supporters.
Absolutely useless!!!!!

Sadly Mark if you were a VIP then you might have had better customer service.I bought a few things from the shop and found myself the service to be poor.And sadly i been advice against investing in the club.

bmthmark wrote:
Not supprised they are in loads of debt.
I just went down there to buy 8 adult tickets and 2 childrens because my son is meant to be a mascott for one of the games. But they refused to let us go in the family stand because there were only 2 children, even though my son was going to be a mascott.
Now I won't even bother and the attitude of the women behind the counter was really bad. So i'm not bothering now and also I won't be down in the future.
They really seemed like they were short of cash turning away supporters.
Absolutely useless!!!!!

Sadly Mark if you were a VIP then you might have had better customer service.I bought a few things from the shop and found myself the service to be poor.And sadly i been advice against investing in the club.

Hopefully win to day! KEEP THE FAITH and up the cherries!

I will contribute to this as there are few things in life more enjoyable than watching AFCB - as I shall be very soon today. We must support our local team with our money, support it or lose it...UP THE CHERRIES!

TowerRed wrote:
Anyone who fools (sic) for this needs to give their head a shake. We have a Chairman whose figures change daily and we are supposed to trust him with our money. Who is independently overseeing this money?? How will we know the clubs total is accurate?? How many Cherry Shares were there?? Remember Loan Notes?? The common denominator is the fans got stuffed each and every time. If this scheme was successful the fans would have put in more investment than the current board but own nothing. Even EM s figures on his investment change every time he mentions it. Initially it was £512k, then PROBABLY over £500k and finally yesterday £200k (the £185k share buys is not investment in the club that money went elsewhere) and he wants us to trust him and Mostyn?? Is this £200k a loan like he did at Dorchester and like Mostyn did with us?? If so his money is secure unlike the fans. I'll tell you what Eddie give the fans a debenture over one of your Sandbanks properties in return for their money. That seems a fair proposal. Also put someone independent in charge of all the fans money. After all the season ticket money was going to lift the embargo according to you. You then tell us it has gone on other things as well just like Mr Ridsdale at Cardiff. No guarantee about getting your money back sums it up. Desperate, desperate man.

spot on

Geoff C wrote:
I have just watched Mr Mitchell on Sky talking against a backdrop of the most expensive real estate in the country, giving a woolly description of what is owed and has been paid to HMRC. So the deal he proposes is: 1. Mitchell buys his stake in the club for £60,000 (previously believed, in monthly instalments) or £185,000 (he said this week). Plus, the deal is, sort out the debts. Because if he had wanted a debt-free club, he would have had to pay a million or two. 2. Mitchell puts in £200,000 (he says this week), in investment (we hope) but loans (possibly - though if it was loans he would have told us this week and included it in his list of club debts) 3. Through his connections, he brings in more commercial income than predecessors, of say £200,000. 4. He imposes business discipline so that he says the club will break even - though we are talking about the in-season months, when something would be wrong if it didn't break even. In return for this (equity of maybe as little as £60,000) he: 1. Gets a job for his son-in-law 2. Is in the place to ask the fans to sort out the remaining £800,000 to £1 million debts, with a vague promise of getting something out of the sale of assets 3. Which leaves Mitchell owning a club with little debt, which would otherwise have cost him £1-2 million. So the fans put in £800,000 and get a promise, and Mitchell puts in and gets a debt-free football club. No, those who are putting in money now should get a stake in the club, possibly a majority. But the club can't issue shares like that without a proper FSA-regulated issue, which would require proper accounts.

spot on too

i dont think the debt has been cleared- like has been said before we are just robbing peter to pay paul, unfortunately it now seems we are robbing our own season ticket money. the debt really hasnt been cleared at all. EM, you cannot expect the fans to pay this debt. minimum 14 quid to watch 4th division football is charity enough isn´t it? i would not pay any of this debt because of the lack of transparency and dishonesty from the current board. As said above, obviously there are all sorts of loop holes and fine print that has not been mentioned by EM. Murry/Mostyn, structadene, EM witheld the fact that current PAYE was not being paid whilst we paid off legacy debt from the previous crooks who were in charge. How can EM really expect us to believe that 800 000 has been taken off the debt if last year we appeared to rack up almost 2 million debt in less than a year. MORE LIES.
EM is getting a club bought for him by the fans- in that case give the club to the fans. Basically he´s doing a Savi and Baker, making money out of a club that doesnt make any. making money form us fans. stealing from us like has happened for years and years at this club.

I wish the people on these message boards would see the truth. EM is contributing to the complete shambles and financial disgrace that is English football right now

We have just come home from watching Cherries beat Morecambe 1.0.The football was great and Cherries played a game well beyond that of Morecambe.
The Cherries had class to their play and could easily have been mistaken for a League One team, perhaps next season they will be there.
I can only see Eddie Mitchell in the driving seat and making this happen, even to the point that if he wasn't there, the team wouldn't exist.
Mitchell get my vote, unless you know someone else who is prepared to take on the task !!!

Why should the fans of AFCB, in basic terms buy a football club for EM to own and run for putting in very little of his own money.
Fact. He invests or loans the club £200k. Fans put in £800k.
EM now owns a club that is debt free worth probably a couple of million.
Will he thank the fans and repay them...like hell he will.

the simple fact here is that EM has asked for money from the fans, there will be those who will, and those who won't, but it is not up to this blog to judge EM, no-one else came forward to run the club at that time, and those who negate EM's stance frankly won't support the club in that way, but many will, many fans at clubs support in this way, because at the end of the day they want to watch their team, as I do, I urge all those who enjoy watching their team AFCB to put some money in the pot, however small, I will, because without my Saturday fix of the Cherries, what else is there, come on the real fans, we can all spare some pounds, it might just encourage a bigger investoer if the debt has gone, who knows.

horsted wrote:
the simple fact here is that EM has asked for money from the fans, there will be those who will, and those who won't, but it is not up to this blog to judge EM, no-one else came forward to run the club at that time, and those who negate EM's stance frankly won't support the club in that way, but many will, many fans at clubs support in this way, because at the end of the day they want to watch their team, as I do, I urge all those who enjoy watching their team AFCB to put some money in the pot, however small, I will, because without my Saturday fix of the Cherries, what else is there, come on the real fans, we can all spare some pounds, it might just encourage a bigger investoer if the debt has gone, who knows.

People did come forward but were scared off as soon as they saw Mostyns demands, hence the cosy partnership that we now endure.

Bournemouth person wrote:
I will contribute to this as there are few things in life more enjoyable than watching AFCB - as I shall be very soon today. We must support our local team with our money, support it or lose it...UP THE CHERRIES!

Blimey! What a sad and boring life you must have. Watching the Cherries is OK but I can think of loads of more enjoyable things in life than that. With some of the matches played watching the non existant surfers on the supposed surf reef is more enjoyable.

High Treason wrote:

Bournemouth person wrote: I will contribute to this as there are few things in life more enjoyable than watching AFCB - as I shall be very soon today. We must support our local team with our money, support it or lose it...UP THE CHERRIES!

Blimey! What a sad and boring life you must have. Watching the Cherries is OK but I can think of loads of more enjoyable things in life than that. With some of the matches played watching the non existant surfers on the supposed surf reef is more enjoyable.

why don't you just surf off then, the bloody council wasted the taxpayers money there then, should have helped the Cherries out, it would have given 5000 fans a lift, rather then a couple of dozen nurds waiting for a wave

Geoff C wrote:
I have just watched Mr Mitchell on Sky talking against a backdrop of the most expensive real estate in the country, giving a woolly description of what is owed and has been paid to HMRC. So the deal he proposes is: 1. Mitchell buys his stake in the club for £60,000 (previously believed, in monthly instalments) or £185,000 (he said this week). Plus, the deal is, sort out the debts. Because if he had wanted a debt-free club, he would have had to pay a million or two. 2. Mitchell puts in £200,000 (he says this week), in investment (we hope) but loans (possibly - though if it was loans he would have told us this week and included it in his list of club debts) 3. Through his connections, he brings in more commercial income than predecessors, of say £200,000. 4. He imposes business discipline so that he says the club will break even - though we are talking about the in-season months, when something would be wrong if it didn't break even. In return for this (equity of maybe as little as £60,000) he: 1. Gets a job for his son-in-law 2. Is in the place to ask the fans to sort out the remaining £800,000 to £1 million debts, with a vague promise of getting something out of the sale of assets 3. Which leaves Mitchell owning a club with little debt, which would otherwise have cost him £1-2 million. So the fans put in £800,000 and get a promise, and Mitchell puts in and gets a debt-free football club. No, those who are putting in money now should get a stake in the club, possibly a majority. But the club can't issue shares like that without a proper FSA-regulated issue, which would require proper accounts.

You are spot on as usual Geoff.
The fans who are putting money in need to see some value for their input.

High Treason wrote:

Bournemouth person wrote:
I will contribute to this as there are few things in life more enjoyable than watching AFCB - as I shall be very soon today. We must support our local team with our money, support it or lose it...UP THE CHERRIES!

Blimey! What a sad and boring life you must have. Watching the Cherries is OK but I can think of loads of more enjoyable things in life than that. With some of the matches played watching the non existant surfers on the supposed surf reef is more enjoyable.

What you doing here then, surf off, if you can think of so many exciting things to do why the hell are you on a forum!!! Go catch a wave!!!

In Ed we trust wrote:
I don't necessarily believe that this is the route to go down, however I think it is at the moment impossible to make a decision either way until the full details of the scheme are announced next week.It is my belief that any club can operate at a profit, clear debts and be successful with the correct management in place, a well thought out operation and lots of good incentives and ideas for the fanbase to get involved in.Tough decisions have to be made, to clear historical debt, I believe the club should sell some players if they have to,we HAVE to live within our means everyday from now on.Also for me, the rent that we need to pay is without question ridiculously high compared to other similar clubs, this must be dealt with as a priority!

In Ed we trust - I mentioned this yesterday. I couldn't believe the monthly rent was £33k. As said, the Stockport County takeover has been delayed for months now because the FL believe that Stockport could not sustain football next season paying rent to Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy of £12-£15k oer month. Yet AFCB are expected to pay 3 times this amount.

Not sure though how AFCB can get out of this as I cannot see Structadene giving up such a lucrative deal! Rent was the reason why Rovers were forced to leave Eastville back in the 80's and it took us over 10yrs to get back to Bristol a luxury clubs don't get nowadays (Rotherham have 4 years to be back in their home town).

Still digesting this story tonight but my initial thought is:

"Should that debt be wiped out with the help of this scheme and through other revenue streams, donors would then have the potential incentive of receiving a possible return on their money if the club sells any of its assets, although there is no guarantee of receiving any cash back."

- Any scheme that uses the words or phrases 'potential', 'possible', 'if' and 'no guarantee' in the FIRST SENTENCE certainly needs to be taken lightly! However as In Ed we Trust states, lets wait until full details are published next week before passing judgement. Maybe the Echo already know something, pass-word: fact-seek!

horsted wrote:

High Treason wrote:

Bournemouth person wrote: I will contribute to this as there are few things in life more enjoyable than watching AFCB - as I shall be very soon today. We must support our local team with our money, support it or lose it...UP THE CHERRIES!

Blimey! What a sad and boring life you must have. Watching the Cherries is OK but I can think of loads of more enjoyable things in life than that. With some of the matches played watching the non existant surfers on the supposed surf reef is more enjoyable.

why don't you just surf off then, the bloody council wasted the taxpayers money there then, should have helped the Cherries out, it would have given 5000 fans a lift, rather then a couple of dozen nurds waiting for a wave

Well said Horsted. Every syllable.
I have seen from first hand how the council wastes money. Better not say any more about that.
As for Bournemouth Person, I refer you to Horsted's and afcblee's comments.

like many posters I have doubts about this scheme, but it is the only plan on the table, it is quite obvious this board has little idea of a business plan, but if this scheme is going to work it needs some reasonable large donations, it would be nice for the board to announce they have kickstarted the scheme by putting in 200k into the kitty, this may then be continued by partners of the club and other businesses getting behind the idea, and would greatlly encourage the fans to once again dip into their limited resources, but a warning to Mr Mitchell if we pull together to clear this debt only to find you have allowed this debt to escalate by failing to keep up with current tax payments you and the board will have no creditibility left

interesting article, firstly it is not anything new, just winter gardens 2010. Of course the club is worth saving, and most fans will donate what they can afford, however my concerns are
1.The current board contains members who have actively been involved with the club for over three seasons and have had a detailed and full involvement with all of the financial matters and daily running of the club during that period.
2.The current board did not buy the club they took control, and I do not have the confidence that they will use the money donated wisely or in the best interests of the club
3.For a league 2 club the levels of managment and administration staff is far too high, most league two clubs have a ceo who is also club secretary, we have a CEO, GM and club secretary, surely if things are that serious a more prudent appraoch to the employment overheads should be considered.
4.The current board have made no effort to embrace the rank and file supporters, and actively engage in a programme of volunteer help, many supporters would help, but the current regime is aloof, and only interested in the VPs and hospitality customers, the customer expereince for the average support is not good hence the clubs fails to keep the floating supporter.
Having said all of that this scheme could work if the funds are managed by independent trustees, and full transparancy of the monies accuried and spent for all supporters.
In light of the track record of some of the current board members ( remember who introduced sport 6 to the club and was part of their team) there is no way that i would make any donations, the board are playing the emotive card with the supporters whilst taking absolutely no risk themselves, so if this scheme is to work the the fund needs to be independent from theclub managed by trustees, and the board as body matches each donation pound for pound, then we may have shared commitment, otherwise this board taking no risk and wanting the supporters to take all the risk........how can that be right

cherry exile wrote:
interesting article, firstly it is not anything new, just winter gardens 2010. Of course the club is worth saving, and most fans will donate what they can afford, however my concerns are 1.The current board contains members who have actively been involved with the club for over three seasons and have had a detailed and full involvement with all of the financial matters and daily running of the club during that period. 2.The current board did not buy the club they took control, and I do not have the confidence that they will use the money donated wisely or in the best interests of the club 3.For a league 2 club the levels of managment and administration staff is far too high, most league two clubs have a ceo who is also club secretary, we have a CEO, GM and club secretary, surely if things are that serious a more prudent appraoch to the employment overheads should be considered. 4.The current board have made no effort to embrace the rank and file supporters, and actively engage in a programme of volunteer help, many supporters would help, but the current regime is aloof, and only interested in the VPs and hospitality customers, the customer expereince for the average support is not good hence the clubs fails to keep the floating supporter. Having said all of that this scheme could work if the funds are managed by independent trustees, and full transparancy of the monies accuried and spent for all supporters. In light of the track record of some of the current board members ( remember who introduced sport 6 to the club and was part of their team) there is no way that i would make any donations, the board are playing the emotive card with the supporters whilst taking absolutely no risk themselves, so if this scheme is to work the the fund needs to be independent from theclub managed by trustees, and the board as body matches each donation pound for pound, then we may have shared commitment, otherwise this board taking no risk and wanting the supporters to take all the risk........how can that be right

spot on the echo should produce a copy and send to all board members

thanks devon exile, I have an issue when the board try to play the emotive card with the fans, these guys took control of the club in full knowledge of the debt, and the terms of the embargo, they have failed to address either, whilst the FL have not been very sympathetic or helpful can you blame them when the club still has two members of the board who have played a full and active role for the last three seasons, and have held a gun to the head of propsepctive purchasers. I would imagine the FL will be very interested in the current financial situation, now for the Board to play the emotional card with the fans is not acceptable. The idea is fine, but it has to be on equal terms, pound for pound the board have to match the donations, if they choose not too then they should hand control of the club to a fans council. We have many highly qualified, experienced and dedicated fans who want to help, but they are continually snubed by the current board.
For this scheme to work the fans have a right to transparency, security and representation on the Board, and I cant see the existing owners agreeing to any of that. Chairman and directors should always remember they are only the temporary holders of the keys, clubs belong to the fans, and always will.

cherry exile wrote:
interesting article, firstly it is not anything new, just winter gardens 2010. Of course the club is worth saving, and most fans will donate what they can afford, however my concerns are 1.The current board contains members who have actively been involved with the club for over three seasons and have had a detailed and full involvement with all of the financial matters and daily running of the club during that period. 2.The current board did not buy the club they took control, and I do not have the confidence that they will use the money donated wisely or in the best interests of the club 3.For a league 2 club the levels of managment and administration staff is far too high, most league two clubs have a ceo who is also club secretary, we have a CEO, GM and club secretary, surely if things are that serious a more prudent appraoch to the employment overheads should be considered. 4.The current board have made no effort to embrace the rank and file supporters, and actively engage in a programme of volunteer help, many supporters would help, but the current regime is aloof, and only interested in the VPs and hospitality customers, the customer expereince for the average support is not good hence the clubs fails to keep the floating supporter. Having said all of that this scheme could work if the funds are managed by independent trustees, and full transparancy of the monies accuried and spent for all supporters. In light of the track record of some of the current board members ( remember who introduced sport 6 to the club and was part of their team) there is no way that i would make any donations, the board are playing the emotive card with the supporters whilst taking absolutely no risk themselves, so if this scheme is to work the the fund needs to be independent from theclub managed by trustees, and the board as body matches each donation pound for pound, then we may have shared commitment, otherwise this board taking no risk and wanting the supporters to take all the risk........how can that be right

Instead of raising 800k why don't the fans raise 860k Pay EM back his 60k and the fans will then own the club. I'm sure there would be enough brains between everyone to do this. It angers me that we will be buying the club for EM when we could buy it for ourselves. Once the club is free of arrears and the embargo lifted it and EM wanted to sell it would will be worth a couple of million to him, and to the one's who put the money in. Nothing. I can now see how he is living in Sandbanks.

Solid post Exile and all true. I notice the EM defenders never step forward at this point and try to argue his case, why is that? Mitchell got involved in the club for nothing because he knew the debt levels, HIS choice. Having got involved how could he then expect the club to function with no investment? So he gets the club for nothing, expects other people to invest and then what? What will the fans own when the club is debt free and worth something? That's right nothing. I'm not sure what is worse, EM having the nerve to ask for other people to pay for a buisness he got into with his eyes wide open, or the deluded fools who want to do sponsored walks and give him their kids inheritence to enable him to pull off the scam of the century. Playershare, Cherryaid, Loan Notes, Mitchell Money. All scams.

Perhaps EM could raise the funds against one of his properties and then ask the fans to help cover the interest? Or would that involve too much personal risk?

http://primetime.unr
ealitytv.co.uk/sandb
anks-with-piers-morg
an/

Before anyone puts their hands in their pockets please read this.....and start asking questions

http://www.petitiono
nline.com/EMODTFC9/p
etition.html

How can you give money to a man who can not be trusted but more to the point won't put a penny in himself, he will not allow any other board member/director to donate. All this liar is doing is ROBBING the lot of you; he lies, lies, lies, lies and lies again. He Lies worse than a cheap carpet, he does not turn up to meet with you (that my friends is not acceptable) he employs his son-in-law on 50k P/A doing WHAT...!!!!!!!. I could go on and on...Always look at the obvious in life, never the 1% that will never happen, if it doesn’t add up then it’s not right. THIS MAN NEEDS TO FOXTROT-OSCAR AND FAST. KEEP YOUR MONEY IN YOUR POCKETS

Great win on Saturday and a real buzz about the place, all I spoke to had bought their season tickets, were positive and fully supported the board. We are going places! Up The Cherries!

Bournemouth person wrote:
Great win on Saturday and a real buzz about the place, all I spoke to had bought their season tickets, were positive and fully supported the board. We are going places! Up The Cherries!

Yes it was a good win Mr Mitchell!!!!! But how you can say the atmosphere was positive and the fans fully support the board ie yourself, beats me.

it was a fine win on saturday, BUT we are talking about on the pitch we have the best manager and finest group of players for years, they are a credit to the club and themselves, this is about the people who run the club, however you present the facts they want the supporters to clear the debt on their behalf, while they continue to enjoy the prawn snadwiches, something is desparately wrong here why should the responsibility for clearing the debt sit with the fans, remember M&S have been at the club for over three seasons, they took the club into adminsitration, the club came out clean, and M&S ensured that Sport 6 took control, again M&S were working closely and supporting sport 6 who ran up a colossal debt, then M&S broker the deal for the murry group to take control. Therefore they have had a full and active involvement, now having taken the club into admin, introduced sport 6, manipulated the take over by the murry group they want the fans to bail them out and leave the board to take the glory, sorry it just does not make sense, if it was EM on his own, I would say perhaps against better judgement go for it, but it just cannot be morally right that two directors who have had such influence over the last three seasons are now expecting the fans to bail them out, and to leave them in control. Their track record of running this business has hardly been successful. I just hope our long suffering fans do not get taken in my any of this emotional retric , there is nothing wrong with the fans making donations but it must be into a trust with independent trustees, and if the board want to retain control they must match each donation pound for pound, if not then they should walk away and let a fans council run the club. Message to EM you will have greater chance of winning the fans over if you are on your own at the moment there is too much historical baggage which ultimately will undermine your efforts

psal wrote:

Bournemouth person wrote: Great win on Saturday and a real buzz about the place, all I spoke to had bought their season tickets, were positive and fully supported the board. We are going places! Up The Cherries!

Yes it was a good win Mr Mitchell!!!!! But how you can say the atmosphere was positive and the fans fully support the board ie yourself, beats me.

At first I thought the three or four blindly loyal EM supporters on here were just misguided fools but it's now obvious they're either club employee(s) or relatives. Pretty sad really because anyone that goes knows what the feeling about EM is so to come on here and claim everything is rosy is as fake as EM's feeling for the club and the irony is these fakes are the same people who accuse Ken Ormerod of being....a fake! lol