Sky Blue Trust and Fan Ownership (1 Viewer)

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
The problem is with the Trust, like the local journalists of the world, is that they can't present any information without putting their own spin on it. In general though, it sounds alright. It doesn't really set out who the CBS will be made up of and how they're elected to post though.

Sky Blues Trust Q&A said:
Q1 What is it?
Sky Blues Trust Q&A said:
Q1: It is a means for the fans of a club to take a collective ownership stake (usually through a Supporters Trust) in a significant, or ideally majority, of the voting share capital of their football club.

How can the answer to Q1 reconcile with the answer to Q2?

Sky Blues Trust Q&A said:
Q2 Is there only one way of doing this?
Sky Blues Trust Q&A said:
No, it depends on a lot of factors and each set up should be appropriate for the fans and their club. Some clubs are fully fan-owned, others hold more than 50%, whereas others have a minority shareholding which often is supported by a shareholders agreement giving certain rights and protections for the Supporters Trust. Because of the size, potential and history of CCFC, a joint venture with other investors is likely to offer the best alternative.
 

Skyblueweeman

Well-Known Member
This bit annoys me...

Q14 Is there a plan of action to achieve fan-ownership?

Yes, detailed plans have been drafted and a summary of the steps required will be published in due course. The Sky Blue Trust have also engaged professional advisors to assist with the financial and legal implications. Please remember that these plans cannot progress unless SISU indicate that they are a willing seller and that their expectations on price and other terms are realistic

I don't get it...don't wait for them to say they won't sell. They're not going to pick up the phone and go 'Hey, we're good to go now'. If you've 'engaged professional advisors to assist with the financial and legal implications', they should be able to work out a fair value of what you'd need to take to SISU. Get that work done in the planning stage, understand what you've got to take to the table that matches the financial experts opinion, and then say 'lets talk'. Not the other way round.
 

Covcraig@bury

Well-Known Member
Not sure it would work if the Sky Blue Trust was involved ? They are only out for themselves, trying their hardest to get a seat at the top table.
I would however consider buying a share if and only if everyone who buys are limited to one share. And each share holder who would like to
offer their services for a position at the top table put their name forward and all share holders vote on this. With a maximum term of 3 years and
minimum term of 3 years before they could resit for positions!
What price per share would we be looking at ? K5-10-20- or more ?
Would be interesting to see what figures would be required for this fans take over ..
 

olderskyblue

Well-Known Member
I think grendel and tony should run it. Might take awhile for any decision's to be made, but surely would still be better run than it is now...
 

Mcbean

Well-Known Member
Not going to happen unless SISU give the club away with no debt - you still have the issues of the ground to work out - takes more than a casio calculator to sort CCFC out
 

Broken Hearted Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
Those who are able to think rationally while having an understanding of how to run a club are exactly those who you'd want in charge.
You're right I'm a member of the trust but you wouldn't put me in charge. Similarly there are people in the trust who who you would. Then again there are people who work for Sisu who you might and there are others who are and have been who should be and have been nowhere near it.
 

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
This bit annoys me...

Q14 Is there a plan of action to achieve fan-ownership?

Yes, detailed plans have been drafted and a summary of the steps required will be published in due course. The Sky Blue Trust have also engaged professional advisors to assist with the financial and legal implications. Please remember that these plans cannot progress unless SISU indicate that they are a willing seller and that their expectations on price and other terms are realistic

I don't get it...don't wait for them to say they won't sell. They're not going to pick up the phone and go 'Hey, we're good to go now'. If you've 'engaged professional advisors to assist with the financial and legal implications', they should be able to work out a fair value of what you'd need to take to SISU. Get that work done in the planning stage, understand what you've got to take to the table that matches the financial experts opinion, and then say 'lets talk'. Not the other way round.

Think they tried approaching SISU before didn't they and TF used it as a propaganda exercise against the trust at an SCG meeting. Still at least the chair made sure the meeting wasn't allowed to go of track and made sure that it was about the match day experience like it's supposed to have been.
 

oucho

Well-Known Member
I for one do not believe that fan ownership will work for us - it's never really taken off elsewhere, with the likes of Vale and Northampton and Brentford still losing money and having to sell up to wealthy investors. Maybe as a stop--gap until new owners are found, but I doubt it would be a success in the long term.

I am happy to be proven wrong. But I do feel we need a backer with a lot of financial muscle, not just ordinary fans clubbing together and chipping in a few hundred quid each. And yes, I know, there are not millions of such financial backers queuing up for us.......
 

oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
This bit annoys me...

Q14 Is there a plan of action to achieve fan-ownership?

Yes, detailed plans have been drafted and a summary of the steps required will be published in due course. The Sky Blue Trust have also engaged professional advisors to assist with the financial and legal implications. Please remember that these plans cannot progress unless SISU indicate that they are a willing seller and that their expectations on price and other terms are realistic

I don't get it...don't wait for them to say they won't sell. They're not going to pick up the phone and go 'Hey, we're good to go now'. If you've 'engaged professional advisors to assist with the financial and legal implications', they should be able to work out a fair value of what you'd need to take to SISU. Get that work done in the planning stage, understand what you've got to take to the table that matches the financial experts opinion, and then say 'lets talk'. Not the other way round.

How weeman ? The most up to date information available is to 31/05/2016 - sisu wont give any access to the current financials (rightly). I would want to know that the owners are prepared to sell and to sell to the Trust first before wasting my time or employing costly professionals to put together a bid based on guess work that could be knocked back in a one line letter. If Seppala was interested in selling you might think she might want to at least hear what the Trust and its advisors have to say. I could put some ideas together yes but those would rapidly change on discussions or even due diligence so I wouldn't waste my time or the Trusts money on it right now. I think the Trust has a general idea as to structure and values but that's not a bid

It is easy to assume the Trust has just sat on its hands waiting but perhaps they have been knocked back or ignored since the last more public rejection
 
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oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
The problem is with the Trust, like the local journalists of the world, is that they can't present any information without putting their own spin on it. In general though, it sounds alright. It doesn't really set out who the CBS will be made up of and how they're elected to post though.



How can the answer to Q1 reconcile with the answer to Q2?
I think you can have an ideal and be pragmatic at the same time fp. The Trust would like full ownership but realise that it is very unlikely to be the case because of the finance that will need to be raised to pull the club out of the sisu pit
 

oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
Not sure it would work if the Sky Blue Trust was involved ? They are only out for themselves, trying their hardest to get a seat at the top table.
I would however consider buying a share if and only if everyone who buys are limited to one share. And each share holder who would like to
offer their services for a position at the top table put their name forward and all share holders vote on this. With a maximum term of 3 years and
minimum term of 3 years before they could resit for positions!
What price per share would we be looking at ? K5-10-20- or more ?
Would be interesting to see what figures would be required for this fans take over ..

actually there are very few if any of the board that see themselves as being on the CCFC board, my understanding is that those fans representatives on the CCFC board will be elected by the share holders that invest in the scheme. I agree with the idea of limited terms in office.
 

Steve.B50

Well-Known Member
Why do so many people knock the Trust?
Rather than moan about what they do why not get off your fat lazy arses and do something about it?

About 5 years ago I went to a meeting and ended up joining the Trust board because no one else wanted to do it.
These people now running the Trust do so in there own time, it's a no win job and they take a lot of flack but they do it regardless. I stepped down last year as I felt I could not take things any further and the pressure was getting to me.

However, I am 100% behind the trust board and will continue to support what they do.

If more of you genuinely wanted to change things you can, but most are all talk.
 

Irish Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
Not sure it would work if the Sky Blue Trust was involved ? They are only out for themselves, trying their hardest to get a seat at the top table.
I would however consider buying a share if and only if everyone who buys are limited to one share. And each share holder who would like to
offer their services for a position at the top table put their name forward and all share holders vote on this. With a maximum term of 3 years and
minimum term of 3 years before they could resit for positions!
What price per share would we be looking at ? K5-10-20- or more ?
Would be interesting to see what figures would be required for this fans take over ..

I don't really know any of the Trust board more than to say hello to them and that is only because I go to the open meetings. I don't know any of them personally. However I just don't get any of this "only out for themselves" type of comment. The people I see are ordinary fans who go home and away to watch their club. Again my view is from the outside looking in, but it seems to me that they only want what is best for the club. I would much rather see our club run by a fans group than Sisu even if it is only an interim arrangement. Where do you get your info from to say they are only out for themselves?
Choice between Sisu and a supporters group running the club, who would you choose? It may be the only choice we will get.
 

Steve.B50

Well-Known Member
Does it have to be "The Sky blue Trust" or can there be an alternative constituted organisation?

Am sure it can be any organisation you want it to be but you need to find people who are prepared to do the work,the investigation, the reports the accounts the printing, the phone calls, the letters, the legal system, the organising.
The Trust just happens to have most of those who wish to do things already on board so any other group would probably be made up of Tust members

Rather than find another group get involved with the Sky Blue a Trust and make changes within if you care that much.
 

torchomatic

Well-Known Member
I don't have a problem with any member of the Trust board. However, I do have a problem with their skewed black and white view of CCFCs problem and how we reached this sorry state. I have a problem with the majority of their press releases too, which again, are skewed.

Their bigging up of Wasps was also a monumental own goal too.
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
One thing that stuck in my mind from the ownership meeting was how it was stressed the trust needed to maintain a good relationship with the current owners and be totally separated from any protests. Yet today, when they post about ownership, they also do a mail out about the JHW protest planned for the next game!
Yes, detailed plans have been drafted and a summary of the steps required will be published in due course. The Sky Blue Trust have also engaged professional advisors to assist with the financial and legal implications. Please remember that these plans cannot progress unless SISU indicate that they are a willing seller and that their expectations on price and other terms are realistic.
Is there a plan or not? When I commented after the meeting that I'd expected to hear something about the Trusts plans given they had said they'd been working on them for two years it was stated that there wasn't a plan and couldn't be until SISU put the club up for sale or it went into administration. Now the trust are saying they have detailed plans but we still haven't seen them.

For me we need a meeting where the trust, along with the high net worths they have lined up, present their plans. I think a lot more people would unite behind a trust bid if they saw some evidence of it being a viable way forward and something that could realistically be achieved.

Stop using 'the clubs not for sale' as an excuse. We all know that SISU will sell the second they get what they consider an acceptable offer.
 

jjglory

Member
Am new to the forum but been reading it for ages. No issue with the Trust as such except they are much to soft. Look at what the Trusts at Blackpool and Charlton have done.?
 

jjglory

Member
what have they done?[/QUOTe. Organised massive protests. Charlton even went to the home town of owner and protested. They are all behind the removal of the owner. It must have worked as he has said he will be putting club up for sale. Blackpool are holding regular protests involving other supporter and there owners are not even able to get into games.
 

oldfiver

Well-Known Member
Am sure it can be any organisation you want it to be but you need to find people who are prepared to do the work,the investigation, the reports the accounts the printing, the phone calls, the letters, the legal system, the organising.
The Trust just happens to have most of those who wish to do things already on board so any other group would probably be made up of Tust members

Rather than find another group get involved with the Sky Blue a Trust and make changes within if you care that much.

Actually it wasn't my question - I have been asked twice since the Earlsdon Meeting but could not answer.
 

Skyblueweeman

Well-Known Member
How weeman ? The most up to date information available is to 31/05/2016 - sisu wont give any access to the current financials (rightly). I would want to know that the owners are prepared to sell and to sell to the Trust first before wasting my time or employing costly professionals to put together a bid based on guess work that could be knocked back in a one line letter. If Seppala was interested in selling you might think she might want to at least hear what the Trust and its advisors have to say. I could put some ideas together yes but those would rapidly change on discussions or even due diligence so I wouldn't waste my time or the Trusts money on it right now. I think the Trust has a general idea as to structure and values but that's not a bid

It is easy to assume the Trust has just sat on its hands waiting but perhaps they have been knocked back or ignored since the last more public rejection

But if anything OSB, since 31/05/2016, our 'stock' has lessened (in my eyes anyway). Bar an amazing day at Wembley which none of us will forget, we're nearly a year closer to having no where to play, we're a year closer to losing our academy and since the last up to date information, we've found out that our training ground could be sold for housing (although I appreciate a suitable replacement is supposedly part of the deal).

On top of that, we're likely to head South on the football pyramid resulting in expected ST renewal drops and coupled with less TV revenue for L2 clubs, the money available to Robins to bounce back, won't look anything like this seasons budget.

I totally take on all your points which as always are valid. I just don't think they (the trust), can sit around waiting for a call from Joy. I also take on board though that they might have been rejected again, less publicly. For me though, time is of the essence. If they've got professional advisors they're working with, get a wriggle on!

Maybe I'm too impatient :)


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letsallsingtogether

Well-Known Member
But it wasn't the trust that did those things.
It was the protest groups CARD and Tangerines.
We have many JHW tried to bring all ours together but have failed.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
tin foil hat time but I keep hearing that there is something to the take over rumours and things are further down the line than people realise.

Could the real reason for the survey have been fact finding for the parties involved?
 

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