[moondog]

Last Friday I was asked by Ashley Carson if I would be willing to bring along 10 members of Bobs Board to a fans forum he was holding on 9 November. Also present would be 10 members of the CFC Fans Group from Facebook and 10 members of Bridge Inn Travel.

It wasn’t thought manageable to conduct such a forum with greater numbers than this.

Ashley informed me the meeting was being held as he recognised that the club needs to urgently engage with the fans and address their concerns head on given the talk of protests and boycotts.

When I put it to him the timing of the meeting, shortly before the AGM may lead fans to conclude this was just to deflect questions away from this, he denied this stating questions could be repeated by shareholders at the AGM.

Ashley has requested that the structure of the meeting be one question for each person in order to ensure the meeting isn’t dominated by any one individual.

The club would seek to answer reasonable questions openly and honestly. He asked that when asking a question the person asking give their name. Questions that would require research to be submitted in advance of the hearing.

I agreed to the request and have co-opted sufficient bobs board members to attend the meeting, I invited them based upon their contribution to the debate on here and desire to attend a previously planned but abandoned event (the £10 Pie & Pea Supper)

Please don’t be offended if you haven’t been invited, many more on here meet the criteria. The last thing we need is for the meeting to cause divisions on here.

It follows of course that the answers to questions will be reported on here as soon as possible after the meeting.

Present from bobs board will be

Moondog, Freelander2, MDCCCLXVI, Dim View, 60’’s 70’s Spireite, Clarevoyant, Sammy Spireite, Mr Mercury, SpireiteNag & Zorro

To answer questions on behalf of the club will be

Ashley Carson, Chris Turner, John Croot, Chris Breeze & Nick Johnson

[essexspireman]

can we suggest questions to be asked?

[moondog]

essexspireman, on 06 November 2016 - 09:22 AM, said:

can we suggest questions to be asked?

Yes

[ash_cfc]

moondog, on 06 November 2016 - 09:26 AM, said:

Yes

Minutes to be taken too and a full copy put on here?

[valemadness]

moondog, on 06 November 2016 - 09:26 AM, said:

Yes

Any idea why the idea to broadcast it was nixed? Was it club or fans?

[Westbars Spireite]

Ten off Facebook 😂

[trickytrevsfanclub]

The Facebook group makes Bobs Board look like the ultimate in intellectual debate but ultimately they are still fans with the same passions so should rightly be included.

[bucko]

Cynic in mean thinks this meeting will in the clubs eyes deflect any protest planned Sunday in front of the cameras.

Hope not because it is only the views of 30 that will be heard

[Ernie Ernie Ernie]

moondog, on 06 November 2016 - 09:12 AM, said:

Last Friday I was asked by Ashley Carson if I would be willing to bring along 10 members of Bobs Board to a fans forum he was holding on 9 November. Also present would be 10 members of the CFC Fans Group from Facebook and 10 members of Bridge Inn Travel.

It wasn’t thought manageable to conduct such a forum with greater numbers than this.

Ashley informed me the meeting was being held as he recognised that the club needs to urgently engage with the fans and address their concerns head on given the talk of protests and boycotts.

When I put it to him the timing of the meeting, shortly before the AGM may lead fans to conclude this was just to deflect questions away from this, he denied this stating questions could be repeated by shareholders at the AGM.

Ashley has requested that the structure of the meeting be one question for each person in order to ensure the meeting isn’t dominated by any one individual.

The club would seek to answer reasonable questions openly and honestly. He asked that when asking a question the person asking give their name. Questions that would require research to be submitted in advance of the hearing.

I agreed to the request and have co-opted sufficient bobs board members to attend the meeting, I invited them based upon their contribution to the debate on here and desire to attend a previously planned but abandoned event (the £10 Pie & Pea Supper)

Please don’t be offended if you haven’t been invited, many more on here meet the criteria. The last thing we need is for the meeting to cause divisions on here.

It follows of course that the answers to questions will be reported on here as soon as possible after the meeting.

Present from bobs board will be

Moondog, Freelander2, MDCCCLXVI, Dim View, 60’’s 70’s Spireite, Clarevoyant, Sammy Spireite, Mr Mercury, SpireiteNag & Zorro

To answer questions on behalf of the club will be

Ashley Carson, Chris Turner, John Croot, Chris Breeze & Nick Johnson

I can just see it.

Name Clarevoyant, question, "just where is this club heading?"

AC "if anyone should know it's you".

[moondog]

valemadness, on 06 November 2016 - 09:40 AM, said:

Any idea why the idea to broadcast it was nixed? Was it club or fans?

The club made the decision not to agree to a broadcast on the closed CFC Fans group, given issues over ownership of the footage etc. There was no consultation with us when the fans group announced it would be broadcast.

[Benno Spire]

I would imagine this fans forum is probably an intended way for the club to try and deflect/dilute difficult questions at the agm and somehow try and stop any protests at the televised game
You have to ask why they need to do this

[Stockholm Spireite]

moondog, on 06 November 2016 - 09:12 AM, said:

Ashley informed me the meeting was being held as he recognised that the club needs to urgently engage with the fans and address their concerns head on given the talk of protests and boycotts.

When I put it to him the timing of the meeting, shortly before the AGM may lead fans to conclude this was just to deflect questions away from this, he denied this stating questions could be repeated by shareholders at the AGM.

The club would seek to answer reasonable questions openly and honestly. He asked that when asking a question the person asking give their name. Questions that would require research to be submitted in advance of the hearing.

The cynic in me sees this as a "soft opening" for the AGM, where some questions that might prove awkward (regardless of prior research required), have the chance to be scripted and polished for the AGM. You can see why AC et al would be keen to draw out some information beforehand.

Keep some of your powder dry, please.

Edit: I do wonder how this meeting can be arranged so quickly, when the pie and pea supper was cancelled due to availability of club personnel. As Alanis once sang, Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

This post has been edited by Stockholm Spireite: 06 November 2016 - 10:03 AM

[lindave]

There is only one person the fans need to talknto and thatvis Dave Allen. OtherwisevI for one is nnot interested.

[Goku]

lindave, on 06 November 2016 - 10:06 AM, said:

There is only one person the fans need to talknto and thatvis Dave Allen. OtherwisevI for one is nnot interested.

Somebody please call an Ambulance.

[Humpalumpa]

Stockholm Spireite, on 06 November 2016 - 10:01 AM, said:

The cynic in me sees this as a "soft opening" for the AGM, where some questions that might prove awkward (regardless of prior research required), have the chance to be scripted and polished for the AGM. You can see why AC et al would be keen to draw out some information beforehand.

Keep some of your powder dry, please.

Edit: I do wonder how this meeting can be arranged so quickly, when the pie and pea supper was cancelled due to availability of club personnel. As Alanis once sang, Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

Agreed, don't give them the chance of an easy ride at the AGM.

[Johnnyspireite7]

trickytrevsfanclub, on 06 November 2016 - 09:54 AM, said:

The Facebook group makes Bobs Board look like the ultimate in intellectual debate but ultimately they are still fans with the same passions so should rightly be included.

I presume that the 'Facebook Group' will include Les 'Blinkered' Ashmore?

[spireitenag]

Stockholm Spireite, on 06 November 2016 - 10:01 AM, said:

The cynic in me sees this as a "soft opening" for the AGM, where some questions that might prove awkward (regardless of prior research required), have the chance to be scripted and polished for the AGM. You can see why AC et al would be keen to draw out some information beforehand.

Keep some of your powder dry, please.

Edit: I do wonder how this meeting can be arranged so quickly, when the pie and pea supper was cancelled due to availability of club personnel. As Alanis once sang, Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

The pie and pea supper meeting was actually cancelled because Dave Allen told AC and CT it was not going to happen !

[Stockholm Spireite]

spireitenag, on 06 November 2016 - 10:47 AM, said:

The pie and pea supper meeting was actually cancelled because Dave Allen told AC and CT it was not going to happen !

Thank you, I wasn't aware. Does DA know about this meeting and has sanctioned it?

[spireitenag]

Stockholm Spireite, on 06 November 2016 - 10:48 AM, said:

Thank you, I wasn't aware. Does DA know about this meeting and has sanctioned it?

I'm not aware of whether DA has agreed this one,however I would be very surprised if this one didn't go ahead.

It is my honest belief that the entire focus of this meeting is to head off any protests at next Sundays televised game.

[Westbars Spireite]

Submitting questions in advance tells you all you need to know.