by Dr Slippy » Tue Dec 14, 2021 6:17 pm
I attended last night, nothing to do with ASA (which I know little about), but because I had emailed Les Gray about my own concerns and he phoned me back and invited me along.
What I took out of the meeting is that it is unlikely that much will change regarding the stadium company, but it is possible or likely that the football club will be sold or at least attract new “investors”
I’m still a little unsure about what that will mean in practice as Allan & Les made it clear that if possible they would hope to maintain their involvement with the club and both restated their commitment to the club.
I personally hope they do not leave as they have been a vital part of the stability of the club over the last 17 or 18 years. They also stated that they believe that they can take us back to the top league, but it might takes 3 years or so to get back.
I’m not sure if my desire for Les & Allan to stay on board is at odds with others on here, but I would have real concerns if they left as I believe they are decent people who genuinely care about the football club. Football in the UK is littered with tales of snake oil salesmen who promise fans the earth and leave a trail of devastation behind them.
It is obvious listening to Colin McGowan that his “passion” is not the football club, but his charitable causes. Whether that is good or bad is open to debate. He argues that without his causes we would not attract the funding for the football club from his sponsors. I don’t know enough to argue or otherwise with this claim, but it was apparent that there are no plans to change this ethos. I personally would prefer a CE whose main passion is the football, but he argues that the opposite is actually a strength.
I also believe that Allan Maitland is sincere and wants to build bridges and rapport with supporters. Recent examples of people being banned was raised and Allan is going to look into a couple of cases.
My own view is probably at odds with others on here as I have no issue with bans in extreme cases, and I have witnessed several incidents where fans have crossed the line. I also know fans who no longer attend away games with families due to the ongoing behaviour of a small number of individuals. I’m not talking about bad language, but individuals screaming abuse, and regardless of what you think of him, shouting things like “McGowan Die” which I have heard personally, is never acceptable.
For me last night was helpful in understanding where various parties are coming from, and I’m sure there will be posters on here who will disagree with my views.