“Fans can’t run a football club – if I’ve heard that comment once I’ve heard it a thousand times. Well, I’m quite proud of what has been achieved in the short space of time since emerging from administration. Seven fans are running your football club right now. The new Board of Directors has been working furiously to put a manager in place, a competitive team on the park within a reasonable budget and without delay in an effort to give that manager as much preparation time as possible for the coming season. Also, from a customer service point of view that allowed you, the fans, to decide whether or not you wanted to purchase season tickets. Very few clubs have had their playing staff confirmed so soon, and I’m proud of the fact that we’ve had it sorted so early, had strips in the shop before the season started, and so on. This is what should happen, but it hasn’t been in the recent past. I’d also like to thank everyone for their response to the season tickets – it has been fantastic.
“I can personally vouch for each of the Directors when I say that I doubt there would be a harder working boardroom anywhere in the country. This is not a “meet once a fortnight” job – this is daily endeavour, into the evening etc. and from that perspective you can feel comforted that you are getting the full commitment from the Board that all your hard work from last year has merited and deserves. I don’t think there’s any previous Board of this Club that can say the same. The Chief Executive provides great support, as well as the Club staff. There is a balance of skills and experience in the Boardroom and an energy and drive to do things properly and, as the weeks and months go by, there is a togetherness and team spirit forming there that will serve the Football Club well moving forward – of that I am 100% sure.”
Turning to the financial aspects, Stuart went on “I’d like to tell you briefly about the financial transparency so long promised and what that will look like and then give you a Board and personal view on some of the important decisions as a community you will have to make.
“Firstly finances – as a Board we have agreed to publicise some Key Performance Indicators that should serve to provide some comfort in an area that all too often in the past has been the club’s downfall. By doing this we feel we can strike the balance between being commercially responsible in how we run the business in terms of competitors etc. but at the same time be visible enough in the priority areas that underpin the financial performance of the Football Club.
“Everything is subject to review, but for the moment at least we feel that this should satisfy the appetite for information that, not surprisingly, exists out there. It also reminds us as individual Board members about our collective responsibility and the need to develop clear, ethical, management principles. We’re not going to open the books and provide the minute detail – that would be commercially irresponsible and risk disadvantaging the Club, what we will do is publish something that’s safe and reasonable and doesn’t put the club at a disadvantage, but also provides a statement that all is well – or otherwise, which we do not expect to be the case!! It will allow access to statements like
• The club has no HMRC debt, and
• Creditors are being paid on time
Put simply, it’s the commercially responsible way to run a business.
“The shareholding question has provoked some real robust debate and quite rightly so. We all fought hard to save our Football Club and so opinion and passions on this subject quite rightly run high and can be quite diverse and that applies also to the Society Board. We should not forget that it’s a success to be in this position.
“Now we are in the debate process. This is not a case of whether we accept investment or financial support moving forward but HOW we manage that process, whether it be above or below 50%. There are those who believe that maintaining that % shareholding is crucial given the events of the past, while there are others who consider that, as long as there is sufficient boardroom representation at the main decision making forum, that in itself is enough.
“All that I ask is that however this all ends, that the Board of Directors – whoever they may be – are not starved in any way, shape or form from potential investment or support in order to discharge their duties appropriately. There is nothing sinister in the timing of this debate, in fact it comes at exactly the right time, because at 53% currently it’s getting close to the wire, therefore in terms of planning we all have to be positioned in such a way that we can act expediently should investment become a real and distinct possibility. We have reached a fork in the road. It is not a cop out to ask the fans to decide – as a Supporters’ Society acting on behalf of its members it is entirely appropriate that the membership is consulted. Without a mandate, we cannot act appropriately. Whatever the mandate, whatever the vote, it has to allow the Boardroom to function and the Board of Directors must be trusted to carry forward the running of the Club in the proper manner.”
Stuart continued “it’s said that every great journey starts with a single step. Funding the CVA was really that first step, and now the road has forks and junctions and as a community you now need to decide the correct route to take. We are all in this together, and in amongst all of the different opinions and viewpoints there is a weighty responsibility to make the right decision. This Football Club has survived due to some heavy duty CPR, now we need to make sure it is given the oxygen to breathe and grow and bring it back to its rightful position in Scottish football.”