Getting the message across

[Sultan]

After reading various threads, it seems that quite a few bees fans do not quite understand how perilous our position as a football club is.

To help get this message across i have a suggestion. Why not choose a match where everyone that comes through the turnstile gets given a free Matchday programme (printing costs could be paid for by the club sponsors St George maybe?).

In this programme all the facts, questions and answers regarding the state that the club is in are addressed, all fund raising activities are advertised etc. This special 'crisis' issue would then be read by that games attendance and every one should go away feeling a little bit more updated and in the know about where we stand as a football club. And why that Bees United is the only way forward and might just convince more people to believe and even maybe join?

Any thoughts?

[Wee Dave]

I don't think people would believe it even then.

If our position is so perilous someone needs to stand up with a microphone at half-time and say, "if we do not raise x pounds by x date we WILL go out of business."

As stated on other threads, the contradictory statements coming out of BU/BFC make it hard for the average Bees fan to know who to believe. Certainly it's hard to believe we're going under seeing as we've just paid money for a player.

If we are, let's say we are, and say it loudly.

[Thomas Bathurst]

The problem is, I'm a Bees United member, read the programme every match, buy every fanzine and look at the GPG every day, and I still don't fully understand how perilous the situation is.

I think the facts need to be broken down and delivered to us by Bees United in easy to digest bullet points, to make it easy for everyone to understand quite exactly where we stand.

Brentford £X,000,000 in the red
Losing £X0,000 per week
Out of business by April unless we have X new Bees United members paying £10 each
Sign Up To Bees United Now (or whatever!)

The above, plastered everywhere from the programme, to the GPG, to the official site will be much better than 2 long pages of interview with John Mac, or whoever - at the end of which I am always left wondering .... so how badly off are we (maybe I'm thick? :yes: )

[Thomas Bathurst]

Sorry Wee Dave ... took too long typing and then see that I said basically the same thing as you

[Sultan]

I agree with both the above replys but surely putting this info (broken down into bullet points in need be) in a 'free' programme' (not everyone has internet, buys fanzines etc) would surely help. The message would come from BFC/Bees United (surely the same thing, another thing needing clarifying).

[West Ealing Bee]

We cetainly need to find a way to let everyone know exactly what the situiation is.

However I think this has been BU's problem all along, how to tell everyone.

[Dangerous]

Originally posted by Sultan
I agree with both the above replys but surely putting this info (broken down into bullet points in need be) in a 'free' programme' (not everyone has internet, buys fanzines etc) would surely help. The message would come from BFC/Bees United (surely the same thing, another thing needing clarifying).

I think if you are very serious about BEES going out of Business why dont you form a relationship with teams like Bournemouth, who was in dire but managed to sell the idea to fans that it was up to them ask the real people who know and get there views.

The way i look at it is the National Press over the last 10 yrs they have said this club are in dire and this club are in admin. But all the Fans see, is all the clubs that have been mentioned are still running and not 1 has gone down yet and no one will belive BFC will be the first and you cant convince people that it is real until it has happened and then people will take note.

Go on ask Bournemouth how they have done this.

[Thomas Bathurst]

There are so many different forums for being able to inform everyone

Local Press
Programme
Fanzines
Official Web Site
GPG / Beesotted
Mailing List
Posters around the ground

The thing they need to do is keep it simple, so that nobody can say "I don't know how bad the situation is". Don't get bogged down in detail!!! 4 or 5 bullet points could inform everyone what the debt is, how much we are losing per week, how many NEW members are required ....

[BeeReal]

Originally posted by Thomas Bathurst
I think the facts need to be broken down and delivered to us by Bees United in easy to digest bullet points, to make it easy for everyone to understand quite exactly where we stand.

Totally agree. And it needs to be repeated and repeated and.... We fans forget so quickly.

You can tell what people think is the major issue at any moment by the number and intensity of posts on GPG.
.....The Woking situation, .....Ron N, .....the debt,....
However, over the last few months it has been ..... WD (pro/against), Somner at LB, Hutch, Rowlands,.....

The emphasis has changed and the financial predicament of our club is out of the forefront of most peoples minds. If it really is as bad as some believe it should be the number one focus of our attention, creative ideas and effort.

[Gee Bee]

The problem you have is that so many football clubs have been highlighted as about to go bust over the last few years, but none have, which means many people do not believe how perilous any position is until it has happened. Nobody should want a club to go out of business, but it is currently the case that until one does actually fold, lethargy amongst large fan bases will remain.
BU & BFC have tried to address every way of highlighting the true plight, which has included giving flyers to every supporter at the turnstile, but still we have less than 600 standing order BU members. Fund raising events are plastered all around GP, but the fact remains that a vast majority just want to turn up at GP every couple of weeks watch a game of football and go home again. Not until it is too late and they start having to go to B&Q every week, instead of watching the Bees, will they realise the true plight.
:sad:

['Ayes B]

I think also think that supporters should be told what administration means to Brentford.

Other footballs clubs have gone into administration and have survived, received stays of execution and probably in thier minds are no worse off.

My undertsatnding is that we are different, we dont have lots of creditors, (its mainly ron) that the adminisatrator would charge us a six figure fee and the debt would probably be cleared by the selling of GP and the homeless club being forced to groundshare

[Mulitinovic]

I think a lot of other clubs who are in a similar position to us are a lot better at publicising their plight to the media, presumably in the hope that they'll gain the attention of a bored ogliarch who will come to their rescue. I think a large proportion of people going to GP and in the wider community believe most 2nd and 3rd division clubs to be in a worse financial position than us.

I agree with Gee Bee - with so many clubs talking about going to the wall we're getting to the stage where the media and public are losing interest. Well, until Leeds go to the wall...

[BoroBee]

Originally posted by Gee Bee
The problem you have is that so many football clubs have been highlighted as about to go bust over the last few years, but none have, which means many people do not believe how perilous any position is until it has happened. Nobody should want a club to go out of business, but it is currently the case that until one does actually fold, lethargy amongst large fan bases will remain.

This is so true. Perhaps a same division club going down (Notts County, for example!) might shake people up? Isn't it a bit like car accidents, you never think it's going to happen to you!

Just to play Devil's Advacado perhaps we might get more people involved if we went into voluntary receivership? ;)

[King Bee]

Originally posted by BoroBee
This is so true. Perhaps a same division club going down (Notts County, for example!) might shake people up? Isn't it a bit like car accidents, you never think it's going to happen to you!

Just to play Devil's Advacado perhaps we might get more people involved if we went into voluntary receivership? ;)

I've often wondered what would happen if JM & team suddenly put their hands up to say they've made a mistake and we're perilously close to administration, whether far more people would come out of the woodwork to help the club.

[Ace Face]

King BEE - I personally can`t see these people ever coming forward. As they must surely be already involved in helping BU now or are they waiting for a personal invitation. They will also have to be democratically elected. Of course if they are critical of the way BU run the club, the mechanisms are there to get involved and change things.

If they want to help in a personal capacity as say a Bill Benn scenerio, that is another matter.

I think we sometimes need to look at ourselves rather than look at others failings.

Are we seriously saying we can`t get three volunteers to pump financial facts and spin out 7 days a week? I have emailed a list of questions to JM for compilation into a comms for fans and lets see what happens.

The bottom line is that BU is not perfect by a long chalk, but we are still playing at GP and slow progress is being made.

[Ace Face]

I agree with all the points above.

I do however think we look at the BU/BFC Exec as responsible for everything which is bad and nothing which is good.

The problem we face is that if you publish the information, half the fans will say they don`t believe it because it isn`t what they want to hear and the other half will look for a scapegoat - that can be done immediately - Ronald. Now we need to get all the fans convinced that saving BFC is worth some effort from them.

I am a committed socialist, but what I don`t understand is why some fans would rather give McDonalds or Indiana Chicken Co £5+ for a pile of cack, instead of say £5 a month to BU to save a piece of our fantastic heritage for our community.

It isn`t just a case of not knowing how serious our fight against administration is, because the BU/Bias track record speaks for itself:
No to Woking
ABeeC
No to Kingstonian
Lionel Road plans
Trying 150% to trying to rid ourselves of Ronald.
Directors on the board
10 point GP plan etc

When I die, I will hopefully leave a legacy for my kids and if it means missing Eastenders and cack TV to attend events, so be it.

[BoroBee]

Originally posted by Bish
I am a committed socialist, but what I don`t understand is why some fans would rather give McDonalds or Indiana Chicken Co £5+ for a pile of cack, instead of say £5 a month to BU to save a piece of our fantastic heritage for our community.

Not sure how these are connected - Surely as a socialist you understand why people "donate" money to worthy capitalist causes such as McDonalds?
Also, the two places you quote provide "food" of a sort whereas a standing order to BU will not provide any nutrition ( apart from nutrition of the soul, I suppose!). :confused:

[Ace Face]

Boro - Not being very good at staying on threads.

What I am trying to say is don`t buy the Burger and chips or couple of beers once a month and instead use that money to help BU try and save BFC. I guarantee your funds will be more appreciated by BU than say McDonalds.

I am sure BU can`t promise they will be successful though, I guess it`s about showing some faith in fellow BEES.