Hi all,

As some of you will be aware, I've had my reservations about certain aspects of this deal. I abstained from the vote, for reasons which I have documented elsewhere.

Now that the Trust membership has voted and the deal can proceed, I am happy to support Munto for as long as they run the club in a manner befitting its long history and loyal fan-base. I wish them every success with their plans to take the club up the divisions.

I'd be interested to know, though, what the Trust's plans are now that it is no longer a stakeholder in the club.

Thanks.

Martin.

I voted yes as I thought it was the best and probably only option to get the investment the Club so badly needs. However, once the deal goes through I agree that the Trust Board need to initiate a discussion with the membership on the future role for the Trust. Personally, I think that the Trusts original objects, as set out below, remain valid. However, a review of these would help to inform an open debate on the future role of the Trust. Haydn Green, the Trust and the broader family of Notts supporters have helped save the club from the brink of extinction and hopefully given us the opportunity of better times ahead. However, now is not a time to rest on our laurels but an opportunity to seek to influence the new owners. We should also not forget what has happened in the past and need to remain vigilant to ensure that the ongoing future of our Club is assured!

"The Society’s objects are, either itself or through a subsidiary company or society trading for the benefit of the community and acting under its control:
i. to strengthen the bonds between the Club and the community which it serves and to represent the interests of the community in the running of the Club;
ii. to benefit present and future members of the community served by the Club by promoting encouraging and furthering the game of football as a recreational facility, sporting activity and focus for community involvement;
iii. to further the development of the game of football nationally and internationally and the upholding of its rules;
iv. to encourage the Club to take proper account of the interests of its supporters and of the community it serves in its decisions;
v. to encourage and promote the principle of supporter representation on the board of any company owning or controlling the Club and ultimately to be the vehicle for democratic elections to the board;
vi. to promote, develop and respect the rights of members of the community served by the Club and people dealing with the Society as set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, having regard in particular to the need to provide information to members and conduct the affairs of the Society in accessible and appropriate ways."

leave it to the professionals now,the Trust was a good idea at the onset but now will have no more influence at Notts County, I won't be renewing membership and I expect hundreds more wont.

From Http://www.thisisnottingham.co...-detail/article.html

quote:

Armstrong-Holmes and vice-chairman Roy Parker both flew out to the Middle East to meet the consortium at the end of May.
And both look set to stay on at Meadow Lane in an advisory board.

Let's review this situation shall we. A certain individual is a vocal opponent of the Trust model initially, supposedly changes his mind and manages to get onto the Trust board and eventually become Club chairman with the Trust majority shareholder. All of the in-fighting (which so disgusts people) is sparked by his methods and lack of transparency to the other members of the Trust board. He narrowly avoids being voted off by the Trust board and then narrowly avoids being voted off by the Trust membership. He then gifts the Trust's shareholding effectively ending the Trust. Along the way he convinces previous supporters of a Trust model (such as Jurgen) that "Trusts don't work" and we end up with no representation in our club - which was the case up to 2003 and was the reason why the Trust was formed in the first place.

This person now appears to be on an advisory board for the club. Isn't life strange?

quote:

Originally posted by jurgenpie:
leave it to the professionals now,the Trust was a good idea at the onset but now will have no more influence at Notts County, I won't be renewing membership and I expect hundreds more wont.

I still think that the Trust has a role. Even though it will have no ownership of the Club, it should try to position itself as the de facto body to which the new owners and the media turn when they want input from, or on behalf of, the fans. The Trust should go back to acting as a watchdog, praising and criticising the actions of the new owners as applicable, in accordance with the best interests of the fans they're democratically elected to represent.

There is no point in the Trust seeking to acquire a shareholding in the Club, given that it has just voted to relinquish its current stake; but I'd like to see a contingency fund accumulated, so that we're not left completely in the lurch should anything go wrong (though hopefully there would be no need to call on this fund).

I'd like to see the existing Trust Board stand down and open nominations for new elections as soon as possible; the Trust needs a fresh start every bit as much as the Club.

I still believe that supporter-ownership as a model is not fundamentally flawed. The problems at Notts arose through the Trust Board bringing a massive conflict of interest upon itself by having one of its number running the Club on a day-to-day basis.

While I will give my wholehearted backing to the new owners for as long as they show good governance, part of me is deeply saddened that supporter-ownership at Notts came to such an undignified end.

I think it is hugely presumptious to assume this takeover is anywhere near complete. Munto in their only public statement have made it clear that they want 100% control and shareholding yet seem reluctant to pay anything for it.

Looking at the situation from afar there remain major issues with Peter Joyce who has been treated appallingly and has a substantial stake in Blenheim and most importantly there remain major issues with the Haydn Green estate who likewise have been treated appallingly. Haydn was a very clever man ( far more so than the current trust board) and will have left many safeguards in place for the club he so loved.
Quite where mr Leicester City sits in all this remains to be seen but I remain unconvinced that he will gift his shares and relinquish his loans.


In the meantime the current leadership of the Trust continue to spend money we havent yet got on players on long term contracts clearly on the assumption that this investment will be forthcoming. As a professional businessmen I can see that if this takeover falls through (which is far from the realms of possibility) we will be in administration. God help us then.

Whilst in spirit I am firmly behind the idea of this takeover big big questions remain. I would love this to happen but I am old enough to have seen so many potential takeovers at many clubs falter and since Jurgen has disbanded the trust I wonder who would pick up the pieces were it to all go pear shaped?

give it a rest john i think everybody knows if this takeover fails it's the end, i cant see supporters putting up with another 7 years of trusts & with groups that try to unrest things.... they will simple walk away........

To me this thread sums up the recent tensions in the Trust. Unfortunately we appear to have the two extremes of those that think that the Trust should have no future role and those that appear to want to attach that many pre-conditions to investment that we would never be able to get any. What we really need is a more balanced position where the Trust does everything that it can to ensure the takeover goes through smoothly but at the same time reorientates itself towards a future role of representing the views of the silent majority of Notts supporters to the new owners and, most importantly, seeking to hold them to account on their promises.

If the Trust have a role maybe it could still do community work with schools, promoting Notts County at fetes etc its a difficult one, in a ideal world would have been nice to have a 5% shareholding in club but that won't happen, I still think its exciting times ahead for Notts.

Jurgenpie,

Through the dialectical process of debate I do believe that our views are coming closer together!

I agree that an important ongoing role for the Trust should be to continue its work with the community and seeking to promote the club through this. Do this well (and cut out the internal warfare of the last few months!) and by earning the respect of the new owners then I believe that we could still exert some influence whilst being free of the responsibility of running the club. As you say in an ideal world it would have been good to have retained a small shareholding but we need to move forward positively with the deal we have and seek to ensure that this is to the best advantage of all genuine Notts supporters.

Best Wishes,

Paul Swift

I've probably been a bit harsh on this board in all fairness on the Trust which was down to my frustration with all the in house fighting, it was so annoying seeing friends and fans fighting against themselves with what is best for the club. I hope now the takeover is finalised with no more problems and we can build bridges and look forward.

It is clear the takeover is proving its worth already in the transfers that has taken place.

Lee opting out of a contract extension to join a team that finished 19th and Davies for goodness sake leaving a play-off team he captained to join a team that finished 19th on a 3 year contract!!!!


Without Munto, neither of these signings would have happaned.