Notts County Supporters Trust Forum
Saturday 22 January 2005 – Masson Suite – Meadow Lane

Panel Keri Usherwood – Chair NCST
Steve Thompson – Supporter Director
Patrick Nelson – Chief Executive
Ian Richardson – Player/Manager

Approximately 100 attendees

Keri opened the Forum by commenting that in beating Scunthorpe 2-0 and keeping a 5th consecutive clean sheet that the Trust has beaten the ‘curse’ of previous events which always seemed to follow a bad result. He asked for feedback on the venue from the members as this is the first time we have moved away from the Meadow Club for meetings such as these.

Keri summed up the last few months for the club and Trust as successful both on and off the pitch. The Trust was involved in the appointments of Howard Wilkinson and Ian Richardson. Membership stands at 1,400 and we hope to reach 2,000 by the end of the year.

Finally, Keri mentioned 2 Trust events – the Pie Quiz on 17 February in the 1862 Suite. Doors open at 7 - Quiz begins at 8. There is also an Audience with Derek Pavis on 4 February. Tickets can be purchased from Ken Carter or at the Trust desk in the club shop. Prices are £3 for Trust members and £4 for non Trust members. This is an opportunity to ask Derek about the decisions he made and the circumstances behind them.

Other forums and events will be announced in due course. The next of these it is hoped will be an evening with Sam Allardyce in March. Watch for notices, programme notes and on the Trust website for further details.

During the course of the forum a group of board members counted the proceeds from the bucket collection made that day for the Wrexham Trust. Keri thanked everybody concerned for their assistance with the collection and their contributions. He urged members to help clubs that helped us and stated that there were many other clubs facing the problems that Notts were facing not so long ago. There is much to be said for strength in numbers.

At this point, Keri opened the meeting to questions from the floor:

Q1 A member asked that in light of the recent turn in playing fortunes that the club did not rush into wasting any more money on loan signings and saved the money to spend at the end of the season to keep players and attract better ones.

ST Steve replied that obviously if we need to sign a player then we must but on today’s fantastic display this would not be necessary at present.

The member replied that long term, there is no benefit to signing loan players. Now the corner has been turned it makes sense to keep the money for when it’s really required.

PN I speak to the manager every day and know that he only looks to bring in people that will make a difference to the club. He is growing as a manager and you can see the managerial thought process developing in him. Ian has looked at several potential loan players recently but did not feel they were right for Notts. If required, there is a small amount available for what we feel is the correct loan signing.

Q2 Could you clarify the position regarding the club’s finances at present in the light of the cup run etc.?

ST The position is unchanged. The consortium knew the club would be losing money at this stage. There is a smaller loss than previously because of the recent income but the aim is to be making a profit in 18 months time and that is what everybody is striving to achieve. It is hard to predict how much money a club will make because of outside factors.

Q3 Following the cancellation of the Northampton Boxing Day game and a 50k loss is there a chance the club could insure against something similar happening again?

ST The actual loss was probably £10-15k as it was ticket revenue we missed. The banqueting facilities remained open and people still attended. Luckily, because it was Northampton, they will come later in the season and still bring a big crowd, unlike Yeovil or another club with fewer away supporters. A cover was hired for the pitch last night and will be used again for Tuesday so the answer is that although you can insure against a match cancellation, we have confidence in the cover and will be using that solution in future.

Q4 After the profits from the Middlesbrough game are the losses still likely to be £1/4m ?

ST Remember that Notts don’t get all the money from that game and Boro take their percentage of the gate money. We actually did better on the Swindon Sky game which was pure profit.

At this point Ian Richardson arrived to a great round of applause.

Q5 What is the role of Howard Wilkinson at the club and how does the manager feel about this?

PN Howard is here as an advisor, helper and mentor and is invaluable in assisting Ian in his first management role. How do you think it’s going Ian?

IR Howard has arranged some analysis of the games which has been very useful. It highlighted a weakness in getting crosses in. We worked on it in training and I believe it paid dividends today and created a lot more chances for us.

ST I would just like to add that there is nothing sinister in the appointment if that’s what the questioner was inferring. There is no intention of Howard becoming the manager. He made us an offer of help which we were glad to accept.

Q6 Well done on the HW and IR appointments. Ian, will you be able to start negotiating new contracts and looking for new players for next season when you are manager only until the end of the season? Will you be allowed to build a squad for next season?

IR They’ve I am the manager so I will make decisions for next season. At the moment I am the manager and so I will be speaking to players about next season and looking at other players.

Q7 Is it still likely we will lose the projected figure of £250k this season if attendances keep going up?

PN The figures change weekly. We did our initial projections on higher attendances and crowds continue to fluctuate so it is difficult to say. The cup money should plug the gaps in league attendances though.

Q8 Is the Henderson loan still worth it when Deeney is playing so well? Is IR qualified to manage the team?

PN Ian’s qualifications will only be a problem if we get to the Premier League within 2 years!

IR I’m going my UEFA B at the moment and have 2 topics left then I will do my UEFA A which takes 2 years which will tie in nicely for us getting into the Premiership. This will affect my garden design course however!

IR I cannot leave Saul out at the moment and we have Wayne until the end of the season. He can only be returned at Villa’s request. We cannot send him back.

PN We need 2 keepers. Just one is a big risk. We knew the costs of the deal and are confident that we can afford it.

Q9 Can you please explain the decision to move the Yeovil game on Easter Monday to the Tuesday? This makes it very difficult for fans to travel.

ST Yeovil decided they would attract bigger gates on the Tuesday because the majority of supporters due to the nature of their jobs would be working on the Bank Holiday. We took the advice of our manager at the time and we also knew that you have to have a very good reason to overthrow the wishes of the home team if you take the case to the Football League. There is a period in which you can object (now passed) and our manager at the time chose not to do this – I will confirm this with Tony Cuthbert.

IR As a player it is better to get an extra day to recover from the Saturday but I can see from the fans’ point of view that they would prefer Monday.

KU If this problem arises again next season and people feel strongly about it then the Trust can put this point of view to the club.

Q10 What plans does the club have to strengthen off-field revenue for the next couple of seasons?

PN We are unusual in the sense that we have a big conferencing and banqueting business attached to the club. For every 100 extra supporters we bring in, we can expect and extra £1000 profit. Please encourage people to come and use our facilities which are now running far more efficiently than in the past. I am constantly speaking to businesses in Nottingham through the CBI, Institute of Directors, Chamber of Commerce and Touch Nottingham. We have recently taken a large block booking from the City Council based on just one conference held here.

I am speaking at the Nottingham City Business Club and on the night of the Pie Quiz will be in the other suite speaking to the Nottingham Ambassadors group. We are constantly engaged in outreach work.

Additional spectators are great but we also need to attract people to our off-field facilities. If you have a business or have any influence on groups or agencies that book meeting rooms and conference venues then please recommend us.

Q11 Is there a good way to pass our ideas on to you at the club? I feel we are a Championship club off the pitch in our facilities etc. but today as a guest in the Paragon suite I felt that the club should be making a better impression on its customers.

PN I wish you had mentioned your concerns to me at the time and not used this forum. These problems can be addressed later on.

KU The potential for the club’s facilities is recognised but previously there was no interface, many ideas were lost. The Trust can now put your ideas through to Patrick or Steve. You can submit your ideas through the Trust website or you can contact them directly by e-mail which can be found on the club website. Changes cannot happen overnight and the hard work which has already been carried out has been executed in a staged and considered way. This work will continue but it cannot all be done at once.

ST Don’t leave thinking that we haven’t considered our marketing strategy. Nottingham is very much more competitive now than it was 5 years ago and we have to fight for business. It is very encouraging that when we do get people here for events, they usually want to book with us again.

Q12 The club’s public relations have got worse since we came out of administration. I have an example of a story about bar staff at the Middlesbrough game. There was only one person serving in Lawton’s bar and Patrick Nelson was told about it, he shrugged his shoulders and walked away.

PN I have heard this story before and it is not true.

At this point the member asking the question challenged PN and Patrick asked for both respect and politeness. ST continued the response….

ST The club is now more accessible than it has ever been – forums like this for example are a means for the club and fans to exchange ideas. However, the club cannot change overnight. Complaints are dealt with in person or by e-mail or by letter.

At this point another person stated that the 1:1 dialogue at the club was something you would never see at clubs such as Manchester United or Nottingham Forest. She felt that the previous question was an abuse of the open attitude of the club and many of the other members agreed with her. Another member then offered that he had been in the Lawton bar for the Middlesborough game and there were 2 people serving.

PN asked IR how he felt about swapping jobs!

Q13 After a fantastic performance today is there was anything being done to hold on to the younger players such as Wilson so we don’t lose out as we did with McGoldrick and Best?

IR Wilson is improving with every game. He has another year left on his contract. He has been watched by a lot of Premiership clubs but as yet, there have been no offers.

The member replied that Wilson will only get better. Can we not take a gamble and sign him up until 24 and look to attract a big fee then?

PN Who knows what will happen with Kelvin in a year’s time? Contracts depend on both parties and we can only react once an offer has been made. Contracts must remain a matter between the club and the individual.

Q14 On the contrary to some of the more negative comments this evening I would like to point out that from September to October we witnessed arguably the worst Notts side ever. Now, with the same personnel, we have completely turned around – what has made the difference?

PN (laughs, looking at IR) Well that would down to either be myself or Ian!

Q15 Regarding revenue possibilities. What about opening the Meadow Club for non match day events?

PN We do have some thoughts but nothing definite. The Meadow is probably third in my list of priorities and it is difficult to generate money. We did test one non match day evening that bombed but that doesn’t mean we won’t have another try.

Q16 How many players is the squad lacking?

IR 3 or 4. We have 3 long term injuries. However, there will be no changes unless it is absolutely necessary.

Q17 Could something be arranged to watch England games in the Meadow before Notts play – perhaps change the kick off time to be after an England match?

PN Many league clubs are considering this and Notts are amongst these. We’ll have a chat with Sven and see if he will work round us.

KU This is a good idea and something the board will look to explore if enough people think it is worthwhile.

Q18 Having recently attended a wedding at Pride Park I was struck by the amount of history and memorabilia on the walls in the conferencing suite. Is this something that could happen at Notts?

PN Yes, this will be happening on the first floor and in the 1862 suite in the next couple of weeks.

KU announced that time was up. He again urged members to let the Trust have their thoughts through the website and via e-mail. Steve Thompson added that he will always try and respond to e-mails (address in the match day programme) but there is sometimes a delay in getting to them as he is not always at the club.

A show of hands revealed that the majority (98%) of attendees at the forum were Trust members.

Finally, Keri announced that the total from the Wrexham bucket collection was £453.16.

The meeting closed at 6.45

Many thanks to Donna Marshall for taking notes of the meeting.

I've added some photos from the Forum in a separate topic.

http://nottscotrust.org.uk/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=2276018302&f=7776018302&m=2311067001