After listening to and reading the interview with Rob Heys on the BBC website and reading the posts on this thread, I can only echo the calls of not just derision about the wholly sorry situation, but the calls made by many for transparency and openness by the club.
As of 19:00pm...no still no announcement on the clubs official website.....we all know that in recent times that for whatever reason the website has been a little slow in being updated!!!.
But for an article / event of such magnitude, it beggars belief that there is not so much as a brief article on there.....maybe the officials within the club are wondering what to write, but it's truly staggering that there's not even a brief statement acknowledging the gravity of the situation and informing of proposed plans??? Telegraph article quotes "emergency meeting planned" ??? Held by and between who ????
As for some of the ideas quoted on that article...I can only echo the sentiments of others.
Friendlies of the size and magnitude which will go a long way towards clearing the debt ?? Reality check folks.... the time to sort such fundraising games was back in
MAYor early JUNE when maybe there might have been a remote chance that one of the sides with the clout to fill that category may have offered a PRE-SEASON game to help out !!!! But to now go around stating the club are looking into that possibility after the season is well and truly up and running smacks of desperation......
Bucket collections ??? Whilst every little may help, that avenue of fundraising isn't going to lead to salvation in this situation and neither will, as has been suggested on another thread sponsoring the seats, oh yeah...bone of contention having to put them in, waited till the very last minute until doing so but even at £20 quid a throw as suggested that only raises £40K !!!!
The club knew for THREE SEASONS that the seats had to go in....but albeit under different stewardship (i.e E.W ) the club preferred to bury it's head in the sand so to speak, hoping that we would get dispensation for extra time.....a.k.a. police control box.
O.k. .....Yes we lost money from the Fraser Eagle situation, granted we had to shell out £60K or whatever figure was banded around to put the seats in....but I'm more than concerned by what I heard in that statement I've just listened to.
As before ( forgive me for repeating the obvious ) am I mistaken in just hearing Rob Heys quoting...."the club are hoping to pay a significant amount off this debt" ...a figure of £200K was mentioned...." and the club hopes to negotiate further time to address the balance".....assuming of course the fundraising ideas come up with the neccessary collaterall to support this option.....
INCREDULOUS !!! ......For what I think of that read the preceeding two paragraphs before the last....have these people no sense of deja vu ?? The Football League stated the timescale required with the seats........ the council have been a little more obliging with the control box...... but the inland revenue ain't going to be so obliging if that money isn't found in the timescale set!!!!
And from what I heard the club seem to be stating (via this article and the way I understand it to state )that Mr O'Neill will look at all all options open to him. I can appreciate that he made a significant investment,a share issue will mean that he will probably lose control of the club and with it he loses his investment, however what I read and heard in that article suggests that the supporters trust money will only be used as a last resort.......
If the winding up order comes then there will be NO CLUB TO LOSE CONTROL OF!!!
Well folks.. the clock is ticking...8 weeks to save the club !!!
One final thought... it may have escaped the attention of those who are at the helm in these desperate times, but i'll leave with one final phrase....
" FAMILIARITY breeds CONTEMPT !! "