Blinded by a Dapper Suit

I met a multi-millionaire businessman once, when I lived in London.

We spoke briefly; he came across as sincere, interested and interesting, he looked me in the eye, spoke plausibly and with passion about his plans for a business he'd just acquired.

The business? The Daily Mirror.

The businessman? Robert Maxwell.


Now I'd never put Brent in the same bracket as Maxwell, but my point is, impressions can sometimes be false.

Andy_Symons wrote:

I met a multi-millionaire businessman once, when I lived in London.

We spoke briefly; he came across as sincere, interested and interesting, he looked me in the eye, spoke plausibly and with passion about his plans for a business he'd just acquired.

The business? The Daily Mirror.

The businessman? Robert Maxwell.


Now I'd never put Brent in the same bracket as Maxwell, but my point is, impressions can sometimes be false.

Very true Andy. I reckon Brent has played a blinder. The local yeomanry were offered position, in a run by fans[ sorry, funded] but owned by a rich boy, football club. They couldn't wait !

The rest of us are supposed to fall into line

I thought I'd re-post what John Lloyd had to say in his impressively argued post or at least what I thought the most important lines were.

John_Lloyd wrote:

.......
The single conclusion I have come to in recent times is to judge people on actions, not words.

How a person conducts themselves in meetings or presentations is nowhere near as important as how they follow through on their promises and commitments.

We've learnt through bitter experience that it's necessary for others to supervise and speak "truth to power", whether it's on Wall Street or at Home Park.

The test of the new regime will be how much supervision and oversight will be tolerated over time.
.......

Forgive me if I'm wrong but that seems to me to contain a healthy dose of scepticism mixed with a wait and see approach or, as he puts it, it's how people "follow through on their promises and commitments" that matter. As AndyS also says, "I'd never put Brent in the same bracket as Maxwell, but my point is, impressions can sometimes be false." Like many of us, who have been bitten in the past, it is completely reasonable and sensible to want to test out any new situation and ask questions. Neither JL nor Andy have actually said they mistrust the new owner - they both seem to be saying keep an open mind but also keep an eye on what is going on. So far I have few complaints about the new regime - he is delivering what he said he would. What I have said frequently is let's wait and see. Let's see how the GASB is constituted. Let's see how The Trust meetings with Mr Brent go. Let's wait for their reports back. Continue to ask questions - it's too early to make fundamental judgements yet.

I've listened to what the dynamic duo have said. Brent seems to have convinced them that it's down to the supporters to fund the club, totally. I don't think he's really interested.

Nothing wrong with that in principle but the only way sufficient support would be forthcoming, is if the fans ie the Trust, actually owned the club.

Knecht reinforces my point for me. Brent comes across as a very earnest, intense businessman. He's confirmed that he knows very little about football, and has done the right thing with his appointments to the Club Board. With JB's admitted lack of knowledge, Peter Jones was a shoo-in, and the others seem to have valuable specialist knowledge in other areas which should serve the club well.

I'm not going to jump in with both feet and immediately declare that Brent is either good or bad news; to be honest that would be silly - he's only been at the club 5 minutes, he's done some things I like, and other things I don't. At the moment it's more negative than positive, but not by such a margin that I'm ready to jump off a cliff. What does bother me about the current love-in we're seeing is the way that the lessons of history are being ignored. In my lifetime, each Chairman has come in to fanfares and welcomes, and each of them has, at best, left with their tails between their legs (Bloom), at worst been run out of town by lynch mobs (Stapleton, Macauley). It's inevitable that at some point in the future, maybe as soon as May if we get relegated, the honeymoon will end - maybe abruptly. So far, Brent has experienced unconditional love from most quarters, and had a far easier ride than maybe he should have had, given what had gone before. How will he deal with the fans turning on him?

I'm going into this meeting about the GASBoard elections on saturday with a very open mind. I've got some suggestions for the way the elections should be conducted that I don't think will go down well in all quarters, but they are suggestions that I believe are valid, and are born of experience of elections. I understand that JB will be present at the meeting - I certainly hope so, it would be good to get some face to face time with the chap, one on one if possible, and I hope if I do it will give me a better understanding of where he's coming from, because at the moment (and here I do agree with Tring) all we're getting is whatever is filtered through The Supreme Leader and his internet-savvy sidekick. I'd like to hear a bit more from the horse's mouth.

I'd love to think that Brent will break the mould as far as PAFC is concerned, and will preside over a steady rise up the leagues, with improvements to the ground and facilities going hand-in-hand; at the same time, if he's sincere in what he says about openness and fan engagement, he truly could develop something unique in British football. At the moment, though, the jury's still out. The verdict that is eventually delivered will, in my view, be largely determined by what happens over the rest of this year. It sounds like he's got big plans on and off the field - I hope he delivers.

Andy_Symons wrote:

........
I'd love to think that Brent will break the mould as far as PAFC is concerned, and will preside over a steady rise up the leagues, with improvements to the ground and facilities going hand-in-hand; at the same time, if he's sincere in what he says about openness and fan engagement, he truly could develop something unique in British football. At the moment, though, the jury's still out. The verdict that is eventually delivered will, in my view, be largely determined by what happens over the rest of this year. It sounds like he's got big plans on and off the field - I hope he delivers.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Even better, saves me having to type it!

It's Argyle, if it doesn't all end in tears it will be a seismic change to all wot has gone before. Here's hoping then.

knecht wrote:

Andy_Symons wrote:

........
I'd love to think that Brent will break the mould as far as PAFC is concerned, and will preside over a steady rise up the leagues, with improvements to the ground and facilities going hand-in-hand; at the same time, if he's sincere in what he says about openness and fan engagement, he truly could develop something unique in British football. At the moment, though, the jury's still out. The verdict that is eventually delivered will, in my view, be largely determined by what happens over the rest of this year. It sounds like he's got big plans on and off the field - I hope he delivers.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Even better, saves me having to type it!

Or in the interest of balance; how dare you, you are lucky to have a club to support, have you ever met the man, bet you wouldn't say that to his face.

Iggy wrote:

knecht wrote:

Andy_Symons wrote:

........
I'd love to think that Brent will break the mould as far as PAFC is concerned, and will preside over a steady rise up the leagues, with improvements to the ground and facilities going hand-in-hand; at the same time, if he's sincere in what he says about openness and fan engagement, he truly could develop something unique in British football. At the moment, though, the jury's still out. The verdict that is eventually delivered will, in my view, be largely determined by what happens over the rest of this year. It sounds like he's got big plans on and off the field - I hope he delivers.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Even better, saves me having to type it!

Or in the interest of balance; how dare you, you are lucky to have a club to support, have you ever met the man, bet you wouldn't say that to his face.

It does make me smile when ultimate keyboard warriors, accuse others of being one

Spot the common denominator -

Dan McCauley
Paul Stapleton
Kieth Todd
Roy Gardener
Peter Ridsdale

and now..

James Brent

?

GOB wrote:

Spot the common denominator -

Dan McCauley
Paul Stapleton
Kieth Todd
Roy Gardener
Peter Ridsdale

and now..

James Brent

?

Ian Newell met them all and their families??

Yea Man wrote:

GOB wrote:

Spot the common denominator -

Dan McCauley
Paul Stapleton
Kieth Todd
Roy Gardener
Peter Ridsdale

and now..

James Brent

?

Ian Newell met them all and their families??

<cough>

If I could add (certainly in terms of quantity, if not quality) to JL's post, I would firstly state that I do very much agree with the tenor of what he has written.

However, I do believe that words are very important, albeit of course it is the subsequent actions that almost always provide the empirical measurement for any given issue.

Throughout my working life - particularly in the public sector - I have often seen significant mismatches between input & output. Words, often plentiful (both in terms of their quantity & definition) & activities (ditto) regularly fail to produce useful results. However I have also seen the opposite to this - good, practical outcomes terminally undermined by a lack of proper preparation, communication & yes, words.

I suppose this is something to do with one of the modern day eternal battles; leadership vs management.

Like John, I have also had the benefit of meeting with James Brent (for clarity, re non-Argyle issues) & again like John, I was very much impressed by the man that I met.

It may be of further use re clarity that I was not impressed by any of the NWO cohort, nor with Stapleton, my perception of whom was one of pettiness & lack of emotional intelligence. Interestingly (maybe), I was & remain impressed with Michael Dunford whose business skill set being very much what I see as needed in the role of the footballing Chief Executive.

Anyway, I digress. Although I can make up my mind rapidly regarding who I like & who I am impressed by, trust - real trust - is a hard-won emotion from me & I try & steer away from a visceral response in this area. I hope that James is trustworthy; indeed I feel that James is trustworthy, but I do not know he is. I think that this is where we sometimes blur the lines.

I thought that JL's Enoch Powell quote was appropriate - no need to apologise John. In working with senior public figures though, I have always kept the (much abused) words of Lord Acton near the forefront of my mind:

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Interestingly however, Acton's next words are far less often used, "..... Great men are almost always bad men". My personal experience is that there is truth to this. As I have often posted, I can't recall ever meeting a true altruist, although I have met many pretenders.

(Un)skilfully linking the above to the GAS board proposals, this is where I see it as a potentially really, really positive development. If the board is set up correctly & if the people on it have the right skill set (& for me that's about behaviour as much as it is about task competence) it does, in my most humble of opinions, have the chance of becoming a foundation of building something new and something good.

Personally, I would like the club to develop & articulate what its aims & objectives are - & these are real, measurable objectives - overarched by a set of non-negotiable values. THIS, we can say, is what Plymouth Argyle is.

The GAS board should then ensure that every decision the club makes & every action that it takes - every decision & every action that is - is done so in pursuit & in compliance with what has been agreed. I would like the GAS board to then be able to formally condone OR formally condemn - with sanctions attached - any activity that does or does not meet this protocol. As such, JL's headline test - 'how much supervision and oversight will be tolerated over time' - may well be absolutely spot on.

I think that tomorrow's meeting will be interesting. I feel that it will be useful & I hope, really really hope, that it's the start of something good that we can all (with one or two notable exceptions - life would genuinely be dull otherwise!) support.

Here's to the future.

Jon

Wow !

Won't work though. This is bleddy argo and bleddy janners we're talking about here.

I thought John Lloyd had posted on pasoti some time ago about how 'BRENT GETS IT' etc.

Good posts Jon and John.

I fear you're much too nice a bloke, Jon, to get involved in the smoky backroom wheeling and dealing that characterises the murky mire that is the football world.

It might have been a cynical throwaway remark but my life's experiences have led me to believe "it's Argyle, it'll all end in tears" is by far the most likely outcome of the Brent regime.

Well done for stepping forward and you have my very best wishes in your efforts to break that particular cycle, along with (hopefully) like minded folk.

Yea Man wrote:

GOB wrote:

Spot the common denominator -

Dan McCauley
Paul Stapleton
Kieth Todd
Roy Gardener
Peter Ridsdale

and now..

James Brent

?

Ian Newell met them all and their families??

He is sounding more and more like Gaylord of Dick Emery fame, "Dad I got it wrong again".

Iggy wrote:

Yea Man wrote:

GOB wrote:

Spot the common denominator -

Dan McCauley
Paul Stapleton
Kieth Todd
Roy Gardener
Peter Ridsdale

and now..

James Brent

?

Ian Newell met them all and their families??

He is sounding more and more like Gaylord of Dick Emery fame, "Dad I got it wrong again".

You would have thought that if he really cares for the club he would have told Brent not to listen to a word he says........'Go and ask Tringy'.