Postpone the GASB elections.

While I'm having my first session on a forum,I would like to say a few words about this GASB business.Apart from not understanding why the club needs it; I've read the various threads that I can find on it,which doesn't appear to be much at all. There seems to be half a dozen to a dozen people on Pasoti with a lot to say and that's it.

It appears to be a Trust MK2,which I find totally incomprehensible. The only reason for this that any reasonable fan can surmise is that,it will be controlled by the club. They seem to be providing the budget and the President is in Mr.Brent's own words "a friend",how can that be acceptable to the fans?

I find it very difficult to find anyone who knows anything about it,in fact most fans I talk to have no interest in it what so ever. This is not hard to understand when to my knowledge there has been little or no information on this body given to fans at all. Nothing before games,at halftime,most fans don't buy a programme (no idea whether there's been anything in there),can't recall seeing anything in the Herald or on the TV.

I now understand that the club wants to hold an election halfway through the close season. Apparently,fans should have been given a leaflet or something before Saturdays game?? I haven't seen any leaflet nor my friends.

Could someone explain to me,how any such election could take place? Who's going to vote? No one knows anything about it ( except a few hundred people on the internet) I'm told that members (?) will be able to vote. Surely halfway through the close season fans will still be in the process of buying season tickets etc. Does this mean that pay on the day fans are excluded? What about exiled fans who don't buy a season ticket?

I find this situation to be absolutely ridiculous, and suggest these elections are postponed until the new season starts and fans can be informed and included in a properly organised and professional manner. I hope this isn't a sign of how things are going to be run at Argyle in the future.

perhaps you should have sent this to PL2 3DQ

Welcome to ATD Capn,

As you say, apart from half a dozen names you will struggle to find anyone that understands why there's a need for GAS.

From what I can tell it's Brent's way of doing what he said in public, to give a slice of the club to the fans. However, I suspect It's all talk, hence his reason for placing 'friends' in the GAS seats and giving a ridiculous and vastly over inflated cost to the Trust should the only true and elected fans representative group decide they want in.

The word 'sham' springs to mind.

Capn Carrot wrote:

While I'm having my first session on a forum,I would like to say a few words about this GASB business.Apart from not understanding why the club needs it; I've read the various threads that I can find on it,which doesn't appear to be much at all. There seems to be half a dozen to a dozen people on Pasoti with a lot to say and that's it.

It appears to be a Trust MK2,which I find totally incomprehensible. The only reason for this that any reasonable fan can surmise is that,it will be controlled by the club. They seem to be providing the budget and the President is in Mr.Brent's own words "a friend",how can that be acceptable to the fans?

I find it very difficult to find anyone who knows anything about it,in fact most fans I talk to have no interest in it what so ever. This is not hard to understand when to my knowledge there has been little or no information on this body given to fans at all. Nothing before games,at halftime,most fans don't buy a programme (no idea whether there's been anything in there),can't recall seeing anything in the Herald or on the TV.

I now understand that the club wants to hold an election halfway through the close season. Apparently,fans should have been given a leaflet or something before Saturdays game?? I haven't seen any leaflet nor my friends.

Could someone explain to me,how any such election could take place? Who's going to vote? No one knows anything about it ( except a few hundred people on the internet) I'm told that members (?) will be able to vote. Surely halfway through the close season fans will still be in the process of buying season tickets etc. Does this mean that pay on the day fans are excluded? What about exiled fans who don't buy a season ticket?

I find this situation to be absolutely ridiculous, and suggest these elections are postponed until the new season starts and fans can be informed and included in a properly organised and professional manner. I hope this isn't a sign of how things are going to be run at Argyle in the future.

Good post, accurately summing up many of my misgivings about the whole process. I attended a couple of the planning meetings. I started off being quite interested in putting myself forward for election, but as things progressed it was abundantly clear that, far from being an exercise in fan Engagement, it was rather an exercise in control by one or two people 'at the top'. The meetings weren't advertised at all widely, none of the suggestions about leaflets, tannoy announcements, programme notes and use of the local media were taken up. In fact it soon became clear that the only attendees were going to be those people I refer to as 'The Usual Suspects', with myself in attendance as Token Freak. It's almost as if it was being set up as a vehicle for the Windsor Boys. When some on pasoti asked if they could attend the second meeting, The Supreme Leader told them that there wouldn't be room at the Chisholm Lounge to accomodate them. Yet when I arrived there was room for at least a dozen more, in comfort.

The fiasco surrounding this leaflet that was supposed to have been handed out on Saturday just exacerbates the problem. Let's be charitable for a moment and assume that Mr Brent genuinely does want the GASBoard to provide wide-ranging supporter engagement; how many people with the sort of skills and knowledge that would be valuable to this Board are not going to know the first thing about it? And who will be able to get the 20 (?) nominations to secure a candidacy in the close-season? The answer to that one is simple - The Usual Suspects.

In fact, Mr Brent could save a lot of time and effort by renaming the Contingency Plan Committee as The GASBoard, and drop any pretence of democracy, accountability and transparency.

The CPC weren't an elected body,they were handpicked,from a mixture of Pasoti and the Trust and former directors,oh and a council employee.No elections ever took place.

oddball wrote:

The CTP weren't an elected body,they were handpicked,from a mixture of Pasoti and the Trust and former directors,oh and a council employee.No elections ever took place.

Which is basically my point, Al. The GASBoard is heading down the road of being the CPC in all but name, and any elections are going to be a sham because of the lack of information to the wider fanbase. It's been beautifully done, the sort of undemocratic carve-up that only usually happens within Trade Unions....

Andy_Symons wrote:

Capn Carrot wrote:

While I'm having my first session on a forum,I would like to say a few words about this GASB business.Apart from not understanding why the club needs it; I've read the various threads that I can find on it,which doesn't appear to be much at all. There seems to be half a dozen to a dozen people on Pasoti with a lot to say and that's it.

It appears to be a Trust MK2,which I find totally incomprehensible. The only reason for this that any reasonable fan can surmise is that,it will be controlled by the club. They seem to be providing the budget and the President is in Mr.Brent's own words "a friend",how can that be acceptable to the fans?

I find it very difficult to find anyone who knows anything about it,in fact most fans I talk to have no interest in it what so ever. This is not hard to understand when to my knowledge there has been little or no information on this body given to fans at all. Nothing before games,at halftime,most fans don't buy a programme (no idea whether there's been anything in there),can't recall seeing anything in the Herald or on the TV.

I now understand that the club wants to hold an election halfway through the close season. Apparently,fans should have been given a leaflet or something before Saturdays game?? I haven't seen any leaflet nor my friends.

Could someone explain to me,how any such election could take place? Who's going to vote? No one knows anything about it ( except a few hundred people on the internet) I'm told that members (?) will be able to vote. Surely halfway through the close season fans will still be in the process of buying season tickets etc. Does this mean that pay on the day fans are excluded? What about exiled fans who don't buy a season ticket?

I find this situation to be absolutely ridiculous, and suggest these elections are postponed until the new season starts and fans can be informed and included in a properly organised and professional manner. I hope this isn't a sign of how things are going to be run at Argyle in the future.

Good post, accurately summing up many of my misgivings about the whole process. I attended a couple of the planning meetings. I started off being quite interested in putting myself forward for election, but as things progressed it was abundantly clear that, far from being an exercise in fan Engagement, it was rather an exercise in control by one or two people 'at the top'. The meetings weren't advertised at all widely, none of the suggestions about leaflets, tannoy announcements, programme notes and use of the local media were taken up. In fact it soon became clear that the only attendees were going to be those people I refer to as 'The Usual Suspects', with myself in attendance as Token Freak. It's almost as if it was being set up as a vehicle for the Windsor Boys. When some on pasoti asked if they could attend the second meeting, The Supreme Leader told them that there wouldn't be room at the Chisholm Lounge to accomodate them. Yet when I arrived there was room for at least a dozen more, in comfort.

The fiasco surrounding this leaflet that was supposed to have been handed out on Saturday just exacerbates the problem. Let's be charitable for a moment and assume that Mr Brent genuinely does want the GASBoard to provide wide-ranging supporter engagement; how many people with the sort of skills and knowledge that would be valuable to this Board are not going to know the first thing about it? And who will be able to get the 20 (?) nominations to secure a candidacy in the close-season? The answer to that one is simple - The Usual Suspects.

In fact, Mr Brent could save a lot of time and effort by renaming the Contingency Plan Committee as The GASBoard, and drop any pretence of democracy, accountability and transparency.

2 good posts, and this way JB gets his yes men. Sickening.

Don't let's forget that the little information that has gone out (mostly in the president's progress thing on the official site) has been written in language which is far from plain. The flyer which it seems about five of us actually got to see on Saturday wasn't much different, and at four sides it was far too long - we don't go to football matches to read! It should have been one side, with short bullet points covering the key messages in straightforward language plus details of how to find out more.

Peggy....care to post a screenshot so that us unfortunates can take a look.

What on earth makes you think I've got the technology to be able to do that?

And do you really think I wouldn't have already done it if I could?

FFS

Yes, I'm still around.....

I've been reading all threads and find the use of the term (by the club) "member" interesting. I have also noted references to the "German model".

Well, I can tell you that the "German model" is not all that it's cracked up to be.

Do the "members" Have real clout? No they don't.

In a way, it's just a way of raising more money for the club. I expect it to evolve that way at Argyle.

How do I know? I live in Germany and speak to REAL German fans (mainly Cologne and Gladbach fans, or fans of Bayern or Dortmund - whovever is top dog).

What do "members" get for their money? Basically priority ticketing (not workable for Bayern in a couple of weeks) and a regular newsletter!

If the "members" are really upset, what do they do? Arrange boycotts, protest, etc. That's it.

Edited to add....

What "exactly" is the Gas Board? Just Gas as far as I'm concerned.

I don't know what happens in Germany but the same thoughts had occurred to me about our "memberships". Just what is it that I am a member of? Do I get a vote on anything? Not as far as I can see. It is a season ticket that gets me a seat and possibly some preference when it comes to ticket sales with a sweetener or two thrown in but in no way does it make me a member in any meaningful way.

I think the name itself (I note its now changed) showed a naivety and indeed ignorance of our circumstances. Why would we name anything connected with Bristol Rovers FFS. Based on my age.... proper rivals

I'm sure we had 'memberships' before - Green, White and something else (tangergreen?). Just like now, they were season tickets by another name.

According to the Prez...

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The flyer will be available after the weekend on the baggo.

I don't see it...

I am sure it will appear ''presently," (wasn't that the the new "imminently?")

Rickler, in fairness its a BH. Lets see if its there tomorrow.

shonbo wrote:

Rickler, in fairness its a BH. Lets see if its there tomorrow.

If it is, then that just leaves the non-internet, non-baggo reading fans to be communicated with. Stable doors and horses spring to mind.

It looks to me that the fan trust will just merge into the gas board with the same criminals at the top table

It seems to be going the same way as press comment to attract other minorities, funny that.

Brent's bulls shit more like, via a clown of a president!

Why bother having a board at all?

Brent clearly believes that all Argyle supporters are as gullible as his executive toilet ,keyholding generals.
Like kids let loose in a sweet shop

All the gear, no idea .

Why have there been attacks on the trust? Ask yourself who is going to be in charge of the GAS? (and it is a ludicrous name, you might as well call it the, Green Recovery Executive Employment Kabal FFS!) Friends of Mr. Brent who have an aversion to free speech, it has been obvious to me since Deepthroat.
Ps. I do know how to spell cabal, I couldn't be bothered to spend any more time on my acronym.

oddball wrote:

The CPC weren't an elected body,they were handpicked,from a mixture of Pasoti and the Trust and former directors,oh and a council employee.No elections ever took place.

Nonsense - nobody picked the Contingency planners - just people who were not prepared to sit arouind and be f****d over by Guilfoyle, Ridsdale and Heaney.

Damon.Lenszner wrote:

oddball wrote:

The CPC weren't an elected body,they were handpicked,from a mixture of Pasoti and the Trust and former directors,oh and a council employee.No elections ever took place.

Nonsense - nobody picked the Contingency planners - just people who were not prepared to sit arouind and be f****d over by Guilfoyle, Ridsdale and Heaney.

Hold on. I thought Ridsdale played a major part in saving Argyle? If people knew he was trying to F*** over the club why did they not speak out? Why treat him like some kind of hero all through the process?

As I recall it was only The Trust Board who issued a revealing statement when he left, that was hardly glowing and fawning like everybody was.

You really couldn't make this crap up!