Fan in the boardroom

As in "Argyle Fan"!

Not so long ago I was a strong backer of the idea of representation on the board, now I have distanced myself from the idea and I think it would be a bad thing.

Any other views?

Would be nice if all board members were football and Argyle fans. Oh why cant Rick Stein be like Delia Smith?

No tits

I don't think it would work. One fan would not be able to cover all opinions of Argyle fans, and it would ultimately become a poisoned chalice position as jealousy (imagine if it wasn't a pasoti member ) would kick in.

As Smiffy advocates on pasoti, a fans opinion committee would be better- but it would need representation from different areas and not just pasoti.

Any fan representation could be open to abuse by the rep and from the rest.

Nay, nay and thrice nay. The lesson should be learnt from this sorry mess that when the cycle repeats, as it almost inevitably will, a supporters organisation should be in a position to step in and save/buy the club. I fully expect apathy to re-establish itself fairly quickly if we look like escaping relegation and we'll all, well most of us anyway, slip back into the slumber of letting the owners do what they want.

Not for me either I am afraid.

However, I believe an elected member from the Trust committee attending board meetings as an observer would be a sound idea.

I reckon an individual fan in the boardroom would be in an impossible position. Certain things would have to remain confidential yet there'd be a clamour for information from the fanbase, and as pointed out, there's no way they could represent the entirety of the fanbase either.

I agree with Ali/Smiffy that a representation of different fan groups (Senior Greens, elected Trust representatives, PASLB etc) meeting with the key figures at the club on a regular basis would be the way to go. Increased communication between club hierarchy and fanbase is paramount, in my humble.

Wasn't an idea mooted many years ago that Paul Roberts would sit on the board in some fan-representing capacity? He's a mate of mine but I can't recall chatting to him about it

If someone was to go in the boardroom ultimately he/she would just become a mouthpiece for Pasoti or the Pasoti trust.I don't believe that they would represent the full spectrum of Argyle fans, such is is the way of the Pasoti Mafia these days.

While I would be in favour of 6 fans in a boardroom of 6, I hate the idea of 1 in 6..... totally pointless from a fans' perspective and nothing but a handy nodder for the owners.
I suspect this subject will be cropping up shortly, and I agree that some folk representing all the fan organistations, being consulted outside of the boardroom can't be a bad thing. And when I say fans' groups, I don't just mean the internet Pasoti Trust or Taverners. There are other long established supporters' groups, from the Far Post club to PASALB.
Any fan taking up such a board position, especially one from the oh so obvious cabal, would be sadly hounded ..... but rightly so ... there just isn't at present the trust out there in the wild to make such a thing work.

Everyone seems to be in agreement and I think these views represent a huge majority throughout the Argo fan world. It will be interesting to see how things evolve within the Pasoti Trust.

pepsipete wrote:

Would be nice if all board members were football and Argyle fans. Oh why cant Rick Stein be like Delia Smith?

Because Rick Stein is a chunt of the highest order whose rose tinted chocolate box view he keeps banging on about of what Cornwall was when he was a kid is about a million miles from the naked commercial rape and Chelsea-fication of Padstein and Rock that he's actually engaged in?.

Unlike Delia who's a football fan and supports her club, 'that man' would have us eating faux traditional fare to a backdrop of faux traditional music, would twee-up the ground with some mock tudor cladding and 'ye olde football club' signage then charge £80 a ticket for whatever suckers were prepared to worship at his feet.

I haven't had the pitchfork out for quite a while but if he got involved he'd have all three prongs repeatedly, to the face.............as would that rip of chunt Smitts and his 'overhyped, overheated and over here' garden centre bubbles.

Apart from that, yeah, good idea .

In answer to the original question I agree entirely. I was all for fan representation but having witnessed first hand the sneery uberfan attitude of John Petrie on the farm the prospect of our 'representative' considering him/herself 'more equal than others' makes my skin crawl. BHA have immovable scheduled fans forum for all fans groups to cross examine the board, and I feel that's the way forward.

I couldnt think of a worse development then having a fan in the boardroom. As others have pointed out the board should be fans anyway. But could you imagine the carnage if one of us mere mortals was given a place in the boardroom? At a stroke the ultimate superfan would be created. Forget BathingApe, Cleaner, Ponty, Postey, Chris Webb and Naps, this person would have direct access to all secrets that keep us going. Of course we would demand full disclosure of these secrets as the superfan is actually one of us.

The poor superfan would find his (or her) life turned upside down. Creeps and sycophants would come out of every corner and try to cosy up to you in the hope that they are given some secret insider info. Of course the superfan would not be able to disclose all of the secrets at HP, but they could come onto internet forums and indicate that they know SOMETHING, but of course they cant tell what.

And what would the superfan really offer the board anyway? Would they speak for all the fans? What if the majority of the fans are those half witted sycophants who would support you no matter what you do or say because they are still seeking those little bits of inside info. What would you do about those dissidents who don't agree with what is going on? Would he have the people skills to deal with those fans who don't agree with him? Maybe the superfan is good at Championship Manager and could offer his skills from that, or if he is a fatty he may be able to advise on pies and pints. But the reality is that they would be awe struck at being in the board room and then awe sucked by those fans hoping that one day it might be their turn.

So its a no from me.

X Isle, in general I agree with your views on Rick Stein my statement was "why cant Rick Stein be like Delia Smith" perhaps I should have said pity Rick Stein is not like Delia Smith. I would still prefer all board members to be football fans which is different from fans on the board.

It makes me laugh when Naps and Webby proudly tell everyone that a position on the board hasn't been discussed at all yet!

I would say to them... "why the hell not"? How could you possible ignore the elephant in the room? It should have been discussed, if only to dismiss the idea completely in favour of regular meeting with fans of all spectrums.

If the club held a regular 'social' that all fans could attend, whether they were 'Trust' Pasoti, GT, or just a guy speaking for himself, the "voice" of the fans would be heard.

To have reached this stage with Brent and not raised the subject at all, is cowardly in my opinion.

It's probably therefore safe to say that Brent won't have a fans representative on the board at all. If it's not been discussed at any stage despite working cheek by jowel on the contingency plan team then it's taken as read by JB that no special case exists for him to appoint in any other way than normal at one of his companies.

I'm sure he doesn't have a customer representative on his hotel board but i'm sure he seeks regular feedback under a continuous improvement model from his hotel customers. If nowt's been mentioned then Argyle will be run the same.

X Isle wrote:

It's probably therefore safe to say that Brent won't have a fans representative on the board at all. If it's not been discussed at any stage despite working cheek by jowel on the contingency plan team then it's taken as read by JB that no special case exists for him to appoint in any other way than normal at one of his companies.

I'm sure he doesn't have a customer representative on his hotel board but i'm sure he seeks regular feedback under a continuous improvement model from his hotel customers. If nowt's been mentioned then Argyle will be run the same.

I think you're right Smiffy, I hope!

I'm not sure that some unelected representatives realise that though.