Yeah and left as soon as people asked questions of his fan group. In hindsight, I assume he left at the club’s request.
You think that's bad? Just read the notes on some medication I've been prescribed and it tells me to 'avoid grapefruit in all its forms'. What can I do with the costume now?!
I was at the meeting and feel it’s only right to share what went on with my fellow fans. I will start with the opening question of the night asked in typically hard-hitting fashion by Sam Ucko. Can anyone recommend me a decent lawyer?
New line of defence on twitter is that billionaires aren’t interested in clubs in towns with populations under 100k. An oddly specific assertion, but made funnier by the poster originally going for 280k as his number as he thought Watford was that big.
Yet another own goal by the club. If you're setting up a secret committee why tell people about it? And how can any media outlet (which is what I'm sure these bloggers, you tubers and podcasters see themselves as) be a part of something that they have to agree not to report about? The whole thing is absolutely pathetic
A key line last night overlooked - Duxbury himself has made the overwhelming commitment to go to **checks notes** one of these meetings per season. The rest of the time it’ll be powerless faces telling those balloted to attend that they are unable to remove away fans from home areas for fear of removing their civil liberties. Or canvassing for opinion on commercial partners only for the club to then sign up to sponsorship from ChinaBet1000.com because they are an industry leader and ethical, not because they paid the most.
The whole thing is a pretty daft idea. The suggestion that they are going to share indepth confidential thoughts and plans with a group of social media types and then ask them not to breath a word is laughable. Anything discussed at any form of fans forum will ultimately leak and so nothing juicy will have been shared. A general invite to all fans is the only way to do these things but they can never share anything interesting/controversial. They have tried to go further than a simple open forum and it has backfired by upsetting those that weren't invited, irritating everyone with the "nothing leaves the room" statement, and even after all that, I doubt that anything confidential will have been shared. Nothing but an own goal.
TBF this is very much what the 'Toon does with the multitude of Geordie fan groups (10+) in their "...fan engagement..." and a couple were slung out of the committee for breaking these caveats. I *think* / *would assume* that this is standard practise for clubs that do it.
I thought this was the most telling and unpleasant section, myself: "Refreshing to be able to speak with supporters in an environment where confidentiality from both sides was assured" - I'm sure it was, Scott. I'm sure it was. "It was becoming increasingly difficult to talk openly and in relative confidence" - openly and in relative confidence? That sounds both oxymoronic, and like something it's hard to justify - what reason would Scott et al have to speak in 'relative confidence' with a fans' forum?
Why is Duxbury too busy to attend all these meetings? Why isn’t Gino mandated to appear at ANY of them?
It almost gave me a stroke reading that and trying to understand it, just complete and utter nonsense. At this stage why not just state the truth? It would be less absurd than that load of old rubbish, “we don’t want to hold a normal fans forums anymore because we’ve completely ****ed the running of the club up and you normal fans will ask us too many nasty questions. Instead we’re going to cherry pick a group of fans that won’t ask nasty questions instead”.
Duxbury knows the writing is on the wall for him. This is a desperate last throw of the dice. Gino is keeping as far away from it as possible so he can wash his hands of the whole thing when he throws Duxbury under the bus in the summer.
I think that it highlights just effective fan engagement is: Mike Ashley and Saudi Arabia. The defence rests.
It's not surprising, per se, but I do find it particularly unpleasant that they've decided the correct response to ever-increasing noise over the silence and lack of even a mirage of accountability from the hierarchy/The Stability, is to introduce a new mechanism designed solely to allow them in one fell swoop to justify no longer holding actual open fan forum events, and simultaneously wave away any future criticism of club communication by pointing to 'Fans Committee' that Duxbury will not even be at the majority of the time; whose attendees are cherry-picked by the hierarchy in line to be questioned; and the contents of which are clearly stated to be confidential. I genuinely don't believe it's overwrought in the slightest to draw comparisons between this and the actions of a late-stage Soviet government, or indeed any repressive autocratic regime. The stakes may not be quite as high (or indeed in the same stratosphere), but it's hardly the ideal playbook for the owners of our club to be choosing to model their behaviour on.
Akchewally the last fishing trip (to Weymouth) I arranged ended in disaster with everyone cancelling at the last minute due to covid (but the anglers happily still paid for the accommodation - a static caravan on a site). I decided to go on my own and treated myself to some 'specialist viewing material' as the caravan had a bluray player and a decent TV. Coming back in the evening after the first session (at Charmouth: two garfish and a couple of good sized mackerel) I find a note requesting me to pack my bags, come to the site office immediately to reclaim my confiscated property and return the keys. I go to the office to be told that "...watching 'porn' and leaving my 'porn' of display is not acceptable at a family resort such as this..." My 'porn': Spoiler: NSFW* *Only if you're a sh*tkicker from Weymouth.
It just stinks to high heaven, obviously we all moaned about it, but I really don’t see why they can’t carry on with the type they did when Duxbury had Ivic sat next to him. Obviously they screen the questions which is still infuriating, but it at least pays lip service to it being authentic and open to everyone. This is just such a bizarre move to essentially achieve the same outcome, whilst at the same time smashing any illusion they’re not just some despotic regime.
I haven’t heard much at all from what happened at this meeting - but I have been told that Duxbury was clear to reiterate his future is still with the club. I don’t think he’s going anywhere. Not Gino for that matter.
Timing is strange - right at the end of the season when it will be too late for fans to ask questions about this season. Will they just be told it was bad luck etc and to look to the future with “lessons learnt “?
Can’t say I’m especially fussed as this is exactly the behaviour I expect from our loathsome owners and Duxbury. It’s just another act of many that makes them utterly repellant. I’m not sure it’s possible for me to despise our club any more than I do. Can’t be bothered to go today - completely disconnected from the club and the bizarre weird section of our fans. Still hope we win and the players put in a performance from afar. Come on you horns.
I was thinking this myself. I've seen this with a former employer where they'd fallen out from the CEO so basically went rogue to try and get all other staff on their side knowing they were basically on their way out. . . Almost trying to justify their position in a "well if you get rid of me look how popular I am" kind of vibe . . . Either that or the club have recently got into the history of the 1918 - 1991 Soviet Union and the Pravda impact
