Well, after the protests last season prompted a meeting with our No.1 fan, can anyone who was in attendance at that meeting tell us whether the response and promises from the club have been realised? It would appear to me that the club have once again paid lip service to the fans and nothing really has changed, and this close season has been one of the worst I can remember.
Are there any plans to restart any protests, particularly post game outside the directors entrance? If there are, may I suggest that all offers of meetings with the club are refused with the clear message that the fans will not enter into any discussions until Bonser has sold the club and the freehold?
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The information regarding the move from FP to Bescot was delivered on time, but we expected a more in depth level of information. It was put up on the official site for posterity, as promised.
They did provide answers to questions raised and informed us that buyers had been and are being actively sought, banks approached etc.
They informed us about the playing budget, how much it was, the percentage and where the ‘missing’ amounts had gone - plastic pitch and facilities, general upkeep, money paid in stages etc. The official release of the minutes will tell you more.
As for the protests, as I stated at the time, these take time to gather momentum. We got 20 on the first event. The later attempt to get things going by sending out an email on a few sites and then expect hordes of like minded fans to show up in full panoply was never going to be realised.
When this didn’t happen, some saw this as apathy and a personal rejection of their call to arms. The march from FP to Bescot was cancelled by the group after the initial meeting. We ALL agreed to this outside Bescot after the meeting.
A protest needs a clear aim, a clear plan, timing and more time to gather support. I’m not necessarily in favour / unfavorable, but the execution of any protest has to be more specific and more sustained to gain traction.
‘Bonser Out’ is not an effective protest because it offers no alternative.
His dissembling and manipulations are second to none, though, and to see you implying that the club held up their end of the deal after the fan meeting actually saddens me.
Maybe it’s really time to write the fan side of the story. Also full of holes and lacking in information, but that’s because we don’t know the facts, unlike Uncle Jeef, who was there, took part, and buried everything. That’s Bonser’s problem. For all the ■■■■ he comes out with, he isn’t telling the whole story, just his sanitised version.
History is always written by the victors.
‘Tell us the truth’ would be a better rally cry.
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Well, my reply attempted to be as dispassionate as possible and as stated at the time, they answered questions and came up with logical responses.
Something that did become apparent was the urgency of some to ascribe everything to the perfidious and corrupt nature of the club, much of which didn’t and doesn’t hold any water at all.
It’s up to every individual to form their own conclusion. The critical thing for me is how we go from here. The disappointing number of new players is my main issue with the club at present, along with the financial aspect which shows no sign of improving.
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The club is run as well as it can be now. Anything perfidious happened years ago.
Which is why the club is run as well as it can be now.
Thanks @matt_saddlesore, it wasn’t meant as a criticism of those at the meeting, there was a general feeling of optimism after the meeting. It was a criticism of JB who fobs fans off and treats us as fools. @Exile I don’t think Bonser will ever tell the truth, I posted a few years ago that JB had made himself considerably wealthy by putting the freehold into a SIPP but left himself with no exit strategy. You are correct in saying that we need an alternative to Bonser rather than Bonser out and therein lies the problem - for us fans as well as for Bonser. I’m more disillusioned than ever and I hate Bonser for that.
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I thought ASPS posted recently that JB would sell up by the end of the season!!
I’m not holding my breath!
If I remember my philosophers correctly it was Cicero who said that to get a result you have to start a fight. The old boy might be right. But how can this entrenched situation be fought other than someone or other buying the club. I don’t think a general boycott will work because not enough fans will ever support it. Let’s hope for miracles on the pitch!!!
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It will be interesting to see what attendances will be like this season. A bad start and I think we’ll be sub 4k.
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Why hate Bonser?Why not hate all the people in the world who can afford to buy the club but don’t see any profit in it so won’t buy it.Unless you’re an absolute dyed in the wool Walsall fan, with money to burn, and can afford to lose whatever money they put into the club then it won’t happen
I’m sorry to tell you that Mr Bonser is making a healthy profit somewhere along the line’s with this club , he’s not doing it for the love of the football , he’s a business man , and the’re have been a couple of people interested in buying the club but have only been offered the footballing side and none of the money making commercial venture’s that take place most night’s there at the ground
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The bitterness towards Bonser is due to how the parasite infested the body of Walsall, has sucked blood from it for the bulk of the past 25 years and clearly has no intent of letting this cash cow leave the grasp of his family. I’m out of patience now, if it was a commercial company, I’d ditch their services and never use them again given the contempt Bonser displays for supporters.
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I think a lot people feel the same about Bonser. I’m not saying that he doesn’t want the football side of the club to succeed but it does seem to take second place to the money-making side. Bonser must have made a massive return on his investment by now - perhaps it’s time to put a bit back, Jeff and really secure your legacy at Walsall FC. The way it’s going, you will be remembered as just another businessman on the make.
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Its getting beyond stagnation now, we can’t keep doing the bare minimum to just stay up in league 1. Odds on we will be caught out eventually by continuing this ‘strategy’ if you can call it that.
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25 years at £350k a year rent on an initial £250k investment, he has made a very astute business transaction. This season is looking like it could be the one when our ‘competitve budget’ finally catches up with us.
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Plus the c£6m value of the asset which he is looking to cash in on.
The man has never been any different so will not change now. He is very astute, saw the plan/opportunity, and knew exactly what the rewards could be from the start of his involvement with Walsall FC. He has skilfully minipulated a could into a would and is where we are at today.
He has also at times played everyone like fiddles, throwing a snippet here and there to deflect or calm criticism and have to say most, if not all of you on here have fell for it.
I obviously cant go into to much detail but even most of his family apart from immediate do not speak or have anything to do with him. The only way for our beloved Walsall FC to progress as a club and a team, that team that i remember most of the old 1st Division clubs did not want to draw in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, this club that through good and bad is ingrained in all of us, is the complete removal of him and any trace of his family. But guess what, i would love to be wrong but he aint going nowhere soon.
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Personally, I’ve had enough. I gave up my ST on the back row of the blue pop lower at the end of the last season to someone who wanted it for their baby boy (bit cruel Pez if you’re reading) and intend giving the leech as little as possible while still watching the boys (mainly at away games). Some people put in hard work trying to show Bonser that his asset stripping couldn’t go on forever, but few fans showed any real support unfortunately. I have little belief that Bonser has any desire to sell .
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