As mentioned on another thread, is fan ownership the way ahead in order to secure the future of this once great club?
With a hardcore support of 300-400 at most, is fan ownership a realistic proposal?
Strikes me that in order for this to proceed the Supporters trust would be the obvious means to proceed but in its current state is it likely to attract the backing of the fans and others?
No offence to anyone running the trust but it seems dated and in need of an overhaul. I could be wrong but I have attending a meeting in the past and wasn't overly impressed enough to return.
Could the trust and supporters club join forces to attract both existing and potential fan base?
The alternative is we do nothing and continue to regress at a steady pace back to the dark ages of Danskin and Brown.

Thoughts please.

I clearly remember the meeting you attended and myself and the board are grateful for the offer of help and advice you made on the night.
Don't fret. Your day will come.

I passionately believe that fans should run their club. The mess that is made by faceless blazers who control with no heart or thought other than the price of the land should not be allowed to continue.

It would be the biggest challenge we'd ever face but I think the time is now.

The Trust will be raising their profile and then I truly think that all the factions of our support can come together with no issue.

I'd like to see fans own the club and appoint competent people to run it.

However, where will the money come from to run the club? The successful teams do no function on gate and sponsorship alone - there is usually a wealthy benefactor willing to squander their cash in return for on pitch success and off pitch ego massaging.

Any fan owned club must leave the door open for the right wealthy benefactor to get involved.

But before we can think about a fan owned East Fife we must first get over the Rankin issue. If he is willing to transfer his shareholding to the trust for a nominal fee then great the club can start afresh. If he is hoping to seek a return on his investment by asking the East Fife fans to raise him 400k he will be sadly disappointed. The fans don't have the means to generate that kind of cash nor do I imagine the fans have the appetite to see rankine get a return.

Rankine is an opportunist who gave us 14 years of neglect, 14 years without investment, a succession of failing chairman and worst of all gave full support to the Derrick Brown years - from which we have still not recovered.

If I were to contribute money to a fan run east fife I would want my money going to developing the club and not into the pockets of an opportunist investor.

Rankine faces the real prospect of getting nothing back for his east fife shares. Furthermore, with the latest buyer( lee murray ) falling through and the sfa matter, he must realise that a nominal offer from the trust is the best price he'll ever get.

100% correct. Thank you. NTOC take note and please park your sarcasm outside during this struggle. This is where you have to lead, not antagonise supporters who are hurting. If you cannot take the slightest criticism of the Trust\\\\\\\'s effectiveness, you should think hard. This campaign will not be for the faint hearted, if it is to succeed.

Thank you for that (NTOC resists the temptation to resort to sarcasm and acknowledges that someone who attends one meeting,wasn't impressed,does nothing and doesn't come back will turn out to be the backbone of the club - or is that just more sarcasm ???)

Yes, you see here lies the problem Mr Chairman.
You just can`t seem to help yourself can you?
Defensive, patronising and condescending all in one short paragraph. Very predictable sir if you don't mind me saying so. I`m just surprised we didn't have the usual rhetoric about hiding behind a keyboard, being faceless or having just joined because my username is new on your radar. Very sad.
Your tenure must surely be at an end in order to take things forward with the trust? I know we are covering old ground but you need to let go.
I appreciate you`ve not been challenged in your superior capacity as trust chairman, but surely even you can see any potential fan ownership instigated under the trust must come from a fresher more dynamic approach?
People simply aren't going to join with you at the helm.
The trust is outdated and sorry to say, so are you sir.
The trust needs fans on board, young and old and a committee with a bit of savvy, commercially aware and competent in business.
Any supporters trust approach to investigate fan ownership would require a bit more than selling programs, raffle tickets and organising a tombola.
You cant even update a trust website in nearly 2 years but no doubt there is an excuse stored away to cover that one.
Maybe i`m missing something but what does EFST do exactly. I`m pretty sure they do more than most of the fanbase are aware of so why aren't you shouting from the rooftops and telling everyone? Why aren't you going around bayview on matchdays trying to drum up interest?
You in a dufflecoat selling matchday programs is my perception of the trust i`m sorry to say.

A new trust driven by Kerriann Patterson and possibly Paul Munro would get the respect of everyone, of that much i`m sure. Whether or not they would be interested in such a massive project would be up to them but at least people would sit up and take notice with them running the trust. They would certainly get my attention and vote which is more than can be said for you sir.

Trying hard not to get personal but its proving very difficult given your tone on this forum.
I don't dislike you in the slightest but i feel you are strangling the trust and need to stand aside. People will join a new trust, of that i`m sure.
Anyway, enough about you. The trust has the potential to be far more important than you give it credit for.

On a final note, SPF was slaughtered on this forum for not giving in to the yes boys. He spoke his mind and predicted this past 15 months would end in tears. Sorry to say he was bang on.
Where is he now? Hounded out of AFTN because he didn't conform. He didn't agree. This forum needs guys like him. The club needs guys like him.

I met Lee Murray a while back. Nice guy but was dreaming. All this talk about club shop, hotel, cafe, championship football etc. was pleasing on the ear to the gullible but left me suspicious.
I heard the rumours. Where is the money coming from they ask? Some even told me where the 'potential' money was coming from. Certainly wasn't from Lee`s offshore account that much i can tell you.

Anyway, enough said. I could go on all night but sincerely hope recent events instigate change. Honest and necessary change at that.
No more lies, no more bullshit just facts. The bottom line.

I`d be all for fan ownership under the trust but first we need a trust we can trust and a modern trust at that.

You were asking for that NTOC.
And have you asked yourself why someone would attend one Trust meeting and then not come back? There will be a reason, and the reason will be based on what that person experienced.

Ps you don't remember the meeting i attended nor was i asked for help or advice.
You're right about one thing though. My day will come.
I just hope yours comes first!

I don't think I have ever been so annoyed(or exhausted) as when I read your reply. I do not wear a duffle coat.
Of course I don't remember you. You were anonymous then and you are anonymous now. If you have a dislike of me or the way the Trust functions why not say it face to face or do something positive instead of writing a 500 word inaccurate diatribe (repeat,I do not wear a duffle coat)
It is unbelievable that feel the way you do about me and/or the Trust yet you walked past me every week without a word. Please don't tell me you bought a programme and asked how my family was.
P.S.
Writing style is recognisable. Why do you need to post under several aliases,possibly even in the same thread ? Calling me sir is a dead giveaway.

What a bitter man you are Mr Django. Were you passed over for promotion again or just bullied at school. You know nothing,get a life.

Irony.

Nae wonder the trust is deed if auld farts like you sit at the front row.

Django you seem to have missed something very fundamental in that if you want a successful Trust but don't like or think that the incumbent board members are not up to the task then do something about it.
Every year there is an AGM where board members are reelected, attend the AGM vote against them & put who you think would be good in charge!
It really is that simple.
I know the people involved & every one of them would be delighted to see new blood on board driving the Trust forward. Also bear in mind that if these same people had not kept the Trust afloat over the last few years then there would be nothing in place to allow the current buy out attempt to even get off the ground!
If you want change then do something about it!

Could not agree more, however the trust does need a shakeup and new blood but there are no takers. Must agree that disappointed that website not updated regularly. I raised the some time ago and was to be looked at but nothing happened. Could a trust member not volunteer to do something?

We need the trust and supporters club now as a focal point where we can take action in this time and it does no good sniping back and forth alienting each other when we need to act in a common cause. By the way any comments from the supporters' club or even the trust on events and way forward