From The Courier

East Fife chief issues direct plea to club’s fans
By CRAIG SMITH, 12 November 2014 10.36am.

East Fife chairman Jim Stevenson has issued a rallying call to fans to prevent the club slipping into serious financial difficulty – and potentially stop them from dropping out of the senior leagues altogether.

Addressing fans earlier this week, Stevenson insisted that a takeover bid by him and fellow directors Dave Marshall, John Barclay and John Donaldson would stabilise the club, but he suggested that finances at the club were “not good”.

Dwindling crowds at Bayview have been partially to blame for that scenario and Stevenson is keen to avoid the Fifers spiralling further in the wrong direction.

“We haven’t signed off the accounts for this year yet, but what the accounts will say is that the debt is a lot less than it was before,” he revealed.

“It is still ongoing debt because the money coming through the gate isn’t enough. On Saturday, we brought in the massive amount of just £1,700 through the gate.

“Remember that we have 230 season ticket holders. You get a gate of 440, and that includes comps and stuff, and 69 people went through the £13 gate.

“So £1,700 to try and pay our bills and expenses is not enough. What we’ve got is manageable debt right now, but the debt gets worse because if there’s no money coming in, the players still have to be paid.

“That’s the point we’re trying to make. Your football debt is with you, regardless of who signed the players or what.

“You need to pay players to get them in and the manager makes the decision, and we’re doing our best.

“But Rangers, Hearts and Dunfermline asked people to help and they got thousands, millions thrown at them. East Fife ask and you get told to go and jump off a bridge somewhere.

“The fans don’t own Rangers and Hearts, and other clubs, but they go and help. Here, it’s difficult.

“Do you think Rangers would be Rangers if there was only 500 turning up? No.

“You need fans and people to put money into the club to have a better team, and if there was 2,000 turning up every week we’d probably be in the Championship and challenging. But there’s not.

“We used to have an average of 720 for donkey’s years, but now the average is around 550 and it’s going down.

“And you’ve got to remember that this year, every club in League Two has a problem because there’s a play-off at the bottom.

“If you look at the clubs who could be involved, Spartans for example who just beat Clyde in the cup, it’s not going to be easy.

“That bottom club could easily end up in the Lowland League or wherever.

“You’ve got to invest to make sure you are not in the bottom. We’re not making a really good job at the moment, but hopefully there are signs the team can do better.”

Stevenson hopes the purchase of a 52% from the club’s current majority shareholders will steady the ship, stressing that the current owners will no longer have input at the club.

“We will take responsibility for all the shares and they will be transferred into our names,” he continued.

“There will be no interference whatsoever because we will be the major shareholders. They will have no say and no input, and we will have responsibility for managing debt.

“To dispel the myth, we can manage that quite easily ourselves, but we’d obviously like the community to be involved and everybody helping.

“The whole thing is to set this club up so there are no difficulties, and we decided we would take the pain so the club can gain.”

Stevenson also said he could envisage a time where the club is fully owned by the supporters as the whole of the 52% could be purchased by supporters.

“The opportunity is there,” he stressed.

For his part, Marshall said a meeting earlier this week with the East Fife Supporters Society (EFSS), who had previously wanted to work with the directors on a joint bid for immediate fan ownership, had proved productive.

And he admitted that the next few weeks and months could well be about winning hearts and minds.

“Hopefully we have convinced people that we are genuinely wanting assistance from every group at the club,” he added. “We know that unless we all work together we’re struggling a bit.

“We’re hoping, the four of us, to possibly tie things up in five or six years – that’s the hope. It depends on how much backing we get.”

Barclay echoed those sentiments and stressed that the directors had made their bid to takeover the club in good faith.

“Having been a supporter since I was a bairn and getting involved in the club has been absolutely wonderful,” he said.

“Obviously we all have the club at heart. There’s no ulterior motives, there’s no financial gain. It’s just giving our time to try and move this club forward.

“Obviously we’ve been getting held back because we’re not in a position to say: ‘This is going to happen’ and we’re being guided by people who are not here.

“So to take it into our hands and get the fans involved would be a big plus for this club in moving it forward.”

"if there was 2,000 turning up every week we’d probably be in the Championship and challenging."

Christ, Jim. Alloa, Dumbarton and Cowdenbeath have been getting 2,000 every week, have they? What a moron.

“We used to have an average of 720 for donkey’s years, but now the average is around 550 and it’s going down."

And that is due to you and your pals running of the club for years. Your quote is an indictment on you and the board. No ambition, no business plan, no communication, belittling of the fan base. Make no wonder the crowds are falling. It's a stark illustration of how this club has been run to extinction. It's your fucking fault! East Fife over the last decade charged among the highest admission price in whatever league we've been in and had among the highest attendences too so why don't you fuck off you condescending club killing muppet.

Are the board really surprised about dwindling crowds? Served up with shite year after year. The only way to bring the crowds back is to give us a decent team who play attacking football, we don't have that. The way things are going I wouldn't be surprised if we folded.

East Fife chairman Jim Stevenson has issued a rallying call to fans: "It's all your fault."

This. Is it REALLY any wonder why people are no longer turning up to Bayview? Awful football, awful ground, awful atmosphere and the board have done absolutely sod all to try and solve any of these problems.

What a lot of wind and pish Stevenson. Shame on you.

Truth is, a lot of fans simply don't give a fuck anymore and a lot of that is down to you and your fellow directors for lacking vision and business acumen.

Hell mend East Fife if you and your old fart mates get your hands on the club.

I don't really care anymore to be honest. If the club goes under it goes under. Cant think of anything worse than being stuck in the basement league for ever more.

RIP East Fife FC.

Some incredible comments for Stevenson. When all else fails, blame the fans.

Is he suggesting we use £1700 from home games to pay all our bills, and the players? What happened to the season ticket and sponsorship money?

Also, if these are the figures per home game, you wonder how £150,000 from a cup tie was lost over four postponed matches last winter.

He talks about going down to the Lowland League like it would be the disaster of all disasters. In my opinion, the current purgatory is worse. At least there would be some excitement down there. I'm extremely glad they've brought this relegation into the league because the likes of Stevenson would be absolutely content sitting 9th or 10th in this league forever.

Well reading this Jim I think there'll be a big queue in front of you to jump off the bridge. You may have spelt out the reality of the situation and our current predicament - all of which has happened on your watch - but what I dont see is any hope at all that things will improve for the club. Fans can only delve into their pockets and help out so much but for a club to be successful it also requires vision, ambition and resources. Your comments suggest you and your chums don't actually have any of those things. In fact whilst I appreciate your honesty to a degree you actually raise the spectre of finishing bottom of the pile and dropping out of the League altogether. That is not what fans want to hear from a new regime.

Fuck sake, what a bloody shambles. Might be best if someone sticks the knife in now and be done with it because what lies in the future is not a future worth wasting the rest of what I have left in this life for.

Your are right kind of C we don't need now fuck off and don't complain any more . Ta taa.

Well ok, but do you actually have an opinion on Stevenson's statement? On the takeover? the future of EFFC?

Come back when you have something worth saying.

Apart from yippee none of the you (the usual suspects) have anything good to say about Mr Stevenson or the club. I cannot understand what good you think this is doing to the club, do you not have work to go to!!!! I never heard anyone mention really derogatory anything at the meeting other than NC or S-Pat who have now run out of bile on the thread about the meeting. It appears to me if there are 2 or 3 people under different names posting stuff to destabilize the club. I am not happy with what is happening but everyone at the meeting understood most of what was said, it was reported correctly in the Leven Mail and the Courier and still people say things are unclear. There have been loads of posts since the meeting but nothing new, it is the same bile post after post just changed a wee bit to add a bit more controversy. Guys this is our club they are trying to stabilize, let them have a chance before they fall down (as you seem to think they will do), better to try and fail than not try at all. They have got their money to lose, what are you losing for the sake of East Fife, nothing as usual I fear.

If he made a statement that was not slating his fellow fans then all this wouldnt be getting said.
The man needs to think before spouting his mouth off, Dont bite the hand that feeds you.
Of course we dont want East Fife to fold etc but some of the comments made are just distancing the fans further away from the board when he should be trying to get us closer

The point I was trying to make is what good is all this doing the club, it was pointed out once and then commented on by loads of other people. He may have made a point badly when 70 people were there, no one really picked up on it, it was only after it was written in the press anyone paid any attention. If you are talking shite to your pals and say something daft it is quickly laughed away. Once someone commented on this was there any need for loads of others to comment on the same point unless you want to destabilize the club, that is what it looks like to me. He made a point badly, learn to life with it and move on. Jeez half the folk on this site are like wee terrier dugs who wont let go, look at the bigger picture and think of the club, unless you do want it to go down!!!!

This man is the (interim) chairman of the club. He wants to be one of the owners of the club. If he wants anyone to believe he is fit for the job, he has a long, long way to go. The chairman or owner is a position of responsibility, usually public responsibility. His remarks are not fit for either role, and at his age, he should know better. But he doesn't, and he never will.
His remarks about the club's supporters are shameful. This is someone who has played a large part in the deceit and lies of the last ten years, when supporters were told a pack of lies year after year about who owns at East Fife. If Jim Stevenson now chooses to blames supporters for the club's financial position, he deserves everything he gets in response.

At the risk of repeating myself, what good is this doing the club going over and over old ground time and time again, unless your really want to drag the club further into the mire. I fear I am just keeping this thread going so will be saying no more about it. I question if some of the posters are really EF supporters or agitators who want to bring the club into disrepute. I think it is obvious to most sensible supporters that you and your kind are just on the site for mischief.

Things are only going to get worse for East Fife.
We`re stuck in the bottom league, skint, a board who lack ambition and yet another manager who is fucking clueless.
No wonder folk have walked away.
I`ve been a supporter all my days (40 years) went to near all home games but none this season and no intention of going back. What is the fucking point?

Club is a shambles on and off the park and people have given it up as a lost cause.

There is simply no point to East Fife FC anymore. I really couldn't care less if they went down to the lowland league. Wont be going back.

If i decide to go to a match on a Saturday i`d probably go watch Raith Rovers. At least they show a bit more ambition than the waste of space that has become East Fife FC.
Let the old fart gang of 4 have their day. They are quite happy where they are. A certain director has openly stated he`s happy in the bottom league. "Less risk and you know whats coming in and whats going out". Isn't that right John?

Old ground???? Stevenson said all this on Monday night!
There is nothing "old ground" about this situation. The problems of ownership, dishonesty and decline are right here, right now. If you think it will do the club "good" by turning a blind eye to this and saying nothing, you need your head examined.
No one in the support is trying to bring the club into disrepute. No need to, it's been done already. It is where we are.

Hiya Mr Board Member. Hiya pal

I think it was naïve for Stevenson to compare our supporters to that of Rangers or Hearts (or Dunfermline's for that matter). Obviously we don't have the same size of fanbase to be able to put in a similar amount of money as they do.

However I remember only a year ago fans pledged almost £25,000 to help build a new club shop. I don't think that is evidence of the fans telling the club/directors to "jump off a bridge"?

Further the point has already been made but deserves to be stated again - what sort of attendances do teams like Cowdenbeath, Alloa etc get?
Cowdenbeath have a smaller home support than our club.

The 2,000 figure was pretty silly.

Might as well say if East Fife got gates of 4,000 we would be a premier league team.

Raith Rovers are a consistent championship club and they don't have a home support of 2,000.

Yes, crowds have dropped but then Mr Stevenson you will find that this happens at every club in the world when the team performs poorly (as East Fife have done).

I have to wonder what the point of the meeting was. If it was to galvanise support then bloody hell, I think we all need to worry.

Jocky/Rab/Ringo/Dr who ...... What degrotary statement did I make at the meeting?

Back up your claim or withdraw it.

Are you oblivious to the shite that is posted on this site? It is to these people he is referring to I would say. These are the same ones who also say they won't be back, for various reasons and have been saying it for years, yet we still manage to get better crowds than most of our same league competitors do. That tells me that there are a core of people using this forum with the sole intention of creating hostility to EFFC. Nobody with anything to do with the running of the club, from directors down to the players escape their bile. The point of the meeting was to tell us what was happening. I wonder why they bothered too, when the likes of you and your mates seize on anything you can, to try and berate them, but it WAS worthwhile to the vast majority who want to see the club progress away from Twigg and co, towards control by people who genuinely support East Fife. They have only started the ball rolling with a hope that more supporters will want to come on board with them. Trouble is, that supporters like yourself want the control, but not the risk of losing your own money.

Many of the supporters are willing to put their money into helping to save the club, but do not believe that the gang of four will do anything other than waste it. You would think the directors would at least try to make a decent pitch to the supporters for their cash. Instead they blame fans for the club's situation. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

Absolute rubbish. You are against them trying to buy the club, just admit it. Your choice of words (gang of four) is an obvious clue.

If I think it will fail, of course I am against it. What do you mean, admit it? It's stating the bleeding obvious.
I would donate to a credible bid. The gang of four bid is not credible.

Will the Gang of Four consider a new share issue so that supporters can put money directly into the club?

Please give us your version of a credible bid.

I know nothing of a Gang of Four. Please elaborate.

For you? I wouldn't waste my time. But in a sentence, one that would see the club survive and progress under more capable people than we have had for the last ten years.

No, no, I mean YOU come up with a credible plan. That means what will have to be done to ensure the clubs survival and where will the money come from? Give me your credible plan, if you please? I can't see how you can make a comment like that about the directors bid, without an alternative plan. Who are more the more capable people? Names please??

Deary me Ringo, you've gone and done it again. Why bother changing your name? And yet you accuse other people of posting other multiple names. What a fanny you are, sir.

Why are you avoiding the question Mr Know it all? A man of your superior knowledge can surely give a "credible" answer!

Why am I not surprised at your stock answer to every question asked of you?

Deary me and Ringo sitting in a tree,
K.I.S.S.I.N.G.


Utter fud.