Just incase anyone missed it, Willie Gray and Davie Hamilton are coming to the meeting tonight to give us a full update on the scenario.

Wellesley Inn, 7.30pm.

See you there.

Apologies, I will not manage tonight.

Typical Chairman, only interested in the blazer, the free tickets and the phoncalls from 100 women.

You missed out pies.

Apologies but see you Saturday

So did TOC Eugene!

Davie Hamilton? What will be his input? A brief talk on "How to hide under stone for three years"

Is he actually going to speak in public tonight then or will he just hide nodding behind Willie now?

Who cares about the blazer and free tickets......

what was discussed at tonight's meeting?

In a Cyber Cafe´in Portugal at the moment any update from tonights meeting? When/is Derrick going and when can I buy my season ticket????

The best thing about tonight's meeting was that it took place.

There is to be a board meeting on Monday next when Gray and Collumbine will be confirmed as chair and vice respectively.

A large part of the meeting concentrated on the way forward and the fan's part in that process.

Derrick's future status caused concern to some and this was taken on board by Willie and Davie.I suggest that we wait to see what Monday brings before making judgement.

I am off to Durham tomorrow and will give a wider report on tonight when I return. I suspect that Monday's happenings will have moved events on by then.

The news is getting better by the minute Dave.
What is is Davie Hamilton's role going to be in the shake up?
No particular axe to grind, only in the comfortable position of the ordinary fan sitting with a
drink and an equally large smile on my coupon...

good to hear we're getting there. everyone going down for the pre-season tour have fun in the knowledge that d*rri*k will soon be gone.

Some encouraging noises from tonights meeting regarding Derricks departure from the chair. However if he stays on the board he will still get plenty of stick.

As for Davie Hamilton, this is the guy who has nore faces than Big Ben. The sooner he goes the better. He, along with Hain MacKay and Stevenson had months to get rid of Derrick but did sod all untill Willie Gray took control.

Bye Bye Derrick and take your puppy Hamilton with you.

"Derrick's future status caused concern to some and this was taken on board by Willie and Davie"

... surley Derrick can have no Future with East Fife Fc !?!?! - Davie, can you elaborate?

Come on then, was anyone present at the meeting in any way impressed with Willie Gray or what he had to say?

No, I thought not.

Whatever happens on Monday night, I guarantee that J Derrick Brown Esq will not be leaving the building, and that all that will have happened will be a bit of musical chairs... without the music.

Why did you not come "The Mole"?

Ok then, I'll go first!

Yes Mole, I was at the meeting and yes, I was impressed with Willie Gray. We can only give the man a chance to see if he carries out what he has said and then give him the chance to run the club better than Deek (not difficult).

Alot has changed in recent months and there are many things that have happened that would not have happened previously. One being that twice in the past week, the club have responded to emails to me and in the same day. This has never happened in the 2 years the Trust has been running. It has been normal practise for the 'club' to ignore my first email and then when prompted, reply to TOC and not me.

Willie Gray and Sid Collumbine will be a partnership and the board they construct will be just that also. It will be efficient, effective and there for the good of the fans and the club. It will not be a one man dictatorship as it has been for too long now.

Yes, Derrick might be there in some form but he will not have control and I would hope that it won't be for too long.

My personal opinion is that we give the new chair and board a chance when they come to fruition. They have agreed to monthly meetings with the 1938 group so if you want a say - put your name forward to be on it.

As said above - personal opinion etc.

I think everything will turn out fine,folks

Off to Durham soon to enjoy watching East Fife again.

The Mole

Willie will do just fine.

I-10

You can do away with the ex now .It is only till his shares issue is sorted.

Just want to clarify the situation, does this mean that Derrick will be completley gone from East Fife once his shares have been bought?

I hope this is the case, because it would seem like only half a victory if he was to hang around in any capacity!.

Yes, Derrick is going to leave the club one way or another, if he digs his heels in it could take months however, but his position will be minor and his power will be nothing. In all he will be nothing to worry about, the club is heading in the opposite direction from the way he was (mis)running it.

Igor

You put it in a nut shell.Totally concur.

I'm just a little puzzled about last night's meeting. Firstly, did Sid Collumbine (whose money is funding the revolution, not Willie Gray's) know about the meeting? And secondly, why was David Hamilton there and not Sid?

My sources suggest that we could be heading into choppy waters, with the possibility of three groupings on the Board - Willie Gray and a couple of lapdogs like D Hamilton; Derrick Brown and a couple of poodles; and Sid Collumbine + Bruce Black. Obviously Willie and Sid can now outvote and outflank DB and his couple of cronies, but it does need Willie and Sid to be in cahoots and it isn't immediately obvious that this can always be taken for granted. They are both accustomed to being the main man.

But the main ****** in the woodpile (you know what I mean, Derrick) is DB and his one or two remaining camp followers. His kind of troublemaking the club doesn't need at all and there should really be no question of the Broons, Stevenson or Mackay remaining on the Board. That would not only what everyone wants to see, it would remove the possibility of trouble within what we hope will now be a forward-looking and stable Board.

So keep the pressure on for DB's removal, I suggest. Don't be fobbed off with stuff about a continuing role for him. It isn't necessary or helpful.

Brown will not be staying at the club, it's a fact. At worst he will occupy a minor temporary role for a short period of time, if that was to change (which it won't) and he was seen to be gaining power again (which he won't) then we would be in a good position to nip that in the bud.

We are staying organised for a reason, we will carry this through to an end.

If people have concerns then put yourself forward to participate in the 1938 group where you can help make a difference.

Forgot to add, Willie Gray was "speaking on behalf of Sid" lastnight, they are good friends and they will work together.

There will be an untold number of questions to be asked until we are all totally happy but ,at least, we are in a position to ask them and have them answered.

Igor - don't be too sure. I hope you're right about how it all pans out, but Willie and Sid hardly know each other, have never worked together, and are certainly a long way short of being close friends.

I'd just like to add that I, too, was impressed with Willie Gray last night. He came over really well and is now totally in favour of regular meetings between the Board and supporters groups. He also admitted how wrong he had been about the Supporters Trust and was very pleasantly surprised to find out that the Trust actually consisted of genuinely nice people who genuinely wanted to help the club. It appears that, before meeting representatives from the Trust, Willie had been under the impression that Trust members were just a load of troublemakers out to cause havoc. Wonder who told him that? No prizes for guessing!!
I left last night's meeting feeling more positive about the future of our club than I have for a very long time and I'm willing to give the new regime a chance. I won't commit myself to a season ticket just yet, but I'm pretty certain things are going to work out to everyone's liking in the not too distant future.

Careful, everyone. I gather that the "minor" role that is being suggested for DB (by him, of course, but it may be agreed) may involve a more substantial involvement than any of you will want to see. Seems he would like to have responsibility for the day to day running of the club, with a suitably grand title, in return for standing aside.

This definitely cannot be acceptable to the rest of us, even if it seems to Willie and Sid to be something that they could live with. We need to keep making that very clear indeed to the new regime.

I'm sure Willie and Sid are well aware that we don't want Brown involved with our club in any shape or form.

What about Betty Brown though? Will she still be around making the tea?

So is the protest going to fizzle out even if Brown is retained in a "minor" role? What is the definition of a minor role? I would suggest any role at all in the club should be major as far as the protest goes. We are now moderating the objective of the protest if this is so. I do not see the need to retain Brown and I am sure there must be ways of completely getting rid of him even though he does have (in his name anyway) a large amount of shares. Other large shareholders do not play any part in the running of the club. There may be more to this than meets the eye as I cannot see why the new regime feel it is necessary for him to retain some postion. Could there be some sort of coersion here?

More conspiracy theories? Well let there be an explanation for Brown's continuing presence.

Guys (& girls)

I know you're desperate for this to succeed, but honestly, the "supporters leaders" seem to have had the wool pulled over their eyes (or, being charitable, are just totally naive). Other posters above seem to have a much more realistic grasp of things and retain a healthy scepticism.

Collumbine & Gray barely know each other, FACT.

Gray despises trusts / fans reps and "inter - nerds" as he describes posters on fans forums, FACT. If he says otherwise he is simply pulling your collective plonkers.

Gray has however known Brown for years and they are great buddies. They piss themselves laughing about all of this stuff when they think nobody else is listening. I've overheard them on more than one occasion in recent weeks.

Brown will be Chief Executive or Managing Director (or at the very least Director of Football). Either way, he will retain his blazer, his seat on the board and his day to day involvement with the club.

Just wait and see....

What would be the point of leaving Broon in charge of the day-to-day running of the club when he has shown that he is completely incapable of doing this without pissing off anyone and everyone who he has any contact with?

Regarding as his continued presence, correct me if I'm wrong but directors can only be removed at an AGM or EGM, yes?

I believe it is a legal issue that may see Brown still involved and once this is resolved in the relevant manner he will be ousted completely.

Saying that, he might decide that it is not worth a legal battle (which he will definitely lose) and walk away. Stranger things have happened at sea.

I think we need to give the new regime time and let the relevant shareholders go through whichever process they can to remove him completely. I truly believe that this will happen. Yes, we are only half way there but I have faith that the full wishes of the protesters will be carried out. Then the hard work really begins.

FAO the Mole -

OK, we'll wait and see, and if Broon is still in any major position within the club come Tuesday then we will be back where we were, with no season ticket sales, no merchandise sales, and a protest on the mound every home game.

What exactly would Gray/Collumbine be gaining from this?

Okay so, cutting to the chase, what is our suggested position as protestors right now.

Are we buying season tickets?
Are we still on the mound?
etc.

It needs a bit of give and take on both sides and a willingness to wait and see.

I'm willing to suspend protesting for a couple of months to see how things pan out once the Board personnel have changed to exclude DB.. If need be it can always be resurrected.

6/8 weeks is not a long time in the 100+ years of East Fife.

Moley is right to confirm my alert to all of us. A change of Chairman is the easy bit - only a vote by the Board is needed. Getting Broon off the Board isn't quite so simple since if he won't go there the involvement of shareholders at the AGM might be needed.

But none of this generates any need whatever to keep him in any role within the club. If he won't go he can and should be a director and nothing more, cut out of the loop and with no serious involvement, influence or role. It is quite easy to leave him in that position. Heaven knows DB has done it to plenty of other directors in recent years - ask Ian Johnson and others!

So please don't let us be fobbed off with stories about him needing to be given a position. It absolutely isn't necessary and shouldn't be acceptable.

I agree with you there. I asked that question last night, why give him a title? Let him be a director like the others. It wasn't answered fully, I think for reasons that involved some confidentiality. However, the usual 'confidential' clause was not cited frequently last night!

If you don't get rid of a weed completely it'll start to grow and you'll soon be in the same position as before.

Down with Brown

I agree with you Eugene, perhaps a suspension of protests is the best way to go. It will likely take a few months for us to ascertain just how much influence Brown will have if he remains in some capacity a Bayview.

Certainly, as it things stand, in intend to take my seat at the first game. I think it is necessary to show that we are willing to support the new regime provided they deliver on their promises.

Just for a couple of games why not encourage a really good turnout. Banners saying that without Brown you can have this everyweek.

Derrick brought Willie Gray to East Fife because they are good friends and have been for a number of years. Why now, all of a sudden, is Willie Gray going to stab him in the back and have him removed from the club?? He won't, a new role will prob be created as has been stated previously. In this new role does Derrick receive the benefits he received when he was chairman ie SFA position, shares as expenses, a salary etc?
IMO there should be no let up in protests until he is completely ousted from the club and all benefits he enjoyed whilst at East Fife removed. That has been the aim of the protests from day one and was agreed by everybody involved.

I'm worried by the amount of weasel words appearing - "give the new Board a chance" , "Derrick will only be in a minor role for a short time", "I'll be in my seat at the first game etc".

Get real, gang. Nothing, but nothing, has happened yet in relation to Herr Broon's position. I think that there is too much readiness to accept assurances that may mean what they look like.

Just ask yourselves how DB, with no dosh and no support, is even in the same league as those now looking to take control of the club. By all accounts they have loads of money to invest and the backing of the Twigg crowd.

So why are they even bothering to negotiate with the twerp Brown? They should simply be ousting him and saying goodbye, as they have the money, the support and the votes to do. Why aren't they? Answer - because if the truth be told they wouldn't mind him hanging around and doing the day to day trash at the club.

This is what you are in danger of signing up to by waiting and seeing. Trust me on this. Keep maximum pressure on Gray, Collumbine and their backers and don't let it happen. It must be Brown out!

Would I be right in thinking that when the dust has settled on this sorry saga the major shareholder will still be a wee girl?

What worries me is that with Brown staying at the club,he will try to cause as much trouble as possible before he finally leaves. He has caused so much hurt and disruption already,why should he stop now.
I personally do not want a division created within the protesters.We have come this far together and it would be a disaster if some were inside and some were on the Mound.Saying that,I still can`t get my head round walking in the ground and seeing Brown sitting there with a grin on his face.
Would probably stay away rather than go on the Mound.

well , if more of you had actually come to the meeting and listened to the guys that were there maybe some of your fears would have been overcome.....

Like I said earlier, the campaign leaders have been fooled while those on the fringes are able to see this for what it is.... smoke and mirrors!

In fact I'd go as far as to say that Brown & Gray have outmanoeuvred the fans already. A cosmetic job title change, but with Brown retaining all or at least most of his perks, and the protest is shelved.

And if you really think you can just restart the same level of protest in mid season with any credibility, then you are fooling yourselves.

Remember, I am not called "The Mole" for nothing. None of you know who I am, but as I've said before, the main players all know me and think I am on their side. That's why I know what they are thinking and saying behind close doors.

But be in no doubt, I am on the fans' side. I'm glad some people are agreeing with what I am saying, but while the leaders continue to dream, all the campaigning of last season looks to have lost its impetus.

What a shame!

What is the view of the Trust on this matter? I am a firm believer in the democracy that is the Trust and back them all the way. We recently had a vote as Trust members to decide the how we deal with Browns presence at the club and voted to have the Trust back all moves to oust him including protests. The way it stands as I see it is that Derrick is still at the club and therefore until the Trust has another vote on its position they should be protesting for the removal of Brown. The Trust have already had their fingers burned by a board willing to say anything to keep them quiet (shares issue). How can we be sure this is not just another smoke screen?

so Mole, if you know so much,when is the board meeting gonna be held to decide the board positions?

Those who attended the meeting know,lets see if you know as much as you say.

Well the mood at the meeting was to let Mondays board meting take place and then see who the board office bearers are.

Having had time now to reflect on last nights meeting I feel bitterly disappointed Brown will still be there.
Some interesting comments & opinions coming to the fore at the moment so will be interesting to see who's telling the truth and how things pan out in the coming weeks.
Its a case of wait and see for the time being and i'll not be back in the ground until he is gone completely.

Please listen to The Mole.

We will not find a more accurate witness of what is actually going on, despite some of the activists on here being convinced that they know the inside track.

Surley we have to GO the whole 10 yards BROWN OUT TOTALLY.

come on, eugene, kerriann, igor & dave (and Sid for that matter). Nobody will blame you for being duped by Gray. He's a master of two-facedness.

You simply must not call off protests, even temporarily, or you will have lost the war.

Please.

This is an open forum and all views are expected as
is opposition to these views.
However, when any opinion is accompanied with statements like "not known as a mole for nothing" and "none of you know who I am" then the suspicion is that we are reading the thoughts of a Walter Mitty character. By all means share your insider information but spare us the dramatic prose.
p.s. in line four "a" should read "the"
p.p.s. mole - a small burrowing insect eating mammal.
mole - a betrayer of confidential information.
mole - a small raised dark blemish on the skin

Get a grip Other Chairman, you are exactly the sort who The Mole is appealing to. Of course he can't use his real name, or he would not be able to give you the information he is providing.

Why shoot the messanger? He knows more about what is going on than 99.9 per cent of those who post on here.

Think about it: who has anything to gain from what the Mole has posted? Not Brown. Not Collumbine. Not Gray. Not Rankine. Not the Mole, personally. Only the protestors. That means you, me, the Mole, and everyone else on this forum. He's not working against you, even if you find his blunt remarks hard to take. He's with you.

His news might not be what you want to hear, but it gives you and others the chance to see a bigger picture than you can see at the moment. If you choose to ignore it, you have every right to. But it would be complacent and dangerous to do so.

The attached press release from 28 January 2006 clarifies the Trust position re protest/DB.

My own thoughts are that we need to give the new regime the chance to demonstate that their attitude towards working with the supporters has changed.

The challenge for the new Board is to manage the departure of Brown so that everybody knows that he no longer has an influence at the Club.

I am prepared to give Collombine/Gray the chance to deliver on their promises and I look forward to them working closely with the Supporter's Trust in the near future.

In the meantime, I intend to return to Bayview at the start of the season but I will not purchase a season ticket and will not hesitate to withdraw my support if I think that DB has any control over the decisions that are being taken at the Club.



Press Release

East Fife Supporters’ Trust

28 January 2006

Trust Vote for Change at EFFC

Members of the East Fife Supporters’ Trust overwhelmingly backed a proposal to call for change at the top at their local football club. A motion from its members to support the campaign to “bring about change in the leadership of East Fife FC” was passed with only one dissenting vote.

Commenting on the proposal brought by member Matthew McLean, Trust Chairman Allan Duthie indicated that the club chairman’s refusal to communicate with the Trust had led to the situation
. “In the last six weeks alone we have formally written to the club twice and have made a made a number of phone calls and emails concerning our request to buy further shares and other matters. We have had no response other than a vague statement on the club’s website. Coupled with the continuous attacks on the Trust from the Board and the frequent misrepresentation of our position, our members have concluded that enough is enough. We cannot see how significant and properly constituted organisations such as the Trust who wish the club to succeed can have an effectively dialogue when the people at the top of the club behave in this way.”

Mr Duthie added that he hoped that change could come about in the attitude and behaviour of those running the club – either through the current leadership changing their approach or by other means and noted that significant shareholders had their part to play in the change process too”

DGAD
I did not say that what the mole writes is either wrong or not what I want to hear. Neither do I deny him his right to say it. I am interested to read his views but the amateur dramatics are a bit much.

Whlist I think the Mole is a self-righteous, patronising shit stirrer he is right on one point, that we need to ensure Brown is fully removed before we go back into Bayview. That said, the new regime also needs to be encouraged and that message has to get through. Gray, Columbine, Black et al are no idiots and I have confidence (maybe misplaced, we'll see) that they will do the right thing for East Fife Football Club. May take a another month or two, but I'm sure they'll realise that Brown's continued presence at the club will be counter-productive in the long-term.

Mole - if you're so close to the East Fife board you cab eavesdrop on what they're saying, I'll assume you went south today with the official party as you're obviously part of the whole set up.
Oh, wait a minute! The official party left at 12:30 from Bayview and you've been posting on this forum all afternoon!!!

The Mole didn't say at any point that he was a member of the official party. If that is what you have taken from his remarks, you are only advertising your own ignorance.

As for the accusations of amateur dramatics - just what are you talking about? For someone with a stagename - sorry pseudonym - contrived to reflect some sort of perceived status, that's a bit rich.

I'm sorry if I come across as a shit stirrer or as being self - righteous. Unintentional I assure you. Actually you probably do have a point about the "theatrics" of all of this, but don't let's get side tracked on what others think of me as a person. That is irrelevant.

And I am certainly not in the party that's gone down to N E England today (although they do have computers down there as well apparently!!)

Back on topic, it would be a useful exercise over the weekend for as many supporters as possible to post their views on the key issues, namely:-

1. Is it acceptable to you that Derrick Brown retains any official position with the club going forward?

2. Do you think that suspension of the campaign is the right course of action and do you believe that a credible campaign can be restarted in a few months time if it is established that supporters have indeed been hoodwinked?

3. Do you believe that Willie Gray will really dump his long term friend or do you think that the reality will be that Brown will retain a status that allows him to cling on to the perks of office?

Then, when eugene, igor, dave and kerriann return, they will get a decent indication of the CURRENT mood of the fans.

By the way, dave, willie found what happened to your car back in april hilarious. He seemed to be well informed about it...

Mole - from reading your posts I gather that you've got as much time for Willie Gray as you have for Derrick Brown (and certain other Board members). Am I correct in assuming you want both of them out of the way, and most (if not all) of the remaining Board as well?

Mole,are yo Mr Stevenson?

There you go again, trying to switch the focus onto me. You are certainly correct that I think that Gray and Brown together is twice as bad as Brown on his own.

As for who else is or is not involved going forward, I am not bothered. I simply would hate a proud club like EFFC to be "run" by these two, because I know what they are like and what their true beliefs are.

And, Mr Curious, no I am not this gentleman Stevenson and have no direct or indirect knowledge of him.

Mole - I'm not trying to put the focus back on you. I'm merely trying to ascertain what sort of scenario you would like to eventually see at the club. Our objectives have to be realistic, that's all.

Put up a report on Thursday's meeting now in the NEWS section of AFTN. Would be interested on all and any views on our proposed temporary compromises

Very good piece GoF.

As you may have gathered I'm willing to go along with your suggestion for a suspension of the protest with the conditions you outline.

If after a few weeks it seems our faith has been misplaced then I'll admit I was wrong and take part in further protests.

I agree as we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

If we are proved wrong for believing the new board then it will certainly not be hard to get the protests up again and the feelings will be running even higher than before.

Surely they wouldn't risk that?