After all the events of the past few months and all the promises made or intimated - what are we left with? - Well Brown is apparently no longer chairman - but he is still at the club with a job - being paid for by supporters cash - okay I know that the new supposed powers that be have intimated at changes that will alleviate supporters fears for the clubs future - but is'nt it really just more hot air - now is the time you jump on the bandwagon and quote how money has been invested in the club and invested in players etc etc etc. - well dont forget - anyone with any business sense knows when to speculate to accumulate - so do you really believe they are laying out money without any hope of any return? - I think not - we should remain wary of there agenda until the situation is black and white - there are to many grey areas at the moment to fully trust the new regime - there are those who will say give them a chance - fine - do that - but make it on our terms not there's - Brown on his own all but ruined the support at the club with his mindless egotistical behaviour and rantings - yet he is still there - so I would suggest that one ego has only been changed for another - and they are only interested in using the club to there own benefit - not to the benefit of East-Fife FC.

heard from a source very close to the club that 40k has been invested in this seasons squad and there is still more if required.

Business (Sid Collumbine)is all about making money, read my last few posts and maybe someone will have a sense of the bigger finacial picture that is involved with purchasing East Fife.

Also start looking at the Protesters and seriously ask yourself what have they really done for/to the Club? Does all these demosnstrations from the Mound make East Fife an atractive business to buy? No I dont think so, but look beyond football and you have an area of land worth millions.

Its my opinion that the new owners who have a clear focused picture in what there true objective is. That is relocate the football team to Glenrothes, develop the whole area for Executive Apartments over looking the Firth of Forth, new rail links around Fife and to Kirkcaldy.

"Does all these demosnstrations from the Mound make East Fife an atractive business to buy?"

...well, er, yes. I know the point you are making, but look at it this way. If you wanted to takeover a business, you need shareholder backing. If shareholders back the existing regime, then a takeover is very difficult. However, sharholders may be less inclined to back the existing regime for the reasons highlighted by the mound protestors. Couple this with the financial pressure applied by the stay-aways, it makes any takeover a little easier don't you think?

There is an East Fife support out there. Look at the away support at St Johnstone last week, and Dunfermline last season. East Fife are not dead yet.

Sid & Willie have made their money. At their age, do you really think they are after more? And if they were, there are easier & quicker ways to make it than investing in a 3rd division football club, or waiting for a power station to come down, and housing to be granted! They've both been involved with football for many years, and squandered throusands along the way, what makes you think they've changed now?

The only investment I have concerned about is that under S Twigg. Why put the shares in the name of a minore, unless it is to avoid tax on dividend payment?

For my mind, Sid & Willie haven't done enough yet to be judged good or bad. They might not sit well with the sceptics out there, but as has been said elsewhere, what other options do we have?

Yeah fair point on the away support, I was at both games.

But I also laugh to see you Numb Nuts gettin pissed wet through and fallen on your arse

'But I also laugh to see you Numb Nuts gettin pissed wet through and fallen on your arse'

Thanks for that.

An excellent comeback after I_10 destroyed his argument

Can someone tell me how contaminated land will draw in millions?

Ex- I.10 - I would imagine that the shares are held in the minor's name because they are the minor's shares! Nothing unusual or illegal about an investment designed to guarantee the minor something when he/she grows up. In fact I think I still have £1 that was put in the Trustee Savings Bank for me years ago! Which explains why I'm not buying the club.

The importance of all this, surely, is that it is being seen as a long term investment. The Twigg/Collumbine group are with us for keeps and we should cultivate them, not slag them off. So long as they keep investing so much the better.

Grant I agree that the attraction at the club is its ownership of the land. This is the only reason I can see for the Twigg shareholding ( besides getting a discounted deal); and it is in Twigg's name to disguise connection with another club and not for dividend tax advantage ( there are no distribution of dividends). Maybe there will be however when/if the land is sold.

Now the reason for the protests was to get rid of Brown initially but along the way some of us have come to realise that the windfall of the ownership of the ground may be sucked from the club into the shareholder's pockets which could leave the club with no viable ground and lack of funds to progress. This could so easily happen with majority shareholders controlling the club as now. The protest has been twinned with the Trust's objective of obtaining a reasonable shareholding progressing in the future hopefully that the club is controlled by its supporters.

I also suspect that the amounts recently quoted as being invested in the club to build the team come from funds that were present before the new regime came along. They are just releasing the money that Brown was keeping a tight grip on ( possibly for his artificial pitch).

Someone said that The new regime has made their money and they don't want/need any more. Don't believe that for one moment.

Agreed, Nosey. All this talk of the land at Bayview being worth millions is speculation run crazy. A survey would confirm this if anyone wants to pay for one. Remember why East Fife ended up there? The land at Wellesley Road was worth a few quid, and the land at the docks was worth nothing. That's why the club agreed to leave its home.

Talk of "executive apartments" adds to the hype. If I was an executive, I would not be looking for a flat at Methil docks.

The rail link completes the illusion. The 'link' has been closed for 40 years and there are no plans to reinstate it.

Why do so many people leave a gap.

Between paragraphs.

Like this?

Or are some posters carrying on a conversation with themselves?

Executive Apartments and offices would be awesome along the Sea Wall, small jetties for all the High Powered Exec to dock their boats.
Yeah right.........dream on
Once the asbestos cloud clears from the demolished Power station no one in their right minds would want to live along the Sea Wall.
Give Mr Collumbine a chance, he has only just arrived. time will tell and right now I will give him my vote.
£40k so far is a decent start if that thread above is true.
Bring on Ross County and lets get behind the team.

sorry Another One, I can't agree that we are seeing a better distribution of shares. how many does the trust have - a thousand? maybe a promise of one or two thousand more?

the main players - twigg, browns, rodgers - have around 30000 shares each. the trust shareholding is a start but it will stop none of the above from getting what they want at East Fife

Real world you are right and that was my point. The massive shareholding by 3 players can say what goes. That is why I am saying the way forward is for the Trust to continue to obtain a greater shareholding.
However this can be a long task and meanwhile we must do what we can to safeguard the club.

Do not be deceived those who say the ground is worthless. It has already been zoned for leisure/residential use and by being so has increased its value since we moved there.

I can recall they said the same of Kirkcaldy harbour, now look at it!

The majority of the money invested in the squad for this season was money which came directly out of Willie Gray's hip pocket. Money he recouped from his investment in Raith Rovers.

Of course we're being conned. Two people want to invest in a club thats sitting of a prime piece of land, they put in a few bob to keep the fans happy but their real aim is to make a killing and sell the land once the power station has been knocked down. Sure they'll move the team to another location, possibly Glenrothes, and the team will soldier on as usual, in the same sorry state that its in at the moment.

Columbine and Grey are in this to make money and while I'm not writting this in support of Brown I'd rather support a man that has been involved with the club when we were in the shit rather than people who get involved with the club to line their own pocket.

Okay so you're going to tell me that Brown is the reason we're in the shit and is trying to line his own pocket, if thats the case then he's had a funny way of showing it.

this stuff about the land is laughable. there is no such thing as 'prime land' in methil.

the reason east fife found a home at the docks is because it was the cheapest piece of land in levenmouth, that no-one else wanted

there is no comparison between kirkcaldy harbour and methil docks, other than the fact that they are close to the sea and both are in fife. kirkcaldy harbour is minutes from a busy high street, close to pubs and restaurants, on a main throughfare, and does not look like a barren industrial estate

"there is no comparison between kirkcaldy harbour and methil docks"

- take away the grotesque looking new flats, and you have exactly the same thing: a run down harbour.

"kirkcaldy harbour is minutes from a busy high street"

- Kirkcaldy High Street is a run-down mess with half the shops boarded up, especially down at the harbour end, just a stones throw from the aforementioned eyesores.

In any case, both locations will be under several feet of water once the polar ice caps melt. Nobody in their right mind should be building houses so near to sea level.

Jim, are there ANY shops in lower methil? this is getting tedious, but take a stroll around both areas and you will see one area that remains alive and another that has been dead for years

here's a test - try to find a wee shop to buy a packet of fags or a newspaper. a 'corner shop' is at the heart of every community. it will take you twenty seconds to find one at kirkcaldy harbour flats. but it might take you twenty minutes in lower methil

No it won't.

To back in the real world,there is a few good shops in lower methil,a chippie,a butchers,a cafe,and an asian shop,and the above mentioned are all very good shops with pleasant manners from them all,not like in kirkcaldy you can't get a please or a thank you or a good morning from any of them,I think they all come the school of derek brown IGNORANCE IS BLISS.

I think the majority of us were more than happy when the new investment came along a few months ago. What has changed (other than Derrick still being at the club)? The new directors have to walk before they can run. Rome wasn't built in a day. I think we are all getting a little impatient and should just give these guys a little bit of trust and time. The rest of the directors know Derricks time is up but they won't release the reason for him still being there. He will go when the time is right. We need to trust these guys.

OK buying shares is going to get more clout. correct me if i'm wrong, but Sid did promise a place on the board for the supporters trust and the board memebers only have one vote regardless of how many shares or proxies they have. Being on the board is the only way to make any difference and to find out the truth about the land. Some of the current directors do not have tens of thousands of shares but they still get one vote. Getting Wullie and Sid to honour their commitment to giving the trust a seat should be the only objective we have.

What new investment? Everyone says oor Wullie has dipped into his pocket and that may be so but there are so many rumours I do not see this as a definate. As for Columbine there has been nothing said about his investment because I think he has only bought the minimum shares to get on the board. These people like most others are only interested in what they can get out of their "investment". From the point of view in willie's case maybe he wants to be loved by the wider Fife community; But I do not see this for Collumbine. Then again it may be that our club has become this rich man's toy /hobby and indeed he will plough great resources into it.

As for the seat on the board. Believe it when you see it as the board could already have taken action to get a trust member on board as it were. Words are cheap as I thought you would have learned from Brown.

I thought that a minimum of 2000 shares was required before you could be on the board? If so then the trust isn't there yet, so they could not have had a place already.

YES

'Its my opinion that the new owners who have a clear focused picture in what there true objective is. That is relocate the football team to Glenrothes, develop the whole area for Executive Apartments over looking the Firth of Forth, new rail links around Fife and to Kirkcaldy. '

Yes, and once the power station is gone, there will be left...... wonderful views of the oil tankers transferring oil between each other and to the beaches!

A great place to live eh?

Just to say that the Chairman said yesterday that the club had received 2 bids from developers,the higher bid being for £4 million for the land between the perimeter wall on the side opposite the stand,to the perimeter fence adjoining the Power Station.There would consequently no stand built opposite the current stand,but that there would be stands built behind each goal.
Perhaps confirmation should be sought on Tuesdat night.

So the plan is to sell all the surplus land, build stands where the car parks are, and then the increased crowds can park their cars, er, um, where exactly?

Most clubs do not have the luxury of large car parks next to the ground.
Given the choice of a larger capacity and fewer parking spaces and the status quo, I'd opt for the former.
We are talking about a situation in the (hopefully) not too distant future, dependant upon lot of hard work and good business management...

Aye, but my ideal scenario would be another stand (1000 seats to comply with SPL2 requirements ;-) ) opposite the current one, and two small covered terraces at each end that wouldn't take up too much room.

Not that any of it will happen mind.....