If legislation is brought in to protect the stadiums maybe that will lead to Duchatelet realising the proper worth of the Valley and he won’t be asking stupid money for it.
If legislation is brought in to protect the stadiums maybe that will lead to Duchatelet realising the proper worth of the Valley and he won’t be asking stupid money for it.
Yes, that seems plausible to me, although it will take time to seep through the ego-generated protective ring around his brain.
If legislation is brought in to protect the stadiums maybe that will lead to Duchatelet realising the proper worth of the Valley and he won’t be asking stupid money for it.
Hopefully so, but old Douchey holds a grudge. He will probably head to the grave clutching the deeds to The Valley in his cold dead lifeless fist and a codisil in his will that on no circumstances should Charlton and the ground be reunited...
The Football Regulator is happening, and soon. If you have a moment, take the time to thank Tracey Crouch, MP, even if only via Twitter. She has driven this through at some cost to her political career and personal welfare:
- she is a Tory MP and a lot of her fellow MPs don't like regulation at all. They think it is "soshulist"
- she has been on the end of unfair criticism from various Premier League Orcs wheeled out to trash the proposals, and various client journalists.
- In particular she and those who have assisted her were subjected to the attention of the Institute of Economic Affairs. However their badly argued "thought paper" laced with ad hominem personal attacks only went to show what a pathetic second-rate bunch of losers they are despite their generous funding from American sources.
- all of that in turn encouraged brain-dead idiots within the football fanbase to launch personal attacks on her in social media; in particular sheep dressed in black and white striped shirts who somehow concluded that she was personally obstructing their club being bought up by butchers.
It is clear beyond reasonable doubt that if the proposals of Tracey Crouch's Fan-led Review had been implemented before then, Duchatelet could never have sold our club to the ESI wrong'uns. (Read why, here)
Politicians get a lot of stick, not least from me. But a lot of them go into politics for the best of reasons, to make a positive difference, and it can cost them. When they do something good for us, they deserve a word of thanks. They are, like the rest of us, only human.
Tracey Crouch deserves all our thanks for her sincere efforts. Don't be fooled that inclusion in the King's Speech actually brings this forward in any practical sense. The current junta has repeatedly spouted reams of good intentions (much of them rehashes of existing ideas) and delivered nothing positive. Are there any votes in it? probably not Does anybody of political weight make any money out of it? probably not The incumbent regime probably only has a year before being deposed so has no motivation to to do anything, popularity notwithstanding. Does the proposal have cross party support? Will the next lot give it parliament time to enact the legislation? If they do will one of the hideous old ghouls that routinely "object" to private members' bills on the spurious grounds of lack of rigor. I'm not saying it won't get time and pass thru the house but some major expectation management is required. We'll all be measurably older before this sees the light of day.
The Football Regulator is happening, and soon. If you have a moment, take the time to thank Tracey Crouch, MP, even if only via Twitter. She has driven this through at some cost to her political career and personal welfare:
- she is a Tory MP and a lot of her fellow MPs don't like regulation at all. They think it is "soshulist"
- she has been on the end of unfair criticism from various Premier League Orcs wheeled out to trash the proposals, and various client journalists.
- In particular she and those who have assisted her were subjected to the attention of the Institute of Economic Affairs. However their badly argued "thought paper" laced with ad hominem personal attacks only went to show what a pathetic second-rate bunch of losers they are despite their generous funding from American sources.
- all of that in turn encouraged brain-dead idiots within the football fanbase to launch personal attacks on her in social media; in particular sheep dressed in black and white striped shirts who somehow concluded that she was personally obstructing their club being bought up by butchers.
It is clear beyond reasonable doubt that if the proposals of Tracey Crouch's Fan-led Review had been implemented before then, Duchatelet could never have sold our club to the ESI wrong'uns. (Read why, here)
Politicians get a lot of stick, not least from me. But a lot of them go into politics for the best of reasons, to make a positive difference, and it can cost them. When they do something good for us, they deserve a word of thanks. They are, like the rest of us, only human.
Tracey Crouch deserves all our thanks for her sincere efforts. Don't be fooled that inclusion in the King's Speech actually brings this forward in any practical sense. The current junta has repeatedly spouted reams of good intentions (much of them rehashes of existing ideas) and delivered nothing positive. Are there any votes in it? probably not Does anybody of political weight make any money out of it? probably not The incumbent regime probably only has a year before being deposed so has no motivation to to do anything, popularity notwithstanding. Does the proposal have cross party support? Will the next lot give it parliament time to enact the legislation? If they do will one of the hideous old ghouls that routinely "object" to private members' bills on the spurious grounds of lack of rigor. I'm not saying it won't get time and pass thru the house but some major expectation management is required. We'll all be measurably older before this sees the light of day.
I understand your scepticism, and share your distaste for the current junta , yet somehow, defying all logic, it seems like it may be displaced. Kieran Maguire (an adviser to the FLR and consistent loud advocate for it) reported that there is a vacancy being advertised on a Government website for the post of Interim Regulator. This has always been planned as a way to get some ground-work done while all the legal details are hammered out, so that the actual permanent appointee can hit the ground running. The post calls for the Interim bod to start work on January 1st!!!
I know this seems to go against all political logic and current perceptions, but if you want another example of its almost surreal progress, I would mention that back when Mad Nad Dorries briefly took over the DCMS brief, and thus responsibility for pushing on with this, Lauren Kreamer, representing CAST, had a call with her about it. Lauren reported back that Dorries:
- appeared to understand the principles and issues involved - appeared to be interested in what Lauren had to say - appeared to be positive about the Review recommendations
I repeat. That is Nadine Dorries I am talking about here.
The Football Regulator is happening, and soon. If you have a moment, take the time to thank Tracey Crouch, MP, even if only via Twitter. She has driven this through at some cost to her political career and personal welfare:
- she is a Tory MP and a lot of her fellow MPs don't like regulation at all. They think it is "soshulist"
- she has been on the end of unfair criticism from various Premier League Orcs wheeled out to trash the proposals, and various client journalists.
- In particular she and those who have assisted her were subjected to the attention of the Institute of Economic Affairs. However their badly argued "thought paper" laced with ad hominem personal attacks only went to show what a pathetic second-rate bunch of losers they are despite their generous funding from American sources.
- all of that in turn encouraged brain-dead idiots within the football fanbase to launch personal attacks on her in social media; in particular sheep dressed in black and white striped shirts who somehow concluded that she was personally obstructing their club being bought up by butchers.
It is clear beyond reasonable doubt that if the proposals of Tracey Crouch's Fan-led Review had been implemented before then, Duchatelet could never have sold our club to the ESI wrong'uns. (Read why, here)
Politicians get a lot of stick, not least from me. But a lot of them go into politics for the best of reasons, to make a positive difference, and it can cost them. When they do something good for us, they deserve a word of thanks. They are, like the rest of us, only human.
One of the biggest offenders here is Martin Samuel in the Times and Sunday Times.
He has published a whole series of articles rubbishing the creation of a regulator, usually on the lines of leave the Premier League big boys alone. None of his articles made much sense to me and I have to say I can only wonder why he was being so vehemently against the creation of a regulator and wrote such articles.
I suspect that Martin Samuel's views on this topic reflect the fact that he is writing for Murdoch's News Corp Group. If I remember rightly, he was previously at the Daily Mail for many years under the editorship of one Paul Dacre.
Samuel's articles are normally pretty reasonable and well informed but he descends into partisan gibberish and platitudes on the subject of the football regulator.
As Prague says, the Premier League, together with their lobbyists and acolytes, have behaved dismally throughout and it's to Tracey Crouch's immense credit that the proposed legislation has got this far. A great piece by the Charlton Dossier as well, which perfectly illustrates the beneficial impact of what is proposed.
Martin Samuels has form on this sort of thing. While at the Mail he was Brady's cheer-leader for West Ham's deal on the Olympic Stadium and had a pop at the Coalition of London fan groups that worked to get the full contract out into the light of day. I'm afraid that like @Fortune 82nd Minute, I "wonder why" he writes such articles, although a relatively innocent explanation is that he believes being helpful in this way gets him better access to big football stories. Which makes him a useful idiot.
We have been waiting for this news for what seems like an eternity, and until recently it still seemed unbelievable that it would happen, but the Shrimpers Trust is delighted that the creation of an independent football regulator by the UK Government was announced in yesterday’s King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament.
The sport that we love is on a path to disaster in England. Finances across the board are in a disgraceful mess, and our clubs and their assets are at the mercy of unaccountable and potentially unscrupulous owners.
We hope that the independent regulator will strengthen the ties between our football clubs, along with their facilities, and the fabric of their local communities, helping them to realise their potential as centrepieces of local pride and identity. We also hope, as a result of the regulation, that supporters will be treated as key stakeholders who can enrich their clubs through formal engagement and by having a say in important day-to-day decisions, rather than as customers and cash cows. The outdated and redundant “Martin Model” of football club ownership must end, and the existence of football clubs must be safeguarded.
Yesterday’s announcement is a significant step, but only the first on what could still be a lengthy road ahead before full implementation. What we would really hate to see is a stripped-back and watered-down version of what has been proposed off the back of lobbying by those in our game who have selfish vested interests, as opposed to having the best interests of the entire pyramid at large at heart. Now is the time for the football family to come together and give an almighty push to get this regulation through, intact, on a tidal wave of fan support. There is still plenty of work to do.
The Shrimpers Trust continues to engage regularly with key stakeholders including Anna Firth MP, the Minister for Sport Stuart Andrew MP, and policy officials in DCMS. We stand ready to use our unique recent experiences as supporters of one of the most at-risk football clubs in the country, to feed into the creation of robust and far-reaching policy and to play our part in ensuring that the mismanagement that has plagued our national sport comes to an end.
We have updated our paper “Dereliction & Decline: The Story of Southend United under Ron Martin” to include preliminary impacts of the paper, including recent conversations with Stuart Andrew and responses to it from Anna Firth MP, the FSA, FairGame, ResPublica and football finance expert Kieran Maguire.
You can find this updated version of “Dereliction & Decline” here.
In the unlikely but possible event of an early General Election being called in May, ami right in saying that Labour have pledged to carry this through? Not sure where I heard this.
Well hope stills springs eternal...... let's hope the Regulator is someone who will be truly independent and not a political appointment and the appointees to the Regulatory Board of Directors will be likewise. I'm not sure if below I'm repeating recommendations of places to listen to and see info about the topic, if I am then my apologies. Fair Game and their pod We Love You Football, We Do are seeking to make a stand and a real difference in nurturing the football pyramid for the long term. The organisation is worth a follow....... CAFC not a member club...... not sure why? https://www.fairgameuk.org/fair-game-clubs And this pod is a good listen........ the last 2 episodes in particular are on topic https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-love-you-football-we-do/id1585845878
Stewart Andrew, Conservative sports minister, appeared on tonight's Andrew Marr show (on LBC). Also featured Sarah Turner chair of Reading FC supporters club.
I'd like to think it's a good thing, but worry it's another talking shop. Anyway, link below, item starts on 17 minutes and 25 seconds.
The 2nd reading of The Football Governance Bill took place yesterday in The House of Commons, Clive Efford MP for Eltham spoke in the debate, part of his speech here.
On the issue of assets, Charlton Athletic do not own their ground, and they do not own their training ground. The training ground is in my constituency—it is metropolitan open land. The former owner has kept the rights to, and ownership of, the stadium and the training ground. I can only assume that he has done so out of spite, or perhaps he thinks there is going to be a payday down the road where he can develop those assets. As I say, the training ground in my constituency is metropolitan open land; he will develop that over my dead body. Perhaps he is going to arrange that—I do not know—but the stadium will not be given planning permission for development by the local authority in any case, so I think the former owner needs to think again. He should deal with Charlton even-handedly and hand over the rights to that ground. https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2024-04-23a.827.0&p=10185#g892.0
The 2nd reading of The Football Governance Bill took place yesterday in The House of Commons, Clive Efford MP for Eltham spoke in the debate, part of his speech here.
On the issue of assets, Charlton Athletic do not own their ground, and they do not own their training ground. The training ground is in my constituency—it is metropolitan open land. The former owner has kept the rights to, and ownership of, the stadium and the training ground. I can only assume that he has done so out of spite, or perhaps he thinks there is going to be a payday down the road where he can develop those assets. As I say, the training ground in my constituency is metropolitan open land; he will develop that over my dead body. Perhaps he is going to arrange that—I do not know—but the stadium will not be given planning permission for development by the local authority in any case, so I think the former owner needs to think again. He should deal with Charlton even-handedly and hand over the rights to that ground. https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2024-04-23a.827.0&p=10185#g892.0
The 2nd reading of The Football Governance Bill took place yesterday in The House of Commons, Clive Efford MP for Eltham spoke in the debate, part of his speech here.
On the issue of assets, Charlton Athletic do not own their ground, and they do not own their training ground. The training ground is in my constituency—it is metropolitan open land. The former owner has kept the rights to, and ownership of, the stadium and the training ground. I can only assume that he has done so out of spite, or perhaps he thinks there is going to be a payday down the road where he can develop those assets. As I say, the training ground in my constituency is metropolitan open land; he will develop that over my dead body. Perhaps he is going to arrange that—I do not know—but the stadium will not be given planning permission for development by the local authority in any case, so I think the former owner needs to think again. He should deal with Charlton even-handedly and hand over the rights to that ground. https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2024-04-23a.827.0&p=10185#g892.0
Thanks, Clive. CAST are following this very closely and engaging via the FSA. The stadium stuff is of particular interest to us and other clubs in similar situation. The bill as it stands covers issues around future moves / changes but is disappointingly silent regarding any protection / security of tenure for clubs already in the situation of separated ownership.
Out of spite? 🤔 Did someone forge his signature on the lease agreements? Why are we still playing at the Valley when he could have kicked us out if spite was his motive? Money is the answer. Mind you, with the dross served up since at the Valley, you can forgive Efford for thinking it might be out of spite 😉
Comments
Pantomine villain fashion of course!
Don't be fooled that inclusion in the King's Speech actually brings this forward in any practical sense.
The current junta has repeatedly spouted reams of good intentions (much of them rehashes of existing ideas) and delivered nothing positive.
Are there any votes in it? probably not
Does anybody of political weight make any money out of it? probably not
The incumbent regime probably only has a year before being deposed so has no motivation to to do anything, popularity notwithstanding.
Does the proposal have cross party support? Will the next lot give it parliament time to enact the legislation? If they do will one of the hideous old ghouls that routinely "object" to private members' bills on the spurious grounds of lack of rigor.
I'm not saying it won't get time and pass thru the house but some major expectation management is required.
We'll all be measurably older before this sees the light of day.
I know this seems to go against all political logic and current perceptions, but if you want another example of its almost surreal progress, I would mention that back when Mad Nad Dorries briefly took over the DCMS brief, and thus responsibility for pushing on with this, Lauren Kreamer, representing CAST, had a call with her about it. Lauren reported back that Dorries:
- appeared to understand the principles and issues involved
- appeared to be interested in what Lauren had to say
- appeared to be positive about the Review recommendations
I repeat. That is Nadine Dorries I am talking about here.
It's happening, I tell ye
He has published a whole series of articles rubbishing the creation of a regulator, usually on the lines of leave the Premier League big boys alone. None of his articles made much sense to me and I have to say I can only wonder why he was being so vehemently against the creation of a regulator and wrote such articles.
Samuel's articles are normally pretty reasonable and well informed but he descends into partisan gibberish and platitudes on the subject of the football regulator.
As Prague says, the Premier League, together with their lobbyists and acolytes, have behaved dismally throughout and it's to Tracey Crouch's immense credit that the proposed legislation has got this far. A great piece by the Charlton Dossier as well, which perfectly illustrates the beneficial impact of what is proposed.
Trust Statement – 8th November 2023
We have been waiting for this news for what seems like an eternity, and until recently it still seemed unbelievable that it would happen, but the Shrimpers Trust is delighted that the creation of an independent football regulator by the UK Government was announced in yesterday’s King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament.
The sport that we love is on a path to disaster in England. Finances across the board are in a disgraceful mess, and our clubs and their assets are at the mercy of unaccountable and potentially unscrupulous owners.
We hope that the independent regulator will strengthen the ties between our football clubs, along with their facilities, and the fabric of their local communities, helping them to realise their potential as centrepieces of local pride and identity. We also hope, as a result of the regulation, that supporters will be treated as key stakeholders who can enrich their clubs through formal engagement and by having a say in important day-to-day decisions, rather than as customers and cash cows. The outdated and redundant “Martin Model” of football club ownership must end, and the existence of football clubs must be safeguarded.
Yesterday’s announcement is a significant step, but only the first on what could still be a lengthy road ahead before full implementation. What we would really hate to see is a stripped-back and watered-down version of what has been proposed off the back of lobbying by those in our game who have selfish vested interests, as opposed to having the best interests of the entire pyramid at large at heart. Now is the time for the football family to come together and give an almighty push to get this regulation through, intact, on a tidal wave of fan support. There is still plenty of work to do.
The Shrimpers Trust continues to engage regularly with key stakeholders including Anna Firth MP, the Minister for Sport Stuart Andrew MP, and policy officials in DCMS. We stand ready to use our unique recent experiences as supporters of one of the most at-risk football clubs in the country, to feed into the creation of robust and far-reaching policy and to play our part in ensuring that the mismanagement that has plagued our national sport comes to an end.
We have updated our paper “Dereliction & Decline: The Story of Southend United under Ron Martin” to include preliminary impacts of the paper, including recent conversations with Stuart Andrew and responses to it from Anna Firth MP, the FSA, FairGame, ResPublica and football finance expert Kieran Maguire.
You can find this updated version of “Dereliction & Decline” here.
https://www.shrimperstrust.co.uk/latest-news/statements/
I'm not sure if below I'm repeating recommendations of places to listen to and see info about the topic, if I am then my apologies.
Fair Game and their pod We Love You Football, We Do are seeking to make a stand and a real difference in nurturing the football pyramid for the long term. The organisation is worth a follow....... CAFC not a member club...... not sure why?
https://www.fairgameuk.org/fair-game-clubs
And this pod is a good listen........ the last 2 episodes in particular are on topic https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-love-you-football-we-do/id1585845878
I'd like to think it's a good thing, but worry it's another talking shop. Anyway, link below, item starts on 17 minutes and 25 seconds.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/andrew-marr/tonight-with-andrew-marr-19-03-23-watch-again/
On the issue of assets, Charlton Athletic do not own their ground, and they do not own their training ground. The training ground is in my constituency—it is metropolitan open land. The former owner has kept the rights to, and ownership of, the stadium and the training ground. I can only assume that he has done so out of spite, or perhaps he thinks there is going to be a payday down the road where he can develop those assets. As I say, the training ground in my constituency is metropolitan open land; he will develop that over my dead body. Perhaps he is going to arrange that—I do not know—but the stadium will not be given planning permission for development by the local authority in any case, so I think the former owner needs to think again. He should deal with Charlton even-handedly and hand over the rights to that ground.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2024-04-23a.827.0&p=10185#g892.0
@PragueAddick
@Weegie Addick
Maybe interested in this.
Maybe a word of thanks on our behalf would be appropriate, @Weegie Addick ?