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Supporter Protests
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It is unfortunate that John Fenwick has stepped down as Chairman of Kingstonian Football Club without any message to supporters or explanation for the Club's dire situation.
Yesterday’s statement by the Board confirmed that Fenwick will stay on as a Director of the Club, to be replaced as Chairman by Yioryos Vasilaras, who shares the blame for the Club’s current crisis. Shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic is no way to proceed. Ks are bottom of the league, and facing almost certain relegation at the end of the season with an all-time low points total.
Real change is needed at Kingstonian.
Ks fans have decided it is time to vote with our feet. Following last week’s SACK THE BOARD protest, we have decided that we will not enter the ground during the first half of Saturday’s game against Hastings. Instead we will remain outside the ground and continue our protest at the way the club is being run. And further protests are being planned at future games.
Last year the Club’s Directors rejected investment, expertise, time and influence from a group of supporters known as the KBH. The Supporters Club is disgusted at the way the KBH was treated, and we urge all supporters to come together and show the Board that further change - REAL change - is needed!
* We demand the Directors re-visit fan ownership models as a matter of urgency. This time it must be conducted in a professional and transparent manner.
* We demand the Directors engage in meaningful communications with the supporters. Yesterday’s two-line statement was beneath contempt.
* We demand the Directors keep their promise to hold regular face-to-face meetings. Their refusal to attend the recent Public Meeting was an act of cowardice.
We call on ALL football fans to JOIN US:
SATURDAY 3 February 2pm outside the main entrance.
Imperial Fields
Bishopsford Road
Morden
SM4 6BF
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20 people 
5 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1653
All serious what will this solve or achieve ?
It is not a dig its a question
Edited by FOLEY at 20:45:18 on 30th January 2024
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3 people 4 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1629
You should be asking questions of the Board, not the supporters.
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5 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1582
To be fair Rex, people are entitled to ask questions of us as well as of the Club directors. When I was chair of the Supporters Club, I was criticised (in hindsight fairly) for not sufficiently responding to questions from supporters .
The approach being taken is as a result of a well attended, meeting of 46 supporters held on Zoom and including a wide range of opinions, and so I think we can surely share this.
I have to confess that I have reservations about some aspects of the protest. I am entirely in favour of Kingstonian moving to a state where it is owned by its fans. However, calling for the sacking of the board seems to me to be rather silly. The board of directors are elected by the shareholders. The club’s directors are a majority of the shareholders. Asking people to sack themselves is silly.
However, there is clearly scope for far more engagement with fans. Despite my reservations, I will join the protest because I was part of the meeting that discussed this. Having said that, I do think we must be willing to continue to try and engage with the directors while they own the club, I think it is important to try and use the publicity gained by the protests to open a meaningful conversation with the directors. The new leadership of the supporters club have had some success in engaging the directors in conversation and I think we should try and build on this .
Edited by John Bangs at 23:01:53 on 30th January 2024
Edited by John Bangs at 23:13:00 on 30th January 2024
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6 people 1 person
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1578
I don't think that anybody thinks that there is actually any way to "sack the board"; it's just a nifty/catchy phrase that sums up the feelings of the supporters regarding the contempt with which the board of directors are treating them.
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11 people 2 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1542
For sure a catchy phrase ; but if you don’t think it is actually a realistic possibility, why focus on it? If we are serious about change, surely the focus needs to be on setting up an independent supporters trust ?
Edited by John Bangs at 00:23:05 on 31st January 2024
Edited by John Bangs at 01:28:33 on 31st January 2024
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2 people 1 person
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1479
But that would cost a fortune in T-shirt letters
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9 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1504
Thanks, john. I am 100% in favour of "engagement with the Directors while they own the club".
Edited by reximus at 23:18:28 on 30th January 2024
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1 person 1 person
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1504
Fine but they also need to hear from us. For example, in explaining plans, (as we develop them ) for a Supporters Trust.
We also need to be cognisant of the fact that John Fenwick and Yioryos are also Kingstonian fans (even if you think they have got things wrong ). Please let’s not just decsend to “yah boo” sucks conversations.
Edited by John Bangs at 00:21:51 on 31st January 2024
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6 people 2 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1471
Boris Johnson could be described as a big fan of Britain.
It doesn’t mean he did a good job of running Britain though, did it?
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6 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1459
Fine but they also need to hear from us.
They've had 18 months to organise a fans forum, or even to attend the one the SC recently invited them to.
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6 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1489
Is Yiorg open to 51% Trust ownership? If he is, he would garner a lot of goodwill by laying out that vision.
The website announcement of his chairmanship was laughable.
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5 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1533
I don’t honestly know. .…… we might want to ask.! I do suspect that this will be taken more seriously if we are seen to be proceeding with re-establishing a Supporters Trust.
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2 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1502
But it's the same old game from them and an inauspicious beginning to Yiorgios's regime. Why are we left to guess?
Also why should we start a Trust without a clear indication from him that he's ultimately committed to 51% fan ownership (i am unlikely to contribute time and funds to a Trust which is a minority figleaf for Yiorgios). I'm sure he's open to a Trust but only to the extent that it provides him cash and volunteers via a limited shareholding. He's welcome to correct me. Perhaps at a fans' forum (overdue)?
Relatedly, for a Trust to adequately gauge the model to pursue, and the funds needed to keep K's alive (even at Step 4 or 5), we would need transparency on current finances and future plans.
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3 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1450
"We are left to guess" is bang on, for me.
We understand that there are some things (re ground) they can't tell us.
But why are we left to guess who Flatt is and what he's up to?
Why are we left to guess what the change of chairman means?
Why are we left to guess where Anderson and Hayward are?
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2 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1074
The pack has been shuffled they are keeping a low profile,trying to slide out under the radar. The bastards.
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2 people 1 person
Re: Supporter Protests
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Speaking personally, I do feel that we should be willing to set up a trust irrespective of the immediate actions of the Club directors. Otherwise, we risk expressions of indignation being followed by inactivity. If we had a supporters trust, I do not believe it should be willing to take a minority stake but should go for majority or total fan ownership.
My point though is that we would be in a much better place to have such negotiations, if we actively establishing a trust.
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3 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1482
I couldn't disagree more. This is the same argument that some ill-informed people attempted to use against KBH, namely that the offer can't have been serious as there was no formal organisation created.
Setting up a limited company - or in this case a Trust - isn't a difficult thing to do, but it does take time, energy and some money.
For KBH there was no point doing that until the board disclosed the financial situation, which would be the only basis for that group getting involved.
For a supporters trust, there is no point going through all of that work if the directors aren't willing to negotiate over a sale of the club.
The setting up of an organisation isn't the obstacle; the board of directors are.
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12 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1514
100% the above
I'm really grateful to the current Supporters Club.
A couple of years ago we were congratulating Walton Casuals on winding up while Kingstonian were on a similar trajectory. At least now we dare to dissent/
But yes... until we can see some movement and financials from the current board, they can't be trusted. And until that happens, my money is staying in my pocket and i couldn't in good faith suggest any fan invests any more money into Kingstonian FC Ltd.
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9 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1120
That's the first sensible thing I've heard you say.
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1 person
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1475
I’d say this talk has only significantly happened SINCE the “sack the board” demos
the action is working. others can of course negotiate a different way but it hasn’t worked so far. we’ve just been mugged off and lied to
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7 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1491
They need to hear from us?
They will on Saturday!
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1 person
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1562
I would hope it would achieve the board taking the fans more seriously and interacting with us as a minimum.
Best case would be the directors to feel the need to negotiate the sale of the club to the fans with full transparency
------------------------------------
It's the Organs or the Craic, you can only serve one master
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4 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1674
It might not achieve anything , but I wouldn’t let my missus screw another man without saying anything, and I’m not going to let thi$ club screw me without actually trying to stand up for what’s right.
See you at the prote$t?
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3 people 3 people
Re: Supporter Protests
Views: 1130
Fire away Butler.
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