Puts me in mind of Steve Foster's conversation with Bellotti at the height of the troubles

[Bry Nylon]

With respect back then all you probably had to worry about was homework diaries and gameboys, unless you actually lived the ongoing saga each day please dont preach your psychobabble to me.
As a group collectively, we were threatened, sued, verbally abused, paid people's fines etc, to this day I don't know how I got through it all remaining married and not having my daughter, whose not keen on football, resenting me for the sacrifices my young family made.
I'm not saying that Tony Bloom is anywhere near the same as Archer and Stanley, far from it, but bear in mind Uncle Ray was in on it all from Day One, and as various posts on this thread prove I'm not alone in my comparisons to the Albion careers of the respective CEOs.

I'm not that many years younger than yourself, and no I didn't live the on-going saga each day. But I'm beginning to feel like I did.

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

Don't see Barber as a Belloti, more of Peter Mandelson type of character,a real slippery individual that would have any dissenters crushed,rubbished and threatened with legal action.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I'm not that many years younger than yourself, and no I didn't live the on-going saga each day. But I'm beginning to feel like I did.

Oh so shut up about the past then? Don't learn from it? We as fans had the fight many other clubs wouldn't have had and if we didn't, there would be no club for you to watch go down. The club is being run badly and we need to show up what we can see is going wrong. Whatever you think of Harty his heart, is in the right place as I'm sure most fans on this board is. But just because some of the old guard are 'old' and been there done it' does not mean they are not to be listened to. They and many others are getting fed up with the way the club is going. Not just the league table but beyond that. We as Brighton fans swore we would never let our club go down the road of corporate money making blindness, that I'm afraid is what is happening. Stand up on Boxing day and shout for Hyypia Barber and Burke out! See how long you last before a steward comes over.

 

[Lenny Rider]

I'm not that many years younger than yourself, and no I didn't live the on-going saga each day. But I'm beginning to feel like I did.

Then I retract the gameboy line and apologise, but getting everyone at each others (cyber) throats is probably part of the master plan, it detracts from the shambolic way the club is currently being run.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Then I retract the gameboy line and apologise, but getting everyone at each others (cyber) throats is probably part of the master plan, it detracts from the shambolic way the club is currently being run.

Apology accepted in the spirit it is offered. Similarly, I apologise for my earlier comments. I would say, "we've all had a drink" but it my case that isn't so for the past 30 days, which frankly is a large contributory factor to my current mood. That, and our current run of form. Anyway, let's go and re-arrange the deckchairs.

 

[Brovion]

In the 90s we were in the basement division on the brink of falling out with a chairman that was intent of making money out of the demise of the club, playing at a decaying old ground that, despite some great moments, was an absolute shithole and had been for many a year. We have had three very successful years, a shiny new stadium and training ground and a chairman who, admittedly lives a little further away than Mellor, is a lifelong fan of the club and continues to pump money in. In all fairness, I don't think comparisons are in order.

What I do agree with is that we are all hacked off with the performance on the pitch. Perhaps the real problem is that the last 4 years of success have raised the expectations of the fans, whether long term or JCLs.

Exactly right. What are we moaning about? At the end of the day all we've really got to moan about is the fact that we're shit on the pitch (but then football's cyclical), and the CEO is intent on squeezing every last penny out of us. We've all complained about both those things (it's actually the latter that pisses me off the most) but to infer in any way that this is like the 'war years' is an insult to everybody.

Admittedly a consequence of the 'squeezing more money out' is that the club is more 'corporate' (to use Attila's favourite word), and perhaps Tony could do with standing back and re-analysing the whole set-up, but we are NOT at war with the hierarchy - just a bit pissed off with them.

 

[Captain Sensible]

Exactly right. What are we moaning about? At the end of the day all we've really got to moan about is the fact that we're shit on the pitch (but then football's cyclical), and the CEO is intent on squeezing every last penny out of us. We've all complained about both those things (it's actually the latter that pisses me off the most) but to infer in any way that this is like the 'war years' is an insult to everybody.

Admittedly a consequence of the 'squeezing more money out' is that the club is more 'corporate' (to use Attila's favourite word), and perhaps Tony could do with standing back and re-analysing the whole set-up, but we are NOT at war with the hierarchy - just a bit pissed off with them.

Yes but what happens if/when he sells? What happens when 10million a year losses turn into 15 in League1? How long will Tony bank roll it?
We are sleepwalking into oblivion at the moment. Don't think just because we have the Amex that we are safe. The club has not been run properly for 2 years and yet no comment from TB apart from backing of the current management, do you think that is right?

 

[Brovion]

No they bloody well don't - what a load of utter rubbish.

No other group of fans would be making the comparisons you are making. Bellotti, Archer and Stanley were the lowest of the absolute low with no morals or interest in the club. I am no fan of Barber - I find him a corporate parrot with an extremely condescending way of talking to fans (especially in his programme notes) but to compare him to those three is ridiculous in the extreme.

As fans we went through more than most in the late 90s but just because it happened then does not mean it will happen again (which is what you are implying). Bloom has sunk an absolute fortune into the club, we may not agree with his decisions but to compare this regime with those of the past is irresponsible in the extreme.

I'm getting more annoyed as I type - I'll stop now.

That is exactly right. As someone else said CEOs simply do what their bosses want. Archer wanted to destroy the club and profit from its demise, so his CEO, Bellotti, worked to that script. Tony Bloom wants to see us thrive and grow and his CEO is doing his best to deliver that dream. From the point of view of this argument the fact he's failing is neither here nor there; his end goal is the exact polar opposite of Bellotti's and to compare them is ..... well, words fail me.

 

[Brovion]

Yes but what happens if/when he sells? What happens when 10million a year losses turn into 15 in League1? How long will Tony bank roll it?
We are sleepwalking into oblivion at the moment. Don't think just because we have the Amex that we are safe. The club has not been run properly for 2 years and yet no comment from TB apart from backing of the current management, do you think that is right?

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make? I DID say that TB can perhaps do with standing back and seeing if the club is run properly, but all this talk that Barber = Bellotti is utter bollocks.

 

[Captain Sensible]

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make? I DID say that TB can perhaps do with standing back and seeing if the club is run properly, but all this talk that Barber = Bellotti is utter bollocks.

Read the post again, the point is that the club is not being run properly, if we get into large debt, which is very very possible at the current rate what happens then?
Bellotti started out just as Barber has. The only exception is the chairman is Bloom instead of Archer. But many are now beginning to question Bloom. Although Bloom is not that evil b'stard, he is at the helm of a disorganised mess.

 

[Brovion]

Read the post again, the point is that the club is not being run properly, if we get into large debt, which is very very possible at the current rate what happens then?
Bellotti started out just as Barber has. The only exception is the chairman is Bloom instead of Archer. But many are now beginning to question Bloom. Although Bloom is not that evil b'stard, he is at the helm of a disorganised mess.

Read what post again? If you mean the 1st one in the thread Ian (Lenny Rider) has already clarified that he did NOT mean Bloom. However there is an element of crazed logic to your argument: the club was badly run during Archer's tenure, the club is, apparently, badly-run now. Ergo TB must be 'doing an Archer' and therefore should be questioned about his motives. And no, Bellotti did not start out the same as Barber, read MY post again. The only comparison is that the fans liked him at first.

But yes, what happens when the debt gets too much for TB to handle? Will sacking Barber stop that from happening? (Answer: No it won't)

EDIT: Got the names right now!

 

[Captain Sensible]

Read what post again? If you mean the 1st one in the thread Ian (Lenny Rider) has already clarified that he did NOT mean Bloom. However there is an element of crazed logic to your argument: the club was badly run during Archer's tenure, the club is, apparently, badly-run now. Ergo TB must be 'doing an Archer' and therefore should be questioned about his motives. And no, Bellotti did not start out the same as Barber, read MY post again. The only comparison is that the fans liked him at first.

But yes, what happens when the debt gets too much for TB to handle? Will sacking Barber stop that from happening? (Answer: No it won't)

EDIT: Got the names right now!

I ment my post as you referred to not knowing what the point was.
I am not saying Bloom is Archer.
However, what are TB motives? The Albion is running blind. TB has put his Ray Charles shades on and is ignoring the fact that he's got it wrong with Hyppia, Barber and Burke. We are losing money, we are going down, Barber is cutting costs, cutting service and transport and putting up prices, attendances are down, more will desert us next year, revenues are down and pissing our money on crap loans is not helping.
If Bloom does not change things then where do we go from here? This leads into Barber, have you read his programme notes? Basically us fans know nothing. Bellotti was not far away from that. All is not right. Bloom needs to clear it out and clear it up, leaving it to carry on, will leave us where??
Btw fans liked the both of them at the start, they are mirroring eachother quite well.

 

[Frutos]

Then I retract the gameboy line and apologise, but getting everyone at each others (cyber) throats is probably part of the master plan, it detracts from the shambolic way the club is currently being run.

I'd love to know what this master plan/darker ulterior motive you keep mentioning is actually supposed to be.

 

[Grombleton]

I'd love to know what this master plan/darker ulterior motive you keep mentioning is actually supposed to be.

Have Harty and David Icke ever been seen in the same room?

 

[larus]

More of a dictatorship then

no, he OWNS the business. Fact. Simple as that. It's his club.
I realise that it relies upon customers (fans), but we need to accept that in reality, that's all we are. We are customers to a business.

Awaits to to get slagged off from the emotional brigade...

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Have Harty and David Icke ever been seen in the same room?

Bloom's not called The Lizard for nothing.

 

[Giraffe]

I don't believe there is a dark motive.

However I do believe that Bloom has given the wrong person too much power and going back to Australia is not much different to going back to Mellor.

You leave someone in charge who has total control and does things in a way that perhaps is not the best but you have to let him get on with it.

I believe Bloom has the best intentions of the club at heart. I also believe that he thinks he is doing the right thing.

However I don't think he realises how Barber makes the club look. If he carries on the goodwill created will be lost.

As others have said you can be financially prudent without losing the soul of the club. Barber is everything people hate about modern day football.

 

[Ernest]

It's a lot different walking into the office each morning than being at the end of a phone call and if Bloom is not being hands on then Barber is running the show and that is where the problem lies

 

[MattBackHome]

I'd love to know what this master plan/darker ulterior motive you keep mentioning is actually supposed to be.

Don't hold your breath.

Same old gash from the gashmeister generalissimo.

 

[Barnham Seagull]

Barbers title is CEO and he is on a massive salary, that tells you all you need to know about the power and influence he will have.