Message to the board.

[The Only Way Is Up]

The following message was sent to the Board via the WFC Club Membership email address, ( membership@wst.org.uk ) last Friday morning:

As I expect the Board of the WST and the Football Club is aware, there are few fans that are happy with the present performance of the Club on the field.

I’m not sure quite how you determine that however, as I can’t find a fans’ forum on the club website through which opinions can be expressed or responded to, and your failure to respond to criticism in other social media makes it seem that you don’t care about fans’ thoughts. Some would go as far as to say that there have been attempts by the club to ban some fan opinions – even if those opinions are justified. Don’t ignore your cash cows.

You should be aware that there is a growing feeling of dismay at the match results, and indeed at the players’ performances – which have led to our lowest ever position in the club’s long history.

Transparency – or rather the lack of it – was a frequent criticism by fans of previous club owners and, when ownership by the fans was achieved, transparency was considered a real benefit. After all, without the fans, where would the club be today? I’m sure that you know the answer, though you could be forgiven for forgetting that as the common refrain from the Club now seems to be that the Board (Club and Trust) has performed wonders with very little regard being paid to the fans, be they local to Wrexham, or anywhere else in Wales, the UK, or overseas. That comes over to the fans as arrogant in the extreme, particularly when news from the club about what is actively being done to remedy the performances urgently required to a) avoid a growing risk of relegation and, b) the acute reduction in match income as has been recorded during matches following an horrific away record of defeats, and (apart from a very rare high-scoring home draw at the weekend) a goal scoring record that is now one of the worst in a poor league.

Claims that points were gained from 2 good results against teams at and near the top of the league must be overbalanced by some quite appalling results, home and away. Never, in my 60-odd years of supporting Wrexham has each match day brought with it the almost certain inevitability that results remain dreadful.

Managerial appointments have failed abysmally. It is no good suggesting that our last two managers have entertained the fans. The fact remains that neither of them has shown the success demanded by paying fans and sponsors since our relegation from L2. Of course it is true that neither of them is responsible for anything that happened before they were appointed. Nevertheless, it is equally true that neither of them had a points per game tally of even 1! That is relegation form without any doubt at all, and unless immediate changes are made at managerial level, coaching level, or player level, then the current form is going to see us in the sixth tier next season. The ONLY answer to this is to score more goals, and to concede fewer. As a Board, you should know this. It concerns many that you DO recognise this, but seem incapable of effecting positive change. Your stock is now at a low ebb. The fact that you are the ultimate backstops now and are being castigated for the state of the club both on and off the pitch puts you in the same dreadful light as the dubious characters who owned the club before you, and that is a shocking position to be in.

Some roles within the Trust have been very effectively performed, and we are all as fans happy to have been a part of the club’s saving grace when our existence was previously threatened. We think of you as fans yourselves, applying the principles of fans ownership and creating the best possible atmosphere for fans and players alike through success on the pitch as well as in the annual accounts. Credit is due where you have kept us in the black. Many fans are now saying that it is primarily due to football fortune and not necessarily good management that’s brought it about though, and you must by now be aware that there is a faction of dissatisfied club supporters seeking to force an EGM with a view to creating change. Fortunately, they are led by people who have little knowledge of the correct procedures required to generate sufficient active support to force the issue. Time is on their side however, and if the results on the pitch and certain other matters off it don’t change for the better very quickly, they will gain that active support as other, better equipped, individuals join them.

One of the criticisms that would effect a rapid change of opinions among fans is transparency. There are so many examples of fans (owners!!!) being kept in the dark about the work you must all be doing to ensure positive change that I don’t need to list examples. Suffice it to say that I have had considerable experience of working for organisations that produce minutes of their meetings for members to understand what is happening. Never have I known any of them neglect to produce Board minutes for several months. Why are the Board’s most recent minutes on the website those for your August 2019 meeting? It is almost December now, and there should have been a further three Board meetings since August. Is it any wonder that fans worry about this lack of information? We are updated about a number of things which have no bearing on the playing results. Is this what you as a board now focus your attentions on? Have you really abdicated your responsibilities to provide fans with information about what is needed in order to achieve success on the pitch? I’m sure that many fans would be delighted to share their opinions on this.

All is not lost. Yet, anyway. Tell the fans what is being done. Explain why we are recruiting players without any goalscoring history to change our results. Explain to us why relatively unknown clubs are now ahead of us in the pyramid while we languish a point off the bottom of the table and in danger of finding ourselves there at 5pm on Saturday unless there is a radical change in performance. Many of those clubs could be compared to us when we played Burnley in the FA Cup years ago, when Bob Lord was interviewed by the national press ahead of our match and said “Who do Wrexham think they are if they think they’re going to beat us?” We lost then, just as we are losing now to minnows compared to where we should be. Fans see our match attendances and compare them with teams that struggle to entice a few hundred fans through their turnstiles – yet those clubs are ahead of us, and it is due to our poor performances – not that they have spent more than us on their squads.

There is a nagging doubt about the effectiveness of our coaching staff. A part-time coach that has seen us underperform now for several seasons. Managers have come and gone in that time, but results remain underwhelming. It is the commonality of those two facts that are inescapable. Why, when most other clubs bring in their own coaches, do we have the same coaches that have failed us every season since we arrived in the Conference? A Trophy win is meaningless to fans demanding league football season after season.

How low do attendances have to fall, and what is your deadline for results to improve to the degree that we at least look as though we might achieve sufficient points to escape relegation this season? These are serious questions, not borne out of anger of even frustration, but they are a reflection on the stated belief of at least one Board member that the club doesn’t need anyone else on board, that you have all the necessary skills already. This may explain why members complain that their offers of assistance as volunteers, or by way of submitting ideas to help are ignored or turned down flat. It creates an impression that the Board is a clique, which has been stated for more than one season.

Let’s have updates on club improvements.
Let’s see Board minutes
Let’s read that players are being set performance targets that have consequences when they are not achieved – just as we, as owners, should know when they are to be rewarded with win bonuses.
Let’s get back to a position where members and fans alike are united in their support for the club, instead of the current situation when there is a growing division among fans, and an ever-worsening divide between members/fans and the Trust.

Your interest in Wrexham AFC’s future, and your interest in retaining fans will be measured by your reply.

Good luck on Saturday, but let’s hear that YOU are doing positive things about turning this dreadful season around.

Now, 4 days later and with yet another defeat, sitting at the bottom of the table, there hasn't been any acknowledgement of the message - let alone a reply, and I'm not egotistical enough to think that the statement issued by the club on Sunday evening has anything to do with any of them having read the letter. I don't expect the courtesy of a reply from them despite having been the Trust's founding Chairman way back when. However, if they expect my continuing support, or the support of the fans who feel so badly let down by them in recent months, they can think again until they act appropriately, and give us everything that is now needed to lift the side up the table to a position of respectability.

[-luke]

You wont get a quick reply from that email address. Club have failed to manage memberships effectively since richard ulrich left. Email one of the directors or all of them directly

[Hometown Unicorn]

Originally Posted by -luke

You wont get a quick reply from that email address. Club have failed to manage memberships effectively since richard ulrich left. Email one of the directors or all of them directly

I'll add that emailing Geraint Parry can also get you a quick response.

[John Neals Dynasty]

Originally Posted by The Only Way Is Up

The following message was sent to the Board via the WFC Club Membership email address, ( membership@wst.org.uk ) last Friday morning:

As I expect the Board of the WST and the Football Club is aware, there are few fans that are happy with the present performance of the Club on the field.

I’m not sure quite how you determine that however, as I can’t find a fans’ forum on the club website through which opinions can be expressed or responded to, and your failure to respond to criticism in other social media makes it seem that you don’t care about fans’ thoughts. Some would go as far as to say that there have been attempts by the club to ban some fan opinions – even if those opinions are justified. Don’t ignore your cash cows.

You should be aware that there is a growing feeling of dismay at the match results, and indeed at the players’ performances – which have led to our lowest ever position in the club’s long history.

Transparency – or rather the lack of it – was a frequent criticism by fans of previous club owners and, when ownership by the fans was achieved, transparency was considered a real benefit. After all, without the fans, where would the club be today? I’m sure that you know the answer, though you could be forgiven for forgetting that as the common refrain from the Club now seems to be that the Board (Club and Trust) has performed wonders with very little regard being paid to the fans, be they local to Wrexham, or anywhere else in Wales, the UK, or overseas. That comes over to the fans as arrogant in the extreme, particularly when news from the club about what is actively being done to remedy the performances urgently required to a) avoid a growing risk of relegation and, b) the acute reduction in match income as has been recorded during matches following an horrific away record of defeats, and (apart from a very rare high-scoring home draw at the weekend) a goal scoring record that is now one of the worst in a poor league.

Claims that points were gained from 2 good results against teams at and near the top of the league must be overbalanced by some quite appalling results, home and away. Never, in my 60-odd years of supporting Wrexham has each match day brought with it the almost certain inevitability that results remain dreadful.

Managerial appointments have failed abysmally. It is no good suggesting that our last two managers have entertained the fans. The fact remains that neither of them has shown the success demanded by paying fans and sponsors since our relegation from L2. Of course it is true that neither of them is responsible for anything that happened before they were appointed. Nevertheless, it is equally true that neither of them had a points per game tally of even 1! That is relegation form without any doubt at all, and unless immediate changes are made at managerial level, coaching level, or player level, then the current form is going to see us in the sixth tier next season. The ONLY answer to this is to score more goals, and to concede fewer. As a Board, you should know this. It concerns many that you DO recognise this, but seem incapable of effecting positive change. Your stock is now at a low ebb. The fact that you are the ultimate backstops now and are being castigated for the state of the club both on and off the pitch puts you in the same dreadful light as the dubious characters who owned the club before you, and that is a shocking position to be in.

Some roles within the Trust have been very effectively performed, and we are all as fans happy to have been a part of the club’s saving grace when our existence was previously threatened. We think of you as fans yourselves, applying the principles of fans ownership and creating the best possible atmosphere for fans and players alike through success on the pitch as well as in the annual accounts. Credit is due where you have kept us in the black. Many fans are now saying that it is primarily due to football fortune and not necessarily good management that’s brought it about though, and you must by now be aware that there is a faction of dissatisfied club supporters seeking to force an EGM with a view to creating change. Fortunately, they are led by people who have little knowledge of the correct procedures required to generate sufficient active support to force the issue. Time is on their side however, and if the results on the pitch and certain other matters off it don’t change for the better very quickly, they will gain that active support as other, better equipped, individuals join them.

One of the criticisms that would effect a rapid change of opinions among fans is transparency. There are so many examples of fans (owners!!!) being kept in the dark about the work you must all be doing to ensure positive change that I don’t need to list examples. Suffice it to say that I have had considerable experience of working for organisations that produce minutes of their meetings for members to understand what is happening. Never have I known any of them neglect to produce Board minutes for several months. Why are the Board’s most recent minutes on the website those for your August 2019 meeting? It is almost December now, and there should have been a further three Board meetings since August. Is it any wonder that fans worry about this lack of information? We are updated about a number of things which have no bearing on the playing results. Is this what you as a board now focus your attentions on? Have you really abdicated your responsibilities to provide fans with information about what is needed in order to achieve success on the pitch? I’m sure that many fans would be delighted to share their opinions on this.

All is not lost. Yet, anyway. Tell the fans what is being done. Explain why we are recruiting players without any goalscoring history to change our results. Explain to us why relatively unknown clubs are now ahead of us in the pyramid while we languish a point off the bottom of the table and in danger of finding ourselves there at 5pm on Saturday unless there is a radical change in performance. Many of those clubs could be compared to us when we played Burnley in the FA Cup years ago, when Bob Lord was interviewed by the national press ahead of our match and said “Who do Wrexham think they are if they think they’re going to beat us?” We lost then, just as we are losing now to minnows compared to where we should be. Fans see our match attendances and compare them with teams that struggle to entice a few hundred fans through their turnstiles – yet those clubs are ahead of us, and it is due to our poor performances – not that they have spent more than us on their squads.

There is a nagging doubt about the effectiveness of our coaching staff. A part-time coach that has seen us underperform now for several seasons. Managers have come and gone in that time, but results remain underwhelming. It is the commonality of those two facts that are inescapable. Why, when most other clubs bring in their own coaches, do we have the same coaches that have failed us every season since we arrived in the Conference? A Trophy win is meaningless to fans demanding league football season after season.

How low do attendances have to fall, and what is your deadline for results to improve to the degree that we at least look as though we might achieve sufficient points to escape relegation this season? These are serious questions, not borne out of anger of even frustration, but they are a reflection on the stated belief of at least one Board member that the club doesn’t need anyone else on board, that you have all the necessary skills already. This may explain why members complain that their offers of assistance as volunteers, or by way of submitting ideas to help are ignored or turned down flat. It creates an impression that the Board is a clique, which has been stated for more than one season.

Let’s have updates on club improvements.
Let’s see Board minutes
Let’s read that players are being set performance targets that have consequences when they are not achieved – just as we, as owners, should know when they are to be rewarded with win bonuses.
Let’s get back to a position where members and fans alike are united in their support for the club, instead of the current situation when there is a growing division among fans, and an ever-worsening divide between members/fans and the Trust.

Your interest in Wrexham AFC’s future, and your interest in retaining fans will be measured by your reply.

Good luck on Saturday, but let’s hear that YOU are doing positive things about turning this dreadful season around.

Now, 4 days later and with yet another defeat, sitting at the bottom of the table, there hasn't been any acknowledgement of the message - let alone a reply, and I'm not egotistical enough to think that the statement issued by the club on Sunday evening has anything to do with any of them having read the letter. I don't expect the courtesy of a reply from them despite having been the Trust's founding Chairman way back when. However, if they expect my continuing support, or the support of the fans who feel so badly let down by them in recent months, they can think again until they act appropriately, and give us everything that is now needed to lift the side up the table to a position of respectability.

Best to update it before reposting, wait until after tonight's defeat.
Posted via mobile theme

[Inside Left]

JND would not wish a defeat tonight as he is one of the guys who holds the club dear to his heart. I read his well constructed post with interest and hope he gets an equally structured reply from some one on the club board.

[John Neals Dynasty]

Originally Posted by Inside Left

JND would not wish a defeat tonight as he is one of the guys who holds the club dear to his heart. I read his well constructed post with interest and hope he gets an equally structured reply from some one on the club board.

I do hold the club close to my heart and have done for over 50yrs. I don't want them to get beat tonight, I never want them to lose, but I'm a realist no away wins this season and only 3 this year sadly.

But I despise those who are killing my club.
Posted via mobile theme

[noisy1]

As everything, those at the top table will give this a swift ignoring.