Statement from the club

Just to bring to light there is a statement on the Bath City website saying:
"The Board of Directors are undertaking a thorough review of the whole Club structure which will continue over the weekend and into next week. The result of this will determine the future direction of the Club on and off the field. The focus this Saturday needs to be on the match against St Albans City and we would ask all supporters to be fully behind the team."
Any ideas what might happen?

Well I know what should, but they won't! Presumably the fall out from the Chronicle statements this week has resonated and the board feel they have a duty to supporters and shareholders to be seen to be at least talking about the problems.

Only a couple of outcomes likely.

1. The club is going to close down to put us all out of our misery.
2. Manda is coming back to run the tea bar.
3. Mr Dyson admits the error of his ways and wants to lead Bath City to the Championship.
4. Paul Williams has won the lottery.
5. Bath City are goimg full time.
6. Bath City are turning amateur.
7. Further cuts see most of the volunteer helpers laid off.
8. Bath City to merge with Larkhall and Odd Down to form a super club.
9. Twerton Park to be sold and the club to share with Chippenham until we get a move back to Bath.
10. Bath City are going to enter administration.

Of course it might be none of these but something really surprising.

So having done as the board requested and focused on the St Albans match and got behind the team, our thoughts can return to the board's statement and their 'thorough review of the whole Club structure....the result of which 'will determine the future direction of the Club on and off the field.'

Assuming that none of Relegated's 10 outcomes will be announced (although I fear one of them could become reality in the future), what do forum members hope from this review?

As far as on field matters are concerned, I would hope for...

An end to this confusion over the management structure - if the position of director of football is to be retained, it should be divorced from the touchline on matchdays.

Whether Lee Howells is retained or not, his position should be renamed as first team manager. I think the performances against Concord, Whitehawk, Basingstoke, Poole, Shortwood and Thurrock were pretty damning, but the recent league form has been better. He doesn't do himself any favours with his demeanor, but at the end of the day he must be judged on results.

But what the board cannot ignore is that many supporters have had enough of the present arrangement and they are voting with their feet. It will be a brave decision to let things stay as they are, but whoever is responsible for the team, I hope the expectation from the board will be that more players from the development squad are given the opportunity when injuries and suspensions kick in, rather than asking one of our neighbours if they've anyone they can lend us to plug the gap.

Although on field matters are paramount in supporters' eyes, the decisions taken by the board regarding the club itself are more important in the long run. Presumably the biggest concern is paying off the loans, with the clock ticking. It would be good to hear what progress is being made on this, but I would guess that will be kept back for shareholders at the next AGM.

The much lauded 3 year plan expires in the Spring - can we expect a review of the ambitious targets it contained?

Although there has been some turnover on the board, it has basically been the same faces for many years. Is this healthy for any organisation? I wonder what efforts have been made to invite people with new ideas and ways of overcoming problems.

Eddie Hitler questioned recently what had happened on the Society front since the community run club idea was scuppered by 4 of the major shareholders last year. I think the board now need to show us that the alternative was the correct direction to take...

What do others think?

Yes, there must be a delineation in the management structure with a clear idea of who is running the team.

I agree that we need to bring the younger players through more as well.

As far as off-field results, aren't there two loans totalling £400,000 coming due in the New Year? £18,000 for getting through to the next round of the cup would never have covered that so I wonder what plans are there for repaying these.

I think you are spot on Martin.

It always feels like the Club is struggling along and declining bit by bit.

We need a clear and realistic plan we can all get behind. That might stimulate some interest again.

I think it is things like the way Mark Preece was dispensed with that create a climate of disaffection.

A club like ours cannot afford to have PR disasters like that. Especially coming on the back of a period of sustained boardroom unrest.

I have been keeping my thoughts to myself recently (well, as far as the Forum is concerned anyway), but I have been reading the postings from other fans with much interest, of course.

Just one opinion to publically express at the moment :- I am just one of many, that I have been speaking to, who is bewildered by the continuing inconsistency of results this season. If the Club (the Board and the team management) is to be judged by results on the field, the observation of such inconsistency is an enigma, and could reflect in the falling attendences, and thus income, to such an extent that should be worrying to everyone that loves our Club. It must be addressed by the powers that be, sooner rather than later - no more 'borrowed time' for those in direct charge!

comrade powell wrote:Although there has been some turnover on the board, it has basically been the same faces for many years. Is this healthy for any organisation? I wonder what efforts have been made to invite people with new ideas and ways of overcoming problems.

That plan didn't work out brilliantly last time ...

You can say that again!!!!!

and whose fault was that?

Everyone from the old forum knows my views on the current management duo. Never been a fan and never will.

In all honesty the director of football/head team coach arrangement is quite frankly laughable. We all know it was just a name change to pacify the paying supporters when even the hard core Adie Britton fans were getting a little tired of dull boring tactics and the losing of games last season. We also know that despite the reshuffle that it is Adie Britton who still picks the team.

Therefore I'm hoping that both are removed from their positions and a replacement first team manager is appointed, failing that it'll have to be as Comrade Powell has pointed out. The director of football distances himself from the picking of the team and stays in the stand during the game.

On many occasions it's been pointed out that Adie Britton does it for free and has put his own money into the club.

Should this be true then Unfortunately I feel this puts us in a bit of a dilemma. Should he be asked to leave he would probably want that money back, so keeping will probably be the only option they have.

comrade powell wrote:and whose fault was that?

I assume that is a rhetorical question.

Well I think I know the answer, but you would probably disagree.

I guess we've all moved on now.

No we have not.

Inconsistency in results leads many of us to believe that the management is failing.

I am glad that we do not have a Scorecast Compo' to ponder over any more - we could lose by a considerable margin on Saturday, or we could scrape a win - who knows!

I am in bits at the managements attempt to prolong Hemmings's role in our team, at the expense of playing our best striker out of position. Now that better mid-field players than him are fit again, I sincerely hope that the team that finished the game last Saturday are the preferred players to start the next and succeeding games.

I think we might be being a bit too scientific about this. Supporting football is about how it feels inside.
My current feeling is that I've witnessed some very poor performances this season - too many for my liking. I caveat this with the fact that I don't go to away games, but then we are talking about dwindling home support, and I've felt that even games we've got a result from have seemed more luck than judgement - and at least two of them against lower league cup opposition.
You can blame who you like, but what I see in many of the games I've witnessed is a lack of leadership (on and off the field) predictable tactics and substitutions (this weekend felt like the first time that Stearn wasn't brought on in the 60th minute for Watkins).
I accept we remain in a decent league position, and I know there will be a few who will jump straight to the stats to prove me wrong, but as I say it's a about how I feel. We are lacking commitment and imagination and for me that means something has to change.

blimey, if it's taking this long it must be a huge review! perhaps manda's coming back...

comrade powell wrote:blimey, if it's taking this long it must be a huge  review! perhaps manda's coming back...

I know! I was hoping there'd be summat in the Chronic today......

how long does it take to say nothing is changing?

comrade powell wrote:blimey, if it's taking this long it must be a huge  review! perhaps manda's coming back...

you can't rush quality

In theory you would think the longer the wait, the bigger and more significant the review.

I juuuuuust have a inkling however that the reality is the longer the wait, the longer they are taking to pretend something major is happening.  Maybe they are starting to regret that short term appeasement before the St Albans game.

Maybe howells and Britton are swapping positions  

'by comrade powell Today at 12:09 am
blimey, if it's taking this long it must be a huge review! perhaps manda's coming back...'

So this is the one of my ten that you think might actually happen.

So where is the much anticipated statement from the club?

If City were to win tomorrow what do you think the statement would be?