What are we going to do about Mackin ?

[grahamston]

I could understand the reticence of some to get involved. I also agree with your prognosis and I feel that there is a degree of urgency.

I take it you have a supporters' club, that organises travel to games etc? The big idea, as seen from here, would be that the supporters' club would evolve into a Trust.

The first step would be for those who run this club to speak to Supporters Direct in Glasgow who would advise on process.

The process would be something like this (from memory!):

- set up a steering group, which could be the existing supporters' club committee, plus any friendly non-cttee members whose experience may be useful, or who own shares. Journalists, local politicians, local businessmen, ex board members etc;
- get information on costs, grants available and legal models for the Trust from Suporters Direct, and decide on some options. SD and other Trusts will offer as much advice as you need;
- get a mandate. Hold a public meeting, make it as stormy as possible and get support from as wide a base of supporters as possible;
- decide on the Trust format (BairnsTrust is an Industrial & Provident Society - probably the best bet) objectives and methods of membership;
- go through the legal process to set it up;
- launch it, and make as loud a noise as possible in doing so. Given the Shire's unique circumstances, I believe you'll have little difficulty in getting national media coverage.

You don't need hundreds of members to make this successful. For a club the size of the Shire 30-50 would probably be a great start. I'm sure that figure would be reached by sympathetic locals alone, never mind the club's real fans.

The process, I believe, can take as little as 6 weeks start to finish. Official launch a televised toboggan fest on Montrose beach??

Dugless said:

I've been convinced that a Trust is the way to go for Shire fans for some time now but I don't think there is the will to get involved. I sense that there is a lot of support from outside that could be used to help. I don't think that doing nothing is an option that can any longer be sustained. We know that Mackin has no interests in the club other than getting as much money as he can for his very small investment. Fortunately for Shire fans he and his cronies are incompetent and appear to have no way, at present, to monetise the ground. This situation will not last forever and somebody sometime will offer enough for Mackin to pocket his cash and bug**r off leaving the Shire without any collateral and doomed to disappear like teh other old names in Scottish football.

[grahamston]

Or for a much more detailed and foolproof proforma, look at this:

www.supporters-direct.org/englandwales/handbook.htm#setting

[Strumps]

Thanks Grahamston for your input here.

Last year James Proctor met with the Supporters club to discuss the position. Without going into too much detail here no-one present had a problem with the idea of a Shire Trust. However, at that time we were in the middle of a protest (and other matters) and resources were thin on the ground. If only we had as many people interested in the club then as we seem to have now.

Since then the sad death of club president, Jimmy Middlemass, and the pathetic board performance at the agm have gone into the mixer with the disastrous club form to make this "THE season from hell" (anyone else who tells you that their club is the worst just doesn't know).

The trust issue was put on the back burner by the supporters until we could fully take the idea forward. We do have plans how we, as fans, will proceed to take the fight for the survival and prosperity of the club forward but these things are not for an open forum.

I will look into the trust issue again and discuss with the Shire boys. Convince me that the even with Shire "special" Share situation that we can make this work.

[PTFC]

A supporters trust would do a lot for your club, back in the days of Save the Jags, the Jags Trust was set up and thus meant that a supporter would represent the fans as a director, and ploughed a lot of money into the club to reduce our once crippling debts, and with a supporters trust buying out the club and the funds being used properly your performances will also definetly improve on the pitch.
Good luck for the future,
Partick Thistle City Centre Supporters club

[Strumps]

Cheers for the support. Too many people see the current results and have no concept that this whole situation has been manufactured by the board.

When a board chooses not to raise commercial funds and then says they are too poor to pay the players. Well, that just sums it up.

Re the Shire trust, if we can stir the hardcore home fans to take the step into participation against the board then the Shire fans can win, taking back the club and sending Mackin to the depths of hell he deserves (for the things he's done to our club only - I know nothing about his good deeds elsewhere!).

Re the national media coverage, not one journalist yet has been brave enough to do a proper investigation about Mackin and his time at Firs Park. I personally hold out little hope that in the near future a journalist will come and do a "proper" investigative job here.

[grahamston]

If you could get 10 people dedicated enough to run with the Trust idea, that'd be enough.

You already have a website, which I'm sure could also act as a home for the Trust. The rest would take care of itself.

I can guarantee you a few members too!

[Strumps]

No but I was told about the meeting from someone who was there, riot dogs et al.

Now...?

[dingotookmybaby]

The Hearts thing even got a sentence in our spotty liitle local rag. Still can't cut the ties with the mother country or is that the motherfa***k country

[Strumps]

A little bird told me that the "mother county" was now in question ? Surely not !