Board/Fan Relationship

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

Brady has played a blinder here.....she’s basically emotionally blackmailed them with the offer to match the Isla fund with a promise of no march.....

They’ve been put in a difficult position but they’ve made their decision worse by not consulting their members first especially in light of one of their posts the other day essentially calling their members to march in numbers or don’t bother.

Also they didn’t consistently reiterate that the march may not happen if the board open up to dialogue, which they have it would seem, another mistake.

They’ve now got to hope Brady keeps to her word in order to get anywhere but the damage is already done, many within their group don’t trust them for one (unjustified) reason or another - expenses, trips, funding etc

They’ve been boxed in, they should never of gone to sully a house and never of attended the short notice meeting they should’ve said were marching on the 10th regardless, if we see changes after that date to make the club better then we will think about not marching anymore. Take the buckets with you and raise the other £25k on your own for Isla

Now you have them round a wobbly table and another group marching, it’s a mess

Only at WHUFC

TheMadcapLaughs

C&B ;ok

I can understand them calling it off from the perspective of the issues they raised appear to have been addressed, or will be addressed, and the board are now actively engaged in meaningful dialogue, but to do it unilaterally without any form of consultation with either their own members or other groups is madness imo. As you say, there are far better courses of action they could have taken that would have kept the pressure up and indeed could have been celebratory. As far as the board is concerned, it would appear that they have played a blinder, but I think last nights events, plus the wording of the boards statement to encompass all groups, may actually create a backlash and harden the other groups resolve. The RWHFAG appear to have achieved a great deal in a short space of time and have at least got GSB to recognise that there may be problems for some fans, but they have also created a momentum that wasn`t there before and is hard to just switch off.

IronHerb

My biggest issue was that the purpose of the march was never communicated so one could never decide if the outcome was to be a success or not.
The board used it's experience in negotiating by giving away things that were either easy to give away, flags with previous badges, or beyond their control, anything E20 related that can't be guaranteed.

The march may still go ahead as: -
@WHUISA2017 has publicly said this morning that they are still planning to protest and are in talks with the police today.

thornburyiron

Why does everybody seem to believe that that is how it happened ie that Brady blackmailed them into calling off the march. Could it not be that the RWHFAG said they'd call off the march and donate the money raised to the Isla fund and the board said if you do that we will match it.
It will probably transpire that those still intent on marching have absolutely no idea why they're marching but think it's a good idea.

imagelost

I wasn’t thinking of joining the march,,, but I am now

MunichHammer

Whichever groups now march, however, I would expect to be treated as hostile by the owners/board. The original march has been called off and there is dialogue going on. So to now say we are marching regardless goes to show that the marchers are not interested in dialogue but just want to cause friction.

Whether this is true or not (although I expect there will be quite a few of those who are against anything offered) this is what I reckon the club's position will be. So good luck getting them to your table.

grey_til_I_dye

image

May I ask why?

imagelost

Yes,, I said “ I thinking about”

1, freedom to join a March
2, for any West Ham action group that, felt the need to give up there own time to demonstrate, which I agree with!
3. Maybe to get public interest going.
But in this case, I don’t like the way it’s been cancelled

thornburyiron

This gets more bizarre by the minute. You don't like what the board do or say so supported the group and their aims but when they call off the march because they feel they've made progress you don't like that either. Or is it just that you like marching.

imagelost

Ok then thorn 2 things
Tell me why I shouldn’t march
And secondly
It may be against the people that think cancelling march is ok, I need more facts,,, but am angry,,, we shell see

thornburyiron

There's no reason why you shouldn't march but because you can doesn't seem, to me, a valid reason.
What exactly are those still marching actually marching for because I have absolutely no idea.

Whitehorsehammer

This is getting as fractious as Brexit, which is a shame.

imagelost

Indeed thorn why
I suspect againty the board, incoherent at most levels.
Like I say, I was not interested in marching till now,,,

OldCastleSwift

Just as an aside, weren't the club's finances due to made public yesterday? Or have I made that up? ;hmm

IronHerb

They are due anytime now.

horshamhammer

thornburyiron said:

What exactly are those still marching actually marching for because I have absolutely no idea.

Regime change.

Hammerwombat

Do people really believe that a march will make DS and DG want to sell up?

thornburyiron

Even if they could.

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

The ultimate plan of RWHFAG was to try and make the owners feel so uncomfortable that they would consider leaving, just like they did at BCFC, but they also knew that was slim to no chance of happening

So they came up with their initial 5 point plan, and to be honest that should be achieved fairly quickly.....then I think it was to continue to sit down and go other items, keep the communication lines open

claretandbluesky

There has been some further communication today but no real explanation with regard the question of how such strong position that the march goes ahead and some pretty stern words against anyone who questioned it became changed so suddenly and without consultation with not only group members but even other groups who had come under the one banner.

There was talk of people being bought off etc but I don't think that was the case for a second not just as I don't feel the people involved would have taken money but it would have been highly misjudged for the club to offer any financial incentive as the size of own goal it would have produced couldn't be over estimated if the group reps went back to the group and said they offered us money.

I can understand the reflection that caused validity of the march to be questioned on account of the concessions made but not how it came about and feel there is more that will perhaps never be known.

Sadly it was only a day before that hundreds and hundreds of founder member badges went out, there were wood engraved blocks and some poor fella has 20 engraved stone souvenirs that no one will want now, pretty soon having bought the RWHFAG memorabilia will feel like having bought a Betamax video recorder in 1978.

claretandbluesky

As an aside if the group is going to continue it will need a leader to step forward as a group remains but I cannot see a leader emerging. Bill Gardner has apparently said he is marching and would be a massive figurehead in the guise of those who have stepped away but I don't get the impression that high profile and administration heavy communication would be a role which would appeal to him, although I may be wrong. Someone needs to step up, and very soon if a group is too survive and march cohesively and survive after the march.

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

Nobody has been bought off.....

But something has gone on

IronHerb

Marchers should rally around WHUISA as they are the 'official' supporters club who are affiliated to the Football Supporters Federation. They are still negotiating with the authorities re the march going ahead.

OutcastLondoner

IronHerb said:

Marchers should rally around WHUISA as they are the 'official' supporters club who are affiliated to the Football Supporters Federation. They are still negotiating with the authorities re the march going ahead.

Could they even be described as the real West Ham fans group?

MrsGrey

http://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2018/march/03-march/club-offer-generous-donation-after-postponed-fixture

A nice story: the U23s match was cancelled so they arranged for the unneeded food for the pre-match meal to go to a homeless charity.

grey_til_I_dye

Moved discussion of finances to its own thread:

http://www.whu606.com/discussion/10511

Fortuneseeker

http://www.claretandhugh.info/cottte-calls-for-change-at-west-ham/

Vorselaarhammer

MrsGrey

Does that mean that the original 'Real' march hadn't received permission either?

claretandbluesky

Something quite major but unable to be expressed has happened in my view as the RWHFAG performed a sharp u turn last week and went into complete meltdown on Saturday night in quite a comical way at times. The march was picked up by the group above and crossed hammers both of which all have decided to not march now.

I am not sure what happened last week to change the landscape but certain members of RWHFAG decided to go all out to ensure this march didn't happen. It went from threats to other groups to trying to cast the march as being hijacked by the political left which was surprisingly bought into by any number of post responders. It was all quite sad to witness happening as groups who were courted and befriended and had happily come under the RWHFAG umbrella were immediately turned against due to the absolute need to ensure the march didn't take place.

I was trying to find any credible evidence that the political left was involved, the best I could find was that someone involved with the group above had at the time or the mayoral elections supported Sadiq Khan instead of Zach Goldsmith. Some were stating they hated Khan yet loved Labour despite the current Labour leadership being far more seated to the left than Sadiq Khan. Nothing was being thought through from the notification of the march being cancelled onwards, luckily I feel a couple of more able people began to reign others in and began to work on damage limitation and supply a consistent narrative once again whilst the behind the scenes conversations ended the march from all sides.