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I really want to renew my season ticket but find after struggling with my principles, not to mention my job at Corus is under threat, that I can't back the current set up, led by Steve Gibson
The reason I buy a season ticket is to back the club, that is, in Steve's own words, 'the flagship of Teesside', now I love Teesside. and I feel it gets a raw deal from all quarters, that's why I think having a Premier League football club for our flagship is vital, yet I cannot bring myself to hand over four hundred pounds to Steve Gibson, because I can't be sure my money is being used for the football club.
Why can't Middlesbrough Football Club be open when it comes to its corporate affairs? M.F.C. has a history of having people in charge that used the club for their own purposes, generations of supporters and history books will vouch for that, which is the main reason that Boro fans are so cynical. It is also the reason why I tried to set up a supporters trust in 1994, a trust is a supporters group that raises money to buy shares in their club, thus allowing them
an insight into the running of their clubs, there are hundreds of trusts now, guided by Supporters Direct a Government backed organisation, mainly small clubs, but big one's as well, i.e. Man U, Spurs, Newcastle, Rangers and Celtic, etc, if we had managed to establish a trust then, I don't think we would be guessing, as to how we got into 90 million pound of debt (how much Sky money have we received? gate money? corporate money? Etc.,
Who paid for the golf club? We are left to make our own conclusions, which given the cynical nature of Boro fans, it is not good news for renewals.
There are posters on other message boards, that suggest Gibbo can't make a statement re finances because of tax reasons, or this that and the other,
Well I suggest he better find a way of getting his message across, because the performance of the club since 2006, has been cheapskate and unacceptable, I had many face to face meetings with Steve back in 1994, when he once asked me if I thought the supporters would back him, I answered 'If you show ambition they would' and they did, making the club worth millions of pounds more than it was in 1994, which benefits the shareholders, Steve Gibson and Michael O, Neil, are considerably richer men because of the supporters, so don't think the likes of me are ungrateful for your efforts. You should be grateful to the likes of me, for making you considerably richer, not that money matters, we are all in it for "sporting glory"
Are we not? the rumours I am hearing now, and I must stress they are only rumours, the word administration was used, another rumour was of a more personal nature, which has caused debt, which I personally don't believe but they are still damaging to the club, all I have ever wanted was a well run open and honest football club to support, so put an end to the rumours Steve, what I read on other message boards tells me I am not alone, so lets have it Steve, what is happening, if your in trouble through no fault of your own, the supporters will back you, if you have made mistakes and admit to them, the supporters will back you, but if you carry on saying nothing at all, many supporters will not renew, they need to have faith, which is very difficult at the moment, when you see the development at Hurworth rising and the football club declining, this club will drop like a stone if you don't make a statement soon, there is not one
Teessider wants to see that.
Mick Johnstone.