One Day Soon
29-03-2018, 12:28 PM
http://www.hmfckickback.co.uk/index.php?/topic/176111-fit-for-purpose/&
This one is a cracker.
Serial self-publicist Shaun Lawson even appears. I thought he'd disappeared.
Here's the OP. After that it's all a bit, well, see for yourselves...
I am writing for the first time in Kickback as my many writings to the board over several years stating my name, address and signing my letters, has been ignored. The club's board only seem interested in praise, not criticism i.e. sycophants. Not my style! A compliant Glasgow / Edinburgh press has a conflict of interest, i.e. be nice to club boards and managers or no access to interviews. So what truths are fans not informed of? It was suggested I write to Kickback. If your only interested in reading short posts, venture no further, for explaining the malaise takes longer.
About me
I'm 71 years of age. My first Tynecastle attendance was with my dad at the age of 8. For many years my Saturdays were spent following Hearts home and away from Dumfries to Aberdeen. In the 90's I went to university as a mature student attaining a business management degree. I gave up my season ticket to fund being a student, as every day I travelled to Dundee and back by train. It was my intention, on completion of my studies to renew my season ticket, but four years on, my life was different, and what followed later (Romanov) gave me no reason to return.
Through the Mercer, Robinson and Romanov years I openly criticised the business running of Hearts via the Pink News, a confrontation with Mercer on TV's 'Sport in Question', and two - one hour interviews on Scot FM. I feel passionately about Hearts and the way the club is run – nothing has changed.
I write in the second person (you) for the reasons I proffer below. I will not put a penny into Hearts while, in my opinion, it continues to be mismanaged at team and club board level. Because of this, I feel I do not have the right to use the word 'we'.
Ann Budge
Personally I found Ann Budge's season ticket appeal embarrassing. All that was missing was her beggar's patch on Princes Street with an out-stretched hand holding a cap (Hearts tartan) begging for your dosh! I believe her omissions hide a gross mis-management of Hearts both at team and at club board level.
Hearts, the third largest supported club in Scotland hasn't won the league title since 1960 - 58 years ago. Since then, and with lesser fan bases, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Dundee Utd. has won it once, and Aberdeen three times. In that time, board after board has failed Hearts fans. Newly promoted Hibs are 10 points clear with a game in hand, a better team, a better manager, and a better run club. Four years on, I do not for one second believe that Ann Budge is the saviour of Hearts. Indeed I ask a more pertinent question – is she and the board fit for purpose?
If supporters continue to loyally buy season tickets and contribute to the F.o.H., the mediocrity and regress of the last four years will prevail. What a load of tosh Mrs Budge expounds! Fans do not own Hearts and never will. The board only need you when they need your money. If fans own Hearts - What say did fans have in its building costs you helped pay for? £12m then £14m, then £15m,- how much more?
What should have come first was the appointment of a quality manager with a winning pedigree and no D.o.F.. Followed by money spent on quality players. Success attracts more fans and increases revenues. The time to build a new stand is when capacity is regularly approaching full, for then success and increased revenues create a sound base for prudent forward planning. I believe the new stand is an extravagant wasteful edifice that could have been built for much less than £15m with remaining monies contributing to being spent on players and a new pitch.
Instead, as seen in the Partick match with actual attendance circa 14,000 or even less, due to the 600 free Big Hearts Day tickets. The sparseness told its own story.
17/3/18 v Partick (H) stated attendance was 17,179 which equates to 85.25% capacity. This officially brings the average crowd since the stand opened to 16,647 = 82.61% average capacity. But when the truth shows it to be circa 14,000 bums on seats the average crowd becomes 16,325 = 81% or less - average capacity.
Ann Budge and the club board spent £15m on, ego and image before needs, structure before players, i.e. your money wasted! Your dreams abused, Let me explain;
C.E.O. Budge has an insane and/or besotted respect for Levein. His CV was poor!
Budge putting Levein on the club's board creates a conflict of interest.
Levein appointing two inexperienced rookies to the important post of manager of Hearts. What competent C.E.O. would countenance that?
The waste of paying two salaries to a D.o.F. and inexperienced rookie team managers for 3.5 years that ended in failure was D.o.F and C.E.O. approved.
The shocking waste of signings and contracts for less than average players. How responsible was the D.o.F. in this? How blind to Levein is Budge?
With Levein now team manager, suddenly a D.o.F. was no longer needed.
The unnecessary and exorbitant cost of the new stand in relation to attendance revenues that appear to potentially cover only circa 80% capacity. C.E.O. approved.
The omission of competitive tender of the extravagant new stand C.E.O. approved.
The construction of the new stand allegedly built by Budge's brother's company. It not going out to competitive tender is nepotism. It begs a question. Who all profited?
The incompetences that prevailed by mistakes, delays in schedules, additional over-time costs, more rent paid out for Murrayfield, the race for use fiasco, and the farcical continuing malaise. Overseeing this was/is C.E.O.' Budge's remit.
Assisted by F.o.H. money, the lack of consultation given to F.o.H. members in costs and pricing policy, resulting in at least 25% over budget was C.E.O. approved.
It is not unreasonable to believe that Levein is guilty of the same accusations he twice publicly accused his players at Hearts and Dundee United of, i.e. "cheating their employer and taking money under false pretences." Just as he appeared to have done when supposedly managing Scotland. Paid a lot, but returned little. Regress not progress. In signing Levein, what was C.E.O. Budge thinking of?
The above comedy of errors were all approved by Budge. Is she fit for purpose?
This one is a cracker.
Serial self-publicist Shaun Lawson even appears. I thought he'd disappeared.
Here's the OP. After that it's all a bit, well, see for yourselves...
I am writing for the first time in Kickback as my many writings to the board over several years stating my name, address and signing my letters, has been ignored. The club's board only seem interested in praise, not criticism i.e. sycophants. Not my style! A compliant Glasgow / Edinburgh press has a conflict of interest, i.e. be nice to club boards and managers or no access to interviews. So what truths are fans not informed of? It was suggested I write to Kickback. If your only interested in reading short posts, venture no further, for explaining the malaise takes longer.
About me
I'm 71 years of age. My first Tynecastle attendance was with my dad at the age of 8. For many years my Saturdays were spent following Hearts home and away from Dumfries to Aberdeen. In the 90's I went to university as a mature student attaining a business management degree. I gave up my season ticket to fund being a student, as every day I travelled to Dundee and back by train. It was my intention, on completion of my studies to renew my season ticket, but four years on, my life was different, and what followed later (Romanov) gave me no reason to return.
Through the Mercer, Robinson and Romanov years I openly criticised the business running of Hearts via the Pink News, a confrontation with Mercer on TV's 'Sport in Question', and two - one hour interviews on Scot FM. I feel passionately about Hearts and the way the club is run – nothing has changed.
I write in the second person (you) for the reasons I proffer below. I will not put a penny into Hearts while, in my opinion, it continues to be mismanaged at team and club board level. Because of this, I feel I do not have the right to use the word 'we'.
Ann Budge
Personally I found Ann Budge's season ticket appeal embarrassing. All that was missing was her beggar's patch on Princes Street with an out-stretched hand holding a cap (Hearts tartan) begging for your dosh! I believe her omissions hide a gross mis-management of Hearts both at team and at club board level.
Hearts, the third largest supported club in Scotland hasn't won the league title since 1960 - 58 years ago. Since then, and with lesser fan bases, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Dundee Utd. has won it once, and Aberdeen three times. In that time, board after board has failed Hearts fans. Newly promoted Hibs are 10 points clear with a game in hand, a better team, a better manager, and a better run club. Four years on, I do not for one second believe that Ann Budge is the saviour of Hearts. Indeed I ask a more pertinent question – is she and the board fit for purpose?
If supporters continue to loyally buy season tickets and contribute to the F.o.H., the mediocrity and regress of the last four years will prevail. What a load of tosh Mrs Budge expounds! Fans do not own Hearts and never will. The board only need you when they need your money. If fans own Hearts - What say did fans have in its building costs you helped pay for? £12m then £14m, then £15m,- how much more?
What should have come first was the appointment of a quality manager with a winning pedigree and no D.o.F.. Followed by money spent on quality players. Success attracts more fans and increases revenues. The time to build a new stand is when capacity is regularly approaching full, for then success and increased revenues create a sound base for prudent forward planning. I believe the new stand is an extravagant wasteful edifice that could have been built for much less than £15m with remaining monies contributing to being spent on players and a new pitch.
Instead, as seen in the Partick match with actual attendance circa 14,000 or even less, due to the 600 free Big Hearts Day tickets. The sparseness told its own story.
17/3/18 v Partick (H) stated attendance was 17,179 which equates to 85.25% capacity. This officially brings the average crowd since the stand opened to 16,647 = 82.61% average capacity. But when the truth shows it to be circa 14,000 bums on seats the average crowd becomes 16,325 = 81% or less - average capacity.
Ann Budge and the club board spent £15m on, ego and image before needs, structure before players, i.e. your money wasted! Your dreams abused, Let me explain;
C.E.O. Budge has an insane and/or besotted respect for Levein. His CV was poor!
Budge putting Levein on the club's board creates a conflict of interest.
Levein appointing two inexperienced rookies to the important post of manager of Hearts. What competent C.E.O. would countenance that?
The waste of paying two salaries to a D.o.F. and inexperienced rookie team managers for 3.5 years that ended in failure was D.o.F and C.E.O. approved.
The shocking waste of signings and contracts for less than average players. How responsible was the D.o.F. in this? How blind to Levein is Budge?
With Levein now team manager, suddenly a D.o.F. was no longer needed.
The unnecessary and exorbitant cost of the new stand in relation to attendance revenues that appear to potentially cover only circa 80% capacity. C.E.O. approved.
The omission of competitive tender of the extravagant new stand C.E.O. approved.
The construction of the new stand allegedly built by Budge's brother's company. It not going out to competitive tender is nepotism. It begs a question. Who all profited?
The incompetences that prevailed by mistakes, delays in schedules, additional over-time costs, more rent paid out for Murrayfield, the race for use fiasco, and the farcical continuing malaise. Overseeing this was/is C.E.O.' Budge's remit.
Assisted by F.o.H. money, the lack of consultation given to F.o.H. members in costs and pricing policy, resulting in at least 25% over budget was C.E.O. approved.
It is not unreasonable to believe that Levein is guilty of the same accusations he twice publicly accused his players at Hearts and Dundee United of, i.e. "cheating their employer and taking money under false pretences." Just as he appeared to have done when supposedly managing Scotland. Paid a lot, but returned little. Regress not progress. In signing Levein, what was C.E.O. Budge thinking of?
The above comedy of errors were all approved by Budge. Is she fit for purpose?