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Thread | BST Response to Fans Parliament Proposal
at 22:04 25 May 2015
The decision by the Club to set up a Fans Parliament has been met with understandable cynicism. Supporters question the owners’ commitment to consultation and power sharing, given their recent track record in both categories. Their antagonistic and dismissive attitude towards fans has led to supporters leaving the Club in thousands, not because of poor results but because of the owners’ behaviour.
Blackpool Supporters’ Trust shares these concerns. The current owners of the Club have refused to speak to the fans’ democratically chosen representatives for more than two years and have acted so badly that even BSA, their own Supporters Association, would have nothing more to do with them
However, a Fans Parliament could conceivably be an opportunity for profound change in the relationship between supporters and the Club if it is implemented in the right way. If this is truly the point at which the owners wish to reverse their position and start to put football first, then for that aim to be achieved the following constitutional principles need to be applied:
1) An interim Parliament of 12 should be appointed as soon as possible from among the applicants, with selection being made by a truly independent fans panel comprising the BSA Chairman, the BST Chairman and one non-aligned candidate chosen by these two Chairmen.
2) One member of this Fans Parliament will be elected by supporters to sit on the club board and will have the equivalent voting rights of someone owning 20% of BFC Limited shares.
3) The interim Parliament selected by the independent panel will be charged with ensuring that a full democratic election of all Blackpool supporters takes place by November 2015 with anyone, season ticket holder or not, able to put themselves forward for the fully elected Fans Parliament
4) The Fans Parliament will meet formally four times per year with the Chairman of the Club, directors, football and departmental staff.
5) Prior to these formal meetings, members of the Parliament will meet with delegations from BST, BSA and other fans groups to agree agenda items and topics for discussion. The Parliament will also hold four public meetings for all fans to attend where further agenda items and topics might be agreed.
6) The Fans’ Board representative will be delegated by the Parliament to engage with the Club’s Board on all matters concerning the club and its business. He/she will report back to the Parliament and, excepting for issues requiring confidentiality, the actions and decisions of the Board and the Parliament will be made public within five working days of meetings taking place.
We believe that adherence to these six principles is the only way in which a Fans Parliament will ever have any credibility or opportunity to succeed, and more than that, is the only way in which the enormous rifts in our club might begin to be healed.
In addition we insist on an armistice for those who invaded the pitch at the Huddersfield game. It should be agreed forthwith that Club and fans together take responsibility for the situation.
This is not just about the democratisation of the club; it is about rescuing it from the abyss. Our club is dying and radical action needs to be taken if it is to be given life again. If the owners are really serious about continuing to be part of our Club than this is the very least that they need do.
Alternatively, they can sell the club when BST tables its offer and the Trust will implement all of the above principles on behalf of all supporters, in the interests of good governance and in line with our constitution and mandate.
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Thread | A quick reminder about two events tonight
at 14:04 20 May 2015
7pm outside Bloomfield Road — charity fundraiser and photo-shoot for the Blackpool leg of
“The Tour Of All 43 League Grounds Of Teams That Have Won The FA Cup In A Week” in aid of the Helen & Douglas House hospice charity providing care for children and young adults with life-shortening conditions.
We are requesting that as many Blackpool fans as possible gather on Seasiders Way outside the West Stand at 7pm decked in tangerine, carrying scarves for a photo-shoot with the charity organisers. We will be bringing the big BST Put Football First banner and a number of placards referring to our FA Cup win and showing our support for Helen & Douglas House charity. The Gazette are covering the story. Let’s use this opportunity to show the national football fraternity, the Fylde community and the owners of our beloved club what decent people we are, how football fans can make a positive contribution to the community and how important celebrating Morty's cup-final hat- trick is to us all, whilst at the same time raising money for a good cause.
7:30 pm upstairs at the Number 1 Club — BST Special General Meeting
On the agenda:
- Issues relating to the Football League and FA
- A boycott of all Oyston owned businesses
- Statement about the BST bid for the club
- Membership proposals
- Future political activities
- BST Elections
This is your Trust, so come and make your opinions known.
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Thread | Gala Event - Fundraising for Gary Parkinson
at 10:29 14 May 2015
Blackpool Supporters Trust's Gala Dinner on Saturday May 16th is not only a celebration of the promotion to the Premier League in 2010 but also a fundraiser for Gary Parkinson Trust.
Should you not be able to attend but wish to make a donation to Gary Parkinson, please send your monies to:
Sort Code: 08-60-01
Account Number 20346320
Blackpool Supporters Trust
Your kind donations will be gratefully received and will make a difference to Gary and his family as he continues his battle with locked-in syndrome. |
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Thread | BFC Statement on the resignation of Lee Clark
at 12:53 9 May 2015
The resignation of Lee Clark and his assistant Alan Thompson should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the farce that is Blackpool FC (“How not to run a football club”) this season. Today’s terse statements by both Clark and the Club are indicative of the deep-seated problems that assail the club. Clark, a man steeped in experience of the professional game at all levels, found himself completely out of his depth. Blackpool is in the unique position of being run unlike any other football club or indeed any other business. Some would question Clark’s abilities as a manager, and his record has been very poor over the last year or so, but his passion, determination and commitment to the task were clear for all to see. However, it is also obvious that he came to view the position of Blackpool FC manager as an impossible job.
Ever since the departure of Ian Holloway and the misguided decision to let Steve Thompson go, the Club has appointed a succession of managers, some who have only stayed for a matter of weeks before resigning or getting sacked. Fans can only surmise that these managers’ vision for what they wanted to do at Blackpool FC was a variance with the views of Club chairman Karl Oyston and that whatever promises or agreements were made to entice them to Bloomfield Road turned out to be illusory. Oyston has been criticised roundly for a lack of ambition, strategy and investment in the footballing side of the Club. His approach has been dubbed a “bargain basement” business plan of short-term player loans and one-year contracts. Furthermore, and most damningly, he appears to spend as much time trying to goad fans, sue his customers and bring the game into disrepute as he does actually running his business. Blackpool FC fielded over 50 players in the season just ended. Such an approach is no way to attract players or managers of ambition to Bloomfield Road. We believe that even a Moyes or a Mourhino would struggle to keep Blackpool FC from getting relegated again next season given the attitude of the current owners of the Club.
The resignation that Blackpool Football Club really needs is that of Club chairman Karl Oyston. It is his choices and decisions that dictate the footballing fortunes of the club. He and his family have made a unique and irreparable mess of a beloved institution. The Oystons must take responsibility for the parlous state of the football club. In our opinion there is little chance of fortunes improving at Blackpool FC while they are at the helm.
The only constructive way forward is for the Oystons to do the honourable thing and depart the club — the sooner the better. |
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Thread | Letter to the Football League
at 20:13 8 May 2015
I write to you on behalf of Blackpool Supporters Trust. We have almost 1500 members and are, by far, the largest Blackpool FC supporters group. We are aware that the Football League are currently considering the issues pertaining to the forced abandonment of the Blackpool versus Huddersfield game that took place on Saturday 2nd of May 2015 and wish to contribute to your deliberations.
There are very few examples of fans invading the pitch with the aim of abandoning a match. Most often it has been done where the invading fans have acted to assist their club avoiding defeat or relegation. This was clearly not the case on the 2nd of May as Blackpool was already relegated. The reason for the pitch invasion was simply to bring the plight of the club to greater public attention and in this way, it was a unique event. Football fans chose to bring to an end the very entertainment that they had come to see and although there were, according to police figures, only 150 fans on the pitch, there was a large majority of fans in the stands who supported the action that was being taken.
The situation was an extraordinary one. Blackpool supporters are a group of fans not known for radical behaviour of any kind, but for the last two and a half years, there have been a steadily increasing number of demonstrations and protests. Blackpool Supporters Trust (formed initially as SISA in January 2013) has attempted throughout this time to develop a formal and respectful relationship with the current owners of the club. Throughout this whole period, the Trust, and by extension the members it represents, has been treated with disdain, contempt and disrespect. The Trust has always acted with regard to the integrity of our club’s supporters — a group that we believe represents the very best of what football supporters are capable of.
The unwillingness of the current owners to engage in dialogue with the Trust has been the tip of the iceberg for many fans. Karl Oyston has vilified supporters in print, abused us verbally, mocked us on social media, sued supporters for comments made and generally acted in a manner that might best be described as tyrannical and despotic, over a period of more than three years. We, as fans, have appealed for help from football’s governing authorities over all manner of issues and frankly, we feel we have been completely let down by those who are running the sport.
All of our protests and demonstrations have been peaceful and within the limit of the law. It has always been our intention to represent the very best of what it is to be a football fan and to represent and enhance the reputation of Blackpool itself. We take the matter of the club seriously and consider it to be a cornerstone of our community, a uniting factor and one that adds to the richness of life in the town. We will not see it treated with disdain or abused by any owner, regardless of how rich and powerful they or their family might be.
Professional football is not like any other business, one of the major differences being that we, the customers, often care more about the wellbeing of the business than the owners themselves. For us, the club is not a means to an end, but the end in itself.
The Trust, together with another supporters’ group, the Tangerine Knights, arranged a peaceful protest in full consultation with the police and the club’s excellent Ground Safety Officer, Tony Pinder, for the morning of Saturday 2nd of May. There would be a march, a ceremonial laying of wreaths, shirts, scarves and other Blackpool memorabilia at the statue of Stan Mortensen (one of Blackpool’s most beloved and revered players), then speeches would be made and a peaceful protest outside the main entrance was to take place.
A few days prior to the march, the owners removed the statue of Stan Mortensen from the plinth for reasons which still haven’t properly been explained. The club statement said this had been done on advice of the police and the police then issued a statement denying that they had given any such advice. It is unlikely that the owners of the club could have taken any single action that would have proved a greater affront to the fans, the history of the club or Stan Mortensen himself. This single act would have been enough to lead to serious public disorder at many other clubs. In the circumstances the Blackpool fans did their club and community proud with the demonstration going ahead as planned and fans simply laying their tributes at the empty plinth. The club and its heroes reside in the hearts of the supporters and without that heart, football becomes a game like any other, material only to those who play it and are directly involved in it.
A pitch invasion is the very last act that any football supporter would wish to make but it seems to the Trust that the fans felt there was no other way to make the strength of their feelings known to the owners and the wider public. The removal of the statue was, for many, the final insult; an act of hubris and vandalism perceived by many as a desecration of the fans relationship with the club.
We do not seek to condone the pitch invasion but to place it in its proper context. This is a case of the supporters feeling that all alternatives had been exhausted. We have no doubt that if there had been anything at stake for either team or any other club in the division that the game would have been allowed to conclude. Our supporters were not trying to avoid the club’s footballing fate, they were striving for something much more important, the safeguarding of its future.
For this reason we hope that you will take the view that this matter is far more serious than the abandonment of a football match. We fully expect that the club will at least receive a suspended points deduction of 10 points pending any further encroachment on to the field of play by home supporters during the next three seasons. We would be keen to avoid a fine for the club as we are concerned that this may simply be passed on to those that invaded the pitch. We would prefer that the club be required to take action to heal the rift with its supporters, that it be required to undertake further community work, that the Supporters Liaison Officer be made to meet with all supporters groups.
For Blackpool fans, the last three seasons have been one long punishment. What appears to be happening is that the Chairman of the football club is not only challenging his customers but seeing just how far he can stretch the rules of the Football League and the FA. He effectively ran onto the pitch and had our whole season abandoned before it even began — and the fact that the supporters waited until the very last game of the season before taking this action speaks volumes for their patience and integrity.
We want the Football League to open an enquiry into the way our football club is being run. The owners are bringing the game into disrepute and if you allow this opportunity to escape you, any legitimacy you have in the eyes of football fans as guardians of the game will likely evaporate.
We look forward to a prompt and positive response.
Regards,
[Post edited 8 May 2015 20:29]
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Thread | Andy Higgins
at 06:51 8 May 2015
The good citizens of Blackpool South have exercised their democratic rights at the ballot box and our campaign to elect Andy Higgins [Independent: ‘Promoting Blackpool — Put Football First’] has lived up to expectations. For an independent candidate to make an impression in a General Election is both difficult and rare, and so it proved here. Andy polled 655 votes — and if that doesn’t seem many, it was of the same order as the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats polled, so a significant achievement. Although we didn’t expect that Andy would win the seat, his candidacy has certainly unsettled the established order and this public display of support for our first foray into the political arena has demonstrated to everyone that we have a sizeable voice in Blackpool South and it needs to be listened to.
Our congratulations go to Andy and his team for their tireless dedication over the course of the campaign. This is a pleasing reward for their passion and commitment. Our thanks go to all of the voters in Blackpool South who registered their support for our manifesto and Andy’s candidacy. This General Election campaign is just the beginning. Blackpool Supporters’ Trust is dedicated to the cause and we will never waver. In the end it is all about the will of the people, the supporters, to help regenerate the club and the community. We are all going to get some sleep now before we plan the next steps. A more comprehensive statement will be issued tomorrow.
BST committee
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Thread | The Mortensen Statue
at 17:41 7 May 2015
The Mortensen Statue
It is unlikely that any football "company" has ever made quite so many mistakes, severely misjudged so many situations or so grossly underestimated its customer base as Blackpool FC did in 2014-15. The behaviour and actions of our club’s owners will rank alongside the greatest examples of how not to run a football club.
The Oystons have ensured their notoriety within the football world. Their name is now synonymous with the very worst excesses of private ownership. When football governance is changed, it will be the Oystons who, more often than not, will be used as an example of why we need fan ownership to protect our football clubs.
The recent removal of the statue of Stan Mortensen, one of the most revered and beloved of Blackpool FC’s players, proved the nadir and a watershed for the current owners. The decision was an affront to the decency of Blackpool supporters and the legend of the Stan Mortensen himself.
No satisfactory explanation has yet been given for the statue’s removal. The "company" originally suggested that the police proposed it be removed ahead of the scheduled protests. The police categorically denied giving any such advice. So why would the current owners mislead everyone in this way? Either they do not know why they temporarily removed it or they don’t have the courage to admit the real reason.
Although the statue has lately been returned to its former place, it is now clear that is that the removal has resulted in the statue being
re-affixed in such a way that it is no longer secure in its position.
There are also structural concerns relating to the way in which the
statue has been re-attached to the plinth. There is a parallel with the football club: when viewed from a distance everything looks just the same, but when you investigate more closely, the negative and corrosive impact of the current owners becomes only too apparent. Rather than carefully stewarding the club that has been placed in their care, the owners have acted with scant regard for the traditions, the history and the responsibilities with which they have been entrusted.
We have written to the club, detailing our concerns and asking them to respond. The "company" needs to now give careful consideration so as to prevent any further or future damage being done to the statue.
Blackpool Supporters’ Trust proposes that as a starting point, immediate arrangements should be made to have the statue examined by a suitably qualified expert who can advise further on the adequacy of the current fixings and the available options if our members’ concerns are confirmed.
Furthermore, as the statue was originally donated by Blackpool FC fans, we also request that the Club should donate or bequeath the statue to Blackpool Supporters’ Trust and we will then fund the cost of obtaining a structural report, pay for proper safe and secure restoration of the statue and be responsible for its care in perpetuity. The "company" has proven itself unfit to safeguard a monument as significant and important as the Mortensen Statue. |
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Thread | BST Statement regarding yesterday's pitch invasion
at 17:15 3 May 2015
The abandonment of yesterday's game was an inevitable conclusion to the most farcical season in the history of Blackpool Football Club. The current owners’ methods of running the “company” have led us directly to the point where the type of civil disobedience displayed yesterday was the supporters’ only option. The organisation, courage, resolve and good-humoured restraint that the fans displayed was a superb reflection of the quality of our club’s supporters. In the face of intense provocation from the owners, the response and conduct of our fans has been almost universally magnificent. In the words of the Lancashire Police statement: “The protest was peaceful and non-violent at all times and the response from both the stewards and police officers at the ground reflected this.” Blackpool Supporters’ Trust wishes to thank both the stewards and the police for their tactful and supportive handling of the situation.
We should be clear that as fans we do not want to spend our time protesting. We would much prefer the ordinary pleasure of watching our football club and cheering on our team. However, the current owners have, by their actions, prevented supporters from achieving that most basic of expectations. The joy of following our football club has been taken from us and we are determined to take that pleasure back. The current owners have refused to speak to the Blackpool Supporters’ Trust, despite our constant respectful and constructive requests to do so. In the absence of dialogue, and even more importantly, any action to bring about real change in the way the football club is run, the options available to the fans have diminished.
We have appealed to the Football League, the Football Association and the Premier League for help and intervention but so far they have proven unwilling or unable to assist. We have also approached political leaders, MPs and local councillors but, despite some positive noises and messages of support, nothing concrete has thus far been done. Indeed, so concerned are the Supporters’ Trust and its members that we endorsed our own independent candidate for Blackpool South in this week’s General Election.
Blackpool fans need more than excuses, empty gestures and hollow words - we need action, we need real support and we need change. That desire for change, coupled with the sense that we are alone against a “company” that seems determined to alienate and disempower its “customers” (as well as undermining the success of its business), is what led to yesterday's mass protest and pitch invasion. What is going on at our club is wrong as far as the vast majority of our members are concerned and if we have to bring about the necessary change ourselves, we will do so. We would prefer never to see such disruption as at Bloomfield Road yesterday afternoon, but it feels like the “company's” owners have declared war on us and we must therefore fight back as best we can. With all other avenues closed to us, civil disobedience, in the form of a peaceful pitch invasion, was all that was left.
The Trust will today write to the Football League, the Football Association and Lancashire Police asking them to consider the extraordinary situation at the club, the peaceful nature of the protests and the outlandish behaviour of the owners before making any decisions regarding those fans who brought yesterday's game to a premature end.
We will also be asking the FA and Football League to investigate the causes of the abandonment and request them to set up an independent enquiry into what is going on at Blackpool FC. We will also be inviting politicians both locally and nationally to contribute to this enquiry and we intend to use its findings to fundamentally change the way football is governed so that no other club's supporters will ever have to suffer as Blackpool fans have.
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Thread | Fans United - reflections on a day of passion
at 17:22 2 May 2015
Fans United — Reflections on a Day of Passion
Blackpool Supporters’ Trust wishes to congratulate and thank all football fans who attended the Fans United march and protest today on their passionate but impeccable behaviour throughout the proceedings.
The entire morning was a celebration of the coming together of thousands of like-minded football fans with supporters from other clubs - noticeable by their shirts and accents — in support of our common cause, giving football back to the fans. The procession was spectacular, the demands for the Oystons to go were vociferous and the laying of shirts, scarves and messages at the plinth where Stan Mortensen’s statue stood was very moving.
Yes, there was a pitch invasion and yes, the afternoon’s game did get abandoned but the frustration of the majority inside Bloomfield Road at the way the club has been run of late was palpable and there was clear sympathy for this act of civil disobedience in which both the pitch invaders and the police acted with restraint and good humour.
The camaraderie and solidarity shown left many with the feeling that no matter what football club owners may throw at them (or remove from them), we will never be detracted or diverted from our main objective of returning our club to its fans and the community it serves.
Football was indeed first today — and it made you feel proud to be a Blackpool fan, it made you feel proud to be a football fan.
BST Committee
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Thread | Rallying Call - May 2nd Fans United March to Bloomfield Road
at 10:34 1 May 2015
This Saturday may well prove to be a defining moment for the club at the end of a horrendous season. Events off the pitch have often over-shadowed those on it and the same will probably be the case on May 2nd. We are inviting all Blackpool supporters and football fans from around the country to join in a Fans United march of protest as we deliver our collective verdict on the Oystons’ ‘custodianship’ of Blackpool FC on this day of judgement.
The soul of our club is being wrenched out in the same way Stan Mortensen’s statue has been ‘removed’, so May 2nd is both a requiem and a reclamation. It’s our club and we want it back. WE ARE BLACKPOOL FC!
Fans are invited to bring banners and flags representing their fan groups (BASIL, BSA, Leyland & Chorley Seasiders, Yorkshire Seasiders) to supplement those of Blackpool Supporters’ Trust and the Tangerine Knights; also to bring placards and whistles. There will be fans from other football clubs as well, who should be welcomed and treated well. Let’s make the day a noisy and colourful act of defiance and solidarity.
Fans are also encouraged to bring items such as scarves, shirts, memorabilia to add to the collage of discontent that will be created close to the site of Stan Mortensen’s plaque (since the statue has been removed). You are encouraged to write or pin personal messages on these items.
The plan for the day is as follows:
10:00 am onwards — supporters meet at the Bloomfield Pub, Bloomfield Road or in the supermarket carpark across the road. [The Bloomfield Pub will be open and serving refreshments from 10:00 onwards.]
10:45 am — fans groups will form into a march along Bloomfield Road and around into Seasiders Way before congregating behind the North Stand close to Morty’s statue.
11:05 am — ceremonial laying of scarves/shirts/memorabilia
11:10 am — speeches
11:15 am — protest outside the West stand
12:15 pm — kick-off
14:30 pm — Football First rally at the Bloomfield Pub
The march will be marshalled by stewards from BST. The ceremonial laying of memorabilia has been arranged in consultation with the appropriate authorities. Note that we are not organising any protests inside the stadium. By all means be noisy in making your feelings known, but be legal at all times.
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Thread | Joint Statement by BST and the Tangerine Knights regarding the Morty Statue
at 22:59 28 Apr 2015
The Tangerine Knights, Blackpool Supporters Trust and football fans throughout the country call on Blackpool Football Club to immediately return the 'Morty' statue to its rightful place after it's removal earlier this week. The supporters are well aware that 'the company' that runs Blackpool Football club is ethically and morally impoverished. However, to remove the statue of someone so beloved by the fans of the club that they themselves helped pay for it, is beyond contempt. Stan Mortensen is a hero to tens of thousands, most of whom never saw him play, he is an icon of all that is good about BFC and the community to which it belongs.
When the statue was unveiled in 2005, his wife Jean said this, "Of all the honours that Stan won in football, he would think this was top of the league. He was so very proud of playing for Blackpool and loved everything about the town. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him when the club or town came knocking. For him to be remembered in a statue, he would think it was the creme de la creme. A massive thank-you has to go to the generous people of Blackpool, who have dug deep to raise money for this. Stan would have been really proud."
We therefore demand, that the current owners of 'the company' return our statue to its rightful place in time for the 62nd anniversary of the clubs 1953 FA Cup final win by Saturday 2nd May, to the fans, community and town of which we are all very proud. [Post edited 28 Apr 2015 22:59]
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Thread | BBC RADIO 5LIVE
at 22:09 28 Apr 2015
Our spokesperson, Christine Seddon, will be on BBC Radio 5Live at 7.45am tomorrow morning followed by Radio Lancashire at approximately 8.45am, discussing the situation at our club, the fans and Judgement Day - and we are sure that Morty's statue will get a mention! |
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Thread | JUDGEMENT DAY - THE DAY WHEN FANS UNITE, 2ND MAY 2015
at 23:34 22 Apr 2015
A joint statement from TK and BST about Judgement Day
The Tangerine Knights and Blackpool Supporters Trust are pleased to confirm the following has been agreed as part of the Fans United Day. This is an opportunity not just for all Blackpool fans but football fans from all over the UK to come together and deliver our collective verdict on the Oystons 'custodianship ' of our football club.
When fans expressed concern at the beginning of the season, Karl Oyston famously said, "Judge me at the end of the season." Now it is Judgement day and it is time to let the Oystons and the nation know that we have reached a unanimous verdict - guilty.
We invite you to join us as Fans United.
Provisional Schedule:
10:30AM - Meet at Bloomfield Pub, Bloomfield Road for a coordinated march to the stadium.
10:45AM - Fan Groups from BFC and other participating clubs lead the Fans United Oyston Out March along Bloomfield Road past the South Stand and into Seasiders Way, along the full length of the West Stand to a congregation point close to Morty's statue behind the North Stand. Fans are invited to bring banners, flags, whistle, placards to supplement those of TK and BST as we all demonstrate to Karl, Owen and the watching media what we think of the way BFC is being run.
11:05AM - Ceremonial laying of scarves/shirts/memorabilia at Morty's statue. Fans are encouraged to lay their items with their own personal messages pinned to or endorsed to create a collage of discontent. Speeches from TK, BST.
11:10AM - Release of balloons by Young fans both Seasiders and from other clubs (subject to change)
11:15AM - Protest outside the West Stand with a musical backdrop.
12:15PM - Kick-off, the plan is for those who refuse to step foot inside Bloomfield Road to continue their protests outside the stadium
-------------------------------------------------------
All the above is being arranged in consultation with the appropriate authorities and the March will be marshalled by stewards from BST. Neither TK not BST will be organzing any protest inside the stadium. Those who choose to watch the match are of course urged to make their feelings known. .
For those coming from outside the Fylde coast, there will be staging posts to greet you. Bring your club scarves, wear your club shirts, you will be made very welcome!
Full details about the day will from tomorrow be updated on the Event page located from the TK page.
Be it about the contemptuous treatment of ordinary fans, the prejudicial attitude towards those with disabilities, the steady destruction of the reputation of the club, the dismantling of a team, the persecution of those who might oppose them including a manager, the broken promises or simply the relegation of Blackpool FC, we are asking you, who are Blackpool FC, and fellow fans of clubs from up and down the country, to return your verdict - guilty of destroying BFC.
WE ARE BLACKPOOL FC
‪#‎JudgementDay‬ ‪#‎FansUnited‬ ‪#‎FootballFirst‬ ‪#‎ExpectUs [Post edited 23 Apr 2015 0:25]
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Thread | We are Blackpool FC - BST Statement
at 20:13 21 Apr 2015
After a weekend in which the fans of this football club proved an inspiration on a national level with their willingness to unite to right an injustice, the current owners of the club have managed to score yet another stupendous own-goal and further damaged the reputation of themselves and the football club that has been placed in their trust.
The Oystons’ would appear to believe that ownership is ten/tenths of the law but in the case of a football club they are sadly mistaken. We, the supporters are this football club and will always remain such. The Oystons’ may own the title deeds and the ‘business’ such as it now is, but they will never own Blackpool Football Club. Wherever we, the supporters are, that is where the club resides.
The Tangerine Knights, BSA, BASIL, Leyland and Chorley Seasiders, Yorkshire Seasiders, BST and every individual fan is Blackpool Football Club. Those are the groups and people that will carry this club beyond the current owners, the next owners and every owner thereafter. We are not going away and if we do, we will take the football club with us.
The most recent statement issued today by ‘the club’ states that the company has taken legal actions against the supporters. It does not appear to the Trust that any supporter has ever attacked Blackpool Football Club, what has been questioned is the way the current owners are managing ‘the company’ or/and the way in which the current owners have acted. We understand that the Oystons have been seeking recompense for damage done to their reputation, and by ‘implication’ that of the football club. Any damage that has accrued to the football club’s reputation is only due to the Oystons’ close association with it. Again, we would argue that no one has done more to damage the Oystons’ or the club’s reputation than the Oystons’ themselves and this latest statement is another example of that.
Further, it is we, the fans, who are trying to protect the well-being and reputation of the football club. We may sometimes be mistaken or misguided in our attempts to do that but we are more than willing to take responsibility for any errors in judgement or mistakes in fact. However, the intention is always for the good of the club. Today’s statement feels like a further attempt by the current owners to distance the club from its supporters to claim ownership of something that cannot be owned legally — the heart and soul of a football club and the community of people that truly form the institution that is Blackpool FC.
It is hard to appreciate from today’s statement anything other than the Oystons trying to counter the negative publicity that has built up around their attempts to sue the club’s ‘customers’. Many now consider the Oystons behaviour to be grossly damaging to the position of Blackpool FC within the support, within the football hierarchy and within the football community in general.
If the Oystons are truly concerned about avoiding further damage to the company’s reputation we suggest two courses of action that will immediately avoid that outcome:
1) Sell Blackpool FC to new owners
2) Give Blackpool FC in trust to the fans of Blackpool FC
We are Blackpool FC and no matter how long it takes we will restore ‘the company’ to custodians who will put the interests of the club, of the community and of football, first. |
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Thread | House of Shame
at 09:57 18 Apr 2015
The House Of Shame
In the week that the club's pursuit of its own fans reached a new low, confirmation of the team's relegation was a mere footnote for many supporters.The story of a pensioner having to pay £20,000 or so to an already extraordinarily wealthy family seemed for many to epitomise the sorry state of the club more than any League Table.
How many businesses sue their own 'customers' when those customers raise concerns about that business? Normally, there would be some attempt to understand why those customers are unhappy, to explain what the customers may have misunderstood or even to improve the service, communication or transparency of the company. Not at Blackpool, where the maxim, 'the customer is always right' has apparently not only been transformed into, 'the customer is usually wrong' but also that in a number of circumstances he can be sued.
If the Oystons believe that by taking such action against supporters is likely to protect or restore such reputation as they have remaining on the Fylde coast then we would like to advise them that such is not the case. Indeed, this spate of legal actions has likely cemented the reputation of the Oystons for many years to come and it seems reasonable to suggest that they have done far more to undermine their own reputation than anyone else.
Worse still perhaps, is the extraction of abject and sycophantic apologies from many of those that have been sued. If, as it would seem reasonable to assume, these apologies are insincere then this truly is reason enough for shame in the House of Oyston. Requiring people to make statements against their conscience and their beliefs is a kind of cruel torture - an insult to our basic human dignity, an affront to the very notion of truth that the Oystons say that they seek to uphold.
Blackpool fans will not rest until any such indignities have been righted and any injustices reversed.
BST stands alongside Frank Knight, Tim Fielding, Steve Sharpe, Back Henry Street and any other individual or group who has attempted to act in the best interests of the football club.
The Trust was set up as an independent voice for Blackpool fans and will always be true to that task. We will not be forced into silence, we will not shy away from any battle. We as fans stand united in our intention to restore the pride, dignity and decency of our football club.
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Thread | Fans United
at 08:23 18 Apr 2015
The events of the last 48 hours have been a timely reminder of why football is so much more than just a game. The support that OUR club has received from football fans around the world is truly heartening and shows why a football club is a social enterprise at the heart of the community, not just a business to be exploited. The appalling treatment of Frank Knight has been the tipping point for many people. Those in the wider community are realising what many of us have known for a long time - attack one of us and you take on all of us. When fans of Blackpool and Preston are standing side by side, something amazing is going on!
We will never, never give up in our quest to restore our lovely old community club - with Fans United, we will succeed.
Don't forget - BST General Members Meeting at the No 1 Club, Bloomfield Rd today at 1.30pm. Hope to see many of you there. |
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Thread | BST poll
at 22:46 15 Apr 2015
Apologies to those who have had problems voting in the poll. We are extending the deadline until midnight on Friday to enable everyone to vote who wishes to do so.
The email sent to all members contains the link; if you have not received this, please check your spam folder.
Any other issues, please email secretary@blackpoolsupporterstrust.org
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Thread | Vote4Andy - Meet the Candidate
at 22:10 14 Apr 2015
Andy Higgins' Election Roadshow is at the Excelsior on Lytham Road this Wednesday 15th April from 7pm in the upstairs function room. Come and hear Andy explain the key messages and answer questions about our manifesto for "Promoting Blackpool and Putting Football First"
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Site Scores| Forum Votes: | 65 | | Comment Votes: | 0 | | Prediction League: | 0 | | TOTAL: | 65 |
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