“Play it again, Sam” is of course a misquotation of Rick Blaine's (played by Humphrey Bogart) exclamation to Sam the pianist from the 1942 film Casablanca and is one of many such sayings that were never actually uttered.
This prompts me to clarify one or two ‘facts’ that are doing the rounds:
On 28th April James Brent instructed Martyn Starnes, with Jon Back as witness, to inform me that the club would no longer allow meetings between the AFT Chair and the Argyle CEO. This was not only because of our successful application for ACV status for Home Park, but also because we were seeking to 'hold the club to account'.
The CEO requested that this be kept under wraps while he and the AFT Chair sought to rescue something from this potential PR car crash, by holding a meeting with new director, Simon Hallett. Meanwhile, other influences within the club further accelerated the crisis by requesting the return of all keys to the lock up used by the AFT, demanding that we obtain official passes before entering the ground and suggesting that we cease producing copy for the match day programme.
At this point the AFT Chair fully briefed his Board, which subsequently issued an agreed statement saying:
“It is therefore with sadness that the Board of the AFT is now withdrawing from any further dialogue with the Board of PAFC while it fails to recognise the need for an open and honest discourse with the democratically elected fans’ representatives”.
The AFT Board were pleased to hear James Brent say at the recent open forum that he wished to re-engage with the various fans’ groups. As the largest and democratically elected of these, we hope that the suspension of dialogue referred to above can be lifted, so that ‘an open and honest discourse’ with all fans’ representatives can now take place. While we were delighted that the Club board recently issued its longest, most detailed and most transparent response in five years, the AFT would far rather this had been as a result of positive engagement with fans groups such as ourselves.
The AFT is NOT anti-James Brent. The successful application for Asset of Community Value status was never intended and could not, by law, prevent his purchase of Home Park. It does though, in our view, offer excellent protection from the Club falling into the wrong hands at such time as it is sold on.
Contrary to one statement made, the AFT Chair has never sought regular meetings with James Brent. All meetings at board level over the last two years have been with the CEO, Martyn Starnes. And, contrary to another statement, most of the questions raised at the open fans’ forum had already been posed by the AFT, including that about the historical debt owed by the Club to the Green Taverners.
And NO, PAFC have NOT threatened to ban me from Home Park if I continue to ask questions on behalf of our members!
This prompts me to clarify one or two ‘facts’ that are doing the rounds:
On 28th April James Brent instructed Martyn Starnes, with Jon Back as witness, to inform me that the club would no longer allow meetings between the AFT Chair and the Argyle CEO. This was not only because of our successful application for ACV status for Home Park, but also because we were seeking to 'hold the club to account'.
The CEO requested that this be kept under wraps while he and the AFT Chair sought to rescue something from this potential PR car crash, by holding a meeting with new director, Simon Hallett. Meanwhile, other influences within the club further accelerated the crisis by requesting the return of all keys to the lock up used by the AFT, demanding that we obtain official passes before entering the ground and suggesting that we cease producing copy for the match day programme.
At this point the AFT Chair fully briefed his Board, which subsequently issued an agreed statement saying:
“It is therefore with sadness that the Board of the AFT is now withdrawing from any further dialogue with the Board of PAFC while it fails to recognise the need for an open and honest discourse with the democratically elected fans’ representatives”.
The AFT Board were pleased to hear James Brent say at the recent open forum that he wished to re-engage with the various fans’ groups. As the largest and democratically elected of these, we hope that the suspension of dialogue referred to above can be lifted, so that ‘an open and honest discourse’ with all fans’ representatives can now take place. While we were delighted that the Club board recently issued its longest, most detailed and most transparent response in five years, the AFT would far rather this had been as a result of positive engagement with fans groups such as ourselves.
The AFT is NOT anti-James Brent. The successful application for Asset of Community Value status was never intended and could not, by law, prevent his purchase of Home Park. It does though, in our view, offer excellent protection from the Club falling into the wrong hands at such time as it is sold on.
Contrary to one statement made, the AFT Chair has never sought regular meetings with James Brent. All meetings at board level over the last two years have been with the CEO, Martyn Starnes. And, contrary to another statement, most of the questions raised at the open fans’ forum had already been posed by the AFT, including that about the historical debt owed by the Club to the Green Taverners.
And NO, PAFC have NOT threatened to ban me from Home Park if I continue to ask questions on behalf of our members!
