I am an exiled supporter of over 60 years an find myself wondering where are we going in the near future never mind the long term. Below is fact and answers not speculation is needed from the hierarchy at the club.
1) Have we got a new strip and if so who are the sponsors,why not on sale.
2) Why are there no staff at the Vic
3) Why no information for fans coming out of the club, Barrow seems a lot better in that direction now.
4)Boost the budget where is that money being spent or is it being used to support the club.
5) The club can not be run by volunteers example is making the licensee for alcohol redundant.
6) tell us why Prestige employees are working from the club but not to the clubs advantage.
7) When offers for the club come in consider them seriously or take investments seriously.
Answers please.

1. Pools are a business with the sum total of £0 coming in.
2. As above.
3. As above.
4. As above.
5. As above.
6. As above.
7. Yes, if they are credible and transparent.

I'm somewhere in the middle with this. Agree with Mr. Ed that none of this would be happening without Covid, the lock down, ending last season early and continuing uncertainty about whether and when the fans will be allowed in for this season.

On the other hand, money is bring banked from season ticket sales and running the Vic like a ghost ship is no longer justified. Pools are a month from the expected start of the season with no new strip or strip sponsor and next to no public relations. If it wasn't for DC making himself available to the press the silence would be deafening. It's ridiculous that it takes a bit of an act of faith to believe that Pools actually will start season 20-21, never mind finish it. The club have had my bank details for over a month now and I STILL don't know whether I'll get a season ticket.

As I see it, these off field issues are all Martin Jesper's responsibility. Speaking to the fans through the media once a fortnight is not acceptable. If Jesper isn't working out it's Raj's problem and I expect the usual Raj solution, i.e. get rid.

I agree the silence is deafening and I too feel that more could be done to keep the fans in the loop.
Allegedly we have sold up to 1500 season tickets but we don't know how we are going to accommodate 1500 people in the ground or even if we will be allowed to have that number in the ground.
We don't know if the club have the resources to complete a full season or what will happen if another lockdown should be necessary. I would expect there to be a plan or strategy to cover any potential scenario.
Our fans have committed to purchasing season tickets in blind faith, not knowing if they will be allowed to watch any or all of the games. Surely, having received this massive show of support, the club would be a little more informative than they are currently demonstrating.
The bookies are offering 16-1 about Pools winning the league. I wouldn't bet that Pools are in the league at the end of the season, never mind winning it.
There were too many players opting to refuse contracts or wanting away for my liking. How long is it before Challinor is tempted away.
I am worried, very worried.

Post subject: Re: What is HappeningPostPosted: Thu Sep 03, 2020 12:01 pm
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1. Pools are a business with the sum total of £0 coming in.
2. As above.
3. As above.
4. As above.
5. As above.
6. As above.
7. Yes, if they are credible and transparent.
Yes I agree no revenues coming in except season ticket sales,what about the buget booster. Also several clubs like Dover who were in dire straits have gone out and signed more players. They also made themselves look foolish overb the dealings with Southam-Hales.

__________

no2) Looking to run the club voluntarily check latest club Release on website!

no5) see above but they don't ask for someone to run the Bars so that could be sorted!

The lack of communication with the public is worrying.
We are all speculating and i am suspicious.
I haven't applied for a season ticket because of it.
I smell that something is going on but i dont know what.
In the meanwhile my money is staying in my bank account.
I am seriously considering going support the likes of Billingham or watching rugby again on a regular basis.

Coincidence or what? Bunker thread today asking awkward questions and within a few hours the club launches its Volunteer Initiative.

A bit of care with punctuation in the Relevant Skills section wouldn't have gone amiss - unless electrical Cleaning really is a thing?

Anybody who's ever been involved with a voluntary organisation or tried to save money using volunteers knows there are plenty of pitfalls. The club better have a plan B in place for every time someone involved in a voluntary capacity loses interest or has to give priority to other pressures on their life.

The power of the bunker!!!!!

the former happens at all clubs every season. dave challinor being tempted away is actually the main thing to worry about. think fans always add 2 and 2 up and make a mess of the answer. however the panot help this.st at pools does

Anyone see the message on Twitter where Pools were asking for a team to volunteer for a friendly match?

Yep - I guess that’s what happens when there’s no club secretary!

I don't understand your last sentence, mate.
When there is a lack of communication fans will always speculate, it's what they do, and they mainly do it because they care about their club and, especially in our case, worry about it's future. It's a natural process.

what i am getting at is that no communication seems to bring out negativity all the time with fans. now negative you get is not the sign of how much love you have for the club. better to keep our powder dry till the club does say something and not speculate without any real proof.

Agree. It would help if the club was transparent about how many paid staff will be working on the club's behalf at the Vic in the coming season, not counting the players, coaching staff and groundsmen. At the minute I know of only two, Martin Jesper and Ticket Office Supervisor Kate Betts (yes, I've had my account debited for the season ticket).

For example, will they be creating the post of Volunteer Coordinator to oversee the many unpaid people they hope will be fulfilling the various roles outlined in the Volunteer Scheme? Who do the volunteers report to, and who takes up the slack when there's a problem?
Is there a successful model at other clubs at National League level that the Volunteer Scheme is based on?

Haven't seen a comment on the scheme yet from HUST. Hopefully members will get an update today?

Like I say speculation is a natural process and will always be present. It's not always negative.
If somebody stops talking you are prompted to ask what's the matter, and when the answer is deathly silence you start thinking what is wrong or, better still, what have I done wrong. It's a human reaction. The fact that this thread was raised in the first place shows that concern is out there and we think it is important enough to discuss it. Whenever the club goes silent we get this reaction and then the speculation starts.
The best example of this was during the IOR years, which are commonly rated as the best years in the club's history. They were forever being accused of being non communicative and speculation was rife. A person's love of the club definitely is a factor. If I didn't love the club I wouldn't worry so much about it or it's future and I certainly wouldn't be wasting too much of my time giving an opinion. I am extremely worried as to what our future holds and I am certainly not going to sit back and wait for information on the clubs plans. I want answers now and I'll keep asking the questions and speculating until I get them. I am obviously not the only one and, like others, I am aware that, to a certain extent, I am bashing my head against a brick wall but I am prepared to continue to do that because of my love for Hartlepool United. Can't help it I'm afraid, it's in my DNA.

think the DNA has a lot to do with it. mine is being suspicious of many comments that come from the club. i,m always looking for whats between the lines in anything they say and always feel a lot of whats being said is said in either an attempt to keep fans quiet or saying what we want to hear even if not totally correct. i can understand your frustration and the same with others, however at times i do find that no news is good news at pools. news tends to end up bad on most occasions even when it sounds positive at the outset.

This volunteering thing is the beginning of the end. Pools are in my DNA too, but I won't be watching them this season, I've had enough. I will be back when I see us occupying one of the top two positions, not before.

I may be gone some time.

https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/behind-the-scenes-update-countdown-to-the-season-start/?fbclid=IwAR2waVnlwDSrAZWmpDsk-gA3kHJTrpcXBMH9DSz1_CU-USo8k6AP9XMWuMM

Pretty much agree - but I've bought our season tickets - a charitable donation perhaps? I very much hope to be standing on the terraces in the near future - but am becoming resigned to a tragic outcome. If volunteers are running everything then Raj better be putting every penny of ticket money into DC and his team - no dubious repayments of his donation/ gift/ loan.............

would not go that far. i actually got the bug again after that chesterfield away win last season. if some miracle did happen and pools were in the play off positions then i,ll be back regularly. mid table or lower will certainly see visits being less. rather use the cash saved on getting my peugeot 309 re sprayed.

Tarring Raj with the same brush as the two previous regimes whose worst efforts he saved Pools from seems harsh. HUST have put out a note encouraging Pools fans to get involved in the Volunteer Scheme with the comment that "volunteer positions are comment across non-league" and also promised an update soon "regarding equity investment. We are working with the Club on what details we can agree to share..."

You, me and about 1,500 others have bought the season tickets that the club has made available, pending more clarity on ground capacities. It's encouraging that various outdoor sporting events with limited crowds have gone ahead; just need to see whether the government will keep its nerve over the next few weeks and sanction fans coming back everywhere at the beginning of October.

With NL fixtures out this week and the start of the season less than a month away the club still needs to do a lot more to improve communications with fans. Media management is too important to be left to a volunteer so I hope there's an announcement soon on a permanent replacement for Simmo. Would be good to hear something from Jeff Stelling again too.

Agreed. Raj Singh made a commitment to save the club and invest a million pounds. He has almost doubled that and some people still give the bloke grief.

For all the reasons we know including Coxberg and Covid, the club is skint, albeit with no immediate danger of going bust. The only way forward is for the supporters to rally round whether that be by buying season tickets and merchandise or by volunteering. Clearly the club cannot afford back room staff, we have seen some pretty high profile departures so to be blunt; Raj Singh is basically saying 'I've done my bit, over to you'.

This is the point it went sour for RS at Darlo by the way so be careful what you wish for.

I give the bloke grief because in terms of running a football club successfully he hasn't a clue. Any money he has put in , hasn't been an investment as such , but money to make up for the shortfall of revenue , of a club that lacks leadership and direction from its owner , and who has consistently recruited the wrong people since he took over. This had led to a club that has been in constant turmoil since he took control and one that is short on ideas on how to bring revenue into the club, usually finding itself skint from November onwards when the ST money is all spent.

Even now, clubs like Spennymoor are selling replica tops ,yet where are ours?. Also the pre-season schedule yet again is piss poor , with games getting pulled and replaced by games against inferior opposition.

As for volunteers, volunteers work at clubs starting from scratch such as AFC Wimbledon , Darlo and Bury etc , people tend to rally around when you hit rock bottom. They also work at established non league clubs like Blyth and Spennymoor and many others , some with only 300 fans, some clubs that start with 300 and then due to the good work of those involved treble the gates such as Salford, FGR, and Spennymoor. i Pools for me are not at the stage where they need to go down this route, this is purely Raj trying to claw back some money before he walks away. A club with a 3000 average should not be run with volunteers. HUST are sucking up to the club because they want that coveted seat on the board. I am no longer a member of HUST as I believe they should be holding the club to account not holding their hands. Where clubs with 3000 fans and volunteers can work is where the club is fan owned , we are not fan owned , but that would probably be the best course of action , but that will never happen , whilst the fanbase is fractured.

Spot on Horden, a club as big as Pools in the non league should not be in the mess it is. We are being run on a par with the likes of Spennymoor and darlo if not worse.

Except you missed the bit where there is currently no revenue stream at all.

Generally I agree that Pools should be able to hold their own financially especially with the peppercorn rent. Singh took over a basket case and putting that right takes time. I've been clear that in my view we should have gone into admin and dumped the Sage debt. That would have given a clean sheet and the money through the door could have been used to build not put the past right.

I wasn't commenting on the blokes record at Pools only that he put his money in with good intentions. Don't get me started on the Trust. The politically correct statements and walking on eggshells is not where it should be.

What next volunteer players

Careful wishing.
I Hope we have a decent season of promotion or at worst play off failure.

No covid excuses.
23 other clubs in the same boat who don't all have daddy's of sugar.

UTP.

Grateful for Raj for stepping in n saving Pools.

But now it's time to crack on no excuses of yesterday.Fans will only buy that shit for so long.

All businesses will struggle in this covid era.
But the successful ones will have a touch of nous on how to create revenue streams.

No more Wrexham have been in this division for years excuse.

In my eyes it's a major make or break season.
Up the progress/ambition rate otherwise the fans missing from covid might just say we had enuf and call it a day.

[quote="horden"]

As for volunteers, volunteers work at clubs starting from scratch such as AFC Wimbledon , Darlo and Bury etc , people tend to rally around when you hit rock bottom. They also work at established non league clubs like Blyth and Spennymoor and many others , some with only 300 fans, some clubs that start with 300 and then due to the good work of those involved treble the gates such as Salford, FGR, and Spennymoor. i Pools for me are not at the stage where they need to go down this route,
not too long ago we were talking about pools throwing money away with excess wages on non playing staff. having supporter volunteers seems the only alternative. at least a fan would put heart and soul into the job they got. imagine with 3,000 plus local poolies about it would be difficult to imagine there would be no one capable of doing any single job off the pitch. like it or not pools are beginning to be an established non league club and should embrace the best of non league for possible success on the pitch.

Hey MR I - appreciate you were a lot closer to this than many of us, but I thought the remaining Sage debt was effectively gone, and had been replaced by performance related milestone payments?

Are we still paying interest / principal to those f***ers? Or was your comment more linked to any payments Raj made to them in the early days pre clean-up?

If memory serves me well.
I'm sure Mr Brackstone our short lived chairman from a few years ago was a major player in keeping Pools alive.

By agreeing to something like 10% of future transfer fees n FA Cup run money's.

He probably have to live to 140 to get his money back.