When this bloody season's over
Oh, how happy I will be.
I'll burn my season ticket,
Then holiday by the sea.
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When this bloody season's over
Oh, how happy I will be.
I'll burn my season ticket,
Then holiday by the sea.
Most people will agree with you but if you get your way and the Stewarts go, what do you think will happen then?
Do you know of someone with deeper pockets who is willing to take this sh!tshow on and lead us to better times?
We would all like that to be the case but the reality is probably a lot different.
It's all very well people wanting the present ownership out but that's only one side of the equation and the other side is probably a lot more complicated.
This has been coming for a few years, and IMHO the blame doesn't sit with individual players, managers, coaches, etc. We bounced up and down a few times and some kind of arrogance/entitlement set in. It was evident in many fans, and certainly the club's senior management assumed that we'd just keep competitive at the higher end of L1 and frequently dip our toes into Championship waters. I've voiced my views on this before, but I think the ultimate issue is the arrogance of the owner, epitomised by his "giving the town its Eiffel Tower" comment regarding the stadium.
I've worked in businesses before where there's a misplaced belief that the brand name automatically opens doors ahead of some/many competitors, and those businesses tend to struggle until they accept the realities of where they operate. We're there now. A former second tier club with a modern ground, and I firmly believe the entitlement mentality at the top trickles down to the majority of the management and players.
I understand the frustrations this season, and I'm as guilty as anyone of being critical of players and management. Very few of us know the score behind the scenes though, what sort of role was described to the players and how that impacts what they're doing. It's easy to say they should try harder, run themselves into the ground, talk about their salary level... but many of us have taken jobs which have turned out to be very different to the opportunities and workloads being sold as we interviewed. We don't know if they're being sold a dream of a different way of playing, a position they ended up nowhere near, an atmosphere which isn't the one they got. As much as it's easy to pass these things off because they 'earn well', their frustrations may well be very real too.
It's time for our reality check. It doesn't actually matter if it's TS or A.N. Other at the helm, it just matters that they get it, and are prepared to roll their sleeves up, get humble, and treat the club like its success is the most important thing in their day. If the boss doesn't show up every day, ready to graft, you won't get that from those working under him. Similarly, if the boss can't adapt and show some dynamism, we'll go the same way as Kodak, Nokia, Blockbuster, etc, all legacies of a stubborn resistance to change.
If TS doesn't want that - and I fully appreciate there are many reasons he wouldn't - then he has to hand over the job (or the club) to someone who does. Right now, many remember buckets and Don Valley so appreciate what he's done. If this arrogance-driven freefall continues though, over time he'll be remembered (by younger fans of today) as the guy who turned up, flashed some cash, gave us a brief spell of success, and oversaw a return to fourth tier obscurity.
We have a more meaningful anniversary coming up in 2027 - 150 years of the club's existence - it would be nice to think by the start of that season we've made some meaningful changes upstairs, and after a steady season in L2, we're ready to start climbing back to L1 and beyond. UTM. RTID.
It is time for a change at the top,and given that Mr Stewart has gifted the power to his son,I suspect he agrees.
However this isn't something that is quick or easy to achieve given our current situation .
Abusing the chairman won't help anything, some people have very short memories.
I agree we have a lot to thank TS for and any abuse is uncalled for.
However, that doesn't mean he should be above balanced criticism because he has overseen a steady decline at the club over the last 3 years.
He has surrounded himself with people who seem unable or unwilling to challenge how the club is run and who offer nothing in terms of innovative ideas.
He has also refused to communicate with the supporters which is another reason for the anger people are feeling.
I have no idea where the club will go from here but I hope the chairman will give us a clue before much longer, it's the least he should do.
Abusing anyone at the club is uncalled for. You don't need to earn the right to go through life without abuse.
Criticism, however, is absolutely fine. Preferably if it's explained, but it keeps conversations short if people don't bother. Nobody in any walk of life should be above criticism, and those making the fewest missteps should have the least concern about it coming their way.
TLC, I told you earlier why TS handed over full shares to his Son. It was purely for not being bitten by the new Inheritance Tax rules that came into effect on the 1st April.
Had he decided to do it now, he would have been hit with millions of pounds of tax by the new rules. If you think Richard Stewart wants anything to do with continuing in his Fathers role as Chairman you couldn't be any wider off the mark.
Richard Stewart is NOT interested in fulfilling that role of taking RUFC any further.