Tuesday 29 November 2016

Season Diary - Week 17


The Killie Trust AGM on Saturday went well with the members agreeing that the ‘Trust in Killie’ initiative was the way forward and that they should push for all Killie fans to become members prior to its launch.

The KFCSA meeting followed, and they passed their new constitution, which will allow them to step up their bid to see Michael Johnston removed from the board, whilst still actively supporting the team.

Things were rounded off with a Q&A with former Club and now Killie Trust Director Russel Smith, then a discussion of all things protest.

Mentioned were vocal protests at the 18th and 69th minutes in all games; presentation of the petition; a post-match protest this Saturday; boycotting the snack bars and tellingly they are looking into opening an escrow account to hold season ticket money for next year.

More details and statements by both organisations can be found on KillieFC.com


KFCSA & Trust Statement



On Saturday, the Killie Trust held their AGM at the Crown Inn, Kilmarnock, which was followed by Kilmarnock Supporters' Association's special general meeting, which unanimously approved a new modern constitution.

Following the meetings, a helpful and informative discussion took place, which included an interesting and revealing question and answer session with former director Russel Smith, who recently resigned from the football club board.

The supporters attending decided that:

1. The petition regarding former club chairman Michael Johnston will be available on Saturday for fans who still want to sign and are attending the match against Dundee.
 

2. Fans wishing to protest vocally are asked to focus on the 18th and 69th minutes in future games, starting on Saturday at Rugby Park. Fans felt that a suitable chant was ‘Michael Johnston- you're killing our club’
 

3. Fans who wish to protest after the match on Saturday are asked to assemble at the main entrance door of the Frank Beattie stand to hold their protest.
 

4. Those fans wishing to do so should also boycott the snack bars.
 

5. Fans were also informed that the KFCSA are actively looking into an escrow account for supporters to deposit season ticket money if the current situation was not resolved.

Russel Smith highlighted that the club seemed to lurch from crisis to crisis with no long term business strategy in place. He was highly frustrated with the running of the club, which ultimately led him to resigning from the club’s board.

KFCSA would urge all Kilmarnock supporters to join the Killie Trust as the Trust can secure the long term future of the club.

Iain SherryKFCSA Secretary

Smith Joins Trust Board!



Following the Annual General Meeting on Saturday 26th November, the Kilmarnock Supporters’ Society are delighted to announce that former Kilmarnock Football Club Director Russel Smith has joined the board.

Russel has worked within the retail and hospitality sectors for many years, both in the UK and internationally and his expertise and insight into this and the day-to-day running of a football club will be invaluable to the Trust going forward, as well as offering them a significant boost to their long-term goal of achieving fan representation at the club.

Jim Thomson, Chairman of the Killie Trust, said: “We are delighted that someone of Russel’s standing has agreed to join our Board. After over a decade of campaigns and fundraisers to help both the club and the community, we feel that the Trust in Killie initiative is the most important yet.”

“Having someone with Russel’s experience on board is going to give us a real boost and complement the expertise we already have at our disposal. We believe that Killie fans will see this as a real positive and get behind the initiative when it launches, hopefully early in the new year. Meanwhile, I would urge all our fans to take the first step and join the Trust now, a strong membership is vital to the club’s future.”

Russel spoke at length about his long-term vision for the football club when he talked and took questions at the Trust’s AGM, which ran concurrently with the KFC Supporters’ Association SGM, at which a change of their constitution was passed. He is a passionate individual with a great love of the club and will fit in well among the Trust’s other committed board members.

He said: “I am privileged to join the board of the Kilmarnock Supporters’ Society at what I believe is a pivotal moment for both the Killie Trust and Kilmarnock Football Club. I hope to be able to make a valuable contribution to what is already an impressive team effort.”

“With fan representation on the board now a near-term reality rather than a distant dream, it is a clear demonstration that all parties in the Kilmarnock story can hold hands together, break old barriers and build new ground; which may well have seemed improbable or unlikely in the past.”



“Together, with the right mindset and the belief we can be better and stronger as one, we can all play our part in building a bright future for our club and our community. I wholeheartedly support the proposed ‘Trust in Killie’ initiative to increase fan ownership and fan representation on the board of Directors of our club.”

A lifelong Killie fan, Russel was born a mere stone’s throw from the club’s home at Rugby Park and has taken an active involvement in Kilmarnock Football Club regardless of where his career has taken him. He joined the Kilmarnock FC board as a director in March 2014 and stepped down in October 2016.

Wednesday 23 November 2016

Rage or Apathy? Let's change Kilmarnock FC together



It was just another day in KillieFC headquarters and we were talking about how to publicise the Killie Trust AGM and KFCSA meeting this weekend and how vital it is that fans attend. To be brutally honest, I came up with nothing but Michael P suggested that I just lay it out there, warts and all, and explain why I think it's so important that every Killie fan who can make it, does make it on Saturday.

It's as simple as this, if you are free on Saturday at 12:30pm, and I mean free as in you are not washing your hair, clipping your toenails, or creeping around Rugby Park supping pie grease from the empty ovens, you must get along to the Crown Inn on High Glencairn Street (just along from Varani's Forum).

Now that you know the where and the when, we'll come to the why.

A False Dawn


Your football club, despite what they tell you, is in trouble and deteriorating fast. The number of Directors and staff we have lost in recent years is unbelievable and had it not been for fans protesting a couple of years ago, there would have been no Billy Bowie coming in on a white charger (or tanker?) to bail us out.

Of course, as we all know, it was the bank that took the real hit and our former chairman did pretty well out of the wheeling and dealing. Ironically that seems to have kept him here.

It was a false dawn and was made complete with the introduction of new Directors Jim Mann, John Kiltie, Russel Smith and David Moran, three of whom have now gone. Some of the fans bought into the idea of a new "debt free" club but the truth was that Kilmarnock FC continued to haemorrhage money, despite now having no credit facilities, and fans and sponsors continued to disappear.

And so it continues.

The only difference now is that even the most ardent Michael Johnston supporters (including Billy Bowie) are now realising that his continued presence is toxic to the club and that if we continue to be no more than a pension pot for certain individuals then our future can be viewed as precarious at best.

Where We Are Now


Media reports have both Billy Bowie and John Kiltie making moves to remove the mess from our shoe but so far they have failed to either buy him out or force him out and it looks like he is adamant that he is staying until 2019 when the 'embarrassment' clause with the bank expires and he can enjoy yet another pay day at the expense of our club.

That shouldn't prevent the bank from being embarrassed all the same, they were just glad to be free of us and didn't care about the repercussions it may have on the club and community. The CEB that they insisted we have is a complete and utter sham, the new "Kilmarnock Community Sports Trust" (you know you're on shaky ground when your first Google result is your Companies House entry) is an entity which no-one really knows much about and seems to be no more than a means to an end to ensure that the man who presided over the biggest downturn in attendances in the country is able to keep calling the shots at the club.

Not for a minute do I blame the entirety of our current predicament on Michael Johnston - of course not - Scottish football is a complete basket case and is blighted by the clueless wonders running the show. But we can't even begin to tackle those issues until we get our house in order and that starts with change at the top, which is where we, the supporters, have to step in.

So far we have failed to do anything other than attract someone in to bail Johnston out and he is quite rightly not going to keep signing blank cheques, so January could be a lot grimmer than it usually is for Killie.

It's time to open our eyes and stop expecting someone else to come in and save us. Football clubs the world over are being 'rescued' by their own fans and if we hadn't been hoodwinked into believing that everything was fine and dandy then our own Supporters Trust could have had us on the road to recovery a long time ago.

Despite leading the way for years and giving advice other Trusts, we find ourselves floundering while the likes of Hearts and Motherwell (who signed up their 2,000th member this week) are becoming sustainable entities which the fans have a say in running.

If we had 2,000 Trust members we wouldn't be having any of these problems now: that's a fact.

What Can We Do About It? 


You can join the Trust, then you can get yourself along to the meeting on Saturday and find out what your fellow fans think and have your say in how we try and sort out this mess. Football without fans is indeed nothing and following the AGM and the amendment to the KFCSA's constitution we should have a frank and open discussion on what we can do in real terms to force change, and we can force it - if that's what we really want.

Do we want to force change? Are you willing to spend an hour or two on a blank Saturday afternoon to save the club for future generations, or are you happy to procrastinate on forums and social media but draw the line at actually doing anything to help?

I am starting to have my doubts about our once proud support and wonder if the hotheads and bampots have now been replaced by fans who talk a good game but are content to sit idly by while the club we profess to support is dismantled right in front of us. Bungalow sold, car park sold, hotel sold; the Sports Bar, hospitality and club shop all hived off... when exactly are we going to pluck up the courage to say enough is enough and cast off the puppet strings?


We have talk of boycotts and walk outs and we've already been through the red card display process. We are scared to mention the thousands of fans who have walked away and refuse to put a penny more into the club because the acronym NAPM has been deemed taboo despite it being the only thing that ever realistically effected change.

How can we ever get serious about taking action if all we are willing to do is bump our gums about it and refuse to commit to anything unless a Fleeting type leader miraculously appears out of the ether? The 'investors' have made it clear they will support the club if Johnston goes, what have we got to lose that we don't face losing every year as we stumble from season to season just scraping by at best?

Engage The Rage


If you've made it this far then clearly you must at least agree with some of what I'm saying and don't want to leave our fate in the hands of someone who clearly doesn't care about Kilmarnock Football Club or our fans.

The time has come to cast aside the apathy and self-pity and embrace the rage again. One read through the so-called 'naughty list' (which was so long they stopped adding to it two years ago) should be enough to remind you of what we've had to endure and none of Johnston's double-speak should assuage our anger at being reduced to a laughing stock for our peers for putting up with his actions for so long.

I fully appreciate that there will be fans who are working on Saturday and those who may have made other arrangements as they had no plans to go to Aberdeen. That doesn't take away from the importance of this meeting and what a unified front could mean in terms of not only saving our Club from death by a thousand cuts, but in terms of actually turning things around and making things even better than they were when we just accepted everything that happened and crossed our fingers that it would turn out okay.

Killie is a state of mind and no one has the right to take that from us - but that's what happening. If we don't make the conscientious decision to stand and fight our corner then we can have no excuses when Ayrshire's finest becomes the next big club to fall.

Make the time to be there on Saturday, let's not go down without a fight and let's not allow one man's greed be the final nail in the coffin of Scotland's oldest professional football club.

We are Killie, this is the truth.

Barry Richmond
Editor
KillieFC.com

Don't forget to sign up for the Killie Trust.

Be The Boss - Billy Standring



Taking his place in the gaffer's chair this week is the one and only Billy Standring. Billy is a long-time member of the website and has been a volunteer/coach/committee member at the best young supporters' group in the country, Young Killie, for many a year. Without further ado, here is his line up and instructions for his new charges....


GOALKEEPER
Jamie McDonald - First name down on the team sheet, saved a lot of points last season and continues to do the same this season, one of the best.

DEFENCE
Right back: Luke Hendrie - Fast becoming a good reliable right back, solid in defence and good at going forward to support the midfield & forwards.
Centre Half: Scott Boyd - A good no nonsense centre half, steadied the back four, would be great to get him signed up on a permanent deal.
Centre Half: Johnny Burn (if fit) - Has started to form a good partnership with Boyd, what we have been needing.
Left Back: Greg Taylor - Turning into a really good attacking left back, can easily play in midfield but prefer him at full back.

MIDFIELD
Right Midfield: Rory McKenzie - Non stop running, closing down the opposition, Hearts game his best in a while needs to show the same commitment more regularly.
Centre Midfield: Gary Dicker - Will need to stamp his authority on the game early on, bring the wingers into play and support the attack, been a very good signing.
Centre Midfield: Stevie Smith - A more defensive role than Dicker, sit in front of the back four when we don't have the ball, get forward to support the strikers when the situation allows.
Left Midfield: Jordan Jones - Has been a good signing, a bit inconsistent, needs to run at the full backs and get crosses into the box, potential match winner.

FORWARDS
Forward: Souleymane Coulibaly - All action forward, doesn't score mundane goals, find of the season, play him just off the main striker to feed off knock downs and crosses from the wingers.
Centre Forward: Nathan Tyson - Has shown enough in the few starts he has had, will need service and the goals will come.

Playing a 442 system with captain Stevie Smith as the sitting midfielder, Jones and McKenzie attacking the full backs and our full backs going beyond the midfield when the situation will result in a 3-0 Killie win and hey presto - I'm manager of the year!

Monday 21 November 2016

Season Diary - Week 16


A team that cost as much to put together as Celtic should really have blown us away on Friday, but they didn’t.

It was a real fighting performance from our younger players and if we had carried a bit more firepower in the final third the game was there for the taking.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be, but it should increase the player’s confidence going into the new game which, as the Aberdeen game has been moved, is another two weeks away again.

This Saturday is still important to Killie fans as the Trust AGM and a Supporters’ Association SGM (to change their constitution) is in the Crown Inn from 12:30pm on.

Fans have been crying out for a Grand-Hall-type meeting and this is surely it.

Invites have also been sent out to directors Bowie and Kiltie to let us know where they stand.

If you can make it and you care, you have to be there. I can't emphasise how important it is for the fans to make a stand now. Cancel everything if you can and come and have your say.

Tuesday 15 November 2016

Season Diary - Week 15



Championship winning side ever-present Eric Murray sadly passed away last week and the funeral is at 10am on Thursday at Dreghorn.

Eric was well respected and well liked in the Killie community and will be sadly missed, the condolences of all our fans go to his family and friends.

The sadness continued with a service at Rugby Park on Sunday as wreaths were left at the memorial plaque at the main entrance of the stadium.

The Club, the Killie Trust and the KFCSA were all represented and club chaplain Jim McNay was on hand to say a few words.

The Association announced that they would be having an SGM immediately following the Trust’s AGM at the Crown Inn on Saturday 26th November at 12:30pm.

They have posted proposed changes to their constitution on the website at kfcsa.KillieFC.com/ and hope that as many fans as possible will attend.

Sunday 13 November 2016

Hippo 164 - Double Talk




Ever since I got involved with the fans groups I’ve been of the opinion that you should never believe a word that comes out the parasite’s mouth. He tries to be clever and basically does the same as most politicians…..he talks constant “double talk”. He doesn’t come out with blatant lies but he simply doesn’t tell the whole truth. You have to analyse every word that he says then try and work out what it really means…..NEVER take what he says at face value.

There’s no doubt he is under increasing pressure, he has aged 50 years in the last 10 and now he has stopped attending games. It’s important that the fans play their full part in keeping the pressure on and a bit of strong leadership and direction from the KFCSA is badly needed. It’s good to see that some of the papers are eventually picking up on the story, I’m sure if one investigative journalist took the time to delve into the whole thing he may find there is a story or two to be told.

Anyway we had to put our analytical skills to full use when the poison came out to reply to the QTS withdrawal threats in a recent newspaper article. We have put the full article below showing what MJ said followed by what we think he really means:

"I would consider my position if somebody wanted to buy my shares but nobody wants to buy my shares."
Nobody wants to buy my shares at the unreasonable price I want to sell at.

"These things start with talking and then it moves to a more formal written proposal. That hasn’t happened."
I have talked to several people about selling my shares but always piss them off with endless talking and delays that I believe are good negotiation tactics.

“I know there is a lot of inaccurate material being put into the public domain. There is no offer of investment in any formal sense and, likewise, no formal legal offer to buy my shares."
 I know that the offers that I have received have made their way into the press and I am pissed off about this so will now try to discredit those individuals.

"I’ve had talks with people – but nobody has made an offer capable of acceptance to buy my shares. That has happened a number of times over the years."
I will repeat myself because I want you to believe what I am saying. This was a technique made famous by Bill Clinton in the 90’s and used by Tony Blair extensively.

"I have talked to people and I have given them financial information."
I would like you to believe that I have gone out of my way to help investors complete due diligence but I will not reveal just how much or little I have helped.

"They speak about buying shares, either by way of new share capital in the company or buying my shares, but nothing of a formal nature comes out of it."
I am so difficult to deal with nothing ever gets to the formal process.

"It’s not unusual but it has been reported that I was made an offer of a large sum of money. There has been no such offer. Those are the two major issues."
I will repeat myself again. Perhaps I can go on the conference tour with Clinton and Blair.

"The question of me blocking new investment – and that is not true because there is no formal offer – and me turning down a substantial sum of money for my shares which is not true because there isn’t an offer of any formal or legal nature."
Clinton and Blair have nothing on me.

On the sponsorship position, Johnston said: "QTS have been fantastic sponsors and have assured me they will remain as sponsors until at least the end of the season. Hopefully, we can advance discussions with that and QTS will remain in place."
These are not the drones you are looking for!

And Johnston also defended himself against accusations that he is damaging the club. He said: "It’s extremely disappointing when you have invested 14 years in running the football club, during which time I eliminated £13million worth of debt that I inherited in 2005. I operated as a self-imposed administrator but did not charge as much as an actual administrator would have charged."
You should be eternally grateful that I only earned a decent living from this.

"I'm struggling to see where I personally have let the club down."
The fact that the club has gone backwards since March 2014 and the fact that I have significantly improved my personal position despite hindering the investment that could have delivered a much brighter financial position should be ignored.

"I was able to get the debt-restructuring deal across the line in March 2014. We then put in place a proper board of directors. It was four, then five, now three."
The bank were only willing to do a deal that reduced my shareholding. I created a very complex deal that I was willing to accept because it significantly benefited me. LGB through Grant Thornton spent considerable time talking to BB and other potential investors coming up with multiple options for me but I just wasn’t willing to accept them because I needed to protect my nest egg. Finally I found a deal that hit the jackpot.

"We’ve had a board of directors running the company since March 2014, not me on my own. The notion which is being put about that I’m running the show and making decisions to advance some agenda is untrue and unfounded."
Since March 2014 I have played a blinder. I have done a brilliant job of making the board impotent by being the most awkward person that ever sat on a board. I’ve seen off three of them and managed to make it look like they couldn’t hack it. I struggle to keep my underwear dry when I think about it.

"It’s disappointing but I’ve learned to deal with it as opposed to getting involved in slanging matches."
I think I may have leaked a little pee.

"I don’t want to do anything to harm the club. I got involved in 2005 because the alternative was the club going into administration which may have led to liquidation."
I need the club to have a pulse. I need my brown trousers when I think of losing my nest egg.

"So I saw the possibility of saving the club and that’s what I did. My objective was to eliminate the debt, keep the club in the top division and look after the employees."
I am more NAPM than Hippo, it’s ironic I know but the survival of this club means as much to me than him. It’s my pension.

Hippo says – we have listened to his nonsense for far too long and the translation above really does reflect his style of misleading fans whilst trying to stay "legal". With regards "blatant lies" the most disgusting was at a meeting I attended with several other fan reps. Alan Robertson had come to the Trust and explained cut backs were being made hence the fifty for the future campaign was started to save the youths. MJ said he had lied at the time and there had been no need to raise funds...what a lovely way to treat your loyal fans.

Lest We Forget




Club Chaplain the Reverend Jim McNay conducted a service today in memoriam to the Kilmarnock Football Club players who fell during the Great War and World War II and never returned.


The service was attended by representatives from the Club, the Government, East Ayrshire Council, The Killie Trust and the KFC Supporters' Association.


Wreaths were lain at the main entrance to the stadium where a plaque commemorating the lives of those service men who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country was positioned a few years ago.

Ian Sherry (KFCSA) and Gary Torbett (Killie Trust) lay a wreath
 

Hippo 164 - Moran



The shambles that is the boardroom at the Theatre of Lies shows no sign of putting itself right any time soon. Our campaign for change a few years back did result in new faces joining the parasite although it wasn’t perfect as Bowie inexplicably chose to prop up Johnston…..a decision that he must hugely regret by now. However it was an improvement on the one man dictatorship and the new guys that remain are the ones best placed to get rid of the black cloud that continues to float above our famous old ground. The departure rate from the boardroom is matched only by that of the key positions in the club and out with the shop I don’t think I know anyone. It’s all changed days from when the likes of Anne Clark worked there for years showing true loyalty to the club that she loves. The boardroom departures in recent times have seen chairman Jim Mann do his best but ultimately head back down south. David Moran came on along with Russel Smith, both genuine Killie fans who invested in shares and joined the board in the belief they could halt our decline. They gave it their best shot but realised the parasite has manipulated the whole structure of the club in a way that makes it very difficult for anyone to make a significant difference...unless they pay him an obscene amount of money of course.

1. Why has MJ never been voted off the board? 
The board can only remove a director if they have the backing of 70% of shareholders in writing. MJ own 40% so impossible. It takes an EGM for shareholders to vote a director off the board and it takes 5% of shareholders with a valid reason to call an EGM. Trying to get 5% to legally meet the requirements to call and EGM is not easy when the board hold about 92% of the total shares. Even at an EGM Billy Bowie hold the key to any vote. Even if BB voted against MJ, MJ could fight in the courts to stay on to protect his “investment” (no sniggering).

2. Why does KFC not use another solicitors firm?

aThat baffles me and I would suspect that MJ signed a contract with himself before when he held 87% of shares that ties us to him. I was never given access to all the pre-existing contracts despite asking several times. I have no idea what notice period might be on any of these contracts. An example of an onerous contract in football would be the Sports Direct contract at Ibrox with a 7 year notice period. Certainly an equation for the next AGM or and EGM. That’s where the Ibrox contracts were uncovered.

3. What was your main reasons for leaving the board?
I was not willing to invest the second traunch of my investment while MJ remained on the board. That meant I had to resign.

4. What in your opinion will it take to remove MJ from a position of power at KFC?
Money or the potential future loss of it. A criminal conviction. Death.

5. If there is no gagging order why haven't you told the other side of the story to the press to counteract the spin from MJ?
I have told anyone that wants to listen. I’m glad Hippo has given me this opportunity.

6. What were you thinking?
I ask myself the same question. I really thought that MJ would sit back and let others grow his investment. I totally underestimated the lengths that he would go to keep control. I believed that I could help turn the club PR around and get the fans back behind a progressive fan focused board. I was wrong.

7. Do you know the current relationship between Bowie and MJ?
They are business partners. Anything beyond that baffles me.

8. What percentage if any will the bank take from MJs money from selling his shares in Kilmarnock Football Club if the sale takes place before 2019 and is this the reason he won't sell before then, or is there something else keeping him hanging on?
I have no idea but it will be enough for him to not risk it. A big payday is all that keeps him hanging on. He will wait as long as it takes.

9. Have you seen any evidence that supports MJ's claim that the club could face a financial penalty if he leaves before 2019?
I have seen no evidence to support this. The bank are silent on this (I have contacted them) and everyone else in between is bound by confidentiality agreements. Only MJ seems willing to talk about it and nobody can contradict what he says...just as he likes it.

10. Has MJ ever told a blatant lie?
That would need to be legally proved and he would fight the accusation. He is extremely careful with what he says. A statement with 1% truth can be argued as being not untrue. He is the king of double speak.

11. Can you confirm what YNTTK has said, about an e-mail from MJ, which contains names of potential investors and what they are willing to invest?
I have not seen the email however I have emails from investors with pledges of over £1.2m if MJ is gone. MJ always claimed that they were just pledges and not real. I looked these people in the eye and I know it was real money.

12. Did due diligence throw up any concerns when you were initially investing?
No it didn’t and I suspect if I had been more intrusive I wouldn’t have learned any more but might have pulled out.

13. Did the board support MJ when taking action against Brownings re Killie branding and/or is he pursuing personal vendettas using the clubs money?
I can confirm John Gall's statement that during my time another director negotiated commercial terms with Browning for an extended period of supply of catering services. If it had been my company I would have signed it personally but it did not get signed. That is as much as I know. I am still at a loss as to why it wasn’t signed. I personally think that some people over estimate the value of the Killie Pie Brand outside of Killie.

14. Do you think Johnston is deliberately trying to kill the club?
Absolutely not. You don’t kill the golden goose. It was once claimed that Mike Ashley just needed an Ibrox club to have a faint pulse and no more. MJ just needs us alive until payday.

15. Can you set the fat **** up so he bumps into me on a dark night with no witnesses?
It’s a small town and the nights are fair drawing in.

16. What are the issues surrounding the validity or not if the request for an EGM?
Does everyone legally own their shares, has everyone given full legal permission for me to use their shares, have the Trust and Mauchline KSA met their constitutional obligations. Time consuming faffing that just delays everything.

17. How the f**k do we get rid of Michael Johnston preferably without going him any more than a quid?
When I came in I was in the camp that he had earned the right to a reasonable payday. He had done the very unenviable job of stripping out cost to keep us alive. We had the chance to rebuild in 2014 and if he had sat back and let others run the club better I would not have grudged him a pay day. However he has managed to get half the hotel, has held us back and now wants a pay day that in my opinion is grossly unreasonable.

18. Is it true that you were the original "Cyril the Squirrel" in the mid-nineties and if so, does this make you the first man in football history to go from mascot to board room?
I helped Chalky White out once and was Cyril on the pitch before Skol Cup tie vs Hibs in 1992.

19. Do you believe Billy Bowie has the clubs best interests at heart and do you believe he wants rid of Johnston?
He wants the club to do well but doesn’t want to run a football club. He didn’t want MJ out when I was there but surely he sees the issue now. He can’t keep propping the club up waiting for MJ’s payday. If he has offered MJ what we have read then he must be pretty insulted that MJ has knocked him back. I am and it’s not my money.

20. Does the board operate on a one member, one vote system on all matters? If so, did that apply to the CEB member when one sat on the board?
Yes but votes that MJ might lose are avoided because he doesn’t take kindly to other people telling him how to run the club.

21. What happened to the CEB?
Good question. What was the point? If it was a condition of the bank deal why is it less important to maintain than preserving MJ on the board. Picking and choosing?

22. Were the remote directors - Mann, Smith and yourself - ever "surprised" by business decisions made in your absence?
I’ll speak for myself. Yes, too often for my liking. I didn’t want a hands on role and to be consulted on every decision but I was surprised at some of the minor things I was extensively updated on by MJ while other arguably more important decisions were taken by MJ with less consultation.

23. What were your reasons for becoming a Director, and backing for a short time the reign of MJ?
At no point did I back the “reign” of MJ. Right from the start I expected him to step back and wait quietly for his pay day. I believed that I could help turn the club PR around and get the fans back behind a progressive fan focused board. I believed that MJ would step back and that I could get others to invest much more than I could so we could appoint a full time CEO instead of an executive chairman. I was wrong.

24. What given your experience are the reasons why MJ still holds on to power and defeats any opposition? Is it just the voting and legal structure he has developed over time? Surely experienced business people could find a loophole or other way of manoeuvring his exit, be that even accepting a pay off?
He is able to legally challenge everything. He has the time and the resources to do this inexpensively. Taking him on takes time and money to legally challenge everything he has built to protect himself. He has created layer upon complex layer of protection that we need to peel them back one by one. Each time one is removed another is revealed. It can seem endless. He does not need to win anything just avoid losing until payday has come and gone. It’s like parking the bus and not needing to score a winner.

25. How do you see the boardroom situation panning out between now and the end of the season?
It is difficult to see a solution we want. I want an EGM to remove him but really that’s pie in the sky without Billy Bowie wanting it to happen so the ball is in Billy’s court. It is difficult for him because at the end of the day they are partners whether they like it or not. MJ’s statement 2 weeks ago in response to the KFCSA petition talked the club financial position making it appear like he was doing a great job. If QTS confirm publicly that they will pull out if MJ stays then MJ cannot defend his position. He would absolutely be blocking and negatively impacting company revenues.

26. Why did you think the hotel deal was good for the club?
The hotel sale was great for the Club. Selling it to BB in return for a £9m debt was great business. What I didn't like was that BB sold MJ 47% of it for way less than he should have. That was a bad deal for BB but it has also turned out to be a bad deal for us. If BB had got a lot more of the club for the 47% of hotel shares or given MJ less of the hotel then he might be in a better position to remove MJ today. If we look at the full deal and ask who did well out of it. MJ's gains far exceed everyone else and he didn't part with a penny to get it.

27. Do you think MJ wants to shut the club and sell the land for houses?
Absolutely not. The hotel's revenue is not from hungry thirsty residents it is only viable next to a football stadium. Without RP the hotel would be dead in weeks. The hotel needs the club more than the club needs the hotel.

Hippo says – first and foremost we would like to extend huge thanks to David for being so open and honest in answering the fans questions. I should add that the majority of the questions were from the forums on the all conquering KillieFC.com,a website that is more popular, more professional and in a different league to the rubbish put out by the club. David has answered a lot of the questions that fans have been asking over the years and I hope his inside knowledge adds a bit of credibility to the stuff that we have known has been going on for years. The one thing that nobody can really say is how is this all going to end. David is right in saying that Bowie is the key to the whole situation. Bowie helped create the whole mess by propping up Johnston when he should have been getting on board with the other consortium at the time. There is a chance that he can get himself back in the good books by playing hard ball with Bowie and doing everything in his power to make MJ’s life hell. Take away the legal work, bump him as Company Secretary and get rid of his SLO buddy who appears to be Johnston’s ally at the club now. Thanks again David and there may be a place for you back at the club once the parasite can bleed us dry no more.

Saturday 12 November 2016

KFCSA SGM




At the KFCSA AGM in June the members voted in favour of having representatives of the various Travel and Supporters’ Groups more involved with the Committee of KFCSA.

The Committee feel that this requires changes in the Constitution and, also, are aware of fans’ on-going frustration and disappointment at the way in which Kilmarnock Football Club is being run with former Chairman Michael Johnston continuing on the Board and being seen as a divisive figure.

The KFCSA Committee have now a produced a new and up dated Constitution for consideration and approval by members at a Special General Meeting on 26th November 2016 (Start time announced soon).

It is hoped that as many members as possible will attend the SGM on 26th November at the Crown Inn High Glencairn Street Kilmarnock when a two-thirds majority will be required to approve the new Constitution which will then assist KFCSA in dealing with the issues facing the Supporters of Kilmarnock FC at this time.

Proposed Constitution
(Amended June 2016)
1.    NAME
The name of the association shall be THE KILMARNOCK FOOTBALL CLUB SUPPORTERS ASSOCIATION, hereafter referred to as the Association.

 
2.     OBJECTS
The objects of the Association are to:-      
a)     To promote, maintain and increase the support of Kilmarnock Football Club.
b)     To promote and communicate the views of Association members to Kilmarnock Football Club and vice versa.
c)     To encourage, establish and maintain lines of communication between the Association and its affiliated organisations and to build lasting links between the Club, the players and its’ Supporters.
d)     To organise social events, activities and fundraising to further the aims of the Association. This will enable the Association to make donations to the affiliated Travel Clubs and Kilmarnock Football Club for specific defined activities or projects.
e)     To encourage travel to away matches by members, providing information and support where available to enable participation
f)      To create and strengthen links with other football club’s supporters groups, in part via KFCSA affiliation to the Scottish Supporters Network.g)     To take such actions which, in the opinion of the Association members, may be required to protect the interests of the supporters of Kilmarnock Football Club.


3.       RELATIONSHIP WITH KILMARNOCK FOOTBALL CLUB
a)     The Association is administratively and financially independent of the football club.
b)     The Committee will represent the views of the membership by means of meetings with members of Kilmarnock Football Club board and will report the results of those meetings to the members.

4.       PROHIBITIONS
The Association shall not discuss or encourage any political or religious affiliations.

5.       MEMBERSHIP
a)     Membership will be open to all registered Kilmarnock Football Club Supporters Travel Clubs, and individual Supporters.
b)     All members are subject to the Constitution of The Association and any other rules and / or byelaws as shall be formulated and adopted from time to time by The Association.
c)     The Committee shall have the power to reprimand, suspend, or expel any member who infringes the Constitution and/or appropriate standards of conduct. Before any such action, the member concerned shall be given the right to explain his or her conduct to the Committee. A suspended member shall forfeit all rights of membership during suspension. No expelled or suspended member will be entitled to the return of any part of his or her membership fee. 

6.       SUBSCRIPTIONS
a)    Annual subscription fees shall be decided at the Annual General meeting.
b)     Supporter’s Clubs annual subscriptions must be paid by 31st July each year. Members who have failed to pay their annual subscription by this time will have all voting rights and any benefits of Association membership suspended until payment is made.

7.     FINANCE
a)     The Association shall not be conducted for profit
b)     The Association shall, at all times, ensure that proper books of account are kept of all transactions connected with the activities of the Association and shall have a bank account and all monies received by the Association shall be paid into such account.
c)     All accounts (except petty cash accounts) shall be paid by cheque or by bank transfer and shall bear two signatures, one of whom shall be the Finance Officer or the Treasurer, and the other shall be another member of the Executive Committee.
d)     Accounts of the Association shall be prepared annually
e)     The Financial year to run from 1 June until 31 May each year
f)      No money or property of, or any gain arising from the carrying on of activities of, the Association shall be applied otherwise than in accordance with the rules of the Association.
g)     In the event of the winding up of the Association, all its assets, monies and other securities shall be disposed of as the members deem to be beneficial to Kilmarnock Football Club and its supporters.

8.     OFFICE BEARERS / EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Office Bearers (Executive) shall be The Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer,
Registrar / Website Editor and Minute Secretary. Office bearers shall be elected for a two year period.
For the purposes of continuity, elections shall be alternated annually for Chairperson, Secretary and
Website Editor, thereafter Vice Chairperson, Treasurer and Minute Secretary.


9.     GENERAL COMMITTEE
a)   The affairs of the Association shall be under the management of the Office Bearers and Committee
                     Members.
b)     Committee members shall include one nominated representative from each affiliated Travel Club, one nominated representative from the Kilmarnock Supporters Society (Killie Trust), the Supporters Liaison Officer  of Kilmarnock Football Club if required by statute or football authority regulations, and also up to six independent individual supporters.
c)     Nominated members and individual supporters will be elected for a period of one year.
d)     Nominations from both Independent individual supporters and for representatives of each Travel Club to serve on the General Committee must be made in writing to the Secretary by a Proposer and Seconder, and with the nominee’s written acceptance, at least 10 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. Where the number of nominations exceed the number of vacancies, a ballot will be conducted by the Secretary at the AGM. Where the number of nominations are equal or less than the number of vacancies, the Nominees will be put to the meeting for ratification. All Members are eligible for nomination.
e)     The Committee have the power to accept resignations and fill vacancies that occur during the year until ratified at the AGM.
f)      Seven days notification must be given to the membership before a new committee member can be co-opted. This is to allow the membership the opportunity to put themselves forward should they wish, if there is more than one candidate, the committee will vote
g)     Any Officer of the General Committee who fails to attend three consecutive meetings without reasonable reason, shall be deemed to have resigned from the  Committee
h)     The Committee shall appoint conveners to organise functions, such conveners being responsible for collecting all monies and paying all accounts and shall submit a balance sheet to Committee within one month from the date of each function
i)       No member of the Committee shall make profitable gain from any monies received on behalf of the
Association
j)       The Committee shall meet once a month or at intervals considered necessary and agreed by the
Committee
k)     The quorum shall be one quarter of the compliment of the Association Committee.
l)       Open meetings for all members will be held on a 5 – 6 week cycle, or as deemed appropriate by the
Committee
m)    Detailed minutes shall be taken at each Committee meeting, and approved at the next Committee meeting. A copy must be posted in the Association website.

10.    CHAIRPERSON
The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings, including Committee Meetings. They shall have a deliberate vote and a casting vote in all decisions. In their absence the chair shall be filled by the Vice Chairperson, or, failing them, a member appointed by the Committee.

11.   SECRETARY
The secretary will issue all notices calling meetings of the Association and Committee, and in general attend to all correspondence. MINUTE SECRETARY. The Minute secretary will keep records of meetings and engross them into the Minute Book. They will post copies of Minutes to all Member Clubs/Group Secretaries in rotation with meetings.
12.   TREASURER
The treasurer shall keep correct amounts of their intromission with The Association funds. They shall keep a bank account in the name of the Association, to be operated by any two from The Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. They shall submit a monthly statement to the Committee and at the end of the financial year shall close their books and prepare an abstract statement of receipts and expenditure to be presented to the AGM. When it is deemed appropriate statements will be audited by an appropriate independent individual.

13.   REGISTRAR/ WEB EDITOR
The Registrar will be take responsibility for editing and maintaining the Association website and maintaining a data base of all registered Association Members. They will also take ownership of the public promotion of the Association and its activities.

14.   AGM
An AGM will be held during the
second or third week of June each year or as adjusted by the Committee, to transact the following business
a)     To receive and if approved, adopt an annual report of the Supporters Club’s activities of the previous year;
b)     To receive and if approved, adopt the income and expenditure accounts and the balance of the Association;
c)     To appoint or sanction the appointment of the committee of the Association
d)     To deal with any other special matter which the committee may desire and all other competent business transacted
e)     All individuals will be eligible to vote. One vote per member.
f)      Notices of the Annual General Meeting shall be notified to members via the Association website, not less than 14 days prior to the meeting. Copies of the Agenda and Audited Accounts shall be available at the meeting, and to any Member of the Association on request to the Secretary.
g)     Proposed changes to the Constitution will only be made at Annual General or Extraordinary Meetings, and must be notified in writing to the Secretary at least ten days prior to the Meeting. Any changes proposed by the Executive or General Committee must be notified in writing to members
h)     The following business agenda shall be conducted at the Annual General Meeting of the Association
-        Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising.
-        The presentation of an Annual Report outlining the activities of the Association during the preceding financial year
-        The presentation, and if accepted, the adoption of the Association accounts for the previous financial year, ended on 31st May prior to the date of the meeting, such accounts having previously been checked and approved by the Association’s Treasurer
-        The election of the appropriate Officers Bearers of the Association
-        Membership subscriptions
-        Such other business as may have been communicated to the General Secretary, in writing, at least 14 days prior to the date of the meeting.
-        The order of business will be determined by the Executive Committee.

15.   EGM
a)    
On receipt of a written request from the General Committee or from at least twenty Members,
the Secretary shall convene an Extraordinary Meeting.
b)   The request must indicate the business to be dealt with at the meeting.
c)   Notification of the date of the meeting will be displayed on the Association website to all
      members at least fourteen days prior to the Meeting.
d)   Each Member of the Association shall be entitled to a single vote on each issue at an
      Extraordinary Meeting.
e)   A minimum of 20 members must be in attendance at a meeting, in order for voting to take
      place.

16.   COMPLAINTS
All complaints must be made to the Secretary in writing and differences between members shall be referred to the Committee who shall have the power to deal with any complaint as they deem fit.


17.   SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION
The committee shall have the power on a majority vote to suspend or expel any member whose conduct is not in keeping with the best interests of the Association. In the event of a member being suspended for any reason, such suspension will take effect as and from the date of such incident, which will be considered as soon as possible by the Committee. The member will be notified of the decision and allowed 14 days in which to appeal.

18.   ALTERATIONS.
No major alterations shall be made in the constitution except by a majority of two thirds of voting at the AGM or at a special general meeting called for that purpose, prior notice having been given of proposed alterations.


19.   DISSOLUTION
The Association shall not be dissolved except with the consent of two thirds voting at a meeting called for that purpose.
 

ASSOCIATION RULES APPENDED.

1.     Each Member Supporters Club shall be encouraged to provide a complete list of Members at the beginning of each season (when registering). Individual Supporters Club Members will subsequently be regarded as Association Members.
2.     The Association will uphold any registered Supporters Clubs rules. (i.e any member barred from a Registered Supporters Club will be barred from the Association.
3.     Any dispute concerning registered Supporters Clubs, that cannot be resolved at local level should be forwarded to the Association Committee and will be resolved at that level. Any subsequent Committee decisions will be considered final.
4.     Member organizations agree to attend a minimum of three (3) open supporters meetings throughout the season in order to maintain their membership, voting rights and benefits within the association.