We look back at Tuesday’s meeting with some thoughts.
The outcome from Tuesday’s EGM’s were the withdrawal by the Club of their resolutions related to seeking approval from shareholders for the issuing of shares and the permission for them to be sold at any stage in the next five years, and the removal of the Directors David Bottomley and Graham Rawlinson by shareholders.
But those present on the night, whether that be present in the Ratcliffe Arms or via Zoom, witnessed much more than that. They heard successive answers relating to the running of the club paint a very sorry picture indeed relating to the matters we raised regarding BBM’s contract and Executive Renumeration increases and few thought differently when the top table was called out for being a “shambles” by one former Director present.
The most successful part of the night was the rejection by the shareholders of the Club’s proposals for the blind sale of the Club. Yes, it was withdrawn by the Board of Directors following a brief backstage discussion rather than put to the vote, but it was clear from the opposition from the shareholders that the Club was never going to be successful with these resolutions. Credit to the Club for reading the room and recognising the strength of opposition to their resolutions.
Shareholders proved on the night that they are not just people who turn up once a year and raise their arm when prompted. They are people who have been supporters for many, many years, and to pinch a phrase, are the lifeblood of the Club with many, many years of service between them. They will not stand idly back and accept the aforementioned “shambles”.
So where do we go from here?
Well, our first draft of this article stated that Tuesday “has to be a real turning point for all involved with the Football Club.” But we’ve been there before. Upon writing that, it became apparent that we’d already used that phrase when writing to the club in the days following the Fans Forum and here we are writing exactly the same thing just 8 or 9 weeks later. That tells a story in itself.
First of all, and above everything else, there has to be a recognition that change is needed, and change is needed now.
If that is not accepted, then you might be talking game over for the club. Despite claims to the contrary, Bury FC didn’t die when the EFL kicked them out, their death was a dragged out process over several years with every opportunity to stop the rot ignored.
Come August, we need to be a new Club. We can’t be the Rochdale of last season, with a few subtle changes here and there thinking that will be good enough. We need to be a Club equipped for the 21st Century and one that goes above and beyond. We need to be a Club that is excited by that challenge, and one that cannot wait for supporters to be back in August so that it can prove it is a new club with new thinking.
Much has been discussed about ambition in recent days. The ambitions for this Football Club should not be judged on League position alone. The ambition of this Club must be to become the EFL side that every other side looks to with aspiration. The ambition of this Club must be for supporters to speak of their immense pride of being a Dale fan and how our Club is different in making them part of it. The ambition of this Club is for everyone involved at every level to recognise that this is OUR Club, and if we can get that right and everyone buying into it, the League position will take care of itself.
How can it be done?
There was a proposal on Tuesday evening from former Director Graham Morris, famous for his role as one of the Overcoat Men and one of the most trusted men in the history of this Club. He has sourced four Rochdale people with a view to them joining the Board of Directors. Of course, they will need to be subject to due diligence and the appropriate EFL test, but this would bring much needed revenue into the Club, new skills, fresh thinking and would maintain the Rochdale model of the shares being evenly split within the Fanbase and ensure no majority owner. Additionally, Dan Altman gave an alternative to the Club’s preferred plan that involved no debt financing to acquire the Club. Clearly, these will both need further investigation, but are alternatives that would satisfy many of the concerns of the shareholders from the EGM.
The Trust has a massive part to play in this, and there is a need for us to be one of several involved in the rebuilding process. It will be up to both our Members and those at the Club the extent to which we will be involved in that rebuilding process, but the best interests of the Football Club and its Supporters will be at its very heart. We remain open to dialogue with the Club and cannot wait to work with them to help implement the necessary changes.
The Trust has a duty to represent the fanbase as a whole and not just its members. We promise to engage with supporters on a number of issues on a routine basis, starting from this weekend, and then work hard with the Club to see that engagement reach fruition and make a real difference to supporting Rochdale AFC.
June 1st 2021 must be looked back upon in years to come as the start of the re-birth of the Football Club. We need fresh thinking at all levels. We need to learn the lessons of what’s gone wrong at our Club and learn what has worked well at other Clubs that would benefit us at Dale. And everyone single one of us has got a part to play to ensure that it is.
Rochdale is a town that become world famous for its Co-operation. That same co-operation has proved hugely important over the past 3-4 weeks. It’s never been more needed to achieve the Club that we all want to have.