David Bloxham interview

[Jon Palmer]

In-depth interview with Cheltenham Town chairman David Bloxham here:

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/s ... am-9631382

[Ihearye]

Decent read and good to see the GJ and clan explained. Still doesn't sit well with me personally. Seems he more or less appointed himself and bright AD along for the ride. If you are told to like it or lump it, you are still having the final say.
Other thing that confuses me is that at one point the possibility of raising an extra £100,000 a season is dismissed as meaningless.
Also should be pointed out that the Trust is only responsible for the comms with the trust members. The board is respo sink a for the comms to the vast majority of fans who are not in the trust. At times DB seems to insinuate that the comms issue sits with the trust?

[andgarod]

Having only read it once there are a few points
As Ihearye said GJ had basically appointed himself

Baker offered some of his shares to the board members
No one wanted them so the were sold to the trust
(I cannot wait to see how much the trust paid for them)
One of the things that you look for is directors putting skin in the game by buying shares in their own company
What does that tell you about our directors
CEO- well appoint PG and bring in someone else as club secretary
Long may PG be Mr Cheltenham but where is the under secretary

We then have comments and explainations about things
Would any of this have been communicated if the trust had not pushed the boards buttons

Also trying to unpick the problems that Mr Bence caused

So we will bumble along bring on the forum and if we are in the cup or not

I will have another read I pronanly find a few more things to lowlight

[ctfc-fan]

Having only read it once there are a few points
As Ihearye said GJ had basically appointed himself

Baker offered some of his shares to the board members
No one wanted them so the were sold to the trust
(I cannot wait to see how much the trust paid for them)
One of the things that you look for is directors putting skin in the game by buying shares in their own company
What does that tell you about our directors
CEO- well appoint PG and bring in someone else as club secretary
Long may PG be Mr Cheltenham but where is the under secretary

We then have comments and explainations about things
Would any of this have been communicated if the trust had not pushed the boards buttons

Also trying to unpick the problems that Mr Bence caused

So we will bumble along bring on the forum and if we are in the cup or not

I will have another read I pronanly find a few more things to lowlight

Think you’re confused. Directors don’t always put money in, shareholders do.

[Shade]

There's a lot there he could have said a long time ago that would have appeased quite a few people long before they'd got this fed up. However, I don't think it's going to change much now. The main thing to take away is that neither Flynn or Johnson will be getting the sack anytime soon, unless maybe we go on a 7 or 8 game losing run and it literally becomes untenable and unbearable for all.

[Jerry St Clair]

Yep, Flynn isn’t going anywhere this side of Christmas. Maybe if we’re staring the National League in the face by then the Board may decide a new guy needs to roll the dice in the January transfer window. Bad as we are, I can’t see us being adrift in the relegation places for that to happen.

[paperboy]

If I was Paul Godfrey I'd be asking for a pay rise.
Gently hinting that the next FED should be someone who can give more time and add something to the board in addition to being a decent bloke who DB definitely is.

[Horteng]

David always comes across well in my opinion and people calling for his head need to be careful what they wish for. He may not be the slickest of chairman but he’s a true fan at heart who’s had a good career and will offer a lot to the board.

Glad to see the trust put in their place to be fair. They think they have all the answers but it’s becoming apparent that they do not and what they suggest has already been tried in most occasions

My biggest bug bear with this is it should be coming from the clubs media department not a JP dancing around the head of a pin interview as usual.

[art vandalay]

It’s an interesting interview but it shouldn’t take the board being backed into a corner for them to discuss matters that happened four or five months ago.

[everyman]

Having only read it once there are a few points
As Ihearye said GJ had basically appointed himself

Baker offered some of his shares to the board members
No one wanted them so the were sold to the trust
(I cannot wait to see how much the trust paid for them)
One of the things that you look for is directors putting skin in the game by buying shares in their own company
What does that tell you about our directors
CEO- well appoint PG and bring in someone else as club secretary
Long may PG be Mr Cheltenham but where is the under secretary

We then have comments and explainations about things
Would any of this have been communicated if the trust had not pushed the boards buttons

Also trying to unpick the problems that Mr Bence caused

So we will bumble along bring on the forum and if we are in the cup or not

I will have another read I pronanly find a few more things to lowlight

The shares have little value apart from being a connection to the club as long as the 2 major shareholders own the important majority.

[Ihearye]

David always comes across well in my opinion and people calling for his head need to be careful what they wish for. He may not be the slickest of chairman but he’s a true fan at heart who’s had a good career and will offer a lot to the board.

Glad to see the trust put in their place to be fair. They think they have all the answers but it’s becoming apparent that they do not and what they suggest has already been tried in most occasions

My biggest bug bear with this is it should be coming from the clubs media department not a JP dancing around the head of a pin interview as usual.

Not calling or wanting anyone to leave, we perhaps GJ and his clan. What confuses me, as I was trying to get across. Is that if for £2000 someone would supply me with ideas that could generate £100,000 i would jump at the chance , not say it's not enough.
As for the trust, he is right the trust look out for and communicate with the trust members. All other fans should get their communication from the board and club. So if they think board are mis misrepresenting then comms out at the time.
The whole explanation around GJ and AD to me, is so bizzare

[Warwickshire Robin]

Another interesting interview from David Bloxham and whilst there is nothing earth shattering in there it does at least explain the boards logic behind their decisions whether we agree with them or not. More of this would certainly help appease a lot of the noise certainly from the more reasonable fans anyway especially when so many are concerned with the direction the club is going.

The one thing I take issue with, like Ihearye, is the comment about not wanting to spend a minimal amount to generate 'only' £100k. He then says that we cannot afford a CEO as this would cost the same as a good player in salary (maybe around £100k?) and so would take away from the playing budget. So surely the extra £100k from the review outcomes could pay for the CEO without taking away from the playing budget??

[longmover]

The whole GJ appointment is just odd, really odd. I presume GJ's rationale is 'find a couple of non league gems that we can sell' 'and if we can fit them into the squad then that's a bonus as well'. Sounds like he was the cheap option and already knows the club so can be left alone from the off so doesn't need much attention from anyone at the club.

Its obvious now this is the boards comms strategy, only say anything when you really have to

There's no appetite for change at the club for the foreseeable, as per usual they'll just ride it out and hope for a few wins here and there.

its all very demoralising is it.

[Lord Elpuz]

David always comes across well in my opinion and people calling for his head need to be careful what they wish for. He may not be the slickest of chairman but he’s a true fan at heart who’s had a good career and will offer a lot to the board.

Glad to see the trust put in their place to be fair. They think they have all the answers but it’s becoming apparent that they do not and what they suggest has already been tried in most occasions

My biggest bug bear with this is it should be coming from the clubs media department not a JP dancing around the head of a pin interview as usual.

Agree with you Horteng, particularly on the value and integrity of David Bloxham and that some of our fans should be very mindful of the abuse they hurl, very unfairly. I would be saddened to see David Bloxham forced out by abuse. He doesn’t deserve that, and hope that he realises the slanging comes from a small subset of Cheltenham’s ‘finest’.

On the matter of the Media Dept v JP as a means of publishing this interview, I felt the whole point of this piece was to dispel many of the myths that have been doing the rounds since relegation from League 1. I do regard this interview as an accurate reflection and feel sure that JP is someone the majority of fans trust and the Club trusts as well, and therefore, in order to produce a myth-busting validation, it was better to come from an independent publication. Job done as far as I am concerned.

[Shade]

There's no appetite for change at the club for the foreseeable, as per usual they'll just ride it out and hope for a few wins here and there.

I'm not sure I agree with that at all. As we know, and as he states a few times, it takes money to significantly change things, and they're looking for new investment, preferably "£10m-£20m".

[art vandalay]

The one thing I take issue with, like Ihearye, is the comment about not wanting to spend a minimal amount to generate 'only' £100k. He then says that we cannot afford a CEO as this would cost the same as a good player in salary (maybe around £100k?) and so would take away from the playing budget. So surely the extra £100k from the review outcomes could pay for the CEO without taking away from the playing budget??

Or the extra £100k would allow us to sign a good player.

It’s a clear contradiction in his reasoning. Basically, the directors just don’t want to be put under the spotlight, so they’ll look for any reason to avoid a review.

[Si Robin]

I think the point is, and I'm not really trying to defend him, is that he says a review "might" be able to raise another £50-100k but they already know where these issues lie and they don't need to pay money to be told something they already know.

As I say, I'm not sure I agree with him, but it sounds like he's saying they need to concentrate on getting this new investment as opposed to worrying about a "drop in the ocen".

Naturally, we go into the interview in some depth on the podcast, and I think that Bloxham comes across well again in the main. The issue is that it takes the Trust calling him out of his shell again for us to be told any of this. The Cakebridge Place thing is good news, even if they don't know what to do with it yet. Share that news with the fans - it's a small and easy win.

[paperboy]

Me being a bit slow, it's only just dawned on me that Russ's departure was glossed over.
Do we assume it was an under performance reason?...or a financial reason?
Not sure Gary is going to be in the Dof role too long to be honest, unless PJ can get us a couple of gems from QPR in January.

[Si Robin]

I think GJ is in one of the safest positions in football at the moment

[longmover]

I think the point is, and I'm not really trying to defend him, is that he says a review "might" be able to raise another £50-100k but they already know where these issues lie and they don't need to pay money to be told something they already know.

As I say, I'm not sure I agree with him, but it sounds like he's saying they need to concentrate on getting this new investment as opposed to worrying about a "drop in the ocen".

Naturally, we go into the interview in some depth on the podcast, and I think that Bloxham comes across well again in the main. The issue is that it takes the Trust calling him out of his shell again for us to be told any of this. The Cakebridge Place thing is good news, even if they don't know what to do with it yet. Share that news with the fans - it's a small and easy win.

With all due respect to Bloxham et al they need as much help as they can get, this football club is crumbling in front of our eyes and this snotty nosed attitude of not wanting to be 'helped' is not a great look but pretty much why this club is where it is.

Just think of all the fresh new ideas and the potential new business contacts this review could give them, its just insane that they're going to turn it down.

[horlickfanclub]

Great faith here placed in unnamed reviewers proposed by the Trust. Who are they ?

[Ihearye]

I think the point is, and I'm not really trying to defend him, is that he says a review "might" be able to raise another £50-100k but they already know where these issues lie and they don't need to pay money to be told something they already know.

As I say, I'm not sure I agree with him, but it sounds like he's saying they need to concentrate on getting this new investment as opposed to worrying about a "drop in the ocen".

Naturally, we go into the interview in some depth on the podcast, and I think that Bloxham comes across well again in the main. The issue is that it takes the Trust calling him out of his shell again for us to be told any of this. The Cakebridge Place thing is good news, even if they don't know what to do with it yet. Share that news with the fans - it's a small and easy win.

Broadly agree. Yes the £50 - £100,000 is a might / could. The only thing I would add, from the outside looking in, is, if they knew of the issues already and therefore knew of the possible returns. Why didn't they just implement what they could. If it is a case of spending £110,000 to get £50,000 then of course not.
I wouldn't know an football club investment pack if I fell over it. However, would have thought that having such an assessment / consultation in your armoury would do no harm

Anyway all immaterial, as Christaino Ronaldo will be in Starbucks in no time

[longmover]

Great faith here placed in unnamed reviewers proposed by the Trust. Who are they ?

I presume that they don't want to prejudice any (potential) review by giving names to a wider audience.

[Shade]

Me being a bit slow, it's only just dawned on me that Russ's departure was glossed over.
Do we assume it was an under performance reason?...or a financial reason?
Not sure Gary is going to be in the Dof role too long to be honest, unless PJ can get us a couple of gems from QPR in January.

I'm pretty sure Russ did an interview shortly after he left and said with GJ coming in, it was a good time for him to move on. He, of course, then joined Cotterill at FGR a few weeks later.

[paperboy]

Me being a bit slow, it's only just dawned on me that Russ's departure was glossed over.
Do we assume it was an under performance reason?...or a financial reason?
Not sure Gary is going to be in the Dof role too long to be honest, unless PJ can get us a couple of gems from QPR in January.

I'm pretty sure Russ did an interview shortly after he left and said with GJ coming in, it was a good time for him to move on. He, of course, then joined Cotterill at FGR a few weeks later.

Ah ,OK thanks.
I remember him saying it was a good time to get the job at FGR and not many 55 year old would leave a job voluntarily without another one lined up.
Jumped or pushed?

[horlickfanclub]

Great faith here placed in unnamed reviewers proposed by the Trust. Who are they ?

I presume that they don't want to prejudice any (potential) review by giving names to a wider audience.

That would be the "wider audience" that accuse the board as being secretive.

[everyman]

I think the point is, and I'm not really trying to defend him, is that he says a review "might" be able to raise another £50-100k but they already know where these issues lie and they don't need to pay money to be told something they already know.

As I say, I'm not sure I agree with him, but it sounds like he's saying they need to concentrate on getting this new investment as opposed to worrying about a "drop in the ocen".

Naturally, we go into the interview in some depth on the podcast, and I think that Bloxham comes across well again in the main. The issue is that it takes the Trust calling him out of his shell again for us to be told any of this. The Cakebridge Place thing is good news, even if they don't know what to do with it yet. Share that news with the fans - it's a small and easy win.

There is no plan