Cherries Trust Statement

GARYafCb

GARYafCb

Fans' Favourite
Today's statement from the AFC Bournemouth board has confirmed the Trust's fears that both the new stadium project and training ground development have stalled.

The club's profile locally, nationally and internationally has been transformed by our presence in the Premier League - the manager and all the staff have performed miracles to maintain that status for three seasons and we congratulate them for that success which is beyond all of our wildest dreams.

We have a generation of young fans proudly wearing their Cherries shirts around the area in numbers unprecedented in years gone by - but so many of them remain unable to watch the team because the stadium we have is not fit for the division in which we are now playing.

The club has received both income and investment of a scale unimaginable in the past - but the fundamental nature of the club remains the same. We do not own our own ground, we have a category three academy and we have a stadium fit for the League One club it was built for - with a reduced capacity due to the requirements of the Premier League. Without Premier League TV money we are still that same League One club at heart.

This is without doubt the greatest period in the club's history - but it will not last forever. We need to make hay while the sun shines. If, as the club states, every penny received so far has been spent on maintaining that status - then if we leave this division we will have no permanent legacy to show for all of the hard work and money invested which would be an absolutely tragic waste.

In an interview with Radio Solent in May, Eddie Howe said:

"We must have a tangible, long-term thing to look back at and go ‘that was what the Premier League did for us’.
‘The training ground, the new stadium — that’s where this club has to go for the long-term benefits, otherwise we will never see the benefits of the Premier League era.
‘We’ve focused a lot on the team and on what you see out on the pitch, but I think the infrastructure of the club is a must.
‘That will serve us so well in 10, 15, 20, 30 years, and that’s what I really believe the club must focus on.’"

The Trust wholeheartedly supports the view of the manager and believe that the club must prioritise the creation of a permanent long-term legacy from this period of success. The training ground development is vital to provide a sustainable future pipeline of players for the team - and if the development of new stadium is unachievable in the timescales previously stated then the expansion of the existing stadium should be revisited to enable more of the fans currently shut out of the ground to watch their local team play.
 
Not a member of the trust but this definitely reflects my feelings

I might have misread the original statement, but I didn't see anything confirming any delay in training complex plans. Mainly because I don;'t recall us ever having any timings suggested by the club. Sorry to be an **************** but I have to go by what the club have said, and yes they said 2020, which we've realistically felt would slip for around a year now, but I'm not sure that them saying developments is particularly significant

Alternatively maybe that's just my eternal optimism, or happy clapping as some call it

edit: that isn't to say it hasn't stalled, I think it has, just that there's been nothing said to indicate that. Just that we know we should've broken ground as soon as planning came through. That letter from home secretary seems a long time ago now
 
Audenshaw Cherry said:
I do still wonder if part of the problem is Max's status as a Russian citizen and, as with Abramovich, if he is under scrutiny from above. If this is the case I think I would be reticent to put too much money in at this time.

Who knows?

:utc:
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He has a GB passport, so this isn’t the issue. However remembering that triggered a memory that he has stepped down from Wintel?? Our friendly director loans weren’t from Maxim personally, they were from Wintel. Not sure if that change becomes significant or not
 
All the ownership issues are a mute point to be honest . We’re obviously spending eye watering amounts of money the only question is weather or not it’s being spent in the best interests of the club or the owners .
 
It's a nice statement but it could be summed up in one sentence "we want more capacity" just like their statement could be shortened to "no". It's pissing in the wind unfortunately.
 
SlowDownDerek said:
I don't think it makes a jot of difference what we do unfortunately.
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Agree. But people are entitled to protest and as long as it's done in the correct way it just reminds those in charge that all is not as rosey as they think in the AFCB garden. What I wouldn't condone is some sort of fan action like boycotting matches or generally ruining the mood in the stadium, since that only damages the team and they have nothing to do with this. God I hope that never happens !
 
....without wishing to sound like a poodle I would be very uncomfortable with protesting against a regime that has got us this far and backed Howe with cash for players!...turn on them and they might just suck the money out of the club and leave us stranded as a desolate club?
 
As a season ticket holder I could look at it two ways.Firstly,on a selfish basis,investing in better players every season doesn't guarantee premier football,but it goes a long way to cementing it.So I get to see some great footballers and football.Secondly we could take a chance on building a stadium and not dabble in the transfer market for a couple of seasons or however long and risk relegation,but lots more people and youngsters get to watch Afcb,hopefully in the top league.Ive watched what will be four seasons minimum of premier football and want more but I would choose a legacy of a stadium everytime
 
Excellent response from the trust and I wholeheartedly agree with every word.

Considering the club will have had plenty of time to draft and re-draft their statement, it was essential that a response was made to the club via the media as quickly as possible.

There’s a few ways to look at this and the trust’s statement has covered the capacity and legacy issues, but what now worries me is what will the future hold for Eddie Howe and Jason Tindal, who have made it clear and loud that whilst the club matched their personal ambitions, then they were happy to keep pushing the team towards higher levels on the pitch.

With jobs on offer such as Aston Villa (just using this as an example before I get jumped upon) who now have finance behind them, owners who want the club to return to levels of past glory, a magnificent stadium and training facilities and a fan base to be proud of, I’m sure that soon enough Eddie is going to be tempted by a new challenge.

The best thing the club could do now, is to buy the current stadium and develop as much of this as possible, and then start to recruit a higher level of business professionals who can lead the club forward off of the pitch, matching what Eddie and Jason have achieved on it.
 
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