Following Martin Broughton’s refusal to meet directly with Spirit of Shankly the union has sent Mr. Broughton another letter clarifying what the Union’s structure and goals are.
It is really disturbing that Martin Broughton has so far refused to meet with the only independent Liverpool Supporters Union. Remember, we are at the mercy of Broughton as to who might become our next owner and if our concerns as Liverpool supporters are not heard than we might end up with another owner or owners who are vultures like Hicks and Gillett.
I urge all true Liverpool supporters to act and ensure that our claims are heard, all we want are owners who are responsible, who will treat our club like a living organism and not a commodity.
Here is the letter that Martin Broughton sent to Spirit of Shankly.
Dear Mr Stanton
Thank you for your recent letter with questions.
I am sure you are aware that I answered each of the questions on the LFC TV interview last week. As there are over 200 LFC supporters’ clubs it is not my intention to speak individually to each of them or to differentiate between them – instead I intend to continue communicating with all fans collectively.
If you have any further questions feel free to send them in.
Regards
Martin Broughton
Here is the reply that Spirit of Shankly just sent him
Dear Mr Broughton,
Thank you for your response to our request for a meeting, however, your reply, and your answers on LFC.tv, only leaves the Union’s members with further questions.
You do, in your reply, make reference to the various supporters clubs who are a source of support for the team and the Club. Whilst the Spirit of Shankly and its members are dedicated supporters of Liverpool Football Club, it is fair to say that our remit, purpose and those we have dialogue with, are very different from the more traditional LFC supporter’s clubs.
These differences, defined in our constitution and in our stated aims and objectives, mean that not only do we exist to represent the interests of our members, but we are also intent on calling to account those who influence the future of Liverpool Football Club to ensure as much transparency as possible in the dealings of the Club, both in its search for new owners and in its dealings with all supporters. As an organisation, we are also seeking democratic involvement in the future running of the Club to ensure supporter interests and a regard to the history of LFC are considered at all levels.
We have previously met with former Chief Executive Rick Parry, current owner George Gillett, as well as Directors Ian Ayre and Christian Purslow to ask them direct questions and to outline our views and express our concern regarding issues that effect the club, particularly with reference to the current owners, and their intentions, but also regarding issues which directly concern all supporters such as ticket prices and allocation and the new ground.
As an organisation, our desire to see the Club develop in the most appropriate way has led us to hold meetings with representatives of Dubai International Capital, with Supporters Direct, the supporters’ trusts initiative, with local and national politicians and the Football Supporters’ Federation. We also have a meeting scheduled with the Premier League this week to discuss the ownership issue.
Locally we have the support of Steve Rotherham, the newly elected MP for Walton and Joe Anderson the Leader of the City Council, and we are one of the organisations involved in the concept and development of the Football Quarter.
Our view is that we, and hopefully those appointed to oversee the future of the club, are working towards very similar aims, primarily the best future for Liverpool Football Club. We think the views of our members specifically can best be represented by honest, face-to-face dialogue between interested parties which is the reason we are also liaising with organisations such as the Premier League and Supporters Direct.
Whilst previous meetings between ourselves and senior figures at the club have not always been reported honestly by the Club we believe that a continued dialogue is essential, and beneficial to all parties to answer genuine fears and concerns of supporters regarding the Club’s current perilous financial standing and its future.
Whilst we appreciate your remit is to ensure a sale of the club, we, as a Union, have a commitment to our members to hold whoever owns the Club to account. We have campaigned long and hard to have Tom Hicks and George Gillett to leave the club, and whilst the ‘For Sale’ signs are up, they still remain as owners. If there is one thing Liverpool Football Club has been famous for in the past, it is an appreciation of its fans, and its history and a reliance on the ‘Liverpool Way’.
Whilst this may not be the case at other Premiership Clubs, many Liverpool fans, whilst appreciating the changing nature of football, still hold dear the values of honest and up-front discussion and that is all we are requesting from you.
We hope that you would reconsider your decision to meet with us to discuss the issues and concerns we have.
We look forward to hearing your reply
Yours sincerely
Fran Stanton
Chair
Who’s to say he’s not being honest and up front? Just sounds like more pot-stirring for right now, like Broughton needs their approval to work towards selling the club. As long as they’re not involved, it’ll always be turned into a conspiracy.
Just because they want to talk with him doesn’t mean they have a right.
It doesn’t seem to have occured to any of you that this reluctance to work with SOS has come about since you published those minutes which had not been approved by purslow. That was totally unprofessional and out of order.
If you want to know why the club has distanced itself from you, look closer to home. You reap what you sow.
Exactly Django, i think he has more on his plate right now than to meet a self-serving, self-egotistical group of fans who represent themselves.
He’d be better just getting our club sold to someone with LFC’s best intentions at heart than meeting with a bunch of nobodies
They aren’t accusing him of being honest or not they simply want to meet him and ask questions, if you refer back to their original letter the questions the SOS asked were not answered by him in his interview on the official channel. Surely as fans we DO have the right to know what’s going to happen to our club going forward, as we payfor tickets, merchandise and without us the club would not exsist, so surely the fact we want some direct questions answered is not an issue!
No ones making it a conspiracy, but do you really not want to know the answers to the questions they want to know?
You SOS haters seem to trust a Chelski fan appointed by H&G more than fellow Liverpool Supporters.
Our only hope is for more Liverpool Supporters to join Spirit of Shankly.
I don’t see why you all hate the SOS and no want the answers, are you not bothered who the club is sold to? Are you actually not bothered about anything they are trying to raise with the club? If your not bothered you really shouldn’t be supporting the club, yes you may not agree with the SOS all the time but surely you want to know what’s going to happento iur club?
As fans, we all want the best for the club.
SOS have caused their own problems with the release of the Purslow meeting. Nobody is going to trust sos now.
I actually feel that sos need to step away. They are more likely to prevent a sale!
Any potential buyer will have in the back of his mind, that if anything goes slightly wrong, SOS will have banners up asking for their heads.
If someone spends hundreds of millions on anything then they want it to be a success. The yanks did and to make a fortune out of the club they planned to build the squad, stadium and world reputation by winning things… then selling at a profit. That is business and you dont get hundreds of millions invested without this. Nor should you expect to. The plus side is that if things go to plan then in football, if they had made their huge profit and sold up, then we would have been left with all of the success too!
Unfortunately the credit crunch hit and screwed the yanks and the stadium too.
We are close to renegotiating with Adidas and getting a far larger amount than Chelsea get in their “record kit deal”
We have just got new sponsors and increased from £8m a year to £20m a year (another world record)
What screws us is the Stadium and it needs new owners to finance it. However, I can see naming rights coming in and even if the whole stadium is plastered with Carlsberg or Thomas the bloody tank engine logo’s, I just hope that it retains Anfield in the name.
Broughton has a brief and needs to get someone who can build the ground too.. Broughton is a top level exec but some idiots think that he would screw his reputation and the amounts he earns, just because he is a Chelsea fan. Dont be stupid! By selling Liverpool, he is probably going to get millions for setting it up as quick as possible.
Anyway, what I am saying is that any new owner knows what is involved in buying Liverpool, but why the feck would anyone take orders from SOS if they were investing the best part of a billion pounds in the complete project.
We all want the best for our club so lets not be stupid and put buyers off anymore!
“You SOS haters seem to trust a Chelski fan appointed by H&G more than fellow Liverpool Supporters.”
??? such a well made comment… ??? Now do I trust a top class business man with a proven history or …. actually, I wont continue with that one
Browny, we need to hold any future owners accountable. If we had SOS when H&G bought the club then we would not be in the mess we are in.
Never in a million years would I trust any businessman until they prove themselves, I would rather have a million politicians than a single corporate executive.
We dont need to hold them accountable because they are punished by their failure by financial losses and business men dont like losing money.
We would have all said to accept the DIC offer instead of the Yanks’ offer, but DIC are currently selling off companies and have also been hit in the pocket. Nobody can tell what happens in the future.
I will agree with the need to make sure that no loans are put on the club. However, the yanks promised that and SOS would have left the meeting happy in the knowledge that no loans were to be taken out.. but then they lied.
All I am saying is that meetings with fans dont mean a thing in business. We might hope that they do but if someone offered a billion quid to put the manc crest on the side of Anfield… it would be attached to a crane as we speak.
We just need to get someone with proper money behind them and then let them get on with it
So Browny what are you doing as a Liverpool supporter to ensure that we do not end up with another bad owner?
Remember SOS is a democracy, the board members are elected by the fellow members. It is the only organisation we have that can stand up to the owners, yes they have made mistakes on the way but the only way forward is to get more Liverpool supporters to join the Union.
I certainly don’t hate SOS, I just don’t think that they’re the only way to support Liverpool or want what’s best for the club. It’s the same old thing–if you’re not supporting Liverpool this way, you must not be a real supporter. It’s crap.
So Django what are you doing to ensure that we get decent owners?
Well put Antoine, the people that are moaning or disliking SOS are the same whoppers who only sit and moan in their own houses while being spoon fed these lies and not caring. The SOS have managed to arrange a meeting with the premier league officials surely says they aren’t messing, we are actually goin to end up helping numerous other clubs in our attempt to prevent this mess happening again, fit and proper tests will become just that.
Before you bash their attemts to secure a positive future for our club, think about what you have done to help recently? Will you still support Liverpool if we end up like Leeds, Newcastle or even Southampton!
But if we’re just being spoon fed lies and not caring, what do we have sit and moan about?
It’s ridiculous to become paranoid with the whole “either you’re with us or against us” within a group of supporters. To imply that just because someone doesn’t agree or fully support one type of effort they must be disloyal is absurd.
And as for answering the accusatory, “what are YOU doing to help the club,” I’m content with the efforts I’ve made to contact the relevant parties regarding their involvement and my concerns. I understand that one individual doesn’t have the clout of SOS, but it allows for me to express my displeasure in my own way.
For what it’s worth, I think the Premier League effort undertaken by SOS is great, and I’m hopeful it can effect some real change. I just think the vitriol directed at fellow supporters is counterproductive and does nothing but alienate parts of a very loyal, very passionate fanbase.
Django, no I never implied that everyone must join SOS or support SOS however the least Liverpool supporters can do is not attack SOS or any other Liverpool supporter that is trying to do something to help the club find decent owners.
I commend your efforts for taking the time and writing the letters.
I have a problem with so called Liverpool fans who sit on the fence moaning and grumbling but do nothing and then when someone like SOS tries to do something they get attacked and criticised.
But if you are prepared to contact these parties don’t you believe power in numbers? Surely try contacting the SOS and give them your views and see how they react or you may even peursuade them to change their views or actions in certain instances, everyone has the right to voice an opinion, I just believe the more people who join the SOS will increase the impact they can have. Like antoine said, they may have made mistakes but surely they would want to rectify them, given the chance.
I personally don’t have a problem with what they done or trying to do, but I can’t understand aome peoples stubborness to join, as they are damaging the clubs reputation. Personally I can’t see it, but then everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
I actually respect what SOS are doing. But what you did by releasing those minutes was awful. It’s no wonder that no one at the club trusts you anymore.
Whoever made that decision should step down, and perhaps a bridge could be built with purslow.