Steve Waggott

[matt83]

It’s refreshing to hear how one of these tete-a-tetes went without all the cryptic remarks and secrecy.

It doesn’t allay my fears one iota. It’s always been abundantly clear from those who speak to him he’s got sorcerer's pinwheels for eyes but the fact remains on his watch time and time again the running of the club is a disgrace. The season tickets are always a shambles, we lose academy players for gratis, his own search for a new manager and subsequent transfer dealings have been a shambles, the ground falls further into decay (although I gather they have at least had the foresight to open a fresh can of paint) and in spite of his “nothing to do with me gov” attitude to the training ground if he has his way there would now be houses on the training ground, and several more failings on his watch and under his instruction. 

As for his apparent surprise at Glenn’s meetings with the fa, the premier league and subsequently MPs occurring that’s at best misdirection and at worst an outright lie. At the 2-2 friendly at Bolton he was in and around the corporate bit and someone I know made that exact point to him making saying that for all things are bad they’re not Kean era bad citing those things. His response was something to the tune of things that happened before he arrived out of his control. That's fair enough and it’s very plausible he might well have forgotten a random conversation but are we supposed to believe during his tenure no one has briefed him about the exact goings on during his paymasters reign, that’s simply unbelievable. 

Edited July 22, 2022 by matt83

[G Somerset Rover]

7 hours ago, tomphil said:

From the sounds of it they'll pay millions for certain players that fit the bill but they never fit into the wage budget. The conundrum is how do you find your way around that seeing as they can't just stick in and extra couple of mill to cover it.

This is where the sale of players comes in because it's income on FFP that could go towards wages. That's why again i'll say they still sound blaze' about it especially with it sounding like BBD will eventually leave for nothing.

It'll never move forwards unless fees are gathered and money is re-invested because under the current model it just can't.

Beat me to it. You’re not going to be able to pay players peanuts when they’ve come through the door for millions. No doubt this is why it never happens (BBD aside, and let’s face it, that was all very random). More creativity is needed here for the right player.

[Ruaney]

Thanks for sharing Glen! Very insightful 

[Mashed Potatoes]

A very interesting read and thanks to Glen for his hard work.

In particular, I would like to congratulate him on being a big enough man to change his opinions on Steve Waggot as a consequence of the meeting rather than sticking to preconceived views. 

[Claytons Left Boot]

Well done Glen, compelling reading.

The best series of posts ever on this forum.

Can’t wait for your next updates around September time.

[1864roverite]

I think it is great Glen that firstly you took time out of your life to get down to Ewood and have a discussion with him as well as with LT. It also clearly emphasises your passion for BRFC which cannot be questioned.

I took the decision only to share details of my meetings with SW with a selected few on this forum and yes, I got pilloried by some on here for doing so. I had a specific reason for doing so and I have no reason to think that it was the right thing to do.

Like others, I read the opinions on here about SW from people who simply have got a one eyed view of him gauged out of reading forums rather than getting to the nitty gritty and actually having the ability or nouse to speak to him directly and for Glen to publicly come out and give his views about dispelling these views is refreshing as are the comments from posters on this topic. I had my views about him, I did my research in full and I was content with the detailed conversations I had with him and others.

One thing is certain, Glens updates provide a better picture of footballing operations at Ewood and how things are working, it shows there is a structure in place, it sows who makes decisions, it shows there is money available, it shows the owners actually do have an interest and it further shows that even though Mowbray and SW previously had a good working relationship, there was a clear difference in their views after Christmas last year. 

But despite the updates, there are still those who cry foul and slate the club/owners/CEO and whoever. I would say take a full deep breath and re-read Glens comments and then look at the picture from a different angle and that may just sway your opinion, it might not but give it a try.

Yes there are still many issues, ticket prices and communication are a priority for me. 

Good on you Glen, maybe we can meet up for a pint some point.

 

**I forgot to add that from Glens update, there are some topics not yet mentioned which are no doubt going to be similar in tone to my last conversation with SW and there undoubtedly will be some which are not covered**

 

Edited July 22, 2022 by 1864roverite

[tomphil]

1 hour ago, matt83 said:

It’s refreshing to hear how one of these tete-a-tetes went without all the cryptic remarks and secrecy.

It doesn’t allay my fears one iota. It’s always been abundantly clear from those who speak to him he’s got sorcerer's pinwheels for eyes but the fact remains on his watch time and time again the running of the club is a disgrace. The season tickets are always a shambles, we lose academy players for gratis, his own search for a new manager and subsequent transfer dealings have been a shambles, the ground falls further into decay (although I gather they have at least had the foresight to open a fresh can of paint) and in spite of his “nothing to do with me gov” attitude to the training ground if he has his way there would now be houses on the training ground, and several more failings on his watch and under his instruction. 

As for his apparent surprise at Glenn’s meetings with the fa, the premier league and subsequently MPs occurring that’s at best misdirection and at worst an outright lie. At the 2-2 friendly at Bolton he was in and around the corporate bit and someone I know made that exact point to him making saying that for all things are bad they’re not Kean era bad citing those things. His response was something to the tune of things that happened before he arrived out of his control. That's fair enough and it’s very plausible he might well have forgotten a random conversation but are we supposed to believe during his tenure no one has briefed him about the exact goings on during his paymasters reign, that’s simply unbelievable. 

Yep, the issue isn't and never was if he was nice bloke although some of the personal stuff goes over the top but emotions run high.

He could be a right arsehole tell everyone to F Off and refuse to meet but if he had got a fee for one of the departees, was in the process of securing BBD, had the stadium washed once in a while and didn't try and sell the training ground on hush then people wouldn't be after his scalp as much.

It's all about actions not words and he even ignores Sharpes requests to speak for long periods so he's bringing it on himself. He knows what he's doing with the meet and greets it's his charm offensive.  He knows most of it will be on social media being discussed, well by those who don't get a kick out of being ITK but not saying anything at least.

Only time will tell if he's throwing a straight bat or not there is a lot still at his doorstep that hasn't been accounted for.

[duckson]

Kudos Glen, looking forward to part 2 in September!

Regarding the board, reporting etc structure now being ala the Walker days….how long has this been in place?

[Wheelton Blue]

Always judge a person by their actions, not their words.

The actions we've all seen include: players walking for nothing; a stadium falling into disrepair; ticketing catastrophes, and a botched attempt at flogging the training ground

Until I see improvements with issues such as these, my opinion of him remains the same.

[glen9mullan]

14 minutes ago, Wheelton Blue said:

Always judge a person by their actions, not their words.

The actions we've all seen include: players walking for nothing; a stadium falling into disrepair; ticketing catastrophes, and a botched attempt at flogging the training ground

Until I see improvements with issues such as these, my opinion of him remains the same.

A lot more questions to come regarding the above. These things are a sore subject with many of us.

I had an idea it wouid be a very slow process asking the questions, i'm sure others may have already asked these things too.

 

[glen9mullan]

23 minutes ago, duckson said:

Kudos Glen, looking forward to part 2 in September!

Regarding the board, reporting etc structure now being ala the Walker days….how long has this been in place?

This was never the case under any board until Waggott came.

I got the impression this has been in place quite a while.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

7 hours ago, glen9mullan said:

Sorry, on point one -

He agreed the Phil Jones scenaro is definitely something they need to consider going forwards as part of their lessons learnt, he also stated that around £10 million was made available for transfers last season but it just wasnt spent so will go someway at plugging the FFP deficit, so although disappointing, he felt we was still in a good place.

Point 2 - He seemed oblivious to the Kentaro damage, and when I said Honeyman he answered,  Craig? These points were not completely closed out, but we literally ran out of time. This will need a good hour discussion in its own right.

We have to appreciate, we've lived and breathed the dismantling of the club, he arrived after the damage was done and the bad guys long gone. Not many can tell the full story, and i'm under no doubt he has heard somethings, but without the dots joined up it makes little sense.

On the whole it was a promising first chat, but with so much more to discuss, its going to take a little time

Thanks for your work on this - without getting too excited - it all sounds more promising than it has done for some time.

Though you possibly already have done  might be worth catching up privately with Chaddy to see if the message is consistent or not. 

 

[Hasta]

Very interesting, thanks Glen.

My biggest irk with Waggot is the policy which seems to be extract more money from the loyal fans than try and encourage more fans or revenue elsewhere. The ridiculous rise on ticket prices over the last 3 seasons as an example (especially the jump in Riverside pricing - I can't remember the percentage).

One point - surely LT knows Glen's history. If she was asked to attend the meeting in advance you'd think she would have pre-warned SW about the clubs previous contact and history with him. 

Edited July 22, 2022 by Hasta

[cesus]

Good stuff Glen, thank you. If I was Mr Sharpes editor at the LT I would be concerned how you can get more content out of the club than he can!

[glen9mullan]

4 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

That's some softening of stance Glen, are you certain you didn't partake of the hallucogenic bourbon creams? We'll have to put them to the ultimate test next, try them out on Gav and if they work on him maybe we can send a crateload over to Putin and stop the war!

In all seriousness through I also have to compliment you in asking a series of pertinent and searching questions and thank you for recounting what was said with such terrific recall. Fascinating reading.

I'm not privy to the fine detail of discussions with some of the other fan groups but I am aware that like yourself most seem to come out with nothing but good words about Steve Waggott on a personal level in terms of how attentive and accommodating he is and also seemingly considerably more confident about the future of the Club than before they went in.

Would you say from what you have heard so far you've had enough encouragement to maybe work in tandem with other fans groups to try and help steer the Club in the right direction?

I do speak quite a bit with the various supporter groups, and was part of three of them.

I asked for a meeting as a last resort, as i really didnt want to, i didn't see the value if it was same shit, different face.

I've always been a person who breaks things down in terms of, where we are? Where do we want to get to? How are we going to get there.

When we formed the Action Group, one of the main drivers for me was we had to be transparent and had to be democratic, it was always made clear to the club that was the bat we would be playing as thats our unwavering pledge to our membership base.

If I'm completely honest, I dont know how I feel? Where these meetings will lead to? . Until i've asked all I feel I need to ask to satisfy my concerns.

Of course I have some ideas of how a rebuild could look and steps which can be taken.

However, as i stated to Steve yesterday "There is two Steves, the one I've heard via Media for 5 years and the one i'm sat across from today, the one of 5 years comes across as arrogant, out of touch and whose actions have made me find the need to request a meeting. The one in front of me, is full of passion, drive, ideas and is very marketable"

I guess over the next few months if i get the opportunity to ask more questions, I will be in a much better position to give my opinion of which Steve we really have, which will either light up the path to what can be done, or trully close it as a waste of time.

I'm always up to talking to groups/supporters, hence I arranged the first Ewood WMC meeting to bring supporters together. Its nice to see that is still going and a different cross section of people from different groups attend. 

I'm mindful that I dont want to commit to anything right now, as i missed too many years of my marriage and kids growing up. However as i have with the Rovers Trust, if I can see the path, end game, and objectives I will always offer my support. I'm fully behind the Rovers Trust, and its board and very pleased that their mandate has been very welcomed by the club

[glen9mullan]

30 minutes ago, Hasta said:

Very interesting, thanks Glen.

My biggest irk with Waggot is the policy which seems to be extract more money from the loyal fans than try and encourage more fans or revenue elsewhere. The ridiculous rise on ticket prices over the last 3 seasons as an example (especially the jump in Riverside pricing - I can't remember the percentage).

One point - surely LT knows Glen's history. If she was asked to attend the meeting in advance you'd think she would have pre-warned SW about the clubs previous contact and history with him. 

Yes, i don't think he was too pleased he had not been briefed, although the person who managed his diary and penciled it in was someone id never met, so maybe Lindsay was caught by surprise too.

[Oldgregg86]

Next time I see Glenn at Elwood im going to drop some cocktail sticks and see what happens 😂

I wish I had recall like that. I’d be locked out of here if my phone didn’t save my password 😂

[matt83]

7 hours ago, glen9mullan said:

Point 2 - He seemed oblivious to the Kentaro damage, and when I said Honeyman he answered,  Craig? These points were not completely closed out, but we literally ran out of time. This will need a good hour discussion in its own right.

Re this point I think its concerning he’s once again oblivious to the damage done by his employers in the past and something like severing ties with such crooks would go a long way to healing some of the wounds. They’re small points but I feel they help explain the larger issue of him totally misunderstanding the needs of a sizeable portion of the fanbase and botching a lot of things like selling tickets and reengaging with lapsed fans. 

When kids are acting up banging on, end up saying stuff like there’s a reason why you have two ears and one mouth. I think Swag would do well to take that on board more listening to fans and less spiel.

Either way keep up the good work. I’m sure you could prove to be a valuable link with the ivory tower and us plebs at the bottom.

Edited July 22, 2022 by matt83

[glen9mullan]

19 minutes ago, renrag said:

Thanks Glen, can’t imagine how you managed all that without notes. This must be one of the most positive days work in the last 12 years

I think over the years, you live and breath it. If you feel strong enough about something, it gets etched in the memory bank.

[glen9mullan]

1 hour ago, 1864roverite said:

I think it is great Glen that firstly you took time out of your life to get down to Ewood and have a discussion with him as well as with LT. It also clearly emphasises your passion for BRFC which cannot be questioned.

I took the decision only to share details of my meetings with SW with a selected few on this forum and yes, I got pilloried by some on here for doing so. I had a specific reason for doing so and I have no reason to think that it was the right thing to do.

Like others, I read the opinions on here about SW from people who simply have got a one eyed view of him gauged out of reading forums rather than getting to the nitty gritty and actually having the ability or nouse to speak to him directly and for Glen to publicly come out and give his views about dispelling these views is refreshing as are the comments from posters on this topic. I had my views about him, I did my research in full and I was content with the detailed conversations I had with him and others.

One thing is certain, Glens updates provide a better picture of footballing operations at Ewood and how things are working, it shows there is a structure in place, it sows who makes decisions, it shows there is money available, it shows the owners actually do have an interest and it further shows that even though Mowbray and SW previously had a good working relationship, there was a clear difference in their views after Christmas last year. 

But despite the updates, there are still those who cry foul and slate the club/owners/CEO and whoever. I would say take a full deep breath and re-read Glens comments and then look at the picture from a different angle and that may just sway your opinion, it might not but give it a try.

Yes there are still many issues, ticket prices and communication are a priority for me. 

Good on you Glen, maybe we can meet up for a pint some point.

 

Always up for a pint, and cant argue with any of the above. 

 

[glen9mullan]

4 hours ago, Ossydave said:

Have you ever met or reached out to Suhail for a similar meeting Glen? 

Seen him walk past me a few times, but no, when i stepped down from my group responsibilities 5 years ago, i thought it was vital that I left further progress to those who were to take those groups forwards. 

[glen9mullan]

4 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Fascinating stuff, kudos to you Glen.

I’ve never really had it in for him much on the football side, it’s a bloody tough league to operate in with a budget like ours, a budget set elsewhere. This new structure looks promising and I’ll see where it goes.

However, more generally, you’ve changed your stance because he’s a passionate guy? Speaks well? He’s engaging?

Didn’t we know this already? Just watching him do the rounds in the Premier Suite and a procession of folk leaving his meetings eating out of his hands told me that.

But commercially/bums on seats, an actual track record of delivery is what matters as a football CEO, surely? And on that side he has failed, badly and repeatedly.

Perhaps he will be pressed more firmly on that score in your next session as I’m far from convinced that he has any clue on how to turn that element of the club around however much he holds court in John Williams’ office…

I'm certainly not endorsing him at this stage, i'm just reporting back really how the meeting went, how he came across, what was asked, and what the responses were.

Each and every supporter can make their own choices based on the factors they are most comfortable with. Hopefully the answers he has given so far have given some shoots to some, but i'm under no illusions, its going to take far more than a few answers to questions for the perception to change. In 5 years, the fans have not come back.

[glen9mullan]

17 minutes ago, matt83 said:

Re this point I think its concerning he’s once again oblivious to the damage done by his employers in the past and something like severing ties with such crooks would go a long way to healing some of the wounds. They’re small points but I feel they help explain the larger issue of him totally misunderstanding the needs of a sizeable portion of the fanbase and botching a lot of things like selling tickets and reengaging with lapsed fans. 

When kids are acting up banging on, end up saying stuff like there’s a reason why you have two ears and one mouth. I think Swag would do well to take that on board more listening to fans and less spiel.

Either way keep up the good work. I’m sure you could prove to be a valuable link with the ivory tower and us plebs at the bottom.

I was quite alarmed regarding how little he appeared to know about the journey the fans have been on. If this is the truth/reality i'm not too sure yet.

[Mattyblue]

I think he’s telling the truth there. It makes sense when you look at pricing. ‘We just got promoted, so give us your cash’. ‘We’ve had Covid, give us £450 to £500 for a JW season ticket’.

He seems oblivious that we are a town club with challenging demographics and a small catchment area to begin with, plus 10k+ have walked away this decade. 

Like John Williams, any CEO here has to think outside the box, now more than ever, and he is either unwilling or unable to do so…
 

[RoverDom]

7 minutes ago, glen9mullan said:

I was quite alarmed regarding how little he appeared to know about the journey the fans have been on. If this is the truth/reality i'm not too sure yet.

That surely needs to be a action on waggot to go away and educate himself on that era. How can he beging to win fans over and get bums on seats if he doesn't understand the reason they're staying away?