London Calling : September

Sitting here 300 miles away from the action, we tend to have a slightly less emotive view of the affair than those in the trenches in Carlisle. Sitting back and contemplating the position from afar it seems absurd that any group of Carlisle United Supporters should have reached a point where they find it necessary to take the club, that they support and love, to court. Whatever the principle at stake it is diverting money that could be going to the club into the pockets of lawyers and I think we can all agree that this is not a sensible state of affairs.

When you look at the constitution of the Trust it is even more difficult to understand, as there in black and white is there first objective and I quote: "to strengthen the bonds between the Club and the community which it serves and to represent the interests of the community in the running of the Club." In what way are the bonds being strengthened? There is nothing in the constitution that says the second part of that sentence overrules the first. The duty of the board of the Trust is to achieve both objectives and to anyone viewing from a distance, it is crystal clear that this is not happening. The Trust and the Football Club have never been further apart and the danger is that in continuing to act in the way they are, the Trust will engineer their own downfall. This is not representing the interests of the community; in fact, it is ignoring them in a very cavalier fashion.

How has it come to this? Alan Steel and Kate Rowley are both decent people who have come in for a lot of criticism from Trust members, fans and the board of Carlisle United. Alan Steel has now lost his position on the board of the Trust and it is not difficult to see why. His inability to both hear what fans are saying and then turn what he hears into action have led to this inevitable result. The fact that Martin Hudson and Martin Horne have been elected should let the Trust board know that the fans couldn’t give a damn about whether the Trust should own 40% or 25.1%. The fans want the Trust to have an ownership stake in the club and board representation, beyond that it doesn’t matter what the actual number is no matter what any agreement may say.

Kate Rowley is Carlisle United’s number one supporter, she has played as big a part as anyone in keeping the club alive, donating her time and effort to get fans to games, working in the ticket office and generally helping out wherever she can. I have the utmost respect for all she has done for the club. She deserves better than the abuse she is getting. It is fitting, therefore, that she won the vote to remain as the Trust’s representative on the Board of Carlisle United and most true Carlisle fans recognise her achievements and her genuine attitude. Nevertheless, the sad fact is that her position is untenable. Why? Because the fans need someone who can represent their views on the board and for whatever reason the Board of Carlisle United are not happy in working with her, nor she with them. This leaves United fans effectively unrepresented. It does not make sense for anyone and the sooner that Kate stands aside and lets someone else take on the role, the better for the fans and the club.

It is a shame that Dave Nicholson failed in his bid to get re-elected to the Trust Board, not because he is the President of the London Branch (and remember he was elected to the Board as an individual, not as a London Branch representative), but because living in the South he has a less involved view of the goings on at Carlisle and as a result can take a more conciliatory view of things and admit that there is wrong on both sides and that life isn’t black and white, but a murky grey.

The board of Carlisle United is right to be concerned about the share agreement that the Trust signed with John Courtenay; some of the provisions are scarcely practical and it would benefit the future of the Trust and the Club if these were renegotiated. The Board must also be naturally suspicious of the man behind the Trust’s money, Brooks Mileson, and his right hand man, Keith Agar. They have made their intentions clear on numerous occasions that they would like to get hold of Carlisle United, so what is their motivation in trying to get 40% of the club to back them? However genuine the intentions, it doesn’t take a genius to work out why the CUFC board might be wondering where this might lead.

So where do we go from here? Here’s my simple five-step plan to sort out the mess.

1. Abandon the court case.
2. Politely decline Brooks Mileson’s generous offer and return his cheque.
3. Negotiate a new agreement for the Trust to purchase 25.1% of the shares in the club, not to be diluted in the future.
4. Continue to raise the money to pay for the shareholding over a realistic timescale, (there is no rush, Carlisle United fans will be around for a long time!)
5. Get a Fans Representative on the Board who truly represents the Trust, the supporters, and the season ticket holders and who has the backing of the Board of the Club.

The Trust can then concentrate on working with the club and helping it achieve its aims. As sure as eggs is eggs, there will be a time when the club needs more investment and that will be the time to talk about increasing the Trust’s share ownership; when the Trust has proved to the board that it can act in the best interests of the club and that it has no hidden agenda.

I would like to re-iterate that these are my personal views, not necessarily those of the London Branch. The London Branch exists to support the football club and that means the board, the management and the players; but the London Branch is also a corporate member of the United Trust and supports the Trust in its aims of share ownership and a seat on the board.