Open Letter to Andrew Jenkins

Dear Mr Jenkins,

I am a Carlisle United fan and have been for over 40 years. For many of those years I have been a season ticket holder, be it in A stand, B stand or the Paddock I have supported the club through thick and thin - and there has been plenty of the latter. I don't say this to earn any respect or kudos but to give you some context for what I am about to ask of you.

You have been involved in the club, in some way or another, during all of this time and I know from speaking to people who know you well that you love the club and only want what is best for it.

That being the case I urge you to sell the club as soon as possible. You are killing it in every possible way. The stadium is an embarrassment, the team are getting worse and the enthusiasm of the long suffering fan base has been completely wiped out. There are so many things I could comment on about how bad things are but there really isn't any point as all of them are down to the same factor - you. I love the club but know that I wouldn't be able to do a very good job of trying to run the whole thing. You, despite having been involved for so many years, seem to be completely oblivious to your failings in this respect. The club is a shambles and you have to take responsibility for it.

The reason you have had to plough so much money into it over the years is that you are doing a bad job. The reason you keep having to sack managers is that you are making bad appointments in the first place and then giving them no money to spend.

Please, please, please, I implore you to walk away and do what is best for the football club you claim to love. Other owners over recent years have left with the club in a stronger position than they left (without getting into the arguments about Knighton etc. - the club was on its knees when he took over, it had achieved 2 promotions, been to Wembley, got a new stand etc. etc. when he left). Every time you have been in charge the club gets worse and worse. This current situation is very similar to the one in the early 90's when only the failure of other clubs saved us from relegation. At the time there was no social media, football was not popular so there wasn't the same level of scrutiny but be in no doubt that the club was in an appalling condition then as well.

So again, I implore you to please leave Carlisle United for good. Get Andrew Lapping, Philip Day, Chris Lumsdon, whoever on the phone, get them round a table at Brunton Park and sort a deal out for the good of the club.

Yours,

A United Supporter

Would second this.

If Jenkins leaves now he leaves with a legacy.

Another 2-3 years or a relegation and you’ll be mentioned in the same breath as Courtney etc...

Very elequently written Jelly straight and to the point. I hope the local press pick up on this, it deserves more coverage

CUFC52 wrote: If Jenkins leaves now he leaves with a legacy.

I agree. He needs to realize that if he doesn't leave, his legacy is going to be the man who killed the club. Is that what he wants to be remembered for?

Mr Jenkins I know you love the club, and I know you've tried to do your best. But it's time to stand aside.

Well written.

Have you actually sent it in to him as well?

Has he had 3 periods of being Chairman of the club?

What positions have the club finished in those seasons with average attendances?

I'm sure he hasn't achieved one promotion in that time.

The problem is though, He thinks he’s right and you are wrong. All the same, well said sir!

great letter. send it to his home address to make sure he gets it

Very well written letter-I suspect my name on it will cause it to self destruct but good luck.

Andrew

I would be surprised if AJ read it, it will go to others before him. Programme notes, statements etc, although his name are assigned to them, are not written by him form what I have been told over the last year or so.

I could be wrong.

Maybe we should all write an open letter? Publish on here and other social media then send onto the club for him? Many letters en mass would hit home.

Does that apply to your column too Chris?

Type it out jelly....put it in an old school envelope....mark it Private and Confidential and either hand it in or send it to him at the club.

Yes we should all do it...I've done it before over how Laffy was treated and I got a written reply

Laffy wrote: Does that apply to your column too Chris?

Someone definitely reads it judging by the grief I get!

Think he means do you actually write it lummy heh heh!

seesaw50 wrote: Think he means do you actually write it lummy heh heh!

You should join, Lummy investigates, Seesaw

Arragorn wrote: great letter. send it to his home address to make sure he gets it

You Might like to try

Mr H. A. Jenkins
Greenbank
Wetheral
CARLISLE
Cumbria
CA4 8ES

He's not going to go until it suits him. If anything being portrayed in a negative light suits his book as the pressure will be on CUOSC to deliver Succession rather than maximising their own interests when the time comes.

Great letter Jelly you should send it to the News and Star, in fact we should all do the same. All the talk of taking action if loads of letters go to the N&S it would be a good start.

I disagree.... Jenkins will go on the right terms - personally I haven’t got a problem with him betting life time president or some bollocks like that, if it means he goes.

Nixon and Pattinson will want something out of it that’s the problem....

Everything you hear about failed takeovers doesn’t portray Nixon well, admittedly speculation.

They’ll wait till the Henderson money comes in pay Day off and find a way of getting it out before finally [censored] off....

Shame for all 3 really because before they took over they where all massive fans, something obviously changed since though.

Just do a re-draft saying 'Hurry up and [censored] you old club killing [censored]'.

NORTHERSOUL WILL HAND DELIVER TO THE OLD BARSTEWARD I HAVE IT ON GOOD AUTHORITY!!

Might be me reading this wrong....(118)

www.efl.com/-more/governance/efl-rules--...ditional-provisions/

But technically Jenkins (as board members and majority shareholder) and co must attend two forums per year ?


So at some point we’re going to be able to question them....
Not sure if the one earlier in the season is sufficient under the rules ?

CUFC52 wrote: I disagree.... Jenkins will go on the right terms - personally I haven’t got a problem with him betting life time president or some bollocks like that, if it means he goes.

Nixon and Pattinson will want something out of it that’s the problem....

Everything you hear about failed takeovers doesn’t portray Nixon well, admittedly speculation.

They’ll wait till the Henderson money comes in pay Day off and find a way of getting it out before finally [censored] off....

Shame for all 3 really because before they took over they where all massive fans, something obviously changed since though.

NIXON wasn’t a fan before JC made him a Director. AJ recommended that what a catastrophic mistake that was.

So Barry has returned then?

Welcome back Barry loving the avatar

The letter has appeared on Twitter

Dear Mr Jenkins,

Very well done indeed for not selling the club to either consortium containing Andrew Lapping and Steve Skinner - and for recognising neither are fit and proper to run a football club.

Yours Sincerely

Etc

lummy8 wrote: I would be surprised if AJ read it, it will go to others before him. Programme notes, statements etc, although his name are assigned to them, are not written by him form what I have been told over the last year or so.

I could be wrong.

He definitely didn't write that statement the other day.

Piglet will you please do one you knob keep supporting a dieing club

Dying*

For the record, I'm happy for this to be sent/shared/copied anywhere that people want.

You are truly one of the odious individuals I have ever had the misfortune to cross.You aren’t fit to wipe my arse.

Hope that's piglet your on about

Yup-who else!

Obviously touched a nerve there, El Buitre.

The truth hurts, no?

Send Jenkins that letter and he’ll most likely offer to meet you 1-on-1.

I wrote him a letter on very similar lines 28 years ago and that’s what happened. No doubt he’s received plenty down the years.

No-I’m in the fortunate position of being able to choose who I work with.

I think most on here, indeed most of the fan base, realise what a shambles the Club is in.I, like you, am fortunate that I don’t have to do anything as this car crash unfolds-but therein lies the problem.None of us want to see the club continue its inevitable slide into the abyss so those who think they can help, often against the advice of others, put your hand in the ring.Not for financial gain, not for power-simply to try and help.

You have accused me of asset stripping, lack of money, integrity.This despite never having met me.Sadly, it’s the type of behaviour that puts genuine people off, leaving the Club in its current shambolic and frankly embarrassing state.

The fact of the matter is you are happy to fire cheap shots and berate anyone who has the audacity to challenge what is a unfolding disaster.Life must be a blast

A well written letter. I'll be sending it to Mr Clibbens to pass on and reinforcing with my own personal messages as myself, my old man and my brother are in despair at the current situation. Personally I have three kids who have attended games with me in the past and at least one of them would come with me now but my own apathy is stopping that from growing. And please do not suggest I don't love the club, I do, but I need some encouragement to make the effort to travel a 3 hour return journey to attend a home match when I typically spend 3 days a week working away from home and family.

Laffy wrote: None of us want to see the club continue its inevitable slide into the abyss

But that's exactly what's going to happen if nothing changes and that's why I'm so keen that people stand up and take part in protests or a boycott. If the club dies, there will be no point us moaning about it if we've stood by and allowed it to happen. If we don't want the club to die, we need to take a stand against the clubkillers. Ask the difficult questions, and keep asking them if they just try to deflect with lots of waffle. Take part in protests, or boycott. How long do you think they would stay if they had to sit through 90 minutes of anti board chants every match, see huge protests outside Brunton Park every week, and attendances dropping to under 1000?

"If nothing changes"

We do not have status quo. Things have been changing, slowly but surely, since EWM became involved in 2017. Not all change has to revolution it can also be evolution - open your eyes its happening right in front of you.

Then you have the folk with their own agenda taking every opportunity to talk the club down to spin their own negative view. Using words like "shambles", "car crash", "slide into the abyss" "shambolic and frankly embarrassing"and "unfolding disaster". We lose a few games and they're right here, like a cancer gnawing away at the heart of the fan base. Things are not as bad as they would have you believe - and our simpler fans, like typical sheep, are easily swayed.

Throw enough mud and some will stick, little by little - that's the plan El Buitre, no? Talk things down, hope the club fails, pick things up for zero cost - develop the land into a Business Park (as you do) and leave us with a 10,000 capacity non-league concrete shoebox - who knows where.

I didn't read Jelly's letter in detail because I don't want to copy his content, but do I intend to write to AJ personally with my take on things.

I won't publish it here as an open letter, rather it will go directly to his home.

I would urge others to do the same. I don't want to sound patronising, but if you do keep it respectful.

Is Piglet one of those people everybody loves to hate?

Piglet_Phoenix wrote: Then you have the folk with their own agenda taking every opportunity to talk the club down to spin their own negative view. Using words like "shambles", "car crash", "slide into the abyss" "shambolic and frankly embarrassing"and "unfolding disaster". We lose a few games and they're right here, like a cancer gnawing away at the heart of the fan base. Things are not as bad as they would have you believe - and our simpler fans, like typical sheep, are easily swayed.

I don't usually see eye to eye with Laffy but he's absolutely correct about this. The club really is dying. Every week you hear about another fan or group of fans who are walking away because they are just fed up. When the BOD took over we were on the brink of pushing into the Championship and now after a decade of them running the club we are in danger of falling into non league. And the atmosphere at the club is toxic, the directors seem to have a complete disrespect for the fans like we are nothing but an inconvenience and they respond very badly to criticism, taking it personally and getting defensive rather than engaging with fans and actually listening to us.

While it's very true to say Jenkins and co don't engage very well with the fans - and also to assert they're far from perfect and have presided over a decline - it's an over reaction and an exaggeration to say the "the club is dying".

What drives everything is success on the pitch (and sustained success on the pitch) - and that's what they've been trying very hard to achieve, in fairness to them. Abbott was backed with millions in the transfer market, Kavanagh was very well backed also, Curle was backed extremely well - you can debate the wisdom of the appointments but the principles were fair. Pick your chosen football head - back him with as much as possible in the transfer market, hope for success - and success will drive success. The fault of the owners was squarely with management selection.

Things didn't work out with that approach - so the owners, very shrewdly, sought the help of big Phil. EWM are changing the way the club operates, bringing in a Director of Football, convincing Jenkins to convert loans to equity, aiming to operate within budget, bringing the development of youth to the fore - actually operating with a clear blueprint and business plan. The club is changing and evolving - this is no longer the club which let Abbott spunk millions on hundreds of players at random.

Yes, improvements can obviously be made on and off the pitch - but we're not in that bad a place. This squad is under-performing and a lot of the off the field "issues" are easily solvable. And for my money things are already changing for the better - to a sustainable way of working.

In the face of some of the criticism the owners receive, how do you expect them to react? How would you react? "Taking it personally and getting defensive" perhaps? - Just like Mr Golden Pants on this very thread...

As I have repeatedly said I have absolutely no interest in making one penny out of the Club.As for you again suggesting I’m in in to make money from property development, utter rubbish as always.The club does need a new stadium however.The current one is costing the club at least £250k pa to repair.

To remind you Pig, the club is still carrying massive debts-we don’t know how much because the accounts are always filed at the last possible moment.Worse still, we are in the middle of a relegation fight again-look at the league table.

Is the Club dying?Its pretty sick and relegation would be catastrophic.

The Club's debts are not massive in the scheme of things. EWM are owed about £2 million and Pioneer from memory about £600k although that is being reduced through sponsorship so could be regarded instead as deferred income. The intangible value of player sales and add-ons is not on the balance sheet but I would guess at a figure well in excess of the EWM loan. And there you have the reason for the custodians remaining despite the abuse they receive. In due time the Custodians will sell the Club making a clean break. Us fans just have to hope the head coach appointment is nowhere near as bad a decision as appointing Pressley. I am optimistic. DH has the wherewithal now to maximise and accelerate the money due to the Club from player sales which is the only thing which will ensure Succession.

If I was going to write another letter to Jenkins, I’d play upon the fact that his position at the club is down to his having been a local businessman who inherited a family business.

In which case isn’t it time to bring in the next generation local of businessmen to pass the baton on to. Isn’t that what a “custodian” is supposed to do?

Instead the impression given is that him and his fellow board members are custodians of their own personal interests rather than the future of the club.

Jenkins is at a time of life when he his thoughts should be turning towards his legacy. If his own family don’t want to succeed him then he should be looking for local people who do want to come on board.

He should have some self awareness and think back to how he became involved with the club in the first place, and be actively seeking new blood.

He can’t take it with him.

The only way Jenkins is leaving Brunton Park, is in a wooden box.
He cant take it with him, but his family can inherit it, havent they stopped him putting cash in?

High Street wrote: The only way Jenkins is leaving Brunton Park, is in a wooden box.
He cant take it with him, but his family can inherit it, havent they stopped him putting cash in?

That's just it though, by all accounts his family aren't interested. They've stopped him putting money in and aren't going to take up his mantle for propping the club up. So who is?

He should be thinking about that. Seems to have his head in the sand about the future. Ozymandius of Eden.