TOPIC: TheCumbrians.Net invited to join CUSG

TheCumbrians.Net were represented by Mouldy and CCU at an informal meeting at CUFC yesterday with Phil King, Andy Hall & Amy Nixon from the Media Dept and Fans Rep Claire Winder, where the offer to join CUSG (Carlisle United Supporters Groups) was made.

Also present was Griff from the FootyMad Board who was also invited to join.

This would mean the make up of CUSG would include the following:
Carlisle Fans Rep
CUOSC
London Branch
Gretna/SW Scotland Branch
Disabled Rep
CUSAT
Route 66 Travel (West Coasters)
TheCumbrians.Net
CUFC Online

We feel that CUSG is an excellent source of direct communication with those at the Club, and will look to put forward the views of the Messageboard at future meetings (Next weeks scheduled Meeting is too soon for us to attend unfortunately!).

The aim of CUSG is to discuss issues or proposals regarding the Brunton Park experience, Away Game events and possible fundraising functions.

It is not a route to question issues such as Club Ownership, Financial Situation or other similar grievances, there are other avenues for such queries.

We plan to report back quickly from meetings, as those in CUSG already agreed to in their meeting in November.

Unless there is a groundswell of opinion for us not to join, we will be accepting the invitation and look forward to working together with the other Groups within CUSG.

Any issues or queries, either reply on here or you can email us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thanks for reading.

Board Admin.

I vote ' No ' - Keep the message board independent and away from the Buggers Muddle that there currently is of different groups.

Get the CUOSC web address issue sorted.............

BoardAdmin wrote:
Was there crispy cake at the meeting?

No from.me as well. Why be part of an umbrella that has nowt to do with getting rid of the horsemen.

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Looks to me the decision has already been made.

When will the final decision to join this group be made?
Just hope Griff says no so we have one independent board otherwise i'll be starting my own.

It's no wonder nothing ever gets done with so many different groups involved. Can imagine a lot of talk, debate and infighting and not much direct action occurring.

Whats the criteria to join CUSG.

If i start a cardy wearing Carlisle United supporters group will i get an invitation?

I don't see the harm in joining the group. It wont affect anyones right to express opinions on here.

Joining is not an admission of support for the current regime

BoardAdmin wrote:
Care to advise what that avenue is please?

Tell them to get f.cked!!

CUSG is around to allow supporters groups to express their views and feedback to the club on certain topics. Items like the club ownership isn't really for CUSG and direct communication with the club from individuals is probably the best route for this. At the end of the day, the supporters group umbrella could well all be in agreeance to hire a new physio, kit man, MD etc but ultimately, that is not a supporters group decision.

What it does allow is for items such as match day experience, ticketing and the other topics that this message board is full of, to be fed back to the club and discussed with a number of representative supporters groups to find a solution (or various solutions) that impact supporters directly.

With regards your Cardigan Supporters Group, Mullen, you'd really have to speak to CUSG on this. If the group had members to represent and wasn't just a hypothetical group made up to be awkward or prove a point, then yeah I'm sure they'd weigh up the benefits of the Cardigan Supporters Group joining CUSG.

MRF, in all fairness, I don't go to BP on a weekend to scream and shout my hatred to the current board of directors and ownership. What I go for is to support the club and watch football. The things that have impact on my experience of watching local football - queueing time, catering etc, is something that CUSG can look to work with the club to improve.

Direct communication between this message board and both the CUSG and the Club are positive roads moving forward to creating the widespread fan representation and voice that everybody on this board says we lack.

Mouldy wrote:
Direct communication with the club from individuals?

Well, apart from the board took their emails off of the club site so I suggest that isn't a feasible option.

You said other avenues plural?

So, please advise what other avenues there are please?

I don't really see the point. Anyone interested can join any of the other organisations and the fans rep gives feedback anyway.

If there is a hot topic on here some one from the other groups will see it and a hot topic will be discussed in more places than here anyway.

If cusg want a messageboard then that's great, I would certainly browse it if not post on it. However the club already has a facebook page, CUSAT and the West Coasters have their facebook page, again I browse and post on them from time to time.

Do think it's important to have a truly independent message board though. If this one goes under the CUSG umbrella I would be less inclined to use it.and would look for an independent alternative.

Who do i contact Mouldy if i want my "Cardy wearers group" considered to be part of the group?

It's all gotten a wee bit silly as where does it stop? i've said before theres too many cliques and groups for a "Supposedly" small club

To give Claire credit if i ask her a question she does answer or forward it to the club therefore i don't see the need to have multiple groups and a big meeting.

Armo wrote:
Come on Armo, surely you know email isn't the only way to get in touch with someone? There are phone numbers and postal addresses available. Royal Mail, albeit slowly, are still delivering letters in this day and age.

With regards to the independent messageboard, what are your concerns, Bumble?

As an independently governed and administrated messageboard, which this site has always has been under Deano, as you know being part of a team that have moderated the board, we still remain independent. Being recognised as a genuine forum used by supporters for discussion, debate and sharing opinions, is surely only strengthening our position and showing we're not just a Micky mouse set up looking to cause trouble?

Only items that need taken forward would be taken forward, but we would have a way of doing this and chatting options through with other supporters.

Bumble wrote:
Whilst folk could join any of the Groups mentioned, some don't want to. This Messageboard is merely another voice for fans to talk CUFC.

I can't say I've heard of CUSG setting up a seperate Messageboard? I can assure you TheCumbrians.Net certainly won't be, and is fully Independent (Something the Club told us that's how they expect it would be). We would set up threads to bring up issues prior to Meetings, and would report back as quick as possible. You are aware when Mike was running the Board that he went to CUSG Meetings as a Messageboard representative? That's exactly what we would be doing!

Yes there are other avenues, personally I find the Club Facebook Page hard work, and both the CUSAT and Route66 pages are 'Closed' and not accessible to all (Plenty fans don't use Facebook!).

So is club ownership not important?... dont buy being fobbed off about it being about the matchday experience.. yes i go to watch the football and thats it.. Most folk simply want a decent affordable pint, being able to buy a ticket in the most basic of ways..and watch the game..and that has been an epic fail despite it being mentioned over and over..its like a broken record


Again the issue is ownership.. so you saying we cannot mention and demand answers from.the top at the meetings? The baffoons running the club are again laughing in our faces by trying to allow all this little happy group..and talk about little things avoiding any confrontation..hiding themselves away in a shower of lies.

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Agree with MRF. There is no point in any of this, while we continue to be lied to and have the p1ss taken out of us by the 'custodians'.

VOTE NO!

For me the very fact there was a meeting with representatives from the club present, says it wasn't independent of the club or at least cannot be perceived to be independent, (purely my opinion of course).

I haven't seen or heard that cusg are going to have a messageboard but if this one goes under the umbrella of cusg then it may be difficult not to associate the two.

Regarding knowing that Mike went to meetings, yes I did, I went to one meeting at the club when Mike couldn't go and reported back. I felt at the time there were too many factions at the meeting and everything would be duplicated, I think in the end though most people were afraid of stepping on other folks toes and nobody gave an in depth report from the meeting.

To my mind we have a fans rep, as I understand it she is at every meeting . I know she has had problems of late and sometimes life gets in the way for all of us doing unpaid work, but if Clare, as fans rep can get the minutes out a few days after the meeting then that's all fans need, for reps from the message board to be reporting back independently would be duplicating info and confusing.

As I say, just my thoughts on the matter as we were asked.

Item for the next agenda. Produce a Venn diagram of all the people represented at the meeting.

Surely the clue is in the name 'Fans Rep'? If people have concerns about anything (from the % of meat in the pies, to the size of the sponsors logo on the replica shirts, to the short-to-medium term financial stability of the club) it can go via Clare?

“If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be 'meetings.” - Dave Barry

Keep the message board independent so say no

Mouldy wrote:

Yeah, it may sound fallacious and I know it's not really a problem of your making.

A phone number? Will fall on deaf ears. A letter? Straight in the bin.

Either way, communicating directly is only one avenue. You said their was multiple avenues.

My point (i do have one, believe it or not) is that there are no avenues. There is no way of addressing these concerns and that is exactly how the holding board like it.

And for that reason, groups like this should be used to reinforce the dissatisfaction. It may get tedious, the answers maybe stock but if they are asked time and again, hopefully the point may get through.

Not a bad thing surely better to be on the inside than standing in the sidelines sniping, although that apparently is a lot of people's preference.

Big fat no from me. Next thing you know people will be being gagged for criticising the club and it's ownership.

With the consensus being No from this messageboard - wouldn't it be best to create a poll (1 vote only) to see what the majority of users think instead of going for your own decision.

A resounding yes from me if only to annoy all the naysayers!

Looks like another layer of waffle being introduced by the club to confuse who is responsible for what.
It seems the whole of the reasons for this group are covered by the Fans Rep I would say, so what is the point?
The other thing is to avoid the effects on the mods of the jump to the dark side that Deano undoubtedly had (perhaps inadvertently) when he went on the Trust Board. The default position was to defend the Trust and Club almost overnight.

NO thanks.

I think some people are wildly missing the point here (in some cases, probably deliberately so) - to clear a few things up.

1) The message board is not going to go "official", it's not going to become the "CUSG Message Board". You'll still be able to express your opinions and views on the club as you currently do (within the boundaries of decency and legality).

2) This position is actually supported by the club - Phil King has expressly said it's a good thing that we are independent, as they get honest views/feedback on the service they are providing.

3) We do want to remain independent, which means fans can express their views. That said, we aren't officially setting up some kind of "crusade" against the owners - that's up to individuals to do themselves in my personal opinion (as we saw with the "billionaires" protest earlier in the season). If we were to express the views regarding ownership (and remember - that's not necessarily going to cover what everyone thinks on this board, some aren't against them or are ambivalent), we know already that there's little that Phil King, Suzanne Kidd or Andy Hall can realistically do about it. What they can do, is work on the day-to-day matchday experience or customer service aspects and improve them.

4) The idea of the club not being at these CUSG meetings is ridiculous - they need to be there to hear our concerns and hopefully act on them.

One thing we are going to express concerns about (as was raised in a roundabout way above my mattcufc) is that some groups are a bit over-represented at these meetings. I think each group can easily be represented by one person at each meeting - any more is overkill and dilutes the message. That individual should be capable of disseminating the message internally within their group.

I suspect that there are many who won't be swayed on this, but I personally (even if I wasn't a moderator) think this is a good opportunity. The office level staff at the club are willing to listen and take on advice/feedback - they've done some really good things in the last year or so (the Family Zone for example) and it'd be a shame not to be able to help them go even further.

I'll make my own position clear, on behalf of the other board (I've said this on there too)

I was invited to CUSG and told Claire that I'm available. However I've thought long and hard about it since. Carlisle Mad is a quiet board with many members overseas, and other posters many of whom also post here. There is therefore an overlap. The types of issues discussed over there are NOT the issues that can be raised at CUSG. I've therefore now declined the invitation to join the group. As I said over there:

"This will remain as busy or quiet a place as the membership dictates. I'll protect it from invasions and (for my own protection) keep an eye on posts as I always have done. You're all a sensible bunch and I've been impressed by the accurate and intelligent way in which your all seem to behave. We'll stay resilient and completely independent."

It was nice meeting Mouldy and CCU last night. I'm sure that they can and will cover any issues relevant to that group on your behalf.

MerseysideBlue wrote:
I just meant that there seemed to be far too many groups getting a place at the table for these meetings.

If your now saying some of these groups are represented by more than one person at the meetings then it only strengthens what I was saying.

"Unless there is a groundswell of opinion for us not to join, we will be accepting the invitation and look forward to working together with the other Groups within CUSG"

Looks like you have your answer! Massive waste of time to be involved in a talking shop like this. Improve the matchday experience you say? Have a team in the championship and board members who resign when they go live on the radio and call people "[censored]".

Reading this the CUSG seems a complete and utter farce and a waste of time.

Too many groups at the table. I've made an application to join CUSG with my cardy group. Yes it's take the piss and make a point but in theory they should accept as what's to stop one group attending and not another, complete farce.

"It is not a route to question issues such as Club Ownership, Financial Situation or other similar grievances, there are other avenues for such queries."

Therefore, it's pointless. Armo still hasn't had an answer to his question about this either.

I've just read the initial post again to try and put my ideas of what CUSG should be for and gave up as I can't remember which group is which! To many acronyms for a starter.

A no from me simply because certain groups there are in it for their own ego's which in the past have done a lot of damage to the club .

I'm gonna start a 'Non cardy wearing' group.

Sure this has been gone through before, but Reading through things CUSG and CUOSC names are the wrong way round. The trust should not be classed as the Carlisle United Offical Supporters Club. I would be a member of an Official Supporters Club but unlikely I would ever join the trust.

Alan wrote:
Totally agree one club so many egos!

This must be a dream come true for the gimps a human shield of Kidd, King and Winder deflecting anything controversal by silencing fans groups from asking proper questions .

Ps

Can you see if you can sort a candyfloss machine in the club shop as it would boost my matchday experience ?

People are forever complaining about the lack of communication. Surely even if not perfect this an opportuity to get points across. Whether it does any good is a diiferent question but at least you are at the table putting them across rather than whining on here.

No from me.
'Whining on here' is just a harmless pastime for most, nothing more, nothing less.

The board admins have gone very quiet.

Are you going to listen to its members/users or are you going to ahead anyway and what's best for yourself.

If your there to represent the messageboarders then you need to put it to the members. Who knows it may just be a few noisy ones saying no but at least you'll get a decision. Going ahead and doing it makes you no different in my opinion to the current regime including the trust.

In an ideal world then I'd say yes good idea but we aren't in an ideal world at Carlisle United and it should be a resounding no.

Didn't Deano attend the CUSG meetings on behalf of this messageboard previously anyway? No one was bothered then?

I see theres a lot of people saying thats what Claire is supposed to be doing but id argue its what Norman Steel should have been doing for the last 10 years. I think everyone wants better quality food and drink at a reasonable price then there isnt a massive queue at the bakers every home game and a winning team. I dont think it needs a load of people to sit round a table every month to work that out. Match day experience my arse, i bloody hate that term.

RonBacardi wrote:
I did quite loudly as did others. I was concerned that this messageboard would be censored and it when I started thinking of doing my own, I won't need to bother as Griff has rightly said no.

I was involved supporting Deano at the start of CUSG and believed strongly (and still do) that the various fans groups should look to work together as we all had a passion for our club and a desire for it to remain sustainable in the future rather than cry our concerns into the wind.

WHEN did CUSG get the remit that views re finance, ownership, outside investors etc are not subjects to be discussed at CUSG or for CUSG to raise with the club?

As an active member of the London Branch and a member of the trust from day 1, I want to be working with other fans groups to ensure the long term sustainability of my club NOT to become a poodle of the club. This is in addition to looking at areas like improving disabled facilities or fans experience..

Could the CUSG representatives of the various groups come on this thread and confirm that there are no "off limits" topics. If some topics are off limits, CUSG has failed dramatically at the first hurdle.

All the fans groups have reasons to stay independent and Cumbrians.net and the other board should also be there at CUSG making sure that their views are felt BUT I don't believe that this is an invite that is Andy Hall's, Phil's or Suzanne's to bestow. They should be there as fans doing something that pulls Carlisle fans together.

Mullen103 wrote:
I got in wearing a purple woolly hat & a high-viz vest.

Hello

The invite wasn't at the end of a grilling. It was a very relaxed chat about the purpose of the group and how it started & how useful it has been. I'd assumed this board would be coming along so invited Griff along too.

There are no topics that are banned, i simply ask for agenda items from the groups and for them to ask their members about things.

It's a relaxed meeting, lasting about an hour with the odd giggle or 2.

It's up to you whether your board is represented. Personally i think it'd be helpful, if nothing else than for the new messageboard custodians to see there's nothing cloak & dagger about it.

Best wishes
Claire