(That long since we've had any, couldn't find the thread)

Alan Nixon: "Top Liverpool starlet Cameron Branagan will Ben allowed out on loan in Jan.

Bolton lead the race for the 20 year old midfielder"

Edited December 11, 20169 yr by Ratwhite

8 hours ago, Traf said:

Gilks is at Barnsley now.

I think he was in the dugout at Barnsley by the Saturday of the week they were all let go. Perhaps he saw what was coming. 

Evatt, I’m told, was completely blindsided by his own sacking. Which seems incredible if true, and I’ve no reason to believe otherwise  

7 hours ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

How could this have been missed ?

It was clear enough something wasn't working. If reports his odd behavior reached us it must have reached others.

If his frequent absences were known, if the players not turning up, or not properly training were correct how on God's Earth was it not stopped earlier ?

Very fair questions. I don’t know the exact dynamics of the board, but SB was IEs line manager. And for reasons only she knows, she chose to ignore what was obvious to everyone. Even at the end, she wanted to stick with him. MJ and NL had to apply pressure to sway her, particularly with the season ticket announcement imminent. 

This was in the face of numerous complaints about IE from staff. 

I don’t for a minute think there was anything inappropriate in their relationship, but her loyalty to him was on a different level. 

38 minutes ago, thebells said:

Very fair questions. I don’t know the exact dynamics of the board, but SB was IEs line manager. And for reasons only she knows, she chose to ignore what was obvious to everyone. Even at the end, she wanted to stick with him. MJ and NL had to apply pressure to sway her, particularly with the season ticket announcement imminent. 

This was in the face of numerous complaints about IE from staff. 

I don’t for a minute think there was anything inappropriate in their relationship, but her loyalty to him was on a different level. 

Quite concerning 

1 hour ago, thebells said:

Very fair questions. I don’t know the exact dynamics of the board, but SB was IEs line manager. And for reasons only she knows, she chose to ignore what was obvious to everyone. Even at the end, she wanted to stick with him. MJ and NL had to apply pressure to sway her, particularly with the season ticket announcement imminent. 

This was in the face of numerous complaints about IE from staff. 

I don’t for a minute think there was anything inappropriate in their relationship, but her loyalty to him was on a different level. 

Where does this information about “frequent absences”and “numerous complaints from staff” come from?
And what is the source of the rumours about players not training, bad vibe at the training ground and players refusing to sign as a result? - let alone Sharon being aware of it and failing to act.

I don’t know Sharon personally, but she does come across as an effective and moreover, professional person who would have no qualms about putting the interests of the business first and foremost, so rumours of her failing to act professionally simply don’t ring true.

It all seems a bit far-fetched and more than a little vindictive so can it be confirmed as fact? Or is just gossip put about by some hateful scrote trying to impress or someone with an axe to grind?
 

Because if it is true, I’d be worried about FVs tenure of our club and to date they haven’t done anything that would make me unduly concerned - but this would.

Edited February 25, 20251 yr by Wanderlust

From what I've heard, SB has also spent far less time at the stadium this season than she did last season.

40 minutes ago, Traf said:

From what I've heard, SB has also spent far less time at the stadium this season than she did last season.

If true, that’s another worry as historically she was passionate about building the club. Makes me wonder if she’s preparing an exit strategy.

12 minutes ago, Wanderlust said:

If true, that’s another worry as historically she was passionate about building the club. Makes me wonder if she’s preparing an exit strategy.

There is absolutely no doubt on this. Of course she is.

I have do doubts about her intent or sincerity but her failure to grasp the nettle until literally forced to means her self confidence took a knock too.

Just like Evatt, she has said that Oxford hit her hard &, like him, she wondered whether to go and coming back was very difficult.

Her loyalty to him, ignoring bad thoughts as to why, went beyond the norm. If Evatt was shocked at being booted then she allowed him to have that sense that it wouldn't happen. If his behaviours were so dubious but he felt no reason to leave then she had taken her eyes off the ball.

16 minutes ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

There is absolutely no doubt on this. Of course she is.

I have do doubts about her intent or sincerity but her failure to grasp the nettle until literally forced to means her self confidence took a knock too.

Just like Evatt, she has said that Oxford hit her hard &, like him, she wondered whether to go and coming back was very difficult.

Her loyalty to him, ignoring bad thoughts as to why, went beyond the norm. If Evatt was shocked at being booted then she allowed him to have that sense that it wouldn't happen. If his behaviours were so dubious but he felt no reason to leave then she had taken her eyes off the ball.

Whilst I can’t speculate on her thoughts, feelings or personal relationships, I would expect her to have an exit strategy anyway, whether it’s a complete or partial exit if only because her resources are limited and if the club is to grow it will need more than she can provide.

I was thinking more about the timing of it - is now/soon the right time for her or is it being forced upon her by circumstances? I always thought it would be if/when we are competing at Championship level.

Edited February 26, 20251 yr by Wanderlust

8 hours ago, thebells said:

Very fair questions. I don’t know the exact dynamics of the board, but SB was IEs line manager. And for reasons only she knows, she chose to ignore what was obvious to everyone. Even at the end, she wanted to stick with him. MJ and NL had to apply pressure to sway her, particularly with the season ticket announcement imminent. 

This was in the face of numerous complaints about IE from staff. 

I don’t for a minute think there was anything inappropriate in their relationship, but her loyalty to him was on a different level. 

This backs up what I was told by somebody ’ITK’ Shazza was outvoted at the board meeting..

8 hours ago, Wanderlust said:

Where does this information about “frequent absences”and “numerous complaints from staff” come from?
And what is the source of the rumours about players not training, bad vibe at the training ground and players refusing to sign as a result? - let alone Sharon being aware of it and failing to act.

I don’t know Sharon personally, but she does come across as an effective and moreover, professional person who would have no qualms about putting the interests of the business first and foremost, so rumours of her failing to act professionally simply don’t ring true.

It all seems a bit far-fetched and more than a little vindictive so can it be confirmed as fact? Or is just gossip put about by some hateful scrote trying to impress or someone with an axe to grind?
 

Because if it is true, I’d be worried about FVs tenure of our club and to date they haven’t done anything that would make me unduly concerned - but this would.

The players and manager mentioned poor training and ill-dicipline for starters.

Evatt fell out with loads of folk. That's the way he is, he's never been any different.

Didn't matter while we were winning though. 

Does he has a have a history of falling out with folk, going back to his playing days?

If not, then maybe it's symptomatic of the pressure he felt, particularly when he was found out tactically, by other managers. 

5 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Does he has a have a history of falling out with folk, going back to his playing days?

If not, then maybe it's symptomatic of the pressure he felt, particularly when he was found out tactically, by other managers. 

He fell out with everyone at Blackpool ha 

Including Holloway and the owners.

The Oystons paid his gambling debts off. Season later Evatt wanted to leave but Karl Oyston refused as he still 'owed' them.

He was up to allsorts here. Proper rogue

7 hours ago, gonzo said:

He fell out with everyone at Blackpool ha 

Including Holloway and the owners.

The Oystons paid his gambling debts off. Season later Evatt wanted to leave but Karl Oyston refused as he still 'owed' them.

He was up to allsorts here. Proper rogue

I have some particularly licentious tales that you would love to hear. 😉

Edited February 26, 20251 yr by Steejay

There’s little doubt that Evatt has a “my way” approach to football management and enjoys a spicy personal life including infidelity and gambling - which suggests that he’s going to upset some people along the way.

However, how those people who he has pissed off tell the story is likely to be overlaid with exaggeration and a venting of personal dislike so there’s no way I would take their accounts as gospel.

And I wouldn’t venture into the world of speculating who was thinking what or guessing at their motivation for their actions as it seldom tells the whole story and is often way off the mark in my experience.

None of it matters anyway. Evatt is gone, it was whatever it was and we’ve moved on.

That said, Sharon is still with us and I’m hoping that when she does finally go, she does it cleanly and leaves us in safe hands so questions being raised about her probity are a concern. Personally I believe she’s a good ‘un with good intentions and I’d like to think she’ll continue to do right by us and not get driven away by speculation about her character.

9 hours ago, Wanderlust said:

Where does this information about “frequent absences”and “numerous complaints from staff” come from?
And what is the source of the rumours about players not training, bad vibe at the training ground and players refusing to sign as a result? - let alone Sharon being aware of it and failing to act.

I don’t know Sharon personally, but she does come across as an effective and moreover, professional person who would have no qualms about putting the interests of the business first and foremost, so rumours of her failing to act professionally simply don’t ring true.

It all seems a bit far-fetched and more than a little vindictive so can it be confirmed as fact? Or is just gossip put about by some hateful scrote trying to impress or someone with an axe to grind?
 

Because if it is true, I’d be worried about FVs tenure of our club and to date they haven’t done anything that would make me unduly concerned - but this would.

Conscious of opening up an old story when i comment on stuff like this.

Everyone in the club respects / admires SB. She does a call EVERY morning with the CFO and Nick Mason, and they can't speak highly enough of her. I don't think she needs to be at the club often - she pays people to run it operationally.

I personally have no knowledge about players training habits. 

There will always be people with an axe to grind of course. But, the info i get, is first hand and not through chinese whispers. There are things i have been told in the last 3-4 weeks that have completely changed my opinion on IE if i'm honest. As much as he lost his head after the Oxford game, he felt he was untouchable. And that's a dangerous place for any human.

Only SB knows the reasons for her loyalty. My gut feel is that she is someone who sees it as a core value. And she said early on she wanted to do things differently, backing a manager when perhaps other clubs would sack. To be fair, she stuck with him early in the Covid season, and was proved right. So it's easy to see how she might have thought it would work again.

Once IE felt he was untouchable, it became a problem. Crainey, then Ormerod, cemented the old boys club, and some of the cultures around the training ground changed. 

Add to it players coming to contract ends and losing that 5% of desire, it was a perfect storm.

On Ormerod, last i was told he is still at the club. Other's may know more than me but i believe Ted Moulden is hoping to come back and Ormerod may be on his way. There's a long story about that which probably encapsulates the end of the Evatt reign in a nutshell, but wouldn't be fair to post publicly.

@Steejay mentions some stories. No doubt we've got similar tales.

As for the complaints against him, one is someone i know well and related to the training ground. I don't want to divulge info, and fully aware there will have been a 10% of embellishment, but IE was told to apologise to him personally as a resolution. The way it was done was nothing short of crazy! And certainly wasn't an apology.

I'll leave IE in the past now and try not to open up any more wounds. I genuinely think IE who came to us in 2019 had all the tools to be a top manager. And i hope he can find some humility in himself to drop the ego and focus on the football. 

1 hour ago, Steejay said:

I have some paricularly licentious tales that you would love to hear. 😉

...see you in the Elk for one in a few weeks.

 

And @Wanderlustnobody backed Evatt blindly more than myself. The stories of him not being at every training session weren't malicious. Just came from someone who noted it at the training ground. He only missed one or two like per week but that's enough.

The belief is he was at some spiritual recovery bollocks for his gambling  addictions.

The player training issues came from the players themselves.

The stories of him falling out with various players are pretty well touted, however I'm sure this happens in every football club. It only becomes a problem when you start losing matches.

If anyone did have a vendeta at the club they didn't do a very good job as he overstayed his welcome by nearly half a season and chairwoman still didn't want to sack him then.

As for his life outside of football, every man and his dog will tell you the type of bloke he is. Loves his women, loves his nights out and has had a life long struggle with Gambling. Impulsion being the operative word.

He was a proper Jack the lad at Blackpool, out in the beach house, every bit of skirt in sight, but that's a lot of footballers. Think he forgot to grow up.

 

Edited February 26, 20251 yr by gonzo

10 hours ago, Traf said:

From what I've heard, SB has also spent far less time at the stadium this season than she did last season.

so has her son until Dion left

3 hours ago, Ros Coe said:

This backs up what I was told by somebody ’ITK’ Shazza was outvoted at the board meeting..

She wasn't outvoted, she still holds over 50% of the shares, so still has the final say.
She was 'persuaded' from a business perspective that it was the right time to part ways with her prodigal son.

ST renewals were on the horizon, we'd wasted the January budget and the fanbase was turning. Thousands of season ticket holders not turning up at games : the club can't afford for them not to renew, so IE had to go, even though the league table said we were still in it.

2 hours ago, Steejay said:

I have some paricularly licentious tales that you would love to hear. 😉

Licentious is a fantastic but sadly underused word, well done.

17 minutes ago, Traf said:

She wasn't outvoted, she still holds over 50% of the shares, so still has the final say.
She was 'persuaded' from a business perspective that it was the right time to part ways with her prodigal son.
 

Splitting hairs a bit, but he was an employee not a director so the shareholdings shouldn't come into play. Normally, it'd be majority of board members that carry the decision.

It's splitting hairs in that I suspect (hope) they run things on a consensual basis at board level, so your point on her being persuaded is still valid.

Slight concern it took her so long, but the main thing is he's gone and things are way more positive now.

1 hour ago, thebells said:

I'll leave IE in the past now and try not to open up any more wounds. 

give over, it's a forum ... we love a bit of gossip 😁

be good to have Moulden's lad back, seemed a good character (and a nice back-story too).

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

 

The belief is he was at some spiritual recovery bollocks for his gambling  addictions.

 

and if it's right that Sharon is big into this scene as well, then I think "faith" goes a long way to explaining how IE lasted until January before enough was enough

12 hours ago, Wanderlust said:

Where does this information about “frequent absences”and “numerous complaints from staff” come from?
And what is the source of the rumours about players not training, bad vibe at the training ground and players refusing to sign as a result? - let alone Sharon being aware of it and failing to act.

I don’t know Sharon personally, but she does come across as an effective and moreover, professional person who would have no qualms about putting the interests of the business first and foremost, so rumours of her failing to act professionally simply don’t ring true.

It all seems a bit far-fetched and more than a little vindictive so can it be confirmed as fact? Or is just gossip put about by some hateful scrote trying to impress or someone with an axe to grind?
 

Because if it is true, I’d be worried about FVs tenure of our club and to date they haven’t done anything that would make me unduly concerned - but this would.

She did fail to act professionally! She sacked Evatt far to late!

53 minutes ago, wakey said:

give over, it's a forum ... we love a bit of gossip 😁

be good to have Moulden's lad back, seemed a good character (and a nice back-story too).

Haha 

Moulden never wanted to leave, but there isn't currently a job for him to come back to (at least there wasn't last week). I was told this would change within a couple of weeks but we'll see. 

6 minutes ago, thebells said:

Haha 

Moulden never wanted to leave, but there isn't currently a job for him to come back to (at least there wasn't last week). I was told this would change within a couple of weeks but we'll see. 

can you say more?

8 minutes ago, wakey said:

can you say more?

More

Hope I said it right