So Dave Simms sends out an email regarding Ian Taylor being ousted, this email is sent to a large number of people on his mailing list
One of those people responds and inadvertantly sends it to everyone on the mailing list when it was clearly only intended for Dave Simms
Mr Westerdale uses this as a basis for his article in the Sheffield Star and all of a sudden FOSSL are a bunch of hero's who think they have ousted Mr Taylor
Steve Williams issued a statement from him self / FOSSL, a copy of which was forwarded to Bob Westerdale, it was that statement that was used in the Star last night, if it was sent to the press what is the problem in them using it
Depends which fence you are sat upon doesn't it, either way the information was going to be published
And you know full well that the response went to everyone on the mailing list, or is that simply a figment of someones imagination
IMHO someone/some people are trying to come out of the whole situation looking like a bunch of martyrs / hero's and that should not be the case
Although you have to admit its an interesting topic for conversation....heros for staying away or badies for not acting sooner with the previous regime ?
My guess is that the leader(s) of FOSSL will become Associate Director(s), don't see why as they cocked up last time, with Darren Brown, then spat there dummies out when it went wrong, took a year off, and will now come back as heros. As you say you can fool some of the people some of the time. Stephen
Interesting point of view, but my conversations with at least one of the FOSSL directors has led me to believe this isn't true for all of them
The person felt that he was so reviled by other (possibly less informed) steelers fans whilst he was honestly doing the best he could for the 'Steelers family' last year, that he has no desire to be involved at any level with the Steelers.
I am very glad that any member of the previous FOSSL team would want to come back, but this will not apply to all of the people who put the effort into helping the Steelers through that period. It was an unhappy period that led to divisions that will take a long time to heal.
I am glad that, after much concern, the steps to take Steelers as an organisation back to the previous level of fan involvement seem to be starting to be taken. Lets hope there is a sensible league to support the team and sport that we care about.
Still plenty of bitterness there isn't there Mr Williams, Im afraid Stephen Goodhand has called it correctly and your protests of having spoken to one FOSSL member seem a little weak
Fan based management has been a huge success in the past hasn't it, problem is, if you are in the pockets of certain people it isn't fan management, it is self glorification
The Associate Directors, NEED to be strong minded, honest individuals, the sort of people who will have the guts to stand up and be counted and simply not follow the example of their leader. Without these kind of people at the helm the club will go knowhere, except to the scrapheap of ice hockey history
..........an associate Director who was not interested enough last year to take an active part, even as a (mere) spectator.
I would even question Mr Williams qualifications. As a Director of the previous Sheffield Steelers company he, along with others, allowed Darren Brown to run the club into the ground, instead of standing up and being counted.
I'm with you Stephen when you called it "self glorification"
Sorry Stewart I did not say self glorification, that was ITMA, I cannot comment on the individual as I do not personnaly know them. My comments are that I cannot understand, why someone who took a year off, because he did not like either the ISL or NL depending on what version you believe, can walk back into a position within the club, it was a good job that 4000 other supporters did not take that stance. I do agree with you,that FOSSL members were as I understand on the Steelers board along with Darren Brown, so have part responsibility for what happened, and yet want to come back covered in glory. If they were board members then the had a duty in law, as I understand to protect the interests of that company, which clearly they did not. That is what my concerns are. Stephen
scuff (Login houseofsteel) Forum Owner 213.122.197.241
only interesting if yer want to read it..
May 8 2002, 5:59 PM
A storm in a tea cup if yer ask me..The only people who are saying that Mr williams is going to be an 'associate director' are the press and that is merely speculation...and wild at that..
the more you harp on about it, the more chance of it becoming reality..
DS, on the hotline this morning (8/5/02) said that both Mark Smith and Steve Williams have shown interest in becoming associate directors, I assume from that they must have talked to either DS or NL, and applied.
So I do not get done, always ring the hotline on 09068 888653 Stephen
Both Steve Williams and Mark Smith would make great Associate Directors. A lot of bridges need to be mended after what happened the other season, this would be a good start.
Why do some supporters feel the need to keep criticizing the stance people like Steve Williams took?...it only leads to more resentment and splits within the family.
The more supporters who return to the club, the better our long term future will be...lets welcome them back to the family with open arms. It's time to rebuild and heal those wounds.
It is not a criticism of people for coming back, every right minded Steeler would welcome that. However, people who can walk away from the club do not deserve to be considered for the role of A.D.
They need to come back into the fold and re-establish themselves from within.
On the other matter I personally will never forgive FOSSL for not doing more when they should, sitting back and saying "we could do nothing" when D.B. was in charge is and was unforgivable. Maybe staying away a year was more about guilt than protest, only time will tell
One thing is for certain, whoever, is organising the A.D's will surround themselves with more likeminded individuals and not necessarily the right people for the job
In my opinion both Mark Smith and Steve Williams would make excellent Associate Directors….not only do they both speak a lot of sense, but they would also be more likely to attract back the supporters who stayed away for the same reasons as themselves……an ideal combination.
Steve Williams walked away from the club out of principal, many others who are still going were very close to doing the same, myself included…. are you saying he shouldn’t be allowed to be an Associate Director for having principals?
As regards FOSSL not doing more, I can’t really comment because I wasn’t a member. However, I would ask you, what could FOSSL have done?
At the end of the day, Darren Brown was the owner, whatever he said went. Who’s to say he wasn’t misleading FOSSL regards the finances and other matters?
If you have the answers please let us know, although you’re probably 18 months too late.
As for the “maybe staying away a year was more about guilt than protest, only time will tell” comment…..what a load of complete and utter rubbish that is. Didn’t you listen to anything that was said last summer, perhaps not.
Anyway, I can’t be bothered dragging this out any longer. I’ve already been accused of dragging up the past more than once recently, it’s time we all moved on and stopped holding grudges, otherwise this once proud club will never manage to relive former glories. Whoever is given the role of Associate Directors will get my 100% support (unless it’s a Panther )….let me suggest you do the same.
Im afraid to say that you have a very fixed atitude to this whole situation. You are making more assumptions than I as to the real reason FOSSL members stayed away last season
Was it due to Norton Lea ?
Was it due to Darren Brown ?
Was it due to CJS ?
Was it due to Ian Taylor ?
Nobody has ever made it clear I am afraid, so it is easy to keep jumping from one thing to another. If as Mr Williams suggested they stayed away because of Ian Taylor than I remain disgusted by their actions.
Staying away from the Steelers was weakening the club, not Ian Taylor, they knew he was on his way out and decided, "oh, we will come back now"
At the end of the day, Taylor is a poor excuse to walk away from "THE FAMILY" for a whole year, what if the loss of income had sent the Steelers under, would you be so forgiving then ?
Regardless Mr Simms will surround himself with his people / his kind of people, so this whole argument is irrelevant anyway, its a done deal !!!
ITMA, I cannot comment on the reasons for ALL the FOSSL members staying away after last summer, I don’t know them all. However, I do know attitudes like yours are less likely to encourage certain fans to come back….is that a good thing?
I’ll try to answer your comments the best I can based on my own feelings, which I know were very close to many others who I spoke too: -
“You are making more assumptions than I as to the real reason FOSSL members stayed away last season
Was it due to Norton Lea ?
Was it due to Darren Brown ?
Was it due to CJS ?
Was it due to Ian Taylor ?”
- I think you’ll find it’s a combination of the above, with each one having a greater/lesser priority than the other
Norton Lea – We didn’t particularly want him because of his track record at Chesterfield FC. I think you’ll find most fans of that club were delighted to see the back of NL…what does that tell you?
NL was also initially in collaboration with The Eye Group, which was totally unacceptable to ALL of the supporters.
NL never had the decency to speak to the supporters and let them know what his plans would be for the future of our club. Without this information, how could we feel comfortable supporting him?….more uncertainty.
Having said all that, I don’t believe NL being the owner is the major reason for many supporters staying away, more just an additional factor. I think you’d find that if NL had been the only applicant for the ownership, then despite a few grumbles here and there, all supporters would have returned to the fold last season.
I never wanted NL in charge and to be quite honest, I still don’t, but I can live with it and will continue to support the team.
Darren Brown – He’s the cause of the problem, not the reason for fans staying away.
CJS – The fans aren’t staying away because of CJS, as far as we are concerned they did nothing wrong (apart from not getting a written guarantee on the ownership of the franchise). It’s more a case of the leagues attitude in not awarding the franchise to the supporters preferred bidder, which brings us to the final one……
Ian Taylor/ISL – This is your main reason for supporters staying away. During that summer, the attitude of the ISL in general and Ian Taylor in particular was an absolute disgrace.
The fans made it quite clear what they wanted (CJS), but did the league listen?….nope, they just fed us with lie after lie. As for Ian Taylor, do you remember his performance at the forum? Not only did he avoid answering any of the questions, he did it with such an arrogance that I’m surprised nobody smacked him in the gob.
The fans also made it quite clear what would happen if the league didn’t listen to their wishes, did the league listen?…..nope, and so many fans have been true to there word and stayed away.
Ian Taylor was the Chief Executive of the league and the individual most despised by our supporters, therefore his removal is why I guess some of them feel now is the right time to return.
There were others who got the supporters backs up like Neil “anorak, never win anything” Black and Bob “I’m alright Jack” Zoeller, but Ian Taylor was the main man.
Why do you think the franchise was awarded to NL knowing the trouble it would cause? In my opinion it was purely and simply down to the fact that NL offered a lot more money for the franchise. So just remember, when you're paying your extra £2 admission next season, it's your money that kept the rest of the ISL going last season -
“If as Mr Williams suggested they stayed away because of Ian Taylor than I remain disgusted by their actions.”
- Disgusted because supporters stayed away after the most important individual in the league (Ian Taylor) not only treated them with absolute contempt, but also allegedly lied to them aswell. I have to say, I fully understand their attitude and supported them 100%. -
“Staying away from the Steelers was weakening the club, not Ian Taylor, they knew he was on his way out and decided, "oh, we will come back now"
At the end of the day, Taylor is a poor excuse to walk away from "THE FAMILY" for a whole year, what if the loss of income had sent the Steelers under, would you be so forgiving then ?”
- If the loss of income had sent the club under then this would more than likely have caused the league to fold aswell…I think you’d find that Ian Taylors position would have been totally weakened.
Would I have been forgiving?…..yes, because the league and NL were warned of the consequences of not giving the franchise to CJS. Perhaps the league folding would have been the best thing for all of us in the long run, who knows. Lets be honest, a 7 team league with no TV, little sponsorship, dwindling support and increased admission charges isn’t exactly working….or is it? -
“Regardless Mr Simms will surround himself with his people / his kind of people, so this whole argument is irrelevant anyway, its a done deal !!!”
- Just one question, when did Mr Simms become the owner? I think I must have missed that -
Hope the above doesn’t bring back too many bad memories from last summer. Now can we all start looking forward to next season. As far as I’m concerned, any fans who want to return to the fold are more than welcome.
scuff (Login houseofsteel) Forum Owner 213.1.134.58
Remember seeing an article in the Star on this..
May 9 2002, 12:10 AM
where Mr Williams HAD NOT BEEN ASKED..but was flattered etc...
personally i have no axe to grind against the likes of Mr Williams and those that refused to come back to the fold last season..for whatever reason, and if Noron Lea wishes to offer him and those others a post then good luck to em...i would however feel a bit pissed off knowing that there are others out there that DID return to the fold last season and would do just as good a job utilising their various skills in the fields of marketing etc and who will be overlooked and who would have been willing to slog their nads off for the cause..
........against people who took a year off, a very good friend of mine is one of them. I also agree with Doom that the more who return the better.
What I have a problem with is this;
In my view Darren Brown was not the only guilty party in the demise of the Steelers last year. There was a whole Board of Directors who stood by and watched it happen. I have heard all the excuses that DB wouldn't tell them what was going on, etc,etc. But as Directors they had a legal obligation to inform the appropriate authorities if they believed the company was being "inappropriately" run.
This they didn't do, and, IMHO, to now offer them a position within the new company is totally unacceptable. I for one will never trust them to look after the interests of the Sheffield Steelers again. I have no problem with having Mark Smith on the Board even though, as regular posters know I said last year that I would rather have NL & ISL hockey than Mark Smith & BNL.
)….let me suggest you do the same.