Fans' Forum

[melonhead]

id imagine looking after its own members was its raisin detra
why would it try to canvass opinion from a load of unnafiliated types?

[blindedbythelights]

die slow brendy, seriously

[melonhead]

never

[blindedbythelights]

No offence and all that but STAR has been next to awful under your tenure, things can only get better from here

none taken. It has nevertheless grown in numbers and in the opinion of others both locally and nationally,which is enough for me.

I'm sure the 400 posts on this thread telling you you're useless pale in significance compared to the deluge of fan mail you doubtless get every week.

[Hoop Blah]

id imagine looking after its own members was its raisin detra
why would it try to canvass opinion from a load of unnafiliated types?

Because it's stated aims are to represent it's members, Reading supporters and the community.

I'd imagine they also want as many members in STAR as possible. That's not going to happen if they don't try and find out what those people not already members actually want from their group.

[STAR Liaison]

It's not the way it's ever appeared to be handled from an HNA posters point of view though.

All we ever read on here is that you can't take anything posted on here back to STAR or the club because of the anonymity. If anyone has an issue it's usually met with a 'send us an email' response and we'll look into it.

I'd always assume that you don't just filter out all the good suggestions that get made on the board, but there's very little in the way of recognition of what's been taken away as food for thought and discussion at STAR and what's been dismissed as HNA just having a moan.

We have always asked for specifics so that we can remove the dismissal by the club, but if we are aware of problems that are not specifically brought to us we will raise them in an attempt to get them sorted but our hand is stronger if we have a specific complaint hence the request.

Do you read the notes of the management meetings as they are posted on our website?

[Hoop Blah]

I think I've been on the STAR website 2, maybe 3 times in my life, so no I'm afraid I've never dug around reading meeting minutes and such like on there.

Do you expect people to? I didn't know anything like that existed either.

[bigmike]

I think I've been on the STAR website 2, maybe 3 times in my life, so no I'm afraid I've never dug around reading meeting minutes and such like on there.

Do you expect people to? I didn't know anything like that existed either.

Yes of course its expected why do you think they are up there??? Also why dont you know about them after all no one have ever been told about them but its an unwritten rule that they are there

[leicsRoyal]

Has the information from the fans forum the other night been posted anywhere yet, other than the first post of this epic?

Whether it be on HNA, STAR or any other website it would be nice to read it whilst still relevant.

[southbank1871]

Not sure if serious.

[melonhead]

id imagine looking after its own members was its raisin detra
why would it try to canvass opinion from a load of unnafiliated types?

Because it's stated aims are to represent it's members, Reading supporters and the community.

I'd imagine they also want as many members in STAR as possible. That's not going to happen if they don't try and find out what those people not already members actually want from their group.

some people are just never happy

others arent happy unless they have something to whinge about


i view STAR as a very good way of keeping all the mongers in one place, just in case we need to cull them

[leicsRoyal]

Not sure if serious.

Totally serious.

What a great opportunity for STAR to increase their membership. Get the notes typed up, send to the club for vetting and then stick them out in the big wide world.

Great PR for the club
Great PR and advertising for STAR

[TFF]

send to the club for vetting

[melonhead]

Not sure if serious.

Totally serious.

What a great opportunity for STAR to increase their membership. Get the notes typed up, send to the club for vetting and then stick them out in the big wide world.

Great PR for the club
Great PR and advertising for STAR

its one of the only reasons youd join star though isnt it? to get this kind of inside info
if you dont get the coaches, why else would you bother

[STAR Liaison]

I think I've been on the STAR website 2, maybe 3 times in my life, so no I'm afraid I've never dug around reading meeting minutes and such like on there.

Do you expect people to? I didn't know anything like that existed either.

OK they are mentioned in the regular email to members, and to those who have registered to get emails from STAR, whenever they are posted and have been mentioned before now on HNA? if not every time.

Now you know, the next is scheduled for early August, and if you know anyone who is a member of STAR I am sure they will let you know when they are there. I will try to remember to post something on the STAR board too just so those who may be interested can have a look.

Now as my work does not include having spare time on the internet I's afraid I will have to go for a while and earn some money so I can afford football

[leicsRoyal]

Not sure if serious.

Totally serious.

What a great opportunity for STAR to increase their membership. Get the notes typed up, send to the club for vetting and then stick them out in the big wide world.

Great PR for the club
Great PR and advertising for STAR

its one of the only reasons youd join star though isnt it? to get this kind of inside info
if you dont get the coaches, why else would you bother

Back to the issue of this being more a nudge, nudge, wink, wink type of group rather than one for the fans.
It's a football club for gods sake, with a few hundred supporters sat in the room. If all STAR can offer the fan is a seat on a coach or a seat at a secretive meeting then I would suggest it a good idea to broaden the horizons a bit.

[The Rouge]

I agree about Club Policies and that is what I read most.

I think the problem is that there is no collective of Reading fans. STAR attempts to represent them, but we do need them to bring us their problems/suggestions We can't guarantee to succeed but, as far as I am aware, any email is taken seriously. We all tend to have our friends at football but I feel that I have a wide range of Reading fans coming to me with problems. Through being Chairman I have got to know a lot of Reading supporters that I would not have known otherwise; it is not perfect but it is more representative than I would have been just talking to the people around me, or in the bar or friends. There is always room for improvement but you do need to start from somewhere.

Quite agree and you are stating the way I approach it, but I am pointing out where there are weaknesses. I have been told at a management meeting that 'there are a lot of other supporters than those on HNA' but pointing out that it is a legitimate source of fan opinion still falls at the anonymity.

Fair play for engaging here now and there is plenty of good intent in these posts. My challenge would be that you need to properly understand Reading fans' views. Speaking to people is all well and good but collecting tit-bits of anecdotal opinion is far from adequate. Yes, you will have to simply represent the majority of fans at times but:

- The minority can at least be explained to that they are in the minority in their view on a particular issue
- There are plenty of occasions where you can appease more than one view (e.g. matchday food and drink)

The argument that 'there are more fans than those on HNA' is valid, but only if the fanbase is being adequately researched. Having only one of the board posting on here shows negative discrimination at worst, or at best just a widely ignored, vastly untapped source at best.

[melonhead]

negative discrimination at worst

RealLOLy?

[cmonurz]

Rouge, I’d go as far as suggesting that in primarily ignoring HNA, the club/STAR is ignoring probably the biggest single collection of Reading fanbase out there. Do regular visitors to The Team board outumber STAR members?

What better opportunity to canvas opinion of Reading fans than a RFC message board of memberships in the 000s?

starliaison – your last post highlights how insular your organisation is in the way it operates.

Why not, for example, post on the STAR forum of this message board that the minutes from the management meeting are available? Sure, only members will be able to access them, but it would get people interested in STAR and what they are doing. It’s pretty simple marketing – who do companies focus on? Existing or prospective customers?

That’s what I expected when the STAR forum appeared, pretty much a ‘hive’ of STAR activity. It’s nothing of the sort.

[Royal Lady]

With regard to the club not liking HNA's anonymity - if there's a thread on here complaining about, for example, ticketing - and it's clearly not just a wind up - can't you approach the club and say, "we have a number of fans who are unhappy about x, y and z - we'd like to discuss it with you"? Do you have to give the club the NAMES of anyone who has a problem??

I also agree that the STAR forum on here is virtually useless - look back at some of the threads - some are years old and it's almost always about travel.

I've moaned about stuff to do with the club in the past (along with other people on particular subjects - so it's not just my complaint) and no-one from STAR has ever pm'd me to ask more info or to offer to help. That is what is needed.

How many members do STAR currently have btw?

I'd put myself forward to go on the board, but I am only to well aware that I would be viewed with suspicion at the least and that anything I might have to say would be seen as negative if it went against the general STAR feeling. I have no interest in cosying up to the club - this is OUR club - no matter who is in charge, who runs the PR, who the manager or players are - they all come and go, WE the supporters remain. So, if anyone from the club wants to know my name, I'm happy to give it. PM me.