FAO Hobnob

[Royal Lady]

Have to say, I agree with Ian. Say me and Rouge paid our tenners and joined - then what? One or both of us put our names forward to be co-opted onto the board? Who's going to vote for us? There will be people within STAR who know who we are from what we say on here etc - are you seriously suggesting they won't mention this fact to some of their mates in STAR? I may be doing them a great dis-service, but if I was a member of a group and we'd been doing things the same old way for years and no-one within that group ever challenged it - I'd be mighty suspicious of some new person coming in and potentially wanting to change things - so I wouldn't vote them onto the board and, even if they got onto the board, I wouldn't agree with what they want to change, because it's "worked ok so far". If someone could categorically tell me that this wouldn't happen - I'd join STAR. No question.

Get a grip - it's a tinpot organisation that has absolutely zero influence on club matters and never will regardless of what you would like to think if it was run by the likes of yourself......what exactly has it done to change anything over the years and why would you make a difference?

I was responding to the posts saying "why not join and make a difference" - thanks for your interest though.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Here's my plan:

If 100 nobbers join STAR for a tenner and vote for me as Chairman, I'll win, and then throw a victory party for all my supporters, and then empty the STAR coffers on booze, drugs and whores to reward them for their faith in me.

Anyone keen?

Fatally flawed plan. Any member can be elected to the Board, which then votes for a Chairman. You can't vote directly for Chairman.

And if you did, you'd not have that much power - the Chair is just that, a Chair, not the wielder of supreme executive power, and the rules say that the money can't be pissed away or debts incurred.

This is an IPS, a properly accountable legal body - it's not a football club!

[adief]

Have to say, I agree with Ian. Say me and Rouge paid our tenners and joined - then what? One or both of us put our names forward to be co-opted onto the board? Who's going to vote for us? There will be people within STAR who know who we are from what we say on here etc - are you seriously suggesting they won't mention this fact to some of their mates in STAR? I may be doing them a great dis-service, but if I was a member of a group and we'd been doing things the same old way for years and no-one within that group ever challenged it - I'd be mighty suspicious of some new person coming in and potentially wanting to change things - so I wouldn't vote them onto the board and, even if they got onto the board, I wouldn't agree with what they want to change, because it's "worked ok so far". If someone could categorically tell me that this wouldn't happen - I'd join STAR. No question.

Get a grip - it's a tinpot organisation that has absolutely zero influence on club matters and never will regardless of what you would like to think if it was run by the likes of yourself......what exactly has it done to change anything over the years and why would you make a difference?

I was responding to the posts saying "why not join and make a difference" - thanks for your interest though.

.....but you imply that under different circumstances you could make a difference hence my question which is based on the contention that organisations such as STAR are a waste of time and energy.....apart from booking away game coaches which I gather they are very good at.

[Royal Lady]

Well, for a start, I WOULD make a difference, because I would look at threads on here and gauge the opinion of people - if I thought it warranted mentioning at a STAR meeting, I'd mention it. That doesn't happen at the moment. But, I take your point - and actually, my post was, in the main, agreeing that nothing would ever change!

[sandman]

Well, for a start, I WOULD make a difference, because I would look at threads on here and gauge the opinion of people - if I thought it warranted mentioning at a STAR meeting, I'd mention it. That doesn't happen at the moment. But, I take your point - and actually, my post was, in the main, agreeing that nothing would ever change!

Doomed within a couple of days.

[Royal Lady]

I meant about important things - it's pretty easy to tell who is a WUM and who isn't on threads to do with the kit, prices of booze in the ground etc etc. Don't worry, I doubt it will be happening anyway.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

once again we have the foolish idea that the club give a shit about the price of beer or how long it takes to get served. There is very little STAR can do other than at times put across an opinion on a club proposal, or offer one if asked about something new from the club.

If people dont like STAR they dont join, if they dont like the prices dont pay it.

How about a no drink day in the East, set up a FB page or something and start a group boycotting the high prices, wont happen and unless something like that does the prices will remain high, much like the local buses etc etc etc.
Oh and ticket prices.

Alex can you dig out what they should be from the agreement or whatever it was when all seater had to be introduced, ta.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

once again we have the foolish idea that the club give a shit about the price of beer or how long it takes to get served. There is very little STAR can do other than at times put across an opinion on a club proposal, or offer one if asked about something new from the club.

If people dont like STAR they dont join, if they dont like the prices dont pay it.

How about a no drink day in the East, set up a FB page or something and start a group boycotting the high prices, wont happen and unless something like that does the prices will remain high, much like the local buses etc etc etc.
Oh and ticket prices.

Alex can you dig out what they should be from the agreement or whatever it was when all seater had to be introduced, ta.

[Royal Lady]

I was using those as examples.

We'll still buy a drink at the ground cos we enjoy it before a game. And we can't be bothered to go anywhere else, so that's up to us - if you'd like to point me in the direction where I've, personally, moaned about the price of a drink, please do. I was just thinking of examples of where people complain/suggest/whatever on here.

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

The point is that the club actually don't listen that much to STAR, be it drinks buses, food, hoops all round, the list is almost endless.

One thing STAR did keep taking up with the club was stewarding, yet no one wanted to attend meetings set up with the club, which they tried two or three times I recall.

Also STAR is more than just a liaison with RFC, it has other objectives that have been posted on HNA? in the past.

They have done a lot of work on safe standing and ownership of football clubs at a national level, much of which involved a lot of time from some board members I believe, that is all general football, and just as likely to trickle down to changes at club level.

[Royal Lady]

Well, first and foremost I'd expect a Supporter's Trust at my football club to put Club before country as it were. I don't doubt they've worked hard behind the scenes, I know what Dirk has done in the past for them - but he was also much more willing to discuss it on here.

If people's perception of STAR and what they do is wrong, it would be nice if STAR could come on here, once in a while, and put us right - but sometimes, the attitude of one or two of them is so defensive they tend to get a few backs up and alienate STAR from the rest of us by themselves. The message to Cypry was indicative of that - "as you've shown remorse, we'll say no more about it" or somesuch rubbish. Really doesn't help foster a good relationship imo.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

There's no doubt that the Cypry was cocked up wholesale. An assumption was made that everyone at the FF knew the "ground rules" so people there weren't reminded of them and the valid reasons for them. And, again IMHO, if STAR had just said at the time "Sorry, we cocked up" and explained why FF notes shouldn't be published then things would have been a whole lot better in this situation and people wouldn't be using it as a stick to beat them with. (Well, not all of them - some people will beat them with whatever they can, whatever they do, because this is the internet.)

But every organisation makes PR mistakes from time to time and I think this one has been blown up massively disproportionately.

As with so much else with STAR, Reading FC, the leagues, the police and nearly everything else in the world, the actual truth is that someone cocked up, but the internet view is that the incident is evidence of some convoluted conspiracy against them.

[weybridgewanderer]

Have to say, I agree with Ian. Say me and Rouge paid our tenners and joined - then what? One or both of us put our names forward to be co-opted onto the board? Who's going to vote for us? There will be people within STAR who know who we are from what we say on here etc - are you seriously suggesting they won't mention this fact to some of their mates in STAR? I may be doing them a great dis-service, but if I was a member of a group and we'd been doing things the same old way for years and no-one within that group ever challenged it - I'd be mighty suspicious of some new person coming in and potentially wanting to change things - so I wouldn't vote them onto the board and, even if they got onto the board, I wouldn't agree with what they want to change, because it's "worked ok so far". If someone could categorically tell me that this wouldn't happen - I'd join STAR. No question.

So what you are saying is that those actively involved in STAR don't share your views, yet you complain they don't do what you want.

Welcome to democracy!! No fans org can represent the views of all fans

[Royal Lady]

No, I'm not actually saying that at all. I don't know what their views are enough to form an opinion as to whether I agree with them or not.
I'm not bothering with this anymore.

[cmonurz]

I thought this thread was about the STAR forum on a website the organisation says it doesn't recognise and won't communicate with. The forum should be deleted.

[Platypuss]

Times and people change. Just because STAR are being shortsighted and churlish at the moment, it doesn't mean HNA has to act in the same way.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

I thought this thread was about the STAR forum on a website the organisation says it doesn't recognise and won't communicate with. The forum should be deleted.

Again, there are some very useful and informative things in the 16 pages of this forum. IMHO it would be a shame to lose all that, even if it isn't currently being added to.

[blueroyals]

Make it read-only then. IMO STAR have alienated possibly the only way to engage in two-way communication with Reading fans on a semi-large scale. It's their loss.

Where are they going to go now? RR?

What a joke of an organisation.

[weybridgewanderer]

Well, for a start, I WOULD make a difference, because I would look at threads on here and gauge the opinion of people - if I thought it warranted mentioning at a STAR meeting, I'd mention it. That doesn't happen at the moment. But, I take your point - and actually, my post was, in the main, agreeing that nothing would ever change!

There are already people on hna that are STAR members. If none of them can be arsed to raise the issues why should anyone else?

Some issues are raised, eg the stewarding after the match.

As fir someone else posting about getting '100 nobbers' to vote for them, how many active posters are there on hobnob, i suspect significantly less than 100. Names pop up but hakf of them are existing posters with a new alias

[RoyalBlue]

I meant about important things - it's pretty easy to tell who is a WUM and who isn't on threads to do with the kit, prices of booze in the ground etc etc.

It is indeed very easy to spot the WUMs in most cases. The serious & genuine concerns do tend to stand out like sore thumbs but equally tend to get ignored/dismissed.