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      SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement

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      Brooklyn Red
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      SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Jun 04, 2010 02:24:03 pm
      I just received this in an e-mail from SOS and I wanted to share it with everyone. I, for one, will be digging into my pockets to see this through.

      Dear Member


      The Spirit of Shankly wish to inform members that there have been detailed discussions with Share Liverpool over the last six months regarding the progress that had been made by Share Liverpool in promoting a supporters' ownership scheme.
       
      The discussions centred on the perception from our members (and supporters generally) that progress had stalled under the Share Liverpool scheme and that an opportunity was being lost which might not be available again for some time.
       
      The Management Committee of the Spirit of Shankly reached the conclusion that a merger of the two organisations would be appropriate in order to use the momentum and resources that the Union had together with the expertise that undoubtedly existed within Share Liverpool.
       
      The merger discussions reached a point where the Union put a formal proposal to Share Liverpool for merger and Share Liverpool met on 2nd June to consider the offer.
       
      Unfortunately Share Liverpool have rejected a merger which has left the Union with no alternative but to put into place a contingency plan that we have been working on for some time.
       
      This plan involves the creation and launch of a credit union scheme to collect payments from supporters to establish a fund for the purchase of a stake in the Club. It will allow for members to make monthly payments to reach the starting point of Ā£500 per supporter.
       
      This will be launched this summer.
       
      In addition the best of the Share Liverpool proposals relating to the structure of how the scheme will work and the approach to wealthier supporters and commercial organisations will still take place except now there will be transparent progress. Members will see their funds safely secure and will be able to see the growth in the fund.
       
      We would urge all those that made an initial pledge to Share Liverpool to fall in behind the Union with the promise of action, progress and the best effort that can be made for us to secure a preliminary stake in our Club.
       
      We have put a more detailed explanation of the background to this decision on our website at http://www.spiritofshankly.com/supporter-ownership.html


      Spirit of Shankly

      yozz1982
      • Forum John Toshack
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #1: Jun 04, 2010 05:40:52 pm
      Will be finding the money from somewhere. Need to publicise this better to get more people in the loop
      JD
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #2: Jun 05, 2010 01:10:03 pm
      Division not good.
      CRK
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      • JFT96 YNWA
      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #3: Jun 05, 2010 01:58:08 pm
      The Share Liverpool scheme has gone a little quiet though.

      I'll have a read up on this before casting any judgement though.
      Reprobate
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #4: Jun 07, 2010 06:54:17 pm
      Just read this and that's exactly what I thought. If there's going to be an attempt at a fans buyout of the club then it needs to be one campaign.
      Milo the Monkey
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #5: Jun 08, 2010 05:06:01 pm
      I'll repeat what I said on the Echo site re the Share Liverpool announcement:

      "This announcement has been effectively forced on Share Liverpool following SoS's move to set up a similar scheme. Why did it take a rival scheme to get ShareLiverpool to take action, they should have done this many months ago.

      Their lack of action to reach this stage has now left us with 2 seperate schemes, which I am affraid will only serve to hinder any potential fan buyout.

      We need one scheme and one scheme only or our asspirations to own our club are dead in the water.

      Both schemes in their own right are workable and I am happy to support them, however, I urge both groups to meet again and hammer out an agreement so we can move forward with a single scheme."


      This is just the time, more than ever before, that we need unity not more division, we need to put personal differences aside and fight together, one group of fans, one objective!

      Come on SOS & SL get it together guys.
      Red Rob 60
      • Forum Ian St John
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      Share Ownership
      Reply #6: Jun 08, 2010 07:48:08 pm
      Things starting to develop with both Share Liverpool and Spirit of Shankly launching schemes for fan ownership.

      Not sure if that I think two competing schemes are such a good idea.

      SOS scheme details follow.

      Hope this doesn't duplicate another thread.

      YNWA


      SOME GOOD NEWS AT LAST

      We are delighted to tell you that the board of ShareLiverpoolFC can announce that it is confident that the costs of organising and delivering a full share issue can now be met.

      As many of you will be only too well aware, the substantial costs of offering (even not-for-profit) shares for sale under the proper regulation of the Financial Services Authority of UK has proved a major barrier to our moving forward.

      At last that barrier has been removed.

      Clearly there is a great deal of work to do beforehand, but we will now look to specify a date for a share issue ā€“ probably some time within the next two to three months.

      There is a great deal you can do too to help the cause:

      Start to save towards buying a share, currently a minimum of Ā£500 (but with an opportunity to invest more if you can afford it ā€“ check out the website for more details).
      Send this email on to at least one other LFC fan you know by clicking here
      You do not need to register again, but please tell every Liverpool fan you know that the time is coming and they should register their interest on the website, and start saving too.
      Unlike the collapsing 'Red Knights' proposal at Man Utd, ShareLiverpoolFC's plan does not depend upon a few wealthy fans, rather it relies upon the collective efforts of individual supporters in order to raise the funds necessary; not high net worth individuals behind the organisation.

      Also, unlike Man Utd, Liverpool FC is for sale, and the Club's value is considerably lower. ShareLiverpool has over 35,000 registered supporters whose current pledges could raise up to Ā£40 million in order to acquire a stake in the club.

      It will require hundreds of thousands of LFC fans to buy a share for the plan to succeed. But there are more than 4 million in UK & Ireland alone, and uncounted millions more abroad. If the sum raised is insufficient to take a majority stake in the Club, then the board would seek to partner a suitable majority owner by purchasing a minority share which could not be diluted by subsequent share issues; Club board representation and pre-emption rights. If in the end, ShareLFC is unsuccessful, the money will be returned to everyone who put money in.

      This is our time. This will be the one chance we'll get to take control of the Club we love and support. This may be the only opportunity we'll ever have to make sure that what has happened to Liverpool FC these last few years will never be allowed to happen again. There's only one way to guarantee that. But it will need a huge number of LFC fans to contribute.

      As the Kop banner says: 'What we achieve in life echoes in eternity'

      Let's get on with it.

      ShareLiverpoolFC board
      http://www.shareliverpoolfc.co.uk/
      Red Rob 60
      • Forum Ian St John
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      Re: Share Ownership
      Reply #7: Jun 08, 2010 07:48:59 pm
      Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Friday 4th June 2010


      The Spirit of Shankly wish to inform members that there have been detailed discussions with Share Liverpool over the last six months regarding the progress that had been made by Share Liverpool in promoting a supporters' ownership scheme.
       
      The discussions centred on the perception from our members (and supporters generally) that progress had stalled under the Share Liverpool scheme and that an opportunity was being lost which might not be available again for some time.
       
      The Management Committee of the Spirit of Shankly reached the conclusion that a merger of the two organisations would be appropriate in order to use the momentum and resources that the Union had together with the expertise that undoubtedly existed within Share Liverpool.
       
      The merger discussions reached a point where the Union put a formal proposal to Share Liverpool for merger and Share Liverpool met on 2nd June to consider the offer.
       
      Unfortunately Share Liverpool have rejected a merger which has left the Union with no alternative but to put into place a contingency plan that we have been working on for some time.
       
      This plan involves the creation and launch of a credit union scheme to collect payments from supporters to establish a fund for the purchase of a stake in the Club. It will allow for members to make monthly payments to reach the starting point of Ā£500 per supporter.
       
      This will be launched this summer.
       
      In addition the best of the Share Liverpool proposals relating to the structure of how the scheme will work and the approach to wealthier supporters and commercial organisations will still take place except now there will be transparent progress. Members will see their funds safely secure and will be able to see the growth in the fund.
       
      We would urge all those that made an initial pledge to Share Liverpool to fall in behind the Union with the promise of action, progress and the best effort that can be made for us to secure a preliminary stake in our Club.
       
      We have put a more detailed explanation of the background to this decision at http://www.spiritofshankly.com/supporter-ownership.html

      Dexter
      • Forum Legend - Fagan
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      Re: Share Ownership
      Reply #8: Jun 08, 2010 07:50:13 pm
      shabbadoo
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #9: Jun 08, 2010 08:28:11 pm
      Divide and conquer.

      SOS & SL  need to re-group and fight the common enemy as to finding enough members to fill each scheme.
      Red Rob 60
      • Forum Ian St John
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      Re: Share Ownership
      Reply #10: Jun 08, 2010 11:29:01 pm
      Thanks Dexter.

      Maybe someone can merge this with the original thread?
      Brooklyn Red
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #11: Jun 18, 2010 06:00:38 pm
      The latest statement:

      Spirit of Shankly and ShareLiverpoolFC Update
      Friday 18th June 2010
      In the last month both Spirit of Shankly and ShareLiverpoolFC have had a significant number of approaches urging both organisations to work harder for a more formal arrangement between them.

      Both organisations want to reassure their members and registrants that they entirely share the view that supporters' organisations need to work together in order to secure fan ownership of our club.

      Spirit of Shankly and ShareLiverpoolFC have worked hard over the last few months, and particularly the last few weeks, to formalise the combined work of both organisations toward this shared objective.

      There were some difficulties in developing the structure of a merged organisation but both organisations remain totally committed to working towards the same goal and have never lost sight of this fact during the dialogue.

      We are pleased to say that the discussions that have been continuing have resulted in the issues between the organisations being largely resolved.

      Both organisations are currently finalising the details of how a unified organisation to deliver fan ownership will work. We would hope to be able to make a formal announcement within the next couple of weeks about this, but it is reassuring that we can now look forward to coordinated supporters' ownership being pursued in tandem by both Spirit of Shankly and ShareLiverpoolFC.

      http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Spirit-of-Shankly-and-ShareLiverpoolFC-Update.html
      RedRoy
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #12: Jun 19, 2010 01:53:35 am
      Do'nt even need to read it ,a load of gobshites with aspirations,how can I put this politically,oh yes,F**k off.
      RedRoy
      • Forum Legend - Fagan
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      • 3,483 posts | 88 
      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #13: Jun 19, 2010 02:04:27 am
      SOS support our Demo  on the 4th july,or f*ck off .You have lost credability on this forum.You want new members then earn them.we are not on ego trips,we don't give a f*ck who you are.
      crouchinho
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #14: Jun 19, 2010 06:16:42 am
      Like, seriously. Our club is in trouble and they are too busy talking to another supporters group and not taking action? They're main objective was to fight against the Yanks and now their main agenda is ShareLiverpoolFC and vice versa. Isn't that what they were about? Load of piss takers.
      jake15919
      • Forum Graeme Souness
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #15: Jun 19, 2010 12:05:29 pm
      Of all the waste of time things SOS are involved in the shared ownership scheme is without doubt the most pointless. the idea as a whole is flawed and the numbers just don't add up.
      RedRoy
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #16: Jun 29, 2010 02:12:21 am
      Eric,bin everthing associated with SOS,they have become the political wing of our protest,which counts for f*ck all.They are now discedited,by the majority of fans,so basically count for f*ck all.The protest on Sunday will not be attended by true fans,in protest of SOS involvement.
      CRK
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      • JFT96 YNWA
      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #17: Jul 06, 2010 10:38:58 am
      Very interesting and honest write up from a subscriber to The Tomkins Times.

      The Long and Winding Road: LFC supporter ownership is no longer just a beautiful dream

      By Dan Kennett, subscriber to The Tomkins Times.

      Like many LFC fans, Iā€™ve long had my doubts about Spirit of Shankly. Iā€™ve said in the past that ā€œthey donā€™t speak for meā€. I thought that they were simply a niche group of hardcore űber-fans, most of whom seemed to sit in block 306 of The Kop.

      For many fans, the catastrophic public relations disaster of the Munich-singing footage cast a long and dark shadow. In the past, theyā€™d never really made it clear what their overall aims are in laymanā€™s terms. Perhaps more importantly there never seemed to be any sense of an overall strategy to reaching those aims. It always seemed to be much more haphazard, almost off-the-cuff and simply responding to events.

      I therefore thought long and hard about attending the Spirit of Shankly ā€œIndependence Rallyā€ at St.Georgeā€™s Hall yesterday. I go to most home games but donā€™t go to away games. Iā€™m lucky to live close enough to walk to the ground and never have to leave early to ā€œbeat the trafficā€. My political views are left of centre but not socialist. Iā€™ve no inclination to get involved with militant activism, my upbringing and parentā€™s finances were much too bourgeois for that. OK my Mum and Dadā€™s upbringing was working class in 1950s Liverpool but theyā€™d both worked their socks off and ended up with good jobs.

      In the end I decided to go on the basis that I class myself as a mainstream fan. Part of the ā€œsilent majorityā€ if you like. Iā€™d had the pre-event emails from SoS (and ShareLiverpoolFC ā€“ donā€™t forget this was definitely a joint event) advising about the Credit Union scheme. As a fan who loves my club and despises everything our owners stand for I wanted to hear more.  SoS are never going to get anywhere without the support of mainstream fans and I wanted to see if they could reach out to me. Boy was I glad I attended. I went a sceptic and returned a convert. This wasnā€™t just a load of fans making noise to no effect. The whole rally had a purpose. Raising awareness of a plan which if fulfilled could see genuine supporter-ownership (or at least supporter-representation) in Liverpool Football Club.

      St.Georgeā€™s plaza was full but not chocka. Two-thousand is a good estimate, though others say more. More importantly, the demographic was good. Families. Women without fellas. Pensioners. Dads ā€˜nā€™ Lads. OK the predominant demographic was white male aged 30-50 but did you expect anything else?  The atmosphere was light-hearted, almost friendly. The speakers had a lot to do with that. Neil Fitz as compere set the tone. Funny but mostly sensible and not aggressive. John Bishop was hilarious. The music was great. Karen Gill was great. OK she didnā€™t have her Grandadā€™s oratory skills but her speech still set the romantic and nostalgic emotions running. The speakers also continually (and correctly) acknowledged the huge amount of scepticism that is still out that needs to be overcome. Beforehand Iā€™d been worried about the potential for the event to backfire through some idiots burning American flags or the atmosphere turning sour in front of the media. Thankfully apart from a couple of minor cases of foot-in-mouth syndrome from some of the speakers this didnā€™t happen.

      The chap from SoS who had to deliver ā€œthe boring bitā€ did a great job. Speaking to others around me in the crowd, the ā€œboring bitā€ was why theyā€™d all come as well. So what did we learn?

      Firstly came the announcement that ShareLiverpoolFC and SoS are working as one. Very welcome news, the last thing we need is different groups pulling in different directions.

      Secondly they said the driver should be ā€œthe average fan in the streetā€ (whatever that is). Therefore the cost of a share has been set at Ā£500 instead of ShareLiverpoolFCā€™s initial Ā£5,000. Afterwards I found that the Liverpool groups have also been consulting Supporters Direct whoā€™ve already helped small clubs set up not-for-profit ownership.

      Thirdly, and most importantly the objective is to secure a minimum 10% stake in the club. Obviously more depending on how much money is put into the Credit Union. The stake will be equity, not debt and the 10% will be a permanent ā€œblocking stakeā€ ensuring that never again could Liverpool Football Club be sold lock, stock and barrel to people who do not have the best interests of the club at heart. Thereā€™s also a schedule of dates throughout July and August. The Credit Union scheme will be established and legitimised. They want to start getting the money into the scheme as soon as possible. Due to current UK legislation, the scheme will only be available to those who either live or work in Merseyside. SoS did assure that this legislation is being changed in the future to allow rest of UK and rest of the world participation.

      So there we have it. Itā€™s not Real Madrid or Barcelona yet, or even one of the Bundesliga clubs. But itā€™s a start and itā€™s no longer just a pipe-dream.  The sceptics will still be out there saying that this isnā€™t realistic, that the owners/banks will never talk to us. Theyā€™ll also refer to the ā€œreal politicsā€ behind SoS and how weā€™re all just stooges in some kind of dastardly militant plot. Theyā€™ll also say that the scheme will be raided in the same way as Maxwell raided the Mirror pension funds. But itā€™s easy to snipe from your armchair and behind your keyboard.  Itā€™s much more difficult to try and do something about it.

      Liverpool Football Club is representative of a wider problem in the UK. Every week over 30 pubs close. Petrol Stations lie abandoned. General stores and Post Offices are closing. Not-for-profit community buyouts are already commonplace in rural parts of the UK (http://www.plunkett.co.uk/).  The only difference with LFC is the size of the task and the amount of money needed.

      If you want supporter-ownership of Liverpool Football Club then get involved.

      If you think thereā€™s even the remotest chance that this could succeed then get involved.

      No-one is asking anyone to join a picket line or take some form of direct action.

      Join the scheme.

      Tell all your Liverpool supporting friends, family and colleagues.  Download and distribute the SoS Credit Union leaflet.

      Raise awareness in your local communities.

      Itā€™ll be a long and winding road but letā€™s start the journey together and believe that this can work.

      Link
      JD
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      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #18: Jul 06, 2010 02:43:03 pm
      Although set up many moons ago Barcelona do have an excellent model.

      As do the vast majority of German clubs.

      Owned by the fans - profits go back in to the club.

      How we have managed to get in to the situation were we are handing Ā£110M to a bank is ludicrous.

      The great failing of David Moores, in his time at Liverpool, was to not hand financial control over to the supporters.  At the price he sold it for we could have owned all of the club.  He should have created a new share issue in Liverpool FC for more fans to buy in.

      It's a real shame that a seriously wealthy fan could not put together a deal to buy the club and then set up a financial system whereby fans eventually take over ownership.

      In fact, if the four dipshits currently running the club offered it for a sensible price, I am sure it could be achieved from this point forward - and they would probably leave the club with a modicum of dignity.
      CRK
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      • JFT96 YNWA
      Re: SOS Supporter Ownership Announcement
      Reply #19: Jul 06, 2010 03:08:26 pm
      Would be a fantastic idea that JD. It's just finding a fan rich enough who doesn't want to own the club themselves.

      The asking price is what fucks it up. I love the idea of fan ownership, and think it is something that would work, but the price them two gobshites are asking is putting full ownership out of reach.

      Fingers crossed that new owners would be open to the idea of part ownership. Then we can ensure that no-one will put us over the barrell again.

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