Gave it a few hours to calm down. Didn't work. Felt compelled to email the Club.

Just a few points:

Well, I say "a few" ...

(1) The "someone like you" & "people like you" bits are ill advised at best.
(2) Didn't Ritchie get 11 points from his first 9 & 4 points from his second 9? Isn't that 15 points, not 14? I might be wrong - but I don't think I am.
(3) As Dirk has already said - people in business get lettters of complaint every day - it's how you handle them that counts, which is the first rule of customer service (Gord must've been mending a cooker when the rules were given out).
(4) As Moose points out - Gord now considers himself an expert from "inside" the game. I'll tell you one thing ... If I were putting my cash into a club I would love a businessman like Gord sorting the finances, but I'd have a real football man in charge of the sporting side of things.
(5) "The majority of our fans were angry that we lost to SWFC". Really? The majority? Oh aye.
(6) It's not personal. Fans are very rarely happy. Either accept this, or get another job.
(7) "Simon Davey is probably the best replacement" ... that's confidence for you.

Therteh six pence indeed.

 

why shouldnt he respond like with like? the original letter was infantile, almost like a toddler throwing his dummy out of the pram, but with some big words to dress it up. what rule says that someone just has to take it?

although, if i received that letter back, granted, id be piss*d off.

 

i have heard various stories about that

which contradict. i'm not sure i believe either side in that particular scenario.

 

RE: a loan would not reduce debts.

he's talking about losses not debts

 

Micky you are wrong on this one .....

..... if he was the Complaints Manager in a private company he would be very close to getting his cards from the MD for a letter like that to an aggrieved customer. Overall it was a good, detailed response but completely spoilt by childish, offensive and derogatory remarks. He should know better

 

or agree with most of your points, except point (6). it may not be personal, but if you dont like it get anotehr job, the problem is, this isnt his job, he's not being paid to take it. he's doing it, cos he's a barnsley fan and to make sure the club is safe, financially, in the future. so why should he just take it?

 

wonder how much the debt has decreased due to promotion

which was achieved by AR and his team?

yet it seems to me that GS is taking the credit for financial result and fair enough but surely he must accept that AR played a huge part in this? yet what loyalty did he show him?

At his sacking we were led to believe it was due to lack of transfers/squad strengthening, yet he talks about points ratios so what is the real reason for his sacking?

 

RE: The response in full (typed verbatim, including any typos)

I think Gord should find a way of acknowledging in his algebra that Ritchie had harder games (Norwich, Birmingham, Derby and Preston all away) than Davey has so far.

 

RE: a loan would not reduce debts.

Your original message was

to which my reply was that losses can't be stemmed by loans.

 

Why should he take it?

Simple.
Because certain things are expected of people who operate at a certain level.

Fair enough - BFC may only turnover about £6m ... but it's still a substantial business.
As Albatross states - some smaller businesses would be horrified to see such a statement sent to a customer.

You need thick skin to succeed in such a role.

 

2 things,

we didnt earn that much from promotion, but i grant you, AR, did an amazing job getting us promoted, using, i reckon, a fairly average team.

I think you may have mixed two points together on teh points scenario, or relevance of points. from what shep has said, AR going sacked cos we kept losing (which we were) and that AR wasnt prepared to sign new players (i.e. to stop us losing so many), therefore, if AR didnt sign new players, then we continue to lose and definately get relegated. if, we beleive sheps account fo what happened (which hasnt been contradicted by anyone).

therefore, caretaker manager put in charge, looking at others, but on the date the decision was made, i.e. prior to a scratch team being fielded against the washdays, davey's points per game record was good.

so, i read form that, if AR agreed to sign new players, in an attempt to stop the rot, then he wouldnt have been sacked. however, once he was sacked, the decision on davey was based on points per game (among other things as sheps letter states), which, was very healthy.

im not sure davey is the right bloke for the job, i di think he lacks experience, but reading sheps letter, about the successes and failures of previous managers, i wonder if i could name any manager that hasnt failed in his career, therefore, that manager, although expeirnced, at least in some circumstances, being a failure.

 

fair enough.

 

You've answered your own question .........

...... the response would make you feel pissed off .... hence it was a poor response to a letter of complaint

 

That wasnt for you! ... meant for johnb lower down! nt

 

Ritchie had the same points total after 9 games of the season

He then went on a 6 game losing streak.

Does this mean if Davey does the same ... he'll be shown the door?

Next 6 games

Preston (H)
Luton (A)
QPR (H)
Cardiff (A)
Colchester (H)
Sothampton (A)

Not too many easy points there. Espacially with tactics that have returned 1 league goal in the last 5 games.

Maybe Shepherd will get his manager sacking calcualtion thrown back in his face? If only he'd made this calculation public "us people" wouldn't have to bother him with stupid questions.

 

fair enough

the way i see it is that we offered him new deal thinking all would be ok playing well etc, then results go against us so instaed of just saying it is due to results we get told it is to do with signings, no mention of results until now, however i do see how they match up.

I still do not believe AR did not want to sign anyone, i think he wanted higher standard of players, look at the 4 we signed on loan deadline are any of them better tahn what we had? But they do add competition which should kick the players up the backside!

 

Ritchie had the same points total after 9 games of the season

He then went on a 6 game losing streak.

Does this mean if Davey does the same ... he'll be shown the door?

Next 6 games

Preston (H)
Luton (A)
QPR (H)
Cardiff (A)
Colchester (H)
Sothampton (A)

Not too many easy points there. Espacially with tactics that have returned 1 league goal in the last 5 games.

Maybe Shepherd will get his manager sacking calcualtion thrown back in his face? If only he'd made this calculation public "us people" wouldn't have to bother him with stupid questions.

 

Alittle while ago, I had occasion to take back a tin of dog food. The manager did not tell me that I knew nothing about supermarket management. Nor did he agrue that the tin of dog food was perfectly OK to feed to dogs. He appologised profusely and gave me a new tin of food and various freebies to remove the smell from my car and my home. This is because Tesco is a customer orientated business which cares that it may have upset one of its regular customers. Do you see the difference here?

 

So its OK to alienate your customers provided you are not paid to be nice to them is it. The net result is that your customers go elsewhere so how can the logic of this statement be right.

 

Did you go to the supermarket ranting and raving about the managers ability to carry out his job! If you had I think you might have got a different response as might any BFC supporter who had put the same points over to Shep without becoming over emotive and personal.