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Bristol R*vers dustbin thread


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7 minutes ago, pongo88 said:

There were periods when there were flowers behind the goals at Eastville, and periods when it was just grass. Nothing has ever changed with Rovers, as they’ve always been hard up. I guess the non-flower periods were when they couldn’t afford the seeds. 

No, the "non-flower" days were after we visited them i a Glos cup game in the late 60's ! :yes:

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1 hour ago, WhistleHappy said:

Just asked one of the Sainsbury's checkout girls at Avonmeads ... she had absolutely no idea about any Sainsbury / BRFC Mem negotiations so on that basis I'm minded to treat the rumour with a degree scepticism.. 

Could still be credible though... considering the blanket of silence thought to have been agreed by both parties.. 

 

Watertight apparently.

 

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10 hours ago, bert tann said:


We certainly were a different breed back then. Can you imagine one of today’s generation of “cornflake”  managers being capable of successfully steering the magnificent vessel  which is Bristol Rovers whilst .....

Launching the career of the Fab Four (Jarman, Biggs, Hamilton & Jones)

Solving the Cuban missile crisis by writing a stern letter to the FA

And still have time for a protracted bedding of Christine Keeler without her ever squealing.    (To the News of the World)

Who are the 'magnificent vessel which is Bristol rovers' Bert? Any links to the current shower of shit in BS7? ?

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42 minutes ago, pongo88 said:

There were periods when there were flowers behind the goals at Eastville, and periods when it was just grass. Nothing has ever changed with Rovers, as they’ve always been hard up. I guess the non-flower periods were when they couldn’t afford the seeds. 

The non-flower day was the Saturday before Mother`s Day. You don`t expect them to actually pay for a bunch for their mother/sister do you?

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From the EP:

Bristol Rovers director resigns claiming he has "no confidence or trust" in how the club is being run

The Supporters Club representative on the board had been suspended since January

0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Luton_Town_RH_132 Ken Masters (Image: Ryan Hiscott/JMP)

Long-standing Bristol Rovers director Ken Masters has resigned from the board in a lengthy statement in which he expresses concern at the governance and transparency of the football club.

Masters, who has served as Supporters Club representative on the board and has been a director since 2006, was suspended in January for reasons that have never been made public, and was banned from the directors box at the Mem.

The matter has since been in the hands of solicitors but after the publishing of the club's accounts last week for the financial year 2018/19, in which Rovers detailed a loss of £3.4m and debts approaching £25m, Masters has decided to step down.

In a lengthy statement published on the Supporters Club website and sent to Bristol Live, Masters reveals he was first asked to leave the board in November - the same month when the club "parted company" with former chairman Steve Hamer - and claims he has "no confidence or trust in any corporate governance going forward". 

"I have today resigned as a director serving on the board of Bristol Rovers Football Club," Masters said. "I have taken this decision after a good deal of thought and much soul searching. I have not taken the decision lightly.

"It is with deep regret that I could not in all good conscience approve either the Bristol Rovers (1883) Limited accounts or the Bristol Rovers Football Club Limited accounts for the financial year through June 2019.

 

"I have not been given access to a current budget July 2019 through June 2020. I have been given no introduction to newly appointed auditors to ask questions or to express my concerns. I have not been invited to attend a Board Meeting since March 5 2019.

"I have been suspended and effectively excluded from all Board matters with no good reasons being substantiated and no response to communications in relation to these matters since January.

"I was asked to stand down in November. I was told the reasons were confidential with no further explanation given and relayed to me by former club director Mike Turner by telephone call and reiterated by the present CEO during a face to face conversation in a public place at the stadium prior to a game.

"There has been no adequate and sufficient response to questions asked firstly by Supporters Club Chairman Jim Chappell and subsequently when lawyers representing me requested the confidential reasons.

"My suspension and banning from directors seating and areas at football matches home and away, was relayed to me by being copied in to an email from the Club’s lawyers to Jim Chappell.  

"I am in no position to assess the current financial well-being of the Company or otherwise. I am in no place to assess, predict or forecast the financial state of the Company going forward. I have been given no comfort that the company will necessarily be supported as a going concern.

"I have no confidence or trust in any corporate governance going forward under the proprietary operational methods now employed by the Club. My position is therefore untenable.

"As a consequence I have informed the club’s lawyers I am standing down as a director of the football club I have supported for all of my life. It has been a considerable honour and privilege to serve."

Confirmation of Masters' departure leaves Rovers' board as president Wael Al-Qadi and chief executive Martyn Starnes, with the expectation now that a new Supporters Club representative will be elected, as they own 8% of the football club.

As Masters details, lawyer Mike Turner has also now left the board. Turner was first appointed in May 2016 in a non-executive role to offer legal expertise to Dwane Sports.

Bristol Live understands his decision has been for "personal reasons" and he still remains close to the Al-Qadi family.

0_JMP_Oxford_United_v_Bristol_Rovers_RH_
Ken Masters at the Mem.

Masters' exit brings some sense of conclusion to a power struggle that has been waged in the Rovers boardroom for the best part of a year with growing distrust between Wael Al-Qadi and Starnes and Hamer and Masters.

In February, the Supporters Club issued a statement accusing Starnes of making "factually incorrect and false statements" in an interview broadcast on BBC Radio Bristol in which he briefly discussed Masters' exit.

Masters continues: "I have always done my best to be honest and open and to talk face to face with many supporters. However, being a director of a company, any company, comes with confidentiality and communication restrictions.

"Supporters Groups elected directors of football clubs and other sporting clubs find this to be difficult at times and many step down from the role after a relatively short period of time.

"I have given many years service to the club I love and I’m sure the vast majority understand that as a good honest man I have remained in the role not for any personal gain but to protect the generous shareholding that I have been proud to represent.

"We owe a great deal of gratitude to share-scheme members, past and present, for their commitment and generosity to the cause. A further £120,000 has been raised over the past four years. It is disappointing that not a single share certificate has been issued over that time despite numerous requests. 

"Other groups too, Helpline Members and the President’s Club not least who have also contributed generously. I have developed a strong bond with the Presidents Club and I have the greatest of respect for their work and for their financial contribution over the years. Bristol Rovers supporters are simply the best.

Part of Masters' remit on the board was to oversee the Community Trust and he was chairman of trustees assigned with growing the project which has since become an award-winning aspect of the club under CEO Adam Tutton.

"I am proud of the progress and work of the Youth Academy," Masters adds. "When I joined the Board the Under-18’s group were under the auspices of Filton College.

"The Board led by Geoff Dunford and then Ron Craig supported my proposition that the group be brought in house as paid apprentice professionals. I asked the Supporters Club Committee for financial sponsorship in this regard. The committee led by Jim Chappell agreed and remain proud sponsors to this day.

I am proud of the work of the Community Trust. When I joined the Board the education element was in mothballs and the community work comprised the then well respected Football in the Community.

0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Gillingham_RT0044
Ken Masters with Adam Tutton at the Mem in 2018

"Ron Craig asked me to take up the reigns and I readily agreed. Education has been re-established and student numbers are in excess of 50 full-time extending to degree level. The work in the community has grown massively with the aims of inclusivity, diversity and widening participation and inclusivity.

"Building on the good work with Women’s and Girl’s Football project the highly successful Bristol Rovers Women’s Football Club has been formed. Once again I asked the Supporter’s Club Committee for financial sponsorship and once again they supported me; my grateful thanks. The work of the Trust has been recognised with five major awards over the past two years.

Follow Bristol Rovers Live on social media 

2_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Portsmouth_da_018

Keep up to all the latest from the Mem via our Facebook page dedicated to the Gas

You can also follow us on Twitter @BristolLiveBRFC

Our Rovers reporter Sam Frost will also keep you up-to-date with all the goings-on at the club @frosty920

"I take immense pleasure from the work of the Community Trust over time. It has been an immense pleasure to lead a dedicated group of Trustees and I thank them with all sincerity for their contribution and for the support they have given me to demonstrate the standards required for capability, good governance and sound financial management.

"I wish to thank staff and volunteers at the Football Club, at the Community Trust and at the Supporters Club, past and present, for their considerable help, cooperation and friendship over the years; so very much appreciated.

"I wish to thank my family for their, support, sacrifice, tolerance and understanding. The past year, especially, has been as difficult for them as it has been for me.

"I will remain a proud supporter of the famous blue and white quarters, front and back, through thick and thin and always. I have no affinity to any other football club. Along with thousands of good and true I love the Club, its long tradition, its place in our city and it’s place in our region.

"Please keep safe and well until we are able to come together again to enjoy our football. FTG."

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1 hour ago, zombie said:

From the EP:

Bristol Rovers director resigns claiming he has "no confidence or trust" in how the club is being run

The Supporters Club representative on the board had been suspended since January

0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Luton_Town_RH_132 Ken Masters (Image: Ryan Hiscott/JMP)

Long-standing Bristol Rovers director Ken Masters has resigned from the board in a lengthy statement in which he expresses concern at the governance and transparency of the football club.

Masters, who has served as Supporters Club representative on the board and has been a director since 2006, was suspended in January for reasons that have never been made public, and was banned from the directors box at the Mem.

The matter has since been in the hands of solicitors but after the publishing of the club's accounts last week for the financial year 2018/19, in which Rovers detailed a loss of £3.4m and debts approaching £25m, Masters has decided to step down.

In a lengthy statement published on the Supporters Club website and sent to Bristol Live, Masters reveals he was first asked to leave the board in November - the same month when the club "parted company" with former chairman Steve Hamer - and claims he has "no confidence or trust in any corporate governance going forward". 

"I have today resigned as a director serving on the board of Bristol Rovers Football Club," Masters said. "I have taken this decision after a good deal of thought and much soul searching. I have not taken the decision lightly.

"It is with deep regret that I could not in all good conscience approve either the Bristol Rovers (1883) Limited accounts or the Bristol Rovers Football Club Limited accounts for the financial year through June 2019.

 

"I have not been given access to a current budget July 2019 through June 2020. I have been given no introduction to newly appointed auditors to ask questions or to express my concerns. I have not been invited to attend a Board Meeting since March 5 2019.

"I have been suspended and effectively excluded from all Board matters with no good reasons being substantiated and no response to communications in relation to these matters since January.

"I was asked to stand down in November. I was told the reasons were confidential with no further explanation given and relayed to me by former club director Mike Turner by telephone call and reiterated by the present CEO during a face to face conversation in a public place at the stadium prior to a game.

"There has been no adequate and sufficient response to questions asked firstly by Supporters Club Chairman Jim Chappell and subsequently when lawyers representing me requested the confidential reasons.

"My suspension and banning from directors seating and areas at football matches home and away, was relayed to me by being copied in to an email from the Club’s lawyers to Jim Chappell.  

"I am in no position to assess the current financial well-being of the Company or otherwise. I am in no place to assess, predict or forecast the financial state of the Company going forward. I have been given no comfort that the company will necessarily be supported as a going concern.

"I have no confidence or trust in any corporate governance going forward under the proprietary operational methods now employed by the Club. My position is therefore untenable.

"As a consequence I have informed the club’s lawyers I am standing down as a director of the football club I have supported for all of my life. It has been a considerable honour and privilege to serve."

Confirmation of Masters' departure leaves Rovers' board as president Wael Al-Qadi and chief executive Martyn Starnes, with the expectation now that a new Supporters Club representative will be elected, as they own 8% of the football club.

As Masters details, lawyer Mike Turner has also now left the board. Turner was first appointed in May 2016 in a non-executive role to offer legal expertise to Dwane Sports.

Bristol Live understands his decision has been for "personal reasons" and he still remains close to the Al-Qadi family.

0_JMP_Oxford_United_v_Bristol_Rovers_RH_

Ken Masters at the Mem.

Masters' exit brings some sense of conclusion to a power struggle that has been waged in the Rovers boardroom for the best part of a year with growing distrust between Wael Al-Qadi and Starnes and Hamer and Masters.

In February, the Supporters Club issued a statement accusing Starnes of making "factually incorrect and false statements" in an interview broadcast on BBC Radio Bristol in which he briefly discussed Masters' exit.

Masters continues: "I have always done my best to be honest and open and to talk face to face with many supporters. However, being a director of a company, any company, comes with confidentiality and communication restrictions.

"Supporters Groups elected directors of football clubs and other sporting clubs find this to be difficult at times and many step down from the role after a relatively short period of time.

"I have given many years service to the club I love and I’m sure the vast majority understand that as a good honest man I have remained in the role not for any personal gain but to protect the generous shareholding that I have been proud to represent.

"We owe a great deal of gratitude to share-scheme members, past and present, for their commitment and generosity to the cause. A further £120,000 has been raised over the past four years. It is disappointing that not a single share certificate has been issued over that time despite numerous requests. 

"Other groups too, Helpline Members and the President’s Club not least who have also contributed generously. I have developed a strong bond with the Presidents Club and I have the greatest of respect for their work and for their financial contribution over the years. Bristol Rovers supporters are simply the best.

Part of Masters' remit on the board was to oversee the Community Trust and he was chairman of trustees assigned with growing the project which has since become an award-winning aspect of the club under CEO Adam Tutton.

"I am proud of the progress and work of the Youth Academy," Masters adds. "When I joined the Board the Under-18’s group were under the auspices of Filton College.

"The Board led by Geoff Dunford and then Ron Craig supported my proposition that the group be brought in house as paid apprentice professionals. I asked the Supporters Club Committee for financial sponsorship in this regard. The committee led by Jim Chappell agreed and remain proud sponsors to this day.

I am proud of the work of the Community Trust. When I joined the Board the education element was in mothballs and the community work comprised the then well respected Football in the Community.

0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Gillingham_RT0044

Ken Masters with Adam Tutton at the Mem in 2018

"Ron Craig asked me to take up the reigns and I readily agreed. Education has been re-established and student numbers are in excess of 50 full-time extending to degree level. The work in the community has grown massively with the aims of inclusivity, diversity and widening participation and inclusivity.

"Building on the good work with Women’s and Girl’s Football project the highly successful Bristol Rovers Women’s Football Club has been formed. Once again I asked the Supporter’s Club Committee for financial sponsorship and once again they supported me; my grateful thanks. The work of the Trust has been recognised with five major awards over the past two years.

Follow Bristol Rovers Live on social media 

2_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Portsmouth_da_018

Keep up to all the latest from the Mem via our Facebook page dedicated to the Gas

You can also follow us on Twitter @BristolLiveBRFC

Our Rovers reporter Sam Frost will also keep you up-to-date with all the goings-on at the club @frosty920

"I take immense pleasure from the work of the Community Trust over time. It has been an immense pleasure to lead a dedicated group of Trustees and I thank them with all sincerity for their contribution and for the support they have given me to demonstrate the standards required for capability, good governance and sound financial management.

"I wish to thank staff and volunteers at the Football Club, at the Community Trust and at the Supporters Club, past and present, for their considerable help, cooperation and friendship over the years; so very much appreciated.

"I wish to thank my family for their, support, sacrifice, tolerance and understanding. The past year, especially, has been as difficult for them as it has been for me.

"I will remain a proud supporter of the famous blue and white quarters, front and back, through thick and thin and always. I have no affinity to any other football club. Along with thousands of good and true I love the Club, its long tradition, its place in our city and it’s place in our region.

"Please keep safe and well until we are able to come together again to enjoy our football. FTG."

Wally running out of people to blame.?

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7 minutes ago, wendyredredrobin said:

A lot of camel sheet being fed to them in that part of Bristol at the moment.

Would love to know the real reason he was banned and resigned though. There is more to it than the story tells.

There are two schools of thought on that on the gospel that is slagchat. Either he was asking awkward questions or he was revealing information he shouldn`t have been. I have no idea if either are true (in case his solicitor is reading this!)

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2 hours ago, zombie said:

From the EP:

Bristol Rovers director resigns claiming he has "no confidence or trust" in how the club is being run

The Supporters Club representative on the board had been suspended since January

0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Luton_Town_RH_132 Ken Masters (Image: Ryan Hiscott/JMP)

Long-standing Bristol Rovers director Ken Masters has resigned from the board in a lengthy statement in which he expresses concern at the governance and transparency of the football club.

Masters, who has served as Supporters Club representative on the board and has been a director since 2006, was suspended in January for reasons that have never been made public, and was banned from the directors box at the Mem.

The matter has since been in the hands of solicitors but after the publishing of the club's accounts last week for the financial year 2018/19, in which Rovers detailed a loss of £3.4m and debts approaching £25m, Masters has decided to step down.

In a lengthy statement published on the Supporters Club website and sent to Bristol Live, Masters reveals he was first asked to leave the board in November - the same month when the club "parted company" with former chairman Steve Hamer - and claims he has "no confidence or trust in any corporate governance going forward". 

"I have today resigned as a director serving on the board of Bristol Rovers Football Club," Masters said. "I have taken this decision after a good deal of thought and much soul searching. I have not taken the decision lightly.

"It is with deep regret that I could not in all good conscience approve either the Bristol Rovers (1883) Limited accounts or the Bristol Rovers Football Club Limited accounts for the financial year through June 2019.

 

"I have not been given access to a current budget July 2019 through June 2020. I have been given no introduction to newly appointed auditors to ask questions or to express my concerns. I have not been invited to attend a Board Meeting since March 5 2019.

"I have been suspended and effectively excluded from all Board matters with no good reasons being substantiated and no response to communications in relation to these matters since January.

"I was asked to stand down in November. I was told the reasons were confidential with no further explanation given and relayed to me by former club director Mike Turner by telephone call and reiterated by the present CEO during a face to face conversation in a public place at the stadium prior to a game.

"There has been no adequate and sufficient response to questions asked firstly by Supporters Club Chairman Jim Chappell and subsequently when lawyers representing me requested the confidential reasons.

"My suspension and banning from directors seating and areas at football matches home and away, was relayed to me by being copied in to an email from the Club’s lawyers to Jim Chappell.  

"I am in no position to assess the current financial well-being of the Company or otherwise. I am in no place to assess, predict or forecast the financial state of the Company going forward. I have been given no comfort that the company will necessarily be supported as a going concern.

"I have no confidence or trust in any corporate governance going forward under the proprietary operational methods now employed by the Club. My position is therefore untenable.

"As a consequence I have informed the club’s lawyers I am standing down as a director of the football club I have supported for all of my life. It has been a considerable honour and privilege to serve."

Confirmation of Masters' departure leaves Rovers' board as president Wael Al-Qadi and chief executive Martyn Starnes, with the expectation now that a new Supporters Club representative will be elected, as they own 8% of the football club.

As Masters details, lawyer Mike Turner has also now left the board. Turner was first appointed in May 2016 in a non-executive role to offer legal expertise to Dwane Sports.

Bristol Live understands his decision has been for "personal reasons" and he still remains close to the Al-Qadi family.

0_JMP_Oxford_United_v_Bristol_Rovers_RH_

Ken Masters at the Mem.

Masters' exit brings some sense of conclusion to a power struggle that has been waged in the Rovers boardroom for the best part of a year with growing distrust between Wael Al-Qadi and Starnes and Hamer and Masters.

In February, the Supporters Club issued a statement accusing Starnes of making "factually incorrect and false statements" in an interview broadcast on BBC Radio Bristol in which he briefly discussed Masters' exit.

Masters continues: "I have always done my best to be honest and open and to talk face to face with many supporters. However, being a director of a company, any company, comes with confidentiality and communication restrictions.

"Supporters Groups elected directors of football clubs and other sporting clubs find this to be difficult at times and many step down from the role after a relatively short period of time.

"I have given many years service to the club I love and I’m sure the vast majority understand that as a good honest man I have remained in the role not for any personal gain but to protect the generous shareholding that I have been proud to represent.

"We owe a great deal of gratitude to share-scheme members, past and present, for their commitment and generosity to the cause. A further £120,000 has been raised over the past four years. It is disappointing that not a single share certificate has been issued over that time despite numerous requests. 

"Other groups too, Helpline Members and the President’s Club not least who have also contributed generously. I have developed a strong bond with the Presidents Club and I have the greatest of respect for their work and for their financial contribution over the years. Bristol Rovers supporters are simply the best.

Part of Masters' remit on the board was to oversee the Community Trust and he was chairman of trustees assigned with growing the project which has since become an award-winning aspect of the club under CEO Adam Tutton.

"I am proud of the progress and work of the Youth Academy," Masters adds. "When I joined the Board the Under-18’s group were under the auspices of Filton College.

"The Board led by Geoff Dunford and then Ron Craig supported my proposition that the group be brought in house as paid apprentice professionals. I asked the Supporters Club Committee for financial sponsorship in this regard. The committee led by Jim Chappell agreed and remain proud sponsors to this day.

I am proud of the work of the Community Trust. When I joined the Board the education element was in mothballs and the community work comprised the then well respected Football in the Community.

0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Gillingham_RT0044

Ken Masters with Adam Tutton at the Mem in 2018

"Ron Craig asked me to take up the reigns and I readily agreed. Education has been re-established and student numbers are in excess of 50 full-time extending to degree level. The work in the community has grown massively with the aims of inclusivity, diversity and widening participation and inclusivity.

"Building on the good work with Women’s and Girl’s Football project the highly successful Bristol Rovers Women’s Football Club has been formed. Once again I asked the Supporter’s Club Committee for financial sponsorship and once again they supported me; my grateful thanks. The work of the Trust has been recognised with five major awards over the past two years.

Follow Bristol Rovers Live on social media 

2_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Portsmouth_da_018

Keep up to all the latest from the Mem via our Facebook page dedicated to the Gas

You can also follow us on Twitter @BristolLiveBRFC

Our Rovers reporter Sam Frost will also keep you up-to-date with all the goings-on at the club @frosty920

"I take immense pleasure from the work of the Community Trust over time. It has been an immense pleasure to lead a dedicated group of Trustees and I thank them with all sincerity for their contribution and for the support they have given me to demonstrate the standards required for capability, good governance and sound financial management.

"I wish to thank staff and volunteers at the Football Club, at the Community Trust and at the Supporters Club, past and present, for their considerable help, cooperation and friendship over the years; so very much appreciated.

"I wish to thank my family for their, support, sacrifice, tolerance and understanding. The past year, especially, has been as difficult for them as it has been for me.

"I will remain a proud supporter of the famous blue and white quarters, front and back, through thick and thin and always. I have no affinity to any other football club. Along with thousands of good and true I love the Club, its long tradition, its place in our city and it’s place in our region.

"Please keep safe and well until we are able to come together again to enjoy our football. FTG."

So the people bankrolling the club told Masters he wasn't welcome in November and he decides to resign now.

He had zero influence really didn't he, so is he being  a little bit self important with such a lengthy "I did this and that" statement  ?

FTG indeed...

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2 hours ago, zombie said:

From the EP:

Bristol Rovers director resigns claiming he has "no confidence or trust" in how the club is being run

The Supporters Club representative on the board had been suspended since January

0_JMP_Bristol_Rovers_v_Luton_Town_RH_132 Ken Masters (Image: Ryan Hiscott/JMP)

Long-standing Bristol Rovers director Ken Masters has resigned from the board in a lengthy statement in which he expresses concern at the governance and transparency of the football club.

Masters, who has served as Supporters Club representative on the board and has been a director since 2006, was suspended in January for reasons that have never been made public, and was banned from the directors box at the Mem.

The matter has since been in the hands of solicitors but after the publishing of the club's accounts last week for the financial year 2018/19, in which Rovers detailed a loss of £3.4m and debts approaching £25m, Masters has decided to step down.

In a lengthy statement published on the Supporters Club website and sent to Bristol Live, Masters reveals he was first asked to leave the board in November - the same month when the club "parted company" with former chairman Steve Hamer - and claims he has "no confidence or trust in any corporate governance going forward". 

"I have today resigned as a director serving on the board of Bristol Rovers Football Club," Masters said. "I have taken this decision after a good deal of thought and much soul searching. I have not taken the decision lightly.

"It is with deep regret that I could not in all good conscience approve either the Bristol Rovers (1883) Limited accounts or the Bristol Rovers Football Club Limited accounts for the financial year through June 2019.

 

"I have not been given access to a current budget July 2019 through June 2020. I have been given no introduction to newly appointed auditors to ask questions or to express my concerns. I have not been invited to attend a Board Meeting since March 5 2019.

"I have been suspended and effectively excluded from all Board matters with no good reasons being substantiated and no response to communications in relation to these matters since January.

"I was asked to stand down in November. I was told the reasons were confidential with no further explanation given and relayed to me by former club director Mike Turner by telephone call and reiterated by the present CEO during a face to face conversation in a public place at the stadium prior to a game.

"There has been no adequate and sufficient response to questions asked firstly by Supporters Club Chairman Jim Chappell and subsequently when lawyers representing me requested the confidential reasons.

"My suspension and banning from directors seating and areas at football matches home and away, was relayed to me by being copied in to an email from the Club’s lawyers to Jim Chappell.  

"I am in no position to assess the current financial well-being of the Company or otherwise. I am in no place to assess, predict or forecast the financial state of the Company going forward. I have been given no comfort that the company will necessarily be supported as a going concern.

"I have no confidence or trust in any corporate governance going forward under the proprietary operational methods now employed by the Club. My position is therefore untenable.

"As a consequence I have informed the club’s lawyers I am standing down as a director of the football club I have supported for all of my life. It has been a considerable honour and privilege to serve."

Confirmation of Masters' departure leaves Rovers' board as president Wael Al-Qadi and chief executive Martyn Starnes, with the expectation now that a new Supporters Club representative will be elected, as they own 8% of the football club.

As Masters details, lawyer Mike Turner has also now left the board. Turner was first appointed in May 2016 in a non-executive role to offer legal expertise to Dwane Sports.

Bristol Live understands his decision has been for "personal reasons" and he still remains close to the Al-Qadi family.

0_JMP_Oxford_United_v_Bristol_Rovers_RH_

Ken Masters at the Mem.

Masters' exit brings some sense of conclusion to a power struggle that has been waged in the Rovers boardroom for the best part of a year with growing distrust between Wael Al-Qadi and Starnes and Hamer and Masters.

In February, the Supporters Club issued a statement accusing Starnes of making "factually incorrect and false statements" in an interview broadcast on BBC Radio Bristol in which he briefly discussed Masters' exit.

Masters continues: "I have always done my best to be honest and open and to talk face to face with many supporters. However, being a director of a company, any company, comes with confidentiality and communication restrictions.

"Supporters Groups elected directors of football clubs and other sporting clubs find this to be difficult at times and many step down from the role after a relatively short period of time.

"I have given many years service to the club I love and I’m sure the vast majority understand that as a good honest man I have remained in the role not for any personal gain but to protect the generous shareholding that I have been proud to represent.

"We owe a great deal of gratitude to share-scheme members, past and present, for their commitment and generosity to the cause. A further £120,000 has been raised over the past four years. It is disappointing that not a single share certificate has been issued over that time despite numerous requests. 

"Other groups too, Helpline Members and the President’s Club not least who have also contributed generously. I have developed a strong bond with the Presidents Club and I have the greatest of respect for their work and for their financial contribution over the years. Bristol Rovers supporters are simply the best.

Part of Masters' remit on the board was to oversee the Community Trust and he was chairman of trustees assigned with growing the project which has since become an award-winning aspect of the club under CEO Adam Tutton.

"I am proud of the progress and work of the Youth Academy," Masters adds. "When I joined the Board the Under-18’s group were under the auspices of Filton College.

"The Board led by Geoff Dunford and then Ron Craig supported my proposition that the group be brought in house as paid apprentice professionals. I asked the Supporters Club Committee for financial sponsorship in this regard. The committee led by Jim Chappell agreed and remain proud sponsors to this day.

I am proud of the work of the Community Trust. When I joined the Board the education element was in mothballs and the community work comprised the then well respected Football in the Community.

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Ken Masters with Adam Tutton at the Mem in 2018

"Ron Craig asked me to take up the reigns and I readily agreed. Education has been re-established and student numbers are in excess of 50 full-time extending to degree level. The work in the community has grown massively with the aims of inclusivity, diversity and widening participation and inclusivity.

"Building on the good work with Women’s and Girl’s Football project the highly successful Bristol Rovers Women’s Football Club has been formed. Once again I asked the Supporter’s Club Committee for financial sponsorship and once again they supported me; my grateful thanks. The work of the Trust has been recognised with five major awards over the past two years.

Follow Bristol Rovers Live on social media 

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Keep up to all the latest from the Mem via our Facebook page dedicated to the Gas

You can also follow us on Twitter @BristolLiveBRFC

Our Rovers reporter Sam Frost will also keep you up-to-date with all the goings-on at the club @frosty920

"I take immense pleasure from the work of the Community Trust over time. It has been an immense pleasure to lead a dedicated group of Trustees and I thank them with all sincerity for their contribution and for the support they have given me to demonstrate the standards required for capability, good governance and sound financial management.

"I wish to thank staff and volunteers at the Football Club, at the Community Trust and at the Supporters Club, past and present, for their considerable help, cooperation and friendship over the years; so very much appreciated.

"I wish to thank my family for their, support, sacrifice, tolerance and understanding. The past year, especially, has been as difficult for them as it has been for me.

"I will remain a proud supporter of the famous blue and white quarters, front and back, through thick and thin and always. I have no affinity to any other football club. Along with thousands of good and true I love the Club, its long tradition, its place in our city and it’s place in our region.

"Please keep safe and well until we are able to come together again to enjoy our football. FTG."

Ironic that this is released on April fools day. 

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2 minutes ago, Bonkey Dollocks said:

image.jpeg.7aacd1c0a0279aedfd850b240fed9029.jpeg
 

the state of that barnet though...

You know in some barbers they have pictures on the wall of male models from the 80s with different haircuts?

That particular picture can be found in black and white on walls of Gents barbers around East Bristol and the style is called ‘the Saghead’.

 

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40 minutes ago, wendyredredrobin said:

A lot of camel sheet being fed to them in that part of Bristol at the moment.

Would love to know the real reason he was banned and resigned though. There is more to it than the story tells.

Seemingly so would he. 

It's like a revolving door there at the moment. Hamer going dealt a blow to any semblance of credibility they were clinging onto.  He at least had experience within professional football.  Any reputation he may have had will be tarnished by his association with them.

 

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