We are looking for more girls to join our Brownies group. We’d like to expand now that we have more leaders…and more gilrs = more fun!

We meet on Tuesday evenings 6pm-7:30pm (during term time) at the Salvation Army Hall, Latimer Road, Winton

A chance for girls aged 7-10 to make new friends, gain badges, go on sleepovers and adventure holidays, have fun outdoors, complete challenges and more… Brownies Poster – click here

Things we have planned starting from September – rock climbing, abseiling, crate building, a night hike, a pack holiday weekend, circus/fair event, loads of great arts and craft activities, cooking up some yummy treats, deal or no deal evening, musical instruments sessions – plus games, songs and all sorts!

Please contact

Denise Pearce
01202 516179

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Easter Carvery and Easter Egg Hunt

Two course cavery in our top floor restaurant with views overlooking the pitch.
Easter Egg hunt – with an easter egg for each child.

For bookings, please contact Diane Rackley on 01202 726398 or email diane.rackley@afcb.co.uk

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Harry Redknapp told AFC Bournemouth, “I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to launch afcbdirect.com. It’s a great website and it’s brilliant that the club is doing everything in their power to make it as easy as possible for supporters to attend live football at this fantastic club and buy merchandise online.”

Whitesands PR and Marketing Ltd have been responsible for the design, build and maintenance of the website. Nigel Williams, Managing Director said, “We were especially pleased when Rob Mitchell, Bournemouth’s Commercial Manager, asked us to help the club in this way. It has been a great opportunity that has given us the chance to show the capability of Whitesands’ web designs.”

www.afcbdirect.co.uk showcases the easy-to-use, online ticketing and selling service available from Whitesands PR that keeps consumer fees low and businesses in complete control of their customer management system.

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For the second season running, the team and the coaching staff are striving heroically to undo circumstances caused by the failures of those that controlled the club.

The victory on Saturday against Chester was nothing short of magnificent. The pressure on the team was vast, but they brushed aside all the off the pitch problems to record a vital victory. In doing so, they have provided an extraordinarily important lifeline.

They are within touching distance of securing Football League safety. This time they have had to overcome the Football League’s arbitrary deduction of a massive 17 points, ongoing financial worries and uncertainty over ownership. Such pressure is grossly unfair, which makes their successes under Eddie Howe all the more inspiring.

A contribution far beyond just points

Their efforts to overcome all the negativity thrust upon them and the club may well turn out to be the most critical contribution ever made to the club. League survival means the tangible value of professional football and higher revenues are retained. That massively increases the chance of investment and helps reassure those owed money, sponsors etc.

Off the pitch, there may well still be a mountain to climb, but that mountain is becoming easier to conquer thanks to the valiant efforts on the pitch.

And as always…

UP THE CHERRIES!

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Late yesterday afternoon, (17th April) Paul Baker, the owner of AFC Bournemouth issued a statement concerning the takeover negotiations for the club.

He expressed his disappointment that no agreement had been reached with what is described as ‘The Murry Group’ – principally an alliance of local businessman Adam Murry, and former owners Jeff Mostyn and Steve Sly.

He said: “I have stated, on many occasions, to people I have grown to know around the club that I would not harm this club, but the one thing I could not do was walk away with nothing. That said, I was prepared to risk just that in order to conclude a deal. My thoughts were that if the club stayed up then it was my money that paid the wages and brought in the players to overcome the points deficit.”

And continued:

“If the club failed and was relegated then I was prepared to walk with nothing despite having a young family to support and this whole involvement costing me personally and financially more than you will ever know. But I was confident and still am that AFC Bournemouth will survive.”

A duty of care

But Paul Baker had a duty of care to the club that has not been fulfilled. As a director, co-owner and the person that was portrayed as having the principal finance responsibilities, his duty was absolute. It was he that had to sanction the ‘business plan’ provided by Alastair Saverimutto, who was his partner and the Chief Executive until he resigned recently. It was he that held sway over the salaries paid and appointments made, including a near £100,000 per annum, plus expenses and benefits for Saverimutto and a £60,000 package for Ted Sutton, the ‘Football Operations Director.’

And it was Paul Baker that was responsible for turning down a £1.5 million offer for the club, which included a further £2 million of funds to support the club itself – an offer from high calibre international businessmen, who brought in a team of six for negotiations and offered proof of funding to Baker and to the then administrator, Gerald Krasner.

Baker says he turned it down because he was confident at that time that the club would be successful under the management of Saverimutto.

But the indications were already there – and this was before the start of the season and before the Football League had agreed to grant membership to the club under the new owners.

On the very same day – the 30th July 2008, that the meeting took place between the new bidders and Saverimutto (Baker did not show up and was ‘replaced’ by Sutton), a transaction was taking place, with monies going into Baker’s company, UK Sameday and then out again to pay the AFCB administrator. The sum in question was the loan that Saverimutto arranged with Magic Solutions, a marketing company he had engaged on behalf of the club. The non payment of that loan resulted in an expensive winding up action against the club. In other words, monies that were purported as being for the club this season were in fact being diverted to pay for the administration.

Paul Baker’s explanation

When tackled on the subject of the circumstances of the Magic Solution winding up petition, on February 9th, Baker responded with a detailed email, including copies of UK Sameday bank statements – which in turn raised many more questions and revealed how he felt about Saverimutto by this time – a month before Saverimutto resigned..

Below is a copy of Baker’s email:

Savi was acting CEO of AFC Bournemouth (Old Co) during the period that this transaction took place. Savi had engaged with a Company called Magic Solutions to bring in extra commercial revenues prior to the club coming out of Administration. Savi informed me that Magic Solutions had brokered a deal with Scottish and Newcastle Breweries to become a Commercial Partner of AFC Bournemouth (New Co). He informed me that the deal was done and that Magic Solutions would be forwarding £25,000 as part payment on the deal. As the monies would be for the club when it came out of Administration and at that point in time Sport 6 did not own the New Co (AFC Bournemouth Ltd) the monies were paid into UK Sameday’s bank account. This was done as a matter of convenience because the monies paid into that account had to be forwarded onto Gerald Krasner as part of the Administration funding the same day. As far as I was concerned this money was raised as part of the brokered Scottish and Newcastle deal and at no time did Savi tell me it was in fact a loan from this company or that he had told them it was money to pay for Scott Guyett’s Transfer Fee ( who was in fact a free transfer) It was only later when the Scottish and Newcastle deal fell through did he tell me he had brokered a loan with the company.

When I asked Savi about repayment of the loan he told me he had sorted it, it was not until I was informed by Sport 6’s lawyer that I was made aware of a Winding Up order,

I have attached a Bank Statement from UK Sameday showing three payments into our account on 30th July 2008 £25,000 is from Magic Solutions and the other £20,000 is from Sport 6’s lawyers, which has come from other commercial revenue. You will see from the bank statement that although the monies came into UK Sameday they were forwarded onto Gerald Krasner to fund the Administration process, these monies were paid directly into the AFCB in Admin No 2 account the same day. UK Sameday’s only part in this was to receive the funds and pass them on because AFC Bournemouth (New Co) did not have a bank account.

You can see from this paper trail that UK Sameday did not benefit from receiving this money and only acted as an agent in the transaction. You must also understand that I am less than happy with Savi and the latest statement from the ST which infers that UK Sameday should have a winding up order on it instead of AFC Bournemouth is nothing more than another fabricated story to cover his tracks.

I have given Savi far too much rope in the past and I won’t let him get away with any more lies and half truths. I wanted nothing more than this football club to be a success, I have already said that due to the financial climate I am no longer able to fund it but I determined to play a part in the club’s future being secured.

Readers can analyse this for themselves.

Not an innocent party

Paul Baker says he wished the club no harm. But harm has been done under his tenure. He blames Saverimutto, but Saverimutto was his partner and Baker entrusted the care of the club to him. By his own admission, he was at the very least aware that funds that were supposedly to help the club trade through difficult circumstances this season were diverted via his own company to pay for the administration of the old company.

He knows that two winding up petitions have been issued against the club this season, both of which were the direct result of actions by Saverimutto. Others settled the first, which effectively saved the club. The current one, due to heard in May, is a result of the flop of the cricket match organised by Saverimutto at AFC Bournemouth. Baker previously stated that the directors would settle any debts related to the event. They have failed to do so. He knows too that HMRC are owed a huge debt, because the business that he formed to take control of the club failed to pay. In other words, even if he feels he was misled and is another victim of the recession, he is responsible.

An unwelcome conflict of interests

Paul Baker is a self-proclaimed, passionate Chester City supporter – a previous director and sponsor who attempted to buy the club. Given the circumstances at AFC Bournemouth and the conflict caused by the relegation fight between the two clubs and their match tomorrow. It has to be considered unwelcome that he retains control. If ever there was a time for the Football League to intervene to protect the integrity of their organisation, it is now.

What next?

Baker is right about the ‘Murry Group’ reducing their offer to zero. They cite the discovery of new problems since they made the original offer. In the circumstances, that seems irrelevant.

In these circumstances, surely the right thing to do first is for Paul Baker to state that he will relinquish control for no recompense? With that accomplished, the first hurdle is cleared and the relegation conflict ended.

The ‘Murry Group’ have not yet raised the funds to guarantee survival after the end of the season. There are some definite possibilities – but it would be wildly optimistic to think that these could be implemented before the fight against relegation is decided.

What is clear though is that Paul Baker is badly compromised in terms of his failure to control aspects of the running of the club and his knowledge of questionable events, his admitted inability to settle debts incurred under his stewardship and the minefield of the relegation battle between the club he loves and the club he currently owns.

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Last night’s loss against Blyth inflicted a deep wound.

In the first instance, there will be no argument from anyone that the club really needed the money that would have been provided from winning the tie and a televised third round game against Premiership opposition.

Losing the match and the cash was bad enough on its own, but the manner in which it was lost will deeply upset all fans, and if you believe the various forum postings, then many fans will not be going to the home match against Bury this Saturday, which puts even greater pressure on the club’s finances.

Financial stability and vulnerability

With the club’s expenditure exceeding its income, financial stability can only be achieved by Paul Baker subsidising it personally. As things stand, the moment he does not or cannot continue to dig into his personal wealth is the moment the club slips back into crisis. Of course, subsidisation is not remotely unusual in football – it occurs at every level of the game. The problem for AFCB is that Paul Baker is not an Abramovich, it does not have any meaningful assets and it sits on what is almost (save Luton), the very bottom rung of the Football League, so there is more vulnerability than stability.

What needs to change?

Ask that question in the wake of the FA Cup exit and the likely response from most will probably be ‘everything – new players, new manager, new owners.’ But we all know that it is not that simple. The idea of forming a broad based and substantial collective made up of people with skills, resources and experience has gathered momentum over the last few days and a club statement indicated that the current owners would welcome assistance. The make up of such a collective and the immediate objectives are still being formed, but local businessmen, previous sponsors, representatives of supporters groups and previous executives have all stated that they would like to get involved. There has also been contact from people that have previously declared an interest in investing in the club.

It has to be said that not all of them have seen eye to eye in the past, but have said that they are prepared to set aside differences to focus on the fortunes of the club. In terms of objectives, it will have to be one step at a time, but doing everything possible to remove the key vulnerability of the current exposure to ongoing losses and personal subsidisation is obviously a priority. Some of this may be achieved via gathering greater support and by helping to change aspects of the underlying business.

Crucial details

It is also possible, even likely that cash investment will be needed. That too is achievable, but there is no doubt that for that to happen, the investors will require a legal and substantial say in the running of the club – that much is clear from even the very first conversations that have taken place. If dialogue takes place between the collective and the current owners, then the possibility of Paul Baker not having to continue to subsidise the club exists – as does the removal of the vulnerability.

Next steps – openness required

Prior to the Bury game on Saturday, people interested in participating in the collective are invited to declare their interest by giving their comments and their contact details on forms that will be provided in the Inn Off The Bar. This has been suggested as an alternative to ‘closed meetings’ – an opportunity to see who is getting involved and to discuss how it is progressed from there, including the infrastructure and gaining a genuine remit from stakeholders to move forward. One suggestion that has been made already is to create an initial set up similar to the Wolves Fans Parliament, so that is as good a place as any to start. If the collective formed then becomes an investment vehicle then it will become a new legal entity, with the current desire that it retains its broad cross section and an elective process included.

If you can’t make it to the club on Saturday, then email your interest in participating to afcbbuzz@googlemail.com

Buzz involvement

For personal reasons, Buzz will shortly withdraw for the foreseeable future from involvement with AFCB. We hope that we will have been able to play a small part in securing a better future for the club. In the relatively short time we have been involved, it has been a privilege to correspond with so many dedicated fans. We hope that their dedication will not falter in these very challenging times and that it is aptly rewarded in the not too distant future.

Up the Cherries!

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Firstly we get an Echo story about Alan Pither and his associates making a bid to buy the club from Sport 6, which is categorically denied by the AFCB board, who stated that a meeting alleged to have taken place at the Royal Bath hotel never happened.

Now we have something that is factual – a winding up petition issued against AFC Bournemouth Limited that was originally broken on a fans forum and has now been picked up by the Echo.

Combine this with a visit by bailiffs representing HMR&C, some lacklustre performances and mediocre results and a few other issues and what you have is a crisis situation – but what exactly is the nature of the crisis?

The tone of the Echo and the comments that are flying around forums and message boards would suggest that it is a financial crisis – and that is definitely something that the club could not afford.

Not so, according to Chief Executive Alastair Saverimutto. When we talked with him today, he was absolutely insistent that the club is financially stable. He told us; “I can categorically state that this club is trading within its means, there is no looming disaster.”

We put it to him that if that is true, then he must admit that he has a public relations crisis on his hands.He responded by saying; “Yes I can’t deny that – the stories that have been breaking have created a terrible impression, but they are either completely untrue or are being misrepresented.”

The latest story

He has already gone on record to give his side of the bailiff story, (an administrative error involving a bank account connected with the old company and the administrator, Begbies Traynor) and the Alan Pither takeover story, (absolute denial – no meeting, no offer). He has also told the Vital Football Up the Cherries fans site that this latest story of the winding up petition has little substance and is being contested. But then the Echo ran a new angle, stating that the major part of the debt due, some £30,000 of a total £37,990 was a loan that financed the transfer of Scott Guyett. Now that’s pretty strange, given that Guyett was said to be a free transfer.How do you explain that Savi? He told us;”It shows how crazy it is. It had nothing to do with Guyett and nothing to do with AFC Bournemouth. Sport 6 accepted £25,000 from this company, Magic Solutions in relation to a licence to market a new 3D advertising technology. If we don’t assign the rights to them by the end of February 2009, we have to repay them, that’s the agreement we have made with them. I cannot understand why they are making the statement about Guyett or why they have attached this matter to the club and also acted so prematurely”. The two versions are so much at odds that we had to press further -how could this have been so misinterpreted? He said; “The only thing we can think of is that whilst we were concluding the technology deal, we also had the news come through on the phone that Scott Guyett had changed his mind about signing for Cambridge and was going to sign for us. We remarked that the money from the technology deal would help to pay his wages, but that was meant to be humour, not some sort of complex transfer deal. It is completely bizarre.”

We agreed that it was indeed bizarre – maybe even so much that as the old saying goes, ‘you couldn’t make it up.’ Savi simply responded by telling us to await the outcome of the case.

Trying to put things right

So back to the fact that fans have lost confidence. We told him a few of the things that were being said about Sport 6, most of which we can’t repeat here – and then we put a proposal to him.

We told him that we had been contacted by many people that have been supporters for decades and that many of them had been heavily involved with the club. We said that others have a strong position in the community and have in depth knowledge, expertise and contacts that could assist the club. We suggested that if they were to join forces under a single collective umbrella, they could unquestionably assist the club. Perhaps for a moment, there was resistance. He told us that he had talked to supporters groups and to former executives and stressed once again that the club does not need more ‘experts’ and does not have to go around with a bucket collecting rescue money. More than that, he told us that it was Sport 6 that had saved the club and that there didn’t seem to be anyone else around when the club was in danger of going out of existence. We countered this, telling him that many of the people that were keen to get involved and the fans that would rally behind them had also been responsible for saving and funding the club in the past and that together,they had put in more and had more knowledge than Sport 6 would have even if they were around for the next 10 years.

He acknowledged this – and he acknowledged the need to correct the poor perceptions that have been created by what he is insistent has become an apparent decision by the Echo to take the side of people that wish Sport 6 and thus the club ill.

He has agreed to meet with the proposed collective with the objective of alleviating some of the problems that the club is facing and went further, saying that whilst the board had brought stability to the club at a time of dire circumstances, there was no doubt that the challenges they were facing were very tough and he would appreciate the assistance that the group may provide to overcome those challenges.

From our perspective, this is a small step in the right direction. The proposed collective consists of a broad cross-section and will undertake to focus entirely on ways that the club’s latest rescue can become its long term salvation. If the club has a solid foundation as has been insisted by the current owners, then the group and the fans that they can bring on board can build on that foundation. If anything were amiss, or was threatening to go amiss, then they may also be able to provide the solution to that situation too.

About the collective

As we have said, it has begun to emerge purely from the concerns of a strong cross-section of people that care about the club and have the experience and possible resources to make a significant contribution. They include supporters representatives, businessmen and people that have been actively involved with the club in the past. Some may even have had their differences with each other In the past, but any partisanship, politics or egos will be put aside for the benefit of the club. The idea is to determine the actions needed and help implement them – and to cascade the unified approach all through the supporters base.

Buzz is a coordinator and a facilitator in this regard, The leadership and the effects will come from people with far more knowledge than us, with far greater resources and who have been supporters for far longer. If you are one of those and want to actively participate, then please get in touch by emailing afcbbuzz@googlemail.com

Up the Cherries!

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AFC Bournemouth Directors awarded Lewis Hope with the Best Supporters cup 2008 last Saturday.

7 year old Lewis, recently went to his 250th Bournemouth game, seeing his first live game at only 2 weeks old.

Lewis enjoys Karate and plays for the AFCB Ability counts teams. His favourite player is Danny Hollands.

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Two footballing greats were at Dean Court last night – the Spurs and Argentina legend and the man thought of by many as England’s greatest ever goalkeeper – the World Cup winning hero, Gordon Banks.

They were there to officially open the new AFCB Community Sports Trust offices at the stadium; part of the ongoing community based initiatives being implemented by new director, Adam Murry.

Today, of course the ‘grand plan’ for an academy has been revealed, which features a new South Stand and incorporates an extensive range of sporting, leisure and community facilities, mostly aimed at improving the lives of local 13 – 21 year olds, but also with the intention of raising the profile of the club and the town – more on this from Buzz soon.

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