THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

This will be a controversial thread.

The thread title uses a (I think) made up word to reflect something that I think is worthy of debate. The word has a corollary in words like "marketisation" in areas such as education, where in an organisations (potentially unseemly) desire to stay on-side with its stakeholders it loses many of the qualities that made it special in the first place, making short-term decisions to both appease and please their stakeholders (such as their students).

So the question to debate is this, is there a risk that football, and MK Dons in particular, fall into a downward 'fanisation' spiral or are they doing exactly what they should be doing to keep their stakeholders (in this case the fans) on board?

Or put more simply, and more directly, is PW listening to the fans too much?

Yes and No.

So he’s probably got it about right.

I prefer 'imaginated'

To be serious for a moment, I think he's in a no-win situation.

He makes a quite simply appalling video, cancels the end of season awards, holds a 20 odd minute press conference pitchside. He's seen as pandering to the more vocal support. Who'd do well to accept their proportion of the blame for this season.

He does nothing publicly, those self-same "We demand answers" supporters, demand answers.

He can't win.

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And if a double-decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die

At the end of the day, fans pay to follow the club. They don't have to. The players get paid very well to be there and play football.

If fans don't think the team is performing well, that they aren't putting 100% in, or that there are problems at the club - then they are well within their rights to mention it - why should we pay to follow a club where the players don't seem up for it or that makes constant bad decisions?

If it continues for too long, supporters will start to desert the club. Not just us, but that applies to every club, hence why attendances drop (generally) when teams are relegated. Casual fans disappear.

Bottom line, fans owe nothing to the club. But the club, as a business and as a pillar of the community, owe everything to the fans to encourage attendance.

Fans can accept mediocre and the occasional poor performance. But when it's a chronic downward spiral in various areas of the club then there can be no surprise when long supporting fans have had enough and speak up.

I agree entirely with all of that

I just have a concern where this particular path leads, in terms of making the best (rather than appeasing) decisions about all things connected with the club. We have some vocal fans whose views are not exactly well thought out, if we are being honest.

Look at Arsenal.

A large vocal minority wanted Wenger out. For a significant amount of time. Nothing happened.
Telly punditry comments on the vast swathes of empty seats at The Emirates, it's announced that he's to retire.

Larger club's couldn't care less what supporters shout about. But when shareholders see empty stadia, see you later mate.

The only real way to engineer change within a club is to threaten the revenue stream.

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And if a double-decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die

Generally fans take such a short term view. If a player has a couple of bad games then he's shit and should be shipped out etc. Same for managers.

I really dislike the pressure that fans try to put on football clubs.

For me personally, the turning point in the last two or three years was that fucking video.

That was where PW lost all credibility. That's pandering to the lowest common denominator. Neilson wasn't ever going to work out. Instead of telling us that he was reluctant to pump him because his kid went to a local school, Pete should've just sacked him. But no. "Oh someone on the internet isn't happy. I best make a wee film to placate them".

Coward!

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And if a double-decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die

Thing is, a lot of people on here always seem to claim that "they know how to run a club better than us" and "we should trust Pete's judgement", yet he still seems to take fan opinion and feelings seriously. Not always a bad thing as us fans do sometimes get it right, but either way Pete (and the club) recently seems to have taken fan feeling seriously and respond quickly (including to bits and pieces of here).

Maybe if we are to trust Pete's judgement and abide by the thought that "he knows how to run a club better than us" - perhaps his decision to listen is the right one? I'm happy that the club are being more open and responsive however.

Perhaps its just the videos themselves that are a poor choice, rather than listening to fan opinion.