[SaltergateBorn]

Thanks for that, St Charles. I knew that DA was involved with the Owls in the past and that the parting of the ways was acrimonious to put it mildly, but I didn`t know the details. It would be interesting to go into WHY successful businessmen go into football ownership, given the trail of destruction that such enterprises have usually left in their wake. I have my own thoughts, but that`s for another time and another thread, maybe.

The one thing you say that I might take issue with, however, is the idea that the fans `own` the clubs. From my experience, in this world the power usually sits where the money sits and the fans as a rule don`t have any say in the running of the club. Unless it`s actually run by a Supporters` Trust of some sort, that is, and from what I can recall these are usually set up to get the club out of a specific hole and pretty short-lived. That being the case, I think it`s unlikely that `we` (the supporters) will ever be in a position to decide to `get rid` of DA. I think it`s almost inevitable that he will be the one who decides how, when and on what terms HE decides to get rid of US - just as it apparently was with SWFC.

Unless one of us wins the Euromillions, that is. I keep trying, but sadly the odd £3.80 now and then doesn`t cut it.

[Devongone]

SGB, fans collectively think it is OUR club in a way they never do with another kind of business. They FEEL ownership, even when the owner is pissing their faces. In truth the club becomes pointless without them. If anyone could organise a 100% fan boycott I'm sure we'd see the club wither on the vine, even if financially support through the gates was unnecessary.

I loved St Charles' piece. I knew he had enough self-control to express the extent to which Allen was culpable at Wednesday without lapsing into actual howls of rage.

Not all our problems are down 2 DA, he is being ably assisted, and it is true he could find it in his interest to resurrect the club to the EFL. He won't do it for the fans, the town, or for football himself, he'll do it for Dave Allen ...... whatever IT is. Perhaps he does want to be loved, but there is no evidence he would know how to respond. I fear he'd been leaving the tattooist halfway through the LOVE/HATE artwork, because once he'd done HATE he wouldn't be prepared to pay good money for the second half.

[St Charles Owl]

SGB, I didn’t mean that the fans own the club physically, our ownership is a lifetime commitment know matter what!! We invest in the club financially and emotionally and ultimately without us the club would cease to exist. A physical owner like DA is a custodian of the club, thats all.

[SaltergateBorn]

Fair enough; I can see where you`re coming from now. I was taking `ownership` too literally, obviously. I`m certainly not going to argue about financial and emotional commitment - and they`re ailments there is no known cure for, as far as I`m aware. I would still maintain we have little real power, though, apart from the ability to dispatch the club to oblivion; and the material `owners` can still do that more easily and quickly than we can.