The Lions Trust Press releases

23rd May

Thanks - and see you soon.

Bob Asprey has decided to step down as Secretary of the Lions Trust to enable him to concentrate on his new role as Chair of the MSC.  Bob will continue to attend the Trust meetings and his input will be highly valued.  We fully expect to be working with Bob and the MSC in the future. 

The role of Secretary will now be filled by John Hendry who was unanimously elected at the last committee meeting.

14th May

Leeds - United In Sharp Practice

Friday’s announcement that Football League rules are to be reviewed following Leeds’ voluntary administration is to be welcomed.

By their recent actions, what was once one of Britain’s biggest clubs has performed a cynical manoeuvre worthier of a back street car salesman.  They have chosen to go into administration so as to draw the ten-point penalty this season when relegation was already a certainty.

The contrast is sharply defined between the way in which Millwall’s financial problems were handled in March this year.  This evasion of the spirit of the League’s rules may be legal, but it is certainly unprincipled and contrary to natural justice.

They will actually benefit enormously from their financial situation by entering League One next season largely debt-free - and with the largest regular attendance in the division. Thus they will be in a far stronger financial position than most – if not all – of their competitor clubs.

Clearly this is totally unfair when other clubs play by the rules - and the thinking behind those rules - yet have to struggle with the consequences of their integrity.

Retrospective action by the Football League is not possible, but perhaps the reputation of the game would be better served if it were.

Bob Asprey; Chair – Millwall Supporters Club

Peter Garston; Millwall Fan Director

Nick Hart; Chair - The Lions Trust

20th March

MILLWALL FC FACING FINANCIAL DISASTER

Millwall fans and shareholders were today urged to take action to save their club. Millwall Lions Trust Chairman Nick Hart highlighted the vital role that Lions fans can play in voting for the American investment package at the club's Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on March 28th.

The Save Millwall FC campaign starts by urging shareholders to back the US investment by voting for the Board of Directors recommendations at the EGM.

Nick Hart says: “The club is losing money that much is absolutely clear. We have been promised a brighter future as part of a regeneration scheme with Millwall FC at its heart. Now it seems that all this could be put at risk by a property speculator from the Isle of Man voting against a £7m investment from the US.”

Hart continued:

“We are concerned that the hard work put in by Willie Donachie and the boys on a Saturday afternoon saving us from relegation could be ruined by asset strippers.”

“We support the proposal put forward to welcome Chestnut Hill involvement and urge all fans and shareholders to do the same”

7th March

US Cavalry Riding To The Rescue?

The recent news that a group of US based financiers are to make an initial £5
million investment in Millwall FC, is potentially exciting news for the club and
fans alike.

The official statement states that an eventual 30% of the Millwall Holdings
shareholding will be controlled by Chestnut Hill Ventures led by John G
Berylson. The US team’s experience in the business, property and sports
fields could be valuable assets in taking Millwall FC forward - both on and off
of the field. We look forward to learning more about the future direction of
the club as soon as possible.

After a long period of instability at the club, this deal could be the vital first
step in the rebuilding process. The Lions Trust will continue to work with
both the MSC and the Fan On The Board Peter Garston - and indeed all who
care about the club - to ensure that the interests of the Millwall support are
represented to the new board.

Nick Hart
Chair
The Lions Trust

24th January, 2007

Fan Director Pulls Groups Together

Fan Director Peter Garston is to form a working group made up of
representatives of both the Millwall Supporters Club and The Lions Trust to
consider the issue of ticket pricing at The Den.

In an exciting move, the two main fan groups are to pool their efforts in
support of the Fan On The Board. This comes ahead of the club’s usual
consultation prior to the announcement of next season’s ticket prices.

The group will consist of two MSC reps and two from the Lions Trust with
Peter in the chair. It will both review Millwall’s proposals and will put forward
its own ideas to the board. It is hoped by all involved that this initiative meets
with a supportive response from both the board as well as the administration
of the club.

Peter Garston says: “This will be the first time that the three main fan entities
at Millwall have worked together in this way and I hope that this proves to be
the start of a new relationship between them.”

30th November, 2006

New Chairman For The Lions Trust

Nick Hart was last night voted in as the new Chair of The Lions Trust at a board meeting held in Central London. The appointment follows the decision of ex-Chairman Bob Asprey to stand down after three years in the position.

Following the decision, a unanimous vote of thanks was made to Bob for his work in both the original creation of the Trust in 2003 and most importantly in sustaining its existence since.

New Chairman Nick Hart commented:

“I consider this appointment to be a real honour and would like to thank the entire Lions Trust board for the faith they have shown in me and especially to Bob Asprey for his work to date. We have a very strong team on the Trust now and I am really looking forward to working with them all over the months ahead.

I believe that it is crucial that The Lions Trust plays a serious role in representing the interests of Millwall fans. Under my chairmanship the Trust will adopt a far more robust attitude toward the management of Millwall Football Club and will engage with fans to a far greater degree than has been the case in the past. We want to reflect what you think about your club.

Our supporters have been taken for granted too often and we all deserve better. I ask all Millwall fans to join us and to give The Lions Trust your backing”

Also appointed last night were Cliff Hughes as Vice-Chair, Bob Asprey as Trust Secretary and Steve Jones as Treasurer.

18th November, 2006

Pitch in for Millwall

The Lions Trust has written to both Steve Bullock (Mayor of Lewisham) and Stewart Till asking to meet to explore ways for Millwall fans to 'buy' the pitch.

More properly this will mean sub-leasing the pitch at The Den for an equal term as the club has the lease of the ground. And this will be purely for the purposes of sporting and leisure activities. Rather like the Chelsea Pitch Owner's club have done. The idea has the intention of denying any potential future developer the chance to build on the ground - even though that chance does not exist at present.

Our idea is to REINFORCE the club's line that there is no danger to the club staying The Den. If that is so, then there shouldn't be any reason not to take these discussions on. In fact it ought to reinforce the comunity aspects of the whole regeneration scheme and can only be seen as a positive move. More news as when we receive it.

More about the scheme.

2nd November, 2006

More changes at the Top

So the Millwall Board merry-go-round continues with the recent resignation of Peter De Savary as Chairman of Millwall PLC. With 5 Chairman and 5 Managers in 1 year our football club desperately needs some stability.  The continuing uncertainty surrounding the regeneration scheme means it's more important than ever that all Millwall fans get behind the team and make sure that we have a say in what happens to the future of our club.

Join The Lions Trust

25th September, 2006

The Lions Trust comment on yet another change at Millwall

"The Lions Trust notes the departure of Nigel Spackman with sadness.

Whilst the performance of the team over the opening ten matches probably
made the decision inevitable, the need to appoint the sixth Millwall
manager in 13 months is not something to celebrate.

Whoever is appointed to take on the role now though needs to be a figure
around whom the entire club and the Millwall support can unite. The
future of our club - possibly even our continued existence - hangs in
the balance.

It is a fact however that Spackman was appointed in the face of
widespread misgivings around the support in the summer. We therefore
call upon the Millwall board to take suitable soundings across the
entire support prior to the next appointment; and especially to consider
the pressing need to recover the soul of Millwall football before it is
too late."

20th September 2006

The Lions Trust Announcement

Nick Hart has agreed to join the Board of The Lions Trust with
immediate effect.  Nick has been co-opted on to the Board by the
current committee and will stand for election at the next AGM.

"We are delighted that Nick has agreed to join the Board of the Trust.
 We believe that he will be an enthusiastic and effective member of
the Committee."
Bob Asprey, Chairman The Lions Trust

14th March 2006

The Lions Trust committee backs Cliff Hughes

It is now clear that there are 5 candidates for the Fan on the Board election.  The Trust committee has considered the merits of the 5 candidates, and the six committee members present at our last meeting came to the decision to recommend Cliff Hughes. We make this recommendation because we each believe that Cliff's experience of being effective in sometimes political boardrooms will make him the best bet for being effective in the Millwall boardroom. Furthermore, as well as being involved with the the Trust, Cliff is committed to the idea of a revamped MSC forming the basis of the communication network he will certainly need. On a more basic level, he probably has more time available than the other candidates as he works part time. And one thing being the FOTB will be is time-consuming, it will be a challenge for anyone to do it successfully as well as holding down a day job. We urge all Lions Trust members to vote in the FOTB election. Do not waste this opportunity to demonstrate to Millwall Football Club that we care and that we take this matter seriously. Think long and hard, and vote for the candidate you truly believe can serve the best interest of the fans.

Read more about Cliff Hughes

10th February 2006

Trust Statement: Regeneration Project

"The Lions Trust welcomes the exciting news of a planned regeneration project in the area surrounding the Den. We believe that this project could be of huge benefit to the club and to the wider Millwall community, but we strongly believe that the main beneficiary of any regeneration plans must be the supporters and shareholders of Millwall Football Club. We call on the Directors of Millwall to clearly and irrevocably assure us that this will be the case and that the project will not only take into account the club's rich heritage but that the Millwall supporters will be able to contribute at each stage of the development.

We, The Lions Trust, as representatives of Millwall supporters and shareholders, will welcome the opportunity to work with our club in the consultations which will be needed to ensure this project reaches its full potential"

27th July 2005

Comment by Bob Asprey, Chairman of The Lions Trust

I think I've heard it all now. The club is descending into farce. How many times must we shoot ourselves in the foot? Whilst we don't know for sure why Claridge has gone, it seems likely that, hot on the heels of non-executive ex-Chairman Theo forcing out the new Chairman, he has now forced out the new Chairman's choice of manager. He seems intent on undoing everything Jeff Burnige has done, with the possible exception of the sales of Ward and Ifill.
Theo must make a clear, unambiguous statement of his plans, and quite frankly it'll have to be a bloody good plan to justify all this turmoil. He's either got to return as Chairman or not. If not, he needs to cut his not insignificant ties with the club as soon as is practically possible. Millwall has achieved unprecedented successes under Theo's chairmanship, but given the events of the last twelve months, and particularly the last three months, it is now unlikely that he would be welcomed back as chairman of Millwall by the majority of supporters and shareholders.
Welcome to Billy Smarts Circus. Over to you Theo.

March 2005
Jeff Burnige, Theo Paphitis, Dennis Wise, what do The Lions Trust make of it all?

Recent events at the Den appear to herald a new era at Millwall FC. With question marks over the future of Theo, Millwall Supporters Club (MSC) and indeed Dennis Wise, how do the members of The Lions Trust view the immediate future at the Club?

The Trust has canvassed its membership and one thing is for sure, the appointment of Jeff Burnige as Chairman elect has been almost unanimously welcomed. However, the jury is out on whether this new era will see the Club moving on to greater things, a small majority take a positive view of the future. Most are nervous about the stability of the Club through the current changes and financial woes. Theo has announced his intention to remain as a non-executive director of Millwall PLC, and this is seen as a bad thing by the majority. This is presumably because it is thought that Jeff won’t be able to assume full control with Theo still lurking in the shadows.

What are the issues which Lions Trust members would like to help the new Chairman address? Top of the list, not surprisingly perhaps, is proper, representative, democratic, supporter representation at the Den. The type of supporter representation that a Club-operated membership scheme cannot currently provide. The type of supporter representation that recognises that the fans are a valuable resource and the longest term stakeholders in the Club. Second on the list is marketing. To flourish the Club must sell more tickets, sell its facilities more, and grow the fan base. Thirdly, the Club’s ongoing financial deficit, and how it can be covered, would be next on the agenda.

The likelihood of relying more on the products of the Millwall Academy is greeted with enthusiasm. The old adage that fans will be happy as long as all the players give 100% has been found to be true for the majority of Trust members canvassed. Lions Trust chairman Bob Asprey commented “Fans have different amounts of ambition and aspiration for their Club. Many fans are happy just as long as they can see the kids coming through, the team ‘go for it’, and all the players give 100%. Certainly amongst our members, it seems that these people are in the majority.”

So what of the future for Dennis, Ray and Dave? Given the choice, Wilkins would be going, Wise would be staying, and Bassett would be, er, undecided.

The latest survey showed that the majority of Lions Trust members support Stand Up Sit Down, the campaign to allow supporters more choice, by having designated areas at football grounds set aside for safe standing. Consequently the Trust as a whole supports the campaign. To find out more, go to www.standupsitdown.co.uk , or contact The Lions Trust at PO Box 24767, London SE13 6GY or www.thelionstrust.co.uk .

The current committee of the MSC announced that they intend to stand down en bloc when their period of office is complete. Suddenly Jeff Burnige has been appointed, and there is a real prospect of better supporter relationships at Millwall in the near future. Indeed, Jeff has indicated that there will be ‘a revolution in supporter representation’. The current MSC has reconsidered their position and it seems likely at least some of them will stand for re-election. The Lions Trust would like to build a closer relationship with the MSC, and to initiate wider discussions regarding supporter representation at The Den in the new era. To move this forward, the managing committee of The Lions Trust have nominated their Chairman, Bob Asprey, to stand for the new MSC Committee.

Bob said “If I’m successful in getting elected, I look forward to taking the opinions of Trust members to the table, to contributing to a co-operative effort for the fans, and indeed being part of Jeff’s revolution.”

Latest Views from the Members of The Lions Trust

The outstanding success of the team on the pitch, reaching an FA Cup Semi-Final for the first time since 1937, and climbing into the play-off positions in Division One, has moved the focus firmly away from the shortcomings of the running of Millwall FC. And rightly so. If we’re not happy with life at Millwall FC at the moment, when will we be?!

However, our members HAVE spoken, and the latest views are as follows.

The Trust members are almost unanimously behind Theo Paphitis’ stewardship of the Club, but would like to see much more of a marketing strategy, and activities designed to improve attendances at the Den. Suggestions include:

• Appoint a Marketing Manager (could be part-time or contracted out).
• Utilise the side of the ground facing the railway line to advertise matches and/or clarify that most matches are ‘open’. Or sell it as advertising space.
• Consider using promotions such as ‘kids for a quid’, ‘bring a friend’ or ‘three games for the price of two’.
• Make it easier to buy tickets, e.g. away tickets by phone.
• Advertise in the local community, such as local radio, press, on buses.

On the subject of transfer policy, the members were asked whether we should be looking for relatively experienced players from the fringes of Premiership or top first division clubs, or up and coming prospects from lower divisions, non-league (or Scotland). There was a dead heat between ‘up and coming’ and ‘both’, and a number of members added that the wage structure should NOT be compromised in order to accommodate players experienced at a higher level.

The signing of Danny Dichio, the loan signing of Andy Marshall, plus the signing of two players with lots to prove, namely Nick Chadwick on loan from Everton and John Sutton from Raith Rovers, would seem to indicate that the Club’s policy is now ‘both’.

The Lions Trust Passes The 3 Million Mark

Within less than 5 months of our launch, The Lions Trust has now secured the voting rights of over 3 million Millwall shares. We also have our own shareholding in Millwall PLC.

If you’re a shareholder, don’t let your shares just sit there, do something useful with them. Join The Lions Trust, give some or all of them to us, or at least give us the voting rights associated with them. The more shares and voting rights we can secure, the more influence we can build. If you’re NOT a shareholder, joining The Lions Trust enables us to increase our shareholding, and that increases our voice too. Your voice. Click on Join Us now. Or join us at the AGM.