Open Letter To The Board

[jgriffin]

An excellent letter with all perfectly reasonable points.

I was never going to give up on my club because we were in a tough spot on the pitch but it's things like this off the pitch that are starting to test my loyalties.

Exactly

[kk20gb30]

A genuine statement supported by genuine people.....
For my part I certainly do not agree with everything The Club does , every decision ,every appointment and the like and I wont swallow all that I'm told - and will call it as I see it.
We are on the outside looking in however but from here events appear disjointed and strange.I've supported and attended The Club since I was first taken to Welford Road by my Grand Father (I was aged 7) now I'm mid 50's.
Much as I disagree or dislike what I perceive that I'm seeing and experiencing I'll carry on supporting and attending - should I be able.Many will say that is what The Club are relying on and it is probably true but supporters (everywhere) have long been regarded as necessary commodities in the era of professional sport and whilst I recognise that it still wont stop me supporting and attending The Clubs fixtures.Contradictory , I know but essentially that is 'our' make up.

[AngusMcCoatup]

These staff losses are unbelievable given the cash Tigers received on the CVA sale. Jan was the best incoming contract manager we have ever seen and the future does not look bright..
Now is the time for Peter Tom to face the fans & season ticket holders and explain WHAT IS GOING ON?
Very upset long term season ticket holder.

[fortysix]

An excellent post. Our Tom must have the hide of a rhino to still be Top Cat with all the shambolic decisions made under his command.

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

You could begin to wonder what would happen if we took senior members of the club to our Sponsors/Partners Everards...

[BigDan50]

I just keep thinking that the club is sinking very quickly, will the club survive during and after this pandemic, as another poster said is the club structure toxic, don’t think we will ever find out as the board aren’t very forthcoming with information to the loyal fans.
I think they are hoping that we will pay and turn up like lemmings as we have done in the past.
Sad times!!!!

[Tigerbeat]

Whilst it may not look good in some areas, something must be going in the right direction for Topps Tiles and Mattioli Woods and other partnerships to invest in Leicester Tigers. Unprecedented times where survival is the primary focus and with no matchday money coming in may mean cuts in other areas to stay in business. Difficult decisions at difficult times.

[wellstiger]

So please explain - Is it the tail wagging the dog.?
Are the investors steering this ship or the Captains?

Please...... I am not trying to be indifferent. But the stock phrase of" Difficult times Difficult measures" is the plaster over a gaping wound. I understood when 30+ were asked to depart and then Players choosing not to stay and move on, came about.
Then the talk of a new strategy with a new coaching set up. Then investors came in as you described.
Smurfs / Blaze and now Jan.
Who next????? Possibly me!!!!!

[Tiglon]

Whilst it may not look good in some areas, something must be going in the right direction for Topps Tiles and Mattioli Woods and other partnerships to invest in Leicester Tigers. Unprecedented times where survival is the primary focus and with no matchday money coming in may mean cuts in other areas to stay in business. Difficult decisions at difficult times.

But if it's all about covid and cutting costs, why not just say so?

Thousands of companies around the world are using the pandemic as an excuse to restructure to fit their strategies, yet we should believe that Tigers are doing the opposite - using strategy as an excuse to respond to the pandemic? Whichever PR manager/advisor/company came up with that needs to find a new career.

BA have used the pandemic to force thousands of long standing employees to agree to tearing up their old contracts and sign new (less favourable) ones. Their CEO was supposed to retire, even had the party to celebrate, but stayed over the summer because he knew covid was the perfect excuse to realise his vision and hide it behind covid.

I find it hard to believe that, after describing some departures as due to covid, we now refuse to do that despite the unique sympathy that this would attract from fans. Can you imagine the board meeting?

Peter Tom: We need to cut more wage cost, we simply can't afford to keep going like this without matchday revenues.
Andrea Pinchen: Well I suppose we could get through a year without a Head of Recruitment, we'd be sorry to see Jan go, but perhaps it's our best option to save the club.
Tom: Yes, that's it. I don't like it but it's the best option, the only option.
Pinchen: Ok, I'll speak with HR, arrange a meeting with Jan and prepare a statement explaining the need to trim the payroll due to covid.
Tom: Hold your horses Andrea, wouldn't it be better if we told the fans this is part of our strategy and nothing to do with covid?
Pinchen: Yes great idea Peter, I'm not sure the fans will believe the whole covid cost cutting thing, they just wouldn't understand that we might need to make payroll savings. But strategy, that always sounds good, let's do it.
Tom: Do you think there's a risk that any of the fans will know what strategy actually means and call our bluff? We have used it as a reason for quite a few changes of direction recently - will they start to wonder why the strategy keeps changing?
Pinchen: Nope. No chance, I'll prepare the press release.

Sorry, I got a bit carried away there, but I simply can't imagine a sensible conversation between sensible people that would result in covid related cost savings being dressed up as strategy, particularly when it would seemingly contradict all previously stated strategic decisions.

[Tigerbeat]

Some of those difficult decisions were made in July when it was hoped that fans would return to Welford Road by the end of the year.
Now we are in December, the return of fans to Welford Road has not happened and this has obviously meant a further review and to maintain an operational Club. The players, coaches and bills all need to be paid but with little revenue coming in from Shop sales, no matchday hospitality cashflow needs to be managed. My personal view is that the Club are reacting to the current conditions and looking to survive through this panademic.

[Wayne Richardson Fan Club]

Some of those difficult decisions were made in July when it was hoped that fans would return to Welford Road by the end of the year.
Now we are in December, the return of fans to Welford Road has not happened and this has obviously meant a further review and to maintain an operational Club. The players, coaches and bills all need to be paid but with little revenue coming in from Shop sales, no matchday hospitality cashflow needs to be managed. My personal view is that the Club are reacting to the current conditions and looking to survive through this panademic.

The club should just say so then, not rocket science, if its cutting our cloth say so, we all know the club is in a deep financial hole, we are more likely to believe the money save route than the strategy line, because to a lot of us the strategy looks bonkers.
Infamously on 9/11 officials at the DFT said it was a good day to bury bad news, horrific thing to say but the premise of good PR, the club can legitimately use Covid as cover for most things at present, instead they choose to blow smoke up our......

[trendylfj]

I have supported this club for many many years, voiced my opinion regarding most of the people now departed, and, for the most part, supported what they have done. In many cases, the only thing they got wrong was the timing - it should have been done earlier. However, this is wrong, in ifs or buts, wrong wrong wrong. Unless there is a reason the club are not telling us this is wrong. I hope Peter Tom replies to the excellent letter or rumours and discontent will continue to fester amongst many fans like me. Who is going to do the recruiting/scouting? Who has got the contacts to be made aware of emerging talent? Who can spend time with our existing players in order to ensure the best of them are retained? Who, Who, Who?

[TigerBoy1880]

Dear Mr Tom,

Firstly I would like to thank you for your service to Leicester Tigers thus far, and in the future. Your commitment to the club has been longstanding and I am led to believe that members of the board have personally supported the club during the challenges of 2020. For this I am grateful.

That said, as a supporter of the club across 4 decades, I cannot accept the explanations given for recent events - particularly when they are framed within promises of honesty, transparency and clarity. Too many senior people have jumped or been pushed in a short space of time with little explanation other than "strategy". This is not enough. You cannot simply throw the word "strategy" at every question you don't want to answer and expect your fans to buy it. I understand that there are some things that you legally or ethically cannot disclose - fine, but just say so.

Todays announcement regarding the departure of Jan McGinity, who has revitalised our recruitment, just doesn't sit right. From the outside, it seems as though he has excelled in his role and added huge value to the club. If the strategy was that we did not need a Head of Elite Recruitment for 6 months of every year, should I assume that he was made aware of that from the start? When Geordan Murphy signed his final contract with the club, was he made aware that it was only intended to be for one year?

We understand that Covid has hit Tigers hard and we realise that the club will continue to have to make tough choices. But if that's the case, just tell us. Don't hide behind an imagined shield of "strategy" - we will not think worse of you for reacting to changing circumstances in 2020, we are all having to do it in our own businesses.

The picture being painted (over some years, and coming to a head now) is not one of an organisation that cares about it's people. I appreciate that the world of professional sport can be brutal, but surely there is a better way than this? If the club does not care about it's people, regardless of length of service or performance, I am left wondering whether it cares about me as a supporter. Loyalty is a two way street.

If everything that happens is part of a great strategy then why not publish the strategy? I would imagine that an organisation of the size and prominence as Leicester Tigers would have written down it's strategy. Share it with us, engage us, bring us along on the journey. Redact parts or names that you should not include for reasons of legality, ethics, or competition. Or don't publish it, but please, stop flinging the word "strategy" around as if it alone explains seemingly random decisions; it explains nothing.

I beg you to stop using words like "transparency" if you are not going to live them. Rugby fans are educated people, treat them as such. As leaders the worst thing you can be is of low or non-existent behavioural integrity, particularly when discussing honesty and transparency.

I hope that we will receive reassurances from the club that allow me to continue attending games at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, occasionally purchasing merchandising and paying for a BT Sports subscription solely to watch Tigers when I cannot get to games.

Best Wishes,

A Tigers Fan.

P.S. If I am in the minority and my views are not mirrored by other fans, please feel free to ignore me!

I have briefly read this. In regards to your question in regards to did Murphy know he was in his role for 1 year; well sort of. He has a contract which would have expired at the end of the 2020/2021 season

[Tiglon]

Dear Mr Tom,

Firstly I would like to thank you for your service to Leicester Tigers thus far, and in the future. Your commitment to the club has been longstanding and I am led to believe that members of the board have personally supported the club during the challenges of 2020. For this I am grateful.

That said, as a supporter of the club across 4 decades, I cannot accept the explanations given for recent events - particularly when they are framed within promises of honesty, transparency and clarity. Too many senior people have jumped or been pushed in a short space of time with little explanation other than "strategy". This is not enough. You cannot simply throw the word "strategy" at every question you don't want to answer and expect your fans to buy it. I understand that there are some things that you legally or ethically cannot disclose - fine, but just say so.

Todays announcement regarding the departure of Jan McGinity, who has revitalised our recruitment, just doesn't sit right. From the outside, it seems as though he has excelled in his role and added huge value to the club. If the strategy was that we did not need a Head of Elite Recruitment for 6 months of every year, should I assume that he was made aware of that from the start? When Geordan Murphy signed his final contract with the club, was he made aware that it was only intended to be for one year?

We understand that Covid has hit Tigers hard and we realise that the club will continue to have to make tough choices. But if that's the case, just tell us. Don't hide behind an imagined shield of "strategy" - we will not think worse of you for reacting to changing circumstances in 2020, we are all having to do it in our own businesses.

The picture being painted (over some years, and coming to a head now) is not one of an organisation that cares about it's people. I appreciate that the world of professional sport can be brutal, but surely there is a better way than this? If the club does not care about it's people, regardless of length of service or performance, I am left wondering whether it cares about me as a supporter. Loyalty is a two way street.

If everything that happens is part of a great strategy then why not publish the strategy? I would imagine that an organisation of the size and prominence as Leicester Tigers would have written down it's strategy. Share it with us, engage us, bring us along on the journey. Redact parts or names that you should not include for reasons of legality, ethics, or competition. Or don't publish it, but please, stop flinging the word "strategy" around as if it alone explains seemingly random decisions; it explains nothing.

I beg you to stop using words like "transparency" if you are not going to live them. Rugby fans are educated people, treat them as such. As leaders the worst thing you can be is of low or non-existent behavioural integrity, particularly when discussing honesty and transparency.

I hope that we will receive reassurances from the club that allow me to continue attending games at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, occasionally purchasing merchandising and paying for a BT Sports subscription solely to watch Tigers when I cannot get to games.

Best Wishes,

A Tigers Fan.

P.S. If I am in the minority and my views are not mirrored by other fans, please feel free to ignore me!

I have briefly read this. In regards to your question in regards to did Murphy know he was in his role for 1 year; well sort of. He has a contract which would have expired at the end of the 2020/2021 season

You're right, but the fact that he asked about extension suggests he thought that was a possibility. It seems odd to promote someone and then a few months later (when they ask) tell them that it's only for a year but they can stay if they agree to a demotion. However I don't work in the world of fixed term contracts, so perhaps it's normal.

I just don't understand how the strategy for over a year was all about Murphy as DoR, then 4 months into the role it was no longer needed. It sounds a bit like he was strung along until Borthwick arrived because they needed someone to hold the fort and were worried that he wouldn't do it if they were open about future plans.

This is one point among many, and that is the main point - on it's own this is explainable, but in the context of other departures for dubious or non-existent reasons, it's difficult not to have doubts.

[wellstiger]

This straw has broken the camels back.
Who's next people?
I think its me...........!

And I thought Chiefs had the "Chop"