Notes from the Fans Fourum held at the Den on Tuesday 6th May 2008

Bob Asprey (Millwall Supporter's Club Chairman) introduced the event and thanked everyone for attending. He explained that the forum would be held in two sections. In the first part, the panel would be made up of the manager and two players and in the second part questions would be answered by Board members. Bob then introduced manager Kenny Jackett and players Zak Whitbread and Gary Alexander.

Question - Kenny what progress do you think you have made since you took over as manager?

Kenny replied I think I have seen an evolution of the team. Zak Whitbread has replaced Richard Shaw at centre half and now I believe we have the basis of a good squad. We have now brought in some good young players who are our own and have not been loaned. Off field, the club setup is now far better and much more stable. There is a basis to go forward provided I make the right signings.

Question - Which Players have you offered contracts to for next season?

Kenny said contracts had been offered to Chris Hackett, Chris Zebroski, Neil Harris and Richard Shaw, who has a new role at the Club. I have released 9 players the most high profile being Rhys Evans. We need to streamline the squad and bring in more quality.

Question - Any change of securing Jay Simpson or Jem Karacan?

Kenny replied I have been in contact with Arsenal several times regarding Jay but it seems the club and the player will not make a decision regarding his future for several months. As regards Jem, Reading will not decide until they are aware what Division they are in next season. I see both players as being useful additions and will continue to pursue.

Question - What about Bryan Hodge?

Kenny said Blackburn require a fee for him. I don't believe he should attract a fee so that's it but I await developments.

Question - What is the situation regarding Danny Senda's injury?

Kenny answered Danny has a dislocated knee cap which is very painful. The surgeon believes the ligaments are ok but he is undergoing surgery tomorrow to establish the overall condition of the knee. It could be a long-term injury, which is very disappointing for him, as I believe he was developing and improving as a player throughout the season.

Question - Have you got a good sum to strengthen in the summer and are you keeping hold of Paul Robinson?

Kenny said the sum available is competitive for this division. I must be aware that it is to last throughout the season as sometimes changes may be necessary mid season if the team hits a dip in form or we suffer injuries. The team you put out at the start is rarely the one you end with. As regards Robbo, of course he will be here, he has 2 years left of his contract.

Question - You say offers have been made. Have the players accepted them?

Kenny said I expect all to accept. Neil Harris WILL sign (general laughter).

Question - You must be looking for a 20 goal a season striker?

Kenny replied yes I would like 5 strikers here as this gives you various permutations.

Question - Are you now happy with the medical staff?

Kenny answered yes I changed the medical staff completely and I now hope and believe I've got it right.

Question - Kenny well done for keeping us up. Last season we needed a centre forward and can you explain the goalkeeping situation? What about Preston Edwards?

Kenny replied I've said that I'm looking at striking options. As regards the keepers, I've let Rhys go because although he is very competent, he did not strike me as a keeper who could win me games. Preston is still young and I see him as a number 2 keeper at present. Tony Craig is still in my thoughts. At the moment I can't see anybody who will step up from the youth team next year.

Question - We need players here who are Millwall through and through and understand the Club and its fans.

Kenny answered yes but they've also got to be good enough. You have to ally passion with ability. You have to have both.

Question for Gary / Zak - Did you find the manager's changes in formation difficult to come to terms with last season?

Gary said I prefer to play alongside a partner but am happy to contribute in any formation. I prefer 4-4-2. Zak said his preferred position is centre half but I can also play at left back having played for Liverpool there in the past. Kenny said the 4-5-1 formation had proved successful, particularly away at games like Yeovil. I like to get the ball down and play. This is feasible with 4-4-2 so long as you have a strong midfield. I am working on this. Zak Whitbread was praised by the meeting for having the character to come back to achieve a high level of performance this year after not his best season last year, or indeed the beginning of this season.

Question for Gary / Zak - Can you tell us about your injuries and how they are shaping up?

Gary replied I sustained my injury at Yeovil from a bad tackle by Marvin Williams. I had a small crack in my shin but I ran for the first time yesterday in 8 weeks. Zak answered I was injured in the Luton home game when towards the end I fell awkwardly and sustained a small chip in my shoulder bone. It seems to be healing again now. Both should be 100% by the time they report back on 1st July.

Question for Gary / Zak - What is the best game you have played in for Millwall?

Gary said that must be Brighton at home when I scored my hat trick after a barren spell. Zak replied I think Orient away when I got the winning goal, we ghot the 3 points and it was a great performance by the fans too.

Question for Kenny - You've had a lot of injuries this year and in some games you've lacked some strength in midfield. Are you looking to get more physical strength into midfield?

He replied yes I am. We are very conscious of the need to look at players' injury records before we sign them.

Question - Is there anything we can do about the standards of refereeing. It seems that once they have a Millwall game, they feel they have a point to prove?

Kenny answered are you seriously asking a football manager about referees? Perhaps Andy can say something here. Andy Ambler said the club are in touch with the FA and the new referee manager regarding refs, and they do try to send experienced ones to Millwall. The ref for the Carlisle match I thought was very good. They do, however, have young refs coming through and sometimes they have their first game at the Den and we, like other Clubs, just have to put up with this.

Question - Is there any way that Lenny Pidgeley can be sold?

Kenny replied I don't see him being in the first team squad next season except for injuries. Lenny is keen to play and I have circulated his name to clubs as being available for transfer.

Question - Kenny what are your views about the youth scheme and why was the Dagenham feeder centre closed down?

Under League rules such centres have to be positioned within one and a half hours of the ground and Dagenham certainly is. Kenny said I know nothing about the closure of Dagenham and I will look into this. I support the development of youth players and class Fuseini and Edwards as youth products. At present nothing seems to be coming through but we will persevere and put the right people in place to foster youth development. Crystal Palace are currently showing what can be done with a good youth policy.

Question - What was your stand out performance of the season Kenny?

Kenny said the win at Swansea. Not just because it was over a team I had managed but it finally showed I had the makings of a side.

Question - Kenny what are your aims for next season?

He replied from 1st July when the players return to training it will be promotion from this League. I have the off field backing for it and that will be our aim.

Question - What is your ideal squad number Kenny and are you happy with your backroom staff?

Kenny replied I have no ideal number except to say that with their massive squad Chelsea have not benefitted when certain key players are out. Rather than looking at squad size you have to have a good scouting system, which allows you to know where likely targets are. When Marc Laird got suspended I was able to bring Jem Karacan in almost straight away. We also need to be able to move players on if they are not performing. I am now happy with my backroom staff having secured former Lion Jon Goodman for fitness training and Richard Shaw for support. Elvis is alive!

Question - Kenny, I believe you have made a big mistake with Neil Harris and you have allowed the fans to influence your decision. Harris is finished at this level, he just doesn't score goals. You have given a place on a small budget to a player who won't perform next year.

Kenny said that Neil's contract has been offered on the basis that if he does under perform, he could be moved on. It was my decision, no one else's. I thought through the financial implications. Neil's attitude showed me that I was wrong in my initial assessment of him. He will work in a permutation of striking options next season.

Question - What do you think about Danny Spiller and Chris Hackett?

Kenny replied the season just ran out for them. Both seem good, hungry players who will be part of my plans next year.

Question - Will Dave Brammer and Alan Dunne be here next season?

Kenny said yes David has another year of his contract to run and Alan is about two weeks away from fitness.

Question - Does Dave Brammer still live up north?

Yes, he still lives in Chester.

Question to Gary / Zak - What do you think of Lenny Pidgeley's nightclub antics?

Gary replied Lenny apologised to the players and that these things happen sometimes.

Kenny ended the session by thanking the supporters for their support. He now faces the intriguing task of spending the summer building a team for promotion next season.

Part 2 - Questions to the Board

With the departure of Kenny Jackett, Gary Alexander and Zak Whitbread, Bob then introduced the Directors team .This included Heather Rabbatts (Executive Deputy Chairman) , Stewart Till (Football Club Vice Chairman), Trevor Keyse, Andy Ambler (Chief Operating Officer) and Peter Garston (fan director). Jeff Burnige (director) and Dean Leigh (Police Liaison Officer) were also in attendance. Mr Berylson (PLC / Football Club Chairman) was unfortunately not able to attend as he had just undergone surgery on his leg.

Question - My son goes to school in Slade Green and whilst Chelsea and Arsenal run soccer schools in the area and QPR leaflet the school, there is no Millwall presence. Why is there no Millwall presence beyond Bexleyheath and into Kent?

Heather explained that the Millwall Community Scheme currently operates in Southwark and Lewisham and that the Club's resources are concentrated in this area although the Community Scheme did host a competition recently involving schools outside these boroughs. The Club requires more resources to cater for a larger area than it has at present.

Andy Ambler continued that in marketing the Club is looking to expand. Bukta, the Club's shirt maker is seeking to get a limited number of Millwall products in local Asda Superstores and he was currently interrogating the membership database to identify stores with 10% of the fanbase in close proximity.

Question - The accounts have not made the best of reading recently with costs far outweighing revenues. Have we got enough cash flow for next season?

Heather replied that thanks to the efforts of Mr Berylson the Club had funds and monies for team strengthening. Mr Berylson had committed £5 million at the last AGM and had recently made another £3 million pounds available.

The Board was committed to cost cutting and indeed had made significant savings already. The cost of covering for injured players was way above normal squad expenditure but the stability of finding John Berylson as Chairman and Kenny Jackett as Manager bodes well for the future.

Trevor Keyse added that Mr Berylson wants to win and its taking an active interest in the Club having long telephone calls several times a week with the Manager and the Board. He will hopefully see his way to making more funds available as the team progresses on the pitch.

Question - How is Mr Berylson's funds made up?

Heather responded that the first £5 million was made up of a loan convertible into shares at a 9% interest rate. The Club currently does not pay interest. The £3 million is a loan at 10% interest. The loan had to be made in this way as Mr Ferguson Lacey, the Club's largest shareholder had forced through a resolution at the last AGM not to increase the Club's shareholding. 10% interest should be considered very reasonable bearing in mind that other Club's are borrowing at rates closer to 15%.

Question-What are the Board doing about the large losses already incurred?

Heather said that there was a great desire by the Board to drive costs down.

Trevor pointed out that some of the past expenditure should be viewed as investing in the infrastructure of the Club. The training ground had been vastly improved and the Stadium pitch was now of a higher quality than in recent years.

Jeff Burnige insisted that Fans should support Mr Berylson and hoped he would soon see on pitch success for his investment. The Club had gone through a damaging period of 6 Chairman in 3 years and now it appeared that stability had finally been obtained.

Question - Is Mr Ferguson Lacey holding back the progress of the Club?

Heather answered no but his interference is annoying and costly. He is currently the largest shareholder with 28.8% of the company but if he increases his holding to 29.9% he will have to make a bid for the Company under Stock Exchange rules. It is doubtful at present that he wants to make this bid but his recent calls for an EGM to vote on enforcing the Board to subject their everyday decisions to shareholder approval shows that he wants to control the Board via the backdoor.

He has now had 2 requests for an EGM turned down and now he may be seeking legal advice.

Question - What are his aims and motivations?

Stewart Till replied that he was undoubtedly attracted by the regeneration project and that is not too bad as long as he is prepared to see the Club get more than enough out of the scheme. His treatment of Mr Berylson is unhelpful and his habit of saying he is going to turn up for games and then pulling out at the last moment is annoying and is probably stimulated by his desire not to talk to Board members about his plans.

Question - Is Mr Lacey connected to Mr de Savary?

Stewart replied no as Mr de Savary supports the Board and is still in contact with it.

Question - What percentage of the company does Mr Berylson currently own? What percentage will Mr Berylson own after he has converted his loan to shares and can he do this before any showdown meeting with Mr Lacey?

Heather replied at present Mr Berylson owns 10%. If he converts his loan, he will own 45% and tactically it may not be sensible for Mr Berylson to convert to shares before any meeting.

Question - What is the position regarding FA fines?

Andy Ambler replied that the players currently have a suspended fine of £40,000 hanging over them for bad behaviour and this might be called in by the FA if the Club appear in the top 3 or 4 of the offenders again this season. As regards the fans, the FA has received some 8 reports of poor behaviour and this is much more than any other Club. We are currently in a dialogue with the FA and it is hoped that the Club can avoid serious punishment.

Question - When are we going to see any concrete regeneration proposals. What has the regeneration cost so far and has it impacted on the football budget?

Heather said that she hoped to have more concrete information within the next month. Things have been held up as she has been seeking a change of use around the Stadium's immediate area from industrial to mixed use. She thought she had achieved this but then some new planning legislation was introduced involving local strategic planning which meant that the local authorities could carry out more local consultation. Boris Johnson could bring in more planning legislation which could mean the scheme could be mired again.

It was hoped that approval would be given to a scheme that would include a hotel, improved leisure facilities, enhanced local shopping and better housing to improve the area.

There is a 120 year lease on the Stadium which means that Millwall Football Club will be at the centre of any scheme built.

Allsops will be used as planning consultants as they are a major company and have already a working relationship with many local authorities.

Question - Whilst building works are being carried out, will the Club have to move?

Heather/ Andy replied no.

Question - What will the Club make out of the scheme?

Heather said that until plans are hardened up she could not say.

Question - Are the Club taking advantage of the 2012 Olympics?

Heather replied that the covered facilities of the community centre are earmarked for some pre-training for teams. There maybe more opportunities later.

Question - Can the Club put up a sign on the back of the Stand overlooking the Railway?

Mr Berylson is currently looking at this proposal.

Question - Why were Leeds not given the lower tier of the North Stand and why was there such a heavy Police presence at Swindon?

Dean Leigh / Andy Ambler stated that the number of Leeds fans were restricted at The Den due to severe crowd problems at the Elland Road fixture earlier in the season. The restriction was on Police advice. As regards Swindon, unfortunately Millwall's reputation means that some Forces over react. Only improved crowd behaviour will solve this problem.

Question - When will the Club look after its season ticket holders better? Particularly those who buy under the Earlybird scheme.

Andy Ambler replied that the Club had recognised that season ticket holders will get the best deal possible.

Bob thanked the supporters for their attendance and the Board members for their time. The meeting ended at 9.45 pm