Albion chairman to answer his critics
Brown going face-to-face with trust’s members
Stirling Albion chairman and operations director Stuart Brown is to answer his critics at a meeting later this week.
Members of the executive board of the club’s Supporters Trust want Mr Brown out and are to discuss a recommendation for his removal at their annual general meeting on September 12.
Mr Brown told the Observer he and club executive board members were making themselves available to speak with and answer questions from trust members. That Q&A is due to take place tomorrow (Thursday), 7.30pm, in the Castle Suite at Forthbank Stadium.
The trust executive board made their case for axing Mr Brown at a two-hour meeting last Tuesday in the Mayfield Centre, St Ninians, attended by about 70 members of the trust.
They cite a breakdown in relations with the chairman and accuse him of “keeping them out of the loop” when key decisions are made.
At the end of the gathering, letters were handed out inviting those there to the meeting called by the club board.
Mr Brown was not at the Mayfield Centre meeting but executive board members Alan Christie, finance director, and commercial director John Hunter were present.
One of those at the meeting, who asked not to be named, said there was a division of opinion expressed at the meeting about Mr Brown, who has chaired the executive board for six years.
“There is a club board in place and a trust board and the trust board feels Stuart does not consult with them enough,” added the trust member.
“There was disagreement last autumn over the process for the replacement of Stuart McLaren, following his resignation as manager.
“I think Stuart’s view is that there is a board in place to run the club and they don’t have to report back every five minutes to the executive trust board.”
And the trust member added: “There were views on both sides with some fans asking why raise this matter now given that the team is riding high on the park and the club has money in the bank and is doing well on the commercial side and in terms of corporate hospitality.
“Others want to know why differences couldn’t have been settled at the end of the season or through mediation. But the trust board say they have tried to thrash out the problems and in their view their differences are irreconcilable.”
Trust members of the fanowned club number around 270 and own 82 per cent of shares. Secretary of the trust executive board Jim Thomson said they had the authority to remove Mr Brown and it was their intention to do so.