Karl Oyston Step Down – HELP the Petition

[daib0]

I'm happy to forward this to you all – I believe fans should help each other for the benefit of all. I'm a Reading fan, as many of you know, but I write regularly on many different forums, and feel that I know the ins-and-outs of many. I also help to organize inter-forum games and competitions.

Right now the overwhelming majority of Blackpool fans need YOU to sign their big petition - please help! The following should help to explain everything. If you still feel you need more info as good as any: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Oyston



from Blackpool Supporters Trust


Hi All,

Any assistance that you can give in supporting our petition would be greatly appreciated. You may already have heard, but our club chairman Karl Oyston has been in the press this week for insulting a fan by text. The press has focused on the use of language which could be considered offensive including use of the term "ineffective tactician" and the comment "Enjoy your special needs day out", which have been widely condemned, due to the offence it may cause to the disabled, their families and indeed decent society. Football is supposed to be inclusive and clearly the use of such language cannot be tolerated.

However Oyston has not only insulted those with disabilities, he also appears to believe that normal everyday working people are also somehow beneath him and in doing so has widely insulted football fans across the country.

Here is one example of a text sent to a Blackpool fan by Karl Oyston...

"So let me get this straight, you think that despite knowing and being friendly with other chairman in the FL and PL, venture capitalists, bankers, entrepeneurs, very successful businessmen, government ministers, MP's and a whole host of notable worthies, that I should single out a fat flaccid painter and decorator/consultant whose crowning achievment is taking his poor family on holiday to Orlando for three torturous weeks a year? really? I suggest you slip discreetly back into whatever foul pond you emerged from. Crack on as I am enjoying myself. you are on toast and are too simple to realise it. In fact you have cheered me up no end and made me realise I am right to completely ignore the influential fans so cheers." Karl Oyston.

Karl Oyston is, as you may be aware, also on the Football League Board and therefore has an influential role in the decisions that may affect your football club. We firmly believe there is no place in football for anyone with such a dismissive attitude towards us, the fans.
Blackpool Fans also believe that Oyston should be removed from his position on the Football League board.


...


Club President Valeri Belokon has called upon all Blackpool fans to support a petition for Club Chairman Karl Oyston to step down from his position with immediate effect.

Blackpool Supporters Trust would ask that our members , Blackpool fans and indeed all in the football community support Mr Belokons request and sign the attached petition that requests that Mr Karl Oyston step down from any position of influence in Blackpool FC immediately. This petition will be submitted to the FA and Football League as well as to Blackpool Football Club owner Mr Owen Oyston.

As many fans will be aware, Karl Oyston has recently been in the national and local media, having engaged in a series of abusive text exchanges with Blackpool supporters, which has further sullied the good name of Blackpool FC through association.

The attitude displayed by Mr Oyston, not only in regard to the unacceptable references to disabilities and ' special needs ' but in his general attitude towards hard working Blackpool fans in general makes him in our view unsuitable to hold a position of influence within our famous community football club.

For some time the relationship between Club and its fans has been strained and it is our firm belief that many of these issues are a direct result of Karl Oyston and his confrontational approach to the fan base. This latest outburst from Mr Oyston is simply a very public demonstration of an attitude that as has no place on football and decent society and which in addition has had a negative impact on relations between Karl Oyston and numerous managers , board members , members of the Press , players , fans and of course, Mr Belokon himself. When one individual manages to sour relations with so many other people, then the source of the problem becomes patently obvious. Karl Oyston seems incapable of managing everyday relationships without conflict and that cannot be good for Blackpool Football Club.

The time has come for Blackpool Football Club to move on into a new era of cooperation between Club and its fans and the wider community and for us to build upon the success that Valeri Belokon's substantial investment had brought about. Blackpool Supporters Trust call upon Mr Owen Oyston to remove Karl Oyston from any position of influence with immediate effect and re-establish a working relationship with Valeri Belokon, with a view to making positive progress, placing football first, investing properly for the success of the team and to start treating the fans and community of Blackpool with the respect that they deserve from the ambassador of our historic club.

Please sign the online petition detailing your full name & email address, together with any comments that you feel are relevant.


Sign Petition HERE





Thanks!!!

[Berserker]

Yes I did think his comments were pretty bad. I do voluntary work with people with learning difficulties and I hate it when people talk this way about them.

[watfordwhite]

Please accept my support. Where do we need to send the signed  above?
Martin Barclay

[Northern Cottager]

They need him gone, not just for their benefit but for the benefit of football and to wipe that smug grin off his pathetic face.

[Northern Cottager]

But I do doubt he will ever resign. He'd have to be pushed.

[K33NY]

You have my support!

[WhiteJC]

signed

[grandad]

Signed.

[Slaphead in Qatar]

his dad owen oyston was a dodgy character as well. signed.

[Burt]

Here is the link to the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/karl-oyston-resign-as-chairman-of-blackpool-football-club?just_created=true

[Logicalman]

Signed, 5K signatures now!!

[daib0]

now nearly 5,700 signed ...

[daib0]

We will probably never know exactly what that whole exchange was, but Oyston's mobile number was posted on a BFC forum, I believe. And as I understand it, and told to me, the fan did not even start the abusive comments, but simply made criticisms. Whatever was said - did it warrant the crassness of Oyston's comments regarding disabilities, 'special needs', belittling those who weren't born into the privileged life he has? Is his behaviour, not only over this incident, but amply proved over time now, befitting of a championship football club chairman and a member of the Football League board? So that's the real basis of this petition...

[Jem]

Having a disabled wife I have signed,  not with pleasure, but pure anger at this moron. He does not know how lucky he is.

[Burt]

In his position (high profile, lots of responsibilities, etc.) he really should have known better...

[Andy S]

I think people in influential positions should be very careful what they write. This man has obviously not been. He needs to fall on his sword. Signed

[K33NY]

In his position (high profile, lots of responsibilities, etc.) he really should have known better...

Unfortunately there are those people who havent had the kind of grown ups around them to teach the value of family and friends, but rather love money and power more, those people unfortunately arent scared to show it most of the times, and most of the times theres nothing anyone can do about it. Hopefully in this situation something can be done.

I hate greed, and greedy people............

[Ged]

Signed

[daib0]

Latest - taken from a Blackpool fan forum. You won't believe this mates! Desperate stuff ...


"Up to now most fans threatened with legal action regarding comments made on this forum and other forms of social media have only received letters of pre action . As you may have recently read on other posts one of our fellow posters has now received documents from the Oystons' solicitors which require him to fill in earnings and assets to be presented to the courts as well as a request to submit his defence . They have also paid the court fees for £610 to take the poster concerned to the High Court in Manchester with a claim lodged for up to £50,000 each for John Owen Oyston, Karl Samuel Oyston and Blackpool Football Club Limited .One of the ludicrous claims the solicitors have made is that the comments made by this fan have, amongst other claims for damages, hit this years season ticket sales.

Our request for help is for anyone reading this message board who didn't renew this season, e-mails on the following address a quick resume as to why they didn't renew. Possible reasons may include a lack of investment over the past few seasons, being treated with contempt by the present owners, having only 8 players up to a week before the season started, pre season training tour cancelled etc etc etc.

This in effect will show any judge preciding that to make a claim for these damages is ridiculous to say the least.

Many thanks for your time and if any other fans have received a summons that we don't know about that these emails may also help please let us know on the below email address."

[email protected]

[Burt]

Wow...

Thanks for sharing David. Desperate stuff on Oyston's part.

It makes you wonder whether he will start going for fans from other forums who have been signing the petition.

To that end, to protect FOF and it's posters, if anyone is looking to post further comments about this then steer clear of anything that could be deemed to be libellous i.e. any statement made publically that could cause a reasonable person to think worse of the person concerned.