Ochaye Whoopsydaisy

Support the 35.

BLUE UNITY STATEMENT Linfield Football Club is in complete ruin, headed by a board that is no longer fit for purpose. We were promised pace and power. We were led to believe that a rebuild was underway and that the club was moving in a new direction. Instead, we have been left with what is arguably the most underwhelming transfer window in the club’s history, a threadbare squad, significant debt and a growing acceptance of mediocrity. But this goes far beyond what is happening on the pitch. Linfield are now arguably the worst-run club in the league when it comes to fan engagement, financial management, matchday experience, catering, transfers, community outreach and stewarding. These failures have been allowed to develop over a sustained period, while the ordinary supporter has been repeatedly expected to accept excuses rather than answers. We recognise that there are a small number of individuals on the board who are making genuine efforts to improve these situations. However, it has become increasingly clear that the size and structure of the board including the so-called “trustees” has grown beyond the point where meaningful change can be made. Many of these individuals remain completely unknown to a large percentage of the Linfield fanbase. There is little transparency, little accountability and far too much anonymity, allowing those operating in the background to avoid scrutiny while others at the forefront are left to take responsibility for decisions in which they were not acting alone. The answers given for our club’s many failures are no longer good enough. Blaming the IFA for a contract we agreed to is no longer a sufficient answer. Blaming other clubs for spending money is no longer a sufficient answer. Blaming supporters as a reason for a lack of sponsorship is no longer a sufficient answer. Blaming individual fans while actively searching for ways to silence, ban and marginalise them is no longer a sufficient answer. For too long, Linfield supporters have been vilified simply for voicing opposition to how our club is being run. Legitimate criticism is treated with contempt by a board that appears to hold the ordinary supporter in disdain. Linfield has even run campaigns against specific members of Blue Unity and other supporters, with the assistance of the Chief Security Officer. Enough is enough. We were promised “quality over quantity” by the chairman. What we have received is neither. The supporters deserve better. The club deserves better. The current structure is not working. The unelected trustees in particular have become a symbol of a system that lacks accountability and meaningful connection with the supporters it is supposed to serve. Change is now required, and it is required immediately. We will continue to support the players who wear the shirt. We will continue to support Linfield Football Club. But supporting Linfield does not mean blindly supporting those who run it. Enough is enough. Support the team. Not the regime.

Blue Unity welcomes Linfield FC statement this morning which outlines that we have cut ties with Mooney’s Nevertheless, we cannot accept that this is the matter now closed and that everything is swept under the carpet. Once again, the lack of transparency and accountability is evident from a dinosaur board. Our members have been subject to "club investigations" which were based on no photographic or video evidence, but "anonymous information." It is clear that briefing has taken place to try and pin the blame on one individual. This is yet another example of the self preservation strategy where members will willingly sacrifice each other to keep their blazer. We await the full results of a club investigation which we fully believe should result in board members resigning. Support the team, not the regime.