Last updated : 02 December 2004 By Duke Of Galloway
Queens Chairman - David Rae
Queens chairman David Rae opened the meeting at 7.31 pm in front of a large turnout of shareholders and the financial statements of the club were discussed. There was a suggestion from the floor that the turnover figures could be broken down further so as the ordinary layman could see where all the money was going. It was explained by the board that there was no legal requirement for doing so but any shareholder wishing to examine the accounts could do so if he applied to the board. It was reported that Queens recorded a small profit for the past financial year and Mr Rae explained this was mainly due to pinning back players salaries and a successful run in various cup competitions. He also explained that the pools companies would cease payments this season to the SPL/SFL. This could mean a loss of somewhere around £20,000 per club. A dialogue was still ongoing as to the future of the vacant Tescos supermarket site. Mr Rae would not be drawn into providing any further details but a meeting is planned for January wherby he would be seeking an amicable agreement. At the moment Tesco pay £50,000 per year in quarterly payments. It was explained that Tesco have a 90 year lease on the property and part of the agreement is that they can sub-let. Someone from the floor suggested that perhaps the local council should become involved by asking Tesco for an early settlement. Mr Rae explained that the council at this stage have not been asked to intervene. ln response to a query from the floor as regards the decrease in turnover for the recent financial year,it was explained that this was down to lower gates and a lower return on transfer revenue. The statemet of Accounts were eventually approved and the meeting moved on to further business. T.G.Harkness and W.J. Hewistson were re-elected to the board along with D.Rae who was re-elected as Chairman. Further questions were then invited from the floor. One shareholder objected to the minimum figure of ten when purchasing shares and it was explained that the administrative costs precluded Queens selling shares in blocks of less than ten. It was also reported that Queens now have around 700 shareholders. The role of the Queens Supporters Trust was discussed and the possibility of representation on the board. Mr Rae explained that the trust was in it's infancy and the board of directors will give this full consideration in the future. A shareholder asked what success the Commercial manager has had since his appointment. It was explained that the Commercial Manager who also doubles as the the Queens Physio has had a difficult year with many injuies to cope with and has had reasonable success in difficult circumstances. A question was raised as to the future of Chef Fresh the present caterers at Palmerston who handle the corporate packages and run the Bars. It was explained that Chef Fresh are on a rolling season to season contract. As there was no further business to discuss Mr Rae handed over to Queens manager Iain Scott to take questions from the floor. Questions were raised as to the fitness of Jaconelli and why he was not getting a run in the team. Scotty explained that Jaconelli's recent fitness is not in question but his form did not warrant inclusion in the team. He also explained that Queens have had a horrendous run of injuries and illness recently but things should improve. He also explained the situation with Mac Donald and stated that he is still a Queens player but his knee injury has not cleared up yet. It was also explained that although David McNiven was recently dropped from the team,the burly striker is still very much in the frame at Palmerston. Scotty also stated that the player's attitude when dropped from the team has been excellent as was the rest of the squad. Both Brian Reid and Gary Wood have worrying injuries and are attending specialists for treatment. The manager also stated that he will be bringing players in during the January window but will also be shipping players out. The players being shipped out have been informed along with their agents. He would not name the players being released. Rumours that Alex Burke had signed an agreement to return to Queens if things did not work out at RossCounty were denied by Scotty. He also stated that Queens still remain interested in Harty but a deal looks unlikely as the player is on contract with the Cumbernauld club. A shareholder was unhappy that Payne had not been given a longer run in the team to which Scotty replied that Burns had been picked ahead of him on merit. Queens scouting network was discussed and Scotty welcomed any suggestions to improve the situation but explained that Queens budget precluded the payment of scouts. There were concerns at the form of Derek Lyle to which Scotty responded that the striker is still not back to full fitness after his spell with Dunfermline. Concern was raised about the threat from Gretna and Scotty replied that there was very little Queens could do to compete with the financial muscle of their rivals but was confident that superior fitness and team spirit would prevail. The meeting concluded with a shareholder thanking the board and manager for their achievement in keeping a part-time team competitive in the Scottish League Division 1. As their was no further business the Chairman brought the meeting to a close at around 8.10 pm whereby there was an almighty scramble to the Lounge Bar for some liquid sustenance.
