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Queens Agm 2008
1 .Chairman David Rae opened the meeting at 7.30 in front of almost 100 shareholders and all directors were present apart from Keith Houliston.
2. There was some good news that the handover of the Old Tesco building back to Queens is imminent and the paperwork should be completed in a matter of weeks. Mr Rae said that Queens will explore every avenue to re-develop the site to produce a valuable source of income in the future for the club.
3. Mr Rae was very pleased at the progress Queens have made under Manager Gordon Chisolm and was very impressed by his coaching methods and the training facilities at Glasgow Green. The decision to move the training facilities to Glasgow has been a success resulting in savings to the club. Costs in fact have been halved as the majority of players don't need to travel to Dumfries and back to the Central Belt. Savings have also been made by players making their own way to most games rather then hiring expensive coaches. Coaches of course will continue to be hired for long-haul venues. Other savings were also made by not providing pre-match meals for the players. Despite the loss made in the last financial year Mr Rae stated that Queens had no bank overdraft. He was also pleased with the fund-raising activities of various groups that provide much needed income to Queens.
4. Mr Rae was less than complimentary to Queen's previous manager Ian McCall who had at one stage had 31 players on the payroll. It was pointed out that McCall's tenure as Queen's manager proved quite expensive and the team had a constant battle to stay clear of relegation.
4. Mr Rae was less than complimentary to Queen's previous manager Ian McCall who had at one stage had 31 players on the payroll. It was pointed out that McCall's tenure as Queen's manager proved quite expensive and the team had a constant battle to stay clear of relegation.
5. Mr David Rae,Thomas Harkness and Colin Rutherford were re-appointed as Directors.
6. According to the Report of the Directors and Financial Statements issued by Queen of the South Football Club for year ended 31st May 2007 a loss was made of £207,740 compared to £333,425 for the year ended 2006. There was however an increase in turnover with figures for 2007 showing £773,858 compared with £524,954 for the previous year.
7. Other selected items of interest:
A. Rent from Tesco £62,000
B. As at 31st May the club owed KM Houliston £15,000 and Norman Blount £199,270
C. The Floodlighting at Palmerston was upgraded at a cost of £40,000 but this sum is not included in the 2007 accounts
B. As at 31st May the club owed KM Houliston £15,000 and Norman Blount £199,270
C. The Floodlighting at Palmerston was upgraded at a cost of £40,000 but this sum is not included in the 2007 accounts
8. There followed a lively Q and A session between the floor and the directors in which several bits of valuable information were gleaned.
Social Club needs enlarging - The recent development of Palmerston plans were put on hold because no agreement could be reached with the Local Council - Mr Rae is not in favour of any form of groundsharing - Dundee have sold all but 300 of their allocated seats for the Quarter-Final Tie at Palmy - Complaints about giving Dundee too many seats - There are now 750 Queens shareholders - An approach was made for Gordon
Chisolm from an unkown club to become their manager but he turned it down - Queens will remain full-time.
9. Queen's manager Gordon Chisolm was invited to a Football Q and A session.
There follows some of the highlights:
Chisolm is pleased with the quality he has at the club in particular the progress of Burns and Harris but there is room for improvement and he intends to fine-tune the squad for next season. - He singled out Jim Thomson as leading his team from the front and believes the big defender still has a few years left in him. - Ex-Ranger Billy Dodds is doing an excellent job helping out with training in Glasgow which he does on a voluntary basis just to keep fit. - Gerry McLaughlan who signed a pre-contract agreement from Stranraer trains with Queens for a couple of days during the week and he looks a good prospect - The injured Jamie Adams keeps regular contact with the club and hopes to be fit for the next season and Chisolm will be approaching Killie on the prospect of extending his loan - Neil Scally should be OK for next season - Jim Lauchlan is back in training and will be considered for selection when fit - Brian Gilmour still in Chisolm's plans but he has been coached to become more direct - Andy Aitken still in Chisolm's plans - The Queens Youth set up aimimg towards an under 17/19 set-up next season but recent withdrawal of funding by the SFA has been a hinderance - Gordon Chisolm was asked if he intended to take any further coaching badges to which he replied that he was always looking to improve his coaching skills although he has the full set of badges including one for Europe - Gordon Chisolm thanked everyone for their support especially our wonderful fans.
9. Queen's manager Gordon Chisolm was invited to a Football Q and A session.
There follows some of the highlights:
Chisolm is pleased with the quality he has at the club in particular the progress of Burns and Harris but there is room for improvement and he intends to fine-tune the squad for next season. - He singled out Jim Thomson as leading his team from the front and believes the big defender still has a few years left in him. - Ex-Ranger Billy Dodds is doing an excellent job helping out with training in Glasgow which he does on a voluntary basis just to keep fit. - Gerry McLaughlan who signed a pre-contract agreement from Stranraer trains with Queens for a couple of days during the week and he looks a good prospect - The injured Jamie Adams keeps regular contact with the club and hopes to be fit for the next season and Chisolm will be approaching Killie on the prospect of extending his loan - Neil Scally should be OK for next season - Jim Lauchlan is back in training and will be considered for selection when fit - Brian Gilmour still in Chisolm's plans but he has been coached to become more direct - Andy Aitken still in Chisolm's plans - The Queens Youth set up aimimg towards an under 17/19 set-up next season but recent withdrawal of funding by the SFA has been a hinderance - Gordon Chisolm was asked if he intended to take any further coaching badges to which he replied that he was always looking to improve his coaching skills although he has the full set of badges including one for Europe - Gordon Chisolm thanked everyone for their support especially our wonderful fans.
10. David Rae brought the meeting to a close at 2100 hours.
11. In conclusion Mr Rae was in a buoyant optimistic mood and I was very impressed by Gordon Chisolm who came over as a quiet yet confident man who is a hands on coach and obviously commands great respect from his players.