Steve Uttley

[roversontheup]

I have just heard that Steve Uttley has been made redundant.  Does anyone know about this?  Not sure what Steve did.  Photos and programme?

[DN8ROVER]

Think his official title was Press Officer!

[Sheepskin Stu]

[neil grainger]

You're far too clever for me Sheepskin Stu

[BobG]

Sad for Steve if true. But begs a few questions too. It could be a consequence of percieved (alleged) weakness in performing his role. Or, it could be a re-statement of the new reality. No money. In either case, quite what it means for club comms is going to be interesting.

BobG

[roversontheup]

Indeed Bob. It's an interesting development depending on the reasons behind it, which of course we have no right to know.

[godlike1]

It would be an interesting test of the strength of irwt to see if the club will confirm or deny this rumour about someone who has been at the club for years and worked his socks of with very little support

[Yargo]

A post i made on the VSC members only section a few months ago.
Yargo
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Public Relations
« Reply #1 on July 26, 2014, 10:06:31 AM by Yargo »
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For me one thing seems obvious from the episodes of the last 4-6 weeks is that Rovers are in dire need of a competent,qualified,able public reations person,no more crappy emails or communication with gullible fools on Facebook.Someone able to get the message out to fans,i read shyte about Coppinger not being offered a "new deal" and fans think he hasn't been offered one at all,same for Wellens,our club and i see it as a VSC matter is not in the hands of someone that should be on this and getting out where the club stands and i cite the way in which a paid employee was doing his best to promote the Crowdfunder rubbish. Whilst at the same time i realised as a fan it was built on sand and did my best to rip the shyte out of it at every opportunity.I may have not given every reason for my thinking this way but i hope the sentiment is understood,we need someone able to communicate with us,step forward SM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMjg-yIdw9w

[Lifelong supporter]

I have just heard that Steve Uttley has been made redundant.  Does anyone know about this?  Not sure what Steve did.  Photos and programme?

Steve Uttley was the club's main press officer/media manager for around 15 years before the nonsensical decision to merge the media and marketing departments.
It resulted in Shaun Lockwood, who had little previous experience of dealing with the media, taking charge as communications manager.
Uttley was good at his job but had been close to John Ryan, as was Dave Parker who recently got the chop.
Wonder who's next?
Incidentally, does anyone know the reason why photographs of JR have recently been removed from the ground?     

[silent majority]

John's pictures haven't been removed. They were still all in place this last week when I visited the club.

[silent majority]

It would be an interesting test of the strength of irwt to see if the club will confirm or deny this rumour about someone who has been at the club for years and worked his socks of with very little support

It's got nothing to do with IRWT.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Is this a done deal, or a rumour from a source at the club?

[idler]

In the Bradford Park Avenue clubhouse before the friendly match one or two people were congratulating Steve Uttley about his new job/position.
From what I heard it seemed that he was going to work for JR.
Whether this went belly up when the takeover failed or he had a change of mindI don't know.
I'm sure that the club will make a statement thanking him for all that he has done in his time here.

[Yargo]

In the Bradford Park Avenue clubhouse before the friendly match one or two people were congratulating Steve Uttley about his new job/position.
From what I heard it seemed that he was going to work for JR.
Whether this went belly up when the takeover failed or he had a change of mind I don't know.

Surely you mean working for the Crowdfunder?

[idler]

I don't know the ins and outs, I just overheard the congratulations and one of the lads said did you hear that? Sounds like he's working for JR now.
I didn't pay too much attention and he still appeared at all Rovers games so thought no more of it.

[Filo]

BPA friendly was on 9th July, just days before the crowdfunder takeover collapsed

[DonnyBazR0ver]

There are some classic photos that mean Steve's work will always be associated with the club.

[Lifelong supporter]

John's pictures haven't been removed. They were still all in place this last week when I visited the club.

Even in the boardroom?

[Filo]

John's pictures haven't been removed. They were still all in place this last week when I visited the club.

Even in the boardroom?

Interesting, do you have access to the boardroom?

[silent majority]

John's pictures haven't been removed. They were still all in place this last week when I visited the club.

Even in the boardroom?

Your initial statement was that John's photos had been removed from the ground. Now you're asking if they've been removed from the boardroom. Why don't you just make the statement that you want to?

[RobTheRover]

I dont think I've ever been in the boardroom.  Clearly, Lifelong has.

Hang on, just need to see if my axe needs a grind whilst we have a specialist amongst us.

[bobjimwilly]

I think most DRFC fans and people associated with the club appreciate the time and work Steve Uttley has put into the club all these years and would like to thank him for the historic photos he has taken of all the DRFC legends over the past 15+ years.

[Lifelong supporter]

John's pictures haven't been removed. They were still all in place this last week when I visited the club.

Even in the boardroom?

Your initial statement was that John's photos had been removed from the ground. Now you're asking if they've been removed from the boardroom. Why don't you just make the statement that you want to?

Isn't the boardroom in the ground?

[silent majority]

John's pictures haven't been removed. They were still all in place this last week when I visited the club.

Even in the boardroom?

Your initial statement was that John's photos had been removed from the ground. Now you're asking if they've been removed from the boardroom. Why don't you just make the statement that you want to?

Isn't the boardroom in the ground?

Are you asking a question or making a statement? It appears to me that you know the answer but are asking for reasons other than the natural inquisitive nature of most fans on here. So, are we talking specifically about the boardroom?

[BobG]

Of course, now that I'm more awake than I was at stupid o'clock last night, there is one other possibility underlying this alleged course of events. To mix several metaphors at once, if this has happened it could be that at long last the Board of Directors is now in a position to clean the stable of what has, for a very long time indeed, been a very leaky and very disloyal ship. I don't personally know who might have been disloyal and I do not mean to imply that Steve Uttley is in any way such a person, but we all know very well that the club has been fighting itself, and leaking in the interest of one side or another, for ages and ages. It's more than time this was stopped. A confident and strong Board will certainly make it one of its first tasks. Without control there's nothing. That was one of the major weaknesses of the previous regime.

BobG

PS I still can't stop laughing every time I think of 'cocoa shunter'! Stu: you owe me big time. Or is it I that owes you?!

[Glyn_Wigley]

John's pictures haven't been removed. They were still all in place this last week when I visited the club.

Even in the boardroom?

Your initial statement was that John's photos had been removed from the ground. Now you're asking if they've been removed from the boardroom. Why don't you just make the statement that you want to?

Isn't the boardroom in the ground?

Yes, but why are you asking about the Boardroom specifically?

[PDX_Rover]

Good move IMO.

[retford rover]

My personal opinion is, is that I think Steve has been treated very harshly, Steve does loads to benefit the club, is it because he nailed his colours to John Ryans mast ? The photographs from all home and away games, organising the media team, sorting out the press box, Steve attends EVERY, home and away games, reserve fixtures and some youth games  Tell me who is going to get back from the likes of Crawley at 3 in the morning and get reports and photos out.  The DVD's, the media team produces for the ref and opposistion managers and Paul Dickov,  He does lots of work outside his hours, Trax FM show, attending meetings. Yes Rovers player has not been up to the standard required, and has had to scrape the barrel in getting me to commantate on the service in years gone by, but it's not a Rovers based operation. He organised the majority of the Inca trek walk, raising 50k for the NSPCC, he has always been supportive of the Supporters Club, original member of the VSC, and was so for many years.  Good luck Steve in whatever you do. 

[bobjimwilly]

I don't think many people would argue with most of that Paul, although there's always more that meets the eye with situations like this. If it is redundancy he faces, then means the position is redundant. And in fairness when Gavin was asked this at your AGM, he said it would be a business decision, a point which no-one at the AGM argued.

[Bentley Bullet]

In my experience, when positions 'become redundant' it usually means that bosses can lawfully manipulate changes in staff by simply giving the position a different title.