SAVE THE BIRCH! (URGENT, PLEASE READ)

[ousefox]

However, the Mercury understands that City, owned by a 72 year old active business man, have concerns about setting a precedent by allowing him to stay on past the normal retirement age.

[Jay]

That was the same argument used for people wanting Steve Walsh as the manager.

And to say that he is a great ambassador for the club and loves it as much as we do, then why doesnt he do the job for free like most of us would be happy to do. He doesnt need the money and I dont quite know what people refer to when they say he's a great ambassador. Does anyone know what he actually does on a day to day basis?

I actually worked for a few months at the club about 3 years ago, and he turned up in his Merc around 10, spoke to the security staff like sh*t, then buggered off at about 11.30 to play golf or go to the gym which the club paid for his membership.

Now I know he's well thought of by the fans and it's a tradition for him to come and do whatever it is that gets done at half time, but £30k a year plus all of his benefits??? Not sure why people are trying to justify it.

I think that's part and parcel of the whole thing really, what exactly does he do? because I really have no idea, besides the matchday aspect of his job and as according to the Mercury article he was offered the opportunity to carry this is in a consultancy basis, so paid for the work he does and has turned down that opportunity which people seem to have not noticed.

[McFoxy]

Now I know he's well thought of by the fans and it's a tradition for him to come and do whatever it is that gets done at half time, but £30k a year plus all of his benefits??? Not sure why people are trying to justify it.

There are players, much less apreciated than the Birch on a month what he earns a year. They also do fook all! What's your point?

[Bettsj2]

There are players, much less apreciated than the Birch on a month what he earns a year. They also do fook all! What's your point?

It's pretty obvious what my point is.

He gets paid £30k a year for doing nothing.

Yes footballers are paid to much but that has absolutely nothing to do with The Birch's situation. If he turned round and said he'd still like to do the matchday stuff but for free, the club would be more than happy with that and rightly so, but to make out that he's some valuable member of the staff at Leicester is absolutely ridiculous.

[Guest]

It's pretty obvious what my point is.

He gets paid £30k a year for doing nothing.

How exactly do you know this?

Don't get me wrong I'm not suggesting he has a massively important job description but as I understand his role of club ambassador or whatever involves more than just gobbing off on the mic at half time, promoting LCFC out in the community etc. I'm sure someone with a better insight to the club than me may be able to clarify exactly what he does

[McFoxy]

If he was valuable he'd be on more than £30K a year!

Football is an overpaid profession, we all know that. So Complaining that someone gets paid 30K a year at a football club, when to be honest he does do something, is a bit contradictory really.

Sure I doubt he's fully stretched, but my point remains. He gets paid at about 1/12 of what the players do, yet he turns up EVERY saturday, goes on the phone in, and no doubt performs a few more tasks each week.

And those players. How many of our players actually played a championship game last season? Sure they train (unless they're long term sick) but then they'd probably do that for free eh?

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

I think IF he is on 30k a year than that is far too much, but we shouldnt be getting rid of him.

[Houdini Logic]

If he was valuable he'd be on more than £30K a year!

Football is an overpaid profession, we all know that.

I'm sure the guys in the club shop and ticket office would disagree.

[davieG]

If he was valuable he'd be on more than £30K a year!

Football is an overpaid profession, we all know that. So Complaining that someone gets paid 30K a year at a football club, when to be honest he does do something, is a bit contradictory really.

Sure I doubt he's fully stretched, but my point remains. He gets paid at about 1/12 of what the players do, yet he turns up EVERY saturday, goes on the phone in, and no doubt performs a few more tasks each week.

And those players. How many of our players actually played a championship game last season? Sure they train (unless they're long term sick) but then they'd probably do that for free eh?

General employees of football clubs are paid on a par with other businesses. I'm sure he gets paid by Radio Leicester to appear on there in addition to his LCFC salary. Turns up every Saturday - Wow so do Saturday shop assistants!

What players earn is totally irrelevant.

[McFoxy]

And i bet the manager of the ticket office and the megastore are on £30K as well. Its NOT a lot of money. I get paid more than 30K a year! and i have a 3 bed semi in leicester. I aint fookin loaded!

[Babylon]

And i bet the manager of the ticket office and the megastore are on £30K as well. Its NOT a lot of money. I get paid more than 30K a year! and i have a 3 bed semi in leicester. I aint fookin loaded!

I bet they work more than two hours a day though.

[Babylon]

Everyone please join my facebook page, it's...

www.facebook.co.uk/whogivesashit_therearemoreimportantthingstoworryabout

[Spencer]

Birch bores me to tears.. Bring back some decent half time entertainment. Cross bar challenge anyone?

[Houdini Logic]

And i bet the manager of the ticket office and the megastore are on £30K as well. Its NOT a lot of money. I get paid more than 30K a year! and i have a 3 bed semi in leicester. I aint fookin loaded!

But that's a different argument - you were talking about everyone in football being overpaid and I think that the staff on £6 an hour working weekends in the club shop may disagree with you.

For what it's worth I think Birch should stay - if nothing else it keeps a sense of tradition and stability in what has become a very turbulent club. I also believe that being active locally reminds people that there is a local club and, over all his years, if Birch has encouraged 70 people to become city fans and ST holders he is effectively paying for himself anyway.

[dandannieldanok]

I swear at times last season he was going senile. Can't remember what game it was but there was the parade of local football teams, they went round in about 6/7 minutes like normal and Birch had no idea they'd gone around, he was asking down the microphone what had happened to them.

[Bellend Sebastian]

I love a good Facebook campaign. Look! X number of people care about an issue so much they're willing to press a button. How can anyone ignore that?

Seriously though, I'm surprised that so many people actually seem bothered. Having listened to the Birch waffling on for the best part of two decades, I think my brain filters out the sound completely

[andy_croydz]

Birch bores me to tears.. Bring back some decent half time entertainment. Cross bar challenge anyone?

Barnsley did some decent half time entertainment when I went there a few years back. They had something called 'On me shed son' Where some people had to try and chip the ball into a roofless shed to win prizes/money Was pretty good tbh.

[davieG]

And i bet the manager of the ticket office and the megastore are on £30K as well. Its NOT a lot of money. I get paid more than 30K a year! and i have a 3 bed semi in leicester. I aint fookin loaded!

As I said comparable with other businesses but Birch's role, on the face of it is hardly what you'd call a proper job. As I said in a previous post if he's used to get sponsors online fair enough but other wise he's just a meet and greet / children's Saturday entertainer.

[Bettsj2]

And i bet the manager of the ticket office and the megastore are on £30K as well. Its NOT a lot of money. I get paid more than 30K a year! and i have a 3 bed semi in leicester. I aint fookin loaded!

This thread is becoming a little bit like the Fosse Boys thread.

The Birch is reported to be on £30k a year. If that is the case, there is no justification for that wage for the job he does. He certainly isn't a full time employee and the jobs he does undertake that we know of, wouldn't justify that amount of money in most companies.

It has been reported that he has been offered a consultancy based role. God knows what that means but all I know is when I use a consultant at work I pay them as and when. The general opinion is that Birch loves the club and would do anything to be a part of it. If that's the case then accept the consultancy role and volunteer your services for community based projects at no charge.

£30k a year as a salary is way above the average salary for Leicestershire and is a pay grade that takes most people several years, extra hours and extra effort to make. Because he's at the games every Saturday and on the phone in every so often doesnt warrant that in my opinion.

One final point. Lets say the Facebook group gathers 5,000 members. Let those 5,000 pay £6 a year to subsidise the Birch's role.

If he's that important to the fabric of the club and people are genuinly concerned about the spirit of the club disolving, then put your money where your mouth is and pay for him yourself.

And if your reply is, 'well I buy my ticket so why should I?' then you obviously don't care enough to spare 50p extra from your monthly salary to save this institution.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

I can understand both points of views. On one hand £30k does seem to be a lot of money for what he does. On the other he is probably the final link between the old Leicester City and the fans.

For me it is not what he does, it is what he represents. Yes he is getting on a bit and I am sure some of the younger posters won't really give a toss but I remember being a junior fox 25 odd years ago and there used to be training at Belvoir Drive one Sunday a month. The Birch would turn up every time and would always be fantastic with us kids, usually culminating with him having a play fight with about 20 kids at the end.

When you put that together with the charity work he does and the passion he still has for the club it seems sad to see him go. He is certainly the one constant thing left at Leicester since I first started supporting them 30 years ago.

[Bettsj2]

I can understand both points of views. On one hand £30k does seem to be a lot of money for what he does. On the other he is probably the final link between the old Leicester City and the fans.

For me it is not what he does, it is what he represents. Yes he is getting on a bit and I am sure some of the younger posters won't really give a toss but I remember being a junior fox 25 odd years ago and there used to be training at Belvoir Drive one Sunday a month. The Birch would turn up every time and would always be fantastic with us kids, usually culminating with him having a play fight with about 20 kids at the end.

When you put that together with the charity work he does and the passion he still has for the club it seems sad to see him go. He is certainly the one constant thing left at Leicester since I first started supporting them 30 years ago.

Great post. Completely sums up the divide over this topic.

[Master Fox]

Big fat unfunny cretin. Delighted he's going.

Listening to his voice is the equivalent of have boiling hot exrement poured into your ear drum.

Don't save birch! Save yourself from having to listen to this bloated, annoying, dribbling, fat clown spurt anymore drivel into your ear holes.

[hackneyfox]

And when your his age you probably won't go to games anymore.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but to get that personal about someone who has worked for OUR club for so many years says more about you than it does about him.

Yes he is a bit naff at times, but has anyone heard the fool they have at co*

Did you know that he attends the funerals of old fans?

He genuinly cares for the club and its fans and they in turn should care for him.

Once he's gone we'll be a faceless company like all other football teams.

[1964FOX]

I completely disagree with Masterfox but the first line of his post is very funny.

Also I disagree with Betts as his post is complete rubbish.

[Master Fox]

And when your his age you probably won't go to games anymore.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but to get that personal about someone who has worked for OUR club for so many years says more about you than it does about him.

Yes he is a bit naff at times, but has anyone heard the fool they have at co*

Did you know that he attends the funerals of old fans?

He genuinly cares for the club and its fans and they in turn should care for him.

Once he's gone we'll be a faceless company like all other football teams.

Yes, but without that gigantic fat headed moron running around shouting unfunny jokes and other incessant ramblings in peoples faces, while wobbling around pretending like he owns place just because he spends every day of his life in a fox leisure tracksuit.

I find his half time ‘entertainment’ offensive. Listening to him his like an assault on my ear drums.

Bye Birch.

Love MF