By Dave Noble - CUOSC board

"There (sic) not relevant’", "They offer nothing", "Total waist (sic) of space"...

Your Supporters Trust board is used to receiving online, sometimes in person critique and often downright straight personal abuse.

In the past as an organisation we have perhaps been guilty of donning the tin hats and retreating to the safety of a siege mentality bunker to ride out the storm.

However, CUOSC is now more visible than ever in terms of social media interaction, matchday presence and at a modern day peak in terms of active membership.

We’ve updated the membership system to improve administration. We run regular competitions, have covered travel costs for the CUFC Ladies team and sponsored a 1st team squad player. That’s some stuff we can blow our own trumpet about openly.

The only reason any of us are involved with CUOSC in the first place is that we are fans of Carlisle United. We all have been for varying numbers of years and despite accusations to the contrary, to suggest any ulterior motives is disingenuous and frankly, without exception, wrong.

As a board we are all frustrated that we cannot shout the things from the roof tops that we have been heavily involved with in recent months. All fans, CUOSC members or not, we genuinely believe will see benefit from what may come in the near future, but due to the sensitivities of the situation and the fragility of some of the parties involved, we as an entity and shareholder have had to play with the very straightest of straight bats to facilitate progress to the desired outcome.

At times we can’t even reveal we have a trumpet, let alone blow it, even quietly.

Major football club transactions carried out in full public gaze, or via WhatsApp, are in the main, destined to fail or invariably have their foundations built on sand. The last five months or so will hopefully provide more evidence to prove the rule.

The Purepay debt continues to be an issue to any form of investment. The club again approached Purepay with their latest proposal in mid August, and despite further correspondence from club solicitors, Purepay have, at time of writing, yet to have the courtesy to provide a response.

We find this to be very disappointing, as this is the stumbling block to the investment as it stands.

That said, we are very much looking forward to welcoming and presenting the Piatak family at our members' meeting at The Halston Hotel on Sunday, September 24. We are confident that their infectious enthusiasm for Carlisle United that has impressed on those of us who have met them thus far will be clear to all.

CUOSC have been accommodating to all previous serious investment opportunities that the club have put to us in terms of our level of shareholding, and all have failed for varying reasons, but none purely down to CUOSC’s stance.

Maybe you shouldn’t get too carried away though, because despite taking part in talks from first contact, apparently "The Supporter’s Trust haven’t really got involved yet and they usually mess everything up"...