There were two sets of Friends at a public meeting in Bath yesterday afternoon.

They're not friends with each other – and one group actually doesn't seem to be friendly to anyone much at all.

But the eyes of the Friends of The Rec and the Real Friends of The Rec met across a not hugely crowded room at the Guildhall.

We should be clear about the differences between these two groups.

The first has a handful of members, no publicly available constitution, no website and a membership policy which could help with a dictionary definition of the words byzantine and opaque.

The second has 3,500 members, a readily-viewable constitution, a regularly-updated website and open-to-all membership.

So which one should we take most seriously?

We heard the usual repetitive stuff from the Friends group, threats of legal action which have been issued time and time again.

Tonight, there should be a great deal more light and a great deal less heat at the first full meeting of the Real Friends.

This is a professional, serious outfit with a proven track record in getting things done. And it couldn't have been set up at a better time.

There is no doubt – sorry, Mr Gilson – that the people of Bath want the rugby club to stay where it is. No fewer than 22,000 people said so a couple of years ago.

But to get that end result will now need imagination and community support all over again.

It appears that the Charity Commission has the will to allow a new stadium at The Rec. But at the moment, the right formula hasn't been found to achieve a breakthrough.

Rightly, the trustees who look after the land are likely to request a rethink at the watchdog body. But unless new ideas are thrown into the pot, its appeal is likely to fall on deaf ears.

The trustees, the club, its supporters and Bath and North East Somerset Council must keep the faith. And they must listen to the right group of Friends.

In words associated with the most famous Friends in the world, it hasn't been the rugby club's day, week, month or year.

We all need to rally round to make 2009 a better one.