fulwoodshrimp wrote:Despite dominating the game on Saturday we could only draw and in the process miss a hatful of goals. We haven't scored a league goal at the home Bartercard end all season. It's clear now that Stockton wants away that we desperately need a striker to finish some of the straight forward chances we seem unable to put away. Yes, it will no doubt cost money both in fee and wages but if the board has ambitions for us to remain a League 1 club this is money we need to be able to pay. It's no answer to say we can't afford a new striker because if we are relegated to League 2 gate revenues will decline and we will be even worse off financially than currently. Is it possible for the club to set up a fund and call on local people to help? I realise with inflation and energy rises this would be a difficult call but I am sure we could help the club to raise some money for the cause. I would chip in a modest amount if required.
fulwoodshrimp wrote:Has there been a league goal scored at Bartercard end???
KenH wrote:Do you think the Board havn't thought of that?
The fact is the Board members don't have the money and don't have ways to get the money. If they could, they would have done.
We need new owners who'll put some money in. End of.
Gone_Shrimping wrote:KenH wrote:Do you think the Board havn't thought of that?
The fact is the Board members don't have the money and don't have ways to get the money. If they could, they would have done.
We need new owners who'll put some money in. End of.
I remember PMG saying if we could average 2,400 we would break even ! We are now double that average give or take a few
CityShrimp wrote:Bear in mind that was in league two. I’m pretty sure our wage bill in league one will be higher.
fulwoodshrimp wrote:Despite dominating the game on Saturday we could only draw and in the process miss a hatful of goals. We haven't scored a league goal at the home Bartercard end all season. It's clear now that Stockton wants away that we desperately need a striker to finish some of the straight forward chances we seem unable to put away. Yes, it will no doubt cost money both in fee and wages but if the board has ambitions for us to remain a League 1 club this is money we need to be able to pay. It's no answer to say we can't afford a new striker because if we are relegated to League 2 gate revenues will decline and we will be even worse off financially than currently. Is it possible for the club to set up a fund and call on local people to help? I realise with inflation and energy rises this would be a difficult call but I am sure we could help the club to raise some money for the cause. I would chip in a modest amount if required.
BerlinWaller wrote:It is important to say that we have an ambitious BoD's and a potless Owner. The Board can only do so much and only spend what they bring in. I was angry when CMG passed us by but then the WW stuff came to light and I understood why.
The Board have driven ticket pricing etc and that has led to gates of over 5000 which is amazing for a club our size.
black morse wrote:
Can this be done legally? Could the fans raise money for the club to spend on something as specific as a new striker?
Keith wrote:The difficulty is, football clubs generally are either a 'rich-man's play thing' or live beyond their means. There are very few football clubs that are breaking even or making a profit. Big clubs that over-stretch, gambling on success have frequently crashed. Look at Notts County. Founder members of the Football League, Kasper Schmeichel, Sol Campbell & Sven-Göran Eriksson... ...bet everything on success and almost went out of business. Or Bury, who went under.
The 'rich man's plaything' collapses when the rich man gets bored. I wonder how the long standing fans of Rushden Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds felt when their two teams were merged? Did the journey up the pyramid to what would now be League One make it worth it? Then, when the rich man got bored, the club spiralled back down and eventually, ceased to exist. Or Darlington, that managed to be both the rich-man's plaything AND over-stretched, before going out of business. I'd rather have a club to support in non-league than a club that goes under.
The ambition of the board would appear to be a long-term, sustainable club, that survives as a business. Not over stretching, but continuing to strive. The ambition of the owners is to sell. My ideal would be a consortium of wealthy 'fans', putting in enough money to make us competitive, but not reliant upon the whim of a single person. Second best would be someone like Tyson Fury, buy the club and then commit a specific amount per year, for a set period, then leaving the day to day running of the club to the board members.
In the meantime, if we haven't got a pot to piss in come January, then that's the way it is, so make the most of what we've got. Play like we did on Saturday for the rest of the season, and I think we will be okay. Just get Connolly to practice his finishing when one-on-one!
RedRedWine wrote:The club is in a awkward position - we need another striker (a secret weapon ) to give us a better chance of survival IMO, although if Cole can find some consistent form that would help matters. Captain obvious; we are badly missing his goals this season!
I agree with what most people have said - but we have been more than sustainable in the last couple of years. Given the strong financial results that have been posted by the club driven by increased turnover, player sales, compensation fees for managers, cup exploits and insurance pay-outs - I would have liked to have seen some of those funds being made available to Derek and particularly for this upcoming window in January.
Some/all of those profits appear to have been utilised to settle outstanding loans/debt to the owners, which is not a bad thing - and reduces the excessive finance cost/charges being incurred by the club (Bond Group), being levied on them in the future - but a bit of investment now could make all the difference in our quest to survive at this level. There hasn't been much investment in the team on the field, certainly since Derek returned.
Its a gamble, but if the owners can't sell then quickly then perhaps one worth taking if you want to obtain the optimum value from any potential sale; surely we're more attractive as a club in League One with 4,500 gates vs one in League Two with half that and what would then be deemed as having an over-bloated structure that it can't really sustain as was previously the case. If we can stay up for one more season, we'll be in a much better position in terms of a playing budget when we can jettison the residual chaff that Stephen Robinson has lumbered us with that gives any manger a blank canvas to work with.
Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot], Keith, twosheds and 98 guests