Probably easier to look to see if there is a real sign of improvement since the takeover of the multinational connected leaders. 2017 Revenue from merchandising, advertising and sponsorship £1.1m,, 2021 - £1.3m. So growth of broadly 4% pa.
Maybe so, but I was unfortunate enough to watch the team play at Notts County, and that display left such a scar, that I have been unable to shake it off all these years later. It was a display that stopped me travelling to away games, something I had loved doing, even through the wilderness years in Division 4. This season will not leave such a scar, I can assure you.
But would you consider that it’s not just about a bad season on the pitch? Surely it’s the trajectory of the club as a whole. I remember the McSeveney days and, grim as they were, the Iley era and, ultimately, the Clarke/Hunter days followed. In other words we had hope. I’m not sure we have any these days.
Where there is life, there is hope. This is why they say football is a religion. We have been relegated. The club finances are a real mess, but as long as you continue to believe, there is hope. To be honest, I still enjoy the games. I do not publish Minority Report on here, but I still write it, I still enjoy the analysis and I still enjoy thinking about what went right, and what went wrong, and why. It gets me out of the way of my lovely wife for an afternoon, and that helps to keep us both sane. I also enjoy gardening, but gardening is no fun in winter, so what else am I going to do?
I started mid sixties when I was in my late teens and my own hands on experience has the McSeveney era as the worst followed by admin and now this season. We are not dead yet and we can bounce back but it won't be easy given the financial mess of both BFC and the football leagues in general.
Taking inflation into account, that's really no increase at all. Given all the other examples of nonsense we've seen and heard across their multiple clubs, we can consign this up front pledge as fantastical hyperbole. This was the one thing I thought they might bring up front. International business people with contacts who could elevate the sponsorship base to a wider audience. Access to China, US and India. It's safe to say that's not happened to a degree that makes a significant difference to our revenues.
