[BFC SITE] FOUR DAYS UNTIL EARLY BIRD CLOSES

Is that what many are saying jud. on here or your social circle ?. I'm aware some are basing it on signings. Not the fact Mladen has to be gone by the end of the early bird or even the start of the season. (No doubt I may get replies differing)
Imo there is no way that is going to happen. (Unless he goes on his own volition) I get the impression Conor is willing to work alongside him. But has been given the green light to get some of the players in he wants, and not so much relying the spreadsheet.

 

Your decision pal, who am I to contest it?

But it’s your club. Decades of support. Such a shame.

 

Seen umpteen pal whether verbal or on Facebook, really do think it boils down to that hence the obvious slump in sales! That’s not based on the postcards/emails that happens all the time that’s based on mass apathy and the club not once saying how many have been sold.

 

Plenty have said it, majority won't do it.

 

What it’s cheap talk and folk will actually renew ?
8500 will probably be halved

 

Already said it, but put up or shut up pal

 

£50 to a charity of your choice George if we've not got more than 6k season tickets.

 

We will definitely get more than 6k but it will sadly stilll be a dangerously low number for the future of the club imo

 

I think we're in a sticky situation. Which is why - IMHO - the decision to keep prices incredibly low, ignore inflation and seek to balance the books elsewhere is to be applauded and supported.

 

I don't think they had any realistic choice. They'd alienated so much of the fanbase that increasing prices regardless of inflation would have been commercial suicide.

 

If its halved I’ll happily donate £50 to a charity of your choice!!

It’s your decision which is fine, I respect that but to stop away cos of a bloke as DOF is daft IMO.

What would you do if they relieved him mid way through the season?

 

I’d happily pick and choose games or go watch Trinity more

 

Likewise I’m entitled to my opinion and if you knew me if I want t say summat to Will!

 

Oooooh!

 

There's definitely a vast majority of people who will just renew without much comment, far more than the relatively small but vocal numbers of disgruntled or claptastic bloggers/you tubers etc, the sixteen fifteen year olds that plaster X with contradictory hyperbole and the alternate extremes of unwavering negativity and irrational sycophancy on this forum.

That's not to say we are not unhappy but it's what we do. Of our group there's only three of us that haven't renewed - the other 10-ish have. I might still make that 11 v 2 who renew but, if so, all of us will probably have as our main motivations that we don't want to lose our current seats and/or we still value the social tradition/occasion, depressing and over-priced in terms of refreshments etc as it is.

My own decision is more complicated by the parlous farce that the club have turned the car parking situation into and the Sky TV dictatorship of kick-off dates/times, one within the club's control, the other far less so.

I don't think Mladen is in any way, shape or form up to the job and, indeed, strikes me as being something of a very expensive overhead to be carrying within the club's financial context but his departure isn't a pre-requisite to my support. Also, many of the worst elements of the sub-standard playing squad are down to Khaled - MdG, Cosgrove and the plethora of non-defending wing-backs being prime examples. Sormaz has just compounded things. Moreover, the 23/24 season was quite clearly the best chance we had to get out of this division with Ipswich, Plymouth and Wednesday gone, relatively weak sides coming down and before Wrexham and Stockport came up. It was beyond naive and business suicide not to invest a relatively small additional sum in the squad that season to adequately replace departing players and has ended up costing the owners at least £14m and counting.

In that context I don't expect the club to make a plethora of signings prior to June but there could have been a clear statement of intent by the owners/Mladen/both that recognises the need to totally rebuild the defence and put together a squad that supports the playing style and formation the coach wants to play but also gives him options. Maybe including something too that recognises that there is a need to prioritise quality over quantity as the scattergun approach of multiple cheap signings has palpably failed. Unfortunately, anything like such a statement has not been forthcoming and therefore I think the dissatisfaction of some is understandable.

I don't like the 'early bird' at all but some other clubs do it and at least there is the interest free four month option to spread it. The argument about it defining what the club has to spend is clearly wrong for a number of reasons, not least that budgets (with different scenarios and risk management) would/should have been prepared months ago, secondly the difference between say 6,500 and 8,500 season tickets at an average price per ticket that reflects the age mix of our current fan base and once VAT has been paid, is relatively very small beer in the scheme of the club's finances and thirdly it's never helped in the past as the majority of the transfers have only been made late in the window, when income from player sales has crystallised. And if the 'early bird' was such a game-changer to transfer budgets whither Rotherham whose season tickets, including a ten month interest free option, have only just gone on sale, three days before our window closes!

If I do take the plunge and renew, having not attended more games last season than the previous 20 non-Covid seasons put together I won't have any compunction about doing the same again. I simply don't need to spend the majority of my available relaxation time travelling to be subjected to the likes of MdG fanny about, get knocked off the ball, miss headers, slow things down with interminable numbers of slow, sideways and backward passes and then jog alongside or behind his man as the latter slots the ball home. If this ends up being the case, this will be the last time I renew - BFC's pricing in absolute terms is fair and reasonable compared to others but it's not fair on my family if I'm not getting at least 20 games out of my £400+.

Random personal musings, I know, but I think there are more of what I'd call the silent renewers than what is understood and for those of us still conflicted it's more about players than personalities and more about social interactions and tradition over-riding what is clearly an inept football business ownership and leadership. At the moment, the former is still just, but only just, outweighing the latter.

 

I renewed. You support whichever 11 players are on the pitch and forget about the rest of it for 90 minutes. We were all here long before many of our owners and higher ups and will be here long after they have gone. Support the club through thick and thin, that's what it's about.