It was a great ride to go from bottom of League One to the JPT and on to the Championship. The Plan was inspired and could not have worked out better. But it's become apparent that it contains the seeds of it's own destruction. Develop players who show they can perform at Championship level and they are immediately plucked from us by the wealthier clubs in the division. Unfortunately for us, that includes probably all bar one other Championship side. We need to address the plain fact that our pay structure is simply not good enough to retain the talent we develop. Otherwise we will continue to have the guts ripped out of our team(s) every time they begin to show promise. Adding up on our fingers we can see that the club has raked in the thick end of £20M in the last 12 months or so. What a shame that some of that couldn't have been used to try and retain the likes of Roberts, Watkins and Scowen. That would have been a much cheaper option than the money that would now have to be spent to obtain equivalent replacements. And they were already programmed in to our style of playing, whereas Hecky now has to start again from scratch with a bunch who may or may not be good enough. To take the club to the next level - no, I'll rephrase that - to enable the club to remain at the level it has reached, we need to adopt something closer to the level of wages of the clubs we are competing with. That means bringing in more revenue. That means retaining the belief of existing fans, as well as attracting new ones. That means retaining a squad which is competitive and that can entertain. I'm not advocating we ditch 'the plan'. But it needs supplementing with a more attractive wage structure and leavening with just a few more experienced players. It shouldn't be forgotten that that was a small but very significant part of the turnaround, when we enlisted the help of Kevin Long, Aidy White and Adam Hammill. That cost money, because the simple fact is that you get what you pay for. 'Patience' is all very well, but in the end it's all about ambition - even if that ambition is simply to maintain the present standing. Our return to the Championship has thrown into even greater relief the gulf in entertainment and excitement as between League One and the second tier. If we go back down to the lower league, fans will walk - especially if that humiliation is seen to be self-inflicted. So yesterday needs to be a massive wake-up call to the Board. Yes - "it's only a friendly". But if we can't recognise the ominous signs in Paul's after-match disenchantment we are heading back to darker times. There's still time to rectify this situation, but inaction is not an option.
My thoughs exactly! And also then look to premier league young uns not getting a game that we can develop in addition to the cream of the crop from lower down.
I can see the ineviatble shift in terms of the plan. I'm not suggesting that we will go and completly go against a plan that has worked well for us but i do think that money will be spent on a slightly different player next week. I'm going to stick my neck out and say McBurnie (loan) and Bogle will be brought in to support the attack. I also see us bringing in a winger with a bit of class. Maddison at PUFC? Would this be too far out of our budget? We also need in my opinion a defensive midfielder. This is where I'd like a bit of experience. Maybe a older head? Just my thoughts. Im probably a million miles away from reality.
Good morning Mr Khat. I trust your horses did not let you down, and that you are now a multi-millionaire. The clear crux of your posting is in the phrase, "That means bringing in more revenue". You do not elaborate, but in my experience, bringing in more revenue is the difficult bit. It is usual for people to call for investment in new players. Buying a footballer is not an investment. For a start, you have not been allowed to invest in another human being since slavery was outlawed. Secondly, I do not know of any investment that has a 3 year write down attached to it. The investment in footballer's contracts is in fact a normal trading event for a football club. In the case of many clubs, especially those supported richly by SKY monies, they expect to lose money on the deal. That is, if the total cost of the contract is measured by the initial cost of the contract plus the wages paid to the player over his contract period, his club will not recoup that figure on the sale of his contract. Barnsley Football Club has a different way of trading player contracts, one that boosts revenue. They buy players' contracts more cheaply, they pay them less and they sell them for more than the sum of amounts paid out over the contract period. It is trading, no more and no less. It produces cash far more quickly and far more reliably than waiting for the possibility of more fans to turn up, or any of the other suggestions to increase revenue that I have seen. That is why it has been successful. Of course, it is not popular with the fans. Fans build a rapport with the better players and they yearn to see them take the club to greater heights. There is a bit of that in all of us isn't there. The fantasy that the same 11 players could stick together to take the club from rags to riches. Unfortunately, that is what it is. Fantasy! Especially since SKY brought so much money into the game that a footballer with talent and sound financial advice will never have to work again. The club is caught between a rock and a hard place. Its fans want it to spend whatever is necessary to let them live out their fantasy, whilst the players want the club to spend whatever is necessary to let them live out their lives in luxury. The club's ability to pay is limited by their income from the various income streams which are never enough to satisfy demand, and never will be. If I were you, I would stick to the horses if you want to make millions.
Agree with most of that , and would also like to add that the custodian stepped in to stop the club going down the path the former Mayor owner was taking it , he has stated on numerous occasions he would let the club go to responsible owners . The plan was drawn to sustain the club for future years as a football league club to alleviate the drain on the custodians personall finances , Hopefully and by the grace of good management and stewardship we can compete in a massively inbalanced Championship.
Yay as is always expected there is the daily 'you aren't a millionaire so shut the **** up' post. I love ******** bingo
No it isn't. Orsen and I have a tradition of mild leg pulls about our posting styles and subjects. I am mildly pulling Orsen's leg about his racing tips, and that is all.
Good morning Mr Rain! The horses did not let me down in so far as 33% (i.e. one) of the horses I suggested obliged. That is a perfectly acceptable rate for my normal strategy of backing in singles only. Unfortunately I recommended they be combined in a Trixie, which will yield no return for one winner! I agree that players are rarely investments. They are better viewed as akin to aviation fuel, which although a consumable resource, is vital to reach your destination. Put in the wrong type of fuel and your plane crashes! You have venerably fended off my pleas for adequate resourcing of our club over the years. The difference this weekend is the level of disenchantment Mr Heckingbottom appears to be exuding. His loss at this stage would be critical, unless Mr Johnson leaves his post in the early weeks!
Mr Heckingbottom's outburst worries me greatly, as you will see if you read through other threads on here. At least your news is for the better.
The plan hasnt been adhered to. Phase one worked perfectly but phase two was intended to step things up a gear by using the proceeds of phase one to buy better quality. The board has decided instead to try and repeat phase one and I think thats what Hecky is getting at.
Will things continue this week as though nothing has happened? By which I mean as though we hadn't shown our present limitations at Rotherham and Hecky hadn't expressed his displeasure and frustration?
