New owners

As I said in my opening post he’s not experienced enough to form any views in management as yet imo.

 

I'll be getting in touch with Steve Houghton to ask that BMBC in no circumstances sell their share in the Ground/land/facilities to any owner - no matter who they are. That would just be plain daft. As a fan to put your trust in a football club owner(s) - well, it just beggers belief.

 

What do you think could happen?

 

In terms of what football club owners could do if getting their hands on such 'assets'? I think history teaches us they could do a lot of damage if per chance they were more interested in the 'business' than the football. Not that I'm suggesting that's ever happened in English football...much. Keeping assets under local control is, in my view, the best way to ensure they are still there in 10 years time.

 

I get that, but what happens if they want to improve the stadium and surrounding areas? How does that work when it doesn't belong to them?

In the past I've read comments like "Oakwell will end up with houses on it", but if you've got the money, you can buy land anywhere and in much more saleable locations.

 

When the council invested in their share of bsly football club they saved part of the towns heritage .. They stop the club getting mortgage up to the hilt..then being sold off at a later date to clear debts They stop the Coventry situation .. Yes in the short term it stops investment being raised but it safe gaurds the fact Barnsley will have a ground for football should the present club fold

 

I think those that don't get why the investors bought the club, clearly don't understand how to grow value in a business. A few points that should help:

1. Barnsley FC is limited company. That means that it's not as simple as selling a player for £xm and then the owners taking the cash out of the club. The shareholders can only take dividends from the club if it makes profit. If the club does not make a profit, those dividends aren't legal and would require repayment. Our recent accounts, showing operating losses propped up by player sales, do not suggest that the shareholders are taking dividends to fleece the club of cash.
2. When the owners took over, they talked about needing to increase the revenue of the club (simple definition: increase income - not to be confused with increased profits). They have clearly told us that they want to increase the revenue from off-the-field activity - something that sports teams in the USA are very good at, and something they have experience of. They want to invest that money back into a playing squad that has a re-sale value. This shows that they are trying to increase the income to supplement their player-sales model. The aim is to be promoted to the Championship as this would also increase the club's income (TV deals). A lot of businesses are valued by taking into account their income - so this will make the club more valuable. Furthermore, by generating year-on-year profits (even if they're from player sales), they are also making the business more valuable. This may attract other investors who want to buy the club from them (maybe with Premier League ambitions) - this is their greatest chance of making a hefty return on their investment.

Clearly the owners believe that good business practices, such as growing off-the-field income and improving the contracts of their 'assets' is the best way to grow the income of the football club. If they do that, and are able to get us back to the Championship with a sustainable business model - I think you'll find that the club is very attractive to other investors.

 

I'm not so sure. I think League 1 suits the sort of players we are getting from the spreadsheet and best develops them. It didn't work recruiting those players straight into the Championship last time. I think a yo-yo existence would suit the owners fine.

 

In their first press conference when they took over, I seem to recall that Paul Conway outlined the new Boards collective ambition. He said they would look to steadily grow the Club and without doing anything " crazy", could well
fund an attempt to get the Club back in the Premiership. I personally believe their aim this season was/is
a return to the Championship, because as well as the lump sum cash reward for getting there, in the longer term, they
would be better placed to increase revenue streams by offering a better "on the field" product. As outlined by Gauthier before he left for Nice, its also quite possible that Daniel could be harbouring the ambition of bringing in some more players from Germany. In my opinion, those prospects would surely be better enhanced, if we were established in the Championship and pushing for promotion, in deference to being in League One . ?

 

But if we are an established Championship side with decent offfield revenue surely it enables to shop at a different level but with the same values of the spreadsheet?
At the minute we all generally expect our shopping to be lower league to us, whereas already in Moore and Woodrow they have shown to be willing to buy at a higher level.

 

I suspect Brexit could scupper those ambitions. We're more likely to be heading for a return to the days when 'foreign' players were those confined to the Home Nations (other than England) and the Republic of Ireland. To get a work permit for a player outside those parameters we're looking at established internationals who'll no doubt come at a premium likely to be beyond a Championship Barnsley FC.

 

Probably also accounts for the fact that as part of his legacy, Patrick liked the idea of having
his wife and son on the new Board.?

 

Good point. Reading a piece today where some political pundits, truly believe that
Brexit will be eventually cancelled , particularly if we become embroiled in the upcoming
MEP elections. That should be very interesting.!!

 

Tom Eaves would have been an excellent addition