FAO Neerav...

It is a top half third tier club now. That’s the evolution of football I’m afraid. We’ve been overtaken in the pecking order by more than a handful of clubs in the last decade or so.

BFC has been at a standstill since admin. That Val year was a complete one-off. There’s been nothing else remotely close to it. Half a season under Hill and another half under Hecky. It’s why I rated Val and all involved so highly. But it was an anomaly.

Without huge investment, a willingness to overspend etc, we will probably be a third tier outfit with the odd flirt with the division above for a long time. There are still clubs below us right now who I would back to climb over us in the next few years.

 

Just a question mate. Are you ok? You seem to be flying off the handle a bit. I might be wrong, so apologies if I am. Its just the tone of some of your posts..
Anyroad, I hope you're or8.

 

Good perspective. I think any club that is well run and that has a decent potential fan base though could 'punch above' their weight. The right decision-making and the right coach, alongside a focused medium to long-term plan can work wonders. We're potentially Championship contenders medium term imo and we are also potential L2 contenders. Depends on the owners and the points I've just made. Imo anyway.

 

Just think Barnsley F.C was a release and it isn't anymore. More a microcosm of the outside world.

 

Nobody's doubting those players vs the team we have now, I think you're missing the point mate about expectations.

 

Agree with all of this YT, I think the clubs looking at promotion from L2 could all potentially overtake us, I mean Bradford pulled in over 23k, granted heavily discounted tickets but still some going, Notts County another big club at that level, McCann has Donny firing again.
Tough league again next season.

 

I agree, and I don't put it all down to the current owners, or board, but it is also to do with the overall issues with football today (as Neerav alluded to).

 

It’s taken shape over the course of a couple of decades. I don’t blame a particular owner. It’s just the way it is. We need to be uber successful in all areas to push on to the next level. We haven’t done that in these three seasons. At that next level? I think it takes cash. None of our owners have ever had any.

We used to spend more than most in the third tier. Even that’s no longer the case. Unless they decide ‘f*** it’. But Neerav suggested far from it. Which I applaud.

I still think it’s incredible that they’re losing £750k a month though. THAT is on the owners.

 

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Neerav, please stick with it. You and Jaq. There are lots of fans who appreciate you and are embarrassed by the over-the-top, cringeworthy, hidden detractors. We'll get through this it is a natural cycle.

 

So you appreciate the incompetence and ineptitude shown at all levels of the club in the last few years and the fact that the incompetence as led to them having to pump millions into the club while still managing to take it backwards with a finish every season lower than the finish the season before. Then to top it all off we have the chairmans delusional view that they have assembled a top 4 at least L1 squad when every man and his dog can see that's just untrue. Forgive me if I don't appreciate what they have done and continue to do to OUR club.

 

The accounts for 2023/24 are due imminently, so we'll get a better idea of things from that, but I'm not expecting to see losses on that scale within them. If you listen to the interview, this figure is quoted as the forecast loss for next season and the aim will be to reduce this by the reference to selling players over the summer (obviously there's a big question mark about the level of saleable assets that we have in the squad, and there's no doubt that some will generate a lower return in the summer than when we've had the opportunity to cash in before then).

Subject to being told otherwise when the accounts are released, the figure is an indication of where finances are heading, rather than where they are right now. Increased NIC is one factor that has been mentioned, along with general cost inflation, and no doubt there's an expectation of reduced income built within that forecast too.

 

I can't remember the last period in our history where we finished (as we will) lower than the previous season for five consecutive years. Even in our darkest days we didn't go half a decade without some improvement somewhere.

 

And why do you think that is ehh!.

 

That's the bit the boards supporters choose to ignore when they are telling the rest of us we should be quiet and just be thankful to the board for pumping millions in. Millions to cover their incompetence Millions while taking the club backwards.

 

Shouldn't this be in the Made me laugh, comedy thread ?.

 

It is a very sorry situation.

Huge annual losses (£15,000,000 posted over the last three years). Owners having to throw millions in. An angry fanbase. A mid-table third division squad.

Sad times.

 

I'd say that one thing that Neerav maybe has on his side here, is the idea of him being diplomatic with his comments, rather than him being honest.
I mean, just think of what he might have said, if he was trying to be brutally honest!.
It worries me though, that maybe he does mean it, because maybe he actually does believe it.

 

we’re actually losing a lot less than most of the other clubs around the same size as us, and a club losing money will never put a buyer off.

very rarely does a club switch hands if it’s making money.

 

It’s an interesting discussion about clubs who were traditionally (in my 51 years) lower than us and the reasons how they’ve achieved their rise through the divisions. Football has evolved since my first game in 1978, money is ruining the game.

Off the top of my head in a higher division than us are.
Brighton
Bournemouth
Brentford
Swansea
Oxford
Luton
Plymouth

Obviously Reading and Wigan would have been on this list but they seem to be going back from whence they came!
Most of these clubs have been taken over by rich owners/consortiums who pump money in, not just balance the books but to make the team better on the pitch. Maybe only Luton haven’t done that.

And in our division who seem to be passing us on the way down.
Wrexham
Stockport
Wycombe

 

It's happened twice before this spell
1927-28 to 1931-32 11th 13th 16th 17th 19th 21st Rel
1948-49 to 1952-53 9th 13th 15th 20th 22nd Rel

Note we were relegated at the end of each spell-this can't happen this year but maybe next ???