According to the Chronicle, PC is looking for around £2-3 million 8000 season ticket holders paying £7-50 a week for 12 months would raise over £3 million.....the figures aren't that far apart...there'd be some arguments on here then!!!
if we carry on turning in a profit, that won't matter. It's if we don't then things could all start to unravel rather quickly and messily!
If 8000 fans paid in £30+ a month, many would want something in return. Just knowing you own part of a football club isn't enough. If we made any profit at the end of the season, does this go on players or stakeholders? To cover running costs do we put match day prices up? Season Ticket price up/down? New scoreboard yes/no? And what happens when an offer comes in for our star players. Sell (any profit) ? All very complicated, especially for 8,000 Barnsley fans to agree on.
For it to work at this level you need a few people with a fair few bob behind them who are committed to the club who will be prepared to dip into their pockets and gamble a bit for the sake of the club - whether that's reinforcements being required in January to try and avoid relegation, or if things are going well and play-off place could be secured with a few quality signings. Unfortunately I'm not sure we have any proper fans who are rich enough to take on the burden of the club. Yes there are no doubt people who have a few million in the bank who are season ticket holders but it would still be a massive risk for them which is why only the oil-rich Arabs and Russians seem like viable owners if you are going down that road.
What a frightening prospect. Can you imagine the population of this forum trying to run the Club. Good God..
You'd have one half the board trying to buy players who looked half decent on FIFA 2006 and the other half trying to get glavin and banks fit for a recall to the first team. Then you would have h.tyk arguing the toss for playing the under 11's.
Sadly it is. In 1966 the club tried to raise £40,000 in a share issue. I wrote from my office in Nigeria where I was working and offered to buy £1,000sworth. I eventially received a letter from the Secretary saying that the issue had not been fully taken up and would therefore not be going ahead. Fortunately for the club Ernest Dennis and Geoffrey Buckle (I think) loaned money to purchase Evans and Thomas and to kick start promotion the following season. I spoke to John Dennis about this proposed share ussue, and he told me that less than 9,000 were taken up. On this basis, would we even raise half a million today?