Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 9, 2023 21:43:09 GMT
So do you suggest we go back to the days of rag bag Rovers , sale the Quarters training ground, which visiting clubs who use it, already say it’s up to championship level & go back to renting inferior facilities where the players pick up fox poo before commencing training. Don’t bother with nutritionists & go back to the kit man nipping out fot 20 cod lots. Take a chance on rookie manager again like Garner & hope by some miracle it might be successful, if you do it won’t belong before we’re playing Yeovil again. What I've suggested is that we look at the business model of clubs like Exeter, Shrewsbury and others who compete with us yet have far smaller financial resources. We then make changes to operate the business more efficiently and release funds (which we obviously don't need to stay in League 1) for infrastructure improvements. We could start off by completing the training ground so that we bring the whole football operation to one location and reintroduce a development squad to enable more of our home produced players to transition into the first team group and become valuable assets. And then we could commission architects to design a much better South Stand than the one which is currently being proposed, work within realistic timescales and in a few years end up with a structure that enhances the stadium and which can be added to if need be. All paid for with our own cash.
Then, once we are generating extra revenue through increased attendances and the sale of home grown players, we will be ready to make an assault on the Championship from a position of strength.Breathtaking in its pure brilliance.
Playing in Europe within 5 years I reckon, on half our current wage bill.
And all at the Mem.
Who needs a new stadium when we can do this?
|
|
axegas
Joined: November 2015
Posts: 222
|
Post by axegas on May 9, 2023 22:30:17 GMT
What I've suggested is that we look at the business model of clubs like Exeter, Shrewsbury and others who compete with us yet have far smaller financial resources. We then make changes to operate the business more efficiently and release funds (which we obviously don't need to stay in League 1) for infrastructure improvements. We could start off by completing the training ground so that we bring the whole football operation to one location and reintroduce a development squad to enable more of our home produced players to transition into the first team group and become valuable assets. And then we could commission architects to design a much better South Stand than the one which is currently being proposed, work within realistic timescales and in a few years end up with a structure that enhances the stadium and which can be added to if need be. All paid for with our own cash.
Then, once we are generating extra revenue through increased attendances and the sale of home grown players, we will be ready to make an assault on the Championship from a position of strength.Breathtaking in its pure brilliance.
Playing in Europe within 5 years I reckon, on half our current wage bill.
And all at the Mem.
Who needs a new stadium when we can do this?
Blimey, glad Swiss isn’t in charge of the club. So take a huge gamble by slashing the wage budget and losing some of our better players. Spend it on a permanent stand, with no guarantee of PP, even though we are putting our eggs in FM basket. This stand, which has no space to fit any hospitality or real revenue making facilities, is then supposed to magically give us a budget ready to make an assault on the championship? We could build a temporary stand there for a fraction of the price, increase the capacity, bring extra revenue into the club and then dismantle it in a summer, if / when FM ever comes to reality. I know what I’d rather do. Of course you could look at it from the viewpoint that a new stadium will never happen so why not get something permanent instead of temporary, but I’m not choosing to be that pessimistic. Even choosing to see things like that, wouldn’t there be better parts of the ground to permanently invest in like a new East stand where you’d have more space for better hospitality and other amenities? The likes of Exeter, Cambridge, Shrewsbury will overachieve and compete with us for a few years, but it catches up with you eventually. There aren’t that many teams that have spent less than us and gone on to achieve success in this division. Burton and Wycombe spring to mind, but neither really managed to sustain it for very long. Obviously finishing off the training ground is the sensible decision, as far as I’m aware from reading Gorringe’s programme notes, that is what the club is already trying to achieve?
|
|
|
Post by johnmalyckyj on May 9, 2023 22:47:49 GMT
Breathtaking in its pure brilliance.
Playing in Europe within 5 years I reckon, on half our current wage bill.
And all at the Mem.
Who needs a new stadium when we can do this?
Blimey, glad Swiss isn’t in charge of the club. So take a huge gamble by slashing the wage budget and losing some of our better players. Spend it on a permanent stand, with no guarantee of PP, even though we are putting our eggs in FM basket. This stand, which has no space to fit any hospitality or real revenue making facilities, is then supposed to magically give us a budget ready to make an assault on the championship? We could build a temporary stand there for a fraction of the price, increase the capacity, bring extra revenue into the club and then dismantle it in a summer, if / when FM ever comes to reality. I know what I’d rather do. Of course you could look at it from the viewpoint that a new stadium will never happen so why not get something permanent instead of temporary, but I’m not choosing to be that pessimistic. Even choosing to see things like that, wouldn’t there be better parts of the ground to permanently invest in like a new East stand where you’d have more space for better hospitality and other amenities? The likes of Exeter, Cambridge, Shrewsbury will overachieve and compete with us for a few years, but it catches up with you eventually. There aren’t that many teams that have spent less than us and gone on to achieve success in this division. Burton and Wycombe spring to mind, but neither really managed to sustain it for very long. Obviously finishing off the training ground is the sensible decision, as far as I’m aware from reading Gorringe’s programme notes, that is what the club is already trying to achieve? It should be noted that Exeter, Cambridge and Shrewsbury all dropped out of the Football League before Rovers and spent significantly longer getting back into it (not that Rovers should EVER have been allowed to do so).
|
|
|
Post by swissgas on May 9, 2023 23:25:00 GMT
Yes, just like GC did with JCH and DC did with Taylor and Bodin. But now the club are paying a 2 million premium for this service. And by the sound of it running out of cash. Good Evening, "And by the sound of it running out of cash".... Evidence please? Last night I attended the awards night, it was light years ahead of anything I have been to connected to Bristol Rovers, slick, professional and it doesn't quite square with the picture painted by some. Wael gave his apologies as he was attending his daughter's graduation in the States. Mr Gorringe explained that work on the South Stand was commencing this morning...I wish that he could have read your comments about the design, as usual "damned if you do and damned if you don't... Kind regards John Malyckyj If you don’t have sufficient cash for all of your business needs then it does make sense to use commercial finance for fixed assets. The surprise is that in Nationwide Finance Ltd Rovers have been forced to use a second tier lender much like MSP Capital. These companies provide loans to customers which don’t satisfy the lending criterial of mainstream banks and they charge very high rates of interest. I’ve looked at Nationwide Finance Ltd accounts and they operate on huge margins and are making extremely big profits The question is why, especially with AJIB having a 25% stake in the London based Jordan International bank, the club couldn’t obtain funding from a first tier source at much lower interest costs. Regarding the South Stand it’s the same old story. Lack of forethought and planning leads to avoidable mistakes. Every press release so far has contained a virtual apology that the stand will not be completed to the timescales given and although Wael has indicated a final capacity of 12500 I think there must be reasonable doubt about whether any numbers can be fixed at this stage. The drawing we have been shown is not very inspiring and it appears very much like a continuation of Rovers traditional “ make do and mend” approach. My suggestion even now would be to look at the project again, see if a more appropriate structure can be fitted in the space available ( I think the big screen can now be moved) find a design which is more aesthetically pleasing with no pillars in the way, take time to talk to the planning department and come up with a mutually acceptable and better solution like the stands we see at Blackpool and Bournemouth.
|
|
|
Post by Bath Gas on May 9, 2023 23:33:01 GMT
But an awful lot of people don't want to hear it do they When composing the post about opinions based on emotions I did recall our forum exchange from about fifteen years ago when you suggested some of my posts were too emotive - and you were right ! Will the news today about Rovers taking on a secured loan from a second or third tier lender be debated seriously by Gasheads or will it be swept under the carpet ? Nothing has been swept under the carpet, as others have said TG has confirmed that it is for the new South Stand.
|
|
|
Post by Bath Gas on May 9, 2023 23:36:04 GMT
There seems to be three schools of thought when it comes to JB and two of them are based largely on emotion. Some Gasheads feel he has been misunderstood and hard done by throughout his life and they want to give him a chance. They like his enthusiasm for football and his willingness to talk bluntly and think this is what Rovers need to shake us out of the mediocrity we've suffered from for many years. Their opinion is based on an intuative feeling and they are confident JB will come good in the end. Some Gasheads have an instinctive dislike for JB because of the way he has conducted himself throughout his football career. They are quite willing to accept that there are some "characters" within the game who sail close to the wind but feel JB has gone well beyond that. His volatility is such that anyone who opposes him is likely to suffer uncontrolled abuse which is the opposite of what is required from the leader of a team. Their intuative feeling is that with this characteristic JB will not come good for Rovers and the sooner he's gone the better. Gasheads who manage to put emotional prejudices aside look at the evidence available and concentrate on what JB has actually done rather than what he says he has done or what he says he will do in the future. His biggest claim is to have introduced "greater professionalism" which is hard to measure and although The Concept has shown the numbers of staff have increased has the quality of performance ? On the basis of League position the answer is no because during our last stint in League 1 from 16/17 to 19/20 we averaged 13th place. Has the greater professionalism brought about higher attendances ? Yes, 2022/23 was about 400 higher than the average between 16/17 and 19/20. What has this greater professionalism cost ? My best estimate is that Rovers expenditure has increased by about 2 million per annum since JB arrived so, leaving emotions out of it, for a league position four places lower and 400 extra people attending do we think this good value for money ? And are the losses caused by this extra expenditure the reason for BRFC 1883 Ltd having to take a new loan with Nationwide Finance Ltd which is secured by a second charge over the Mem ? You forgot to include the people who intensely dislike Mr Barton, and never give him any credit for the positive things which have happened at the club since his arrival.
|
|
|
Post by swissgas on May 10, 2023 0:07:17 GMT
Breathtaking in its pure brilliance.
Playing in Europe within 5 years I reckon, on half our current wage bill.
And all at the Mem.
Who needs a new stadium when we can do this?
Blimey, glad Swiss isn’t in charge of the club. So take a huge gamble by slashing the wage budget and losing some of our better players. Spend it on a permanent stand, with no guarantee of PP, even though we are putting our eggs in FM basket. This stand, which has no space to fit any hospitality or real revenue making facilities, is then supposed to magically give us a budget ready to make an assault on the championship? We could build a temporary stand there for a fraction of the price, increase the capacity, bring extra revenue into the club and then dismantle it in a summer, if / when FM ever comes to reality. I know what I’d rather do. Of course you could look at it from the viewpoint that a new stadium will never happen so why not get something permanent instead of temporary, but I’m not choosing to be that pessimistic. Even choosing to see things like that, wouldn’t there be better parts of the ground to permanently invest in like a new East stand where you’d have more space for better hospitality and other amenities? The likes of Exeter, Cambridge, Shrewsbury will overachieve and compete with us for a few years, but it catches up with you eventually. There aren’t that many teams that have spent less than us and gone on to achieve success in this division. Burton and Wycombe spring to mind, but neither really managed to sustain it for very long. Obviously finishing off the training ground is the sensible decision, as far as I’m aware from reading Gorringe’s programme notes, that is what the club is already trying to achieve? Let’s take this one step at a time. I’m saying that if Exeter, Shrewsbury and quite a few other clubs can maintain a mid table League 1 position with a football budget which is at least 3 million less than Rovers why do we have to spend so much extra ? In other circumstances one could say “ ah but we are spending more on top quality players or players we can develop into top quality players which in a season or two will see us challenging at the top”. But we know this isn’t the case, we know that even with such an excessive football budget our squad is not up to it and we need to spend even more ( 12 new players ?) to mount a promotion bid. This is being promoted by JB as the only way forward but his way is a huge gamble with Wael’s money with little likelihood of success based on his track record. And even if Rovers did get promoted where would the money come from for infrastructure because we’d need to increase our football budget again to compete in the Championship. My suggestion is a low risk strategy which enables us to maintain League 1 status while steadily improving our infrastructure. And once that infrastructure is in place we can exploit the huge advantage we have over Exeter, Shrewsbury and the others which is the bigger potential fan base we have. I’ve explained my idea for the South Stand in the reply to John M above. Not an old fashioned fully permanent structure but a modern semi permanent structure like at Blackpool with proper provision for a concourse with food and drink outlets and main drainage toilet facilities, maybe even some hospitality suites. One properly planned with a sensible timescale which has a chance of attracting a lucrative sponsor and a better financing deal. The FM is six years away at best and in that time the club has the opportunity to improve the Mem significantly and make the business much more efficient which in itself provides insurance for Rovers should the St Phillips development fall through.
|
|
|
Post by sodburygas on May 10, 2023 9:41:50 GMT
Good Evening, "And by the sound of it running out of cash".... Evidence please? Last night I attended the awards night, it was light years ahead of anything I have been to connected to Bristol Rovers, slick, professional and it doesn't quite square with the picture painted by some. Wael gave his apologies as he was attending his daughter's graduation in the States. Mr Gorringe explained that work on the South Stand was commencing this morning...I wish that he could have read your comments about the design, as usual "damned if you do and damned if you don't... Kind regards John Malyckyj If you don’t have sufficient cash for all of your business needs then it does make sense to use commercial finance for fixed assets. The surprise is that in Nationwide Finance Ltd Rovers have been forced to use a second tier lender much like MSP Capital. These companies provide loans to customers which don’t satisfy the lending criterial of mainstream banks and they charge very high rates of interest. I’ve looked at Nationwide Finance Ltd accounts and they operate on huge margins and are making extremely big profits The question is why, especially with AJIB having a 25% stake in the London based Jordan International bank, the club couldn’t obtain funding from a first tier source at much lower interest costs. Regarding the South Stand it’s the same old story. Lack of forethought and planning leads to avoidable mistakes. Every press release so far has contained a virtual apology that the stand will not be completed to the timescales given and although Wael has indicated a final capacity of 12500 I think there must be reasonable doubt about whether any numbers can be fixed at this stage. The drawing we have been shown is not very inspiring and it appears very much like a continuation of Rovers traditional “ make do and mend” approach. My suggestion even now would be to look at the project again, see if a more appropriate structure can be fitted in the space available ( I think the big screen can now be moved) find a design which is more aesthetically pleasing with no pillars in the way, take time to talk to the planning department and come up with a mutually acceptable and better solution like the stands we see at Blackpool and Bournemouth. Swiss gas would that be the temporary stand at Blackpool that has pillars all along the stand exactly the same as Rovers have proposed?
|
|
axegas
Joined: November 2015
Posts: 222
|
Post by axegas on May 10, 2023 10:49:13 GMT
Blimey, glad Swiss isn’t in charge of the club. So take a huge gamble by slashing the wage budget and losing some of our better players. Spend it on a permanent stand, with no guarantee of PP, even though we are putting our eggs in FM basket. This stand, which has no space to fit any hospitality or real revenue making facilities, is then supposed to magically give us a budget ready to make an assault on the championship? We could build a temporary stand there for a fraction of the price, increase the capacity, bring extra revenue into the club and then dismantle it in a summer, if / when FM ever comes to reality. I know what I’d rather do. Of course you could look at it from the viewpoint that a new stadium will never happen so why not get something permanent instead of temporary, but I’m not choosing to be that pessimistic. Even choosing to see things like that, wouldn’t there be better parts of the ground to permanently invest in like a new East stand where you’d have more space for better hospitality and other amenities? The likes of Exeter, Cambridge, Shrewsbury will overachieve and compete with us for a few years, but it catches up with you eventually. There aren’t that many teams that have spent less than us and gone on to achieve success in this division. Burton and Wycombe spring to mind, but neither really managed to sustain it for very long. Obviously finishing off the training ground is the sensible decision, as far as I’m aware from reading Gorringe’s programme notes, that is what the club is already trying to achieve? Let’s take this one step at a time. I’m saying that if Exeter, Shrewsbury and quite a few other clubs can maintain a mid table League 1 position with a football budget which is at least 3 million less than Rovers why do we have to spend so much extra ? In other circumstances one could say “ ah but we are spending more on top quality players or players we can develop into top quality players which in a season or two will see us challenging at the top”. But we know this isn’t the case, we know that even with such an excessive football budget our squad is not up to it and we need to spend even more ( 12 new players ?) to mount a promotion bid. This is being promoted by JB as the only way forward but his way is a huge gamble with Wael’s money with little likelihood of success based on his track record. And even if Rovers did get promoted where would the money come from for infrastructure because we’d need to increase our football budget again to compete in the Championship. My suggestion is a low risk strategy which enables us to maintain League 1 status while steadily improving our infrastructure. And once that infrastructure is in place we can exploit the huge advantage we have over Exeter, Shrewsbury and the others which is the bigger potential fan base we have. I’ve explained my idea for the South Stand in the reply to John M above. Not an old fashioned fully permanent structure but a modern semi permanent structure like at Blackpool with proper provision for a concourse with food and drink outlets and main drainage toilet facilities, maybe even some hospitality suites. One properly planned with a sensible timescale which has a chance of attracting a lucrative sponsor and a better financing deal. The FM is six years away at best and in that time the club has the opportunity to improve the Mem significantly and make the business much more efficient which in itself provides insurance for Rovers should the St Phillips development fall through. The gap between turnover and cost of sales doesn't equivocate to us spending 3 million more on Football than Shrewsbury do. I think we're muddying the waters between Joey and Steve's budget and what both clubs spend on general operating expenses slightly. Remember that we've got 60+ more staff on the books than Shrewsbury do and have higher policing and stewarding costs. I think it's clear that Wael made a conscious decision to maintain the footballing budget in League Two, despite the associated loss of revenue that relegation down the pyramid brings. Indeed, that will account for some higher losses than usual for that financial year. That's his risk to take and if you look at it from the perspective that it's now secured us at least two seasons in League One, then it's one that's starting to pay off. A fairer comparison between Shrewsbury and ourselves can be drawn when the accounts are published in 2024, with both clubs playing in the same division for that period. Rovers revenues will have increased steadily with more prize money, merchandise sales and maybe transfer sales this summer. I'd be willing to bet that general spending hasn't increased that significantly. There will still be a loss, but I genuinely think losses will be below what they were in 2021, or at least close to that marker. Perhaps you're not overly enamored by the rough sketch on the club's website, perhaps you've never sat in Blackpool's temporary stand. A modern semi permanent structure is what is being built in the South side of the ground this summer. We're limited by space, which means we've already got to find a company that specialises in these sort of constructions, so we can make it fit the current footprint. Most facilities for away fans aren't actually in Blackpool's temporary stand btw, it houses no permanent toilet block and certainly no hospitality. We'll find a sponsor for it, the club's commercial side is generally fairly good and I'd imagine the increase in size will result in the increase in advertising space. Maybe it boils down to us having different definitions of what low risk actually is. I personally consider slashing wages and sinking more costs into the mem at this juncture more risky but that's my opinion.
|
|
kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,353
|
Post by kingswood Polak on May 10, 2023 10:50:18 GMT
Other clichés are available 🤭🤭 Time will tell These things take time
|
|
kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,353
|
Post by kingswood Polak on May 10, 2023 11:00:47 GMT
What I've suggested is that we look at the business model of clubs like Exeter, Shrewsbury and others who compete with us yet have far smaller financial resources. We then make changes to operate the business more efficiently and release funds (which we obviously don't need to stay in League 1) for infrastructure improvements. We could start off by completing the training ground so that we bring the whole football operation to one location and reintroduce a development squad to enable more of our home produced players to transition into the first team group and become valuable assets. And then we could commission architects to design a much better South Stand than the one which is currently being proposed, work within realistic timescales and in a few years end up with a structure that enhances the stadium and which can be added to if need be. All paid for with our own cash.
Then, once we are generating extra revenue through increased attendances and the sale of home grown players, we will be ready to make an assault on the Championship from a position of strength.Breathtaking in its pure brilliance.
Playing in Europe within 5 years I reckon, on half our current wage bill.
And all at the Mem.
Who needs a new stadium when we can do this?
Well, according the Barton, be ready for the championship, end of next season and at the mem
|
|
|
Post by swissgas on May 10, 2023 15:16:14 GMT
When composing the post about opinions based on emotions I did recall our forum exchange from about fifteen years ago when you suggested some of my posts were too emotive - and you were right ! Will the news today about Rovers taking on a secured loan from a second or third tier lender be debated seriously by Gasheads or will it be swept under the carpet ? Christ I said that, and you remember!! On your question...I wonder if this is specific funding for the South Stand redevelopment? Do you know the capital value of the loan? Yeah, it's been an evolution from emotional Eric to smart Alec ! No mention of an amount in the mortgage document.
|
|
|
Post by swissgas on May 10, 2023 15:18:06 GMT
If you don’t have sufficient cash for all of your business needs then it does make sense to use commercial finance for fixed assets. The surprise is that in Nationwide Finance Ltd Rovers have been forced to use a second tier lender much like MSP Capital. These companies provide loans to customers which don’t satisfy the lending criterial of mainstream banks and they charge very high rates of interest. I’ve looked at Nationwide Finance Ltd accounts and they operate on huge margins and are making extremely big profits The question is why, especially with AJIB having a 25% stake in the London based Jordan International bank, the club couldn’t obtain funding from a first tier source at much lower interest costs. Regarding the South Stand it’s the same old story. Lack of forethought and planning leads to avoidable mistakes. Every press release so far has contained a virtual apology that the stand will not be completed to the timescales given and although Wael has indicated a final capacity of 12500 I think there must be reasonable doubt about whether any numbers can be fixed at this stage. The drawing we have been shown is not very inspiring and it appears very much like a continuation of Rovers traditional “ make do and mend” approach. My suggestion even now would be to look at the project again, see if a more appropriate structure can be fitted in the space available ( I think the big screen can now be moved) find a design which is more aesthetically pleasing with no pillars in the way, take time to talk to the planning department and come up with a mutually acceptable and better solution like the stands we see at Blackpool and Bournemouth. Swiss gas would that be the temporary stand at Blackpool that has pillars all along the stand exactly the same as Rovers have proposed? Those look as though they are for the floodlights.
|
|
|
Post by sodburygas on May 10, 2023 15:37:30 GMT
Swiss gas would that be the temporary stand at Blackpool that has pillars all along the stand exactly the same as Rovers have proposed? Those look as though they are for the floodlights. No they are supporting pillars for the stand that run entire length of stand. Floodlights were added at a later date. So it's exactly what Rovers have proposed, so would you accept that Blackpool stand is not a better plan as you originally said?
|
|
|
Post by rowdenhill on May 10, 2023 15:41:20 GMT
Swiss gas would that be the temporary stand at Blackpool that has pillars all along the stand exactly the same as Rovers have proposed? Those look as though they are for the floodlights. Ah, floodlights. The reason why we didn't win the FA cup in 1956.
|
|
|
Post by swissgas on May 10, 2023 15:45:51 GMT
Let’s take this one step at a time. I’m saying that if Exeter, Shrewsbury and quite a few other clubs can maintain a mid table League 1 position with a football budget which is at least 3 million less than Rovers why do we have to spend so much extra ? In other circumstances one could say “ ah but we are spending more on top quality players or players we can develop into top quality players which in a season or two will see us challenging at the top”. But we know this isn’t the case, we know that even with such an excessive football budget our squad is not up to it and we need to spend even more ( 12 new players ?) to mount a promotion bid. This is being promoted by JB as the only way forward but his way is a huge gamble with Wael’s money with little likelihood of success based on his track record. And even if Rovers did get promoted where would the money come from for infrastructure because we’d need to increase our football budget again to compete in the Championship. My suggestion is a low risk strategy which enables us to maintain League 1 status while steadily improving our infrastructure. And once that infrastructure is in place we can exploit the huge advantage we have over Exeter, Shrewsbury and the others which is the bigger potential fan base we have. I’ve explained my idea for the South Stand in the reply to John M above. Not an old fashioned fully permanent structure but a modern semi permanent structure like at Blackpool with proper provision for a concourse with food and drink outlets and main drainage toilet facilities, maybe even some hospitality suites. One properly planned with a sensible timescale which has a chance of attracting a lucrative sponsor and a better financing deal. The FM is six years away at best and in that time the club has the opportunity to improve the Mem significantly and make the business much more efficient which in itself provides insurance for Rovers should the St Phillips development fall through. The gap between turnover and cost of sales doesn't equivocate to us spending 3 million more on Football than Shrewsbury do. I think we're muddying the waters between Joey and Steve's budget and what both clubs spend on general operating expenses slightly. Remember that we've got 60+ more staff on the books than Shrewsbury do and have higher policing and stewarding costs. I think it's clear that Wael made a conscious decision to maintain the footballing budget in League Two, despite the associated loss of revenue that relegation down the pyramid brings. Indeed, that will account for some higher losses than usual for that financial year. That's his risk to take and if you look at it from the perspective that it's now secured us at least two seasons in League One, then it's one that's starting to pay off. A fairer comparison between Shrewsbury and ourselves can be drawn when the accounts are published in 2024, with both clubs playing in the same division for that period. Rovers revenues will have increased steadily with more prize money, merchandise sales and maybe transfer sales this summer. I'd be willing to bet that general spending hasn't increased that significantly. There will still be a loss, but I genuinely think losses will be below what they were in 2021, or at least close to that marker. Perhaps you're not overly enamored by the rough sketch on the club's website, perhaps you've never sat in Blackpool's temporary stand. A modern semi permanent structure is what is being built in the South side of the ground this summer. We're limited by space, which means we've already got to find a company that specialises in these sort of constructions, so we can make it fit the current footprint. Most facilities for away fans aren't actually in Blackpool's temporary stand btw, it houses no permanent toilet block and certainly no hospitality. We'll find a sponsor for it, the club's commercial side is generally fairly good and I'd imagine the increase in size will result in the increase in advertising space. Maybe it boils down to us having different definitions of what low risk actually is. I personally consider slashing wages and sinking more costs into the mem at this juncture more risky but that's my opinion. A fair comparison between us and Shrewsbury is this. In the year of the Dwane Sports takeover, 2015/16 Rovers and Shrewsbury's total spending was identical at 5.6 million pa In the following six seasons the football performance of Rovers and Shrewsbury was also almost identical. Rovers spent five seasons in League 1 and one in League 2 with an average football pyramid position of 61. Shrewsbury spent all six seasons in League 1 with an average football pyramid position of 59. But by the last year of this comparison period, 21/22, Rovers total annual spending had increased dramatically to 10 .7 million whereas Shrewsbury's had increased modestly to 6.6 million. The football performance is the same so why are Rovers spending 4 million per year more than Shrewsbury ? Rovers average attendances were 2200 higher than Shrewsbury's during the period but the extra costs for servicing that would be nowhere near 4 million per year. I know this is a difficult question if you are a believer in the "greater professionalism" but it's even more relevant now that we know Rovers are having to borrow money at a high interest rate for the new stand.
|
|
|
Post by swissgas on May 10, 2023 16:12:40 GMT
Those look as though they are for the floodlights. No they are supporting pillars for the stand that run entire length of stand. Floodlights were added at a later date. So it's exactly what Rovers have proposed, so would you accept that Blackpool stand is not a better plan as you originally said? I didn't know that. Their stand was constructed in a hurry and out of necessity 13 years ago when Blackpool were promoted to the Premier League and planning permission was already in place. So the plan made sense for them whereas I'm not sure Rovers current plan does make sense because it is so rushed and IMO not enough forethought has been given to it. If more time was taken over this we could find a better design than the one shown in the drawing and one without pillars which would run the whole width of the pitch and be more aesthetically pleasing. Something which could remain in place and if necessary be added to with a matching design in the future. I can't see the reason for rushing into this can you ?
|
|
keygas
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 178
|
Post by keygas on May 10, 2023 16:26:06 GMT
No they are supporting pillars for the stand that run entire length of stand. Floodlights were added at a later date. So it's exactly what Rovers have proposed, so would you accept that Blackpool stand is not a better plan as you originally said? I didn't know that. Their stand was constructed in a hurry and out of necessity 13 years ago when Blackpool were promoted to the Premier League and planning permission was already in place. So the plan made sense for them whereas I'm not sure Rovers current plan does make sense because it is so rushed and IMO not enough forethought has been given to it. If more time was taken over this we could find a better design than the one shown in the drawing and one without pillars which would run the whole width of the pitch and be more aesthetically pleasing. Something which could remain in place and if necessary be added to with a matching design in the future. I can't see the reason for rushing into this can you ? Here’s a photo of a stand that the same company being used by Rovers for the new south/south west development, installed for Edinburgh Rugby club, IMHO a big improvement on what we got now.
|
|
|
Post by Bath Gas on May 10, 2023 16:53:17 GMT
No they are supporting pillars for the stand that run entire length of stand. Floodlights were added at a later date. So it's exactly what Rovers have proposed, so would you accept that Blackpool stand is not a better plan as you originally said? I didn't know that. Their stand was constructed in a hurry and out of necessity 13 years ago when Blackpool were promoted to the Premier League and planning permission was already in place. So the plan made sense for them whereas I'm not sure Rovers current plan does make sense because it is so rushed and IMO not enough forethought has been given to it. If more time was taken over this we could find a better design than the one shown in the drawing and one without pillars which would run the whole width of the pitch and be more aesthetically pleasing. Something which could remain in place and if necessary be added to with a matching design in the future. I can't see the reason for rushing into this can you ?We didn't have enough seats to meet the demand this season, and the South Stand is now looking rather tired and primitive.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 10, 2023 17:33:50 GMT
Lots of reasons to do this now to add to what Bath Gas says above. We know there are some big clubs in league One next season, Reading, Derby for sure, possibly Sheff Wed. Just adding an extra 1000 fans at £25 a game generates £575k per season. So suggest the loan is paid off within 2 - 3 years.
We have been faffing around at the Mem for too long, thank god we now have ownership who are tryin to improve it whilst planning for the Fruit Market. (if only we had done this 25 years ago..)
Reckon we can have a legitimate target of a 10k average with the new stand in place.
|
|