What's the Plan "B" ?

[Baird of the land]

I'm not sure if alpine is just used to playing games like championship manager where you choose who you don't want and others club snap them up in a heartbeat. The reality is that we had to make all the big earners available because we couldn't guarantee cherry picking which we'd sell. Saganowski was wanted first that's why he went. It's a case of getting a loan fee and a possible transfer later and not paying 15k a week till christmas verus holding out for someone to buy him outright now. I think the club made the right call, the market at the moment is dead with clubs tightening their belts against the lack of credit in the market. People aren't sure if they want to take on a huge wage let alone pay big money for the priviledge. if all three main attackers go we may all begin to side with you but most people seem convinced its a 2 from 3 philosophy and i can live with that.

[alpine_saint]

 

Take away his goals, and you've got a pretty ineffective player.

 

I love this argument about strikers: "He only scores goals..."

 

WTF ?????????/

[Weston Saint]

As I said the other day, if Saga's goals were to bring in a few results, I can easily imagine attendances increasing by 1000.

 

Ergo, he's paid for..........

 

But no, you carry on lapping up the short-term blinkered spin being fed to you..

 

and if McGoldrick's goals do the same? Or Lallana etc etc...?????

 

It is a gamble but a needed one imo and I think the majority of the supporters support that view judging by comments on here.

Edited 15 August, 2008 by Weston Saint

[madruss]

I love this argument about strikers: "He only scores goals..."

 

WTF ?????????/

 

What I mean is, strikers will always have periods where they don't score.

 

When that happens, you need a stiriker who still contributes to the team. I.e. they can last 90 minutes (even once), they create chances, they're fit enough to keep up with the pace of the game...etc.

 

For the sort of wages Saga is reported to be on, you'd expect some of the above when he's not scoring. Last season he wasn't scoring and his performances were simply not good enough

[OldNick]

So, if we keep Saganowski the bank will suddenly say SFC is not cutting costs ?

 

So, you ARE saying he costs us £300K a week.....

 

We could have two Frank Lampards for that..........

Are you just trying not to understand or dense.

Any business that is failing to gain the banks support you have to show you are attempting to trim costs. Saga is a way of cutting costs.

You have lost this debate and so are trying to wriggle.

[Legod Second Coming]

I am fed up of trying to point out that Saganowski was mis-managed last season........

 

And when banks are losing BILLIONS of dollars a quarter, using this as an argument against Saganowski's wages is the funniest thing I have heard on here - EVER.

 

 

You truly are plummeting as a serious poster.

 

The very fact that the the banks are losing billions is the reason they are NOT extending credit to credit-worthy profitable businesses.

 

Let alone bailing out a mismanaged high-risk football club by funding one player who might fall over on the way out of a nightclub and spunk their money there and then.

 

But, of course you know that.

 

Or you truly are misguided at best, criminally insane more likely.

[Alucard]

As I said the other day, if Saga's goals were to bring in a few results, I can easily imagine attendances increasing by 1000.

 

Ergo, he's paid for..........

 

But no, you carry on lapping up the short-term blinkered spin being fed to you..

 

What all 3 of them. How can you blame GB for Saga's air shots last season unless he was drinking from the same bottle. But there again you probably weren't there to see the frequent miskicks from the player you think we should gamble our financial future on.

[Legod Second Coming]

Are you just trying not to understand or dense.

Any business that is failing to gain the banks support you have to show you are attempting to trim costs. Saga is a way of cutting costs.

You have lost this debate and so are trying to wriggle.

 

Thank you Nick, but I fear ears deaf on falling comes to mind...

[OldNick]

As I said the other day, if Saga's goals were to bring in a few results, I can easily imagine attendances increasing by 1000.

 

Ergo, he's paid for..........

 

But no, you carry on lapping up the short-term blinkered spin being fed to you..

Well your theory is dead in the water as you qualify it with IF Saga scores. IF MCG scores 50 he is worth £10m IF Lallana scores 50 he's worth 10m. The fact is Saga scored 3 goals last season, the only time he looked useful was when he was playing for a contract (even then I was not convinced) so tell us how he all of a sudden is going to be a prolofic striker in this league.Afterall he had the whole of Europe to snap him up and where did he end up Denmark!

[alpine_saint]

Are you just trying not to understand or dense.

Any business that is failing to gain the banks support you have to show you are attempting to trim costs. Saga is a way of cutting costs.

You have lost this debate and so are trying to wriggle.

 

So our entire cost-cutting strategy is based around Saganowski's wages ?

 

Again, lmfao...............

[alpine_saint]

the only time he looked useful was when he was playing for a contract (even then I was not convinced)

 

LOL. This is superb. You are on top form today, I have to say.

 

Lowe gets rid, and you say you were never a fan. Brilliant !

[Whitey Grandad]

You are all concentrating on the goals scored and not on the defensive side of the game. It's one thing to try and play fast, 'attractive' 'total' football up at the top end of the park but what are the youngsters like at clearing a corner or defending a set-piece? How is D McG going to are against someone like Sh!ttu (yes, I know he's gone)? You can say what you like about Rasiak but at least he knew what to do at defending a free-kick.

[Whitey Grandad]

A loan player can be recalled at anytime.

 

Not necessarily. It depends upon the loan agreement.

[OldNick]

LOL. This is superb. You are on top form today, I have to say.

 

Lowe gets rid, and you say you were never a fan. Brilliant !

Sadly as the past posts are lost you will have to take my word for it.

I and a few others questioned how good he really was and did say at the time will he be as good after he had earned a contract.

[OldNick]

So our entire cost-cutting strategy is based around Saganowski's wages ?

 

Again, lmfao...............

You have been overdosing on those stupid pills again.

There are only so many times it needs explaining.

[Legod Second Coming]

You are all concentrating on the goals scored and not on the defensive side of the game. It's one thing to try and play fast, 'attractive' 'total' football up at the top end of the park but what are the youngsters like at clearing a corner or defending a set-piece? How is D McG going to are against someone like Sh!ttu (yes, I know he's gone)? You can say what you like about Rasiak but at least he knew what to do at defending a free-kick.

 

 

You have to assume that players are taught these things until they prove otherwise surely??

 

By your argument, I could say, what if Lloyd James turns out to be the next Ashley Cole?

 

What ifs are what ifs until we see what's what.

 

Put it this way, how did Theo cope at Millwall? They kicked him to death and he stlll scored and made one.

 

I like steel in our side, and I like old heads for the kids to learn from. But for every strength there is a weakness and we have to hope that JVP has trained the team to know how to exploit them and concentrate on our own strengths.

 

For me this would be a sight better than Burley picking a team to play to the opposition's strengths which he seemed to do at the expense of any understanding within our own side.

[alpine_saint]

You have been overdosing on those stupid pills again.

There are only so many times it needs explaining.

 

Laughable you seem to think that if Lowe puts his hand up and says meekly "Please sir, Mr. Barclays, my manager thinks this player may enable us to have a more successful season, bringing in more gate revenue and in the really best case help us to compete for promotion, we'd like to keep him", that Mr. Barclays is going to say "FOOK OFF, the administrators will be round on Monday morning".

 

The black-white way you are portraying this is hillarious and suggests a limited scope for rational thought..

 

The truth is, Lowe has probably paid sod-all attention to his managers wishes, and sought a compromise, and most likely just looked at the list of wage earners.

[trousers]

168 posts.....nice catch....

 

 

.....................

[OldNick]

Laughable you seem to think that if Lowe puts his hand up and says meekly "Please sir, Mr. Barclays, my manager thinks this player may enable us to have a more successful season, bringing in more gate revenue and in the really best case help us to compete for promotion, we'd like to keep him", that Mr. Barclays is going to say "FOOK OFF, the administrators will be round on Monday morning".

 

The black-white way you are portraying this is hillarious and suggests a limited scope for rational thought..

 

The truth is, Lowe has probably paid sod-all attention to his managers wishes, and sought a compromise, and most likely just looked at the list of wage earners.

If you are blind to the situation the club is in ,there is no helping you.

You have been back on and already you have told us the Svennson's knee has popped and that the club should go into Administration to keep a goalscorer that had a tally of 3 goals last season.

[alpine_saint]

if we carry on selling, and attendences fall to an extent that we can't carry on operating, then it's the fans fault. our existence shouldn't be dependent on being at the top of the league or in the premiership. we'd have to reduce the wage bill further to try and counter that. either way, we'll be a hell of a lot more sustainable as a club this year and next than we have the last couple.

 

I never said it was right, but its a fact of life. Lowe started the viewing of fans as "customers". He shouldnt be surprised if they start acting like them (at £26 a throw, £500 for an ST), and vote with their feet.

[Baird of the land]

Alpine Saint wrote "Laughable you seem to think that if Lowe puts his hand up and says meekly "Please sir, Mr. Barclays, my manager thinks this player may enable us to have a more successful season, bringing in more gate revenue and in the really best case help us to compete for promotion, we'd like to keep him", that Mr. Barclays is going to say "FOOK OFF, the administrators will be round on Monday morning"."

 

Your statement's the one that's clearly laughable. The bank will care sod all for vague promises of goals and will be corncerned with numbers. They will have wanted assurances that the wage bill will be trimmed towards a certain level and a business plan of how the club is going to reach that level. Certain players are exempt from being moved on, saganowski wasn't. Would you prefer Davies went and Saga stayed?

 

As for this saga will bring in huge gate revenue myth of yours. Gate revenue is pointless if your wage will is inflated beyond its capacity. There's no guarantee he would score and we would walk the league. The club will have a curve of what gates will fluctuate between dependent on performance on the pitch and that will have factored into the business plan presented to the bank. the wage loss curve will be hegely steeper than the loss of income from fallign attendances. 15k odd a week of a big wage earner versus £30 odd quid every two weeks per seat lost.

[slickmick]

If Saints have 8 high earning players and the bank says 7 of them must be released, who would you keep ? presuming the below list is right.

 

Saga

Rasiak

A.Davies

John

Viafara

Euell

Idiakez

BWP

 

Plan A is to avoid administration and bring in a manager who Rupert Lowe believes is the right man to maximise our youth players. This I am sure would have been discussed with Portlievelt. If we stay up, all well and good. Plan A would have worked.

Plan B would have to come into force if 4 of the above are still with us at the end of the transfer window.

Sort the finances out first. Then we may be in a better position to negotiate with the bank.

We also don't know what interest there might be in other players, such as Dyer being sold which would also be part of both plan A and B.

[Weston Super Saint]

Players' values are written down over the length of their contracts. If they had no value on the balance sheet then there would be a number of ways of hiding trading profits.

 

Not for us

[Whitey Grandad]

Not for us

 

I'm struggling to think of many clubs to which this would apply. I understand that WBA did'nt want the money for Curtis Davis up front because they had already made a profit on sales that year so they let him go on loan for a season with the transfer fee paid a year later.

[Whitey Grandad]

You have to assume that players are taught these things until they prove otherwise surely??

 

Well I would like to think so, but I will reserve judgment on this until I have seen a few more games. I know that it won't get the crowds flocking back but all successful teams are based on a solid defence and it's a lot easier to keep the goals out than it is to score at the other end. For that you don't need skill or artistry but good, sound organisation coupled with strength and physical presence.

[Legod Second Coming]

Well I would like to think so, but I will reserve judgment on this until I have seen a few more games. I know that it won't get the crowds flocking back but all successful teams are based on a solid defence and it's a lot easier to keep the goals out than it is to score at the other end. For that you don't need skill or artistry but good, sound organisation coupled with strength and physical presence.

 

 

Amen to that brother! A sound back five (inc keeper) is essential, but I have faith in Perry/Killer/Thomas and (please soon!) Davies. Then a couple of flank-halves suits me fine!!

[Whitey Grandad]

Amen to that brother! A sound back five (inc keeper) is essential, but I have faith in Perry/Killer/Thomas and (please soon!) Davies. Then a couple of flank-halves suits me fine!!

 

Agreed! Then all that we need is a keeper who doesn't flap at crosses (unflappable?) a midifeld dynamo/general and a couple of 20-goal-a-season forwards who can defend all over the pitch and we might get somewhere. It's easy this football management lark, isn't it?

[St Marco]

It''s all very well talking about the 'team' ethic and how much better it is this year but if the players are not good enough then they're not good enough. I'm not saying they are by the way I'm just pointing out that playing as a team is not the be-all and end-all of things. If we wanted a truly integrated team to fight for one another then look no further than the local youth team leagues. These guys would die for one another but I doubt they'd do too well in the CCC.

 

Despite his cracking start to the pre-season / season I too worry that we will rely on DMG and it would now appear that JP is perhaps sensing the same as he has brought John back into the frame and talked him up somewhat. Let's hope the club can balance the real longer term economies of maintaining CCC status with a marginally higher wage outlay (in keeping John) than having false short term economies.

 

Make no mistakes this season we will struggle. I have said we will finish in the bottom 7 for many months. The point is even with these so called Pro's we would be finishing in the same place. For our club right now we have to stop the bleeding money situation we have found ourselves in. Is it worth paying say £10m a year on player wages to finish 20th or to pay £5m a year to finish 20th? That is what people forget. Not once last season did we look anything other then a relegation battling side. We were there because we were not good enough. How many people felt after we went 1 down the flood gates would open and we would be well beaten? Now we have a young squad who are playing their 1st season. They will be far more useful to us in the future by following the current team ethics then they would if they followed the 2 seasons before's. We have a few players in place that if given the chance can develop and actually help our situation both on the pitch and financially. There is a long long season ahead for these players, and i'm just shocked 1 game into the season some are already wishing it would fail. News flash, if this fails this club will most likely slip into oblivion for many many years. There were no other options for this club and the players of last season deserve the way they have been treated now, they let the fans down, they let the club down. Only a handful deserve to play for this club again.

[dubai_phil]

Sports Science, Man Management and Finances.

 

At the top end of competitive sport it is essential to obtain 100 or 110% effort, we've done those threads to death.

 

Getting to the top requires talent, coaching and extremely hard work. Staying there also requires hard work and motivation.

 

In the case of Saints, Alps's point about the perceived quality of Saga and his preference of keeping him is valid from sitting in front of a computer.

 

What we of course DON'T know is in a highly competitive world, just how much damage was done to the players mentally as well as physically over the past two years.

 

Saga hasn't performed for us for almost two years.

 

Maybe, just maybe during the shenanigams of the past two years the observations made by many on here about fitness levels and motivation were correct.

 

Once a player allows himself to "lose that edge or that half yard" it becomes difficult in their current environment to actually recover that motivation to be the best and to work that extra hour a day.

 

I know that once you lose morale and motivation in a work based team, the biting and sniping begins and you have a downwards spiral from a "group that can outperform the sum of it's parts" to one who "does what is needed" before becoming "career politicians".

 

In a work environment, when that happens there is only one way to get back - you have to let the un-motivated move on and try and find a new incentive in a new environment.

 

Saga made that extra impact when he was here on loan, looking to get out of France was it? Once he came, yes he may have been mismanaged, but he also wasn't AS motivated as he had been, so that 110% became simply 98% and bingo.

 

Sitting and hoping that yesterdays players can turn it around is a long term passion for football fans. Not many can actually do it.

 

Meanwhile I still hold with the concept that the instruction to JP at the start of the year was something like "We need to cut xxxx from the wage bill and bring in yyy in fees or we are dead" We all know who we prefer to go but at the end of the day survival is dependent on hitting the numbers first then adjusting the team to fit what we have left.

 

So a valid argument from Alp's but just his timing is wrong, it should have been done once the transfer window shuts and we see what we are left with and how much we have for loans to fill any glaring gaps

[St_Tel49]

An interesting question........

 

In my opinion, Lowe would use the "windfall" to pay a dividend.

No - what do you think would REALLY happen?

[Foxy]

As I said the other day, if Saga's goals were to bring in a few results, I can easily imagine attendances increasing by 1000.

 

Ergo, he's paid for..........

 

But no, you carry on lapping up the short-term blinkered spin being fed to you..

 

And what if he's kerr-appp like last season? Ditto just about everyone else who played last term - I think you'd find your argument held more water had we been tearing up trees.

 

Let's face it I'd not be making an exception to a policy of trim the wage-bill if I were the banker unless I could be pretty damn sure of the player. I actually rate Saga a fair bit - but a finance man couldn't/wouldn't ignore the evidence of last season. It'd be like allowing Rupes and Cowan to nip down the local Grosvenor and putting the Bale money on black

[monsoon]

almost went down last season playing terrible football with a squad of experienced players.

 

I say get shot of the lot of them give the youth a chance, from what i have seen at least we will see some entertaining football unlike the rubbish we have had to put up with for the last few seasons.

[mitch01]

I agree with Alpine, I fully expect us to be relegated, I just can't see 3 teams who have worse players. Using the youngsters we have is the right thing to do, the only thing to do, but it will not work IMO.

[OldNick]

I agree with Alpine, I fully expect us to be relegated, I just can't see 3 teams who have worse players. Using the youngsters we have is the right thing to do, the only thing to do, but it will not work IMO.

Mitch you are normally positive stay so, its early days yet.

[alpine_saint]

I agree with Alpine, I fully expect us to be relegated, I just can't see 3 teams who have worse players. Using the youngsters we have is the right thing to do, the only thing to do, but it will not work IMO.

 

I must admit, seeing as it must have been you who switched the light off on the Southampton Burley Fan Club after everyone else had left that you pessimissm is surprising...

[lordswoodsaints]

Come on, I'd like to know from those of you who unequivocally endorse every single action Lowe and Wilde takes, and sneer at those of us who dont, what the Plan "B" is if it turns out that the level of competition in the CCC is totally incompatible with 32%...errr..."total football" - but that in the meantime we've sold every player with any nous about them that may be able to help turn such a nosediving situation around ?

 

What happens if attendances fall due to dire results and performances as strong, physical teams pick off SFC due to good reading of the single tactic, badly executed due to players of insufficient talent ?

 

Come on, I'd like to know what we do next, except ask Messrs Barclays and Norwich Union to call in the administrators ?

 

You havent got a clue, have you ?

 

and whats your plan b when everybody gets p1ssed off with your moaning?

change the fvcking record and stop the witch hunt.

so what if some people like lowe and some people dont,does it really matter?

perhaps there isnt a plan b,perhaps we cant afford a plan b,perhaps everything is being dictated by the banks because we are in finanancial meltdown in which case the plan b has already been decided by the banks.

lowe might not be everybodys cup of tea but it is the only drink we have at the moment so drink up big boy and enjoy the football,stop the moaning and keep your fingers crossed that we dont end up an extinct club.................because tbh the only thing we can realisticly wish for is for us to just keep treading water until we are out of this financial mess.

you may not like lowe but you have to agree that he is doing the best he can by trimming back the outgoings of the club,it might not be popular but at least we still have a team to support,something i fear would not have happened if the other lot were still in charge.

[Johnny Shearer]

I agree with Alpine, I fully expect us to be relegated, I just can't see 3 teams who have worse players. Using the youngsters we have is the right thing to do, the only thing to do, but it will not work IMO.

 

I can't understand people like this. Have you seen the likes of Blackpool, Doncaster and others that may be in the same boat as us. I'm sure there other forums right now with people sayign the same things.

 

BUT we're only into the first league game of the season and people are already throwing in the towel. There's no point following Saints then is there, you may as follow another sport or something.

 

I have a couple of friends' who are so negative too but only watched a handful of games between themselves last season and think we're done for, now that we've got rid of everyone.

 

They didnt know the full extent of the dross we had playing for Saints and subsequently I have told them to shut up or not not speak to me about Saints being rubbish etc until we're a good few games into the season when a more uniform opinion can be made.

[scooby]

Come on, I'd like to know from those of you who unequivocally endorse every single action Lowe and Wilde takes, and sneer at those of us who dont, what the Plan "B" is if it turns out that the level of competition in the CCC is totally incompatible with 32%...errr..."total football" - but that in the meantime we've sold every player with any nous about them that may be able to help turn such a nosediving situation around ?

 

What happens if attendances fall due to dire results and performances as strong, physical teams pick off SFC due to good reading of the single tactic, badly executed due to players of insufficient talent ?

 

Come on, I'd like to know what we do next, except ask Messrs Barclays and Norwich Union to call in the administrators ?

 

You havent got a clue, have you ?

 

Nasty little troll thread.

[Weston Super Saint]

Nasty little troll thread.

 

Oh, the

 

[Whitey Grandad]

Oh, the

 

 

.... very good!

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Rupert's strategic plan is to transform SFC/SLH into low cost base business surviving in L1 or the CCC by selling a young player or three every season at a substantial profit . Southampton Football Club will in effect become a glorified Crewe Alexanda .

This plan of course relys on the club unearthing a new Bale , Walcott or Kenwyne every year - and the best of British luck with that I hear you say . I will leave Saintsweb users to make their own minds up as to whether they consider this a good or bad idea .

 

All just my opinion - please don't ask for documentary evidence !

[alpine_saint]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Rupert's strategic plan is to transform SFC/SLH into low cost base business surviving in L1 or the CCC by selling a young player or three every season at a substantial profit . Southampton Football Club will in effect become a glorified Crewe Alexanda .

This plan of course relys on the club unearthing a new Bale , Walcott or Kenwyne every year - and the best of British luck with that I hear you say . I will leave Saintsweb users to make their own minds up as to whether they consider this a good or bad idea .

 

All just my opinion - please don't ask for documentary evidence !

 

Reckon you are right - Lowe has no intention of trying to bring Premiership football back to St. Marys.

[Totton Red]

Are you just trying not to understand or dense.

Any business that is failing to gain the banks support you have to show you are attempting to trim costs. Saga is a way of cutting costs.

You have lost this debate and so are trying to wriggle.

 

Work for the bank then??

Edited 15 August, 2008 by Totton Red

[dubai_phil]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Rupert's strategic plan is to transform SFC/SLH into low cost base business surviving in L1 or the CCC by selling a young player or three every season at a substantial profit . Southampton Football Club will in effect become a glorified Crewe Alexanda .

This plan of course relys on the club unearthing a new Bale , Walcott or Kenwyne every year - and the best of British luck with that I hear you say . I will leave Saintsweb users to make their own minds up as to whether they consider this a good or bad idea .

 

All just my opinion - please don't ask for documentary evidence !

 

Fair opinion. The only angle I can see that doesn't fit in is Lowe's well publicised ego. There is no doubt that he would have enjoyed the PL days and being a "power-broker".

 

His seat at the high altar of the FA and mingling with the movers and shakers. We've commented enough on that ego issue in the past.

 

Then add in this "football can be done differently" concept that annoys so many.

 

So I think what you say could be an outcome, but may not be the intention.

 

I don't think the man's ego would let him aim that low. I think he truly believes that if we can stabilise we can build an academy that will eventually get us into the Champions League by a long term plan of constant improvement...........

 

In his eyes, create one Walcott lets you get another two into the system.

 

Ain't saying it's achievable, just my view on where probably he "believes his ideas" can take it

[Totton Red]

Alpine Saint wrote "Laughable you seem to think that if Lowe puts his hand up and says meekly "Please sir, Mr. Barclays, my manager thinks this player may enable us to have a more successful season, bringing in more gate revenue and in the really best case help us to compete for promotion, we'd like to keep him", that Mr. Barclays is going to say "FOOK OFF, the administrators will be round on Monday morning"."

 

Your statement's the one that's clearly laughable. The bank will care sod all for vague promises of goals and will be corncerned with numbers. They will have wanted assurances that the wage bill will be trimmed towards a certain level and a business plan of how the club is going to reach that level. Certain players are exempt from being moved on, saganowski wasn't. Would you prefer Davies went and Saga stayed?

 

As for this saga will bring in huge gate revenue myth of yours. Gate revenue is pointless if your wage will is inflated beyond its capacity. There's no guarantee he would score and we would walk the league. The club will have a curve of what gates will fluctuate between dependent on performance on the pitch and that will have factored into the business plan presented to the bank. the wage loss curve will be hegely steeper than the loss of income from fallign attendances. 15k odd a week of a big wage earner versus £30 odd quid every two weeks per seat lost.[/QUOTE]

 

Great stat!! maths is a science?

[Wes Tender]

ffs. but why assume it'll all go horribly wrong? i think we'll struggle early on, but over the season i think we'll do a lot better than last year.

 

if we carry on selling, and attendences fall to an extent that we can't carry on operating, then it's the fans fault. our existence shouldn't be dependent on being at the top of the league or in the premiership. we'd have to reduce the wage bill further to try and counter that. either way, we'll be a hell of a lot more sustainable as a club this year and next than we have the last couple.

 

The trouble with struggling early on, is that a large part of the team is inexperienced youngsters who were successful in the reserves of academy leagues. They are used to winning. If they lose badly and continue to do so, they will lose the confidence that is necessary for success. How this pans out remains to be seen, but I'm glad that you're confident for some reason that if we get off to an early struggle, we'll somehow do better later on.

 

As for the bit about it being the fans' fault if attendances fall, I would be very pleased if you can explain that one to me. Pardon me for misunderstanding that we can sell any of the quality players, experiment with foreign management unproven over here, play youngsters, have our club run by unpopular failed past chairmen and yet expect the fans to turn up regardless or accuse them presumably of not being real fans if they don't.

 

I suspect that early on attendances will not be bad, for no better reason than people are curious to see how we will do under these bizarre circumstances. But should it all go badly pear-shaped because of the reliance on youngsters or cheap jouneymen, then nobody will be to blame except the people supposedly running the club and it is disingenous to attempt to blame us, the poor bloody foot soldiers.

[Amesbury Saint]

If Saints have 8 high earning players and the bank says 7 of them must be released, who would you keep ? presuming the below list is right.

 

Saga

Rasiak

A.Davies

John

Viafara

Euell

Idiakez

BWP

 

.

 

I would keep John, second choice Davies

[Amesbury Saint]

Reckon you are right - Lowe has no intention of trying to bring Premiership football back to St. Marys.

 

I am no fan of Lowe but we have to balance the books and then build again

 

Unless you know Lowe personally I cannot see any evidence to support the phase "no intention"

[Window Cleaner]

15k odd a week of a big wage earner versus £30 odd quid every two weeks per seat lost.[/[/color]QUOTE]

 

Great stat!! maths is a science?

 

In fact, on gate receipt alone it would take 34090 or so spectators a season

to pay an annual salary equating to about 15K a week.So if you have, say

three of them ,with a average gate of 17/18K, about a quarter of your gate revenue (assuming that everybody pays 22 £,which they don't) is gobbled up

by those 3 salaries.

[Wes Tender]

 

In fact, on gate receipt alone it would take 34090 or so spectators a season

to pay an annual salary equating to about 15K a week.So if you have, say

three of them ,with a average gate of 17/18K, about a quarter of your gate revenue (assuming that everybody pays 22 £,which they don't) is gobbled up

by those 3 salaries.

 

It is a fine balancing act and there are several factors to consider. On the one hand, the more people in the stadium, the more income generated to go towards paying for some decent players. The more decent players, the better our chances of gaining promotion and the more people who will turn up to watch them play. There is an optimum price that balances up making it an attractive option to go to the matches and helps generate the most income. What we have done is to close sections of the stadium, thus losing a possible revenue source for the simple reason that savings would be made on the staffing needed to keep them open. What we do not appear to have done is to make any adjustments on the match prices to encourage people to come to the games. At the very least, there is an attendance level and a price level which would generate exactly the same amount as 17000/18000 bums on seats, but logically the extra income from ancilliary sales in the shop or concourse, plus the extra support generated mean that it would be worthwhile to do that. If Lowe is such a brilliant financial guru, why can't he see that?

 

But the situation that we currently find ourselves in is exacerbated by many not liking Lowe and or Wilde and not feeling especially bothered to put themselves out on their behalf. Selling off some of the better quality players is not going to help get more bums on seats either. The youngsters might play exciting football, but they need to win more often than they lose, otherwise that itself will become depressing if we slide down the table having to pay a sum of money equivalent to what we paid for known name footballers when we are served up with youngsters in their place.

 

I have a very strong feeling that if we were taken over by somebody who was able to invest just enough in us that we could pay the wages of the current squad, open the entire stadium, set prices at a more attractive level to encourage a greater turnout, they could issue a rallying cry to us to come out and support the club and team and they would get a positive response.

 

Things are much more difficult when we have people running the club who most fans despise and then we have a constant drip, drip policy of selling any player who somebody else wants to buy at bargain basement prices. Although it is too early to make any reasonable judgment on where this will take us, since rumours started about us selling Davies, I am now more pessimistic about our prospects than at any time that I have supported the Saints. For me, this is pretty well the last straw.