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Originally Posted by Twenty Eight
Are you happy with out player investment ?
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yes. We have competed in all but 2 or 3 games this season and could've/should've won more than we have. YES we have a fairly inexperienced team, Bishop, Charles have stepped a long way, Johson, Sykes still very young BUT they have improved game by game and will either make us some cash or be first team players for some time
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Originally Posted by Twenty Eight
What do you mean by resources ?
Do you think the monies received from Jackson and Donacien has been invested wisely ie 100% into the club excluding the team ?
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Absolutely they have been invested well. That new stand didnt come for free for a start and was more than overdue. Do you think the away goal end is up to standard? No its not, and that will be done well before we start frittering money. I cant remember how the ground was when you first rocked up but it was by and away the worst ground in the top five divisions, now its not. Its still the smallest and will probably remain so, but 3/4 of it now is new and shiny and functional and making money. For the first time in a long time we are not a laughing stock amongst away supporters and that counts for an awful lot in my book
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Originally Posted by Twenty Eight
The club did brilliant to get up.
The club did brilliant to get the figures we did selling Jackson and Donacien.
Upon your own admission League One standard is poor.
So why are we struggling ?
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Yes we did (and it was unexpected and not budgeted towards)
Yes we did (and it was unexpected but brought forward some ground improvements by a year or two or more)
Partially due to inexperienced strikers, partially because Sean didnt get going with his shooting boots and partially because Jordan cant hit a barn door
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Originally Posted by Twenty Eight
You may have a different opinion but mine is because we’ve invested on the cheap on the product on the pitch. The players.
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Bradford got relegated with a £5.3m playing budget and only one season after splashing around £200k each on at least 3 players (McCartan included). Many clubs invest money into transfers and pay high wages, we dont and its served us quite well on our sojourn from Tier 7
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Originally Posted by Twenty Eight
All this talk of bankrupting the club is nonsense.
It’s about how you allocate your funds and budgeting.
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No its not nonsense at all. ASFC was a very long way behind all other clubs off the pitch. Infrastructure simply HAS to improve way beyond what it already has. Look at clubs like Cambridge, their turnover last year was around £6m - £2m more than ours and that was our best turnover EVER. I like whats happening around the place, and how we're going about things, but it needs even more if we are to get anywhere near being able to compete on a level playing field. Clubs left, right and centre are experiencing massive financial difficulties, but we aren't. We've been to the wall three times and very nearly four ...
When our fans say we arent arsed about relegation its because we know the hardships of relegation are nowhere near as hard as the hardships of coming back from the dead. Anyone who wants to risk the future of the club on whimsical money signings can 0121 do one.
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Originally Posted by Twenty Eight
The best signing we’ve made is the pitch 100%.
What’s the point in sparkling up corporate facilities if you don’t invest in the product on the pitch ?
All about opinions.
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all covered above buddy. Our corporate facilities for what they are, are selling out regularly, that shows that there is demand for more. Andy Holt knows better than anyone what we are making, capable of making, and what the future of incoming TV money means. He wants to create a ground that is cheap to run and maintain but capable of making better income for us.
We have 2 more builds to go, the changing room/clubhouse change and the away end - in that order. When that is complete we will be in a position to plough more generated funds into the team. If thats still in League 1 then fantastic, if its in league 2 then so what?
The changing rooms HAVE to be done and we are at the mercy of the EFL as to how long we can avoid it for, but the clubhouse being done right should ensure that we are capable of making at least an extra half million every year. The away end done right should mean extra visitors and extra spend per head. That means more money in. By the time those 2 builds are done I think we'll be there or thereabouts hitting those £5m or £6m figures that our peers are hitting.
£6m in League 1 will still be bottom of the pile though ... in League 2 (if we can maintain the crowd numbers) that would put us around mid table, in the Conference it might put us top 6 - AND THAT IS WHY WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT SPEND MORE THAN WE CAN ON THE PRODUCT.
Yes we all go to the ground to see the product, but the product is only a part of the day and currently all spends need to be on the rest of the experience.
Finally, John Coleman has a long history of having to operate in this manner and he's done pretty well at it thus far
