Another awful day for all of us connected with the club.
But the thing I've learnt the most personally is ACL/CCC are certainly no innocent party here. Despise SISU with every fibre of my being, but if ACL offer no opportunity for any ground ownership in the next 10 years why would SISU be inclined to take the deal (even if the figures offered are much more reasonable).
Obviously i'm not condoning anything about Northampton, disgusting/vile behavior but in a world increasingly motivated by FFP, no ownership of a main income source is just not going to work.
Looks like admin will last until post transfer window too, as a trialist I wouldn't be waiting that long! Another dark day for the club and a tough season on and off the pitch beckons again.
Let's say FFP is the main driver for this, then surely 10,000 to 15,000 ticket sales at the Ricoh is better than 3,000 to 5,000 at Northampton (where they won't have full access to income streams either).
There's nothing stopping SISU taking this offer and still building a new stadium if that really is what all this is about. They've already shown how willing they are to break a lease. At £150k/year it's a lot cheaper to break this one than the current deal.
In fact they could just pay the whole thing up for £1.5m at any point they fancied without even having to manufacture a rent strike. Chicken feed compared to the costs they'll incur on a new stadium build.
I'm trying to think long term rather than just this season, the club just isn't an attractive prospect if it owns nothing other than the playing squad. Of course in an ideal world they'll accept this and build up the trust to make ACL want to offer some ownership, it just isn't likely is it? And when was the last time we sold 10,000-15,000 we've been struggling to get higher than 12-13 on matchdays the last few years.
Bolux you make money with success getting the crowds in moving up the leagues investing. You dont by having people like Deluded or Fisher dividing fans and playing silly games like suggesting going to Northampton and building sheds unless that is you're a shed manufacturer
Bolux you make money with success getting the crowds in moving up the leagues investing. You dont by having people like Deluded or Fisher dividing fans and playing silly games like suggesting going to Northampton and building sheds unless that is you're a shed manufacturer
I'm trying to think long term rather than just this season, the club just isn't an attractive prospect if it owns nothing other than the playing squad. Of course in an ideal world they'll accept this and build up the trust to make ACL want to offer some ownership, it just isn't likely is it? And when was the last time we sold 10,000-15,000 we've been struggling to get higher than 12-13 on matchdays the last few years.
Absolutely Paddy, not trying to shoot you down, just making the point that it's (probably) not really about FFP.
If SISU want part or all of the stadium, and they want to pay a proper price, for it and they're willing to incorporate it into the same company as the club so there's limited room for further shenanigans, I'd say fair enough. What worries me is that I'm not sure any of that is true.
The simple fact is, Sisu are not fit owners of the Ricoh. The minute they owned it it would be in the hands of some Cayman Islands subsidiary, separated from the club. Do you honestly think they'd invest anything in the team even then?