First win of the season (2 Viewers)

Godiva said:

Yesterday after the win?

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I'm not so emotionally unstable that I am suddenly delighted to be a city fan when we win 1 game. Winning 1 in 9 is not something to be happy about, never seeing your team do anything of note is not something to be happy about, the prospect of relegation is not something to be happy about.

I was pleased to see us win yesterday, but that does not change how I feel about the club. Likewise if we had lost it wouldnt have changed anything.

Paxman II said:

Unlike most other clubs we did not own our stadium and so admin would have been a very different story to say the one at Leicester or Portsmouth.

Oblivion was very likely!

For whatever reason SISU invested it is their business and not one of us knows the precise details. They were so close to gaining control of Southampton before us (and they owned their stadium) so quite why they took us on I'm really not sure. I think Ranson had a large part in that decision. But take us on they did and to that end they were our saviours like it or not.

If you replace the name SISU with Jack Bloggs I would feel the same. Just how they thought they would make money I really fail to see other than the stadium's eventual purchase/part purchase/operating rights. That went pear shaped with the financial collapse so once the ship is steadied perhaps, just perhaps they will recover enough to make the stadium a part of the agenda once more be it for them or a future investor...

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So do you agree then that Sisu had a poor business plan from the start?

The financial collapse began 3 months before they took over so they cant really use that as an excuse.

Yes their plan was flawed it would seem...at least from what I know of it.

Paxman II said:

Yes their plan was flawed it would seem...at least from what I know of it.

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Well we do agree on something then!

Glenn Storer said:

Just to play Devil's Advocate:

Let's say we're on HMS Coventry. We've sprung a bloody big leak and we're off to Davy Jones locker without a prayer. Ships are sailing past and waving goodbye, yet, lo! A ship who wants to help! However, they want to take out the mast, the rigging, send the sailors overboard and keep nothing but the cat.

Are we saved?

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If they sold the mast, rigging and kept nothing but the cat then they would have only got rid of what they have brought into the ship. We had next to no assets when they took over. At that time we mainly had a squad of poor players on massive wages. They will not sell everything though. The best way for them to make serious money is to take us up. The more income they can generate the more players we get to keep. The better we do the bigger the crowd. We will need to sell to balance the books if the income does not raise. We have always sold to balance the books, although for a few years before SISU took over even selling players was not enough. This is why we got so much in the sh1t.

Paxman II said:

Yes their plan was flawed it would seem...at least from what I know of it.

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As I see it (and as SISU tell it and they should know) the issue wasn't no plan, it was too many plans. No-one here knows what agreement Ranson and SISU had going in, but it's obvious that they weren't singing from the same hymn sheet after the first season for so.

That's why I'm willing to give them a go now. Someone needs to sort out the financial mess we're in, and it won't be pretty, but that's what happens when you live beyond your means for over a decade. If everything that has come out about their plan this season is correct (and I have no reason to doubt it) then this is year 1 of a plan to reduce the losses and make us a going concern.

Those desperate to splash some cash, or for someone who will to take over would do well to understand how we got to be near admin when SISU took us over. I'd rather have a L1 side that can exist for another 125 years, than bankrupt the club trying to live the dream, especially when there are so many big players trying to do that.

Whatever you think about Hoffman, his plan was exactly the same, we'd immediately be £30m in debt to Hoffman's investors (even if he'd got SISU to forgo any money owed to them which he wouldn't so more like £60m).

Godiva said:

And most threads are about banners, stewards and 'sisu haters' vs 'sisu lovers' ...

Can't you see how disruptive this protesting is?
Is it even about the club or more about 15 mins of fame?
Look mum I'm on TV!

Great match btw ...

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Good Morning Godiva.
Although I'm no Sisu fan, and have posted, many times against them,I too thought the protest and subsiquent reaction by Police and stewards, did our cause no merit or credibility, in fact I thought it revisited the uglier side of football, and came across as, Rabble V Law and order. I know thats not what was intended by the protestors, but i think It did our club no credit or our cause any credance.
and if there were any would be investers in the ground, the ugly scenes would make them think twice about investing in CCFC.
greetings....TankTop.......BlowyBedduff..

I agree, Tankie. Fans were aware from the Watford game that banners would not be allowed and that the stewards were take them away, heavy-handedly, if necessary. Yet fans still did just that, then moan about it. It's like putting your hand in a fire and blaming the flames for getting burnt.

If you want to protest then just sing 'SISU out' for 90 minutes. All banners do if get everyone worked up and fighting each other, it achieves nothing.

And personally I think the trouble affected the players, Clingan's mistake was at the height of it all.

Also, I couldn't see the point of protesting again, as since Watford the board has been more communitive, regardless of whether you believe what they say or not, so they are listening.

Finally onto the asset stripping thing. The only assets they've stripped are the assets they have purchased themselves.

I wonder what Valiant and all the others would have made of Richardson? Now there WAS an asset stripper.

The thing is a lot of the fans that are the most vocal do not remember the Richardson era or took no notice of it. We were run very badly. We always sold our best players and still got further into debt.

One point that has gone against SISU was they made their plans on a 24,000 break even. How many gates have even been this high? So were they supposed to put loans in our name or reduce costs more? What amuses me are the ones that moan about losing 500k a month, although the losses are much lower than this now, and at the same time moaning about how small the squad is. So what is wanted the most? A small loss each month with a small squad or a bigger squad which would be with squad players, not quality, and much higher losses.

My preference would be for everyone to pull together for the good of the club. Get a good run of results. This would give higher gates. This would then give us much more income. The die hards we have will not be put off going by protests. Some will even enjoy it. It will put some off from going though.

Astute said:

The thing is a lot of the fans that are the most vocal do not remember the Richardson era or took no notice of it. We were run very badly. We always sold our best players and still got further into debt.

One point that has gone against SISU was they made their plans on a 24,000 break even. How many gates have even been this high? So were they supposed to put loans in our name or reduce costs more? What amuses me are the ones that moan about losing 500k a month, although the losses are much lower than this now, and at the same time moaning about how small the squad is. So what is wanted the most? A small loss each month with a small squad or a bigger squad which would be with squad players, not quality, and much higher losses.

My preference would be for everyone to pull together for the good of the club. Get a good run of results. This would give higher gates. This would then give us much more income. The die hards we have will not be put off going by protests. Some will even enjoy it. It will put some off from going though.

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Very unfair, very very unfair to suggest that because your vocal you don't remember Richardson. I'm 19, I've had nothing but Richardson and co and the interim boards and now SISU. I may not be heavily vocal like some chaps on here but I'm unhappy with SISU yes. But, I'm still vocal and remember Richardson.

Give me SISU over Richardson any day. If SISU did half of what he did then the heads of the SISU Out crowd would explode!

torchomatic said:

Give me SISU over Richardson any day. If SISU did half of what he did then the heads of the SISU Out crowd would explode!

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Can't argue with that.

I'll say what I've been saying all weekend to people:

I understand we have no other option than SISU right now, but even when the Hoffman deal was supposedly on, I felt that if SISU realised this was a football club and not a faceless investment that they're used to they might actually do quite well.

I want a board that understands that they are custodians of the club, they may own it on paper and such but the heart and the fabric of the club belongs to us. I want a board that understands how to run a football and how to connect with it's fans.

A Chairman who's not in the country, a Director who owns shares but does nothing but Tweets and not even that now, Clouting who appears to be Chairman in absence of Dulieu who seems to repeat the same worn out lines and other such nonsense.

It's a difficult time for the club, selling players to balance the books I understand we've always done that. But it's the promises and the mirrors and smoke that upset me. To then be patronised sometimes by other fans just because I sometimes admit I'm irked at their behaviour and don't want to swallow every bit of vitriol that appears to come out of the club now isn't on.

Glenn Storer said:

Can't argue with that.

I'll say what I've been saying all weekend to people:

I understand we have no other option than SISU right now, but even when the Hoffman deal was supposedly on, I felt that if SISU realised this was a football club and not a faceless investment that they're used to they might actually do quite well.

I want a board that understands that they are custodians of the club, they may own it on paper and such but the heart and the fabric of the club belongs to us. I want a board that understands how to run a football and how to connect with it's fans.

A Chairman who's not in the country, a Director who owns shares but does nothing but Tweets and not even that now, Clouting who appears to be Chairman in absence of Dulieu who seems to repeat the same worn out lines and other such nonsense.

It's a difficult time for the club, selling players to balance the books I understand we've always done that. But it's the promises and the mirrors and smoke that upset me. To then be patronised sometimes by other fans just because I sometimes admit I'm irked at their behaviour and don't want to swallow every bit of vitriol that appears to come out of the club now isn't on.

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I fully agree with nearly everything you have said. I didn't say all the most vocal do not remember or did not realise. I said a lot of them.

I have not seen anyone say they love SISU or have even said they agree with everything they have done. The point is they are taking us in the right direction. We could do with someone to put fresh money into the club. We do not want or need someone to come into the club instead of SISU and improve the squad with money from loans. It is too much of a gamble. How many more attempts can teams like Cardiff or Fester have before it backfires on them. Is it worth the massive gamble? If they make it then you could say yes. If they fail then it sure is a no. We survived for many years on accumulated debt. It caught up with us in the end. So many clubs have found this out over recent years. A couple of clubs have even gone from playing in Europe to tumbling down the leagues in a couple of seasons. We are a bit lucky to still be in the Championship.

For me it is fresh investment that is not a loan or to keep costs down to make ourselves self sufficient. If we put a good run together this will bring more cash in. If we are near the top coming towards the end of the season then invest in more loans(this is if we bring some in now)

I thought the atmosphere was great, the chants about SISU were chants that created an atmosphere that was jovial and fun.

Leave the banners at home next time lads, but feel free to shout whatever you like.

If there is a lively atmosphere, this will undoubtedly spur on the lads regardless of whether you're shouting that Gael Bigirimana is God Incarnate or London's Burning.

Glenn Storer said:

Can't argue with that.

I'll say what I've been saying all weekend to people:

I understand we have no other option than SISU right now, but even when the Hoffman deal was supposedly on, I felt that if SISU realised this was a football club and not a faceless investment that they're used to they might actually do quite well.

I want a board that understands that they are custodians of the club, they may own it on paper and such but the heart and the fabric of the club belongs to us. I want a board that understands how to run a football and how to connect with it's fans.

A Chairman who's not in the country, a Director who owns shares but does nothing but Tweets and not even that now, Clouting who appears to be Chairman in absence of Dulieu who seems to repeat the same worn out lines and other such nonsense.

It's a difficult time for the club, selling players to balance the books I understand we've always done that. But it's the promises and the mirrors and smoke that upset me. To then be patronised sometimes by other fans just because I sometimes admit I'm irked at their behaviour and don't want to swallow every bit of vitriol that appears to come out of the club now isn't on.

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Hard to argue with any of that. SISU have ran this ship much better than Richardson appears to have done (I'm 21 but only really got into football in 2005 - last season a HR). As stated, their PR would be so much greater if they were just honest - which I think the letter to fans was trying to address.
If they had just said "The club is making losses, we've reduced many of these by getting rid of some of the 'squad' players and so we will rely on loans to add depth to the team." (or words to that extent) then I think many of the SISU Out band would be slighlty happier with what SISU are doing. It's the constant manipulation of the truth/outright lies that have wound people, myself included, up.

There's no point communicating more if all you do is tell bigger and bigger lies. There has been nothing to put SISU into a positive light since the Watford game, and after the huge row I had with the steward after that game I'm more inclined to bring a banner than ever. Same goes for the reaction on Saturday-it's just inflamed my anger.

I really don't buy the argument of "well they took banners away last game, so no-one should have taken them this game." Nobody who ever achieved anything through protests did it by being weak-willed and backing down at the first sign of an over-authoritarian response.

I helped out with the Save Our City campaign where we handed out thousands of leaflets before games.- home and away - for Richardson to go. I suppose that helped but eventually it was his fellow board members who ousted him.

Maybe that would be a better approach because the banners dont seem to be working.

Paxman II said:

The perpetual rant goes on and for many seems to take precedence over the football.

Just remember one thing folks before you take any sides with the operation of our football club:

We were 30 minutes from oblivion after a succession of bad owners.

I'm just glad we still have a football club.

Moving in the right direction? Well at least we are still here.

Any one wanting SISU out at any cost are short sighted. I wish there were some great investors on the horizon or a great big sugar daddy but reality is we have what we have and at least be grateful that we are staedying the ship and who knows we may become a club worth investing in again.

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you would think this was easy to understand for everyone wouldnt you?

valiant is just a wannabe hooligan,on 606 he was openly racist to leicester fans for their asian population, now i hate LCFC but i may well hate valiant more, he doesnt love ccfc,he just loves arguing