As a Championship club with top notch names like Joe Murphy and David Bell I can definitely see us filling a 30,000 seater stadium...not. Etc.
No doubt it would be a challenge, but it's where I'd focus nevertheless. Build stronger community ties, get the number-crunchers to work out attractive ticket prices, do some good PR by giving veterans/long-term ST holders a free pass for a year, maybe even gamble on a loss-leader season etc. There are so, so many things that can be done. Following Norwich's example might be a good starting point.
I think the board had no choice but to keep them because of the fan backlash they would have had if they had of sold them all. If Sisu had sold Gunnarsson and Westy then the protests very probably would have started months and months ago as opposed to over the past couple. Don't think they kept them for any reason other than to cover their own back from the fans.
There's the problem - the inconsistency. If SISU sell, they are asset-strippers; if they don't sell, then they are foolish and covering their own backs. SISU are criticised for not buying the ground, but when they talk about buying the ground the fans and the council vow to block it. SISU get slated for not listening to the fans, but then get slated because they listened to the fans' demands for AT to be appointed. SISU are accused of keeping all the pennies for themselves, but then are accused of not spending enough when they spend the supposedly-pocketed money. And so on.
There's a serious case to be made against SISU, I'm sure, but it's reached the point where
anything that goes wrong is attributed to SISU, even if it wholly conflicts with other viewpoints.
If the money isn't there why are they talking about trying to get the Ricoh? That's £10m for goodness sake. If they don't have any cash at all they shouldn't be talking about trying to invest into such an establishment. Trust me, if they were offered the Ricoh tomorrow with no need to prove identity etc they'd probably suddenly find some cash from somewhere. I personally think they only want the arena and not the club, but saw the club as an easy way to get at the arena which should we not forget makes a nice sum of money in profit each year.
I think that's losing sight of the SISU that took over the club in 2007. Back then I think the agenda was very simple - get a bare bones club promoted to the Premiership, pick up the 50% option at least, and flip a top-tier club for a profit. Everything they did in that initial year backed up that likely theory. Equally, it all seemed to collapse after the financial crash - and they've handled things extremely badly since then, with no real gameplan, no forward-thinking, and poor communication.
True it is a legacy of the past regime, but have Sisu really done anything to right it? I don't think they have.
I think they tried initially. I actually think they had the right idea in hiring what they considered to be a top manager and picking up the top young talent from lower league teams. That was the most sustainable model for a club with our lack of resources and infrastructure.
But as I say, they have bungled it since the financial meltdown. I really, really don't think that's a coincidence. What I would say in their favour, though, is that they pay the bills and have kept us in the Championship (to date). They may not have done much for the club, but I don't think they've done the kind of profound damage that the previous regime did.
We were in a mess before, now the mess is even more noticeable. That's partly down to Sisu therefore they have to take some blame.
I'd argue that's as much to do with modernity than anything else. Twitter, forums, Facebook, online petitions - all more prevalent these days, especially with smartphones and iPads. Plus the 'settlement' period has long elapsed...it has now been a decade in the second tier of English football with no money and not much in the way of hope - I think we'd be feeling this way regardless of who the owners are. Add onto that the increasing distance being created between the PL and football league and, sure, I get why people are antsy. But on the surface of things, we really aren't that much worse off than when they took over. In fact, the situation has barely changed.
