Not much sympathy from Walsall (1 Viewer)

[theferret]

'We pay £425,000 rent'.................................Did you read that bit chaps or pretend you never saw it.....................for that place as well !!

Sunday market revenues negate most of that I think. They have been very successful creating new income streams, so hats off for that. They turnover just under £6 million (much higher than many similar sized clubs in L1), whereas our turnover is likely to be not much more than £7 million this year - and considering we get nearly 3 times their average gate, it isn't a massive difference.

 

---

[chiefdave]

'We pay £425,000 rent'.................................Did you read that bit chaps or pretend you never saw it.....................for that place as well !!

the key point would be not what they pay but what they get in return. If they get all the revenue coming in from other events, f&b etc then it's a much better deal that ACL have offered CCFC. If they don't then there is certainly an arguement that ACL are making a more than fair offer or Walsall are massively overpaying.

 

[ricohman]

Walsall fan in peace.

Firstly - agree that any blitz comments are out of order - a misjudged and misguided attempt at humour.

At Walsall we're quite well versed on football finances and in between the attempts at "bantz" on UpTheSaddlers I'd urge you to read the contributions of say Bangsection who is very erudite on the subject.

We don't have a beef with Coventry per se and would usually be as indifferent to you as you would be to us. We share a pretend county but really have no reason to love or loathe eachother. The issue is with clubs who sell their fans, their communities and the very essence of the game and sport in general down the river in an often vain attempt to suck on the ugly tit that is the Premiership. The Premiership, Premier League or whatever is as real a competition as the West Midlands is a county. It is a sporting aboration and is the very opposite of sport, fairness and community. And yet clubs and their sleep-walking supporters mortgage their finances and their dreams upon reaching it, often with the sole objective once there to finish fourth bottom - year after year after year. The only people winning are players who financially gain from the massive telly money and owners who sell equity on the basis of that money. The real football fan? Often forgotten or priced out as the richer, star struck casual fan rocks up to swell the coffers even more.

What often happens is that these clubs don't reach the Premiership and often fall the other way out of The Championship, but then forget that they are now third division clubs with shambolic finances. This is accompanied by a fan base that scoffs at the "tin-pot" entities that they now have to face every week, no doubt reminding themselves that they should be playing at Old Trafford rather than the Bescot. Whilst not paying whatever bills they should be paying they continue to assemble teams on a budget that would be the envy of most at the level whilst seeking sympathy for their new found status and plight.

We've seen it time after time. Leeds (biggest disgrace of the lot), Sheff W, Forest, Leicester, Southampton, Pompey and now yourselves. We are tenants in our ground too. We pay £425,000 a year rent. A third of yours, but given that our tin-pot fan base is around a third of your massive one, the sums are quite easy to do to get to a point of rough equilibrium. We aren't happy with not owning the free-hold to our ground, and the sale of Fellows Park which we owned, to pay for a stadium into which we became tenants, still rankles. Some longstanding Walsall fans still won't attend because of this. But the point is we pay the rent, we pay all the other bills that come our way and we build a team based upon whatever is left over, thus ensuring we always have a team to support.

Of course we'd like to push the boat out and sign more expensive players, live the dream and "go for it" but at the same time enjoy supporting a club that represents its town and its community in a dignified, if humble manner.

So there isn't a sudden and irrational hatred of Coventry. It's just the reaction to another "big" club conducting its affairs in shambolic fashion on the back of a vain hope to join a so-called elite and giving the impression that they're slumming it at our level and trying to find every conceivable loop-hole to wriggle out of its obligations. The up-shot of that is that our league becomes less of a level playing field and clubs like ours (and indeed Orient who are similar to us in many ways) feel a little cheated.

So no hard feelings, I hope you get it sorted in the right way. You are miles from being the worst offenders in this regard and you don't seem to be leaving the tax payer or local businesses in the lurch which immediately elevates you above some of those I mentioned above.

Oh - and Pete Waterman - legend for his early Specials-doesn't really watch us anymore

Some very good points there, well put. I understand what your saying about clubs throwing the kitchen sink at getting to the premiership.

The difference with us is that we were in the top flight for so long that we see it as out long lost rightful place.

I think before we were relegated only everton had stayed in the top flight longer, after our relegation arsenal became the 2nd longest top flight team.

And as you state were arnt the worst offenders because we havent spent money on players just sold our best to survive.

 

[TheRealBBE]

Walsall fan in peace.

Firstly - agree that any blitz comments are out of order - a misjudged and misguided attempt at humour.

At Walsall we're quite well versed on football finances and in between the attempts at "bantz" on UpTheSaddlers I'd urge you to read the contributions of say Bangsection who is very erudite on the subject.

We don't have a beef with Coventry per se and would usually be as indifferent to you as you would be to us. We share a pretend county but really have no reason to love or loathe eachother. The issue is with clubs who sell their fans, their communities and the very essence of the game and sport in general down the river in an often vain attempt to suck on the ugly tit that is the Premiership. The Premiership, Premier League or whatever is as real a competition as the West Midlands is a county. It is a sporting aboration and is the very opposite of sport, fairness and community. And yet clubs and their sleep-walking supporters mortgage their finances and their dreams upon reaching it, often with the sole objective once there to finish fourth bottom - year after year after year. The only people winning are players who financially gain from the massive telly money and owners who sell equity on the basis of that money. The real football fan? Often forgotten or priced out as the richer, star struck casual fan rocks up to swell the coffers even more.

What often happens is that these clubs don't reach the Premiership and often fall the other way out of The Championship, but then forget that they are now third division clubs with shambolic finances. This is accompanied by a fan base that scoffs at the "tin-pot" entities that they now have to face every week, no doubt reminding themselves that they should be playing at Old Trafford rather than the Bescot. Whilst not paying whatever bills they should be paying they continue to assemble teams on a budget that would be the envy of most at the level whilst seeking sympathy for their new found status and plight.

We've seen it time after time. Leeds (biggest disgrace of the lot), Sheff W, Forest, Leicester, Southampton, Pompey and now yourselves. We are tenants in our ground too. We pay £425,000 a year rent. A third of yours, but given that our tin-pot fan base is around a third of your massive one, the sums are quite easy to do to get to a point of rough equilibrium. We aren't happy with not owning the free-hold to our ground, and the sale of Fellows Park which we owned, to pay for a stadium into which we became tenants, still rankles. Some longstanding Walsall fans still won't attend because of this. But the point is we pay the rent, we pay all the other bills that come our way and we build a team based upon whatever is left over, thus ensuring we always have a team to support.

Of course we'd like to push the boat out and sign more expensive players, live the dream and "go for it" but at the same time enjoy supporting a club that represents its town and its community in a dignified, if humble manner.

So there isn't a sudden and irrational hatred of Coventry. It's just the reaction to another "big" club conducting its affairs in shambolic fashion on the back of a vain hope to join a so-called elite and giving the impression that they're slumming it at our level and trying to find every conceivable loop-hole to wriggle out of its obligations. The up-shot of that is that our league becomes less of a level playing field and clubs like ours (and indeed Orient who are similar to us in many ways) feel a little cheated.

So no hard feelings, I hope you get it sorted in the right way. You are miles from being the worst offenders in this regard and you don't seem to be leaving the tax payer or local businesses in the lurch which immediately elevates you above some of those I mentioned above.

Oh - and Pete Waterman - legend for his early Specials-doesn't really watch us anymore

another Saddler in Peace,

Cannot really add much more to this post as it sums up 99% of Walsall fans opinion and thoughts, however I would also like to add Swindon to this list, ok they are not a 'big club' but they have been in the top tier and with the help of Mr Hillier they had a rapid fall of grace. Now they are trying to dodge their way out of trouble again by spending money they don't have to gain promotion and the financial benefits that brings and still moan about having a transfer embargo and have to have kids on the bench GET IN THE REAL WORLD, and now it appears they still have debts dating back to 1957 or there about's, what a horrible club!

p.s Pete Waterman does not attend Walsall home games anymore but does go to away games every now again this is due to the tragic death of his son who he used to go to home games with and seems he would find it unbearable to go without him.

 

[Diehard Si]

So a few Walsall fans saying some out if line comments... So what? We've got a fair share of Cov fans who say just as bad if not worse. Each club has its share of idiots.

There are much more pressing things to worry about than what other clubs idiots are saying.

 

[Mr B]

So a few Walsall fans saying some out if line comments... So what? We've got a fair share of Cov fans who say just as bad if not worse. Each club has its share of idiots.

There are much more pressing things to worry about than what other clubs idiots are saying.

Torchomatic springs to mind

 

[Diehard Si]

Torchomatic springs to mind

I didn't like to name names

 

[Mr B]

I didn't like to name names

Are you sure, i'm sure you mentioned Grendal.........

 

[Swiftlyon]

Sunday market revenues negate most of that I think. They have been very successful creating new income streams, so hats off for that. They turnover just under £6 million (much higher than many similar sized clubs in L1), whereas our turnover is likely to be not much more than £7 million this year - and considering we get nearly 3 times their average gate, it isn't a massive difference.

Whilst we file accounts (novel eh?) they are a bit opaque when it comes to how our turnover is made up. The market, the big M6 sign, the ground as conference venue and entertainment venue are not separated out in the accounts from the football revenue. It's a shame because if the hated rent is covered by one or two of those off-field activities I think a lot of the angst towards the rent could dilute.

I understand why people think we're a bit smug but honestly it's not all bouquets and bonnets at WS1. For those who don't know, our landlord is the pension fund of the owner who brought club and land for around £400,000 twenty years ago (see the rent and do the maths - not bad for a small player in an industry that's infamous for making rich people poor). Either brilliant business, or bleeding a community club dry depending on your point of view.