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Post by jdl on Mar 4, 2020 20:33:28 GMT
(Always wanted to use that title!)
Latest blog (for those who don't get Stones Mail):
The responsibility of doing our best - 2020-03-04
It’s been a difficult week at the club after that disappointing men’s first team result at Weymouth and the nature of the performance.
We have been spending hours and hours with Terry, Bill, John and Hakan reflecting on what is currently not right and how we can fix it. Everybody has their view on what to do and we appreciate this.
However, we have the responsibility of doing our best to operate the club successfully and put things right when needed. We know we don’t have all the answers but we are working hard.
The team struggled on Saturday because we were missing at least five key players and because the team endured a five and a half hour coach journey after a closure on the M25, arriving at the stadium less than an hour before kick-off! All this puts huge pressure on the team. To his credit Hakan made no excuses for all this but I will.
This week we know the players and coaches will try their damnedest to get the win, recover some self-respect and give something back to the supporters. Having said that it will not be easy. Welling are in form and we will still be missing several of our key players. It’s up to the others to show some pride and extra effort for the cause.
More generally we are suffering somewhat off the field as well. Due to overspending on the playing budget since the beginning of the season, some below par performances and a 15% drop in attendances, cash-flow is extremely tight. This reduces our room for manoeuvre.
As I say repeatedly, we cannot and will not operate like several other clubs in the National League, where owners subsidise annual losses to the tune of between £500K and £1.5M.
We believe several clubs in National League South also run at a significant deficit. We can’t match that and sometimes it’s frustrating.
We budget to spend less than we produce in income. It’s that simple and it will keep the club alive and kicking when others fall by the wayside.
As stated previously we are still trying to identify possible investors to help the club grow sustainably faster but for the moment we are no further than several preliminary discussions.
We are therefore unable to create financial miracles as we toy with ways of improving performances.
We are already considering carefully how to operate next season. Clearly there are choices and changes to consider and we hope to make an announcement about all that shortly.
In the meantime all Terry, Bill and I can do is to thank you for your support and please continue to get behind the team whenever you can, even when things are not going the way we all want them to.
The club is a great club and it needs you to push behind it.
Oliver
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Post by jdl on Mar 4, 2020 20:46:57 GMT
We're very lucky to have an owner like Oliver. No excuses, no nonsense, just an open and honest summary of where we are.
"We are already considering carefully how to operate next season. Clearly there are choices and changes to consider and we hope to make an announcement about all that shortly."
It will be very interesting to see what that announcement amounts to! Taken with Oliver's comments on the financial situation and the difficulty with attracting new 'investment', I suspect we could be facing up to the reality of not being able to remain full-time in an otherwise part-time league.
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Post by jakeyboi on Mar 4, 2020 20:49:02 GMT
We're very lucky to have an owner like Oliver. No excuses, no nonsense, just an open and honest summary of where we are. "We are already considering carefully how to operate next season. Clearly there are choices and changes to consider and we hope to make an announcement about all that shortly."It will be very interesting to see what that announcement amounts to! Taken with Oliver's comments on the financial situation and the difficulty with attracting new 'investment', I suspect we could be facing up to the reality of not being able to remain full-time in an otherwise part-time league. I think one of his biggest worries next season will be how much revenue will be generated through ST sales. It would not surprise me if they fall in sales again next year. |
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Post by Bernie on Mar 4, 2020 20:58:16 GMT
I just hope they never get tired of this shit and walk away.
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Post by jdl on Mar 4, 2020 21:09:31 GMT
I just hope they never get tired of this shit and walk away. Agreed. But I don't think they will. I think they're both astute enough to realise how lucky they were with choosing Jay, and how untypical those first few years were. They had a four or five year honeymoon (although thoroughly deserved) and are now learning the hard way what it's really like to run a lower-league football club. They are first and foremost fans - but fans with a good business head on - and we're very lucky they are. |
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Post by Nick on Mar 4, 2020 21:14:46 GMT
Such genuine blokes in charge of the club, their backs seem to back against the wall at present.
The club is still overspending on wages, attendances down, income down 15%, performance and results not good, supporters abusing players, no new investors in sight, social media critics having a field day, not exactly happy days.
Some forum posters have been demanding a statement from the owners.
Well you have it now !
What next ?
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Post by bermudastone on Mar 4, 2020 21:48:30 GMT
(Always wanted to use that title!) Latest blog (for those who don't get Stones Mail): The responsibility of doing our best - 2020-03-04 It’s been a difficult week at the club after that disappointing men’s first team result at Weymouth and the nature of the performance. We have been spending hours and hours with Terry, Bill, John and Hakan reflecting on what is currently not right and how we can fix it. Everybody has their view on what to do and we appreciate this. However, we have the responsibility of doing our best to operate the club successfully and put things right when needed. We know we don’t have all the answers but we are working hard. The team struggled on Saturday because we were missing at least five key players and because the team endured a five and a half hour coach journey after a closure on the M25, arriving at the stadium less than an hour before kick-off! All this puts huge pressure on the team. To his credit Hakan made no excuses for all this but I will. This week we know the players and coaches will try their damnedest to get the win, recover some self-respect and give something back to the supporters. Having said that it will not be easy. Welling are in form and we will still be missing several of our key players. It’s up to the others to show some pride and extra effort for the cause. More generally we are suffering somewhat off the field as well. Due to overspending on the playing budget since the beginning of the season, some below par performances and a 15% drop in attendances, cash-flow is extremely tight. This reduces our room for manoeuvre. As I say repeatedly, we cannot and will not operate like several other clubs in the National League, where owners subsidise annual losses to the tune of between £500K and £1.5M. We believe several clubs in National League South also run at a significant deficit. We can’t match that and sometimes it’s frustrating. We budget to spend less than we produce in income. It’s that simple and it will keep the club alive and kicking when others fall by the wayside. As stated previously we are still trying to identify possible investors to help the club grow sustainably faster but for the moment we are no further than several preliminary discussions. We are therefore unable to create financial miracles as we toy with ways of improving performances. We are already considering carefully how to operate next season. Clearly there are choices and changes to consider and we hope to make an announcement about all that shortly. In the meantime all Terry, Bill and I can do is to thank you for your support and please continue to get behind the team whenever you can, even when things are not going the way we all want them to. The club is a great club and it needs you to push behind it. Oliver Much needed input from The Top? What are the odds for new owners of the club next year ? Is anyone else getting the impression that Oliver and Terry have had enough of owning a football club - no matter how close to their hearts it is ? |
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Post by sword65 on Mar 4, 2020 21:50:30 GMT
Such genuine blokes in charge of the club, their backs seem to back against the wall at present. The club is still overspending on wages, attendances down, income down 15%, performance and results not good, supporters abusing players, no new investors in sight, social media critics having a field day, not exactly happy days. Some forum posters have been demanding a statement from the owners. Well you have it now ! What next ? The club is still overspending on wages ,as I have said all along we are paying too much for players that are not worth the money they are being paid. Disappointed that Oliver put part of the blame on arriving late, that is bollocks and not worthy of the man. Revenue down 15% , that sounds about right as attendances keep falling. Changes to be made ,announcements soon,dont expect we will hear anything till the end of the season but as that is only 8 weeks away that can be considered soon. The short term solution is easy, start winning games either with scintillating football or win ugly, either will get a few hundred back for the last few games. |
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Post by jdl on Mar 4, 2020 22:41:44 GMT
Such genuine blokes in charge of the club, their backs seem to back against the wall at present. The club is still overspending on wages, attendances down, income down 15%, performance and results not good, supporters abusing players, no new investors in sight, social media critics having a field day, not exactly happy days. Some forum posters have been demanding a statement from the owners. Well you have it now ! What next ?As I posted (above), "I suspect we could be facing up to the reality of not being able to remain full-time in an otherwise part-time league." The pros and cons of the debate don't really matter if we can't actually afford to stay full-time. |
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Post by steveh21 on Mar 4, 2020 22:49:47 GMT
Part time with our budget would mean we could attract some of the best semi pros in the area. A no brainer in my book. I mean, being full time has not been a resounding success has it!
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Post by Fed up with PC views only on Mar 4, 2020 23:29:03 GMT
Oliver is a true fan a good businessman and we are blessed to have him and it’s great that he’s made this honest statement. Like Sword I think the late arrival excuse is a bit lame but everything else is sound.
It looks like PT next year and if so that will have ramifications on who the playing staff and management will be but at least we will be financially sound.
Well done Oliver. A welcome dose of realism.
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Post by hongkongstone on Mar 5, 2020 2:14:02 GMT
It is not about full-time or part-time but about team and player management. Is that going to be the announcement?
Does anyone know how our wage budget compares to other NLS teams?
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Post by rockstar on Mar 5, 2020 6:46:02 GMT
It’s obvious since going full time we have struggled financially. Being full time means paying higher wages due to training more. More training since to have made the players worse so what’s the point being full time. Go back being part time and sign the best part time players and you will also save money on wages which hopefully can go towards the ground upgrade. Until we have an investor that can help us take the next step to the football league then staying part time will be best for the club and owners.
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Post by pwoodstone on Mar 5, 2020 8:05:24 GMT
It’s obvious since going full time we have struggled financially. Being full time means paying higher wages due to training more. More training since to have made the players worse so what’s the point being full time. Go back being part time and sign the best part time players and you will also save money on wages which hopefully can go towards the ground upgrade. Until we have an investor that can help us take the next step to the football league then staying part time will be best for the club and owners. Would you expect an investor to bank roll the club on the pitch, ie spend over and above the income of the club, to achieve a promotion or two? Is that what you are thinking? If so, that’s not really sustainable for a club. I would rather be the exception, that lives within it means. If all clubs did this then there would be a natural levelling out of wages and all clubs would benefit - if not all the players. |
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Post by 61666 on Mar 5, 2020 8:26:34 GMT
For me, Oliver's blog simply states the obvious. The club must live within its means. Going full time was a necessity to survive in the NL. For reasons we know too well, it didn't work out, but the happens to one sixth of clubs every season. The club in effect has tried to create its own parachute (payment) by risking full time this season and it seems it hasn't worked out.
If so, so be it and changes must be made for next season, so the club stays solvent. Better to have a solvent club than no club at all.
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