Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2017 21:07:13 GMT
petef
I think that in a lot of instances you're dead right about this Pete. Although of course it's been the exact opposite problem that's been causing problems for Torquay United over more recent years. Neither Lottery winner Thea, or the Consortium that took over the club's ownership from her, couldn't continue to let the football club get in the way of them taking steps to stem the big losses that were resulting from their ownership.
If, in the cause of big profits a football club has to go, then as we've seen, in the case of bigger losses than you can continue to cope with, the football club has to go also.....and you just hope there's someone else to take it on. Now, instead of the club getting in the way of profit making, we're hoping that it will instead be the catalyst to such profits. That while it may well be other geese that are laying the bigger and better golden eggs, bird flu will wipe out the lot if you attempt to let the TUFC goose die.
However modern it may be, maintaining a stadium is an expensive business. If you fill it with people all spending money, then a bigger proportion of your costs are covered. If the crowds come in then G.I have years of experience of knowing what is required to make those customers part with their money. They also know that without an attractive product in the first place, the crowds won't turn up to allow G.I/RSL to relieve them of their money.
We've no option other than to have faith that Pete Masters negotiated a sufficiently water tight deal on our behalf that even if we assign the worst possible intentions to Clarke Osborne & RSL, they wouldn't be able to leave the club high and dry while creaming off profits elsewhere within a new enterprise. Of course we might have been able to at least get some semblance of the checks and balances that we're counting on, if Mr.Masters and the previous Board weren't subject to such hostility. But until members of 'Fans Representative' organisations and others, treat them with at least minimal courtesy, there's little hope for such dialogue.
petef
It was worded slightly differently admittedly, but I thought Clarke Osborne's official line came darned close to making that exact point. That's how it sounded to me anyway
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I thought he really was telling us that while we could be the top of the bill on a Saturday afternoon once a fortnight, we had to be a sideshow for the rest of the week...we had to play second fiddle to the restaurants, the gymnasiums, the retail outlets, the all weather pitches, and all the other facilities that would bring money in for us during the long periods when a football stadium stands quiet and idle. To me, he was saying Plainmoor is a facility built almost exclusively for football.... football is indisputably top of the bill, and see where it has got you...and see how much it is costing you to maintain that outmoded notion. You can't afford it. You can push football related stuff as the top attraction at Old Trafford every day of the week and money laden Japanese tourists etc will flock in, rain or shine, and buy up every item of MUFC merchandise as quickly as you can make it. You'll need some huge restaurants and maybe a hotel to cater for them as well.
Have Torquay Football club as the main attraction and you'll sell 2 T shirts and one key ring during the week. What works for Manchester United's football ground clearly doesn't work for Plainmoor, and lot's of smaller clubs have recognised this and made the changes that they need to. Customers and their cash will come during the week for Miss Selfridge, for games of squash, for Costa Coffee, and for floodlit 5 a side games with good facilities and easy car parking. The income streams don't lie. Football has to be a sideshow only, allowing the spotlight to be on the other facilities that people want and will pay for, on every day except matchday when the football customers are the important people and it's their requirements that come top of the list to be catered for.
I can't see into the future any more clearly than anyone else. But Osborne's message does seem to be one that's forcing us to accept that our old model is outdated and has been dragging us down. He's going to give us a new one...and while it clearly won't sit easily with many, it may in time be viewed as a necessary change.
Clever people these city business men who care little for individuals like Nico or insignificant football clubs who get in the way of making big profits.
I think that in a lot of instances you're dead right about this Pete. Although of course it's been the exact opposite problem that's been causing problems for Torquay United over more recent years. Neither Lottery winner Thea, or the Consortium that took over the club's ownership from her, couldn't continue to let the football club get in the way of them taking steps to stem the big losses that were resulting from their ownership.
If, in the cause of big profits a football club has to go, then as we've seen, in the case of bigger losses than you can continue to cope with, the football club has to go also.....and you just hope there's someone else to take it on. Now, instead of the club getting in the way of profit making, we're hoping that it will instead be the catalyst to such profits. That while it may well be other geese that are laying the bigger and better golden eggs, bird flu will wipe out the lot if you attempt to let the TUFC goose die.
However modern it may be, maintaining a stadium is an expensive business. If you fill it with people all spending money, then a bigger proportion of your costs are covered. If the crowds come in then G.I have years of experience of knowing what is required to make those customers part with their money. They also know that without an attractive product in the first place, the crowds won't turn up to allow G.I/RSL to relieve them of their money.
We've no option other than to have faith that Pete Masters negotiated a sufficiently water tight deal on our behalf that even if we assign the worst possible intentions to Clarke Osborne & RSL, they wouldn't be able to leave the club high and dry while creaming off profits elsewhere within a new enterprise. Of course we might have been able to at least get some semblance of the checks and balances that we're counting on, if Mr.Masters and the previous Board weren't subject to such hostility. But until members of 'Fans Representative' organisations and others, treat them with at least minimal courtesy, there's little hope for such dialogue.
petef
I believe RSL care little about where we end up just as long as the club can support itself and they can persuade the council to build a multi use complex where TUFC will just be a sideshow.. The official line is obviously different
It was worded slightly differently admittedly, but I thought Clarke Osborne's official line came darned close to making that exact point. That's how it sounded to me anyway
.I thought he really was telling us that while we could be the top of the bill on a Saturday afternoon once a fortnight, we had to be a sideshow for the rest of the week...we had to play second fiddle to the restaurants, the gymnasiums, the retail outlets, the all weather pitches, and all the other facilities that would bring money in for us during the long periods when a football stadium stands quiet and idle. To me, he was saying Plainmoor is a facility built almost exclusively for football.... football is indisputably top of the bill, and see where it has got you...and see how much it is costing you to maintain that outmoded notion. You can't afford it. You can push football related stuff as the top attraction at Old Trafford every day of the week and money laden Japanese tourists etc will flock in, rain or shine, and buy up every item of MUFC merchandise as quickly as you can make it. You'll need some huge restaurants and maybe a hotel to cater for them as well.
Have Torquay Football club as the main attraction and you'll sell 2 T shirts and one key ring during the week. What works for Manchester United's football ground clearly doesn't work for Plainmoor, and lot's of smaller clubs have recognised this and made the changes that they need to. Customers and their cash will come during the week for Miss Selfridge, for games of squash, for Costa Coffee, and for floodlit 5 a side games with good facilities and easy car parking. The income streams don't lie. Football has to be a sideshow only, allowing the spotlight to be on the other facilities that people want and will pay for, on every day except matchday when the football customers are the important people and it's their requirements that come top of the list to be catered for.
I can't see into the future any more clearly than anyone else. But Osborne's message does seem to be one that's forcing us to accept that our old model is outdated and has been dragging us down. He's going to give us a new one...and while it clearly won't sit easily with many, it may in time be viewed as a necessary change.
.
