Detailed interview with Brian

[Victor Meldrew]

Surely the black hole is not infinite.
To suggest that it just goes on and on is incredibly negative.
Why on earth should there be a further black hole for a well-run business?
Our own business is well run and we certainly would regard a bonus of a net £3 million as significant and we would certainly feel a bit "flush" to use the idiom of our manager.

The deficit will continue until the club starts making a year on year profit. We are set to make some sort of profit with the sale of Gylfi, that much is obvious due to the fact funds are suddenly available... unless we spend it all on the wages of the new players we bring in. And then we'll have another deficit next year because we have these wages to pay and no extra income. Oh look we just sold another good player for several million. Problem solved... for another year.

With a club our size we aren't going to make a profit on the balance sheet without selling a player or two every summer, or stealing money from the hotel... not sure the hotel will like that very much. It's a painful fact, but that's the truth of it.

So as a trading company they might just as well pack it all in then?
I wonder how teams EVER get promoted once they are out of the Premier League because,just in case you hadn't noticed,3 teams do actually get promoted each year and not always do they have higher attenances,dearer season ticket costs nor more expensive car parking nor do they always sell one or two of their best players every season..

[ZacNaloen]

I wonder how teams EVER get promoted once they are out of the Premier League because,just in case you hadn't noticed,3 teams do actually get promoted each year and not always do they have higher attenances,dearer season ticket costs nor more expensive car parking nor do they always sell one or two of their best players every season..

You are well within your rights to just say that you want Madjeski out because he isn't financially supporting the club at the moment.

But if you want to sit at your computer and spout ill informed rubbish about financials expect people to argue with you.

[Victor Meldrew]

I wonder how teams EVER get promoted once they are out of the Premier League because,just in case you hadn't noticed,3 teams do actually get promoted each year and not always do they have higher attenances,dearer season ticket costs nor more expensive car parking nor do they always sell one or two of their best players every season..

You are well within your rights to just say that you want Madjeski out because he isn't financially supporting the club at the moment.

But if you want to sit at your computer and spout ill informed rubbish about financials expect people to argue with you.

"Ill informed rubbish"?
How very dare you-have some respect for people who have been in business for as long as our owner.

[PEARCEY]

I wonder how teams EVER get promoted once they are out of the Premier League because,just in case you hadn't noticed,3 teams do actually get promoted each year and not always do they have higher attenances,dearer season ticket costs nor more expensive car parking nor do they always sell one or two of their best players every season..

You are well within your rights to just say that you want Madjeski out because he isn't financially supporting the club at the moment.

But if you want to sit at your computer and spout ill informed rubbish about financials expect people to argue with you.

What ill-informed rubbish is that then Zac. Do tell.

[Wycombe Royal]

I wonder how teams EVER get promoted once they are out of the Premier League because,just in case you hadn't noticed,3 teams do actually get promoted each year and not always do they have higher attenances,dearer season ticket costs nor more expensive car parking nor do they always sell one or two of their best players every season..

Yes and we were one of those clubs a few seasons back. Sometimes, and it is normally for one of the promoted clubs each season things just click without much money being spent (foe example Blackpool last season).

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

But we did not really spend much to get there as things go. Lita was most expensive player, dont think the whole team cost much over £5m in fees

[brendywendy]

But we did not really spend much to get there as things go. Lita was most expensive player, dont think the whole team cost much over £5m in fees

under 5 million actually
probably why JM probably thinks spending loads is silly

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

There is a massive difference between the club that got promoted and the club we have now.

We were a club that didn't sell it's best players, we were a club that were always fighting for the best players at the level we were at. The investment was always there.

To say it just cost £5m ignores all the investment that went before it. We were consistently imrpoving and spending from the point Pards took over to promotion. Today we couldn't afford Oster or Makin without selling Sidwell to fund it.

This isn't a knock on JM, it was his investment in the 1st place. You just cant compare the 106 team, to the club as it is now.

[2.8 lita injection]

Good interview.

But thinking Lee Hendrie is a hungry player is just wrong, his career has been spiraling out of control. He looked decent about 6 years ago.

You need strong hungry up and coming players, LH is not that. if he was he could had earnt millions at villa.

[ZacNaloen]

I wonder how teams EVER get promoted once they are out of the Premier League because,just in case you hadn't noticed,3 teams do actually get promoted each year and not always do they have higher attenances,dearer season ticket costs nor more expensive car parking nor do they always sell one or two of their best players every season..

You are well within your rights to just say that you want Madjeski out because he isn't financially supporting the club at the moment.

But if you want to sit at your computer and spout ill informed rubbish about financials expect people to argue with you.

What ill-informed rubbish is that then Zac. Do tell.

"Surely the black hole is not infinite"

For one.

We will always have a deficit until we start making a profit. Therefore our financial black hole really is infinite. Because we will never make a profit at this level without selling our best players every year.
I fully expect that there will be another deficit next year, especially if we spend all the Gylfi money.

[PEARCEY]

Dodgy argument Zac. With the player sales that have taken place this summer the club will now have a surplus. Its also highly unlikely all the transfer money will be invested in the squad.

[Uke]

The problem is that people are equating a high league position or promotion as indicators of a club being "well-run"

Two or three years of security of existence is in reality a much better indicator for any business.

[ZacNaloen]

Dodgy argument Zac. With the player sales that have taken place this summer the club will now have a surplus.

yes that is what I said earlier, but I'm talking about next years budget

Its also highly unlikely all the transfer money will be invested in the squad.

I also said this earlier, but I'm talking to someone who thinks we should so it's only fair I address that. I'm not even close to optimistic this club can make a net profit without selling players. I've no doubt the deficit has shrunk but football is an expensive business and I don't believe for a second operating costs are covered by prize money and tv money alone.

If we've sold enough this year to cover next year as well, great... But the fact that we had to wait for gylfi to leave before we could make any moves in the market suggests to me we didn't.

[loyalroyal4life]

"I just can't believe a big Premier League side didn't take him. There was a lot of talk but nothing came of it and it's a sin that he's lost to this country. The Bundesliga's gain is the Premier League's loss."

You gotta love the guy...

Least he agrees PL would of been good move for him. Sure it will be Sig's next move


Anyone got idea of who the player we failed to get was?

[Stranded]

Good interview.

But thinking Lee Hendrie is a hungry player is just wrong, his career has been spiraling out of control. He looked decent about 6 years ago.

You need strong hungry up and coming players, LH is not that. if he was he could had earnt millions at villa.

You can be older and hungry. He could well see this as the last chance to change peoples perceptions of him. His last chance to have a career in football before having to go and get a "real" job. Fear can be a great driver in perfomance esp as even if he does well I suspect he'll only get offered a year with a chance of a second year.

[loyalroyal4life]

The problem is that people are equating a high league position or promotion as indicators of a club being "well-run"

Two or three years of security of existence is in reality a much better indicator for any business.

Think thats the word that people fail to remember, running a football club is just that

[westendgirl]

The problem is that people are equating a high league position or promotion as indicators of a club being "well-run"

Two or three years of security of existence is in reality a much better indicator for any business.

Quite agree well run may well not be successful in terms of promotion and in the current football climate there is likely to be a black hole in most Championship teams unless they can attract 25,000 every game as the players wages are so high. Everyone talks about investment in terms of transfer prices but for a club to make a profit the wages need to be in line with the income levels.

[brendywendy]

There is a massive difference between the club that got promoted and the club we have now.

We were a club that didn't sell it's best players, we were a club that were always fighting for the best players at the level we were at. The investment was always there.

To say it just cost £5m ignores all the investment that went before it. We were consistently imrpoving and spending from the point Pards took over to promotion. Today we couldn't afford Oster or Makin without selling Sidwell to fund it.

This isn't a knock on JM, it was his investment in the 1st place. You just cant compare the 106 team, to the club as it is now.

no one wanted them. hence why they were mostly free transfers, and cheap buys

[brendywendy]

Dodgy argument Zac. With the player sales that have taken place this summer the club will now have a surplus. Its also highly unlikely all the transfer money will be invested in the squad.

McD is pretty clear they are looking to bring in 1 or more in the loan window so thats rubbish- the rest will go towards plugging next seasons black hole.

these are the realities of our football club, moan all you like, rage against the management, it wont change the fact that until more people come to watch, and / or we have a squad made up by academy starlets in the majority then we will always lose money at this level

[sandman]

The better Academy "starlets" could be sold off to cover the amount of money it takes to maintain academy status, the average Academy players could be left behind to make up the majority of the team and when that happens you get a situation like Crewe.

Rightly or wrongly a precedent has been set and it's one that will be difficult to reverse.