Rumour - SHunt off

[Southbank Old Boy]

Totally agree on Gibson

Has the fans mentality but is very sensible, patient and loyal

He'd be perfect if he could just sort out his dodgy taste in managers

[BR2]

Indeed, what I have been saying for many months. As one of the few clubs not to have stretched its finances to the limit as the recession approaches, we will be exceptionally well placed to mop up the best of the cast-offs that many clubs are going to have to offload when they go bust.

The recklessness of other Chairmen staggers me. This has been in the offing for at least 2 years now - you simply don't expose your Balance Sheet by committing to more and more short and medium term liabilities and huge contractual commitments as hard-times approach. It's a recipe for disaster.

I would love to believe that would be the case,i.e that we are so well-managed that we will spend loads a money during the forthcoming recession but in your heart you surely know that this will not happen.
I wish I could share your certainty that this is a well run club-as I see it the fact that we are pleading poverty after 2 years at the top table with unbelievable incoming TV riches and now £10 million from sales of players plus greatly reduced wages makes me wonder if the club really is that well run.

Also in your Domesday scenario we will be the only club left that has any money so with all these others having gone out of business who on earth will be left to play so that income levels can be maintained?
Furthermore who wants to buy a redundant football stadium and in this terrible sitation that is vastly approaching who will be able to afford to stay in the hotel?
If we keep on saying that the end of the world is nigh then one day somebody doubtless will be right.

All that is a bit but I always feel that successful businesses look to expand rather than contract and I think because of poor business practice our chairman did miss a trick by not pressing on with the stadium extension (all talk and no substance at the time) midway through the Championship season which even with only one season at the top level would have been almost self-funding.

[Royal Rother]

I would love to believe that would be the case,i.e that we are so well-managed that we will spend loads a money during the forthcoming recession but in your heart you surely know that this will not happen.

The point is that we won't have to spend loadsamoney - just sensible spending will strengthen as others fall by the wayside.

Obviously I am only guessing; any number of things could change all this. For e.g. if Man City (and perhaps other new competing investors in the next few months) spend vast sums of money that gently filter down to the Championship and lower, that effect, combined with Chairmen waking up to the real world, might just mean dozens of clubs don't face their doomsday scenarios. At present, the way things are going it is more than a remote possibility however.

People will doubtless remind me in years to come if it doesn't come to pass - just as doubtless they will fail to remember if it does!

I always feel that successful businesses look to expand rather than contract

It is true that many of the best run businesses do very well out a recession - but this tends to be because they have sufficient reserves behind them to tough it out, and thus increase their market share at the expense of other businesses that had not accumulated the reserves required to trade through the recession successfully.

[brendywendy]

I think because of poor business practice our chairman did miss a trick by not pressing on with the stadium extension (all talk and no substance at the time) midway through the Championship

it was midway through our first premiere league year wasnt it?or later

and the way half the fans on here reacted to that news was shortsighted to say the least by complaining that having a half empty stadium was totally pointless

[Victor Meldrew]

I think because of poor business practice our chairman did miss a trick by not pressing on with the stadium extension (all talk and no substance at the time) midway through the Championship

it was midway through our first premiere league year wasnt it?or later

and the way half the fans on here reacted to that news was shortsighted to say the least by complaining that having a half empty stadium was totally pointless

No,it was early on in our Championship winning season.
My brother and I talked about how the work could start then because we were odds-on for promotion so that in our first Premiership season when it was certain that we would sell out every week the extra 12,000 or so paying an extra £400,000 say for possibly 10 games (top clubs,London clubs,RFC fans who couldn't previously get tickets)would mean extra revenue of £4million without ancilliary sales and of course the Sky money for at least 3 years and maybe for longer if we survived for more than one season-all of that would have gone a long way towards extension costs.
Once built it is there regardless of whether it would be filled every week forever and a day.
The longer it is left,the greater the cost is likely to be.

[brendywendy]

i agree totally about the ground.
which is why i was staggered by the grief dished out to the club when announced
seemed a sensible long term strategy to gradually increase the money we were able to take in on match days, and enable us to compete better, increasing wages/transfer fees etc
but everyone was up in arms, or taking the piss out of the club for it

[Dirk Gently]

i agree totally about the ground.
which is why i was staggered by the grief dished out to the club when announced
seemed a sensible long term strategy to gradually increase the money we were able to take in on match days, and enable us to compete better, increasing wages/transfer fees etc
but everyone was up in arms, or taking the piss out of the club for it

I'd say it was more a small but extremely vocal minority who were against it. Most people seemed genuinely pleased by the plans.

[Thaumagurist*]

the fact that we are pleading poverty after 2 years

Are we?

[brendywendy]

i agree totally about the ground.
which is why i was staggered by the grief dished out to the club when announced
seemed a sensible long term strategy to gradually increase the money we were able to take in on match days, and enable us to compete better, increasing wages/transfer fees etc
but everyone was up in arms, or taking the piss out of the club for it

I'd say it was more a small but extremely vocal minority who were against it. Most people seemed genuinely pleased by the plans.

yeah

again i mistake most vocal with most people

[BR2]

the fact that we are pleading poverty after 2 years

Are we?

Where have you been?
Haven't you taken in anything the chairman has said recently?

[Thaumagurist*]

the fact that we are pleading poverty after 2 years

Are we?

Where have you been?
Haven't you taken in anything the chairman has said recently?

Kindly provide the quote where Mr Madejski has pleaded poverty.

[Victor Meldrew]

FFS Spacey-please don't waste people's time.
For weeks the chairman has been acting like Baron Hardup and you haven't noticed?
And if you ask me to provide proof of where he has been acting I will probably seek you out and give you a good thrashing.

[brendywendy]

actually i think he has said we are very healthy financially, but that there isnt some mythical pile of cash sloshing around at the club

[Thaumagurist*]

Exactly, brendy, he didn't say we are very poor or heavily in debt.

[BR2]

actually i think he has said we are very healthy financially, but that there isnt some mythical pile of cash sloshing around at the club

So we come back to- where's the Sky TV money?

[Stranded]

Read JM's comments this week on where the money has gone....

[Royal Rother]

actually i think he has said we are very healthy financially, but that there isnt some mythical pile of cash sloshing around at the club

So we come back to- where's the Sky TV money?

Comparison of Accounts 2007 to 2006 (y/e June)
Income up by £32m.
Less: Costs up by £19m, (of which staff costs account for £16m).
= Overall gain in 2007 over 2006 of £13m.

2006 loss of £6m, 2007 Profit of £7m = £13m better off (year on year), which is reflected in the sum above.

£7m profit effectively used to reduce borrowings.

Income in the above extraction from the Annual accounts of RFC included the Sky TV Money.

[West Stand Man]

Totally agree on Gibson

Has the fans mentality but is very sensible, patient and loyal

You mean he really knows nothing at all about football but is prepared to mouth off about it at any opportunity as if he were a highly paid manager/coach?

[brendywendy]

and that, ladiews and gentlemen is why we hate him so much
because we see ourselves in him

ooeerrr

[chandog]

and that, ladiews and gentlemen is why we hate him so much
because we see ourselves in him

ooeerrr

or because we are jealous of him
i mean i wish i had hair like hunt