Club restructuring.

As I have said before.....the goal this season was to actually still have a club - then restructure everything to survive and maybe even make a small profit. Next season will be the same as this one due to our beloved EFL.  FV obviously doesn't have a pot to piss in so that makes you wonder why they are willing to go through all this rigmarole. But anyway so far so good IMO.

For every BWFC or Leeds that has invested to accumulate and overstretched themselves there are more clubs who have invested heavily and it's paid off. For some, a push from the Championship to get into the Premiership has been too much and they've lost money but still have enough to carry on. For others - BWFC included in the past - it's given them the huge rewards of Premiership money, now bigger than ever. It's not the principle of investing heavily in a club that's wrong, it's investing badly and not knowing when to stop.

The big problem is that for most clubs below the Premier League there simply isn't the revenue to spend their way to success. Even without the embargo FFP rules would make it impossible for us to simply buy a squad that could run up the leagues in quick succession and frankly we simply aren't big enough to get the kind of revenue we'd need to do it.

In truth there are still far too many clubs in the North West even without the two Manchester and two Merseyside clubs. Bury have effectively fallen, we're skating on wafer thin ice, Blackpool, Oldham, Rochdale, Tranmere, Accrington Stanley, Blackburn Rovers and several others exist more or less day to day or week to week and for most of them the PL might as well be on the moon.

Sadly I can see a time in the not too distant future where some of those clubs will have to merge to survive or simply disappear forever from the Football League. Football is still a pretty expensive way of spending an afternoon or evening compared to most other forms of entertainment and most 'fans' would rather subscribe to Sky and watch the PL from home. In truth it's not even Sky's fault or the Leagues. It's simply that the way people spend their money and free time has changed dramatically in the last twenty years or so and nothing will change it back.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:The big problem is that for most clubs below the Premier League there simply isn't the revenue to spend their way to success. Even without the embargo FFP rules would make it impossible for us to simply buy a squad that could run up the leagues in quick succession and frankly we simply aren't big enough to get the kind of revenue we'd need to do it.

In truth there are still far too many clubs in the North West even without the two Manchester and two Merseyside clubs. Bury have effectively fallen, we're skating on wafer thin ice, Blackpool, Oldham, Rochdale, Tranmere, Accrington Stanley, Blackburn Rovers and several others exist more or less day to day or week to week and for most of them the PL might as well be on the moon.

Sadly I can see a time in the not too distant future where some of those clubs will have to merge to survive or simply disappear forever from the Football League. Football is still a pretty expensive way of spending an afternoon or evening compared to most other forms of entertainment and most 'fans' would rather subscribe to Sky and watch the PL from home. In truth it's not even Sky's fault or the Leagues. It's simply that the way people spend their money and free time has changed dramatically in the last twenty years or so and nothing will change it back.

I have said similar for years - but can you imagine Oldham fans supporting Rochdale or Tranmere fans supporting Blackburn.
Unfortunately the fans would rather have the clubs go out of business. Its to do with old time mentality. You would think younger fans would have a more worldly view but it doesn't seem to be.
I'm surprised division three and fours clubs exist today.

wanderlust wrote:For every BWFC or Leeds that has invested to accumulate and overstretched themselves there are more clubs who have invested heavily and it's paid off. For some, a push from the Championship to get into the Premiership has been too much and they've lost money but still have enough to carry on. For others - BWFC included in the past - it's given them the huge rewards of Premiership money, now bigger than ever. It's not the principle of investing heavily in a club that's wrong, it's investing badly and not knowing when to stop.

BWFC didn't gain 'the huge rewards of Premiership money' it gained wages spending power but continually lost money in trying to avoid the financial cliff edge that is the Championship.

BWFC fell off the cliff edge at the worst possible time when broadcasting incomes were set to double and FFP rules started to play a part in limiting the percentage of club revenue that could (legally) be spent on wages.

The Championship is a money pit in which every club loses money, except for a  few but only in years where they make gains on player sales sufficient to offset operating losses.

Lower down the leagues, clubs need businessmen willing to spend a bit to keep the clubs going. FGR is a special case in which taxpayer subsidies are diverted to further the ego trip of a tax-avoiding narcissistic 'planet saviour'.

Ten Bobsworth wrote:

wanderlust wrote:For every BWFC or Leeds that has invested to accumulate and overstretched themselves there are more clubs who have invested heavily and it's paid off. For some, a push from the Championship to get into the Premiership has been too much and they've lost money but still have enough to carry on. For others - BWFC included in the past - it's given them the huge rewards of Premiership money, now bigger than ever. It's not the principle of investing heavily in a club that's wrong, it's investing badly and not knowing when to stop.

BWFC didn't gain 'the huge rewards of Premiership money' it gained wages spending power but continually lost money in trying to avoid the financial cliff edge that is the Championship.

So the club didn't make bad investments in players not capable of keeping us in the Premiership?

wanderlust wrote:

Ten Bobsworth wrote:

wanderlust wrote:For every BWFC or Leeds that has invested to accumulate and overstretched themselves there are more clubs who have invested heavily and it's paid off. For some, a push from the Championship to get into the Premiership has been too much and they've lost money but still have enough to carry on. For others - BWFC included in the past - it's given them the huge rewards of Premiership money, now bigger than ever. It's not the principle of investing heavily in a club that's wrong, it's investing badly and not knowing when to stop.

BWFC didn't gain 'the huge rewards of Premiership money' it gained wages spending power but continually lost money in trying to avoid the financial cliff edge that is the Championship.

So the club didn't make bad investments in players not capable of keeping us in the Premiership?

No it didn't.

The squad we had was 'to good to go down'.

No other semi-competent manager other than Coyle would have got relegated with it.

The 'mistake' was an individual one from Phil Gartside not to sack Coyle before the January window, when instead of buying cover for the massively influential but injured Stuart Holden in midfield, Coyle instead blew all the budget millions on a forward with mental health issues who went on to play just two substitute appearances for the second half of the relegation season.

It wasn't Sordell's fault for being ill but it was clearly Coyle's fault for signing him without having him scouted out properly first, as he clearly was unfit to play for us from the time of the signing, so clearly that should have been picked up at the time if the background checks and medical were done before actually signing him.

Fwiw Coyle then went on to dispatch the club to our fate by the reckless spending on contracts (both wages and lengths) during the summer window in his pathetic attempt to get promoted at the first attempt, which ultimately ruined us financially.

Thanks Owen.

Still sticks in my craw that both Stoke goals in that final game shouldn't have been. However, we really shouldn't have been in that position in the first place.