ferrarilover wrote:I've had a look, and it does seem to be a relatively large Board (although it's 12 members, rather than 14). However, we have a very flat management structure, so it's hardly as though we have reams and reams of Vice-Chairmen or middle-managers to contend with.
You don't regularly read of anything of the sort, unless you re-read the same piece of news time and again. We have seven members of the coaching staff, one one of those isn't really a coach at all, he's the performance analyst who happens to chip in with the nippers when he can.
Do you honestly think that we're pumping these mystery millions that everyone is so sure we have squirreled away into the poxy youth team? We, as a club, have basically bugger all. We are paying off a sh*t load of off field investments in order to establish the club as a proper professional outfit and not one with half a ground and no training pitch. I know a lot of you don't want me to be right and a lot of you would argue the sky was green if I told you it was blue but you really need to take my word for this: Torquay United is broke. Brassic. Penniless. Poor. Financially ruined. Out of dosh. Without recourse to funds.
Knilly has at his disposal a budget which is in the five smallest in the division. That's not because the youth team go everywhere by helicopter and feast on caviar and foie gras, but because we, as a business, generate barely enough money to keep the wolf from the door at the best of times. Deano Edwards (with a little help from those who are so minded) is working his balls off to get money into the club. The big screen is helping, as are the other initiatives which he is presently championing. I've seen first hand his ability to generate ideas out of almost nothing. He's a master of the art and we owe him a lot. In conjunction with the Candyman, those two are basically keeping the club afloat as we head through the season. Losing key players left, right and centre is hurting us more off the pitch than it is on it and Knilly is pulling off some unbelievable deals to secure players that a club with our available funds (i.e. zero pounds, zero pence) has absolutely no right to be getting hold of.
We are hampered presently too by the wage cap imposed upon us in order to attempt to restrain Manchester City from simply buying the Premier League title every year. Quite who thought that was a good idea, I don't know, but he wants bloody shooting. Bristol Rovers are in the same boat, but they deserve everything they get for offering Championship wages in L2 (allegedly, I don't actually know this to be true).
Further to your assertion that the Board are a bunch of dingbats who can't boast so much as a maths GCE between them, do you honestly believe they are stupid enough to not have employed an accountancy firm to do the books and explain to them all, in very short sentences, how much money they have to spend?
Additionally, on our Board, we have the MD of a successful and profitable flooring business, A solicitor who is at Partner level and specialises in business and commercial law. Another man who is currently on the Board of 5 profitable companies. One man who is MD of his own successful hardware store and others that I can't be arsed to look up. Our Board are perfectly conversant in matters financial.
So no, you needn't worry that the Board are pissing our budget up the wall by funding the youth team in preference to the first XI. Ok?
Matt.
Hi Matt and others.
I don't quite know how you think this information is accurate. Bristol Rovers most definitely are not paying anything like Championship wages. In fact their budget was cut most dramatically a couple of years ago which is why they are have a hard time of it. The last time they paid anything like big money was when players like Chris Lines and an almost unheard of guy called Lambert were there (wonder what happened to him).
Since then the budget has been slashed by half. True they were paying out 4k weekly to more than a couple of guys but they have moved on and since then their budget has been trimmed to paying not much more than we can. Their budget is higher than ours but they have used it to have a larger squad.
The next point is. Their stadium. This is not pie in the sky for them. The crowds are lower now due to lack of optimism. Lack of facilities. i.e. crap bogs. seats etc. lots of legal wrangling with various bodies for which I wish them well because it has a knock on effect to all clubs. They have a huge fan base and I have no doubt at all that if UWE gets built which I think it will their crowds will treble at least for a couple of seasons if they don't get success and longer if they do.
Lastly
The sky is mauve with little yellow and pink carnations. You've just been drinking the wrong beer.
