Football Club finances

[singe]

There is a report on the BBC about David Sullivan looking at the state of footballs finances. He is looking to buy another club, so will undoubtedly have access to some clubs budgets with a view to buy.

Clubs are borrowing against future gate AND TV money.

He predicts some clubs will go bust, and he is in a better porositon that you or I.

 

I know the old adage was you have to speculate to accumulate, but that was pre the mess Gordon Brown created, which is ironic considering his prudent and sensible approach in the early days as Chancellor.

 

We simply have to be self sustaining, and not be borrowing left right and centre.

Debt is debt and has to be paid back at some point.

 

In my view, it hammers home (pardon the pun) the need to run a club prudently, and we are lucky to have the TTA, and why I support the move to Failsworth despite concerns and reservations about the location, and making sure expansion is possible. if the need arises.

 

Clubs will go under

Edited January 12, 2010 by singe

[razza699]

There is a report on the BBC about David Sullivan looking at the state of footballs finances. He is looking to buy another club, so will undoubtedly have access to some clubs budgets with a view to buy.

Clubs are borrowing against future gate AND TV money.

He predicts some clubs will go bust, and he is in a better porositon that you or I.

 

I know the old adage was you have to speculate to accumulate, but that was pre the mess Gordon Brown created, which is ironic considering his prudent and sensible approach in the early days as Chancellor.

 

We simply have to be self sustaining, and not be borrowing left right and centre.

Debt is debt and has to be paid back at some point.

 

In my view, it hammers home (pardon the pun) the need to run a club prudently, and we are lucky to have the TTA, and why I support the move to Failsworth despite concerns and reservations about the location, and making sure expansion is possible. if the need arises.

 

Clubs will go under

 

I have it on good authority from David Sullivans cleaners dogs fleas that we are one of the clubs he is interested in.

 

[Zorrro]

It all makes sense now. We become 'self-sustaining' () and become Premiership champions by default because everyone else has gone bust. It's perfect!

[Lookers_Carl]

It all makes sense now. We become 'self-sustaining' () and become Premiership champions by default because everyone else has gone bust. It's perfect!

 

 

*cough cough cough cough cough* The same theory was also touted 10 years ago, although one or two have come close, and one club has changed its name, no one has gone bust

 

 

 

 

:censored:! Oh hell lets just do what the rest do, get an arab or a russian to buy us out, spend like crazy then go into administration

[Zorrro]

At least it'd be fun.

[leeslover]

At least it'd be fun.

Bet they are pissing their pants at Notts County and Portsmouth.

[Zorrro]

This is only my personal opinion, of course, and I doubt many will agree, but I've grown increasingly disillusioned over the past two or three years. If we went for it, failed and went out of business, I'd be a bit gutted for a while, but I'd console myself with the fact we gave it a go. I want excitement, not lower league stability.

 

The flip side of that is that we go for it and make it, in which case we'll be quids in. Bonus.

[Takemeanywhere]

This is only my personal opinion, of course, and I doubt many will agree, but I've grown increasingly disillusioned over the past two or three years. If we went for it, failed and went out of business, I'd be a bit gutted for a while, but I'd console myself with the fact we gave it a go. I want excitement, not lower league stability.

 

The flip side of that is that we go for it and make it, in which case we'll be quids in. Bonus.

 

The demise of Oldham Athletic would only leave you 'a bit gutted for a while'?

 

I suppose you'd still have your Crystal Palace.

 

[leeslover]

This is only my personal opinion, of course, and I doubt many will agree, but I've grown increasingly disillusioned over the past two or three years. If we went for it, failed and went out of business, I'd be a bit gutted for a while, but I'd console myself with the fact we gave it a go. I want excitement, not lower league stability.

 

The flip side of that is that we go for it and make it, in which case we'll be quids in. Bonus.

How would we be quids in? There isn’t some promised land where you are suddenly financially sorted and funded to stay at that level, when teams at all levels are bankrupting themselves to stay competitive we would have to do the same if we want to have the same level of funding as them. This is where the Corp misses the point, a mega-rich owner might buy promotion (or he might spend it and fail) but it doesn’t mean anything unless he is prepared to continue the spending, Championship money doesn’t make you competitive against other teams that have the same and also higher gates etc. The only way to get success and keep it is off-field income, punching above your weight and generalised good luck.

[GlossopLatic]

This is only my personal opinion, of course, and I doubt many will agree, but I've grown increasingly disillusioned over the past two or three years. If we went for it, failed and went out of business, I'd be a bit gutted for a while, but I'd console myself with the fact we gave it a go. I want excitement, not lower league stability.

 

The flip side of that is that we go for it and make it, in which case we'll be quids in. Bonus.

 

I want to watch Oldham Athletic for more than 3 more years though and I wouldn't want to watch the fall out from that as we fly down the leagues into getting pasted in league 2 and head into the conference bet its no fun being a portsmouth fan now and it will be even less so next season when they start next season on -10 in the championship. Portsmouth gambled and had success on the pitch, they got to the top half of the premiership won the FA cup and got into europe and they still made no money which is why they are in the mess they are in now, and they were getting the same if not bigger crowds than us if we were in a similar position so we will not be quids in.

Edited January 12, 2010 by GlossopLatic

[Diego_Sideburns]

This is only my personal opinion, of course, and I doubt many will agree, but I've grown increasingly disillusioned over the past two or three years. If we went for it, failed and went out of business, I'd be a bit gutted for a while, but I'd console myself with the fact we gave it a go. I want excitement, not lower league stability.

 

The flip side of that is that we go for it and make it, in which case we'll be quids in. Bonus.

 

I could underatand your view if you were owner of the club, but you want the excitement at someone else's expense.

 

After supporting Latics for nearly sixty years, I can count exciting seasons on one hand, but I still look forward to having the Club to support.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

I could underatand your view

 

I don't underatand that.

[razza699]

This is only my personal opinion, of course, and I doubt many will agree, but I've grown increasingly disillusioned over the past two or three years. If we went for it, failed and went out of business, I'd be a bit gutted for a while, but I'd console myself with the fact we gave it a go. I want excitement, not lower league stability.

 

The flip side of that is that we go for it and make it, in which case we'll be quids in. Bonus.

 

 

aye

 

Go Hard or Go Home

[Alec1954]

"the mess Gordon Brown created"

 

Ahhhh... it's the PM's fault..... now we know!

[oafc0000]

Debt is debt and has to be paid back at some point.

 

Including the £3 million we owe to TTA...

[Zorrro]

The demise of Oldham Athletic would only leave you 'a bit gutted for a while'?

 

I suppose you'd still have your Crystal Palace.

 

Or Fulham.

 

How would we be quids in? There isn’t some promised land where you are suddenly financially sorted and funded to stay at that level, when teams at all levels are bankrupting themselves to stay competitive we would have to do the same if we want to have the same level of funding as them. This is where the Corp misses the point, a mega-rich owner might buy promotion (or he might spend it and fail) but it doesn’t mean anything unless he is prepared to continue the spending, Championship money doesn’t make you competitive against other teams that have the same and also higher gates etc. The only way to get success and keep it is off-field income, punching above your weight and generalised good luck.

 

Quids in was a bit naughty of me, admittedly. I should've said, "We'd be in the Championship," but where's the fun in that?

 

I want to watch Oldham Athletic for more than 3 more years though and I wouldn't want to watch the fall out from that as we fly down the leagues into getting pasted in league 2 and head into the conference bet its no fun being a portsmouth fan now and it will be even less so next season when they start next season on -10 in the championship. Portsmouth gambled and had success on the pitch, they got to the top half of the premiership won the FA cup and got into europe and they still made no money which is why they are in the mess they are in now, and they were getting the same if not bigger crowds than us if we were in a similar position so we will not be quids in.

 

We're going to end up in League Two anyway; might as well go out in a blaze of glory rather than limping along with pathetic resignation.

 

I could underatand your view if you were owner of the club, but you want the excitement at someone else's expense.

 

After supporting Latics for nearly sixty years, I can count exciting seasons on one hand, but I still look forward to having the Club to support.

 

Of course I want excitement at someone else's expense. Why would I want it at my expense?

 

 

Like I said, I can fully understand why people don't agree. It's quite an 'abnormal' opinion. But everyone reacts differently to each and every situation. Me? I still haven't recovered from us losing top flight status. I see the situation at the moment and can only see things getting worse, which is why I'd like to see one final fanfare.

[LaticsPete]

I could underatand your view if you were owner of the club, but you want the excitement at someone else's expense.

 

After supporting Latics for nearly sixty years, I can count exciting seasons on one hand, but I still look forward to having the Club to support.

 

 

Agree 100% with the sentiment (except it's 50 years for me being a Johnny come lately). But I would need need both hands.

 

60/1 - my first season and exciting because of Johnstone, Lister etc and what was a rebirth of the club

62/3 - promotion, big crowds, lots of goals

70/1 - as above with Jim Fryatt

73/4 - back into the top two divs - again lots of goals and promotion, plus a ten match winning streak

86/7 - wow, so close

89/90 - Pinch me

90/1 - Back into the top flight

91/2 - was excited throughout that first season

92/3 - always tense and a great finish

 

[latic12345]

Or Fulham.

 

Or AFC Nando's. I'd audition for team mascot....

 

[Stitch_KTF]

I reckon I'm on Zorro's side here.

 

It's all good and well having "had a club to support" for 60 years. Problem is the next 60 years are looking pretty bleak for lower division football in comparison to the last 60, when the divides were a fraction of what they are today. The main issue for me is the absolute lack of interest in our division. Despite living in Oldham if it wasn't for this site I wouldn't be able to remember my last worthwhile conversation about Latics. We're in the doldrums and seemingly only aspiring to stay here.

 

If we were to give it a go and go under would that really be worse than having some no-mark shadow of the club acting as nothing more (in my eyes) than a reminder of what could have been? Where's the fun in "having a club to support" if supporting the club simply entails paying through the nose to watch crap players in a crap atmosphere?

[Takemeanywhere]

Or AFC Nando's. I'd audition for team mascot....

 

You big chicken.

 

[thelaticsfan]

we really need to get stable and soon, our situation is poor and while there are a lot of clubs in the fire t the moment were just simmering on the outside of it, it is around about the make or break period for a lot of clubs including us, we either do something that gets us stable, take risks but not too much of one (which is what i think the new stadium is doing for us) or we end up in the fire like the rest of them

 

i remember reading about scunthorpe and how they are one of only a few clubs who are currently financially stable in the top 2 divisions and i think that is mainly down to new stadium, think if we get this new stadium we should be ok, looking at colchester aswell they seem to be stable at the moment aswell thanks hugely to the income of the new stadium.

 

infact if you look at all clubs who have received new stadiums they seem to be doing alright,whereas those riding on the finances from players are facing huge problems

[garcon]

The ideal of self-sustained stability was a noble one, but it is time to accept it as nowt but an impossible myth.

 

I very much doubt that any club from the top of the Premiership to the bottom of the Conference North is truly self-sustaining, if you actually examine the full extent of their accounts.

 

If you accept that then what, ultimately, is there to lose by spending millions you haven't got on a bid for glory? Quite frankly I'd rather see the club do that and go out of business than continue suffering the long and painful death by cancer that has currently set in.

 

Oh, and this idea that going out of business would be some kind of permanent end is nonsense. If OAFC (2004) Ltd does end up in liquidation and Oldham Athletic AFC are expelled from the Football League, then I have no doubt that Pine Villa FC will rise from the ashes and be found playing in the second division of the Manchester League in front of a small band of die hard latics fans.

[GlossopLatic]

We're going to end up in League Two anyway; might as well go out in a blaze of glory rather than limping along with pathetic resignation.

 

Their is nothing glorious about watching your team getting absolutely wacked by crapper teams than we are playing now and having an even less talented squad lets put ourselves in that position of having an even smaller group of players on 2-300 pound a week and then we will see if the grass really is greener on the other side.

 

[GlossopLatic]

The ideal of self-sustained stability was a noble one, but it is time to accept it as nowt but an impossible myth.

 

I very much doubt that any club from the top of the Premiership to the bottom of the Conference North is truly self-sustaining, if you actually examine the full extent of their accounts.

 

Then tell me why they have existed in many cases for over 110 years? you telling me football clubs have ever truly been profitable entities becasue they haven't. What was Joe Royle told on his first day in office don't put your things in the draw otherwise the administrators will take them away. We survived that we will probably survive what we are going through now. I'm pretty confident if history is anything to go by we will still have 92 proffesional teams playing in this country in 5 years time and probably 10 aswell an most will be losing money and on the brink of bankruptcy.

Edited January 12, 2010 by GlossopLatic

[garcon]

Some clubs may have been profitable once upon a time, but the inexorable chase for glory means that even they are now spending way beyond their income. If they were "normal" businesses then any number of them would have gone to the wall by now, including at least two of the top four.

Edited January 12, 2010 by garcon