Steve Claridge's views on Chairmen and finances etc.

[Ian Royal]

This.

Cutting our coat to fit our cloth and aiming to get back into the Premier League are not mutually exclusive.

I think there may be an issue with timelines though.

Some people clearly thought relegation was a minor set back and we'd shoot straight back up. Which really flies in the face of logic, but is kind of understandable (and in terms of communications from the club you can see that they didn;t exactly try and point out that it would be a big ask)

I think there is no answer to the problem. As has been pointed out there are a number of people who simply won't believe anything that doesn;t support their view, and there is no way that the club would make statements that DO support their ultra negative take on things.
I also think that some people want things on a plate. It's always been clear that getting to the Prem involved a fair chunk of luck alongside the hard work and I well remember thinking at the promotion celebrations that it was important to enjoy them as that could well have been the best we ever saw. To take every statement from the club as if it were tablets from the mountain is really very naive (and sometimes the club are equally naive in what they say !). We were never going to be as big as Arsenal, so why did Mr Howe say it ? On the other hand why did anyone in their right mind think it was even a remote possibility ? Just treat these things as what they are, throwaway remarks rather than promises....

The only thing I'd say in response to that, is that we very very nearly did shoot straight back to the Premier League (albeit we'd have been quite likely to come straight back down again).

[Smoking Kills Dancing Doe]

Even when the club and the holding company post fully-audited accounts, people refuse to believe them. The club has no chance when it comes to communicating with fans, because there will always be a large group who refuse to listen.

Why do you think that is?

Because we don't want to hear it.

Its actually a fair enough stance in a way. For most of us football is (was is probably more appropriate) supposed to be the escape from the hassles of work/life and the end of a week. We don't want to hear about cloth cutting, recession or financial downturns , we just want 11 blokes to believe in on a Saturday afternoon and don't really give a toss how we get them or how much they cost (unless they're shit of course and then we'll hammer them for being a waste of money).

Trouble is though that someone does have to worry about the shitty stuff and in the media drenched world we live in, we' cant really escape from it.

I think this is a fantastic post and sums up how I feel as a fan.

I know JM is doing the right thing. I don't want to think about it though, football is an escape. Got enough things to worry about.

A small part of me will always want to live the dream and thank God we got a Chairman more rational than a me.

[Sun Tzu]

This.

Cutting our coat to fit our cloth and aiming to get back into the Premier League are not mutually exclusive.

I think there may be an issue with timelines though.

Some people clearly thought relegation was a minor set back and we'd shoot straight back up. Which really flies in the face of logic, but is kind of understandable (and in terms of communications from the club you can see that they didn;t exactly try and point out that it would be a big ask)

I think there is no answer to the problem. As has been pointed out there are a number of people who simply won't believe anything that doesn;t support their view, and there is no way that the club would make statements that DO support their ultra negative take on things.
I also think that some people want things on a plate. It's always been clear that getting to the Prem involved a fair chunk of luck alongside the hard work and I well remember thinking at the promotion celebrations that it was important to enjoy them as that could well have been the best we ever saw. To take every statement from the club as if it were tablets from the mountain is really very naive (and sometimes the club are equally naive in what they say !). We were never going to be as big as Arsenal, so why did Mr Howe say it ? On the other hand why did anyone in their right mind think it was even a remote possibility ? Just treat these things as what they are, throwaway remarks rather than promises....

The only thing I'd say in response to that, is that we very very nearly did shoot straight back to the Premier League (albeit we'd have been quite likely to come straight back down again).

Indeed.


I still haven;t really worked out whether going back up would have completely crippled us or been the making of the club ! I suspect some would say it couldn;t have been any worse than the position we've ended up in, which would be fair comment.
Was last season what is known in financial circles as the dead cat bounce ?

[Ian Royal]

I'm not accepted in financial circles.

[andrew1957]

I still haven;t really worked out whether going back up would have completely crippled us or been the making of the club ! I suspect some would say it couldn;t have been any worse than the position we've ended up in, which would be fair comment.
Was last season what is known in financial circles as the dead cat bounce ?

As I work in the financial sector I would say that last season and this one are more of a W shaped recession than a dead cat bounce. The latter means that Markets fall, rise a tiny bit and then fall again.

In our case we fell, nearly made it back to the previous peak and then fell back even lower than before.

The question is are we now going into a new Bull Market or are we going into a major Depression.

[Royal We]

The question is are we now going into a new Bull Market or are we going into a major Depression.

Mr Mad has been known to talk a load of bull which can be quite depressing.

[Ian Royal]

I still haven;t really worked out whether going back up would have completely crippled us or been the making of the club ! I suspect some would say it couldn;t have been any worse than the position we've ended up in, which would be fair comment.
Was last season what is known in financial circles as the dead cat bounce ?

As I work in the financial sector I would say that last season and this one are more of a W shaped recession than a dead cat bounce. The latter means that Markets fall, rise a tiny bit and then fall again.

In our case we fell, nearly made it back to the previous peak and then fell back even lower than before.

The question is are we now going into a new Bull Market or are we going into a major Depression.

I've certainly gone into a major depression following that astonishing effort to win Bullshit Bingo.

[rabidbee]

Even when the club and the holding company post fully-audited accounts, people refuse to believe them. The club has no chance when it comes to communicating with fans, because there will always be a large group who refuse to listen.

I think the problem is that we as fans still have this rather old-fashioned notion that along with the board we're all in it together, when practically speaking really we're not.

Its the job of the club to sell itself to as many people as possible. Its therefore inevitable that an element of spin and salesspeak is used in order to attract new supporters, placate existing ones and publicly demonstrate confidence in your management team & players.. RFC are no different to any other club in this respect and football itself is no different to any other business in the way it will talk up its potential and appeal.

Of course JM is the fly in the ointment of this because he generally says the first thing which comes into his head without actually thinking it through. Hence we get "we're pushing for promotion" feelgood messages one minute and "cloth-cutting" doom and gloom the next. JM is actually the antithisis of the "spin" that he's accused of because there's nothing particularly calculated about his public utterances. They're just the words of a man who is used to voicing his opinion and having people take notice of it.

Thats why I just don't get long standing supporters in particular who talk about being "conned" by JM or the club. When alls said and done all they can guarantee you is the allotted amount of home games in whatever division you're in at the time. You have no say in who plays for your club, who we sign or who we sell. It's always been that way and it always will.

Supermassiveagreed to all of the above.

[rabidbee]

I know JM is doing the right thing. I don't want to think about it though, football is an escape. Got enough things to worry about.

The thing to do, then, would be to stop worrying about it.

[rabidbee]

you can hjave aims,and its ok not to achieve them you know

Will you become my manager?

[brendywendy]

you can hjave aims,and its ok not to achieve them you know

Will you become my manager?

lol

just think its ok to aim high and miss
an objective however is probably different

[BobKnows]

Even when the club and the holding company post fully-audited accounts, people refuse to believe them. The club has no chance when it comes to communicating with fans, because there will always be a large group who refuse to listen.

I think the problem is that we as fans still have this rather old-fashioned notion that along with the board we're all in it together, when practically speaking really we're not.

Its the job of the club to sell itself to as many people as possible. Its therefore inevitable that an element of spin and salesspeak is used in order to attract new supporters, placate existing ones and publicly demonstrate confidence in your management team & players.. RFC are no different to any other club in this respect and football itself is no different to any other business in the way it will talk up its potential and appeal.

Of course JM is the fly in the ointment of this because he generally says the first thing which comes into his head without actually thinking it through. Hence we get "we're pushing for promotion" feelgood messages one minute and "cloth-cutting" doom and gloom the next. JM is actually the antithisis of the "spin" that he's accused of because there's nothing particularly calculated about his public utterances. They're just the words of a man who is used to voicing his opinion and having people take notice of it.

Thats why I just don't get long standing supporters in particular who talk about being "conned" by JM or the club. When alls said and done all they can guarantee you is the allotted amount of home games in whatever division you're in at the time. You have no say in who plays for your club, who we sign or who we sell. It's always been that way and it always will.

Supermassiveagreed to all of the above.

+ mega 1