Mrs Barista wrote:I do. As a supporter, my first priority is that the club survives, which it wouldn't have done without the merger. Obviously, then, the strides made off the pitch in terms of a £1million improvement to the finances since 2004 have been vital.
My second priority is success on the pitch. If everyone else is at or close to the cap and we are short to that extent, as a customer I'm being short-changed as we're not giving ouselves the best chance of that. We're paying the same price as other SL clubs (in fact more than most, but that's OK given our facilities) but getting less of our money spent on the team. For a club with our numbers of supporters and levels of merchandise turnover that's not acceptable.
Well put.
This isn't an issue to be dismissed out of hand as the implications, if true, are enormously important.
At the same time I'm reluctant to run around shouting about the sky falling without at least some evidence. Although I accept that's going to be difficult to provide.
Mrs Barista wrote:If this were true, what do people think our board's agenda is exactly? They won't be making much cash out of the business on an ongoing basis (stories of Kath's salary aside) as I understand interest on their loans is linked to base rate. They may be trying to improve the value of the business for onward sale, but surely they must recognise that 2 finishes outside the play-offs is eroding the value of the club as fast as profits are increasing it, so no one really benefits.
I have no idea. If it were a deliberate policy rather than as a result of misfortune/incompetence with recruitment and retention then it's a frankly baffling one.
