Again, you're looking at extremes. We don't need to be in the top flight. We need to not be struggling at the wrong end of the championship, and eventually succumbing to relegation and starting again. We need to become an established championship club again first and foremost, and then build on that.
For me the infrastructure of the club and the area in general requires more investment than the playing staff. Better retention and being able to offer competitive wages is all that needs to be improved in this regard in my opinion. Renovation of the stadium, and making the club more accessible for more supporters is the area that needs addressing first and foremost.
Again. No argument. What we've been doing the last couple of years has been designed to do just that. Maybe it was also designed to make us debt free and a more attractive take over proposition. In which case maybe the plan has already worked.
I bet the number of google hits on new scoreboards has increased markedly over the last 48 hours. Sorry ST, couldn't resist.
The plans been great financially, and could be again, but the troughs between the peaks aren't good, and should a peak fail to materialise again it'll be back to league one. Another thing I've considered is that as the money further saturates the top two leagues, league one is becoming more competitive. Under the current plan there is always a chance that we may go down and down again. Scary thought.
It's true. Money has totally skewed the playing field and made it much harder to exist at our previous natural level.
You only have to look at the club's that occupied this level 20 years ago when we left for the top flight. Man City and West Bromwich sharing the division with swindon, Oxford, Grimsby and Oldham. We've done fantastically well as a club to keep coming back to this level. We should be proud of that.
Very interesting debate this. It's a bit like Brexit was for the political parties in that posters are agreeing with others that they wouldn't normally, and vice versa. Usually only HT manages that The news has definitely grabbed the imagination.
I feel it needs modernising, fully covering with a new roof and the wooden seats removing, even connecting to the Ponte with the corner filled in, but I wouldn't tear it down.
Will a foreign investor want to spend their money on something with no obvious return? If they did it'd be a good sign they had the right intentions. But spending a few million quid on a stand isn't likely to be a priority for someone chasing Premier League riches.
Totally agree, mate. It's an excellent debate, with good points being raised by both sides of the argument. The BBS at it's best.
i'd only worry about that west stand once or indeed if,we start challenging higher up the table,absolutely pointless spending money on that when the rest of the stadium is only two thirds full . getting a competitive squad together that isnt ram raided every six months must be the first target.
From what we can gather, discussions are still ongoing. I suggest we all patiently wait until contracts are exchanged and our present owner and our prospective new owners issue their statements outlining the workings of the deal that they have mutually agreed and outlined their plans for the future. I happen to agree with a lot of posters. I would personally prefer it if they opted to implement a plan of steady organic growth. That would probably culminate in a genuine effort at getting promoted to the Premier League. As I've said previously , as profit motivated investors, that's what they will probably seek to achieve to stand any chance of recouping their initial outlay and growing their already impressive portfolio. From the bits I've researched on their backgrounds they certainly don't appear to be fly by night chancers, on the contrary , they look to be prudent businessmen with a knack for creating wealth and investing it wisely. It's being labelled as a " Chinese" takeover. I am given over to thinking there is a strong US influence in their plans , given that both investors live in the States and unless they relocate , would need local representation to protect their day to day interests. I can think of two US investors who are involved in top flight Clubs re- the Glazers at Man U. They bought the Club using debt for £800 million in 2005. Today it has a shirt deal with Chevrolet worth £361 million over 7 years and an annual turnover in excess of £360 million pa. John W. Henry of Fenway Sports is a multi billionaire Investment Manager and owns Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox, Roush Fenway Racing and is principal owner of Liverpool FC and has pumped a not inconsiderable sum into the Reds of Liverpool. The only one who can be deemed to be a "failure" in recent times is Ellis Short at Sunderland. His Company Kildare Partners is a private equity fund investing in distressed European Real estate. He is London based and as a billionaire has the finance to bail Sunderland out should the need ever arise. Admitedly mixed fortunes for those three, but from their previous track records and given they've been given a rough ride by their supporters at times, they have doggedly stuck with it and remained involved. As I've said previously, for me, at the very least we should listen to what Messrs Lee and Conway have to say for themselves and their plans for our Club and its future before we start running for the hills.!