I would be happy with mid table or thereabout status, If I continued to get more regular news about the sustainability plan. Theres a lot going on, a lot being done and a load more to do, I hope soon from first progress reports from the Fans forum /Trust and other Comms and trust it wont all be about parking, burgers and toilets, It will be maybe a test about more engagement at a higher level, accepting you cant go blurting out certain financial information
However if fans are expected to enjoy aspects of unexciting football as described by Paul Clark and a wide chunk of the fan base, then the compensation factor s knowing its really worth it on the finance front and sustainability
I get the patience theme but suspect even Jason struggles with that otherwise he wouldnt be an excellent project Manager
Its gone a little quiet. As their is a sustainability plan in place ,I could live with temporary mediocrity because I want my club to survive long term , But it would be great if we were allowed a little more financial information from time to time
Im not quite expecting a quarterly trading report and Audit analysis but an update on debt levels every 6 months and progress on reducing the £2mn shortfall to £1.750000 would bring a lot of comfort and the odd smiley face from me ?! if we are still propping up mid table
I think it's been fairly frequently stated that there is a funding gap of about £1m by being in this league. That makes long term sustainability as a NL club with our current set up and stadium costs nigh on impossible I would have thought; we don't need regular updates to take that on board.
Patience here means seasons, not months. It's all too easy to forget that the stadium had years of under and then non investment because RM thought we would be moving to FF. COSU's plans to hit the ground running were completely destroyed by the delayed takeover which meant that all their initial ideas (which I believe included a fan zone) were shelved and the monies set aside for that had to be used to pay wages and other essential expenses necessary to keep the club alive until the takeover went through. It was touch and go for months as to whether we would even survive and I'm told that it was far from a given that all members of COSU were on the same page regarding the additional funds needed to even get the deal over the line.
And then it happened but by then, we were 3 weeks behind everyone and the emphasis had to be on the playing squad.
Even now, they have only been in charge for 5 months.
So, with respect, suggesting that patience and mid-table status is only acceptable as long as you get some financial details about the long term sustainability to satisfy you and enable you to post the odd smiley face icon is not only unreasonable, it is unbelievably egocentric.
Saving the club was nothing to do with you, me or any of the fans save the ones who make up COSU. Similarly, funding the club is also nothing to do with us. How they direct and spend the money is nothing to do with us. How they manage the funding differential and reduce the deficits, making it more sustainable is nothing to do with us. For all we know, they may be taking the view that for the next 2-3 seasons they will NOT be able to close the gap and may have to incur losses in order to be where they need to be long term, the EFL. I don't know and I don't care really because it's nothing to do with us.
These guys have put their hands in their own pockets to ensure that fans have a club to support, so I absolutely trust them to now not do anything to kill it. We are not at the mercy of one owner, there is a consortium made up of predominantly people like you and me who probably only differ because they have enough money to be able to afford to lose some of it. And they have done this for all of our benefit. They are the ones entitled to ask the financial questions (and I'm certain that they do).
I don't claim to speak for anyone other than me, but I'll wager that if, back in mid July, you asked every single fan to select the most preferable option between a) Going out of existence or b) Accepting mid table status for a few seasons whilst re-building took place, the answer would be almost 100% b) (with the differential being the one who put "Bart". There's always one.)
So, whilst I am absolutely sure that you, like me, are 100% grateful for what COSU have done, can I suggest that the next time you attend the Hall or watch the team on DAZN you inwardly smile and take a ton of comfort from the fact that these guys have made that simple act possible.
Then sit back, enjoy the game and stop personally worrying about the money side of things. It's nothing to do with us. They've got this.
