Breaking News SZ & Trust meeting with RM Tuesday.

[onceknownasrab]

So we are under an embargo by choice, what a ground breaking way to run a football club. I hate the man with a passion and at this moment I actually want to swing him around by the gonads even more than I did 24 hours ago. If I've heard the same as Cricko and Smiffy regarding debts then I think RM facing a Tsunami is an understatement, it will probably be his armageddon and trying to get the support onside when this happens is at the root of this last weeks PR stunt.

Maybe if we want to instigate change we need to dispense with the 'swing him around by the gonads' approach. I do understand your sentiment but its unlikely to get us very far.

 

[Firestorm]

Excellent post Wes.

Particularly the bit in bold.

Ron can blame the "banking collapse" as much as he likes, but as you say many, many other clubs, some much smaller than our own have managed to build nice FOUR sided stadiums. In the time it has taken us to not even get the plans passed. That won't wash any more. The fact is, he does not have the money to get this started, let alone see it through to completion. As I posted yesterday. Some £7.6m needs to be given to the council either before or shortly after completion of the stadium, before it can be "operational" where the hell is Ron going to find that sort of cash?

I really can see it either not happening at all, or ending up being a half built 3 sided monstrosity. Due to his lack of funds.

The same goes for the day to day operation of the club. It's time he put it up for sale IMO. And before the usual questions of "who will buy it?" pop up. I don't know. But, until he puts it on the market we won't know will we. If he does (for a sensible price, bearing in mind our net asset value is well in the negative £m's) and nobody comes forward, then fair enough I will agree we are perhaps stuck with each other.

Other than
Colchester, Paid for by the local council
Brighton, its sponsored by the company who has lent them the money and has dragged on longer than ours , when was the last game at the Goldstone
I can't think of any other clubs who have upgraded their stadiums in since the banking crisis

 

[londonblue]

So we are under an embargo by choice, what a ground breaking way to run a football club. I hate the man with a passion and at this moment I actually want to swing him around by the gonads even more than I did 24 hours ago. If I've heard the same as Cricko and Smiffy regarding debts then I think RM facing a Tsunami is an understatement, it will probably be his armageddon and trying to get the support onside when this happens is at the root of this last weeks PR stunt.

I wouldn't say that. I would say we are under an embargo by Hobson's choice, i.e. it's the lesser of two evils...but what we don't know is what the other evil is...

 

[Smiffy]

Other than
Colchester, Paid for by the local council
Brighton, its sponsored by the company who has lent them the money and has dragged on longer than ours , when was the last game at the Goldstone
I can't think of any other clubs who have upgraded their stadiums in since the banking crisis

Rotherham
Chesterfield
Morecambe
Cardiff

Are a few I can think of, off the top of my head.

 

[North Wales Shrimper]

Other than
Colchester, Paid for by the local council
Brighton, its sponsored by the company who has lent them the money and has dragged on longer than ours , when was the last game at the Goldstone
I can't think of any other clubs who have upgraded their stadiums in since the banking crisis

Rotherham.

 

[Firestorm]

Don't pay another club - Bad Ron
Don't pay Staff -Bad Ron
Don't pay HMRC - Bad Ron

SUFC Supporters not spending enough money to cover the wages of their "heroes" - Bad Ron

I agree, its time he went........

 

[Smiffy]

Don't pay another club - Bad Ron
Don't pay Staff -Bad Ron
Don't pay HMRC - Bad Ron

SUFC Supporters not spending enough money to cover the wages of their "heroes" - Bad Ron

I agree, its time he went........

So it is the "fans" fault then?

Or have I got the wrong end of the stick there?

 

[Shrimpers are Magic]

If the town wants a professional football team then get to Roots Hall and support it before it's to late - that is the long and short of it.

 

[Firestorm]

So it is the "fans" fault then?

Thats not what I meant, its just that there are reasons why we have cash flow problems , cash flow problems can lead to liquidation and sometimes require the prioritising of debts based on the consequences.
At the moment, embargo, no staff or winding up order seem to be the three consequences, I know which one I would take

 

[Shrimper]

Other than
Colchester, Paid for by the local council
Brighton, its sponsored by the company who has lent them the money and has dragged on longer than ours , when was the last game at the Goldstone
I can't think of any other clubs who have upgraded their stadiums in since the banking crisis

Colchester
Brighton
Morecambe
Chesterfield
Rotherham
Torquay
Wolves
Wimbledon are currently going through the process of acquiring a new stadium
MK Dons - expanding to 32,000
Crawley Town

 

[Firestorm]

Rotherham
Chesterfield
Morecambe
Cardiff

Are a few I can think of, off the top of my head.

Rotherham paid for by the local council and they didn't move to upgrade they moved because the fell out with the owners of the ground (pre Don Valley)

Morecambe- same capacity (give or take a couple of hunderd) as the old ground , hardly an upgrade

Chesterfield, paid for by Chesterfield BC and then handed over to the club

Cardiffs new stadium was completed in January 2009 as it is widely acknowledged that the Financial Crisis started in Sept 2008 it is safe to assume that the funding was already in place brefore the "crunch"

 

[A Century United]

Rotherham paid for by the local council and they didn't move to upgrade they moved because the fell out with the owners of the ground (pre Don Valley)

Morecambe- same capacity (give or take a couple of hunderd) as the old ground , hardly an upgrade

Chesterfield, paid for by Chesterfield BC and then handed over to the club

Cardiffs new stadium was completed in January 2009 as it is widely acknowledged that the Financial Crisis started in Sept 2008 it is safe to assume that the funding was already in place brefore the "crunch"

Another Sainsbury's deal, but on a much smaller scale than Fossetts.

 

[Jam_Man]

Rotherham paid for by the local council and they didn't move to upgrade they moved because the fell out with the owners of the ground (pre Don Valley)

Morecambe- same capacity (give or take a couple of hunderd) as the old ground , hardly an upgrade

Chesterfield, paid for by Chesterfield BC and then handed over to the club

Cardiffs new stadium was completed in January 2009 as it is widely acknowledged that the Financial Crisis started in Sept 2008 it is safe to assume that the funding was already in place brefore the "crunch"

Which may explain why Ron Marting wont sell SUFC on its own.

Sell the Club, the club gets a new stadium from the council and Fossetts is a waste of time. I know thats over simplified and the chance of the BC being able to provide a stadium anywhere and anytime soon is very remote, but would certainly give a reason to retain ownership.

 

[blue sky]

RM said he had a hotel chain 'interested' - well thats a million miles from having one signed-up and sounds like more spin.
Sadly I feel mr Martin is way out of his depth re the FF development and I'm very doubtful that any of this will go ahead while he insists on being sole developer. The more worrying aspect is while he continues to cling onto his dream of FF and that 'it will all be OK once we get there' that he's mortgaged today for a tomorrow that never comes and like the magician trying to keep the plates spinning, they are all in danger of falling off the poles.

 

[Depor_Shrimper]

RM said he had a hotel chain 'interested' - well thats a million miles from having one signed-up and sounds like more spin.
Sadly I feel mr Martin is way out of his depth re the FF development and I'm very doubtful that any of this will go ahead while he insists on being sole developer. The more worrying aspect is while he continues to cling onto his dream of FF and that 'it will all be OK once we get there' that he's mortgaged today for a tomorrow that never comes and like the magician trying to keep the plates spinning, they are all in danger of falling off the poles.

Good news - we didn't have enough funds for china plates so Ron has bought some cheap plastic ones from the 99p store in the high street. Therefore if the plates fall off the poles we won't need to worry. Good old Ron, he has everything covered!

 

[united we stand]

Can you imagine Ron trying to get investment for SUFC and FF on dragaons den?

 

[onceknownasrab]

Which may explain why Ron Marting wont sell SUFC on its own.

Sell the Club, the club gets a new stadium from the council and Fossetts is a waste of time. I know thats over simplified and the chance of the BC being able to provide a stadium anywhere and anytime soon is very remote, but would certainly give a reason to retain ownership.

You could well be right here. I would like to know though why SBC, who stand to gain massively from the project in terms of town profile and employment, have done so little to get this stadium built. We have a number of councils around the country that have stumped up hard cash to build new stadiums and others that are proactive in their support of club plans. I am totally unconvinced of any major effort on the part of SBC.

I remember being in the shrimpers bar in the days of VJ for a public meeting which included the town planners. The club were desperately trying to find a site suitable for a new ground. The council had rejected several proposals. I asked why the council could not actively seek/suggest an acceptable area. Their reply was that the club would have to submit plans and then the council will decide. They would not even work with the club in identifying a good place.

of course, finding land, drawing up plans and submitting them only to be rejected was a financial and time sapping procedure. If SBC had acted in the best interests of the town we would have had a new stadium years ago.

Thats why I feel we need to be in talks with RM, Sainsburys and SBC so we can identify where many of the hold ups are and how much is done by whom to iron out the creases.

 

[Jam_Man]

Back in VJ's day football was a different prospect, it was perceived as a bunch of hooligans causing hassle.

Now its more family orientated and is seen as a boost for the town.

That Im sure would have played a part in how the council would have had reservations back then and are more supportive now.

 

[united we stand]

Regarding the finances, 75k is around where we thought, its hard to see how losses will be reduced when our attendances are so far below break even, but we will see. I would have liked to know whether the parent company are able to continue to cover these loss00es, but doubt we would have got much of an answer there.

.

I am guessing , and have no basis of fact that the looses will continue to be £75000 amonth , but the overall loss for the year will 'hopefully' fall from £900,000 (12*£75,000) to £500,000 as he 'hopes to sell Moshni and Ryan Hall and is counting on the next Ferninand installment (£70/75,000 iIIRC, but I don't recall when the payment falls)

 

[Smiffy]

I am guessing , and have no basis of fact that the looses will continue to be £75000 amonth , but the overall loss for the year will 'hopefully' fall from £900,000 (12*£75,000) to £500,000 as he 'hopes to sell Moshni and Ryan Hall and is counting on the next Ferdinand instalment (£70/75,000 iIIRC, but I don't recall when the payment falls)

Forget that mate. It's gone. All gone.