I’ve never seen attendance as some sort of justification of the decisions at the club, which might explain why I’d be there regardless. I don’t have any preconceived expectations. I’d prefer if it was cheaper but I could say that about my gas bill. I just love watching my home town team. I find it incredible, how I’ve become the minority on a supporters website because of this.

He said he didn’t want to be anything but a manager so I’m not sure why you’d spin a scenario based on nothing but your own assumptions? As @Gavpoints out, he may not have achieved what we would’ve wanted or expected but to declare him “utterly shameless” is the type of hyperbole you only find on BRFCS

You’d stop going if they didn’t hire a manager you rate?

I was reading an archive thread about HSH and I posted this in 2017, and I don’t think anything has changed and I don’t think it’s any more complicated!; “#1 problem since the beginning has been a void in structure and ultimate decision making.”

Ainsworth has become favourite over night, but that’s probably just early bets placed on a new market.

Each to their own but I’d be mortified if I missed our best home form in over a decade because I didn’t like the manager.

Couple of those things, specifically food / beer are subjective - for example, actually having a decent lager (Amstel) option in pints, instead of fosters is an improvement. I also don’t think the food (as far as chips / pies could go) isn’t that bad, and I will try the new Biryani at some point…! I agree it would be great to have local fare instead of agency staffed sodexo but I’m not sure just how easy that is to organise and I’m not the one paid to weigh up the spreadsheets! I would agree that their is a lack of imagination, but I don’t think it’s as bad as you make out? As for tickets - I can only see a price rise. For every penny less the club makes from this avenue = lower turnover = lower wage threshold before sanctions. When inflation is where it is, energy prices, with the covid black hole still within 3 seasons budget - I’m not sure fans realise just now close to the line we are. Would be great to cap / change everything to what you suggest, but then the “contract situation” gets harder to solve. The solution to all these issues is promotion ultimately.

I guess it’s easy to criticise and expect cheaper prices if you’re not the one challenged to improve turnover. The attendances have gone up this season, as it’s been said plenty of times, that’s down to results as opposed to the “correct” prices. What is a suitable season ticket price and average ticket price in your opinion Matt?

How do you expect to sell £400 season tickets if you’re selling every game for that? Or is this just a specific one off ticket game you suggest?

Would make my week, never mind weekend! Btw good to see you posting Al, we spent too many years discussing the hard-work stuff, many years before a decent season, the days when we’d dream about the best home form in the league. Hope you’re well.

A) “They need to make bring a friend schemes” “They need to not make them so convoluted”… Sounds like whatever they do the goalposts move!

A “When and if” scenario, compounded by a rumour we couldn’t sign someone who Preston took because of wages? Surely there is better ways to make a point. In terms of Bauer - I thought the manager said it was because he didn’t want to come as an option, a squad player first - that he wanted assurances they wouldn’t give?

Pretty sure said agents would’ve been talking about the league above, and 3 of our rivals are taking aprox 90m in receipts before turnover even starts. You know this. Why is it such an excuse?

Precisely.

You can call it “waking up” all you want, but that’s just baiting and patronising anyone who isn’t convinced that we’re the worst run club in the world. It’s such a shame that there is no middle ground anymore according to your posts, and I just don’t understand the need to constantly seek out a rationale that supports “pointing the finger”. Perhaps “waking up” to the FACT that the club CANNOT compete with anyone in the league above for wages OR with parachute payments… You may realise why individuals considering their families, futures and bank balances - might not want to sign for a team (they don’t support like you or I)

I get the feeling this is more of a national / global trend because of clubs cutting back from March 2020 due to income streams falling off a cliff. Certainly looks that way if you put contracts ending 2022 into transfer market. Arguably the most valuable player in the world still hasn’t committed to arguably the richest club in the world…! https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/statistik/endendevertraege

My opinion of his individual attributes, I’d say his pace / jump / ability to head is good but he lacks reactions and aggression at crosses. Compare his ability to dominate defenders to Rudy Justhead (Gestede)… chalk and cheese. That said, I can’t remember another player puncturing a lung so I probably know fuck all. He hasn’t been played in the position or team to benefit from consistent quality delivery either.

Perhaps this is more down to position, tactics and delivery? Playing wide forward and tracking back. When in the centre, generally the lone striker, hence occupied by two centre backs. A team that hasn’t scored many set pieces, tried to pass it to death for 12 months… I know it’s a different thing, but the amount of defensive headers he won vs Sheff U, surely illustrates Sam G can head a ball? Perhaps in a two upfront, central, in a team that’s geared for percentages and set pieces, would work more to his strengths?

I was under the impression they’d been offered deals but rejected.

All of this ignores a couple of key caveats that neither of us know; 1. Does he even want to stay? 2. Are his demands acceptable? I share the concern, but we also shared concerns, when certain players were given ridiculous contracts - some of those academy grads too (Lowe, Shakey Jake Kean et al). Its a difficult balancing act, especially when our main competitors have 30m + in parachute payments per season before we even take turnover into account!

Some good points on what we’re actually trying wage wise. I would add to that, there always has to be a wage bill limit, and thus whilst I don’t want see this sort of scenario every season, (players leaving or 1 year remaining) I also don’t want to see the club making loads of players top wage earners just for the sake of keeping hold. That inhibits our ability to be competitive with potential signings. Out of the three players - I think it’s obvious that Lenihan leaving would be an absolute disaster. The other two, Id probably put on a similar “very disappointing” scale. Zeefuik signed and sorted before July 1st though, would make me feel a bit better about the scenario.

@Madon

And that would be 10/11k if the team was in 12th-17th. This isn’t aimed at you MB, I don’t understand the obsession with having everything on sale months before - I mean I can’t empathise because I’ve had an ST for nearly 30 years, but why is 9 days not enough time before a game to buy a ticket?

He’s not clever. The people behind him, the lobbyists, the money, the “super advisors” and the people who truly don’t give a shit about anyone but their own pocket, they’re the savvy ones. Without that, he’s a blithering idiot, a privileged and pompous twat and a complete let down as PM. This country’s governance gets more “trumpian” every sodding day.

Thing is JHR - you must realise the power that agents have, especially when you consider the gulf in revenue between a team recently relegated and one not? Bournemouth are obviously intent (on what we do, may I add) on maximising the amount they can spend within the rules - but the rules applied to us don’t include 90m over 3 years for parachute payments, not including what their owners can invest + safe losses. I’m no mathematician or accountant but I know that is a huge advantage. Why is it so easy for you to ignore? You can easily assume that Rothwell wasn’t tapped up, or that his demands are reasonable. If you’ve an agent and player, or 3, asking for top wage when you’re skirting rules, need to regularly sell players and had to pawn the training ground to bring the revenue up to the value that allows us to sign contracts, loan players and / or sign even frees…. Why assume it’s such a simple thing to not “allow players contracts to expire”? Why is this a prevalent thing across football, if we’re the only teams in this position? This is a separate issue that’s been prevalent since they took over the club, there’s no autonomy in Ewood, it’s always rubber stamped in India. Who? Again this comes back to simply ignoring the different financial scenarios of the two clubs. Why do you think Fulham look like they do?