18 minutes ago, tomphil said:

Or an opportunity for the ownership to put nothing in whilst we try and tread water whilst hoping there is another one blooming to sell next.

You would expect a chunk to go back into the club to cover some costs.

It would be better if they just came out and were honest about what % of sales we actually get to re-invest as a strategy rather than making it up as they go along like this summer.

As much as I dislike Venky's it's not sustainable for them or anyone else to sink £20m per year just to keep the club in existence.

Based on Greggs comments it sounds fairly certain that Wharton is going next summer (unless we perform a miracle and go up) so that brings in another £15m plus to play with (plus the £5 Raya cash).

So next summer is shaping up as a major opportunity to find the next big things and spend some cash.

Not condoning the 15% wage cut but I am sure I read both on here and in the newspapers that squads have to cut their turnover to wage ratio to 75% or something in the near future.

So whilst a ball ache this summer it might have a positive from that perspective? 

The last few months and then this appointment, feels like more cost cutting is coming our way....

Interesting bit about standards slipping under Ince. You could see it on match days, really lucky we acted so fast to get in Big Sam or I reckon we would have gone down.

Can anyone translate what that actually means? 

Watched the first hour and we should have scored 4 or 5. Some awful attempts at finishing, Hedges especially then others guilty of trying to pass it into the net instead of shooting. Take some responsibility!

looks a shit result on paper but if we had gone ahead would have been an easy win.

Get some bodies back over the break and see a good run put together next.

Three bits of shocking defending for the red card and both goals.
 

Just punts downfield nothing special and the defence all over the place. Got to improve on that, especially conceding two at Rotherham last week as well.

we looked a lot better when Gally and Ennis came on.

Ha ha ha eat my fucking words.

love it 

Everytime I watch on ifollow we get dicked. Thought new season, new start but nope.

We played so well at ewood last week and this is back to the shit from last season. Possibly the worst individual performance I have ever seen from Smodicz.

i know there is a lot of love for JDT on here but when his starting team isn’t working he is pathetic at rectifying it.

From the BBC website…whilst rovers celebrate a new low of season ticket sales and declining attendances it seems its boom time everywhere else…

”The English Football League has recorded its highest aggregate attendance for nearly 70 years.

EFL chief executive, Trevor Birch, said: "To welcome nearly 22 million supporters to an EFL competition in 2022-23 is quite remarkable. These numbers don't happen by accident. They are testament to the efforts of the 72 clubs to create such quality football and matchday experiences that encourages fans to attend matches in person even when there are so many other ways to consume football, and particularly when so many people are facing a squeeze on their finances.”

The rise in attendance was partially fuelled by a 15% rise in season ticket sales and Birch said: "The continued rise in season ticket sales, and particularly junior season ticket sales, is really encouraging.  

“Quite simply, these fans are the future of our game which is why it is so heartening to see so many young supporters attending fixtures regularly and developing a love of football that they will hopefully take with them throughout their lives."  

On 04/06/2023 at 09:21, Wheelton Blue said:

Chalk and cheese.

https://www.burndenaces.co.uk/2023/06/01/bolton-ceo-details-major-changes-for-summer-ahead.html

Wi-Fi connectivity?!? You mean Bolton fans can actually use their phones to check the scores or line ups in the ground? Holy shit!

3 hours ago, Herbie6590 said:

Oh dear…

Sums up the commercial side of club, complete joke that it was missed or even written in the first place if you had a general following for football

Am I reading it correctly that Waggot is celebrating the fact we have fewer season tickets sold this season? due to the fact we haven’t lost as many in the last 5 years so it’s good news? 

Jesus Christ what have we become 

Whatever we are paying this guy you could use elsewhere and replace with a chimpanzee. 

We seem to be getting it right on the football side finally but the commercial side is a shambles and needs someone much better in post than this guy.

Had a read through this earlier and just shows the impact of pricing on season tickets at our local rivals, full article linked. I notice Waggot has not come out in a similar fashion to explain our clubs thinking.

• Turnover for the season up to a record [operating] revenue of £14.8m.
• Increased revenue largely through commercial and stadium income (driven by improved season card sales).
• Annual pre-tax operating losses (pre depreciation and amortisation) reduced from £16m to £11.5m.
• Season card sales highest for over 60 years at c12,000.
• Average attendance at home games increased from 12,501 to 16,269. This is the highest average attendance at Deepdale for over 50 years.
• "Over the past season PNE has worked hard to redress this and to focus on a sustainable financial model. We are on the right track, but we still have work to do. The incredible support we have had from the fans, the increased season card sales and the record-breaking matchday crowds have all played a huge part in improving the club’s finances and we are extremely grateful to each and every fan for their support."

https://www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/preston-north-end/preston-north-end-chairman-pens-lengthy-club-update-on-transfers-sustainability-ffp-last-season-next-season-and-even-the-roof-4147716

great news, been our best player since Xmas

2 hours ago, Nuttall is lost said:

Still don;t know what to make of him.  One one hand I think to myself he has exceeded expectations with the given squad.  I think at the start of the season I said on here we would finish 13th.  He's a very likeable guy who seems intelligent.

Then I think maybe we have a better squad that we thought.  We were permanently in the top 6 all season almost and let it slip on the run in which was a disastrous run.  When we went 1-0 down in a game the heads dropped all season and it was game over.  That's a mentality thing and I wonder is JDT too  nice a guy and are the team a reflection of him.  Its his job to put a bit of steel in this side instead of wilting like flowers when we are losing.

I would definitely give him the benefit of the doubt though and let him put his stamp on the squad for another while.  We need strikers of reputation and a couple of tough experienced pros in the side.  Its too young.  Whether he gets those players is another question.

I agree with a lot of this, I dont think he has exceeded expectations though both in terms of results and performances. I have been bored to tears for a lot of the time at Ewood this season, I renewed my ticket over the weekend but it was a close call whether to bother.

Having said that its clear what he is trying to do and that he is hamstrung with the type/quality of players we have at the club currently. If he is staying the club have to invest in some players that like the ball at their feet and are comfortable under pressure with composure to play their way both out of trouble and into goalscoring opportunities. Adam Wharton is a clear example of the type of player that suits the JDT style.

I feel the team has got better at the defensive element of JDT football over the season but the forward play is way off where it needs to be. Being realistic he needs to sign 3-4 attacking players as a minimum just to move things on and I am dubious whether the club will provide the funds.

I think the long term future under JDT would be good as over time the players coming through the academy can be moulded into this style so that is another big positive. Although I have had enough of slow-build projects, I just want to see a team on the pitch scoring goals and winning games.

That’s enough football for this season

Nice to see JDT got them motivated for the match.

only one team that wants the playoffs here 

I was talking to a PNE mate over the weekend and he has got next seasons ticket in their family stand for £280 with a free one for his 7 year old son.

We have the makings of a decent squad all the way up until the attacking players as performances and results have shown this season.

Unfortunately its the most expensive and tricky place to find players which gives me no hope that the club will find anyone decent over the summer.

Brereton, Dolan and Hedges occupied the 3 attacking spots last night. All 3 need to be replaced with first choice quality signings for us to do anything more than we have this season.

The best bet is probably the loan market but to get anyone good they need to have those deals warmed up and ready to go now for the window opening.

If we arent going to invest then they should just let JDT leave as another season of this tripe will finish me off as a season ticket holder. The current squad has been painful to watch operate his style and given me very little to cheer for at ewood all season.

What a performance last night, ran the show and hardly put a foot wrong. Burnley just resorted to kicking him in the end and even that failed to stop him.

He reminds me a lot of Tugay in that nonchalant shoulder dropping sort of approach to the game. Massive talent if we can keep him and nurture it next season.

Smodizc was going mad at him last night for not pressing or tracking his man. Lad gave up on us weeks ago

Think that's me done for this season, these last 3 games have knocked the stuffing out of me with our run of luck.

Another performance of hard work and grit but devoid of any quality apart from Wharton who ran the show.

We create pretty much nothing of note in games or get any shots away, been the same all season. Its really shown how poor our set piece play is in recent games as well where we have had loads of corners/free kicks but done nothing with them. Another goal conceded by pissing about with the ball at the back instead of getting it forward or wide, Carter and Hyam just aren't comfortable with the ball at their feet so much.

If we are sticking with JDT then he needs backing with some big money signings in all the attacking positions as well as centre midfield. This current squad combined with his football is painful to watch.

Another special shout out for Brereton who strolled about doing nothing again, at one point I thought Smodizc was going to come over and punch him he was getting that irate at him for failing to press or track his man.