The Off the Field Amnesty Thread

[Batch]

Something to do with this thread I assume?

http://thetownend.com/index.php?topic=52041.msg1211358#msg1211358

 

Aaaah yes. That would be it. Probably

[Reg Smeeton]

He played for Oldham at the weekend.

Really...are you sure that wasn't axs?

[RedRag]

If having to wait till there is clear evidence of the board being a complete twittering shambles makes me a moaner, so be it.  My loyalty is to STFC not the board or any holding company.

We are on the brink of a new season with perhaps only three or four (pretty inexperienced) permanent signings whom we are not trying to move on and a load of loanee kids.

... and looking for our third manager in less than 6 months

That's a ten point penalty without even having to bother to go into admin if ever I saw one.

10 point penalty isn't the end of the world and won't stop me getting right behind the squad but I hope this does turn out to be all for a good reason

[chalkies_shorts]

If all the PdC signed players are on shitloads and we're looking to offload and they are being kept at home, why is Williams on the plane to Portugal.

[Simon Pieman]

Personally I'm glad that Jed is cutting back on the footballing budget so he can buy us more pints in the Legends Lounge before the game.

[ChalkyWhiteIsGod]

Would take that now if offered. The word "transition" could have been invented for this pre-season

A word that had Jed used a few times he may have got a bit more support.

[Ticker45]

Like many on the forum, I put my money where my mouth was and renewed my season ticket relatively happily based upon what was happening compared to what might have been.

Until the last few weeks it all seemed to be trundling along without too many problems and now again it has all become a mish mash of rumour, guesswork and innuendo and basically people being at a loss to see where the hell we are going.

Players being left behind a "team bonding" trip, players obviously not wanting to play for us any more, managerless and a media f**kup all leaves me totally bemused. I want to look on the positive side but it is getting more and more difficult.

[Batch]

Players being left behind a "team bonding" trip,

It'll be good for Barthrum, Mason, Byrne, Luongo, Hall and Pritchard to get to know each other.

[FreddySTFC!]

It'll be good for Barthrum, Mason, Byrne, Luongo, Hall and Pritchard to get to know each other.

[leftside]

Where have they said that the will not fulfill obligations? They are trying to reduce the wage burden, which is an above board approach if yiou are trying to save money but I haven't ready anything that suggests they are not going to fulfill any obligations.

This seems to be the way matters are becoming fact on here, you may be right regarding the fit and proper persons tests, but thats a matter for the league who passed them. Its worth bearing in mind that if they did not pass the fit and proper persons test we would potentially not have a club to support now so what do we want.....

I don't think they have said that they will not fulfill obligations. However, the fact that contracted players are being allowed to leave and options on extending contracts suggests the don't have or never intended to have the funds to maintain the contracts. The decision to reduce the budget supports this too.

My point is that football in general does not seem to be able to cope very well with transitions between one owner and the next. In Town's case it has been a shift of quite significant proportions. So much so that if I was a player, or any other member of staff, I would feel very unsure about my future. The tone of some comments towards some players who are still under contract but who seem to be surplus to requirements is unfair. Now that their contracts seem to be a burdon on the new budget and therefore playing a factor in whether new players can be brought in or forcing the sale of current players is making them a target for blame, especially if they happen to be injured. My point about 'fit and proper' applies to both the old owners and the new and the way in which transition is allowed to happen, so I'm not solely having a dig at Jed and co, and I'm supportive of a club living within its means.

I know there was a real threat to the club's existence. If Jed and co did not acquire the club then Town may well have ceased to exist. Or, A N Other buyer may have come in and whow knows what might have resulted... . Is anyone trying to deny this? The transition from Black to Jed just highlights to me how fragile football clubs can be without adequate future planning. On the one hand, Black was allowed to bale out without taking responsibility for the financial situation he allowed to develop; on the other, Jed was allowed to become the new owner without guaranteeing existing contracts before being allowed to create a more self-financing football club. I think 'fit and proper' needs to take this situation into account.

[joteddyred]

Can't disagree with any of Leftside's post.

[Batch]

Well I do a bit, in that I do think had Jed not taken us over Black would have put us into administration and that would have lead to a much quicker squad breakup and cost us an almost great day at Brentford.

Would someone have come in and picked us up after admin? Well possibly, we could have ended up better off or worse off. Who knows.

As you know I'm not too impressed with them so far. And it has nothing to do with the necessity of having to reduce wages in itself.

[chalkies_shorts]

It'll be good for Barthrum, Mason, Byrne, Luongo, Hall and Pritchard to get to know each other.

and they might bump into a few not so old friends

[RobertT]

I agree with quite  bit of leftsides post.

What is a bit of a puzzle is just how Wray managed to get it into such a mess in what must have been a pretty short space of time.  As much as PDC's first season will not have been cheap, it seems the financial wheels fell off within one season.  Prior  to PDC coming in we'd actually had a season or two of profit or near break even.  I think this is the bit Jed's gang were less sure of

The Football Leagues role in this is worth debate.  As I understand it the new owners of a club just had to show they could fulfil the season - hence the £1m being deposited.  You'd like to think that they then had to submit plans for the next season, and if so, it should have been forced into the public arena a little sooner.  Once they failed to get any further significant funds beyond Power, the plan for this season was clear.  Get as much off the wage bill as possible and find a way of getting a new squad in at the same time.

I suppose if they had come out before we got to the play offs and advised us of this we'd probably just have kicked off then about a lack of ambition, messing with our chances etc.  They could however have come out the week after and make it clear what the new plan was, even if plenty could make good guesses.

[Batch]

and they might bump into a few not so old friends

What are the odds of that happening