Power phone in tonight 6pm

[suttonred]

Forgive my ignorance but is Power intent on recouping the money he put in to "save the club" ?
If so, that isn't really how it works. You don't put money into a football club(especially on like stfc) and expect your money back.

Doing this whilst dictating everything at the club from top to bottom with the football served up leaving a lot to be desired is hardly going to endear yourself to the fans.

He thinks he can, and who are we to say he's wrong. He jets around all year whilst we all do 9-5's. Quite refreshing in these days of easy credit and easy insolvency to try and do stuff the right way. Pity the rest of the world doesn't work like that imo.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

He's got to be in the country for more than 90 days a year.

Is he into people smuggling as well?

[Honest Lee]

He's got to be in the country for more than 90 days a year.

Is he into people smuggling as well?

He tried it with footballers but it didn't work   

[horlock07]

Herein lies many of the problems and misconceptions between football club ownership and fans perceptions.

We have ended up with Power as no one else wanted to invest when Jed was here, and we ended up with Jed as no one wanted to buy the club off Black - that was the time for obtaining either a wealthy benefactor who could have essentially got the club for nothing or some manner of fans ownership, it never happened and we are where we are with the club essentially as a private company (following the diluting of shares under Black) which has essentially dislocated the club from its supporters, its a private company Power can reveal as much or little as he chooses about the finances and I ask any of you, would you throw money at your business and not want anything back in return.

Fans (and PR specialists like Fitton) like to make much of the fact that the club belongs to the fans, the owners are only stewards etc etc, but ultimately both need the other to survive. This idea that Power should just plough money into the club with no return is idealistic in the extreme, one story that stuck in my mind was (and bear with me if I forget the detail) Jed was suggesting that there was a dubious historic £50k debt hanging over the club that was causing delay with lifting an embargo and many fans were saying that he should just put the cash in and not bother investigating whether the debt was valid or not, these were the same fans who on one hand were demanding that the owner should just throw £50k at it like its loose change but in the next breath moaning that season tickets go up 10% or the burgers 25p.

Sadly in the modern world you cannot have it both ways, if we want the club to proposer we have to support it and that includes from your pocket, and finding Power guilty of all manner of financial misdemeanours in the absence of evidence is not going to build a relationship nor make him inclined to work with the fans to move forward. Its human nature that if you feel someone (or a group) don't appreciate what you are doing or make all manner of unfounded accusations against you it isn't going to make you want to work with them, many people just don't seem to get this.

(as an example when I used to be a Local Council Planning Officer I used to have applicants/agents who made my life a bloody misery, and their applications got dealt with by the book, there were others who realised that I was only applying the law, spoke with me politely and provided information when requested rather than whinge or complain about it, their applications were also dealt with by the book but I would often go that extra mile to advise them and help them over the line - I could never understand why certain people didn't get that you treat people like shit they are at best unlikely to work with you and possibly will treat you likewise!)

What I am saying in a round about way is that we cannot just expect Power to throw money at it and respond by constantly accusing him of things, I am not for a minute saying he should have a free reign, yes watch him like a hawk and if there is evidence confront him), but to constantly berate the guy is only going to piss him off as will the same questions being thrown at him, should he answer them, probably, but its human nature to just think fuck the lot of them and retreat further into his shell - thankfully he is not Karl Oyston - yet!

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Honestly, I don't think many expect him to chuck money around or even would want him to.

Retaining players doesn't seem to be top of his list if good money is possible - players are going after 1 good season.

Don't forget he would have sold Ajose last January if offered enough - hello L2 in that scenario.

It just appears that showcasing talent is the priority, not progression on the pitch.

[RobertT]

He believes he has a new way of running a lower league club, because he knows the "game", and to Arriba's question, yes, he think he has a way to get most if not all of it back, if it works.

He believes that by playing the style of football that is used in Prem U21 games, he can bring in talent from that group - either those who are already going to go on to better things, or those who didn't seem to cut it, but might be able to.

For that reason, we don't change our style of play.

Getting these types of players in, playing a style they know, makes them look better to prospective buyers than traditional lower league fayre (when it works).

The aim is that we therefore make a profit on player sales, something rare in clubs but similar to Crewe's model (although they invest in their own youth set-up instead, which is getting tougher to do and more costly).

That means recruitment is skewed heavily to youth level - you need players who have a chance of having re-sale value to make this work.  Older players are already tarred to a degree in terms of the level they'll be scouted to.

Last season was a prime example of it coming together (although I think even he got taken by surprise on just how effective it was, and he cashed in much of his loans as a result).  That has left us exposed for this season, but even now we have a player being talked about as a 6 figure sale, closing in on 7 figures.  Plus we think at least two others will attract a fee if suitors come knocking.  That is a very different ball game to any we've played in since 1993 (in some respects, the team of that era was similar, made up mainly of higher level young talent, the difference being a sprinkling of older guile).

For Power, it's still working, but it works better when we do well for him.  That's our trade off - high risk of seasons like this, but financial stability as a club and the prospect of great seasons.

[Batch]

first of PR can still help, even in these times of  living in our means.

Secondly I don't blame Power for wanting his money back, with interest.

But it's perfectly possible to cream off a stupidly high repayment to yourself and keep the club sustainable. At least for a while.

To be clear my opinion is he isn't doing this, but fans can see budgets being slashed, and have trouble working out whether it's cutting cloth accordingly or something more sinister.

It's no surprise Power gets asked about such things is it. But getting all arsey doesn't help his cause.

[RobertT]

His PR approach won't change either, he has form on this front.  Either they print what he wants or he doesn't bother with it - believing instead in the belief that a winning team and general fan loyalty cover the income stream outside of player sales.

[michael]

Good piece Robert T.

Balanced and pragmatic.

[RobertT]

One thing I think this raises it the difference between a sport and a business.  I think the FA should insist on all clubs having to publish detailed accounts, including transfer fees paid.  Unlike usual business, profit is not the ultimate mark of success, so financial exposure should not put businesses at risk as such.

[horlock07]

One thing I think this raises it the difference between a sport and a business.  I think the FA should insist on all clubs having to publish detailed accounts, including transfer fees paid.  Unlike usual business, profit is not the ultimate mark of success, so financial exposure should not put businesses at risk as such.

Sadly I think that horse has already bolted and its all too blurred now. look at Swansea often lauded as the ultimately successful 'fans' club, in the process of being sold to the Americans, no idea what their motives are but its hardly linking back to the community?

[suttonred]

Should sticky the first 2 RobertT posts, and point any indiscriminate non thinking ill informed shouters at them. Talking of which they've been quiet last couple of days. On holiday? absolutely no coincidence that if they had been here they could have rung in?

[RedRag]

I think Power is shrewd enough to understand he is not going to be thanked by fans unless HIS model is in fact successful (which lets face it will only be occasionally and probably never sustainably at Championship level)

He will pursue his own objectives in his own style and without being distracted whether fans are grateful or not

I sympathise that there is no reason for him to be open about his business objectives - it's very common in most family and smaller businesses.  Whilst there is none of the "vision thing" of the Fitton era of communicating goals for the club (ultimately unsustainably because the main benefactor was not fully on board as matters developed under Wray) nor any of the absurd "fantasy thing" under the Walter Mitty chancer who succeeded Black (and we must surely be very grateful to Power for having relieved us of Jed), there is no reason to be so downright backward in the basic business of marketing to create publicity and excitement to sell tickets and atmosphere - the Trust really seems to perform Power's marketing for him and with minimal co-operation.  

This aspect of the business is weak and there really is no need not to transform it.  That is a factor of a one man ownership - that one man can't be good at everything but should recognise weaknesses and develop his team

[Don Rogers Sock]

Honestly, I don't think many expect him to chuck money around or even would want him to.

Retaining players doesn't seem to be top of his list if good money is possible - players are going after 1 good season.

Don't forget he would have sold Ajose last January if offered enough - hello L2 in that scenario.

It just appears that showcasing talent is the priority, not progression on the pitch.

Who has he sold after one season? Didn't he turn down bids for Luongo and Kasim in the january/

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

I did say 1 'good' season. Luongo had his 1 good season last year and was sold, also Byrne, Gladwin. Kasim would have been sold but nobody wanted him enough.

Ajose and Obika to follow no doubt.