Adver News: Q&A SPECIAL: Chairman McCrory responds to fan queries

[ron dodgers]

It's important that the fanbase have a realistic perception of where we are.

why's that then?

[bigbobjoylove]

The main problem is that Jed is working on funding the wages from crowds remaining at the level of the last 2 seasons...they won't.

Exactly right. Our fans aren't going to pay £25 a pop to watch us in mid-table or fighting relegation. The 8000+ are there to watch us win games and have a crack at promotion anything less and its down to 6000 with our current prices.

Also, am I right in saying we're now paying four people to do the job that Nick Watkins did on his own?

[kerry red]

If PdC has not been appointed in the first place I would guess the budget would have been, roughly, what we are getting for next season.

PdC has skewed everyone's perception of what sort of club we actually are.

I don't remember Swindon having a massive budget. comparatively, when Ardiles and Hoddle were successful.

Then again, I don't remember much these days

[Trashbat?]

Out of interest does anyone know what our wage budget was the season we made it to the play offs under Wilson?

[Flashheart]

Out of interest does anyone know what our wage budget was the season we made it to the play offs under Wilson?

 

About 4.3m

http://thewashbag.com/2012/04/24/counting-the-cost-of-failure/

[DV]

Well those answers took ages to write and there is nothing to them.

They were short and seemed snappy to me - almost like he was being questioned by the police.

As for the wage budget being slashed in half, unlike some on here I have no idea how that breaks down or compares to other teams in this league what so ever.

I can't however imagine cut backs improving our squad. I will be somewhat relieve when we hit 52 points next season...

[iffy]

If PdC has not been appointed in the first place I would guess the budget would have been, roughly, what we are getting for next season.

PdC has skewed everyone's perception of what sort of club we actually are.

I don't remember Swindon having a massive budget. comparatively, when Ardiles and Hoddle were successful.

Then again, I don't remember much these days

Football's different these days. The financial gap from the Prem to the Champ to L1 is huge.

Some numbers:

In 93/94, Man U's wage bill was (depending on your source) between £8 - £11m. Don't know what our wage bill was. Our turnover that year was £5m, so it might have been £3/4m largely depending on what we paid clowns like McAvennie, Fenwick and Kilcline. So it was a big gap, but not unimaginable that a team could get a few results.
 
In 2012/13 Total wages in the Prem were £1.6bn. Man U's were £162m. (Man City £202m, Chelsea £173m). Swansea's was the smallest wage bill at £35m.

Hoddle and Ardiles were playing a completely different game.

You only get to step up a gear with investment. Without investment, you're at the level you're at.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2013/apr/18/premier-league-club-accounts-debt
http://www.footballeconomy.com/content/swindon-town-football-company-ltd-swindon-town-football-club

[Reg Smeeton]

why's that then?

When you're using kids in a side, they're going to make mistakes...what they don't need is to get slaughtered for so doing. They'll be trying, but it's a hard thing to make happen. Similarly it's tough for the manager, he doesn't need to get slaughtered for showing a bit of faith in youth. In MacDonald's case it's what he's been brought in to do, and it's a hard job.

I know I'm being unrealistic for fans to have a bit of patience and try and support, but it's something that has pissed me off down the years.

Don Rogers used to get stick, because he didn't tackle, head, or come off the pitch covered in shit. Roger Smart used to get stick because he buzzed around like a blue arse fly, 90 mins of graft, but somehow wasn't quite as good as Ernie Hunt or Don Rogers.

Paul Rideout...used to get it, because he was single minded and clearly knew he was good. Rideout was the jewel in John Trollope's young side....which was an austerity response to Bob Smith's spending...Peach, Cockerill, and high wage earners lie Rollings, Barrett etc..... we got relegated. The Arkells then turned on JT, and he was ousted.

Fitzroy Simpson...seen as a big time Charlie.

Most of those mentioned survived because they were good enough, but some might need a bit longer ...I recall the slaughtering of Lloyd Macklin, again by the Arkells, v Orient. He'd only been on the park a few minutes.

Many reckoned N Thompson terrible, when he first appeared on the scene, yet a bit of patience has been rewarded and hopefully we might benefit rather than some other club.

[jonny72]

 

About 4.3m

http://thewashbag.com/2012/04/24/counting-the-cost-of-failure/

Think you'll find that includes all the non-playing staff as well, whose wages totalled £1.1m which would have made the playing staff wages about £3.2m.

[DV]

On that note. I wonder if we will see KMac actually bring in a backroom staff. All he has bought in is Cooper so far.

[Flashheart]

Think you'll find that includes all the non-playing staff as well, whose wages totalled £1.1m which would have made the playing staff wages about £3.2m.

It is all a bit ambigous really.

I wish somebody would define just what 'playing budget' means exactly.

[ahounsell]

Black was apparently expecting to pump in £3 million per season with the level of spending we had last season and the one just finished. Turnover for this season was probably between £5m and £6m which would put total expenditure above £8m.

Replacing PDC and co with cheaper alternatives and cutting £2m off the players wages could get close to a £3m saving but there are a couple of problems.

First, crowds are unlikely to hold up with a cheaper side and we are less likely to get any decent cup runs or play-off income so turnover will almost certainly fall.

Secondly its very easy to say we're going to lop £2m off the playing budget. It isnt that easy to actually do it. Players on big wages will not be volunteering for a pay cut or a transfer unless their new club will match their wages. That means the cuts may have to come from moving on younger players who are easier to shift and/or can bring in a fee. We've effectively already seen an example of this by the sale of Ritchie in January.

[Tails]

When you're using kids in a side, they're going to make mistakes...what they don't need is to get slaughtered for so doing. They'll be trying, but it's a hard thing to make happen. Similarly it's tough for the manager, he doesn't need to get slaughtered for showing a bit of faith in youth. In MacDonald's case it's what he's been brought in to do, and it's a hard job.

I know I'm being unrealistic for fans to have a bit of patience and try and support, but it's something that has pissed me off down the years.

Don Rogers used to get stick, because he didn't tackle, head, or come off the pitch covered in shit. Roger Smart used to get stick because he buzzed around like a blue arse fly, 90 mins of graft, but somehow wasn't quite as good as Ernie Hunt or Don Rogers.

Paul Rideout...used to get it, because he was single minded and clearly knew he was good. Rideout was the jewel in John Trollope's young side....which was an austerity response to Bob Smith's spending...Peach, Cockerill, and high wage earners lie Rollings, Barrett etc..... we got relegated. The Arkells then turned on JT, and he was ousted.

Fitzroy Simpson...seen as a big time Charlie.

Most of those mentioned survived because they were good enough, but some might need a bit longer ...I recall the slaughtering of Lloyd Macklin, again by the Arkells, v Orient. He'd only been on the park a few minutes.

Many reckoned N Thompson terrible, when he first appeared on the scene, yet a bit of patience has been rewarded and hopefully we might benefit rather than some other club.

Remember chatting to an old Town fan who sadly passed away a few years ago, he used to say to me the biggest stumblinb block in Town's success over the years has been the fans. We are not a well supported club, both in numbers (the catchment area is massive) and otherwise. Stuff like this proves his point!

My fear is that some of our fans will now turn their back on the club because they are trying to do the right thing in becoming sustainable. Im looking forward to "lack of ambition" and "on the cheap" being thrown around in the coming months.

[sonicyouth]

Reading that was a total waste of time. No questions answered, merely dodged.

[chalkies_shorts]

I have no issue with our wage bill being reduced, as it was quite high. But what I don't understand is why when Jed first came in be said the wage bill will be very similar to what it was this past season. Why get the supporters hopes up?

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