Official Fans Forum Match Day Thread

[RobertT]

I'm not really any the wiser after watching that to be honest.. Are they crooks, just inept or just folk trying their best having bitten of more than they can chew . I really don't know .

To be fair to Anthony Hall, I can't imagine him being capable of getting away with shoplifting a bag of Space Raiders, let alone anything more nefarious.

And, if they were crooks, they may at least know what they are doing.

Pure incompetence with a side dish of convicted criminals offering advice and help, a mix that seems unable to run a football club particularly well.  Who would have thought.

[RobertT]

Definitely some talking points.

I’m not an expert but it sounded to me like there were some very sensitive topics with regards to rules and regulations discussed that didn’t seem to be discussed as well as they could have, can someone more clued up than me shed any light on whether that’s a right assumption or not?

If so, then this stream coming out of a club official channel doesn’t seem great

I think you are referencing Russell and his description of the signings.  I don't think he was suggesting we bent the rules, just was trying to suggest we had been clever in handling them.  The reality is we took over the last few months of a youth professionals contract that was being let go in the summer anyway.

[Frigby Daser]

They also seemed to be suggesting that “Fair Game” (an unconnected third party) was going to come in and tell them whether their accounting was right or not. I’m pretty certain that’s not how it works!

I actually felt slightly sorry for them tonight. Just unable to grasp the fairly basic issues.   

[UTR]

I think you are referencing Russell and his description of the signings.  I don't think he was suggesting we bent the rules, just was trying to suggest we had been clever in handling them.  The reality is we took over the last few months of a youth professionals contract that was being let go in the summer anyway.

That one actually didn’t trigger in my head, it was things like discussion of other clubs funding practices that set alarm bells off

[Bogus Dave]

I'm not really any the wiser after watching that to be honest.. Are they crooks, just inept or just folk trying their best having bitten of more than they can chew . I really don't know .

2 and 3, being guided by 1 I think

The biggest red flag for me is how Anthony hall seemed to admit that they have no idea what they’re spending £8m a year on (and by inference how that’s increased by over £1m yoy) and need to get a third party to mark their homework

It’s been three years. What are they doing

[RobertT]

They also seemed to be suggesting that “Fair Game” (an unconnected third party) was going to come in and tell them whether their accounting was right or not. I’m pretty certain that’s not how it works!

I actually felt slightly sorry for them tonight. Just unable to grasp the fairly basic issues.  

Fair Game, and our seeming reliance on using them as some sort of seal of approval worries me.  I'm not even sure I have that much respect for them, based on having a look around their stuff.  It seems a bit better than Maguire or the Big 4 Consultancies usual attempts at 'analysing' football finances, but it looks a little nothing more than a pressure group to try and get some money out of the Premier League.

Our reasons for using them are purely for that, and trying to get someone to look like an independent org to rubber stamp our Accounts.  In reality, they won't dig deep or have much of an understanding - they are not free Financial Consultants.  

Just get a fucking competent Accountant on the books.

I think Hall stumbling around this bullet point is because he really doesn't know how to word it in a way that makes sense and isn't a little underhand.

[Bob1978]

I can accept that Hall is not qualified to the CEO of any business and likely never will be.  I can also accept he is not the sort of person to put in charge of finances.  Maybe he was OK at fixing bogs?

Hall, not much of a leader I think that’s clear

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

That was pretty painful...far too cringeworthy to watch in its entirety so skimmed through but I had to stop when Clem brought up that bloody Mercedes AGAIN that's been stuck in Switzerland for at the last 3 years at least. It's clearly the main obstacle to the Club moving forward at this point.

Jesus fucking wept...

[Nemo]

Commercial guy was impressive (or at least, relative to everyone else!). Would put 50p on him being CEO this time next year!

[RobertT]

That was pretty painful...far too cringeworthy to watch in its entirety so skimmed through but I had to stop when Clem brought up that bloody Mercedes AGAIN that's been stuck in Switzerland for at the last 3 years at least. It's clearly the main obstacle to the Club moving forward at this point.

Jesus fucking wept...

Don't forget the 20 people they found using Child tickets, that was used again.  Unless we fix these things we can never expect to increase the Revenue.

[Quagmire]

Commercial guy was impressive. Would put 50p on him being CEO this time next year!

Him and Jamie Russell came across well.

The rest was like a shit Partridge episode.

[Bob1978]

Phil King claiming players don’t want to play football these days and that’s why we can’t make signings  

[RobertT]

Commercial guy was impressive (or at least, relative to everyone else!). Would put 50p on him being CEO this time next year!

Nowhere near enough experience - he's basically done this job at Hereford before us and run some DJ nights.  Not saying you are wrong in the outcome, just that he should be nowhere near such a job.  

[RobertT]

Phil King claiming players don’t want to play football these days and that’s why we can’t make signings 

Yeah, but in the good old days you could just slip them something in an envelope round the back of the Arkells once the lights were turned off.

[RobertT]

Clem's constant claim of having purchased the CG is annoying me now.  He was even called out on it tonight, applauded at being called out, and then did it again later on.