Cod Almighty | Postbag
Mr Micawber comes to Town
5 November 2011
The Diary has been alarmed about the state of the Mariners' finances this week. So have you.
We're all guilty
If you're right about what could happen to the directors if they fail to declare the club bankrupt, maybe the Trust shouldn't be in a hurry to take a place on the board.
Whilst it was clearly crazy for the board to set a playing budget that they weren't prepared to guarantee for the whole season, we're all guity as fans and shareholders for not kicking up a stink, this and every year about the way things were going. Sure Fenty has had a controlling interest for the past few years and we probably couldn't do much about it but were any of us prepared to stand up and play the Cassandra role at AGMs (or protest outside)? The scary thing is we keep talking about a decade of decline - didn't Troy fall after 10 years?
At best it looks like we're in it (the Conference Prem) for years unless we end up with Boston-style relegations for messing up financially. So much for Pat Bell's theory that Town do well under the Tories!
By the way, I'm now picturing Hector telling the Troad Telegraph that "we've not been the best lately but we'll get better soon".
from Chris Parrott
Letters Ed responds: Rest assured, Pat has been suitably punished.
The people mismanaging the club are in debt to themselves
just in case I've misunderstood...
The people running the club should register the club as bankrupt/insolvent, in which case either some agreement could be made to reduce the size of those debts by offering creditors say 10p in the pound, or if they were to refuse that offer the club might be wound up.
But the people running the club are also in some cases the creditors? And they've mismanaged the club, spending on the never-never while pinning their hopes on a windfall which will repay their investment while covering other debts? That windfall would be down to perhaps long cup runs, successive promotions or a move to a new stadium? (which seems unlikely)
Help me out here, it's exhausting!
from Rich Mills
Its not the Messiah, its a very naughty pipedream
Good Afternoon - thanks once again for cutting to the chase with the latest set on accounts from GTFC, but I do have one question. I'm hoping one of the Diary's better informed readers can help me understand what in the name of christ a Community Stadium is?
In my very limited attempt to understand it, it seems that it's a stadium supported and largely funded by the local council, with other grants possible. As examples: · The 10,000 seater stadium at Colchester cost £14m and was funded largely by Colchester Borough Council - largely because they wanted to. · The new stadium that Rotherham intend to move to will cost £20m and seat 12,000 and is again largely funded and supported by Rotherham Council as they see the football club as being important to the town. · And the stadium in Salford will cost £16m (plus another £10m spent on other development in the same area) and will seat 12,000, but again, backed andpart funded by Salford City Council.
If my summary is wrong, someone please explain what it is.
If my Googling has given me the right story, then I believe that a Community Stadium could well work, if there is the desire from both the local community and the local council to make it work. So is the desire there?
The population of Grimsby and Cleethorpes is around 120,000, meaning only around 3% of the population attend home matches (4% when we were doing well) and many of the loyal 3,500 actually travel from outside. So what percentage of the 97% that don't go, really don't care about Town? My guess is pretty high.
The council hardly have a great record in getting behind the football club, apart from when we have our once in every 10 years or so bit of success (Wembley, Promotion etc). But let's assume the politicians get behind this - will the local population support £10m-£15m of public money being spent on a shiny new ground for the few loyal supporters to sit in nicer surroundings and have a pee without getting wet feet? I suspect not; hospitals, schools and other social projects would seem to be more needy.
So if Mr Fleming reads this, get back to basics - if your average gate is 3,500 and your sponsorship is agreed before the start of the season, then you know what your turnover will be within 5-10%. Never plan for exceptionals (promotion, cup runs, massive transfer fees) - always assume the worst. If we get more money from something like a cup run, then that's great and can be re-invested for growth or put aside for when things are a bit lean. Cut your cloth accordingly - it's called running a business.
How do they arrive at a £2.3m valuation for the land around Blundell Park? It's hardly prime land for expensive housing?
We all know the club is in one hell of a mess - but is a Community Stadium the saviour? I suspect not
UTM
from Alan Richardson
Letters Ed responds: So given we're likely to be at Blundell Park for some time, where best to sit ...
Letter from a man with faith
Hi, I'm off to my first ever GTFC on the 19th Nov. Which is the best stand to go in. I am going to buy a season ticket so I'd like to know which end you think best.
Thank you
from Richard Satterley
Letters Ed responds: The CA team have already given their personal responses to Richard. The gist was the best atmosphere is in the Pontoon (although if its joining in goal celebrations you enjoy, the Osmond might be a better bet), you are closest to the action in the Lower whatever the sponsor is called this year Stand, you get the best view in the upper storey of that stand, so long as nothing exciting happens either side of half time or towards the end when said view is sure to be blocked by everyone else leaving
Nunty
At school, on the Nunny in GY, we had a group of girls in my class that were referred to as the "nunty brigade". Their hair was not styled in the poodle perm befitting of the era, they didn't wear the staple blue mascara and wore their school tie the right way around. This was a Catholic school and they actually turned up to mass on Wednesday mornings, arriving early to do so. Gola trainers were their thing and they would wear their mam's clothes to the annual disco. Is this nunty??
from Maria
Letters Ed responds: Thanks Maria, and thanks to you all.
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