Notts TV Podcast: Alan Hardy Special

[upthemaggies]

Context is everything and he was responding to KN's ambitions that the club could go all the way and that AH said/meant that Championship was as far as he could go. The references to Fword and Derby were the monies they spent trying to get to the Premiership, monies that AH is clear he doesn't have access to. In some other discussion some weeks/months back he said similar, ie he couldn't take us beyond the Championship. But chickens eggs and hatched we're not out of the basement yet despite his thinking, dangerously in my view, that it is as good as a done deal.

The harsh reality is though, that despite the silly amounts of money Doughty and Fawaz put in, they struggled at the wrong end of the table. Even Derby have had poor seasons despite averaging close to 30k. I doubt Notts would average more than 13k unless Fword dropped a division below us. 13k sounds a lot to us when we've become used to 5k, but 13k in the Championship today would make us the 4th worst supported club in the division, Birmingham City - who are seriously struggling - are currently averaging 20k. Fword are averaging 25k, that is only the 10th best! There's no way Hardy could make up for the shortfall in gate money. He would have to put the club up for sale within two seasons at the latest and even then, it may be too late.

[Old_pie]

The harsh reality is though, that despite the silly amounts of money Doughty and Fawaz put in, they struggled at the wrong end of the table. Even Derby have had poor seasons despite averaging close to 30k. I doubt Notts would average more than 13k unless Fword dropped a division below us. 13k sounds a lot to us when we've become used to 5k, but 13k in the Championship today would make us the 4th worst supported club in the division, Birmingham City - who are seriously struggling - are currently averaging 20k. Fword are averaging 25k, that is only the 10th best! There's no way Hardy could make up for the shortfall in gate money. He would have to put the club up for sale within two seasons at the latest and even then, it may be too late.

I don't know the sums AH has/is prepared to throw at it for the cost of his season ticket, just the way I interpret what he's said.

He won't be the first owner who has overestimated the potential of this club but both Fword and Derby tried to buy their way into the Premiership and that is what cost them dearly. Other clubs I'm sure can manage on respectable gates if they are prepared for Championship survival with the occasional good season. Who's bankrolling Brentford, Millwall, Barnsley, Preston?

I don't ever see us being a Premiership side, not in my lifetime. KN was on about us doing a Bournmouth/Eddie Howe and we'd need substantial £££ to do that - in fact how do they do that? Are they allowed to have money just ploughed into them ad-infinitum?

[Bohinen]

I understand the issue about gates, but money from paying spectators isn't the only major stream of income in the Championship.

Every club receives the same ‘basic award’ of £2.084 million.

This reflects the EFL giving an equal share of the TV deal negotiated with Sky to broadcast Championship games to every club in the division, regardless of where they finish.

The EFL also give every club in the Championship a £4.3million ‘solidarity payment’. The money is donated by the Premier League to ensure the gap from the second tier to top flight does not expand any further.


http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/spor...villa-12969621

[DelroyFacey22]

I don't ever see us being a Premiership side, not in my lifetime. KN was on about us doing a Bournmouth/Eddie Howe and we'd need substantial £££ to do that - in fact how do they do that? Are they allowed to have money just ploughed into them ad-infinitum?

They had/have a wealthy russian owner that bought them and started pumping money in when they were in League One i think, god knows why they would have seemed an attractive proposition at the time. I think a combination of great management from Eddie Howe and just enough money being spent to improve them but not break FFP is how they got into the Premiership and after that the wage bill they had at the time would have been easily covered and then greatly extended with the money you get for simply being in the Premiership.

Part of me looks at Bournemouth and still thinks that it should have been us, after we both came up from League 2 in the same season and were absolutely miles ahead of them in terms of talent. Shame we had a sh*te owner who employed countless idiots to manage us.

[upthemaggies]

They had/have a wealthy russian owner that bought them and started pumping money in when they were in League One i think, god knows why they would have seemed an attractive proposition at the time.

I think it was merely because they just happened to be the nearest club to where the Russian owner was based, they were his local side.

[pedrolane]

The part I find strange is that we can't replace the tannoy for 100k (I know its not a major problem) as it takes the budget up but will have a training facility in place by next Jan which would cost 2m + with all an weather pitch, indoor dome and grass pitches .... just like that letter we had from Forest stating their players would be here all season, is it all for real or just cheap talk?

[JoePass]

The part I find strange is that we can't replace the tannoy for 100k (I know its not a major problem) as it takes the budget up but will have a training facility in place by next Jan which would cost 2m + with all an weather pitch, indoor dome and grass pitches .... just like that letter we had from Forest stating their players would be here all season, is it all for real or just cheap talk?

We are doomed I tell ya, doomed.

[SwalePie]

The part I find strange is that we can't replace the tannoy for 100k (I know its not a major problem) as it takes the budget up but will have a training facility in place by next Jan which would cost 2m + with all an weather pitch, indoor dome and grass pitches .... just like that letter we had from Forest stating their players would be here all season, is it all for real or just cheap talk?

I'd say it was about priorities for the long term.

Personally I couldn't give a toss about PA announcements or seeing the score in lights if it means we can have a permanent training base and academy site developing players for the future. Financing a property is a much more long term thing than a new PA, for example and can be done with mortgage facilities rather than the straight capital expenditure of PA, scoreboard etc. The training base would also have real asset value, thereby potentially increasing the overall value of the club itself.