Originally Posted by
Geoff Parkstone
Just to pitch in my two pence worth. Fans always have unrealistic expectations - or rather hopes may be a better word for it - of their team. That's what makes them fans.
These expectations do pressure ownership into decisions that are often rash eg sacking manager, spending money on players that often they don't have etc. Owners need to be more strong and resist appeasing the fanbase, but often they are not and cave in (also flattering their own egos).
Trouble is the existence of supporter pressure means clubs don't run in a business like manner. It's the nature of the beast. Despite huge revenue numbers from TV deals and nerchandising, most (even PL) teams aren't really sustainable. Crowd (ie fan contribution) revenue is relatively minor the higher up the pyramid you are, but as one descends to more Stygian depths this is more critical to the well being of a club. This makes the fanbase feel more entitled as their participation in club revenue is greater.
So it's a bit of a vicious circle. The fan as a stakeholder becomes more important as a teams fortunescslide, but fans are not renowned for financial acumen and some call for greater spending eg "a 500k transfer must surely be affordable" without having a clue what money is realistically there to spend on player acquisition.
The wider implications get ignored. Pay a newcomer a decent salary and you likely get 15 players knocking on the door asking for commensurate rises. It's not as simple as it sounds.
Before making judgement, let's wait and see what the first new era accounts tell us... If there are bounteous resources in the balance sheet, then ask the questions