Do The Owners Ambitions Match The Supporters'?

[drillerpie]

I think the owners' ambition does match the supporters' ambition, to want to get back into the Football League and then build further.

What they aren't doing is gambling silly money we cannot afford, all on one season, which has no guarantee of success and would leave us with an unsustainable budget well into the future. We've been down that route before and we know where it leads, regardless of whether you get the immediate promotion or not.

I think the aim of the owners is to maintain a sustainable but competitive playing budget on an ongoing basis, so we're always there or thereabouts in the promotion mix. It then comes down to the skill of the manager, plus a little bit of luck with injuries and suspensions, to push us over the line. Neal Ardley and Ian Burchnall's attempts were close, just not quite close enough, but as long as we can maintain a competitive playing budget we'll be in the mix, and that in turn keeps the attendances up. Hopefully the next manager can find that little bit extra where NA and IB didn't.

I think we've now got grown-ups in charge, which is ironic given that they're two of the youngest owners in the league. Of course they want to go up, but they aren't going bankrupt us by overspending wildly. I'm fine with that.

I'm with Jackal on this.

[laddo]

They let him go because he had failed to take us to the next level. At least it saved them from having to sack him..

If you are talking about sacking him after the Grimsby result, I don't think they would have.

[laddo]

I'm with Jackal on this.

Me too.

"... we've now got grown-ups in charge.." is the bit I particularly liked and made me smile.

You can argue that we need to throw big money at it as we've seen from 3 clubs this season and take the very short term gamble and that would give us the best chance next season. But we know that it doesn't matter what size club you are, how big your stadium or your history etc, if you are mess off the field (especially financially) then you aren't in the promotion mix at all. More like (actual) mid-table or worse as we've seen with clubs like Chesterfield, Yeovil and Southend in recent years.

A season or two like that will give you a whole new 'Notts perspective'.

[Old_pie]

I must be the odd one out then, because the Premier League isn't on my wishlist. My hopes and expectations aren't that high, I just want us to become a Football League club again. That's all I'm asking.

What difference will you see? It looks to me as if the make up of the National League and League Two are not that far apart, certainly not compared to non-league of a few decades ago.

And we're about to be joined by the club you can't mention on this site, sfannythorpe and a former premier league club who used to be the whipping boys when I first went down to the Lane.

[applepie2]

I must be the odd one out then, because the Premier League isn't on my wishlist. My hopes and expectations aren't that high, I just want us to become a Football League club again. That's all I'm asking.

If the National League were to join the EFL, would that be good enough for you? I ask, because the definition of “non-league” has changed three times (a slight simplification) already.

Also, and I haven’t checked, were you one of the many desperate for promotion from the “god-awful” League 2? Our expectations are likely to change when we get back to League 2. But I too don’t have Premier League ambitions; I take very little interest in it as it is too dominated by money and hyped up way beyond reality.

[upthemaggies]

We've had these arguments when Notts have been struggling in the 3rd tier early 2000s and again in tier 4 with an ever increasing number, now in the majority, insisting that expectations are too high, "we are where we are" and "if it wasn't for the owners we wouldn't have a club" and down and down we go. Can't imagine Sunderland fans arguing they should have been happy in tier 3 and to forget ever being in the PL again, or Bolton being happy with tier 4. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
The masochists among us have evidently won out and have now got the club they want, an alternative to the big time.
So yes I'd have to conclude the owners ambitions absolutely do match the supporters ambitions on the whole and it's very sad to see.

[Magpies1959]

I think that is an impossible question to answer as all supporters will have different ambitions. I think their ambitions match the vast majority of supporters, which is far more than everyone who posts on here.
I would like to think that everyone's ambition for the club is to reach the premiership, 'reach for the stars and you maybe just touch the moon', and all that.
I am happy that the club now seems to be moving forward on and off the pitch.
I do agree that the next choice of manager will be very important, and tell us what the brothers have learned, regarding football knowledge.
I think it is important they sign someone with a similar footballing ethos to IB, maybe/hopefully Williamson, but with that added steel in the areas we all agree have been lacking this past season.

[durhampie]

If you are talking about sacking him after the Grimsby result, I don't think they would have.

They weren't impressed when i sat behind them....

[laddo]

I bet Sunderland fans know all too well why they ended up in Tier 3 and that's the point that is consistently missed. That's what we want to avoid isn't it? Or do we still want the rollercoaster with periods of administration, regular changes of ownership, overspending and being forced to pay the milk bill?

I keep reading on here that fans are happy to be in tier 5, UTM being the latest to suggest it. So I will ask again who is? I haven't seen anyone suggest that. I've seen a few suggest the owners are which is a questionable IMO but a valid opinion.

If that is indeed the case, how much do you think it costs the owners each season since taking over? And more importantly how much more do they need to invest each season?

Personally I can't see why any owners and especially the current ones with their model being happy with NL parity it totally goes against and contradicts their stated approach. Buying and selling players at L2 and L1 will make them a lot more money than it will in NL with its glass ceiling on transfer fees.

[jacobncfc]

Like i said that means our season coming down to 2 or 3 play off matches
Yes its obviously sustainable as a National league side in which we shall remain
Yes the skill of the manager is crucial- but they want rookies that might do it after 3 or 4 years as manager
The owners have other interests elsewhere notts is not there main priority - its a project
Hardy failed due to lack of money, if he had 10 X more like FGR chairman he would have been successfull

But in a league where only one goes up automatically, it almost doesn’t matter how much you spend, there’s a very good chance that your season is going to come down to two or three play-off matches. Look at Wrexham.