What is Burnley's long term future?

[blueheeler1]

On the one hand I am surprised about the development (and associated costs) of improving ground; stand; training ground etc,. But for what purpose if we can't spend the money to compete on the field at Prem Level?

Secondly, just what are we saving our money for if not for transfer fees?

Wages and personnel can be cut on all the support staff saving even more--for what?

We obviously can't sustain our Prem status for much longer unless we acquire a rich director and why shouldn't this be a possibility?

What isn't a good look at the club is total silence on all matters including player injury; timetable to return; inbound/exbound transfer hopefuls.

But most importantly, whether their have been any inquiries into buying in as a Director.

OK; I've got it. Burnley is a privately-owned club but as an option to finding a direct benefactor can't the club consider raising funds through an open shares arrangement on the stock market?

I am aware Spurs did this and bought the shares back so it is now, once again, in Private hands and I am also aware that in 2012, Glazer, after buying the club and taking it out of the stock exchange and decided to take Manchester United back on the stock exchange to raise capital.

The club’s second IPO sold 16.7 million shares, but fell below expectations and only sold for approximately $14 each as opposed to the expected $16-$20 range. Currently the price sits at $14.56, with a total market capitalization of $2.38 billion.

But at LEAST THEY DID something.

Our demise is certain on the path we are on---we do need change urgently--but I would think the cosey private Burnley Director's Club (with two of them owning around 78% of the shares) will not have a bar of relinquishing power --and they are supposed to LOVE Burnley FC.

Fans will turn against them if we go down without giving us a chance to stay up.

And I am very mindful of the Brighton Directors who sold the Goldstone ground under Brighton FC and kept them in the wilderness for many years.

Just remember, raging against foreigners who might be chicken millionaires and want to buy the club is no different to locals who have been proven do the same.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Very pessimistic attitude I think blueheeler1. We can be the one outside the "norm". We have worked wonders since Howe left and are in fantastic financial shape both on and off the pitch.

Right now we need to stop messing, stop stressing and bring in exactly the 3 or 4 players we need to bulk up the squad. The rest really will take care of itself.

[army88]

Agreed Bt but I’d go nearer 6 players to be honest if you take Marney and Arfield to replace etc I still think it’s 3-4 on top them.
I know it won’t happen but just my thoughts.

[blueheeler1]

Very pessimistic attitude I think blueheeler1. We can be the one outside the "norm". We have worked wonders since Howe left and are in fantastic financial shape both on and off the pitch.

Right now we need to stop messing, stop stressing and bring in exactly the 3 or 4 players we need to bulk up the squad. The rest really will take care of itself.

What part was pessimistic, BT?

The fact that we will go down without injecting monies into buying better or at least comparable players at Prem standard (and I agree with Army we need more than 3-4) or the fact the club needs to act in other ways to raise capital if we haven't got enough?

The fact that local greedy Directors stuff up football clubs just as easily as foreign investors do?

I believe my comments are, if anything, a bit restrained.

BurnleyFC has played a massive part in my life; my thoughts; my hopes; my dreams; my elation and my dispares.

My son and daughter who were both born just outside Brighton, support Burnley with a passion. So does my wife.

It's a bit Rippin Yarns.

And whilst I can no longer go on Turf when Burnley plays it dictates just where we are going and when we will be back to watch.

And yet there are many on here who have lived it rather than just stressed about it.

We are living in an age where what was is no longer.

Shops; jobs; longevity of work; security and knowing your place in the world is as difficult as it has ever been.

Against this background we have a football club with all its history, longevity, culture and iconic status in Burnley FC that is now under threat.

Any belief that "Its always there and always will be" can no longer be said to be a matter of fact.

Not the way we are going.

We have won membership into the rich league and to go back down without a murmur is frightening.

"In OC we trust"? Well, he wasn't worth trusting was he?

If SD leaves then what?

With a new manager and a tight fisted Director's Board it could go well--but it could really go badly.

There is nothing to pin your optimism on; just voice a real concern.

[oldcolner]

I thought the reason Glazier took MU public again was to load the club and shareholders with massive debt while getting his money back and more.

We aren’t and never will be a club to compete financially with the big boys. We can compete by attracting good young players developing them and selling on.
So Barnfield is our future. That and the town won’t appeal to foreign cash rich interferers. Frankly I don’t want them, we have our business model which Sean has signed up to, others have theirs. We will buy players at reasonable prices who can add to the first team or ones we can develop. We may not be able to buy our way to the top of the table but we should be able to stay in it and give the rest a few frights. We can also take the lead in areas like UFCB and Award winning BFC in the Community. The futures looking good to me.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

"There is nothing to pin your optimism on; just voice a real concern."

If you get the chance blueheeler1 visit Barnfield. Our future is laid out right before you and that's what I base my optimism on.

The youth recruitment policy is starting to kick in and our first eleven looks pretty OK to me!

I love Sean Dyche I really do, but our club cannot build it's future on just one man and I don't think they will!

I know personally several of our Board members, trust me, they are not idiots!

Altobelli particularly singles Mike Garlick out for dog's abuse, but I would happily settle for a true Claret than some distant moneybags who usually turns out to be either morally or financially bankrupt.

[Altobelli]

Barnfield is the future BT, and it takes time, we are at the sharp end now, and we are where the money is NOW, Blueheeler lays it out very well with his points.

I'd agree we don't want to throw the kitchen sink at it, but we have to raise the bar higher which is within our means to improve the team.

Something has not been right with recruitment for too long now, For me its a Major problem and should have been solved/addressed earlier, but here we are again still having the same problems and the folk in charge doing phuck all about it.

No I don't like Garlick, from buying BFC shares on the cheap to selling Turf Moor to feather his own nest, and much more in between, I don't like or trust him, he says he's a Claret fan, what a load of Bollox, he's a business man first and foremost and is out of his depth being a Football Chairman, something more and more folk are realising every day.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, BT you may know several board members, they may seem to be not idiots, but as a job lot they seem incompetent.

[blueheeler1]

"There is nothing to pin your optimism on; just voice a real concern."

If you get the chance blueheeler1 visit Barnfield. Our future is laid out right before you and that's what I base my optimism on.

The youth recruitment policy is starting to kick in and our first eleven looks pretty OK to me!

I love Sean Dyche I really do, but our club cannot build it's future on just one man and I don't think they will!

I know personally several of our Board members, trust me, they are not idiots!

Altobelli particularly singles Mike Garlick out for dog's abuse, but I would happily settle for a true Claret than some distant moneybags who usually turns out to be either morally or financially bankrupt.

BT. I perfectly understand the road forward being developing our youth.

But there are always concerns with this tactic.

1. If we develop some good players they will be off to bigger clubs before we gain from their playing ability. That happened to one of our players a few years ago who at around 15 went to Man Utd and didn't want to come back! So the value of spending time and effort on youth players and bringing them along can result in nothing more than a quick financial return. And we don't get enough money from selling kids to make a financial windfall so this point is a major concern in that it does nothing for Burnley FC chance of surviving in the Prem.

2. It takes time to develop youth. Do we have this time right now? That point has been expressed on this Board several times already and I would say that the Prem is getting harder to survive in if it is judged by other clubs' spend on transfers pre season.

We have the smallest squad ever at the moment. We can't survive injuries to key players. Before this Prem League season has even started we have several injury concerns already. Where are the plugs that you speak of?

I am amazed that we still have several players still on our books. I would nominate Walters, Wells and to a lesser extent Westwood among them. We have two top Goalies injured pre season. And all this is with a small sqaud (and diminishing e.g. Mee?)

If you have this rapport with some of the Directors I am sure that some of our concerns have already been expressed and yet nothing seems to have happened.

[1959_60]

Reluctantly - and against my gut feeling, I have come to the conclusion that Burnley will require major outside funding to stay in the big time.

Part of me says that it would be better if we played at our true level for the size of the club/town. We are never going to be a sustainable major force with our current model.

In effect, and to compare our position to big business, we have miraculously broken into the FTSE 100. But we cannot compete in the long term with the big hitters in our market, just like Moorhouses can't compete with Scottish/Newcastle.....without major investment.

It depends on your vision for our club. If you want us to remain a club with a limited appeal in England, let alone worldwide, but is very well run by very passionate Clarets fans then that is very laudable. but eventually we will eventually reach our natural level, which is Championship at best.

If we want to remain a force in the Prem then the only sustainable way is to follow the big boys and allow ourselves to be taken over by rich backers.

I am not sure which I prefer. I am leaning towards the take over option. I want Burnley to be as successful as possible (that is what a football club is all about) and as long as any potential backers are fully vetted then it can work out well.

And this is the ideal time. We are under no financial pressure to be forced into selling up, unlike certain clubs who accepted dodgy investors simply to keep afloat.

If we are going to consider this route then now is the hour. Fixing the roof while the sun shines is the best option. We must be a tempting proposition for investors right now.
If we get relegated in the near future then a lucrative opportunity will have passed.

Food for thought...

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Walking in our Directors shoes, I would do exactly what they are doing! Not the time to panic, just plug the holes in the first team squad and crack on!