Supporters Group News Supporters Group Statement and Q&A meeting with Ron Martin and Tom Lawrence. 28/03/2023

[nick12]

To me Ron owns and needs to take ownership of this mess. In the end the buck stops with him. No debate there. He owns it.

But starving a cash strapped club of cashflow has consequences whether we like it or not. And although it's very very uncomfortable to accept this, it will likely have a knock on effect regarding our ability to pay bills including wages. And we know Ron likely hasn't got the money at this point to make up the difference.

So, and I know this won't be popular, we have to also own the fact that a consequence of this action will likely affect both management team and staff (who we least want to impact). No amount of wanting it to be otherwise will make it true.

If the supporters groups want to continue the approach then at least do it being honest about the likely consequences. Just repeating its all Ron's fault don't blame us might make some feel better. But it wont make those impacted feel better. Regrettably...

None of this forgives Ron getting us to where we are. But given the club is for sale, and the Q&A whilst as always leaving some questions unanswered (on him..), and others unasked (on the questioners..) what more realistically can happen at this point to make the withholding of season ticket money worth the cost?

Again if I actually believed a word he said and the money would be used to pay staff and players then maybe but remember the promise when the 3 Amigos came in "I guarantee the club will never be in this position again"

He has answered the questions but like any good politician when he has got your vote (or in this case money) will do exactly what he wants and then spin more garbage about why it didn't go where he said it would or do the things he promised.

Amazingly RM still has the ability to kid everyone and win them round after all that has gone before

 

[Jai]

Again if I actually believed a word he said and the money would be used to pay staff and players then maybe but remember the promise when the 3 Amigos came in "I guarantee the club will never be in this position again"

He has answered the questions but like any good politician when he has got your vote (or in this case money) will do exactly what he wants and then spin more garbage about why it didn't go where he said it would or do the things he promised.

Amazingly RM still has the ability to kid everyone and win them round after all that has gone before

He doesn't though does he? Everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone, knows you have to take anything he says with a pinch of salt. The issue is whether people want to buy a season ticket and put money into the club or not. That doesn't change whatever Ron says.

I think most people who are going to renew are going to do so for the benefit of the club and not because Ron Martin convinced them to do so.

Plenty of people on this thread say they won't renew until Ron leaves. I guess you haven't read it properly.

 

[Kat_r]

Again if I actually believed a word he said and the money would be used to pay staff and players then maybe but remember the promise when the 3 Amigos came in "I guarantee the club will never be in this position again"

He has answered the questions but like any good politician when he has got your vote (or in this case money) will do exactly what he wants and then spin more garbage about why it didn't go where he said it would or do the things he promised.

Amazingly RM still has the ability to kid everyone and win them round after all that has gone before

He’s holding the club to ransom
Telling fans pay up or else
Would be nice to see a spreadsheet on where all the money goes.
Of course we won’t as so many are conned

 

[nick12]

He doesn't though does he? Everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone, knows you have to take anything he says with a pinch of salt. The issue is whether people want to buy a season ticket and put money into the club or not. That doesn't change whatever Ron says.

I think most people who are going to renew are going to do so for the benefit of the club and not because Ron Martin convinced them to do so.

Plenty of people on this thread say they won't renew until Ron leaves. I guess you haven't read it properly.

I admit I haven't read every single post but the majority of people I spoke to Tuesday night said they were going to renew and quite a few seem to have changed their minds since the meeting and that is their choice and I completely respect that

Trust me I was really looking forward to my first discounted senior ticket but for me even a 15% increase with a 3 week deadline to pay is unacceptable in the current climate let alone 30%. If it had been 10% and 15% respectfully or / and he had consulted the supporters groups before announcing the increases I wouldn't be so upset by this.

 

[Supershrimper]

Blimey Ron does it again. Not arguing with your points but have you taken in to account the number of times he has pulled similar stunts in the past and told everyone exactly what they want to hear?

He has made promises that never materialise and done the "I put millions of pounds of my own money in and will never let the club die" so many times

Good luck to you personally I have been lied to once too often and I don't believe a word that's been said, where's the evidence and guarantee (not promise because he has broken them too many times to remember)?

If he pays the hard working staff and clears the embargo I will consider buying a season ticket but have you actually done the maths? Even if everyone stumps up the early bird ticket it doesn't amount to half of what is still owed to HMRC so how he is ever going to pay the staff, keep us solvent and clear the embargo?

Well don't Ron you have spun it brilliantly and people are believing you yet again

If no-one buys a season ticket or sales are considerably less than previous seasons then your guaranteed audience is reduced.

Sponsors wish to pay less or cancel as they advertising is reaching less of an audience.

The club as a business looks more and more likely to fold or look to further reduce costs.

Rons told some very tall stories in the past (and recently) but he is extremely close to getting the move to Fossetts Farm completed. Had the training pitches not been built I probably wouldn't believe him. But I've had a tour and seen for my own eyes that these aren't just a case of level the ground and chuck some grass seed. Thought and planning have gone into these.

Rons put the club up for sale, Something that people have wanted for years. They can see the "exit plan" that they have been asking for. Its not like people are going up to Ron and saying i';l give you £xx amount. Its in the hands of experts who have handled sales in the past. I'm sure they will advise Ron when the best deal comes along. He can't hold out for the number he is asking for if its unachievable.

To Ron this football club is a business. With less people buying your product and costs / debt increasing from a business perspective its not on a sustainable footing and any normal business person would have closed the business years ago. We have missed the transfer window so clearing the embargo now wouldn't make a difference as we wouldn't be able to bring in anyone anyway.

I'll be buying not because of what a chairman / owner does or doesn't do. I'll be buying because i wish to support my club and the best way for me to show my commitment to the club (and prospective owners) is to buy a season ticket.

I'll also be buying on Credit Card to protect myself. I would advise everyone that wishes to purchase to do so buy Credit card (and to pay off in full), not via debit card. You are better protected when purchasing via a credit card than a debit card with Section 75 being in your back pocket should anything go wrong. Paying by Debit card has to rule on a "Chargeback" which unlike Section 75 which is within the Consumer Credit Act a Chargeback is a set of rules that bank cans sign up to, and there is no guarantee that it will protect you.

 

[kentblues]

Wrexham FC: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney lose £3m

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney pledge to keep backing the club, despite the financial hit.

www.bbc.com

I was wondering if given all the publicity, documentary, gates, cup run etc etc Wrexham would be demonstrating it’s possible to be successful and profitable (or at least not seriously loss making) at our level. Regrettably not. Losing the owners £3m a year…

 

[Cricko]

Wrexham FC: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney lose £3m

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney pledge to keep backing the club, despite the financial hit.

www.bbc.com

I was wondering if given all the publicity, documentary, gates, cup run etc etc Wrexham would be demonstrating it’s possible to be successful and profitable (or at least not seriously loss making) at our level. Regrettably not. Losing the owners £3m a year…

Last year. They have now bought the freehold of the ground have a 2 million deal with tik tok and will be raking in the millions from the Disney series. They have invested heavily in the playing squad to get out of the NL where more money will come in once they are promoted oh and of course they sold 78000 shirts this season world wide, sell out all home games and are having a new stand built and have a tour in the USA lined up for pre season where they will be playing MANU.

I think they will be more than sustainable in the future and that one season to start was bound to show a loss at least its not 20 years.

 

[kentblues]

Last year. They have now bought the freehold of the ground have a 2 million deal with tik tok and will be raking in the millions from the Disney series. They have invested heavily in the playing squad to get out of the NL where more money will come in once they are promoted oh and of course they sold 78000 shirts this season world wide, sell out all home games and are having a new stand built and have a tour in the USA lined up for pre season where they will be playing MANU.

I think they will be more than sustainable in the future and that one season to start was bound to show a loss at least its not 20 years.

Agree. You would think so. None the less just shows we need a buyer with some deep pockets to make things happen- and could we find owners with the profile to replicate much of it?
Due to the ridiculous promotion / relegation to and from L2 there is also an evens chance that despite all this we will playing them again next season regardless...

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

I've been watching Welcome to Wrexham, like us the fans have had it rough and it gave me hope for our future. What really amazed me was Jake Hyde, there was some footage of him signing autographs which he managed to do without injuring himself.

 

[LeedsSUFC]

Wrexham FC: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney lose £3m

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney pledge to keep backing the club, despite the financial hit.

www.bbc.com

I was wondering if given all the publicity, documentary, gates, cup run etc etc Wrexham would be demonstrating it’s possible to be successful and profitable (or at least not seriously loss making) at our level. Regrettably not. Losing the owners £3m a year…

Their documentary made £3 million profit, and the ticket prices for their Man Utd game in San Diego... hold onto your hats here... the cheapest ticket was $180. Behind the goal was $250. 35,000 stadium sold out. Wrexham are going to make a **** ton. Plus the Kings of Leon concert. Plus international games at the Racecourse.

What will be interesting is how they manage FFP in the EFL and if they get stuck in League 2 (or even the NL for another season!), how much more money can they dig into...? Players aren't up for 1 year contracts these days.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

I've been watching Welcome to Wrexham, like us the fans have had it rough and it gave me hope for our future. What really amazed me was Jake Hyde, there was some footage of him signing autographs which he managed to do without injuring himself.

I had a dream last night that Hyde went on a scoring run for us and fired us into the play offs (which we won). He was banging them in from all angles. Not related to the thread but thought I’d share

 

[Target man]

Bottom line 2023/24 season card monies should not be needed to cover staff wages from December 2022 or "historic" HMRC liabilities, or anything else unpaid from 2022. That's basic business liabilities that should be met as they are due.

A club of this size (or any size really) should not be failing to pay staff or tax liabilities on time. Once is bad enough, but this is happening regularly and has been for a while now.

That's on Ron, not the supporters.

100%

 

[Callum]

We will be lucky to have a team next season

 

[Richard Hearn]

What really amazed me was Jake Hyde, there was some footage of him signing autographs which he managed to do without injuring himself.

To be fair the RSI probably came on a bit later in the day and then ruled him out of any serious penmanship (apart from the odd light doodling) for the rest of the season.

 

[Holy Joe]

I worry for Wrexham in say 5 years - doubt the Amazon show will still be going, getting boring now. Still going to be an enjoyable ride for them, at least in the short-term.

 

[Ricey]

I worry for Wrexham in say 5 years - doubt the Amazon show will still be going, getting boring now. Still going to be an enjoyable ride for them, at least in the short-term.

Similar happened with Salford, they’ve hit a plateau in League Two. It will happen to Wrexham too, probably in League Two or One.

 

[crangoner]

I worry for Wrexham in say 5 years - doubt the Amazon show will still be going, getting boring now. Still going to be an enjoyable ride for them, at least in the short-term.

I don't worry for them. Their fans are by and large are taking the change in their stride. They'll be happy if they're a stable, upper table League Two team in five year's time.

I despise the whole underdog narrative they often get painted with. All the neutrals now invested in the rags-to-riches transformation are the lot who'll do away with Wrexham when they're humbled in the second round of the 26/27 FA Cup by Banbury Town.

 

[Holy Joe]

I don't worry for them. Their fans are by and large are taking the change in their stride. They'll be happy if they're a stable, upper table League Two team in five year's time.

I despise the whole underdog narrative they often get painted with. All the neutrals now invested in the rags-to-riches transformation are the lot who'll do away with Wrexham when they're humbled in the second round of the 26/27 FA Cup by Banbury Town.

I guess that's my fear, how stable will they be when the Hollywood duo decide to exit? Clearly they're getting an influx of cash now with great sponsorship but I'd imagine that will soon evaporate once the TV side of it subsides. It'll be an interesting one to follow

 

[Kat_r]

I guess that's my fear, how stable will they be when the Hollywood duo decide to exit? Clearly they're getting an influx of cash now with great sponsorship but I'd imagine that will soon evaporate once the TV side of it subsides. It'll be an interesting one to follow

Hmm I think they are building a brand that will be attractive to any investors.

 

[Jai]

Documentaries don't make money for the subject. They make money for the production companies and the channels. I am sure they are not doing badly out of it but they certainly won't be making millions from it.

The figures a lot of clubs are posting at the moment are alarming. Torquay lost around £2million I believe. York had to rely on their Trust bailing them out on wages this month. This league is starting to get very financially stretched and some clubs will be suffering from that.