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A bit of myth busting and a lesson to be learned

So, just to clarify, you believe that he was looking for outside investment last year, which was the reason for writing off £6m of debt?

Come on mate, does that even make sense to you?

The reason nobody will “come in” on Ron’s terms, is because Ron isn’t inviting anyone in. The sole reason for writing off that lump of debt, was to sweeten the deal, but the Dutch decided that without the planning permission, it was too much of a gamble.

From what I’ve been told, Frank Van Wezel is still very much interested in taking over the club (or at least he was pre-covid), But for that to happen, certain boxes need to be ticked first... I.e. the planning permission for the stadium being a main one.



No, but as @Neil_F has brilliantly surmised, this isn’t just about paying the taxman on time. We have actually gone backwards since Ron took majority control, and that’s despite exponential growth of the Football Club.

And when we get down to the nuts and bolts of if, it always comes back to Ron’s - expensive - decision making. Some of which, we’ve already experienced 10-years prior! Forget myths and opinions, that’s just stone cold fact.


As I said, I have no idea what went on. None of us have all the information. There are several things that have happened over the years that don't make sense. If we elect a situation or scenario, then we can make the circumstances fit whatever outcome we want. You obviously know far more about the Dutch deal than I do, which is only really what was reported.

Listen, I'm not necessarily disagreeing with what you say about the deal, all I'm saying is that we don't actually know - we can all give our best guess - and personally I don't feel it's a foregone conclusion that Ron will disappear once FF is built.

And as for @Neil_F's points I agree that this isn't just about paying HMRC but we are where we are. No, we aren't better off now than when RM took over (or anyone else come to think of it). But that's now. If Frank Nouble had managed to put the ball in against Charlton when we were on the edge of the L1 play offs then who knows, we may have got in the Championship back then. That wasn't a bad time for the club; we were enjoying watching the team play and for all we know, we may have been under an embargo at that time too, but it wasn't relevant.

I remember after Brown left, Chris Powell turned the team into a terrific outfit for the rest of that season. We won more than we lost and left us all thirsty for the new campaign. We were enjoying our football then as well. So we haven't always gone backwards.

My point is that we can pick any point in time and with hindsight reflect on what may have been if we'd have done this, if that had happened. If, if, if. The most useless word in the English language.

My original post was more to implore that we didn't come down this route again and learned from past actions, and that is specifically aimed at Ron's decision making. We've got away with it - again - and he clearly has access to funds so please can we use them to prevent this sort of situation rather than playing cat and mouse with HMRC. I was reminded today that Ron was once in the GB Bobsleigh team (true). Clearly he gets his thrills now from getting one over on the Revenue.

But my post wasn't one praising him for what he'd done; it was a post praying he didn't do it again!
 
I remember in the late days of Phil Brown someone saying that we'd been very lucky with managers and were due a dud. Boy have we had some duds!
I think we are the perfect example of why clubs have directors of football. From Powell to Bond to Waddock to Campbell we've had to pay a lot of managers, assistants, coaches, scouts plus players to join and then to leave. We've had different formations and styles of play, different players the managers rate or don't. And it's cost a bomb. Having that continuity of a director of football should have helped to reduce those costs.
 
I have to take issue with point 2 of the original post. Ron may have just about kept us solvent, but that is in spite of his poor management and not because of good management. In my opinion, of course.

A club doesn't end up in this mess, with crippling debts, lousy recruitment, unpaid wages, embargos and more - prior to these unprecedented COVID times - if managed well.

The times we seemed to be run well, in the last decade or so - was when we had a CEO helping to run the club.

I don't think Ron is the devil incarnate plotting the downfall of our club like some do, but I do think he's bitten off more than he can singlehandedly chew and also let ambition run away with him.
 
I have to take issue with point 2 of the original post. Ron may have just about kept us solvent, but that is in spite of his poor management and not because of good management. In my opinion, of course.

A club doesn't end up in this mess, with crippling debts, lousy recruitment, unpaid wages, embargos and more - prior to these unprecedented COVID times - if managed well.

The times we seemed to be run well, in the last decade or so - was when we had a CEO helping to run the club.

I don't think Ron is the devil incarnate plotting the downfall of our club like some do, but I do think he's bitten off more than he can singlehandedly chew and also let ambition run away with him.


That's absolutely spot on. he can absolutely be accused of poor management. I doubt many would disagree with that.
 
That's absolutely spot on. he can absolutely be accused of poor management. I doubt many would disagree with that.

Which of course begs the question, what is the difference between poor management and mismanagement?
 
Wouldn’t a CEO cost more than several competent L2/L1 standard players in today’s market ?
 
Which of course begs the question, what is the difference between poor management and mismanagement?

Poor management I would say is more subjective to personal opinion. I think - but am not a corporate lawyer so will be happy to be corrected - that an accusation of mismanagement is quite serious as it would imply that a Director has not acted properly within Company law.

Doing something poorly isn't necessarily grounds for disqualification.
 
We've survived. Maybe the dawn has finally broken after what hopefully has been our darkest hour.

But I think it's time to reflect on what could have been done differently to avoid us being in this position again.

Firstly, a bit of myth busting and there are several on here that hold the following opinions; this is not a dig at anyone so please don't take offence, but try and read with an open mind.

Myth 1 - Ron will sell up and sail off into the sunset as soon as FF is built.

I very much doubt that... he will have invested 25 years plus of his life in the club and will have achieved his dream. First off, what's left to sell? Secondly, he is known locally and to sell a football club, leaving it to flounder and just walk away, well... if he's got any sense he won't do that. I don't think he'll do that. In fact, I can't see any benefit at all to him of just walking away unless he was only ever after a quick buck. History shows quite clearly that there's nothing quick about the buck he will be earning.

Myth 2 - Ron has mismanaged the club.

Again, I beg to differ on this. What he has done is not mismanagement at all. He has somehow kept us solvent, out of administration and has avoided all points deductions, although one has been deferred, He has been guilty of trusting his managers too much and backing them to the hilt, plus a bit. We all want as high a standard of football as possible and he has tried to provide that. The price has been being a bit star struck with big names and paying far too high wages than we can sustain in an attempt to get us back into the Championship.

So, what lesson can now be learned? The debt has been paid, which shows that - even in these strange, COVID-19 times - he has access to money. Personally what I would like to see is for that money to be utilised BEFORE we end up in front of HMRC again. That said, I do think that these historic tax bills were as a result of a PAYE windfall for HMRC after so many players were cut loose in January, plus the management incumbents of Powell, Bond and Campbell et al. We won't be making any money so Corporation Tax isn't an issue, there's little income so neither is VAT and most of our players are now on peanuts, so it's a much smaller PAYE going forwards.

The embargo will soon be lifted and whilst we can't buy anyone, there are some decent free agents available we could get in. Or we could wait until January but that is a recipe for disaster... we might be sunk without trace by then.

Please Ron, don't put us all through this again. Buy players within he club's means and let's leave ourselves in a good position when the transfer window comes around.
The number 1 problem with Ron and why many don’t like him is.... COMMUNICATION the way he communicates and talking in riddles and not being straight forward is what I think angers most fans.
 
The number 1 problem with Ron and why many don’t like him is.... COMMUNICATION the way he communicates and talking in riddles and not being straight forward is what I think angers most fans.

It certainly doesn't help, I agree.
 
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