Trouble is operating at a sustainable level doesn't often get you anywhere in football which has had boom and bust finances for decades and the majority of clubs living beyond their means and 'buying' success. Both our Championship eras and the flirtation with promotion to the Championship under Brown have ended in tailspins and double relegations over a short period. I have a horrible feeling if we choose now to operate sustainably we are in this league for a while. If Ron gambles and Brown is given the resources to get out of the NL this time, unlike last time in L1, he'd better deliver promotion. Looking at signings and departures so far we aren't gambling and promotion back to the EFL looks long odds against.
Oh I totally agree, and the divide between the have’s and have not’s only grows year after year. The financial disparity is disgusting really. The talk of Man City signing Kane for £160m is beyond comprehension when you consider that half of the football league is a whisker away from going bankrupt.
The long term sustainability of the football club is more important than what division we’re in. A non-league Southend United, will always be better than a non-existent Southend United.
If living sustainably means we won’t be able to try and buy success, and we have to exist at this level for some time, then so be it, I guess.
I don’t want to appear defeatist or apathetic, but we do need an injection of realism. The finances aren’t great at the moment, as proven by our sudden break away from Hummel.
Hopefully our new shirt sponsor will have paid more than Watchlotto, but even then I don’t expect it to massively boost the coffers (and that’s no offence to the new guys, who I know have nothing but love for the club)
We all remember the tax bill which kept us under embargo for over a year, but nobody has really spoken about the next one that is due which will come off the back of having almost no fans in attendance & what I would assume to be a record low financial gross from the previous campaign. That’s worrying to me, and far more concerning than which target Brown may or may not have missed out on.
I’m buoyed by the fact we have Tom running the club now. Speaking to people who know him, they are also very positive about him & the impression is, if anyone can turn this sinking ship around, it’s him.
But inevitably, just as I’ve repeated for the previous few years, we need to manage our expectations. You’re right, it doesn’t look like we’re gambling this term and for that I expect us to have a pretty uneventful season, which possibly flirts with play-offs, but is more likely to be a mid-table finish. If we can’t recruit some more firepower however, I expect us to be lower than that.
In the grand scheme of things, and based on the past three seasons, that’ll do for me, especially if we can somehow bring the finances back to a solid footing.
But what won’t do, is us playing roulette with those finances. At some point, we must learn from our repeated mistakes.