Now time to voice your anger at Aldershot

[Rob1920]

A slight aside but worth mentioning I think, I notice the Col U owner Robbie Cowling has cut the budget for next year there, fed up with pumping money in & not achieving the goal of returning to the championship. Although he has the reputation amongst their fans and it seems most of ours, of being a 'model' chairman / owner, you only have to read between the lines to see he's no different to the Ron Martin's of this world, he just has more available dosh. He has gambled on a return to the Championship where compared to L1 & 2, the streets are paved with gold (they get 80% of available funding, as opposed to 12% in L1 & 8% in L2). If they'd got there & stayed a while the money he could have recouped would have more than justified his investment. He's a businessman, not a Col U fan.

His statement "I won't leave the club in a worse state than I found it in if I leave" also gives a hint, because if memory serves they were in a pretty dire position financially when he arrived, and it sounds like he'd put them back in that position if (sorry, when) he leaves.

The point of this little essay being, don't anyone be fooled into thinking any succesful businessman/men will happily pump money into us or any other club for the love of it. The main thing people like that love is their money, and making more of it. Whether its Ron or the next 'saviour', there will always be an ulterior motive. At least with Ron we stood to gain a new stadium before the world went into financial meltdown. he would have gained, so would we. Now we're this far down the line I can't see the point of trying to force him out just to leave us at the mercy of the next vulture in the queue, who believe it or not could be worse. Let him finish what he started, don't forget he stands to gain nothing if the stadium isn't built.

 

[TTS]

Why on earth is my opinion a rediculous statement? Its not a point about money to me. Im certainly not rich but fortunate enough that i could afford it. It makes no difference for me if we were in the Premiership or conference i would still go and pay silly money to watch the team i love. When the trust were raising money last season i gladly donated £100 as an example.

Nowdays i do not trust where my money is being used so will not put anything extra into the club. My season ticket is my maximum. Its about principle for me. As stated in the announcement "extra monies will go Paul Sturrock", sorry i dont believe that!

Because I do not for one minute believe that you would be happy with a season ticket that costs three times as much, just if we had a new chairman !

 

[5scoops]

Sorry Jack......

Ron Martin has got off lightly with all of us for the last couple of years.
We have not said much in the ground because of our relegations etc and the support to the team.

Everyone says we should support the team due to this reason or another well......

This one man has distroyed our club and with us not going up or down and our season over its now, time to show banners with martin out on and chant martin out during the games.

Martin out

( Can I say how good a job Mr. Sturrock has done for us and I thank you for keeping us in this league!!)

you lot left too late my friend the club is a joke with marin and i cant belive the board hi tec havnt done anything about 3,000 blues fans
not going because of one nasty man

 

[The Eternal Optimist]

I can't wait until Aldershot here goes - Martin you’re a putrescent mass, a walking vomit. You are a spineless little worm deserving nothing but the profoundest contempt. You are a jerk, a cad, a weasel. Your life is a monument to stupidity. You are a stench, a revulsion and despicable liar. You are shagging us like a helpless bitch. Despite your underhandedness and the fact that you are treating us with utter contempt, I'll still be renewing my season ticket because I love the club more than life itself.

 

[E for B and Billy Best]

Out of recent Chairmen owners would you trust Rubin, Adams, Jobson, Johnson or Martin? Seems like we're out of the Rubin's frying pan into Johnson's fire and it becomes a never ending cycle.

Put that lot together and I don't think you would make a decent owner of SUFC, they all at one time or another alienated the fanbase, however Martin is by far and away the nastiest deceitful little git of them all.

 

[shrimpfan]

last time i had anger at home with the shots was when their boys was on the southbank and had had gold painted steel toe cap boots with their own numbers painted on, I remember pickin my number out to own just like prize bingo really.................

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

Because I do not for one minute believe that you would be happy with a season ticket that costs three times as much, just if we had a new chairman !

Well that's up to you whether or not you believe me. You don't know me or my financial details. For me £1000 would be a v small price to get Ron out the club.

 

[brigadista]

I don't like Ron but if he left wouldn't we have to pay him rent for the ground? And unfortunately we aren't exactly an attractive prospect for buyers either, I'm afraid that we're going to be stuck with Ron, hopefully he will sort the finances out (not that I can see that happening)

we could just play by his rules and pretend he is the HMRC or players and just,not.........erm........pay? sorry Ron

 

[brigadista]

Out of recent Chairmen owners would you trust Rubin, Adams, Jobson, Johnson or Martin? Seems like we're out of the Rubin's frying pan into Johnson's fire and it becomes a never ending cycle.

and it is exactly this point that proves fan ownership is the only viable way that the club's and fan's interests come before one man's personal private fortune.

people should stop being so scared of Ron going. If he goes, good. As raised before look what happened to Doncaster. It is not the end of the world. A team is not always going to play at the highest possible level. hell there are probably 40 clubs that state their ambition is to be in the prem, but there isnt that many places. Do their fans walk away? no, the reality is that if you love the club, you would watch them at any level, regardless because they are your team and your town.

If you don't want to protest fine, just don't join in and be done with it.

 

[bluenose]

It is soon to be 5 years that we have had planning permission for fossets to be built we all know that the recession hit Ron's plans hard and the various lies and untruths we have been sold such as the hoardings will be going up soon personally I have not seen one sod of earth turned over on said site in 5 years . Perhaps Ron has a big revealation to tell us at the AGM but given his recent track record would anyone believe him.

Personally I think his biggest mistake apart from treating the fans as a cash cow that needs to be regulary milked was not to try and embrace the local business communities into buying into the fossets dream it says much for his ego that he has tried to go solo in this stadium building dream of his,ours. There are lots of businessmen who are genuine supporters if they had been offered a share of the stadium plan who is to say that they would not have welcomed the chance but no Ron has to go it alone for maximum profit/glory the genuine fans among them are now wary of the man given the lies, smoke screen, half truths that come from the club.

Now we the supporters are asked to find more money to watch next seasons football will the money as stated help Paul sturrock I very much doubt it don't forget you were asked early last season to pay but it didn't help Steve Tilson build a squad he was out of the door and the present squad assembled for next to nothing so ask yourselves where did my season ticket money go then.

Worrying times ahead methinks.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I also find this season's botched together side more pleasurable to watch.

Do you really mourn over a central midfield of Christophe and McCormack?

Do you need to ask me that???!!! :winking:

 

[Beefy]

and it is exactly this point that proves fan ownership is the only viable way that the club's and fan's interests come before one man's personal private fortune.

people should stop being so scared of Ron going. If he goes, good. As raised before look what happened to Doncaster. It is not the end of the world. A team is not always going to play at the highest possible level. hell there are probably 40 clubs that state their ambition is to be in the prem, but there isnt that many places. Do their fans walk away? no, the reality is that if you love the club, you would watch them at any level, regardless because they are your team and your town.

If you don't want to protest fine, just don't join in and be done with it.

I favour fan ownership as well. It's something I've advocated on here and raised with the Trust. It wouldn't solve the Club's current cashflow problems though.

 

[Rayleigh boy]

if we owned the club there would be no debt - the debt belongs to RM cos hes taken all the money

 

[fbm]

I can't wait until Aldershot here goes - Martin you’re a putrescent mass, a walking vomit. You are a spineless little worm deserving nothing but the profoundest contempt. You are a jerk, a cad, a weasel. Your life is a monument to stupidity. You are a stench, a revulsion and despicable liar. You are shagging us like a helpless bitch. Despite your underhandedness and the fact that you are treating us with utter contempt, I'll still be renewing my season ticket because I love the club more than life itself.

Which is exactly why he and every other club chairman can get away with it. Sticks and stones and all that... I doubt RM will lose any sleep over your opinion of him and you'll renew your season ticket regardless, as will many, even some who say they won't today I'll wager will have done so before 22/4.

This is why I don't get worked up about it... my feelings are the only thing that I can control and I just want to see my club play. When I say my club, I mean the club I support... an important distinction in todays environment. Football is no longer the peoples game. It's the pathway to riches for a few talented footballers. It shouldn't be like that but it is I'm afraid. Give it 10 years and the game may well be different, but if lower league supporters all vote with their feet it will only make the divide between the FL and Prem even bigger and give us absolutely no hope of ever getting there again.

 

[Gremlin]

Darn it. I though this was going to be another "We've got history with Aldershot, every man and his dog are going to be there" type of thread.

 

[BILLERICAY BLUE]

A slight aside but worth mentioning I think, I notice the Col U owner Robbie Cowling has cut the budget for next year there, fed up with pumping money in & not achieving the goal of returning to the championship. Although he has the reputation amongst their fans and it seems most of ours, of being a 'model' chairman / owner, you only have to read between the lines to see he's no different to the Ron Martin's of this world, he just has more available dosh. He has gambled on a return to the Championship where compared to L1 & 2, the streets are paved with gold (they get 80% of available funding, as opposed to 12% in L1 & 8% in L2). If they'd got there & stayed a while the money he could have recouped would have more than justified his investment. He's a businessman, not a Col U fan.

His statement "I won't leave the club in a worse state than I found it in if I leave" also gives a hint, because if memory serves they were in a pretty dire position financially when he arrived, and it sounds like he'd put them back in that position if (sorry, when) he leaves.

The point of this little essay being, don't anyone be fooled into thinking any succesful businessman/men will happily pump money into us or any other club for the love of it. The main thing people like that love is their money, and making more of it. Whether its Ron or the next 'saviour', there will always be an ulterior motive. At least with Ron we stood to gain a new stadium before the world went into financial meltdown. he would have gained, so would we. Now we're this far down the line I can't see the point of trying to force him out just to leave us at the mercy of the next vulture in the queue, who believe it or not could be worse. Let him finish what he started, don't forget he stands to gain nothing if the stadium isn't built.

This post should be pinned :clap:

 

[TTS]

Well that's up to you whether or not you believe me. You don't know me or my financial details. For me £1000 would be a v small price to get Ron out the club.

WESTY you are right, I do not know your financial details and I dont really want to know, I just question the price of £1,000 for a season ticket. This is the problem with football in this country, the cost of watching football and the money not staying in the game. Say for example, we had no Ron Martin, and the season tickets were indeed a GBP1,000 - then are you not telling me that we as a club would be in anymore better position, because, the players (well agents) would say your fans are paying X and my player wants XX a week to come here .... football is in the position we are in, because of money slipping out of the game. Yes my point is very general, but again it comes back to us as a Club, be it Ron, or someone else, "gambling" on staying in the Championship and this gamble failed and we as a Club, and business are paying for it, but just as every other Club, without a backer is, the Clubs you count in the area are countless ....... Bournemouth, Plymouth, Sheff Wed, Us, Stockport etc etc etc ......

So sorry, yes you may be a millionaire and be able to afford the GBP 1,000 - but the fact that you would be happy to pay that in this league, still astounds me !!

 

[Up the Shrimpers]

It is soon to be 5 years that we have had planning permission for fossets to be built we all know that the recession hit Ron's plans hard and the various lies and untruths we have been sold such as the hoardings will be going up soon personally I have not seen one sod of earth turned over on said site in 5 years . Perhaps Ron has a big revealation to tell us at the AGM but given his recent track record would anyone believe him.

Personally I think his biggest mistake apart from treating the fans as a cash cow that needs to be regulary milked was not to try and embrace the local business communities into buying into the fossets dream it says much for his ego that he has tried to go solo in this stadium building dream of his,ours. There are lots of businessmen who are genuine supporters if they had been offered a share of the stadium plan who is to say that they would not have welcomed the chance but no Ron has to go it alone for maximum profit/glory the genuine fans among them are now wary of the man given the lies, smoke screen, half truths that come from the club.

Now we the supporters are asked to find more money to watch next seasons football will the money as stated help Paul sturrock I very much doubt it don't forget you were asked early last season to pay but it didn't help Steve Tilson build a squad he was out of the door and the present squad assembled for next to nothing so ask yourselves where did my season ticket money go then.

Worrying times ahead methinks.

It's actually nearly 3 years since planning permission was granted by the Secretary of State, it just seems like 5 years. Building work I would have thought must have started by the end of May this year to comply with the planning conditions, mind you although nothing official has been said by RM I'm sure he will find a way around this deadline. If not, its going to be tight & lets hope he has some news at or before the AGM.

 

[Firestorm]

and it is exactly this point that proves fan ownership is the only viable way that the club's and fan's interests come before one man's personal private fortune.

people should stop being so scared of Ron going. If he goes, good. As raised before look what happened to Doncaster. It is not the end of the world. A team is not always going to play at the highest possible level. hell there are probably 40 clubs that state their ambition is to be in the prem, but there isnt that many places. Do their fans walk away? no, the reality is that if you love the club, you would watch them at any level, regardless because they are your team and your town.

If you don't want to protest fine, just don't join in and be done with it.

Evidencially , its not the only way to go though is it. Bournemouth and Gravesend / Ebbsfleet are the nearest wo examples in the upper teirs of English league where fans have got involved in an existing club (altough the Ebbsfleet debacle was probably more of a stunt than an actual attempt) and Bournemouth called in the administrators (for the 2nd time in 20 years) before a new owner stepped in and then they had some success .Where there has been some success is with Startups utilising a larged disenchanted fanbase (AFC Wimbledon and FC United) .

Fan ownership at the moment for SUFC would involve a lot of goodwill from the current owners, lets say that was forthcoming and they wrote off the debts and set a low rent (50% of what they initially charged 8 or so years ago ) of 250K pa. lets also say the fans worked really well and got the administration costs down to 500K PA .

That would leave the club with debts of about 1M to service and a reduction in annual costs of around the 750K mark. Now using this season as a guidline, we have been told that losses were 100-200k per month so if we take the lower figure that would be a loss of 1.2M , less the reduced costs of 750K so 450K.

The fans involved in running the club would have to have found 450k this year to be self sufficient, that would equate to a 4 pound per game ticket price increase (based on 26 games @ 5000) or 4500 fans contributing 100 quid to the fund.

I am not sure it would work for SUFC at the moment

 

[Cricko]

Our income we were told was in the region of 3 to 3.5 million this past year....we were also told that the players/ insurance costs for the season are 1.3 mill.....we are also told that we are still losing 100k a month......

So taking the lower figure of income for the year of 3 mill and add on the 1.2 mill we are still losing per year less the cost of the players budget shows that somehow we are spending 2.9 mill elsewhere??...Can somebody explain exactly where this money goes and also why it costs a mid table div 2 team who have spent no money on new players this season 4.2 mill a year to run?