Mr Burns

Quoted from Malta_Mariner_90

Despite the fact that as a footballing team you have to be monumentally excrement to get relegated from L2 as we have witnessed once before.

  

That's too true, it's not like the premier league where 19th and 18th could have scrappy half decent seasons and go down fighting. The bottom 4 or 5 in league 2 usually have monumentally woeful seasons finishing with an end of season 10 game sprint that if you calculate that form over the season is probably only midtable form anyway

Quoted from Malta_Mariner_90

Of course it is. But the point I was making is why does Fenty want assurances on funding in the event of a decline on the pitch. (Bearing in mind we have had basically nothing but bloody decline since he took over)?

What proof would he have that Shutes would spend any money in that event anyway?

He cannot get him to guarantee that "in the event of relegation to the NL I will ensure any shortfall in funding from the FL will be provided".

It just smacks of the sort of attitude he has always held, that he has done a great job and probably whoever comes along could not possibly achieve as much as he has. Pretty much assuming that under new leadership we will be relegated to the NL again. Despite the fact that as a footballing team you have to be monumentally excrement to get relegated from L2 as we have witnessed once before.

  

As I see it, he has just one noteworthy achievement that he can put forward from his time in charge.... that the club didn't go in to administration ( a long long time ago now )

He can't claim though that we are any further forward in footballing team terms than when he first took over.... all that's been done since the initial ITV digital storm is for him to have navigated a seemingly never-ending course through the doldrums for us  

Realistically, how many chairman/owners at our level have the funds to prop up their club in the event of a 'downturn'?

I don't want us to have a chairman who can put his hand in his back pocket and say here, I've bailed you out...sort of.  You owe me now.  

That's the sort of attitude that got us into this mess in the first place.  I've lost track of how many times I've said this but if we're remotely well run there should be absolutely no need for anyone to ever bail us out, ever.  

We've had jaff all to celebrate since 2016, last season was an absolute damp squib, it was the worst summer for promoting season tickets that I can remember, we had the stadium manager badging all of our fans as hooligans and yet we still shifted in excess of 2500 (if the latest figures read are accurate).   That's one heck of a core that won't go away.  It's there.  It was the same in the doldrums of the Conference too.  It's a guaranteed income each year that you can pretty much write into all the future accounts.  

That's your baseline, that's what your basic workings are based on.  Equally so you take the figures over the last few years for additional ticket sales, merchandise sales, bar takings etc. everything we can and do sell, get a conservative figure for those as to what will come in through the door.  Each of those areas, which should have a person responsible for ensuring achievement, is then set a stretch target.  If they meet that target you reinvest some and you put some in the bank.  Next summer you re-evaluate your position and identify how much extra/less you're going to allocate to the budget.  You live within your means.  Those areas that aren't meeting targets, you ask the question why and what can be done to make sure they are met.

Let's say we end up having a flipping horrendous season and Hanson, McKeown, Hessenthaler, everybody contracts a 8-month stomach bug that means we end up playing the kids all season and get relegated, you adjust accordingly.  You evaluate what your position is financially and you adjust to reflect, that might mean you give McKeown away on a free transfer to get him off the wage bill.  You might end up with another season of kids because you can't offload some of the high earners so can't bring anyone else in.  Will it be pretty? Probably not. Will it be cutting the cloth accordingly? Yes.  If needs be we take a couple of disappointing seasons until the dust has settled and we can rebuild.  

I get it, that's far too simplistic and there's other factors involved.  But the concept is simple.  Don't spend what you don't have and if you want something, save for it.  Any footballing fortune is a bonus and use it wisely.

A football downturn for us would clearly be relegation back to the Conference.  Which, as others have said, you've got to be bloody awful to suffer.   When we went down in 2010 it had been on the wall for a few seasons prior.  We got lucky with points deductions for others.  Two years before relegation we should have taken stock and evaluated where we were heading, we didn't and we paid the price.   The likes of Morecambe, Yeovil etc. are fighting the tide because they simply can't compete.  We can.  Over the course of a season there's no reason, other than ridiculous bad luck or shocking management, that we should be even looking at a relegation/downturn.  

If Schutes has the cash and a value agreed on, what's the actual hold up John?  

I can only assume that most people on this thread haven't heard today's interview or simply consider Mr Fenty to be lying. He said a price is agreed, and Shutes needs to pass the EFL test and Shutes is trying to line up his ducks as he is a "developer". It sounded crystal clear that Shutes hasn't done everything required of him yet, as he is trying to ensure all of his ventures in the area will progress, which is reasonable, but if he is having to bargain hard and is reliant on several projects getting the go ahead, it could take a very long time and quite likely not happen I fear.

Quoted Text

“When all is said and done, Tom (Shutes) is a developer and I’ve no doubt he’s looking to get all of his ducks in a row before he can progress and satisfy the requirements of the EFL and the final requirements of the club which is, in particular, to make sure there is funding available in the event of a downturn at the club.

The EFL test is a farce.  This has been proven beyond doubt over the last few months.

It's the bit in bold which worries me.  Final requirements of the club.  Are these the requirements of the club or those of John Fenty?

I would imagine the requirements of the club are someone to bring us into the 21st century.  That does not include having the cash to bail us out (and potentially hold us over a barrel for the next 15 years) in the event the roof of the Pontoon toilets blow off.

Quoted from Rik e B

I'm confused, so if the price was agreed months ago, shouldnt it have gone to fit and proper persons test once this the case? What's the holdup?

Or is that an attempt to quell a certain rumour?

I mentioned in the previous post \ thread, that I think the delay is (lining up the ducks) the purchasing of the docks land for the new stadium, so now we know the price is agreed, all the is left is pass the proper persons test (if not already done as stated by the GET), I guess he could take over then, if he has the money.  Personally I think Ross is involved somehow from a distance with the finance backing, maybe?  What do you folks think?

I would like to see Shutes actually come out and say something. Why is he buying the club? What are his ambitions and goals for GTFC? Instead of having a pop at Fenty maybe we should be asking the question, why has Shutes not come out and said a single thing about this proposed take over????

Quoted from Meza

I mentioned in the previous post \ thread, that I think the delay is (lining up the ducks) the purchasing of the docks land for the new stadium, so now we know the price is agreed, all the is left is pass the proper persons test (if not already done as stated by the GET), I guess he could take over then, if he has the money.  Personally I think Ross is involved somehow from a distance with the finance backing, maybe?  What do you folks think?

I have wondered about Ross as well Meza. I get the impression they go back quite a long way and I just wondered if they'd been at school together.I think ross went to Uppingham but I've been unable to find out where Shute s was schooled. Obviously this is idle speculation / musing, which I think I'm still allowed to post

Isn't he married to ross's sister or something.

Hopefully the delay so he can make an entrance with a big bang. "This is what we are going to do and this is how we'll do it".

Quoted from Rik e B

Isn't he married to ross's sister or something.

Hopefully the delay so he can make an entrance with a big bang. All his plans and how it's going to be achieved.

I think the wife was just a weird coincidence. Her maiden name was, I seem to remeber, double barreled  with Schutes ,with a c. Being the second bit