Insofar as i understand the finances (not very far) we seem perhaps a degree more secure under ML than we were under RC.
But from now on the game is always going to be whether there is someone slightly richer and more interested to buy when our current owner decides to sell.
Michael Duff is really impressive isnt he? If only he has been available in January.
Seeing as according to Forbes, Lommy is the 646th richest person in the world, finding a richer person to take over will be challenging!
I feel that we probably had to go through a Dodds, or someone similar, to get to Duff.
What I mean by that is, given the heavy focus on the Academy, it kind of made sense that the first priority when the board were looking to put “their guy” in place, would have been to look for someone with:
a strong background in youth development
perhaps what in modern terms is seen as “playing the right way” - short passes, playing out from the back, etc etc so the kids coming through are more saleable prospects to higher league teams than they would be if they were merely schooled in more pragmatic lower league ways.
However, I think the Dodds experiment made it abundantly clear that the tiki-taka style is just too hard to pull off consistently at this level.
Yes, some of it looked slick (I mean at the beginning of this season, not the godawful dirgeball we were serving up in the second half of last season) but it’s incredibly hard to score that way, and predictable to play against.
So at least it seems the powers that be now realise the need for a more pragmatic approach.
Some people are still stuck in the 2000s. Programmes aren’t viable anymore, and neither is a club shop. If we want to lose money, then sure—those are great ideas. The old club shop in town never increased our attendances anyway. I used to collect programmes myself, but realistically, hardly anyone cares about them these days.
Updates on academy players, goalscorers, and teams are already being done—just take a moment to look on Twitter and you’ll find everything there. I just wish more focus was being put on the club’s finances. I used to be a Trust member, and I hope those with influence use their position to safeguard the club through these exciting but uncertain times.
Amusing to hear Dan Rice still being referred to as the Interim Chairman. The permanent appointee must be on one hell of a notice period.
I agree with all that. But what realistic “influence” can the Trust or any of its officers have on the Club? I would suggest that they are now totally irrelevant in terms of how the club is run.
Agree in the main. There’s one guy on FB who is obsessed with the idea of bringing back a programme. They’re great when done well but now I don’t think I’d buy one if it returned. Club shop…I think the club should explore the modern route and operate pop-up shops in Eden between November-December and July to early August to cash in at Christmas and pre-season demand. It would boost presence without a long term commitment and they could bundle in ticketing incentives. Probably small change to operate in this brave new world.
By 2032 the club programme will be downloaded to a chip in our brains.
Wake up, sheeple
I remain convinced that an eight-page programme, given away “free” as part of the admission fee, giving brief programme notes, info on opposition and stats along with squad lists is more than viable.
But all of this is available in digital format for free and in much greater detail for anyone with interest.
It’s about finding somebody willing to spend more money.
A lottery winner will do if we want to go full Gretna
It can’t be called in as it isn’t a loan anymore, it was converted to share capital so it is now capital investment. A bit like putting an extension on your house, in years to come it will increase in value in excess of what it originally cost to do but you only realise that gain when you sell it.
Lyle & Scott Black Friday sale next week will see him become MechaDuff
Why is a shop in the town important? Many shops have decided to close!
I think a permanent shop in town is less important than just having something this is visible. You can still walk through the majority of the town centre and not have a clue there is a professional football team that’s a walkable distance to watch.
People just look at all this type of info on their phone, updated in realtime. Much like video killing the radio star, the internet and social media killed the programme.
The simplest solution to not currently having a club shop in the town is to have a stall on the market. Berkhamsted FC often do this on Berkhamsted’s Saturday market & it creates a lot of interest & raises the club’s profile.
The forum is now available to view on YouTube. I haven’t watched it all, but first impressions are that it looked like a 90s boy band reunion with the guys all sat on stools . Was expecting them all to stand up , start some synchronised choreography and with Dan Rice leading the vocals burst into one of their old No 1 hits.
DuffZone
Take Matt.
Mandate