Agreed and the ‘reasonable’ reference is the important factor.
It has.
People can pick holes in the current ownership’s performance all day long if they wish but they have spent more money on this club than Couhig was prapared to by a country mile. The fans owned model was skint and not fit for purpose.
They have got things wrong but not all of it. With the current problems with the terrace it’s a bloody good job we do have them quite frankly. They may have been silly to let it get to this but I am confident it will be belatedly resolved and they have the money to do it.
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The reason we gave up 10% of the club to RC was so he’d pony up for the stadium repairs releasing the Trust from the financial responsibilities for infrastructure improvements.
He trousered the 10% and invested it in Reading.
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Sign of a very astute businessman!
Problem is that’s all he ever was despite the flannel that used to come out of his gob.
I think you will find most individuals that become wealthy are quite adroit at flannel. I’m sure the likes of Sugar and Branson (and probably Lommy) didn’t have a shortage of that skill!
Also, for accuracy, some expensive floodlights.
He was forced to because the old ones didn’t meet the standards required by the ELF for the championshp I believe.
wifi and toilets (eventually)
But RC did understand that a football club in this country is rooted to its community, has a history and is important to its supporters and without that link has no soul.
ML has money and (probably) a vision of a high-performing academy attached to a successful(ish) football team bout (probably) doesn’t care that much whether that team has a ground based in Wycombe, Slough or Hillingdon.
I know which one I prefer (but I accept others may have differing views)
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To be fair, it could be argued that the £25 season ticket and free shirts for kids had little to do with the bottom line and more to do with increasing the fan base within the community, didn’t it?
There have been kid a quid days again and events, albeit it fairly small, in the town centre, inviting fans in for a training session, all of which were non present in the RC days.
I am far from standing on the OG group band wagon, but I do think some are very quick to forget about the positive things they do do, and very quick to blame and lump everything on them for any negatives that pop up when it’s not entirely their fault (prime example the terrace)
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I disagree. The OG knew the state of the terrace when they bought the Club and the necessity to carry out urgent remedial works within 2-3 years.
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Couhig did realise this. When he arrived he went to town on it. As soon as we were relegated from the Championship,and then Barewood fell though( and he had decided his riches law elswhere)he stopped turning up on the terrace,the communication dropped away and the embracing of the local community was no more.
He poo pooed comments on line to this effect,then annouced he was selling up.
He then bought one of our local rivals Reading.
They probably thought that once Mike Dodds got us to the Championship they would generate the required moneys.
Some may not ever have liked the cut of his (or his family’s) jib but Rob did okay by us in my opinion. We still have a club and we bother the top half of the League regularly. If Lommy and Mr 10% can positively build on that I will be happy.
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Not actually related to Farnham Park, but I have noticed this summer the club putting on events which in previous years they perhaps haven’t.
We had Picnic on the Pitch earlier and just this weekend a Community Day organised by the Rotary Club. Also the giant screen for the World Cup.
Does this represent a change in the attitude of the council towards non-sporting activities?
Let’s hope so as previously the block on non-sporting activities has always been a hinderence to the club making better use of the facilities.
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The club are putting on a lot more events, so well done them. I also suspect the agreements at Farnham with council run facilities has given us more kudos with the council, who see opportunities going forward
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I don’t disagree there was either A: the knowledge work needed to be done in a specific time frame or B: a lack of due diligence on the purchase. No one is claiming the later so more likely to the the former
But it’s the assumption that they’ve done nothing, or that the times scales haven’t accelerated from the previous times scales they had in hand. If the grounds shifted underneath them - both metaphorically and physically - then while it’s still there responsibity to fix it, I’m going to judge them by the actions taken for that fix rather than just lambast them that it’s broken and I’m disappointed in that fact
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If your going to the Ipswich friendly then there’s an opportunity to see what’s being proposed
https://wwfc.com/news/2026/july/28/learn-more-and-have-your-say-on-farnham-park-plans/
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Negative post here sorry.
Is there a chance that long term they could relocate us to the Farnham area, as it would be in the proximity of our youth facilities by that time?
Building up essentially a brand new club like milton keynes with a stadium and training facilities owned by them rather than a stadium they don’t own and is restricted in making changes to it?
Should this be a concern?