You see to me staring in to the abyss means imminent terminal disaster........ I do not think that is where we are as such but it makes a good tag for a headline. We have been closer in the past.
Where we are is stagnated. Or put another way parked by the owners in L1 to find our own level on the basis of the income the club generates for itself. This of course should not be new information to anyone.
So TM has to find a whole new squad come the end of the season. Again this is not new this has been happening for several seasons and will continue to happen. As it does in many other L1 & L2 clubs
Do we need investment well yes the argument goes investment that you spend to achieve success. However the other side of that is that to get that investment you increase the clubs already onerous debt levels. But not only that the prospect of increasing the annual losses due to the interest charges.
Given our income sources can we remain competitive in L1? Well you would have to say yes because our overall income is still greater than most L1 clubs. Does it mean a roller coaster rocky ride probably. We should be able to put a squad together to stay in the division - to challenge consistently at the top maybe not. To fall in to the abyss no the club really should not.
The fans have to reel in expectations in this current situation, with these owners however. We do not have a divine right to promotion or success. The simple fact is we are not in current terms a big club in the football pyramid. We are a L1 team with little prospect of rising above that. However we should have enough about us, enough financial means to maintain that.
The owners will not be in any hurry to sell up. The court cases, which will continue for years, are based on the CCFC connection and the owner wont lose that whilst there is the possibility of an investment return.
People need, as i have said before, need to wake up and see what is before them, see what CCFC is.
- L1
- no long term base either leased or built
- no reserves of cash or the prospect of more from the owners
- no major assets either on or off the pitch but all assets such as they are charged to ARVO in any case so no equity to raise finance
-no major player assets to sell and those youngsters we do have subject to cherry picking under the PL/FL agreement that pays compensation not value
- no access to certain incomes like naming rights (but I think the benefit though preferable has been over stated)
- no way to negotiate new access to other income streams largely because of an inability to commit to anything long term
- insufficient people resources to generate new sources of income because staffing costs have been slashed
- A manager that has lost the goodwill of a section of the fans
- a long run of failure this season but also in previous seasons
- Owners/directors that seem unable to sing from the same hymn sheet and seemingly to operate within a budget
- Years of negativity and an intransigent lack of clarity
- No real inclusivity in any plan forward
- an academy under threat
- a corporate structure created to fend off interest
- a negative air that pervades the whole club including its fans
None of that is good but at the moment we are not about to go bust on or off the pitch, not about to fall in to an abyss (although there is one closer than many care to think)........ just stagnated, a zombie club.
As always it is the fans that have the club closest to heart and the fans who are repeatedly let down by the club and others
Just my opinion of course
