oldskyblue58
CCFC Finance Director
This is assuming SISU aren't going to budge and what should ideally be done.
1. If they are persistent on breaking even, they should get rid of Fisher and get somebody in who will be able to relate to the fans. They can still do break even and who knows, with all of the great communication, PR and relationships built it may increase sponsorship, season ticket sales etc and mean that revenues go up as well as breaking even. Surely a win / win for SISU.
2. Start planning for league 2, I'd pretty much clear out all of the first team backroom staff but not the u23 coaches etc. Fitness people, goalkeeper coaches, striker coaches etc get rid of them all and and have a clean slate. I'd pretty much let players go now who aren't going to get a look in and start to blood players like Harries, Stevenson, G Thomas, Jones etc who are on long term contracts and can improve still and play week in / week out in league 2. If people like Reid are on big wages like alluded to then I'd tell them they can start to look for other clubs if they want now.
3. Start some decent offers and incentives for season tickets. If pricing can't be lowered too much because of losing money then at least make some decent incentives for people to get one. Make people feel more part of the club would be a good start. Accept we will be in League 2 so work out pricing now, if for some reason we make a miracle escape then honour the pricing. Don't give it the big one about League 2 on tour, just be up front about pricing and say "look, we need it to be these prices to cover costs etc".
4. Venus isn't needed, he can do one as well. What's the point of him?
5. Academy, start speaking with people like Warwick University about facilities there. Offer them some sort of link so their students doing physio, sports science can get experience working with our youth team etc. The only sticking point for cat 2 is going to be the full size internal pitch, so not 100% what can be done with that
Lot of that has to happen whether SISU are here or not. A lot of it will happen if SISU are still here because of the cost savings that will be necessary. But there will be little appetite from the fans for CCFC with SISU still here. Wembley is a bubble in the tar pit that we are in under SISU
This club does not move forward until there is a clear total irreversible break from SISU ownership and their appointees. Even then I think the club has to shrink further in order to build a base to recover from (I am not talking about going out of Football League - that would be a disaster as would liquidation then somehow starting again).
I do not believe anyone would buy the current set up therefore the only option it would seem is to hive off the "football side" of things in to a separate entity under new owners. That means taking the playing squad, the football creditors, the trade mark and sundry equipment in to a new entirely separate company that holds the league share. Net cost probably very little because football creditors will just about match the asset value of the few players retained at the end of this season. You will note certain assets will not be hived off - namely Ryton, that's the ransom payment to ARVO unfortunately. That leaves CCFC smaller and renting all facilities, it also puts at risk the cat 2 status of the Academy - can a L1 team with no security or assets really afford a £500k commitment to Cat 2 or will it have to accept Cat 3? No Academy is not an option not just because of the finance but because of the relationship of the club to the community which is or should extremely valuable
Such a scenario gives Seppala an element of recovery (pound of flesh for shylock) but breaks from the toxic relationships that CCFC have with just about everyone under SISU ownership. She can continue her legal actions, frankly I don't care so long as she is gone from CCFC - in any case I suspect she will get the same success in that expoit as she has to date
I agree Fisher and Venus must go along with Dearing.
The manager and back room playing staff have proven to retain the negativity of the recent history of CCFC, have in many respects proven incapable (even allowing for the financial shackles )and a complete change is necessary. Slade is not the man for the job. Key management on the business/commercial side have proven not up to the task and I believe part of the relationship problems the club have, we need better than that to survive.
Absolutely we must start planning the team around a L2 future and start that now. Those players we are keeping need to be playing to develop the physicality for the battles ahead next season. We have to accept the loan agreements might give expectation to play. The new manager will need to firmly draw a line under 2016/17 and make the players enjoy matches again, plus bring in some serious physicality for L1 & L2. No one remembers the pretty football they remember success and recruitment needs to start asap - everyone knows we need strength at the back and in midfield (including a niggly sort of CM who bosses games) the option of a mobile big man up front and an experienced dominating goal keeper, why cant the professionals see it.
No point doing the season tickets etc early until there is a clean break from SISU ownership. Obviously they need to try sell some but the price isn't the deciding factor, ownership, commitment, the plan forward are
The Academy I think as a Cat 2 is history, but the important thing about the Academy is not the odd star that is developed but the link to community and the strength that provides. The spending limits are a minimum so we might have to accept the best Cat 3 in the land by spending a little more than necessary, making it attractive, other clubs manage to survive without Cat 2. A more permanent solution including own site should be a mid term aim.
First team training I would think will be on rented sites (perhaps Ryton for a while) perhaps in partnership with other teams/clubs. Again a mid term target is owned facilities ideally tying in with the Academy. Remains to be seen if the Ricoh remains a solution to playing matches, hard to think it would be long term in L2 unless crowds return (which with a little success on the pitch they might). We are still left with perhaps two choices Ricoh or BPA - its a matter of size really.
Forget all the "we are a big team" rhetoric we have no choice but to be brutally honest, realistic, pragmatic and practical given the state CCFC has come to. We do not have many cards to play with and precious little goodwill from anyone under these owners. SISU gone is an opportunity to start again be it smaller at least we will be free from them. The starting point is not about trying to repair damage still under their ownership - it simply wont work. The starting point comes when free of them. That new start is not going to suddenly change things it will take years to recover on and off the pitch - it will require a plan, communication, faith, luck and holding of nerve. Knee jerk decision will not help we need stability
Has to be a new start away from SISU. I think that's achievable
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