SISU (1 Viewer)
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oldskyblue58
CCFC Finance Director
The basic nature of the SISU involvement in CCFC has not changed. They are not owners in the normal sporting sense (ego, passion, lack of common sense, money to throw away etc) they are investors. They are looking, and always have looked, to maximise their investment return. That investment isn't necessarily primarily just about CCFC, it could be much wider investment strategies than that, it could be strategy involving the whole investment portfolio not just the CCFC part of it. They are putting and have put CCFC at risk to achieve their strategy
Have they made mistakes? yes and some very big ones- all of which have been analysed and argued over on this site for over a decade so i am not going to go over old ground. Was the well being of CCFC first and foremost in their stewardship? no i do not believe so, Seppala said herself that her investors come first I do not believe that has changed. But it is possible to argue some positives too
It is far easier to get success for a club of CCFC size & stature the lower you go. In League 2 we were a big fish, with many advantages. Lets face it still there were moments where fans feared dropping out of the league entirely, so we went pretty damn low under their control. That said it has turned around the last three seasons, largely due to MR and the team on and off the field that he has put together. Next season will really test his mettle. His appointment can in part be attributed to the owner investor but the link was not Joy Seppala, it was Fisher. But the owner did agree his appointment and a contract. The timing was fortunate.
You can not ignore the part that luck played in their tenure, both good and bad luck especially relating to the team results. Football is a game of tactics, strategy, preparation, analysis etc but also an element of fortune good and bad. In amongst the fog of dispute we had good fortune but have, i feel, deserved what has been achieved on the field. Off field luck played its part too, for example the SISU plan to break the Ricoh lease and gain the stadium was clever, it so nearly worked but the timing was unlucky because it allowed other options for the Ricoh owners just when SISU needed there to be none. The plan clearly broke relationships between key stakeholders and notably for a large number of fans - but SISU were prepared to take that risk with our club. They are still prepared to take that risk.
Not going to argue as to who made who homeless but to allow it to happen twice and still have no tangible plan to rectify for 8+ years damages the long term future of CCFC and that is largely laid at the door of the CCFC owners. Yes i know others are involved but SISU know the obstacles and yet there is still no evidence or belief in any plan for security, or a plan to deal with the obstacles other than high risk speculative regulatory or legal action. Being silent in the background and letting on pitch success excite the fans doesnt gloss over where their tenure has led us.
Is the club in a better place? On the pitch we are almost back to where we were when SISU came in, but next season is a big challenge and relegation will create big problems. CCFC is still just as vulnerable financially as ever. The finances run better or certainly appear to. No great mystery to it though. SISU simply turned the money tap to off and there was no alternative but to cut costs, live within our means, get more out of what we have, make better use of all assets. CCFC however is still financially at risk, what happens if the academy doesnt produce a Maddison or a Bayliss or the scouting team do not produce a McCallum every year? Can the academy produce players to step up championship level ? Far easier to step up into L1 or L2 and our financial model relies on that step up
SISU have placed themselves as investors/financers in the club currently on a last resort basis, indeed have started to withdraw funds according to the last financials. Are there funds available to prop up survival above L1?. What happens if SISU say thats enough no more ? They do not have it would seem major funds available to throw away, like many owners do, on the club. I have argued for over a decade that clubs should be self sufficient so i am hardly going to criticise them for that, for me that is a positive but it brings with it great risk if no one else plays by the same rules - and in the championship they do not.
I think it is easy to let the positivity of promotion to the Championship cloud assessment of SISU. For me they (SISU) only recently raised themselves to being simply "our owners" with the caveat that ownership unlike many, even most, clubs is primarily about investment for themselves or clients. They have done or could be credited with some good things but there is still an awful lot of baggage outweighing that, their deliberate actions have created. They are still far from good owners, but they have kept us going one way or another............... the investment still has worth to them
Have they made mistakes? yes and some very big ones- all of which have been analysed and argued over on this site for over a decade so i am not going to go over old ground. Was the well being of CCFC first and foremost in their stewardship? no i do not believe so, Seppala said herself that her investors come first I do not believe that has changed. But it is possible to argue some positives too
It is far easier to get success for a club of CCFC size & stature the lower you go. In League 2 we were a big fish, with many advantages. Lets face it still there were moments where fans feared dropping out of the league entirely, so we went pretty damn low under their control. That said it has turned around the last three seasons, largely due to MR and the team on and off the field that he has put together. Next season will really test his mettle. His appointment can in part be attributed to the owner investor but the link was not Joy Seppala, it was Fisher. But the owner did agree his appointment and a contract. The timing was fortunate.
You can not ignore the part that luck played in their tenure, both good and bad luck especially relating to the team results. Football is a game of tactics, strategy, preparation, analysis etc but also an element of fortune good and bad. In amongst the fog of dispute we had good fortune but have, i feel, deserved what has been achieved on the field. Off field luck played its part too, for example the SISU plan to break the Ricoh lease and gain the stadium was clever, it so nearly worked but the timing was unlucky because it allowed other options for the Ricoh owners just when SISU needed there to be none. The plan clearly broke relationships between key stakeholders and notably for a large number of fans - but SISU were prepared to take that risk with our club. They are still prepared to take that risk.
Not going to argue as to who made who homeless but to allow it to happen twice and still have no tangible plan to rectify for 8+ years damages the long term future of CCFC and that is largely laid at the door of the CCFC owners. Yes i know others are involved but SISU know the obstacles and yet there is still no evidence or belief in any plan for security, or a plan to deal with the obstacles other than high risk speculative regulatory or legal action. Being silent in the background and letting on pitch success excite the fans doesnt gloss over where their tenure has led us.
Is the club in a better place? On the pitch we are almost back to where we were when SISU came in, but next season is a big challenge and relegation will create big problems. CCFC is still just as vulnerable financially as ever. The finances run better or certainly appear to. No great mystery to it though. SISU simply turned the money tap to off and there was no alternative but to cut costs, live within our means, get more out of what we have, make better use of all assets. CCFC however is still financially at risk, what happens if the academy doesnt produce a Maddison or a Bayliss or the scouting team do not produce a McCallum every year? Can the academy produce players to step up championship level ? Far easier to step up into L1 or L2 and our financial model relies on that step up
SISU have placed themselves as investors/financers in the club currently on a last resort basis, indeed have started to withdraw funds according to the last financials. Are there funds available to prop up survival above L1?. What happens if SISU say thats enough no more ? They do not have it would seem major funds available to throw away, like many owners do, on the club. I have argued for over a decade that clubs should be self sufficient so i am hardly going to criticise them for that, for me that is a positive but it brings with it great risk if no one else plays by the same rules - and in the championship they do not.
I think it is easy to let the positivity of promotion to the Championship cloud assessment of SISU. For me they (SISU) only recently raised themselves to being simply "our owners" with the caveat that ownership unlike many, even most, clubs is primarily about investment for themselves or clients. They have done or could be credited with some good things but there is still an awful lot of baggage outweighing that, their deliberate actions have created. They are still far from good owners, but they have kept us going one way or another............... the investment still has worth to them
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slyblue57
Well-Known Member
I really do hope they get the luck from the EU and Wasps do go bust. pusb
Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
Legal process should have nothing to do with luck. So far every time a stadium issue has gone to court SISU have been found to be wrong in quite scathing terms.
ccfcway
Well-Known Member
completely agree !
Sky Blue Pete
Well-Known Member
Just read len Facebook robins has a net spend of £7,2m wow if true
Sky Blue Harry H
Well-Known Member
Guessing that's just a net profit between sales and purchases of players. However, as we 'lose' money each year, the club has to do that to survive.
chiefdave
Well-Known Member
Plus we never know how deals are strutted in terms of when we will actually get the money and how much is in add-ons. When people do these things they also tend to miss the fact you have to pay fees for loans these days and agent fees.
I would like to find out what the deal was that required WASPS to give their indemnity to CCC.
That would resolve a lot ine way or other