Just watched Ken on Look North and I have to say well done for having the balls to say Darlow should have folded and been given no more chances. It wouldn't happen in business says Ken!

Are you his brothers son

In other breaking news The Costa Concordia had run aground off the Island of Giglio.

And a thread you have even replied on so why the need for another on the same subject.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=43280

Does anyone know spinbowler ?.. He must a right Tw@t, oddball, pest, nob type..

I deleted him off fb, his crack on there is similar to here.

Gutted, wounded and distraught.

RIP

Spinbowlers association with Yubep on Facetash

Even Talbot ignores spinbowlers knock on the door..

On BBC1 now...

Very honest interview from Ken....

Made me feel very uneasy to be honest.

i've never liked craig hignett...

Wasn't bothered when Ken was paying his wages for a month or two was he?

Great interview IMO. It's been no secret he runs Pools as part of the business and as for those idiots on there saying it doesn't work... We've had the most successful 10 or so years we've ever had. Ken's never going to be the warm and cuddly chairman, but what he's done for us has been amazing and I wouldn't swap IOR for anyone.

Yeh me too got the feeling the club and the town are just a number

Aaaand... the loids miss the point.

http://darlofc.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17136

He's not 'losing' 1.5m a year, he's paying that for corporate exposure.

I dont like any of them on late kick off....Clem is just a fat stone cold

So, Hignett reckons there's a lack of a dream with Ken / IOR - Darlo have had 3 chairmen with a dream, and look where that got them. Keep sentiment out of it - you'll make bad decisions if you don't.

hignett said he doesnt want us run like a business... but isnt it refreshing too see someone run a football club like a business? Not over spending, trying to run the club professionally, not seeking daft publicity.

Ken's a cold hard business man, give me him any day of the week over some of the media hungry chairman out there.

Id much prefer Ken over like the likes of David Gould, David Sullivan, Risdale, Bates who will say anything to try and gain the club a bit of media exposure

if most owners pulled out of clubs they would be fucked.

If the sheik whats his face decides tomorrow he's had enough of man city they are fucked, same with ashley at newcastle, same with the yanks at liverpool.

What's your point? It' not as if we'd have buyers queueing up to take on the huge losses we make. We'd be fucked.

So enjoy the time we have then, instead of worrying if our owner is going to pull out.

We've had the best 10 years in our history and it's down to IOR running us like a business. Long may it continue, I've seen what "football men" do to clubs and it ain't pretty.

You pay what the going rate is, there's plenty of people with daft titles where I work who get silly money because they're "consultants" or whatever. To play in this division you have to pay the money, so that's what they're worth.

Of course that doesn't explain Bjornsson....

I've thought something very similar for years, with a cap for the PL as well.

It would serve a purpose in making clubs viable, it would make players more likely to graft aiming for a higher league or a move, it would cut down the number of foreign players in the league that can only be a good thing for all the home nations national sides.

It wouldn't and couldn't happen. It's an idealistic thought, but you can't cap the wages of a particular group of 'workers' because it pisses you off, they get what their employers are prepared to pay. As for solidarity amongst clubs over wages, it would be like the elbowing in the queue for the buffet at a chav's wedding as the rush the food starts. All clubs seek to gain advantage and that's how they do it, you get the best by paying the best.
As for the finances of football, it's been a rich mans hobby for years, you don't go into football to make money .... your clubs ownership is a marriage of convenience, you can marry Mr Reliable or Mrs Bunny Boiler, your fortunes are dependent on who you end up with.... and if you worry about how long the 'marriage' is going to last, you'll have a problem.
Unless you play football under some extreme spartist regime on the lines of the North Korean Premiership with only one team in it, you'll always have this problem and human nature being what it is, I think the craving for success will see it continue for this life and the next.

I've just watched Ken Hodcroft on Late Kickoff/iplayer. Nothing he says worries me, Pools are the only loss making company within the group of companies that are owned by IOR, so what? They are happy with that, as long as they are happy with it we are ok. But that's the case for 90% of football clubs, if whomever holds the purse strings is happy, clubs will continue, if they are not ie Darlo, then they are fooked.

We'll be fooked when IOR eventually want to move on, I'd like to think that Ken Hodcroft would not fall out with the club but would work with somebody else or a fans group to transfer ownership. That maybe wishful thinking, who knows.

As for the criticism from Higgy and Danny Mills, well they are ex footballers, they are bound to dislike the idea of running a football club differently. They are not used to it, they are hardly going to warm to the man when he compares buying a footballer to buying a piece of machinery.

Made the chuckle when Higgy said he didn't like to idea of not having a budget. He then went on to say you should have a budget, but if you are in the player offs then the chairman can release a little more money to give the club that final push. Well then what's the point of having that budget!!

Look, Ken Hodcroft has been brilliant ever since Chris Turner tried to buy the club off him with his half arsed shady 'partners', Ken never did press and tv, he's suddenly got a public image at Pools, long may it continue.

This debate has been going almost as long as the 'why are IOR here' thing has.

To be honest no-one outside the boardroom of IOR/LOG really knows despite all the conjecture.

We know what Ken Hodcroft wants for the club as he tells the world fairly regularly and this case study should be concluded fairly soon and the way forward might emerge, I hope so as I'm sure we all do. He's not a man for mincing his words the same as most successful businessmen aren't and as much as anyone might not like what he said or the way he said it, I bet there's not many valid arguments against what he said that stand any scrutiny.

Has it never crossed anyones mind that IOR just enjoy owning a football club? And if the club helps them in writing off debts elsewhere then so what?

Some of you are talking like we are the most bank rolled club in the world.

Hodcroft even says in the interview that he enjoys his job.

That is what Pools is as well, part of his job, people seem to think it's Hodcroft bankrolling us, it's not his money.

I'd like to know or hear of a self sustainable club in England that wouldn't be fooked without investment from someone or a group of people who have more money than the club generates. They own a football club for exposure, it's a point of interest all over the World that you also own a football club. I'm happy for that to continue for a long term yet. It is no secret, it's been said on countless occasions.

As for Hignett going on about lack of ambition, how did what Hodcroft said come across as that?Unless you aren't very bright. What he said is we don't have a set budget but if the manager feels that we need to add to the squad they will listen and consider it. They don't say you have x to spend to this season and when it's gone forget about it, we've seen when we've been in positions to go up players have come in (Barker, Monkhouse) and similarly when the threat of relegation was their the likes of Roy O'Donovan, Daniel Nardiello, Keigan Parker have been brought in.

As for the pathetic misinformed thread on the Loid board titled 'Pools Owner'

I'd stop reading at that point, due to the obvious flaw in that title

in case anyone hasn't seen it

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16701603.stm

By I tell yer what,that "A kick in The Jacobs" character, despite setting up a fake and unused Twitter account, has a familiar tone....

To dodge the wrath of Mr Birthmark I havent commented on this until I had heard it.

Now I have I'm happier to have a bloke like KH in charge of the club on behalf of a firm like IOR than I would be with many of the alternatives.

I think it is a very good interview.
I have read where KH is accused of being smug and arrogant but I don't see it that way.
He answers the questions being put to him in a forthright and honest way.
It comes across to me that he sees the football club as an asset to his business group and that the money invested is well spent. Of course he would like to see the ground full of full paying fans...which chairman wouldn't?

I think if he gets the go ahead to purchase the ground and the land involved in the deal, we will see great strides forward both in the development of the ground and the playing staff.

Once he gets the ground and associated land the revenue streams into the football club will be enhanced, which will finance an assault on the next tier. He wants the club to be able to compete in the championship and why not.

Let him get on with it I say..............I think he has earned the right in my opinion.

I would bet it's Mr Hopps Phil. Same manner and everything!

Excellent interview with an excellent Chairman

Does the real figure invested come to 1.5 million a year or is it a case of I.O.R simply using Pools loses against the oil profits to save taxes that it turn allow I.O.R to own a football club. Maybe we have a member who can spell out how this may or may not work Dont get me wrong I.O.R are brilliant for Pools ...but just not sure if what is said is real money or moving taxes etc

yep - now the only thing in the way of it is the same old backwards-looking councillors. Why oh why do they not just bypass protocol, best price best interest of the taxpayer bollocks? It IS in the best interests of the tax payer for HUFC to own its own ground.
Who are these people clinging to their written ye olde dogmatic rules anyway?
How can they not see this?

I think it is real money running out of the oil business into the football business. If the company is all one group it will be written off the total taxable profits, but that saving may not be huge depending on where they are registered.

I think it more likely that the club is simply bankrolled by one or more businesses within the group and as far as I know the football club is actually registered in the Virgin Islands.

Regardless it doesn't matter as IOR, Ken Hodcroft, LOG or whoever has pumped a lot of money into the club and if they haven't proved by now they are in it for the long term I don't know how they ever will.



I've said it before and no doubt it will be said again, the club brings a feel good factor to people, brings new visitors to the town every couple of weeks, makes sure the town has national exposure for positive reasons and has provided employent and business to the area. It also has the potential to add to the re-development of the town if the ground is sold to the club, increase employment and the number of visitors to the area.

Added to which having a sustained (even at an operating loss) professional football club in the town gives an opportunity for local youngsters (the male ones mainly) to become a professional footballer on their own doorstep.

I can see why you wouldn't sell the land and ground to a bloke who owns some care homes, a property developer, or even someone like Mike Ashley who is involved in retail (which is linked to property). However I can't see why an Oil Company with a multi-million pound turnover would drop £10,000,000+ to try and lever their way into ownership of a few acres of land in the middle of a faded north eastern town, when they could have just rocked up with that cash and bought most places in the town.

They want to make a safe investment, the only way to do that is to own the ground and land. If our councillors are too blind to see that then they should let us know their objections publically so we can make sure we as residents of the town don't elect these dinosaurs again.

exactly mate - who are they and why do they block the club's progress? They should be outed, then hounded out.
Let's see how they handle harassment and threats from thousands of us!!!
If that's what it takes to scare them away and the "right" people put in place - then sometimes direct nazi style action is a good thing.
In this case it IS for the benefit of the townspeople, and no councillors should be allowed to hide behind what is written.


FUCK what is written, I say

Craig Hignett is a nob - I also reckon he was the most pointless signing that Pools have ever made and his signing and appearances cost us winning League Two.

I thought it was a decent interview with a lot of excellent points and strongly agree with Parmo's sentiments about the council. This ground ownership issue should really be sorted by now.....

Ha, delved deep into the archives for that one didnt you Mutley?

A very good point by Greaves though.

Sage observations.

Did he really say all that without one 'hic!' or 'Ah luv yez aalll, ya bastads....?'

It might be relevant Mutley but the Darlo fans who were livid at Ken suggesting a club should be allowed to go bust after 3 admins will be seeting at the thought.

I guess running a football club is like gambling for high stakes, its fun if you can afford it.

The bloke who pumped £2,000,000 into Darlo couldn't really afford to lose it and wants it back now, IOR are happy to spin the wheel for about half that amount every year and will have another go next year.

Football at most levels nowadays is about finding a sugar daddy. After nearly a century of bumping along we finally got lucky. I don't question why we got lucky or how long it will last, I just savour the moment for as long as it lasts, nothing in life is guaranteed.
We finally landed on our feet, Darlo have spent the past decade landing on their arse, the roles could easily have been reversed.

What if Pools council won't sell the ground
What about the missing revenue on the missing 1200 season ticket holders
How many would buy Season tickets if the price goes up next season(not many)
The questions go on...

I've posted this little story previously.
At the last counsellor elections the Labour candidate for my ward, a dickie-bowed numpty called Chris Simmons knocked on my door. My question to him was "what were his views on the possible sale of The Vic to the clubs owners?"
He tapped the side of his nose in that " I've know more than you" way and said "I don't know about you but I don't trust these Oil people"

There's one of the dinosaurs the club is having to contend with.