Our money is being spent paying the wage bill.

Plenty of clubs at our level have far less to play with and do alright.

Cooper understands the situation and what he's coming into. Do we throw out toys out of the pram and demand (which we have no right to) that IOR right off more money or do we understand as well and show a bit of patience and realism that we're rebuilding and doesn't happen overnight. We got £65,000 for Hartley 55% of that divided over a season isn't megabucks. We've signed Dolan and Duckworth since he left to be fair.

RB - It's not about getting answers, it's about improving the matchday experience. There's a whole panel and no one asked such questions. Pools can't win, they're listening to fans in a very proactive way and you feel the need to have a go at the people who have volunteered their own time for not asking frankly impudent questions. I'd have been embarrassed to ask such a question as it's quite simply none of my business. I'm not a shareholder, I'm a customer. You wouldn't ask ASDA what investments they're making with their profits because you buy beans once a week, however you'd ask them why the aisles were scruffy and the entrance was blocked by trolleys cause no one has collected them.

Again, not one club in the world gives out that kind of information. If you want to know the answer then ask yourself.

BBB - I understand exactly where you're coming from and the answer is quite simply we're self sufficient at the minute. The people who can answer are the owners and they weren't at the meeting. Russ deals with the day to day running of the club with a small team of people. He has to provide an income to the club to enable us to pay wages and buy players, be it by increasing revenue or decreasing expenditure. That was explained to us and is very transparent. If we want more players then we must cut back in other areas or look to bring in more match day expenditure. I'd imagine the overheads of a football club are astronomical, it leaves us very little to play with and the club looking at ways they can do this whilst keeping the fans onside is admirable.

I heard he was looking at getting the seating for free, and the floodlights were 150k

Are they sponsored by DNO or something?

That must have been why had the floodlights on in the second half yesterday for absolutely no reason.

Assume you mean write off
And you have to factor in his wages we are no longer paying, which is a like for like take off, I doubt very much duck worth and Dolan combined are getting what Hartley was paid

Aren't ground improvements exempt from the cap ? Or is that youth development facilities only ?
Also why don't we get the youth team painting and cleaning the ground ?

I think the fans have been very patient, IOR have got off lightly seeing the way the club has been run down over the last few years. What did they expect to achieve when they first took over, serious question. Did they think they were going to make a shed load of money? I really would like to know the real reasons behind their decision, perhaps, as some people have suggested, it was for tax reasons. I don't know, I'm not clever enough to work that one out.
Why can't we take a leaf out of Roy McGregors book (Ross Counties owner). He owns Nigg Energy Park where I am working at the moment, but he also has a good few subsidiary companies affiliated to his main company, Global. They all go under the same banner but as separate companies, Isleburn, Reel, Ross-Shire Engineering and a few more. He has done this for tax reasons. Surely IOR are affiliated with more companies aren't they? Ross County have fantastic facilities up here, apparently, and are a very well run club. They play their home games in Dingwall which has a population of just over 5,000! Food for thought.

Why dont you consider " IOR's ownership of the ground to be important"?

I am just asking for your opinion, r your speculation, on it.

I know you DONT KNOW, but as one of the more intelligent types on here, it would be nice to hear your considered opinion.

Rather than you just disecting others opnions.

Go on, Speculate.

Heres my starter for ten:

IOR deal with a certain type of customer/client. They love cash. cash is king in their world. Assets are a form of cash too.

So when IOR tel prospective clients/customers they own a football club, they are usualy impressed. They bring them to games.

It must be incredibly embarrasing for them to have to admit to renting the ground.

It just doesnt sit well in their world.

Of course, some will not understand that, as they believe the everyone is the same, and refuse to accept that some industries are more cash hungry and blatant about it than others. If you have spent a lifetime as a social worker, or worked for a local authority all of your life, you will never get the mentality....so wouldnt agree.

Thats my opinion, now give me yours.

and my initial opinion on the fans forum**

I think its a waste of time.

Football clubs are richer when they are winning. A simple fact. IOR refuse to speculate to accumulate, so the fans do the same. Chicken and egg.

Nothing else matters.

**I reserve the right to change my opinion....at any time I choose.

Surely if IOR were bothered about what the people they brought along to the games thought, then they would invest in better players?

Having shite players incapable of passing a ball would embarrass me more than if they asked if we owned the ground.

I have no problems with us being self sufficient, that's the reality of football these days and other clubs as high up as Newcastle or even trying to do that.

My issues are with big contracts being handed out to 36 year olds, and contract extensions being given when we have no manager. If we have to be frugal than every penny counts and our decisions in the early part of the summer by non footballing men are really holding us back right now.

I suspect this is not an issue for the fans panel though.


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I would rather we got rid of big Stevie n still had sky


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IOR should never be allowed to own the ground and if that couple of alternative lifestyle followers contrive to sell/give to them they should be ran out of town.bloody hell a long lease is good enough (don't know how long they actually have tbh).. Ask Russ who owns Swanseas Ground and see if you get an answer ..


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I also hope IOR never get the ground. Dont trust them and never will.

newcastle council own there ground too, didnt stop john hall n shepherd building it up n investing in the team.

doesnt it hurt sitting on that fence all the time john?

They DON'T need to own the ground they WANT to own it and are holding us to ransom till they get what they want. A long lease on a peppercorn rent would b good enough for any business


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Up to them though innit? Not much else we can do but let them get on with it so why worry about it?

So can I, and I agree with you. I wouldnt let them have the ground now. EVER.

Hodcrofts attitude to towards the council, and more importantly, the fans, has made me grow to dislike the bloke immensely.

Agree completely that hodcroft should never get the ground. He has proved on a regular basis that he couldn't be trusted with it. And I think the council are wise to this

There might lay a problem, the Achers Belcher guys couldnt give a shit about football and may well just let them have it? Maybe Drummond had his doubts?

they dont care about football so thats probably why they wont let them have it for nowt

I'd like to see the ground given to the fans, or a group of fans, the fans could then choose to let IOR develop as they saw fit and could charge 1p a year rent.

That kind of solution would be the best long term one for everyone IMO.

Agreed.

They should give it to me.

I reckon the Akers Bilkers have negotiated sun bed sessions with wheelie bin Walton as a massuese to look more favourably on the ground sale issue


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I'm now trying to block this out of my mind... but all that happens is more and more bunker characters keep walking into the massage parlour