Re: Slightly Disappointed

[stillmanjunior]

I think Adie has always come across incredibly well when he's been interviewed.

[BenE]

I agree with Yuffie. Lee's not saying we can't reach the play-offs. He's saying the club could not compete in the conference.

I think this is obvious to anyone who supports City. The three year plan failed to deliver a platform to help us be competitive at a higher level.

If the gate was 868 last week then it shows the club has a long way to go to being able to reach out to floating football fans in Bath. Apparently our only mention on the TV was on the weather review.

I'm more disappointed that I can't change the spelling of the thread title. (Now amended).

[Colin Voutt]

I agree with Yuffie. Lee's not saying we can't reach the play-offs. He's saying the club could not compete in the conference.

I think this is obvious to anyone who supports City. The three year plan failed to deliver a platform to help us be competitive at a higher level.

If the gate was 868 last week then it shows the club has a long way to go to being able to reach out to floating football fans in Bath. Apparently our only mention on the TV was on the weather review.

I'm more disappointed that I can't change the spelling of the thread title.

I agree!

[A36]

with only those carrying minor knocks/close to a suspension being left out

Currently,City have three players who are on nine yellow cards (Pratt, McCootie and Artus) and would thus receive a two match suspension if they receive one more yellow card. Therefore, if any of those three pick up that yellow card in any of the games away to Hemel Hempstead and Weston-super-Mare or home to Concord, they would be suspended on the day of the final.

It seems unlikely to me that all three of those players would be rested for all three of those games, meaning that a tight rope may well be walked.

Of course, if any of them pick up that yellow card in either of the games against North Ferriby or away to Basingstoke, the suspension would be completed before the day of the final, and they would then be five yellow cards away from the next suspension for accumulating yellow cards.

Note that this changes slightly if City have a match moved to midweek of week commencing March 23rd.

[stillmanjunior]

I can see a few tactical bookings being thrown in, which could backfire if there's drizzle on the day of the Weston game to postpone it...

[yuffie]

I think it's very unlikely that Artus and Pratt will not be booked in at least one of the semi-final games.

[BenE]

I can see a few tactical bookings being thrown in, which could backfire if there's drizzle on the day of the Weston game to postpone it...

very good

[Dodgycarpet]

I haven't listened to it either but it Archie said it then every player, being on the inside, will have realised anyway. It's a shoestring operational structure run by fantastic people rather than an efficient effective machine.
But..... What he said sounded different to saying they won't try to win every match. This comes back to my long term point. If we're not ready now clearly we we weren't before the reason we are so financially in the mire is because we we went into the conf premier when already in the mire knowing it would cost a six figure sum per season onto our debt. Madness.
And... Why would it cause a decline in effort or interest - we can still aim for the excitement if the play offs. Good experience - players learning to win under pressure etc. even if we turn down promotion. This would be a wake up call to the league - at least if you get promoted to the premier league you get a Huge boost in TV fees to fund it; you won't make a loss!

[Dodgycarpet]

Sorry for typos it's this b£&&(y iPhone - keypad does my head in

[BenE]

Some good points well made Dodgy.

Would disagree about not making a loss in the premier league. Look at QPR. Indeed most of the teams make a loss.

[yuffie]

For what it is worth I don't think the standard of the Conference Premier is as high as it was when we were there last time. A number of the bigger ex-League sides have finally gone back up (Luton, Cambridge, York, Mansfield) and there isn't a Fleetwood or Crawley throwing silly money at getting into the league (possibly Forest Green but without the same success).

The two games against Dover and one against Altrincham showed that mid-table Premier sides are nothing special and even over a whole season, rather than one-off cup games, we should be better set-up to match them. The Rovers game, I think, was a one-off, but again a win or two against the top sides would not be that unlikely.

I think that if we did get back up (this season or in the future) the club would keep the budget much the same as it is now. If this did turn out not to be good enough, well, it couldn't be much worse than the 11-12 season.

[Marc Monitor]

The only way a club promoted can budget is as if they are still in the division they have been promoted from until such a time that they are established in the higher division which usually means that attendances had improved and been sustained at that number for a couple of seasons. That way, if you go back down immediately, you haven't got expensive players on the roster and on contracts. Yes, you may go down because of this limited budget but you won't break the bank and threaten the whole club's existence just to be in a higher league (well, no more than we are now).

While there may be cries of lack of ambition but we aren't a professional club, unlike many up there, and mid-placed in the Conference - or even yo-yoing between here and there - is the highest long-term status we can look at for at least 5 years, possibly even a decade. No-one is getting out of that division easily even when they are professional ex-FL clubs.

What I would hope is that, if and when we do get there, we keep faith with the sometimes excellent style of play we play now. We will never be able to acquire the players to compete with a more muscular style of players that are in the CP and our forte is the quick passing game on the floor and into channels for the likes of Watkins and Stearn to run into. We jettisoned that in panic in the latter part of the 11-12 season and still got relegated playing a less effective, less attractive style that we patently didn't have the players for. As soon as we stick to that style of play and the sort of players that can do this, we succeed in the long term.

[Ian Jones]

Unfortunately even if you wanted to budget at the same level the extra costs associated with CP are on top of the budget this season. Every game needs to be policed, health and safety is higher, a 4th official at every game, even the kit is more expensive and we haven't even began to mention travel. So yes there could be the same playing budget but that's only the start.

[Marc Monitor]

Good point, very well made. Luckily, having spoken to those in charge of the community ownership proposal, they are all over this sort of thing.

Actually, I wasn't sure that every game had to be policed in the CP. I don't remember that. I thought it was only when we had the bigger teams.

[Dodgycarpet]

Blimey, why is the kit more expensive in the conf premier?
Anyway - good point BenE - my point is that Bath City (say) wouldnt have to get into debt if promoted to premier league - using WBA as an example they went up and down but always breaking even, due to the TV money etc and of course the parachute payments. However if we were to be promoted to conf premier, we would make a huge loss - based on the two years we were there - expenses go up but revenue doesn't automatically (it might if attendances doubled, but they didnt!)

[Marc Monitor]

Another good point. WBA are the model club for their yo-yoing position but, as you say, with little extra TV money and no parachute payments, we wouldn't have that.

[Ian Jones]

The kit price is increased because you have to have 3 sets all with number (I know we have that now) and names on shirts. Every new player who came in when I was there regardless of how long they stayed would get a 3 new shirts, training wear and tracksuits. The 3 playing shirts had to have the players names on them. In some cases you would end up with 25. - 30 home shirts. Of course these would be auctioned at the end of the season.

[Marc Monitor]

Wow, when were you there? That sounds exciting.

[comrade powell]

The point is, we're talking about non league football.

[Marc Monitor]

I've just realised that Ian was working for us when we were up there, wasn't he? D'oh!

[Ian Jones]

That's right Marc, couple of the best years in a job I've ever had, mainly because of the people I met.

[OliverH]

My favourite fact unearthed while researching community ownership, business plans etc is that a Conf South referee costs £55 while a Conf Prem referee costs £98 - unless the match is televised, in which case it's £110. Good work, ref's union.

[stillmanjunior]

£55 to referee a game in Conference South?! That is absolutely criminal, you 'only' get about £30 less for reffing Sunday mornings when you haven't got hundreds of people slagging you off for 90 minutes.

[OliverH]

plus 35p per mile petrol money.

[BenE]

It does seem incredibly low given that referees have to travel quite long distances as well. So it could be a long day.

The only thing you could say is that it encourages people to try to improve to get to the highest level they can.

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