Crawley sign ANOTHER Striker!

[Easy 10]

Apparently they have not broken their existing wage structure

All credit to them then if that really is the case. I very much have my doubts though. Record non-league transfer fees for players generally means juicy contracts being offered to attract those players in the first place. You want a better class of player for a division then that costs, not just in transfers but in the contracts as well. If the player knows the club is in the position to splash a huge wad to buy him, he's not going to play for relative peanuts, is he.

 

[Skills]

I predict the club will be out of business by 2015

 

[Gritt23]

I don't think they'll go bust. They're more like Rushden & Diamonds.

And what "Rushed In & Signed 'em" showed was that it doesn't generate sustainable levels of local interest. The moment Max Griggs (I think) lost interest, they soon plummeted back from whence they came. In their case, they were lucky that he was a local businessman who didn't walk away when he'd ridden the club to the brink of ruin.

Relying on the benevolence of an owner to such an extent seems a very risky strategy, and one that is going to be no different if they achieve promotion. They will still be a club spending miles beyond their means.

It'll all end in tears I'm afraid. Crawley fans should enjoy the ride, and not come bleating when they are in administration, as this is completely unsustainable, and they must know that.

 

[The Wookiee]

Fair enough. Is he the one pumping all the money in? If so, what's the relevance of the middle eastern/hong kong consortium?

As i understand it he and Susan Carter took over the club a year or so ago, got the club debt free by cutting costs etc. They succeeded in this therefore making the club a far more attractive proposition for overseas investors, which through his business contacts he was able to source.

Dont know what the ins and out of the deals were but I do know all players signed their transfer fees were paid in full.

It would be interesting to find out a little bit more about their investors, but as far as I can tell they prefer to remain anonamous

 

[Gritt23]

Apparently they have not broken their existing wage structure

Perhaps their existing wage structure was bonkers then.

I remember one of their summer signings, the manager selling the player said "he was offered ludicrous wages, and we just couldn't stand in his way ."

Make of it what you will.

 

[severnside gull]

maybe they could by smelhurst?

 

[Easy 10]

As i understand it he and Susan Carter took over the club a year or so ago, got the club debt free by cutting costs etc. They succeeded in this therefore making the club a far more attractive proposition for overseas investors, which through his business contacts he was able to source.

Dont know what the ins and out of the deals were but I do know all players signed their transfer fees were paid in full.

It would be interesting to find out a little bit more about their investors, but as far as I can tell they prefer to remain anonamous

This is the thing. They cleared the debts presumably not through any love of the club, but to make it more attractive to overseas investors, so that they could sell it on and get their money back at a profit.

Will they really give a stuff about WHO they sold it to, and what their long-term plans are for the club ? Course not. Its a business deal, nothing more nothing less. And the anonymous aspect of it is what makes it even more of a worry.

Munto Finance, anyone ?

 

[casbom]

This is the thing. They cleared the debts presumably not through any love of the club, but to make it more attractive to overseas investors, so that they could sell it on and get their money back at a profit.

Will they really give a stuff about WHO they sold it to, and what their long-term plans are for the club ? Course not. Its a business deal, nothing more nothing less. And the anonymous aspect of it is what makes it even more of a worry.

Munto Finance, anyone ?

I thought that both Susan and Bruce are lifelong fans, but yes it's a bit of a concern that they (the fans) don't know who are these mystery backers. If they have backed the club with finance, have the FA ratified them? Or doesn't that apply to Conference?