New Stadium + Poor Crowds + Poor Form = Administration

[Brovion]

Agreed. We haven't even got Falmer yet and there are people saying "well unless we invest in the playing side NOW Falmer will be a disaster, we'll be playing to crowds of 4,000"

Sorry Tom if you don't like being bracketed with FG but on this issue you, him and Berkshire seagull are pretty unanimous. What is important is that the club moves into Falmer with a clean sheet and not owing money that's been wasted on improving a team that because of the limitations of Withdean can't fulfill it's potential. The plan should be:

1 - Sort out the current finances. Reduce spending on the team to fit the budget.

2 - Build Falmer.

3 - Build team

Cart. Horse. Chicken. Egg. Walk. Run.

 

[berkshire seagull]

Yeah but like i say the chance are we will be in debt by the time falmer arrives.
Its a no win situation as we could be in the 3rd division by then or maybe the 1st who knows,

 

[rool]

It looks like we could well be in debt well before falmer arrives.

It would be better to keep the interest of the fans and sell out Withdean each home game because the lost income soon mounts up.

 

[Storer68]

Yeah but like i say the chance are we will be in debt by the time falmer arrives.

and staying at withdean is such a profitable option

if that's your thinking then you'd never buy a house or a car

 

[sully]

The strange thing about empty seats at Withdean is that the tickets have all been sold. At least that means the club are not losing out financially.

I'm not sure of the exact facts, but I know that there were no tickets available for the Wycombe game - it was announced as a sell-out a few days before - yet there were 800 empty seats. Not really much the club can do about that.

Withdean is clearly getting us all down, though. The atmosphere gets worse every week. We desperately need Falmer to get the enthusiasm going again. Hopefully the upswing will start immediately following Mr Prescott's (positive) announcement.

The building of the stadium will cost enough that I'm happy to see the current crop of excellent youth players populate the team until we get there. I'm sure they'll be blossoming into very good players by then and we can have a true local side to cheer on in our community stadium.

I can't wait - though I realise I have to!

 

[Zebedee]

The strange thing about empty seats at Withdean is that the tickets have all been sold. At least that means the club are not losing out financially.

I'm not sure of the exact facts, but I know that there were no tickets available for the Wycombe game - it was announced as a sell-out a few days before - yet there were 800 empty seats. Not really much the club can do about that.

Withdean is clearly getting us all down, though. The atmosphere gets worse every week. We desperately need Falmer to get the enthusiasm going again. Hopefully the upswing will start immediately following Mr Prescott's (positive) announcement.

The building of the stadium will cost enough that I'm happy to see the current crop of excellent youth players populate the team until we get there. I'm sure they'll be blossoming into very good players by then and we can have a true local side to cheer on in our community stadium.

I can't wait - though I realise I have to!

Does anyone know whether the NIMBYs have the right of appeal if John Prescott's decision goes in our favour. Can the case be taken to the European Court or some similar body? Let's hope not!

 

[Yorkie]

The strange thing about empty seats at Withdean is that the tickets have all been sold. At least that means the club are not losing out financially.

I'm not sure of the exact facts, but I know that there were no tickets available for the Wycombe game - it was announced as a sell-out a few days before - yet there were 800 empty seats. Not really much the club can do about that.

I know of season ticket holders who were working and who were ill on Boxing Day. So their seats were empty and not clocked through the turnstile but the club have got the money.

We are not paying a QC now for the legal wrangling that we have had to pay over the last two years so why are some people convinced that we are going to be deep in debt when Falmer is ready?

Or are you just throwing in your twopennorth to stimulate debate
Mr Hark

 

[rool]

and staying at withdean is such a profitable option

if that's your thinking then you'd never buy a house or a car

No, but we should be ensuring that we maximise profits whilst there.

 

[Yorkie]

Does anyone know whether the NIMBYs have the right of appeal if John Prescott's decision goes in our favour. Can the case be taken to the European Court or some similar body? Let's hope not!

I am 99% certain that Lord B said 'No they haven't' when I asked this previously.

 

[ChutneyStirrer]

THAT'S why the club needs to pump some money into the playing side as soon as Falmer gets the green light. This season. Not three years down the line.

Once Falmer has the green light there may well be money available for team strengthening. Until permission is granted the Club has no idea when we will be playing in Falmer and therefore don't know when the financial benefit of being there will arrive and cannot plan ahead. Once they have the go-ahead they will know when the extra revenue will be arriving and adjust present spending plans accordingly.

The point being that they cannot make solid financial plans when future income is unknown - once this variable (date from which Falmer will increase income) is taken out of the equation then money may well be made available.....

 

[marvin]

Take Madejski away and Reading are in the financial shit.
we owe about £40million, and that is what the Mad cost to build.
we need an average of 16,000 to break even, and still we're relying on Madejski.
we have the hotel (underused) and the Conference centre, but niether of these are paying for themselves.

Hull city have had concerts at the KC, but the difference there is that the Council payed for the stadium, after KC were sold off.
That is why it looks so bright for them, they don't have a huge white elephant of a stadium to pay off, and they can invest in the playing side, drawing in greater crowds.

Teams like Oxford and Bournemouth have build 3 adequate sides of a stadium, and have done fine in them, having some (not a lot, but some) money to invest in the playing sides.


Reading get poor crowds when we're not playing well.
Take away us hardcore, and the rest are a fickle bunch.
Chelsea attendance? 24,100. Next home game, Palace? 12,000.
The problems with the Madejski is that the transport is poor, the location not exactly perfect, and theres no pubs for about 2 miles.

That is the sort of problems that you may have to contend with.

as long as you keep getting respectable crowds, and the fickle fans that you will undoubtedly attract keep coming, you'll be fine.

Add to that the media dept are aresholes