Albions Financial Situation

[honey boy zimba]

I for one will be contributing to the Albion Fund as I hope many of you will to, BUT, with the limited resources that the club has to work with at Withdean, ie a tatty port-a-cabin for its' hospitality sales and not much else, does the club really need 3/4 staff members to manage the commercial side of the club. After all at the beginning of the Withdean era Kevin Keehan ran this single handedly, also the John Keeley, Ken Barnard situation they are both full time where as last season they both did the same job on a part time basis, very well I hasten to add. Finally the role Richard Hibberd has at the club and I'm sure he is on a pretty penny, is his postion really justified as I for one have never seen a hint of a punch up at Withdean. PC Balkham and his colleagues seem to have the situation well in hand at every home game, this was noted nationwide. There are part time ex-policeman with years of football experience ie PC Beard working match days , surely this is enough until our situation is resolved pending the Falmer outcome. your comments would be more than welcome.

 

[Kev the Ape]

its not very nice.

 

[timbha]

good points.... last week the Albion announced that it had appointed a new (extra) youth team coach = extra costs. Look at the list of officers in the programme, seems to increase every week - more costs. Do we pay Samrah or Atilla? if not it explains why they are still doing the PA stuff - if yes, well!! Paul Rodgers - how can his role be justified when he is playing (and earning) for Worthing when he should be at Albion matches generating business?

Still too many hangers on (and increasing) - using the club for their own reasons without paying for anything. Come on MPs put your hands in your pocket and pay for your tickets, programmes, meals, etc - you can afford it.

 

[BensGrandad]

good points.... last week the Albion announced that it had appointed a new (extra) youth team coach = extra costs. Look at the list of officers in the programme, seems to increase every week - more costs. Do we pay Samrah or Atilla? if not it explains why they are still doing the PA stuff - if yes, well!! Paul Rodgers - how can his role be justified when he is playing (and earning) for Worthing when he should be at Albion matches generating business?

Still too many hangers on (and increasing) - using the club for their own reasons without paying for anything. Come on MPs put your hands in your pocket and pay for your tickets, programmes, meals, etc - you can afford it.

Attila always goes to great lengths to emphasise that doesn't get paid by the club and buys a season ticket and I do not doubt him. I do not know about Paul Samrah but as he has 'moved camps' it is possible that he does or then again he may not I do not know. I am told that there are 4 persons working in the commercial department and the only one who produces anything is Paul Rogers so why employ the others, sorry as Ernest says they are relatives of DK.

Can somebody explain to me what Paul Camillin does other than edit the program that couldnt be done by DK or MP themselves. What about Matt Hicks he takes a few youngsters to away matches which a number of people would be prepared and more than happy to do on a voluntary basis, including running The Seagulls Club and its few functions.

The club is overloaded with backroom staff who do not EARN a wage. We are being asked to help pay them.

 

[Bwian]

I think you need to look back a few years BG and compare our present situation to then.

Those three C *N TS (sorry ladies and bints)
(including your mate Greg pisshead Stanley) tore the soul out of this club. The merchandising was non-existant, the youth set-up was abandoned, the ground was allowed to rot, nobody wanted to advertise and be associated with the Albion during those years.

We now have a reasonable number of people putting the life and soul back into the Albion. Merchandising is very good in general, the youth system has given us half of our team and Matt Hicks helps ensure future Albion fans aren't hijacked by the premiershite clubs.

Where's the problem?

 

[London Irish]

BG, your comments are utterly laughable. You think a modern sporting organisation can be run on voluntary labour?

You haven't a clue what the job specifications are of all those Albion employees you so casually insult. You are in no position to judge their worth to the club.

I can't believe you are seriously suggesting that Perry and Knight who have there hands full with the enormous issues of running the club and the Falmer process should be sitting there during the day putting the match programme together? Perhaps they should also be cooking the chips in the North Stand that you so regularly complain you have been deprived of this season?

These ludicrous comments you are making would be quite funny as a spoof but, alas, I know from the tone of your previous contributions to NSC you are being entirely serious

It's a shame that, given the fact that you often talk some sense when discussing football and the performances of the Albion, that when you move on to talking about how the club is run, you produce nothing but unmitigated garbage.

 

[BensGrandad]

BG, your comments are utterly laughable. You think a modern sporting organisation can be run on voluntary labour?

You haven't a clue what the job specifications of all those Albion employees you so casually insult. You are in no position to judge their worth to the club.

I can't believe you are seriously suggesting that Perry and Knight who have there hands full with the enormous issues of running the club and the Falmer process should be sitting there during the day putting the match programme together? Perhaps they should also be cooking the chips in the North Stand that you so regularly complain you have been deprived of this season?

These ludicrous comments you are making would be quite funny as a spoof but, alas, I know from the tone of your previous contributions to NSC you are being entirely serious

It's a shame that, given the fact that you often talk some sense when discussing football and the performances of the Albion, that when you move on to talking about how the club is run, you produce nothing but unmitigated garbage.

I must apologise as I didnt come across as intended. Paul Camillins job is to be a the clubs P-R man and he also happens to edit the match programme.

I feel that there are sufficient journalists associated with the club who would be more than happy to take over editing the Match Day programme. Most of the clubs PR comes via either DK or MP on the television or radio so why can they not do it completly. How many times do you see PC on TV. Very rarely if ever.

I cannot see the need for 4 in the commercial department I would have considered a Commercial Manager, Shop manager and an office worker. Not including ticket office staff. We do not have a lot to sell very little advertising around the ground and most of those will renew each year because they are supporters as well as being local business. Looking at the program shows that the kit advertising is nearly all sold which again is the same people each year.

Matt Hicks looks after the youngsters and a fine job he does to but do we need a person to do this could it not be done under the wing of the official supporters club.

I remember at The Goldstone when Matt Hicks sat next to me and would have done anything for a job at The Albion. Well he has succeeded now, but do we NEED him. If we were a thriving club then all of these people would be ideal the more the merrier but we are not and should cut our cloth to match our pocket.

When we get to Falmer a whole new world will open up and then and only then should we employ the extra people that we need.

 

[London Irish]

Re. the match programme, doesn't that happen already? Aren't a lot of those guys that produce it all the old fanzine writers who have been brought in under Knight because they are deeply passionate about the Albion?

The match programme is terrific so what is the gripe here?

 

[BensGrandad]

I have no gripe about the Match day program and or its content b ut do we need somebody as a PR man who other than that edits the program. Could not one of the people you have mentioned edit the program and could not DK and MP do their own PR, as they invariably do. Thus saving a wage which if he receives expenses I would estimate a saving of perhaps £40k ayear multiply that by how many jobs you can scrap and you are then saving a sizeable amount. We are not a charity.

 

[Insider]

I must apologise as I didnt come across as intended. Paul Camillins job is to be a the clubs P-R man and he also happens to edit the match programme.

I feel that there are sufficient journalists associated with the club who would be more than happy to take over editing the Match Day programme. Most of the clubs PR comes via either DK or MP on the television or radio so why can they not do it completly. How many times do you see PC on TV. Very rarely if ever.

Firstly in response to your suggestion that journalists associated with the club could write the programme: they would want paying for doing that. Incidentally, the programme (and media dept) does makes a profit - albeit a small one - which wasn't the case when I started on the programme in 1998.

Secondly a press officer tends not to appear on TV. Do other club's press officer's appear on TV? The only one I recall in recent years is the FA spokesman Adrian Bevington after the player's media boycott. Which is very different circumstances. A press officer's job is to arrange those TV and radio interviews with people who the fans want to hear from.

Thanks for your suggestion that I should be on TV more often, but let's be honest the fans don't really want to see Paul Camillin on TV. They want to see Dick Knight, Mark McGhee and the players being interviewed. They want it from the horses mouth.

However, if you do want to see me on TV on a regular basis then you could take out a subscription to Seagulls World, where you'll see me pretty much most days. In addition to the programme, I also contirbute to World and the website. I could bore you even more with more, but I'm not going. But to Ben's Grandad if you really want to know what fills my days you can always Private Message me, or even come in one day to the office and see for yourself.

Incidentally, I appreciate I am lucky enough to work for the Albion. However, if it were a choice between the club I have supported since I was four (when my dad first took me to the Goldstone), or my job. It's an absolute no brainer. I'd be quite happy to go off and find a job elsewhere just so long as Albion survived.

 

[Titanic]

Insider

perhaps you could let us know if BensGrandad takes you up on your offer ?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

matt hicks was the kitman as well, dunno if still is

 

[BensGrandad]

To insider

I would love to take you up your offer to see what you do all day.

I always consider that I have been busy all day but my wife says that if I had to itemise everything that I have done with timings I would have a job getting past 10.30am.

 

[Spey House]

with the limited number of reserve team fixtures can the club really justify having Dean White as reserve team coach?? surely those playing in the reserves (e.g Paul Reid, Molango) will be training with the first team coaching staff on weekdays, while younger members of the reserves would be training under Hinshelwood or Wilkins.

 

[BensGrandad]

It is a gut re-action by everybody to suggest a 'cull' of staff to save wages but what I can't get my head round is the fact that we are being asked to raise 2.4 m when the club say the reconvened inquiry will cost £200k which they couldnt and havent accounted for,obviously as they didnt know it was going to happen. But why the remainder as that should come under normal trading which they should have accounted for.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Now if NSC's very own Richie Morris could be persuaded to edit the match day programme ...

And BensGrandad could run the catering ...

And fatboy could run the reserve team ...

And trigger could be Chief Steward ...

... this would free up Paul Samrah to take over Skint Records

... and Paul Camillin could introduce Match of the Day.

 

[London Irish]

I'd fancy a crack at editing the match programme, that could free up Richie Morris to edit the Argus and Simon Bradshaw could then serve the chips in the North Stand.

 

[Gordon the Gopher]

Could someone please let me know what actually our earstwhile director of football does for his money?

 

[BensGrandad]

I would like to say that I have this evening been told by Paul Samrah that he doesn't receive a penny from the club, not that I have suggested he did, I only said that I didnt know whether or not he did. I do now know that he doesn't.

I have also spoken with Matt Hicks who has enlightened me as to to his duties and it would appear that his wages are funded by the 1250 Junior Seagull members that the club has so sacking him isn't going to be much of a saving in our quest for cost cuitting.

Finally I spoke with Paul Camillin who told me of his duties and responsibilities and it would appear that he does a lot more than the average, me being average, supporter gives him credit for so perhaps we would lose something if we sacked him.

That doesn't leave many options to cut costs other than to go to the supporters yet once again. Which the club have been quick to do.

 

[Insider]

Could someone please let me know what actually our earstwhile director of football does for his money?

Hang on a minute! Did you not notice that we had seven players on show last night who all came through the club's youth ranks. Martin Hinshelwood, Dean Wilkins and Dean White all play no small part in this.