More Gus-related disclosures from Paul Barber; if this stuff bores you, do not open thread

[JCL - the new kid in town]

You clearly have not read the match threads then!

i didn't for Leeds and i stopped the Newport one when all that started

 

[KZNSeagull]

i didn't for Leeds and i stopped the Newport one when all that started

Very wise

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

The main thing about that is the rents and rates in Western Road / Churchill Square will be quite a bit higher than in Queens Road. The shop would have to be significantly larger / better than the current one to justify any new premises.

While I agree it's VITAL that the club has some presence in the city centre, I can see a scenario where the accountants / bean-counters tut-tutting, moaning about the expense without the proven or necessary income.

My guess on this is that the old shop will close down at the end of the season. A new shop will be opened soon after but the fitting out of it will be paid for by the new kit supplier as part of the deal for providing kit and other merchandise (I seem to recall Errea paid to fit out one of the existing stores). This would mean that the only costs incurred will be those of increased rent and, if we have a major kit supplier such as Adidas, the additional leisure wear etc that would be sold through the store would offset the increased rent.

 

[Sergei's Celebration]

The main thing about that is the rents and rates in Western Road / Churchill Square will be quite a bit higher than in Queens Road. The shop would have to be significantly larger / better than the current one to justify any new premises.

While I agree it's VITAL that the club has some presence in the city centre, I can see a scenario where the accountants / bean-counters tut-tutting, moaning about the expense without the proven or necessary income.

I can imagine a scenario similar to when we moved over the road, the new manufacturer-erer and the club combine with local knowledge and shop fitting and fronting expertise to maximising impact. Adidas / Nike or whoever we get have more experience in retail than the club; this may even have been written into the new contract but i am just pontificating.

 

[kevo]

"Didn't want to honour it" could mean anything. His refusal to deal with player contracts is not honouring his contract.

I always thought that was the thing they pegged on him. His refusal to deal with the retained list is surely a breach of contract. If they wanted him out, that was the thing they could use against him.

It does seems strange then that he was dismissed for 'gross misconduct'. Poyet is certainly refuting that he did anything that could be described as such.

 

[One Love]

We operated the club shop for years when we were incomparably more skint than we are now... We will be losing a major presence in the town centre that thousands of people see every day.

Barber really seems to look past everything other than the balance sheets.

Please let me know what you don't understand about this statement from Barber.

"There may be another city-centre shop but it won't be in Queen's Road."

 

[Landgull]

He said that Queens Road wasn't the right place for a shop. I would have thought it was fairly well placed as people pass it coming down from the station to the beach, and near the clock tower which is fairly central. Churchill Square rents are going to be high, so my interpretation of his comments are that the club are looking for another town centre premises but cheaper.

They may copy Watford who use the High Street Shoping Mall information services. This surely must be cheaper than a shop.

 

[8ace]

We never had a shop in town in the Goldstone days.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Having real difficulty following - will just have to wait for the Barber thread done in Smiths lyrics

"Brighton is mine and it owes me a living. Ask me why and I will spit in your eye".

Or something along those lines.

 

[JCL - the new kid in town]

We operated the club shop for years when we were incomparably more skint than we are now... We will be losing a major presence in the town centre that thousands of people see every day.

Barber really seems to look past everything other than the balance sheets.

i may be wrong but i don't recall seeing a Manchester United shop in manchester city centre when i lived there (admittedly its not something that would stay in my mind even if i had seen it). Also thousands may see it every day but thousands aren't using it.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Bore off Barber !

The clue is in the thread title...

If it bores you don't open

 

[CheeseRolls]

Yes and my point is we need to get back FURTHER. Why didn't Gus want to carry on? He was very happy here previously, and the relationship with Tony was very, very good. I refuse to believe he made a massive u turn on all of that for no reason whatsoever. It doesn't add up.

Again I think we know the answer here. Could Gus have got us up with the financial backing to bring in a couple more signings before deadline day and was he given that backing ?

No one can be certain, but you would strongly suspect it would have made a difference. A 10 million loss and promotion, would have been bearable a 10 million loss and no promotion ... ?

Assuming Gus was appraised of the financial situation, he was not really playing for team Bloom, by consistently complaining about the playing budget and it seems the poker player wasn't prepared to go all in.

 

[CheeseRolls]

Why not leave the one in Queens Road, which is one of the busiest roads in Brighton? Thousands of tourists, students, commuters, people in buses and other miscellaneous pedestrians pass it every day.

I suspect that he has no intention to open up another club shop, all he cares is saving money wherever he can get away with it, as he has no concern over the long term interests of this club.

Most likely the lease is expiring and the renewal terms are not favourable. We have hit a new low, if the location of a club shop that few people use, is now a big issue.

 

[Sergei's Celebration]

Why not leave the one in Queens Road, which is one of the busiest roads in Brighton? Thousands of tourists, students, commuters, people in buses and other miscellaneous pedestrians pass it every day.

I suspect that he has no intention to open up another club shop, all he cares is saving money wherever he can get away with it, as he has no concern over the long term interests of this club.

"Trade there has been dropping and the shop will close next year" Why on earth would you keep a shop open that will or is not making money? Queens road is not a shopping road its a motorway of tourists and workers going from the centre to the station. There are far more attractive locations within the city centre.

 

[One Love]

Yes and my point is we need to get back FURTHER. Why didn't Gus want to carry on? He was very happy here previously, and the relationship with Tony was very, very good. I refuse to believe he made a massive u turn on all of that for no reason whatsoever. It doesn't add up.

The thing is by experience we know Gus has a tendency to act a bit emotionally at times. Before that Palace game we had three poor away results with one point out of nine.

So maybe he thought that it was impossible knowing the budget. He then resigns to Bloom by phone just before a match that was the most important in the season for most fans. I'm sure their relationship was on thin ice from then on because Gus does not come out well from that revelation.

Then we hit some decent form and everyone around us implodes for some reason and we make the play-offs. You would have thought there would have been some eating of humble pie of some sort from Gus and we could have moved positively into the play-off scenario. However I'm not sure Gus has that in his diet so if he was still banging on about budgets at this time then you could imagine Bloom losing patience with him.

Whatever happened before that home semi there is no excuse for the way Gus behaved during that game and I find it quite amazing that some people are still in love with him and trying to justify what he did.

Support the club FFS.

 

[lighthouse]

Why not leave the one in Queens Road, which is one of the busiest roads in Brighton? Thousands of tourists, students, commuters, people in buses and other miscellaneous pedestrians pass it every day.

I suspect that he has no intention to open up another club shop, all he cares is saving money wherever he can get away with it, as he has no concern over the long term interests of this club.

Point one - as you say, thousands PASS IT everyday. What use is that! It is the number of people that spend in it that counts. Most people - me included - shop at the stadium store now.

Point two - You 'suspect'. Glad you didn't pass up an opportunity to launch another moan on the basis of absolutely nothing, even when you have club comment to the contrary. Be in no doubt that if a business model/location can be found that allows a profitable presence for he club in the city centre they will take it. It makes good business sense., no?

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

He said that Queens Road wasn't the right place for a shop. I would have thought it was fairly well placed as people pass it coming down from the station to the beach, and near the clock tower which is fairly central. Churchill Square rents are going to be high, so my interpretation of his comments are that the club are looking for another town centre premises but cheaper.

Agreed. I would of thought that Queens Road is exactly the right place. Avoids the massively high rents that would be incurred at Churchill Square, yet still central enough to have a decent footfall. Pointless having a presence in town unless it is anywhere other than the city centre.

 

[lighthouse]

Most likely the lease is expiring and the renewal terms are not favourable. We have hit a new low, if the location of a club shop that few people use, is now a big issue.

I don't think it is. The usual suspects are using it as another chance to have a moan at the club's/Paul Barber's expense. And they call themselves 'supporters'?

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

We used to have a Man Utd store in Brighton, above Clinton Cards in Western Road.

I always thought that was part of the Clinton Cards franchise and not an officially owned retail outlet of MUFC Other Clinton Cards shops around the country used to have part of the shop dedicated to selling tat connected with top 6 Premiershite outfits.

 

[lighthouse]

Agreed. I would of thought that Queens Road is exactly the right place. Avoids the massively high rents that would be incurred at Churchill Square, yet still central enough to have a decent footfall. Pointless having a presence in town unless it is anywhere other than the city centre.

If Queens Road is exactly the right place and that can no longer trade profitably then there is little hope for a future city centre presence. What the club needs is a shop that trades profitably, which may not be where the rents are cheapest. If there is no such ;location, better that we leave this as a facility for fans that served a great purpose in the Withdean era.