Paul Barber's letter to The Argus

[El Presidente]

Or, not that hard at all actually

I'm seeing a doctor about that.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I did hear Bridcutt fee was £3.5 mill with add ons

I always thought it would be between 3 and 4m
Barber very precise and I am beginning to like the bloke (damn it)
keep it up[/QUOTE]

We obviously understand rather different things by "very precise" then ...

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Well in the accounts just published, one (unnamed) director was paid about 450k a year I believe.

No bonuses?

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

No bonuses?

The total remuneration for the highest paid director was £480k, I'll email you a copy of the accounts.

See you at the Hull game?

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Because it will harm future negotiations if other clubs know how much money BHA spends/receives on players.

Although saying it's "considerably more than reported" when it's been reported as 2.5 - 3 million, rather blows that plan out of the water.

 

[AZ Gull]

That is not intended as a criticism of PB, quite the opposite - as I have said on other threads, I am very impressed with his PR work.

BUT, as I said at the start of this post, there really is nothing in the letter he wrote that is deserving of some of the embarrassingly gushing praise he has received on this thread nor to indicate just how good, or bad, he is at doing the actual job he is paid for.

So, you are currently only willing to concede that he is good at PR.

Just out of interest, what are YOUR criteria for judging how well (or not) he performs his function. What would it take for you to come on here in a year or two, and declare "Paul Barber is a fine Chief Executive of our football club"?

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

What in that letter gives cause for such gushing praise of PB?

Read it again and think about what he's actually written

1) - We've massaged the financial position, not because doing so doesn't breach FFP but because there are no penalties for doing so

2) - The full effects of new sponsorship deals weren't reflected in last season's accounts - information already in the public domain

3) - For 18 months the club has been trying to reduce costs and increase income - success in this has meant a small increase in the playing budget compared to last year - again something previously claimed but without any detail.

4) - General statement about the potential benefits of the training ground and proposed hotel

5) - Season tickets, "We minimised adult price increases to an average of 3% . . . " - what does that mean? - ". . . and froze child prices but we have had to compromise somewhere" - again, what does that mean?

6) - The club is considering a transition phase regarding the cost of season tickets for those turning 18 next year.

7) - General summary regarding the players sold, bought and 'promoted' from the development squad plus, "Liam Bridcutt left for a club record fee (and significantly more than what was reported)" - no indication of how much he considers to be 'significant'.

8) - We will meet FFP requirements this year.


None of the above is particularly Earth shattering and apart from the possibility of a new season ticket price band and the vague information about LB's transfer fee, there is nothing new in what he has written.

That is not intended as a criticism of PB, quite the opposite - as I have said on other threads, I am very impressed with his PR work.

BUT, as I said at the start of this post, there really is nothing in the letter he wrote that is deserving of some of the embarrassingly gushing praise he has received on this thread nor to indicate just how good, or bad, he is at doing the actual job he is paid for.

It's a response to previous letters. So whatever is in the public domain hasn't got through to everyone, at least not to the letter writers.

To embarrassingly gush praise, he is doing a great job and this football club is in a much stronger position now due to Paul.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

PB's letter states: "We brought in Dale Stephens, Jon Obika and David Rodriguez" all in the same breath.
I think we've bought [own] Stephens and Span-rod, but I though Obika was only a loan,
Can someone confirm please.

Other than that, good effort at putting the cards on the table [to continue the poker theme]

Obika is still a loan player who goes back in April.

On another point, I assume we have a further year option on Rodriguez, but cannot find confirmation

 

[RupertsFlan]

True. But he is very well paid for doing the job he is doing.

I remember in the Argus the job was actually opted with a salary of around £100k.

I would suggest for a CEO level job in this industry that is frankly at the lower end of the scale.

I think he is a diligent, professional and astute businessman who has also managed to incorporate a very transparent and fan-friendly demeanour.

If you think this board is a binfest then I can only imagine some of the drivel that man has to pour through and respond to into the early hours of the morning.

What an industry this is - having to take time to respond to crettins, morons and the ill-informed.

 

[Billy the Fish]

What an industry this is - having to take time to respond to crettins, morons and the ill-informed.

 

[Creaky]

So, you are currently only willing to concede that he is good at PR.

Just out of interest, what are YOUR criteria for judging how well (or not) he performs his function. What would it take for you to come on here in a year or two, and declare "Paul Barber is a fine Chief Executive of our football club"?

Surely his primary job, and that of any CEO in any business, is to maximise profits, or in the case of BHAFC to minimise losses for the benefit of shareholders. At the moment the jury has to be out on that.

A CEO's job is to act as a liason between the board and management, in order to ensure that the company's long and short term plans are achieved - the stated long term aims of BHAFC are to comply with the FFP regulations and to be promoted to the Premier League.

Finally a CEO's job is to communicate effectively with its staff and customers. A part of his job that he appears to be carrying out extremely well.

 

[spanish flair]

Creaky: do remember he was answering the letters written to the Argus by some numpties - it wasn't to announce anything new, it was to correct some ill-informed or ill-conceived opinions among the Argus readership.

So the person who pointed out to Barber, that the jump in ticket prices of over £200, raising the ticket price for someone who has just turned 18 to the cheapest season ticket of £465 is an ill informed numpty. The fact he pointed out to Barber that other clubs have an interim 18-21 price rise before they have to pay full adult price is ill informed?
And fair play to Barber because unlike yourself, he has recognised this could be in issue with young adults, who will not even be allowed to leave full time education until they are 18, is an issue for them when they might not have a job. Because Barber has promised to look at the 2015 season pricing for this age group, because of this numpties letter to the Argus.
Have you got a 17 year old Fef who may not be able to afford to go next season after perhaps supporting the club for the last 10 years?

 

[TonyW]

So the person who pointed out to Barber, that the jump in ticket prices of over £200, raising the ticket price for someone who has just turned 18 to the cheapest season ticket of £465 is an ill informed numpty. The fact he pointed out to Barber that other clubs have an interim 18-21 price rise before they have to pay full adult price is ill informed?
And fair play to Barber because unlike yourself, he has recognised this could be in issue with young adults, who will not even be allowed to leave full time education until they are 18, is an issue for them when they might not have a job. Because Barber has promised to look at the 2015 season pricing for this age group, because of this numpties letter to the Argus.
Have you got a 17 year old Fef who may not be able to afford to go next season after perhaps supporting the club for the last 10 years?

Given that they would have been at the match with parents during that time, it is they that should be subsidising their non-working offspring, not the club.

 

[spanish flair]

Given that they would have been at the match with parents during that time, it is they that should be subsidising their non-working offspring, not the club.

I do happen to know someone in this situation and his parent, as he comes from a one parent family, has struggled collectively with other members of the family to buy his ticket for his birthday present each year. His mother I know will not be able to double what she has paid in the past.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

- Massive sponsorship deals
- On target to meet FFP rules
- Forward thinking
- Excellent communication
- Still feels like OUR club

Paul Barber. You are the man

 

[casbom]

It might have been mentioned somewhere else, but when he says that a players wage demands were too high, I reckon that was Conway.

 

[piersa]

even the most negative of Albion supporters reading that must feel some relief once they finished the article, assuming Mr Barber is telling the truth and there is no reason not to believe him. As a Brighton supporter, I trust him with the finances of our club. He makes some tough and sometimes unpopular decisions, but always appears to have the best interests of the club at heart.

 

[somerset]

- Massive sponsorship deals
- On target to meet FFP rules
- Forward thinking
- Excellent communication
- Still feels like OUR club

Paul Barber. You are the man

Certainly feels a lot more positive,.... I did feel last year when we started hearing about huge losses, price increases, supporters must spend more, travel subsidies,..... etc etc,.... that the news was all doom and gloom, and it was all our fault because we never had it so good...... that we should dig deeper,.... at the moment, I get the vibe that things are moving in the right direction, I say amen to that.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I do happen to know someone in this situation and his parent, as he comes from a one parent family, has struggled collectively with other members of the family to buy his ticket for his birthday present each year. His mother I know will not be able to double what she has paid in the past.

Shame. Life isn't always fair. Perhaps a combined birthday and Xmas present?

 

[TonyW]

Shame. Life isn't always fair. Perhaps a combined birthday and Xmas present?

Or maybe put £3 in a biscuit tin over a year.
People know the increase is coming after all.