Paul Samrah

[reigate]

http://notworththat.wordpress.com/2...g-and-why-the-club-does-value-its-supporters/

This is the article where he sated in June 2013 that our loses were in excess of £8 million and nowhere in the article can I see where he states this to be an ffp figure.

NOTWORTHAT: Then, with respect, how is the club still losing money despite a season of record attendances, high ticket prices, massive merchandising sales etc? It is difficult for the fans to understand. They pay a lot for tickets, buy merchandise, come in record numbers, buy pies and pints etc but still hear the club is losing money.

Paul Barber: Very few football clubs make money. Most operate at a loss, even in the Premier League. There are many reasons for this. We are losing well in excess of £8m a year. Clearly, investment in players and in other football areas accounts for a large proportion of any club’s costs. We are no exception

Perhaps I have missed this in the article and I am happy to have where he say's this in the interview pointed out to me.

I think the last statutory accounts showed a loss of over £12m. These accounts contain losses which can be excluded for ffp purposes

 

[Barham's tash]

It's not about being professional, that should be a given.

It's bad decisions at a football level made by the management of the club in the last 18 months I don't like and the constant eat more pies buy an orange shirt all the time we are devalui9ng the squad and product on the pitch which in turn will result in a financial disaster if we half our gates.

They are mutually exclusive events on the basis of who is controlling those two things. Some on here have a clear anti PB agenda because we're asked to contribute more or as much as we can.

PB controls the business side and TB + Burke + the manager decide on the players to buy. All PB will do is say that from a business perspective the club's suggested playing budget is £X, it's then up to TB whether he wants to overule this and put more into the playing budget and then the above combination that go and recruit the players.

 

[Barnham Seagull]

They are mutually exclusive events on the basis of who is controlling those two things. Some on here have a clear anti PB agenda because we're asked to contribute more or as much as we can.

PB controls the business side and TB + Burke + the manager decide on the players to buy. All PB will do is say that from a business perspective the club's suggested playing budget is £X, it's then up to TB whether he wants to overule this and put more into the playing budget and then the above combination that go and recruit the players.

Barber is Bloom's right hand man and he sets the agenda. Burke reports to Barber.

Barber has made all the agenda about commercial gain off the pitch when the biggest gain commercially is found from success on the pitch.

We are paying Barber a salary only found at multi national companies and top European teams. A decent CE paid £100k would be able and equally adapt at cutting costs and improving commercial activity.

Focus is all wrong.

Happy to disagree, just how I feel.

 

[chaileyjem]

This is what Paul said via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p027zzzw

"“That was appalling…we had a goalkeeper who was inept, and strikers who didn’t appear.
Players don’t know where they are playing. Defenders are leaving us exposed.
The atmosphere is poor and everyone is bewildered…Someone has to take responsibility.
26,000 fans today, that won’t be sustained over the coming months unless something changes.

You can’t expect every year in the top 6 but you can expect a team who plays above the bottom 3. Players don’t know what they’re supposed to do. They don’t know who to pass to.
There’s no actual passion on the pitch. The board keep going on about being prem league ready. They’re a laughing stock.
You have to spend serious money [as we did with Ulloa] to get a player who is going to score goals. I don’t know if money is the answer.
It cannot continue or the crowds are going to disappear. I don’t know if thats what the board actually intended. “

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

That's as lovely as a basket of kittens *mwah*

Do I fancy a fight with conspiracy theorising that says there is anti-Bloom evil emanating out of Dick Knight, then being spread like a virus by Samrah and now infecting the good offices of our tame national newspaper hack on here. Thinking about it, nah, you carry on

"Tame"?

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I think it's time you and the other DK flag-wavers wake up to the fact that the club has had to change its relationship with the fans since moving to the Amex. We're not on a war-footing anymore. Tony Bloom wants success for the Albion and its fans every bit as much as DK he just has different opinions on how to achieve it and how he wants the club and fans to interact. I'm sorry he's not chummy enough with a certain group of fans for your liking but your default interpretation of the reasons for this and that most things are going to sh*t does come across like sour grapes.

How strange. I commented on Paul Samrah's relative lack of involvement and said that - unlike many on here - I think the football side is going pretty well and you extrapolate all that.

What's Dick Knight got to do with any of this? And I've always found Tony Bloom to be chummy with all Brighton fans. Unlike some people on here.

 

[clapham_gull]

Listened to Paul and struggle to disagree with anything he said and I would imagine at the moment Tony Bloom is questioning a few things as well. He's a fan after all.

I'd be happier seeing someone with a bit more experience at the helm.

But I felt that last season too.

 

[LamieRobertson]

This is what Paul said via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p027zzzw

"“That was appalling…we had a goalkeeper who was inept, and strikers who didn’t appear.
Players don’t know where they are playing. Defenders are leaving us exposed.
The atmosphere is poor and everyone is bewildered…Someone has to take responsibility.
26,000 fans today, that won’t be sustained over the coming months unless something changes.

You can’t expect every year in the top 6 but you can expect a team who plays above the bottom 3. Players don’t know what they’re supposed to do. They don’t know who to pass to.
There’s no actual passion on the pitch. The board keep going on about being prem league ready. They’re a laughing stock.
You have to spend serious money [as we did with Ulloa] to get a player who is going to score goals. I don’t know if money is the answer.
It cannot continue or the crowds are going to disappear. I don’t know if thats what the board actually intended. “

Always good to have the facts....although i'd say anyone at that game is entitled to there view as much as Mr Samrah

 

[Weststander]

That horse has already bolted, we didn't have a really valuable player left at season's start and I will not be vaguely suprised if Dunk or Forster Caskey are sold in the January window.

Dunk's value must be growing by the game. In a weak team of weak men, he stood out yesterday as not only a bloody good central defender, but someone with fight for the cause and absolutely unintimidated by any opponent. God help the club if Dunk was sold.

 

[clippedgull]

Dunk's value must be growing by the game. In a weak team of weak men, he stood out yesterday as not only a bloody good central defender, but someone with fight for the cause and absolutely unintimidated by any opponent. God help the club if Dunk was sold.

I can foresee Gus or even Leicester sniffing around come January. If we are still in need of a striker than can actually strike then I can see us open to offers.

 

[Weststander]

Demonises Barber too much for me, he is just basicallly carrying out orders. The buck stops with Bloom and the board that set the terms of Barber's influence at the club.

All the people who flooded out of the stadium at the 80-minute mark are basically people threatening not to renew their season tickets. The board may be over-estimating the loyalty of those fans who came to the club very easily when the stadium was built and may depart just as easily.

Spot on.
The far in excess of £10m raised from player sales, wasn't held back from buying new players, by Barber, against TB's express wishes. Strategically, hands-on TB and only TB, must have decided NOT to spend all the player sale monies on new players. We need more communication from TB on key issues like that, rather than statements from fall-guy Barber.

 

[Weststander]

I can foresee Gus or even Leicester sniffing around come January. If we are still in need of a striker than can actually strike then I can see us open to offers.

Sunderland need a central defender or two. Looking at their RTG fans forum Brown, O'Shea and Vergini are generally slated.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

In which case how are we fans to believe anything he says?

There is nothing incorrect about PB stating here that losses are "are well in excess of £8m per year". At the time of the article/interview (6 June 2013) the most recent financial results available would have been 2011/12 as the 2012/13 financial year for all three Club entities hadn't ended.

 

[chaileyjem]

If we are still in need of a striker than can actually strike then I can see us open to offers. [for Dunk]

Why would we open to offers ? He signed a new improved contract only at end of July and presumably sees his future at the Albion. We aren't looking to sell players . Bridcutt, Buckley and Ulloa all wanted to leave (at the end of the season) and all wanted to go the Premier League and all didn't want to stay. We weren't looking to sell them. And thats it out of a 25 man squad. Just because we've lost a couple of matches this season doesn't mean all bets are off. SELL EVERYONE. does it.

 

[chaileyjem]

We need more communication from TB on key issues like that, rather than statements from fall-guy Barber.

You mean like this quote from TB at a public forum only a few weeks ago when he sat alongside Paul Barber and said "where all the Ulloa money has gone"
“We’ve just got to make sure we get the best possible deal for the football club. We invest some of [the transfer] money [from Leo, Ulloa and Buckley] but we didn’t spend it all, and some went on the huge costs we have here.
“It helps with financial fair play, but it’s not the main thing. We lose a lot of money each year, approximately £10 million so if we reduce those losses and have a very good squad then that’s even better.”
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jems2/16-things-bhafc-fans-learnt-from-tony-bloom-and-p-f8gc

 

[Lord Bracknell]

You mean like this quote from TB at a public forum only a few weeks ago when he sat alongside Paul Barber and said "where all the Ulloa money has gone"
“We’ve just got to make sure we get the best possible deal for the football club. We invest some of [the transfer] money [from Leo, Ulloa and Buckley] but we didn’t spend it all, and some went on the huge costs we have here.
“It helps with financial fair play, but it’s not the main thing. We lose a lot of money each year, approximately £10 million so if we reduce those losses and have a very good squad then that’s even better.”
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jems2/16-things-bhafc-fans-learnt-from-tony-bloom-and-p-f8gc

Fair play if that's how things are. But, as Paul Samrah said, the situation we are in (a team that is failing to deliver against expectations) demands that someone takes public responsibility. Hoping that everyone will buy an orange shirt or an extra chicken pie isn't enough and it's certainly not convincing the fans. Equally, it's not enough to blame the Manager, especially if the only option that will be considered in that respect is replacing Sami Hyppia with another manager who is prepared to sign up to the current failing agenda.

 

[Guinness Boy]

This is what Paul said via http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p027zzzw

"“That was appalling…we had a goalkeeper who was inept, and strikers who didn’t appear.
Players don’t know where they are playing. Defenders are leaving us exposed.
The atmosphere is poor and everyone is bewildered…Someone has to take responsibility.
26,000 fans today, that won’t be sustained over the coming months unless something changes.

You can’t expect every year in the top 6 but you can expect a team who plays above the bottom 3. Players don’t know what they’re supposed to do. They don’t know who to pass to.
There’s no actual passion on the pitch. The board keep going on about being prem league ready. They’re a laughing stock.
You have to spend serious money [as we did with Ulloa] to get a player who is going to score goals. I don’t know if money is the answer.
It cannot continue or the crowds are going to disappear. I don’t know if thats what the board actually intended. “

Fair play to Paul Samrah. Very much chimes with my own view.

https://brightononlyathome.wordpress.com/2014/10/19/middlesboro-at-home-201415-another-omnishambles/

 

[fosters headband]

There is nothing incorrect about PB stating here that losses are "are well in excess of £8m per year". At the time of the article/interview (6 June 2013) the most recent financial results available would have been 2011/12 as the 2012/13 financial year for all three Club entities hadn't ended.

Thank you for explaining this and I know from reading your posts that finance is something you are an expert on.
So can you make me feel a little more comfortable with the figures he quotes and give me your opinion on how accurate his latest statement is, could his latest figure also be 50% inaccurate and in fact we are losing £18 million a year. Should a company CEO not have a rolling monthly figure always at hand.
As a fan who went through the anguish of losing the Goldstone because of debt and not up on the ways of finance, why should I not be worried, when the CEO states that debts of £8 million are unsustainable and the latest figure he now quotes is a whacking 50% increase?

 

[London Irish]

"Tame"?

Damn autocorrect - obviously I wrote "lion-taming"

 

[Bozza]

You have to spend serious money [as we did with Ulloa] to get a player who is going to score goals. I don’t know if money is the answer.

Paul is clearly a top bloke but I think he's a bit off with this comment. Baldock will cost (if he hasn't already) about what we paid for Ulloa.

Hindsight is great and we were lucky with Ulloa and it clouds trying to make a comparison now, but I reckon Baldock looked less of a gamble than Ulloa did at the time we picked him up.

I'm not suggesting for a second that Baldock will deliver the same success as Ulloa did, but it's far too early to tell. Baldock has only started four games, has had to deal with injury and has been dropped into a team still trying to learn how to play as they have been asked. Ulloa only scored twice in his first six Albion games.