Please tell the club how to make up the 8 million shortfall?

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

That kind of logic is the same as saying don't sell Harley, he MIGHT turn into the next Ronaldo and be worth £85 million but if we dump his ass we'll never get that money

The actual cost to BHA of Harley's move to Swindon might be interesting reading. Assuming we paid up his contract to facilitate the move and if you added this to his asset write-off value, then IMO you'll be into £250K+.

 

[goldstone]

Don't send out a useless fixture list AND a usless ST Card wallet to 22,000 Customers that don't need them!

Agree with that ... and dispense with the envelopes for tickets being collected at the ground.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

How come 30,000+ people could get themselves to the goldstone but need subsidised special buses to get to falmer?

some people have to be wet nursed through life these days, if it's not on a plate they're not interested.............
regards
DR

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Unearth a gem, get a few good seasons out of them, sell them.

Sadly, that is the way of the world for clubs in our position.

 

[goldstone]

Improve customer service.

A serious question, my Lord ... as someone who has gone way beyond the call of duty to help the club get from Withdean to where it is today, do you feel less of a connection with Brighton and Hove Albion now than you did when we were grappling for survival?

If so, is that a bad thing? I would guess, yes. And if "yes" what does the club need to do to rebuild its relationship with people like you?

Surely it is vital as the club moves forward that it retains its close links with those who played a major part in getting us to Falmer.

 

[Return of the Rev]

some people have to be wet nursed through life these days, if it's not on a plate they're not interested.............
Regards
dr

nail on head

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Unearth a gem, get a few good seasons out of them, sell them.

Sadly, that is the way of the world for clubs in our position.

Liam Bridcutt matches the description perfectly , Is Solly March the next gem ?

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Liam Bridcutt matches the description perfectly , Is Solly March the next gem ?

Possibly.

Sad fact of where we are as a club is that, much like Palace did with Zaha, we have to cash in on players occasionally.

Do I want to see a Brighton team without Bridcutt in it? Of course not. If someone offered upwards of £5million for him would I take it? Yes.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

nail on head

it's so obvious , glad we were out and about in the proper days
regards
DR

 

[saafend_seagull]

The same losses will continue until we are in premier league.

Club should sell bridcutt for £6/7m IMO.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Unearth a gem, get a few good seasons out of them, sell them.

Sadly, that is the way of the world for clubs in our position.

Indeed and the principal reason behind the Academy. Create gems and sell them on or keep them to save on transfer fees.

 

[Brovion]

That kind of logic is the same as saying don't sell Harley, he MIGHT turn into the next Ronaldo and be worth £85 million but if we dump his ass we'll never get that money

Well precisely. You simply don't know.

 

[Seagull73]

The club is in a transitional phase at the moment, and clearly it is needing to cut it's cloth to meet new rules.

However, there is a real danger that the club will start to get complacent about the current level of support it enjoys. 23,000 season ticket holders maybe, but if things go wrong this season, and however implausible it may seem now, it CAN happen (Wolverhampton Wanderers anybody?), the level of support will fall away. To what, who knows, but it cannot take the current level of support for granted.

So yes, retention of customers and improving the customer experience is an absolute must, and it is a million miles from getting there right now. Both the club and AITC need to learn big lessons about how it treats its customers and partners, as well as the milking of supporters for every little thing we do (booking fees etc). Somebody quoted as saying that some people need wet nursing; if you are going to pay premium prices as we do, you expect premium service. One without the other cannot go forever, regardless of how loyal fans may be.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

some people have to be wet nursed through life these days, if it's not on a plate they're not interested.............
regards
DR

I agree. Regrettably wasnt it all part of the "planning permission"?

 

[Pavilionaire]

Too many stewards, too much spent on transport.

I'd be interested to know what the club budgeted for in 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2013/14 because in terms of income what they've made must have exceeded their wildest dreams.

 

[Giraffe]

Stewards outside the ground on matchday. There are dozens too many. When you drive in (I park in Bennetts Field, you are greeted by about 20 before you reach your parking space. Why? A sign or two, some cones would easily tell you where to go. You only need one steward to check you have the right pass! In fact I parked in the car park at Leeds, adjacent to the stadium and there were three stewards in the whole car park. It's not difficult is it.

 

[timco]

Don't send out a useless fixture list AND a usless ST Card wallet to 22,000 Customers that don't need them!

This and some other things like those pointless flapper things in the play off second leg.

 

[Return of the Rev]

The club is in a transitional phase at the moment, and clearly it is needing to cut it's cloth to meet new rules.

However, there is a real danger that the club will start to get complacent about the current level of support it enjoys. 23,000 season ticket holders maybe, but if things go wrong this season, and however implausible it may seem now, it CAN happen (Wolverhampton Wanderers anybody?), the level of support will fall away. To what, who knows, but it cannot take the current level of support for granted.

So yes, retention of customers and improving the customer experience is an absolute must, and it is a million miles from getting there right now. Both the club and AITC need to learn big lessons about how it treats its customers and partners, as well as the milking of supporters for every little thing we do (booking fees etc). Somebody quoted as saying that some people need wet nursing; if you are going to pay premium prices as we do, you expect premium service. One without the other cannot go forever, regardless of how loyal fans may be.

Nothing to do with new rules bloom was never going to pay for a 9 million pound season ticket!

 

[fat old seagull]

This. I'm sure it's wrong of me, but it would make me laugh if Barber sent out one of his "don't panic, everything is ok chaps" emails that said "The good news is that we've reinstated the park and ride, we've brought back the nice pie boxes, we've made the 1901 food reasonable again and we'll no longer charge a booking fee on match tickets. The bad news is we've sold Liam Bridcutt, and none of the money will be reinvested into the playing side".

I wonder how people would react?

Palarse people would rejoice !

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

Nothing to do with new rules bloom was never going to pay for a 9 million pound season ticket!

When TB became majority shareholder and chairman he was widely quoted in the press, including an interview by Nick Szczepanik, that the club would need to be self-financing when it moved to the new stadium at Falmer.