Tony Bloom is to blame for the mess we are in....

[nwgull]

Spot on and I'd imagine he's made a fair few quid back already.
Yes we have officially been losing money every season but I'd love to know where the Amex naming rights money went, the Amex shirt sponsorship money went, the Amex training ground naming money went, the Nike kit money went, along with the circa £15m in player sales money went......so along with tg vast amount we pay each season on tickets and per game on food/drink, merchandise etc we have a pretty good income. It's not going on the squad and if the stadium eats it all up then we simply can't afford the AMEX and certainly didn't need to spend £20 my on a training ground (£10m would have done with the additional £10m spent on player recruitment)
My guess is quite a large amount of that money has gone directly to bloom to recoup some of his outlay at the expense of the first team squad.
And I don't think he will be handing it back anytime soon

So what you're saying is that despite BHA ltd reporting multi million losses in each of the years that TB has owned it, it has actually been making a profit in some of these years, and that TB is secretly drawing that money to repay his loans?

This means that you're effectively accusing him of tax fraud, which makes your post libellous - as well as clueless and uninformed. Nice one.

 

[Simster]

There is a lot of bollocks in this thread.

We've been doing well and singing TBs praises for the last 3 years. (including most of this season). It looks like though, he's got a dud manager and had a bad summer where he's allowed some deals to go through which he shouldn't. If we're sitting in 22nd come February/March and we've still got SH at the helm with no signs of improvement, THEN people can really start questioning Blooms ability to lead this football club. But up until this point he has been an absolutely wonderful chairman. He is one of us, don't forget that.

I just think he's not got much of a footballing brain. So he relies on advice from his team. As a collective group, the team behind TB has cocked up this season. I'd guess that the overall aim for them was to reduce costs whilst keeping us competitive. That meant having a decent manager who could perhaps grind out a dirty 0-0 every now and then when we needed it. What it didn't need was a manager to take a delicate squad of players and make them go gung ho in every game. Repeatedly.

3-0 at Derby after 25 minutes was the biggest indication for me (and likely Bloom) that Sami is certainly NOT the man to lead this particular group of players.

Best post of the thread, for me. Bloom has made mistakes. I think his biggest mistake has been to surround himself with "yes" men. I'm not convinced Burke is worth what I suspect is a high salary given his recruitment and decision making over the summer, and I'm certainly not convinced Barber is, considering he made £450k last year (admittedly, not his basic) given that we still lost £14m last year and our team has gone a long way backwards. And of course, Hyppia is completely clueless. But there are probably other yes men who have had a very easy ride over this.

I suppose we should blame Bloom, as that is where the buck stops, but all the vilifying on this thread is massively misplaced. There is still time for him to take the decisions that need to be taken to avoid relegation, for a start. And ultimately, where did all this bed wetting come from? Nobody wants relegation back to the noddy leagues, but let's be clear, even relegation to that division wouldn't actually represent "dark" times in the grand scheme of things.

I hope that doesn't sound flippant, because I really DON'T want the club to go down - but the fact is that we do now have the infrastructure in place for that not to be our natural habitat anymore. So before we collectively absolutely slaughter Tony Bloom for the current shambles, let's just try and keep some perspective.

But Tony, if you're reading this ridiculous thread, can you please start by a) sacking Sami Hyppia, as he is not up to it and b) revise this idea of surrounding yourself with people who clearly only ever tell you what they think you want to hear. I really was Team Tony when it came to your handling of Dick Knight, but unless you do what's right and get competent people into these prominent roles rather than yes men, I'm not convinced you're running things any better than he was.

 

[glasfryn]

Best post of the thread, for me. Bloom has made mistakes. I think his biggest mistake has been to surround himself with "yes" men. I'm not convinced Burke is worth what I suspect is a high salary given his recruitment and decision making over the summer, and I'm certainly not convinced Barber is, considering he made £450k last year (admittedly, not his basic) given that we still lost £14m last year and our team has gone a long way backwards. And of course, Hyppia is completely clueless. But there are probably other yes men who have had a very easy ride over this.

I suppose we should blame Bloom, as that is where the buck stops, but all the vilifying on this thread is massively misplaced. There is still time for him to take the decisions that need to be taken to avoid relegation, for a start. And ultimately, where did all this bed wetting come from? Nobody wants relegation back to the noddy leagues, but let's be clear, even relegation to that division wouldn't actually represent "dark" times in the grand scheme of things.

I hope that doesn't sound flippant, because I really DON'T want the club to go down - but the fact is that we do now have the infrastructure in place for that not to be our natural habitat anymore. So before we collectively absolutely slaughter Tony Bloom for the current shambles, let's just try and keep some perspective.

But Tony, if you're reading this ridiculous thread, can you please start by a) sacking Sami Hyppia, as he is not up to it and b) revise this idea of surrounding yourself with people who clearly only ever tell you what they think you want to hear. I really was Team Tony when it came to your handling of Dick Knight, but unless you do what's right and get competent people into these prominent roles rather than yes men, I'm not convinced you're running things any better than he was.

this

 

[Dick Swiveller]

but I'd love to know where the Amex naming rights money went

From the Argus

The move, believed to be the firm’s first sponsorship venture into stadium naming rights, will see the finance company’s logo opposite the player’s tunnel.

Large logos will also be displayed on the stadium’s exterior.

The money from the agreement will be used to assist Albion in the Community’s learning and social inclusion programmes.

Martin Perry, the club’s chief executive, said: “This is a great deal for the club, a great deal for the company and a great deal for the city.”

 

[MattBackHome]

He's taken nothing out.



It went on player wages.



Correct, 'we' can't afford the Amex, however Tony Bloom can.



You are totally incorrect.

I genuinely don't know why you're bothering, EP.

 

[stss30]

Best post of the thread, for me. Bloom has made mistakes. I think his biggest mistake has been to surround himself with "yes" men. I'm not convinced Burke is worth what I suspect is a high salary given his recruitment and decision making over the summer, and I'm certainly not convinced Barber is, considering he made £450k last year (admittedly, not his basic) given that we still lost £14m last year and our team has gone a long way backwards. And of course, Hyppia is completely clueless. But there are probably other yes men who have had a very easy ride over this.

I suppose we should blame Bloom, as that is where the buck stops, but all the vilifying on this thread is massively misplaced. There is still time for him to take the decisions that need to be taken to avoid relegation, for a start. And ultimately, where did all this bed wetting come from? Nobody wants relegation back to the noddy leagues, but let's be clear, even relegation to that division wouldn't actually represent "dark" times in the grand scheme of things.

I hope that doesn't sound flippant, because I really DON'T want the club to go down - but the fact is that we do now have the infrastructure in place for that not to be our natural habitat anymore. So before we collectively absolutely slaughter Tony Bloom for the current shambles, let's just try and keep some perspective.

But Tony, if you're reading this ridiculous thread, can you please start by a) sacking Sami Hyppia, as he is not up to it and b) revise this idea of surrounding yourself with people who clearly only ever tell you what they think you want to hear. I really was Team Tony when it came to your handling of Dick Knight, but unless you do what's right and get competent people into these prominent roles rather than yes men, I'm not convinced you're running things any better than he was.

I agree with a lot of that, apart from I don't think 95% of posters on this thread or fans in general are 'vilifying' Bloom. We were obviously very lucky to find a man like him to fund our stadium and help us try and progress to the next level, but with both Poyet and Garcia previous he has appeared stubborn to ditch the manager. (Garcia offered his resignation months before the playoffs and Poyet was reportedly looking at leaving a couple of times). Just think he needs to make some big decisions sooner rather than later with regard to Hyypia and the recruitment team otherwise we could be in big trouble.

 

[El Presidente]

I agree with a lot of that, apart from I don't think 95% of posters on this thread or fans in general are 'vilifying' Bloom. We were obviously very lucky to find a man like him to fund our stadium and help us try and progress to the next level, but with both Poyet and Garcia previous he has appeared stubborn to ditch the manager. (Garcia offered his resignation months before the playoffs and Poyet was reportedly looking at leaving a couple of times). Just think he needs to make some big decisions sooner rather than later with regard to Hyypia and the recruitment team otherwise we could be in big trouble.

Agree with you, there's very few Sami supporters left. TB now has to either soldier on with the manager he recruited five months ago, and publicly backed (as well as financially) in the last few weeks, or lose face and sack him. It's not an easy decision to make. We've all the benefit of not having to pull the trigger, and selective memories when it comes to decisions we've got wrong in our lives, as they affect relatively few people compared to being the top dog at a football club.

 

[Simster]

Why oh why did the club announce we'd be very pleased with the squad by the time the summer transfer window closed? There's one mistake they won't make again.

 

[stss30]

Agree with you, there's very few Sami supporters left. TB now has to either soldier on with the manager he recruited five months ago, and publicly backed (as well as financially) in the last few weeks, or lose face and sack him. It's not an easy decision to make. We've all the benefit of not having to pull the trigger, and selective memories when it comes to decisions we've got wrong in our lives, as they affect relatively few people compared to being the top dog at a football club.

100% agree, it isn't easy. But football is a ruthless business and when our results have deteriorated so rapidly in comparison to last season I think you have to swallow your pride and make the change.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Best post of the thread, for me. Bloom has made mistakes. I think his biggest mistake has been to surround himself with "yes" men. I'm not convinced Burke is worth what I suspect is a high salary given his recruitment and decision making over the summer, and I'm certainly not convinced Barber is, considering he made £450k last year (admittedly, not his basic) given that we still lost £14m last year and our team has gone a long way backwards. And of course, Hyppia is completely clueless. But there are probably other yes men who have had a very easy ride over this.

I suppose we should blame Bloom, as that is where the buck stops, but all the vilifying on this thread is massively misplaced. There is still time for him to take the decisions that need to be taken to avoid relegation, for a start. And ultimately, where did all this bed wetting come from? Nobody wants relegation back to the noddy leagues, but let's be clear, even relegation to that division wouldn't actually represent "dark" times in the grand scheme of things.

I hope that doesn't sound flippant, because I really DON'T want the club to go down - but the fact is that we do now have the infrastructure in place for that not to be our natural habitat anymore. So before we collectively absolutely slaughter Tony Bloom for the current shambles, let's just try and keep some perspective.

But Tony, if you're reading this ridiculous thread, can you please start by a) sacking Sami Hyppia, as he is not up to it and b) revise this idea of surrounding yourself with people who clearly only ever tell you what they think you want to hear. I really was Team Tony when it came to your handling of Dick Knight, but unless you do what's right and get competent people into these prominent roles rather than yes men, I'm not convinced you're running things any better than he was.

I agree with most of this, but not with the bold bits.

What is a "yes man"? A CEO is a "yes man" by definition as it his job to carry out the wishes of the board. If you mean someone who may question board decisions, then you may have a point but we do not know that really.

The second bit sounds to me like you think his management team are keeping things from him. TB can see, probably on a day to day basis if he wanted to, the state of the accounts. He can certainly see the results on the pitch. It would be very difficult to hide things from him, surely? So on that basis, I would suggest that if the club IS losing 14m a year still, then the board knows about it and sanctions it.

The recruitment side of things certainly seems a mess, but I think most of that is because of the manager. Another manager may come in and see that actually we do have some good players, have made some decent signings and can get them to play better. TB will only know that if and when he appoints a new manager. If a new manager comes in and our squad still appears to be poo, only then will questions be asked of the recruitment side.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

... If TB has recruited a dud this season then it's a risk that all football clubs take, Chelsea have done it (Avram Grant, Scholari), United have done it (Moyes), Spurs have done it (take your pick) and we have done it too, and will do it again during our lifetimes...

... and watching how our football club gets out of a crisis is one of the most exciting things about being a fan. I simply cannot understand the mentality of people who threaten to walk away. And as for those who actually do walk away ... PAH!!

 

[El Presidente]

... and watching how our football club gets out of a crisis is one of the most exciting things about being a fan. I simply cannot understand the mentality of people who threaten to walk away. And as for those who actually do walk away ... PAH!!

I think you will find I HOBBLED away on Saturday after twisting my knee in the morning during a ten mile run.

(Still a bad fan though)

 

[Peter_Taylor]

This is nonsense.

We are not in a mess.
Playing at Gillingham in front of a few hundred supporters that is a mess.
In danger of going out of the league on the last day of the season that is a mess.
Not being able to pay the players at the end of the month that is a mess.

Some of you glory boys forget what it is like to support Brighton. We had great seasons under Gus and Oscar but that is no reason to slag Bloom off now.

 

[brightonmark1234]

if bloom doesnt act now by the time he does it will be too late for anyone to turn it around

 

[Gullys Cats]

I just dont see how some people can turn on Bloom, he has made the club what it is today, Maybe some of you enjoyed getting soaked at the withdean too much.

The only thing Bloom does is let his heart rule his head, He is Brighton through and through.

 

[casbom]

I honestly believe the Millwall game will decide Sami's fate. A loss or a lucky draw and I think he'll be gone.

If he stays then for me that means he'll be here till March at least to help "bed" in the new players we get in Jan. If they don't work out then he really doesn't have a leg to stand on.

TB shouldn't be above constructive criticism of course, however being called names and telling him to go is way out of order! He is our saviour and I for one will always be #TeamTony

 

[Sergei's Celebration]

I get the numbers from the club accounts. Who is sneezing at people spending money on the club. You're figures were very inaccurate, that's all. TB covered the £14.8 million losses last season.

Someone would think you kinda do this type of thing for a living!

 

[GT49er]

I agree with most of this, but not with the bold bits.

What is a "yes man"? A CEO is a "yes man" by definition as it his job to carry out the wishes of the board. If you mean someone who may question board decisions, then you may have a point but we do not know that really.

The second bit sounds to me like you think his management team are keeping things from him. TB can see, probably on a day to day basis if he wanted to, the state of the accounts. He can certainly see the results on the pitch. It would be very difficult to hide things from him, surely? So on that basis, I would suggest that if the club IS losing 14m a year still, then the board knows about it and sanctions it.

The recruitment side of things certainly seems a mess, but I think most of that is because of the manager. Another manager may come in and see that actually we do have some good players, have made some decent signings and can get them to play better. TB will only know that if and when he appoints a new manager. If a new manager comes in and our squad still appears to be poo, only then will questions be asked of the recruitment side.

I agree with most of this, except the bold bits. The recruitment team needs to go along with Hyypia. We won't get a decent manager to come here (let alone stay more than one season) while we've still got this set-up.

 

[Sergei's Celebration]

I agree with most of this, except the bold bits. The recruitment team needs to go along with Hyypia. We won't get a decent manager to come here (let alone stay more than one season) while we've still got this set-up.

So how different is our set up to other clubs? Which clubs do not use a scouting and football analytics team? which club does not use a player recruitment function? Which manager gets his own players after scouting, evaluating, negotiating and signing them?

It is not the set up, its the people.

 

[KZNSeagull]

I agree with most of this, except the bold bits. The recruitment team needs to go along with Hyypia. We won't get a decent manager to come here (let alone stay more than one season) while we've still got this set-up.

I am not so sure. This set-up is hardly unique (albeit continental in nature) and dear old Gus did not appear to have a problem with it. My view is that if manager's are being put off, it is the budget that does so (which is what Gus complained about), rather than the set-up. The personnel within the set-up can change, of course, but I don't think the process itself is the issue.