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Messages - TonyM
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61
« on: December 29, 2023, 10:46:13 AM »
Have we really any clarity on what is needed to ‘limp’ through to the end of the season ? SC said we needed £300k. So will that figure include gate receipts, Match day sponsorship etc, plus whatever monies he himself is prepared to feed into the Club ? Surely the £300 can be reduced by a decent bargain by trying to offload whatever players are the big earners and others than may attract a purchase. Some serious good housekeeping could also bring the £300k figure down ( overnight stays, etc)...
At the risk of upsetting Nigel, I think the £300k was a shortfall ie after expected gate receipts, sponsorships, SC contribution etc although again, no one really knows. We only have 9 home games left and unlikely too many of those will bring in big gate receipts (maybe Tamworth if they are still going well?) and my guess is only maybe Scarborough (Easter) and Peterborough Sports have a match day sponsor already lined up. Of the 12 away matches in 2024, three are over 4 hours (per Google) with two or three more over 3.5 hours so maybe these won't be overnight stops but really it is all tinkering round the edges. If the deficit is to be found internally then fans need to accept some big departures (where buyers can be found) and that their replacements will probably be young signings / loanees to get us to the end of the season. Given that there were still calls for SC to strengthen the squad quite recently I am not sure all at the Walks will buy into that, the question is whether that would include AL?
62
« on: December 29, 2023, 08:33:43 AM »
With all the speculation going on about KLFC does anyone REALLY know apart from SC what is happening. Seems a lot of surmising rather than facts. A few people seem have inside knowledge of whats going on, REALLY do you know. All i'm really interested in is, Lynn winning football matches, thats why i'm a supporter not a speculator of doom and gloom. Wallow in KLFC demise if that is to be the case, if not get behind the team. If you want depression watch Eastenders......but get out of my club.
To be fair Nigel, you are right that none of us know the real situation but SC has gone on record saying he is short of £300k to finish the season, which I think you might concede isn't a great position. I don't see most of the posts as 'doom & gloom', many are just dealing with the facts as we have them - a club that has one man running things 'his way' and reliant on him bankrolling / financially doping the operation. If pointing out that this is only ever likely to end one way, whether that be this season or at some later point in the future is deemed negative then so be it, I appreciate some fans only care about the 90 minutes on a Saturday (and I will be there like you getting behind the team as will many others) but I don't think it helps criticising those who look at the wider picture, perhaps if a few more had raised concerns earlier we wouldn't be on the brink of losing the club My thoughts exactly Nigel talk about kicking a man when he’s down,what gets me not one has come up with an idea to help the club in its dire need
Malcolm, essentially the only real solution at this point is a sale. Unfortunately SC has set budget (poorly it would appear) and is responsible for the off-field infrastructure as well as the player contracts so too many things are already 'fixed' for the current season so either there is a White Knight on the horizon who wants to bail us out or maybe we could have a fire sale and off load Crowther, Barrett, Hargreaves etc and then limp through to the end of the season and look to reset at what would, in all likelihood be a lower level although whether the proceeds of those sales along with corresponding reductions in wages would be enough is anyone's guess.
63
« on: December 24, 2023, 09:41:55 AM »
Great result, have to hold my hand up and say I wouldn't have gone with the same lineup as last weekend (allowing for Hargreaves suspension) but paid off for AL. Boston got a win in yesterday too so lets hope for a big crowd and great atmosphere for Boxing Day.
64
« on: December 22, 2023, 05:42:57 PM »
Interesting to see AL's selection tomorrow having mainly gone with a back four in recent games. The 4-1 defeat was one of the times MH played a back 4 with Oke at right back and basically Southport had the game won by half time then just went through the motions second half. Hopefully we are a bit stronger tomorrow with Crowther and the new lad from Peterborough but still think the main cause of last weekend's clean sheet was Warrington's attack being poor rather than our defence playing well but maybe something to build on. Would like to see Hughes being given a start, AL was bemoaning the lack of quality in the team last weekend and Hughes could be the spark that was so evidently missing.
65
« on: December 22, 2023, 05:30:56 PM »
Looks a good deal all round, given how poor Clifford has been and AL sending Isaacson out on loan we haven't had a viable option at left back in the squad. Hopefully the lad does well and Peterborough are happy enough to maybe extend for the rest of the season.
66
« on: December 18, 2023, 08:44:00 AM »
I didn’t intend to set this thread up as let’s all throw the solids at SC and his tenure but more looking to the future.
Tony, IF ( a big IF) there was a massive rallying call and the fans managed to help SC limp through to the end of the season what tells us that we wouldn’t be sitting in exactly the same situation this time next year ? You didn’t need a crystal ball to see this coming.
I would imagine any 'rallying call' as you put it would probably be raising funds to tide over the club if a potential new owner was on the horizon, I agree with you any money raised plugging a gap this year which kept everything the status quo would be throwing good money after bad.
67
« on: December 18, 2023, 08:40:11 AM »
Totally mismanaged from start to finish...I don't think there ever was any "money".The debt has just been growing and growing undetected..Now the club is absolutely riddled with debt with no more escape tunnels
Not sure that is really the situation. It's true there never was the money coming into the club from matchdays/sponsorship etc to cover what was going out but that was covered by SC lending the money to the club. Without up to date accounts it's difficult to be sure but essentially the club only has two main debts on the balance sheet - SC (or his group companies) and the Sport England loan (£430k?) plus the normal trading debts to HMRC, suppliers etc which are hopefully being paid off monthly.
68
« on: December 17, 2023, 03:07:10 PM »
Surely Clubs are Community based or they are not? 
Nothing in between is there?
If that's the case, the next Phoenix Club has the choice of something along the lines of what we have now (if anyone is even interested), or something they can really get behind and have a real involvement in. A Club that's truly at the heart of the community.
Funding a competitive side?
Play at the highest level the club can afford to play at by the income it generates from gates and commercial activity. That way the supporters are getting exactly what they are prepared to contribute to the Club (financially and otherwise). Nothing more, nothing less.
The Club should then find its own level.
I am not sure it's quite as simple as that in reality.
Historically fans in Lynn turn up to watch a winning, successful side.
Let's say that Lynn's natural level for the first few years is Thurlow Nunn Premier or one tier above. Lynn's side wins promotion, but it is declined as it's a step too far and the club can't afford it. Same happens next season. Is everyone happy to still come along and support, even though there is no likelihood of progression ? It requires a big change in psyche for some folk.
If SC 's tenure does come to an end in 2024 and no one else takes the club on, then I would prefer to see a Community based club emerge........just seems to me that it will have lots of things that need to be ironed out, so that members of the public know what they are signing up to in terms of expectations, club progression, limitations etc. Otherwise I can see lots of disharmony, creation of different factions etc.
I can't ever remember a time when there hasn't been huge dissatisfaction from some people, with whoever is running the club. Even with a Community based club, there will have to be a focal point/leader/spokesperson to deliver the votes on issues and offer explanations to the public and he or she will need broad shoulders.
Fair points and I don't think anyone who is involved at clubs that have some sort of supporter ownership would suggest it is easy. I appreciate some people like the buck stopping with a sole individual and everything is black and white but the truth is that well run organisations (be they business, governments or football clubs) tend to be those that have 'good people' in a number of areas each doing their bit for a greater common goal. All I would really say to counter your disharmony, factions point is that an club with supporter representation is likely to have better lines of communication with fans than one that doesn't. Obviously there are examples of good and bad across all ownership models but I think that would be a widely supported view, so whilst it wouldn't stop factions forming the hope would be that clear information would minimise any expectation gaps.
69
« on: December 17, 2023, 02:56:18 PM »
...I think people need to think very carefully about what they wish for. Tony, building on the point you raise, I don't believe at this juncture ie if the club folded tomorrow, that there is enough support in the Community, to make a Community run Club at even step 4 work. Many people like to hark back to times gone by on here, but many of us are close to or at retirement age and it needs a lot of young blood and young money to make things work...I am not sure where that will come from. King's Lynn is not a football town, like a Darlington for example....or even a Scarborough for that matter, when you compare attendances.
Pink, I would agree with you that currently there isn't the appetite within the fan base to make a 100% owned supporter run club viable at any sort of level but equally the sole benefactor model hasn't gone well since reformation (stagnated under Buster as he realised he couldn't make money at step 3 then the boom/bust gamble model adopted by SC). I would also agree that King's Lynn isn't a traditional football town but still think there is a wide enough catchment area to be viable at step 3 (maybe step 2 in time) with a mixed ownership model. Age of fanbase might be seen as a hinderance but equally there are plenty of untapped skills within those at or close to retirement age that could be utilised. Fourteen years ago, it seemed time to get shot of the old ground. I-know there were plans in some quarters for the possibility of something at Saddlebow. Now that the Council is considering a 4g facility, maybe finally a Community Stadium can be built with grass pitches and 4g facility alongside, for use by both the general public and the club on match and training days.
Would love to see a new facility within the town which had the club at it's heart but the Council always seems to have had 'problem tenants' at the Walks and I am not sure spending lots of taxpayer cash (can't expect it all to come from national grants) on what is of interest to a minority of voters is what they would be looking to do in the near future.
70
« on: December 17, 2023, 10:58:10 AM »
For me, the saddest thing surrounding the past week is the lack of supporters 'rallying round' or there being any visible evidence of fans wanting to try and help turn things around. Before I get the obvious comments, I am fully aware of SC's track record and I would prefer the thread didn't degenerate into a catalogue of his mistakes and missed opportunities (I could probably contribute a fair number) but now is not the time or place.
Whilst we are not as big as Darlington or Chester we do have a loyal supporter base and a much wider group of people who are interested / look out for the results even if they are not regulars at the Walks, whatever comes out of this current turmoil, I really do hope they are put at the heart of it.
71
« on: December 16, 2023, 11:27:40 AM »
Seems a very strange move, I thought he did OK when Crowther was out injured and given Coulson looks less and less fit we do need some cover at centre half. Would rather have seen plenty of others being moved on before Oke but I guess there are very few clubs that want a full time player who isn't performing in the NLN
72
« on: December 16, 2023, 11:24:02 AM »
Todays EDP article by SC is well worth a read https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/23991391.linnets-owner-stephen-cleeve-lays-bare-financial-reality/I guess by now most have already made up their minds about SC, the man, and how his tenure at the club should be viewed but, as ever, he does make some interesting points and the question "if you set out to run a club prudently how do you fund the playing budget whilst fielding a competitive team?" is at the heart of all that is wrong with football across the pyramid. Personally I think an independent regulator for football will help (something SC hasn't supported up to now) but equally there needs to be an acceptance by both fans and players that the current model is broken. The real question is how it gets fixed and will that be in a controlled and measured way (unlikely) or continue with lots of individual clubs going to the wall while fans of other clubs bury their head in the sand or complain about their club not betting the house on the next no 9. Obviously all of that is 'big picture' stuff and Lynn fans face an uneasy few weeks (and maybe months) with SC's admission that he is "not able to fund all of this season’s further deficit". I personally can't see there being a Southend style situation where fans pay wages whilst also campaigning for a change in ownership (for those that don't like SC imagine what it must be like having Martin as an owner?) as we are smaller and fans groups are considerably less organised. Probably the most likely and easiest option would be to sell the few assets we have that could raise some cash (Crowther, Hargreaves, Barrett and Cybulski?) and again fans have to be realistic and realise the situation we are in, I never want to repeat the feeling I had standing on the terraces at the Walks watching Retford knowing the old club was about to be wound up in the High Court days later. Whilst I have had my disagreements with SC over the years, I genuinely hope that somehow he can find a way to dig the club out of the situation it is currently in.
73
« on: December 13, 2023, 02:32:15 PM »
What a poor result, I'm afraid the buck stops with AL as his team selection was far from satisfactory.
We had our top goal scorer Cybulski (6) who is also our only natural no.9 sitting on the bench, on his introduction the team performance improved.
Barrett starting whilst coming back from injury doesn't make sense as he needs to be used as an impact player off the bench until full fitness is reached.
Smith I'm afraid is just not good enough for this standard.
Ponticelli & Stephens have scored 7 goals in 27 league starts and 6 sub appearances, whilst their positioning to make chances is very good their conversion of chances into goals is dire.
Back 3 of Crowther, Coulson & Mcfadden have not kept a clean sheet all season, surely AL must see something has to change.
Apart from 2 young loanees from Fleetwood there have been no incoming players, with all AL contacts you would think there would have been some experienced players incoming or is it that there is no finance to fund such players.
Without a team shake up or a couple of experienced incoming players appearing quickly we will be cut adrift in the bottom four over the next few games.
Whilst I agree with your initial sentence, I think it is perhaps worse that your analysis. The squad that was put together pre-season was designed to play 5-2-3 but it was pretty clear early on that the there were too many incapable of making that work and MH was too late in changing things round, although injuries didn't help his options. AL came in and continued with 5-2-3 and, with the return of Hargreaves and Crowther we did look slightly more resilient although still too many 'filling in' for us to ever look like it really worked. AL has now tried a few times with a back 4 that includes Coulson (who can't be relied up due to lack of pace) and McFadden (who is just totally ineffective as a left back as he has no thought of going forward but is too wide to properly cover Josh) in an attempt to play his preferred 4-4-2, although last night it was more like 4-2-4 give how little Smith and Barrett helped out Hargreaves and Rogers and AL had to revert to the 5-2-3 after half time but which just repeats the biggest problems we have had all season- * neither Ronan or Clifford are really up to standard * a two man midfield gets easily overrun by any sort of team that can pass the ball quickly and accurately - see Banbury and many, many others this season, it's not the players themselves we are just asking too much of them * a two man midfield is unlikely to commit to forward runs based on point above which then means we look incredible static with forwards pushed up against opposing back lines and no-one moving and creating space. Rogers looks like he has a good left foot but with so little movement last night its just a waste * given all of the above we don't create many chances and no-one apart perhaps Cybulski has a great conversion ratio means not enough goals Personally I think we need some big changes the weekend and AL has to earn his money by finding another plan to get more out of this squad (which I assume still includes Walker unless he is now injured and we haven't been told), it's all well and good repeating how disappointed he is with the fight etc but he has to start showing that in his selections. Finally Norm, your comment re Barrett did make me smile - "an impact player off the bench until full fitness is reached", given that the last time he looked fit and interested was Stevenage last year, I wouldn't hold your breath.
74
« on: December 13, 2023, 02:01:36 PM »
The Dillathon computer calculated 5 years ago that the words of managers are in the main worthless. They all say the same things and use the same cliches. It’s about having quick and elusive players in every position. This manager, like all others, needs players who are better than opponents, but doesn’t have the cash to attract them. Until he does, we can’t and won’t progress. Such a simple formula, with cash the only answer.
Supporter cliches - "we need more cash to strengthen the team". Whilst that may be true, you also have to consider whether the home defeats to Buxton, Banbury, Southport and Spennymoor saw us beaten by sides with higher budgets than ours, likewise Scunthorpe are widely thought to be the biggest spenders in NLN this season yet we beat them, although that does seem to have been more of a blip than a turning of the corner. Without any real knowledge, I would suggest that even with budget cuts from last season we are still around the average but neither manager has yet been able to get us to the dizzy heights of average on the pitch so it's not all down to £s
75
« on: December 01, 2023, 02:02:29 PM »
So pitch inspection at 8am in the morning per Twitter (X) although nothing on the club website. Can't see it going ahead based on what it is likely to look like having just watched the forecast.
Potentially another week for the injuries to clear up and AL having a stronger squad on paper to select from. Still not convinced we have the squad to play how he wants or that AL's formations have necessarily got the best out of the players we have had available (two sides of the same coin?) but we now have the opportunity with only three games before Christmas to really do some work on the training pitch to help us get out of the relegation zone and hopefully to a position of safety in the new year.
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