The Derry City thread - Derry sign first four players

[leo120408]

Kev - I would agree with you totally on this.

I think sensible people like you saw this coming from maybe March time but yet when people like us or I dared to question our finances or logic to signing Kearney or MacManus we were shot down agressively.

I dread to analyse what we are paying in wages to Kearney, Jennings, Morrow, McChyrstal, MacManus & Stewart for very little if any overall benefit to the squad.

Surely we should have given McClean, Nash, Clarke & McCauley a bit more money as an incentive to push on from the reserves.

I also point out - the shambles of our merchandise section, the over-charging for pre-season games and letting Linfield off the hook over the Setanta Cup game this month as more evidence of my own concern at the board.

Good people yes for sure - but do they have the knowledge, expertise and financial business acumen to run a full time professional club - No.

[Steve Bruce]

Kev - I would agree with you totally on this.

I think sensible people like you saw this coming from maybe March time but yet when people like us or I dared to question our finances or logic to signing Kearney or MacManus we were shot down agressively.

I dread to analyse what we are paying in wages to Kearney, Jennings, Morrow, McChyrstal, MacManus & Stewart for very little if any overall benefit to the squad.

Surely we should have given McClean, Nash, Clarke & McCauley a bit more money as an incentive to push on from the reserves.

I also point out - the shambles of our merchandise section, the over-charging for pre-season games and letting Linfield off the hook over the Setanta Cup game this month as more evidence of my own concern at the board.

Good people yes for sure - but do they have the knowledge, expertise and financial business acumen to run a full time professional club - No.

What is this about?

[SMorgan]

I was wondering about that myself!!!

[refjohn]

I was wondering about that myself!!!

The Linfield thing is a red herring - Setanta had provisional fixtures which had Linfield in Derry this month. However some other factors came into play such as Linfield and Glens in Dublin on same day for final games, so some fixtures were switched and as a result Linfield come to Derry in February.

Only issue was Setanta providing a template for fixtures prior to draw. The changes were done within 4 or 6 hours of draw so no way Derry or any team could have built a budget based on the draw.

[refjohn]

I also point out - the shambles of our merchandise section, the over-charging for pre-season games and letting Linfield off the hook over the Setanta Cup game this month as more evidence of my own concern at the board.

Were pre-season games not £5 - hardly over pricing.

[Sam_Heggy]

Now this thread is why I love foot.ie, it re-assures you that your club is not really a laughing stock and that really your board whom you criticise are just "going with the flow".

I mean who wants to exclude themselves from the "in" crowd?

I say we ban all Rovers, Bray and UCD folk from here for their clubs current policy of spending less than they are bringing in, down with that sort of thing, let's embrace our hero's Bohs, Derry, Harps, Cork, Fingal, Sligo and co.

[MariborKev]

RJ,

There two changes, of which one was several days after the draw. However as you say, no way a budget was set on the timing of a draw. Yet another red herring from the board.

[Candystripe]

I also don't think they budgeted for attendances of under 2,000 for the last three league games (Cork,Pat's and Galway) with very few actually paying in due to the amount of season ticket holders we have.

It seems we are only getting ST holders and die-hards at our last three league games.

I accept that mistakes are being made and are continuing to be made by our club at all levels of the club.But we need an answer and even some sort of solution in the short-term.



Times....... they are a-changing and probably for every club in the league.

[dcfcsteve]

I also don't think they budgeted for attendances of under 2,000 for the last three league games (Cork,Pat's and Galway) with very few actually paying in due to the amount of season ticket holders we have.

It seems we are only getting ST holders and die-hards at our last three league games.

I accept that mistakes are being made and are continuing to be made by our club at all levels of the club.But we need an answer and even some sort of solution in the short-term.



Times....... they are a-changing and probably for every club in the league.

The end of the season is just around the corner, with a dry spell of 4 months with no matches to bring in any income. Add to that our annual attempt to pretend Christmas doesn't exist by not having any merchandise available for it, and we'll be even more in the financial mire.

Once the seaosn is out of the way we need an open and honest meeting between the board and fans. The long-promised AGM would do - but personaly I'd prefer an open meeting, not a shareholders only one.

Regardless, I suspect the off season is going to be painful for all associated with the club. Linfield will probably find the team who turns out to play them in February is completely different to the one that would've faced them this month....

[Candystripe]

Steve, remember Derry do sell upwards of 1,000 season tickets around Christmas time each year and with ten or so players contracts up in November the money raised by that would need to be well over the amount needed to keep the club going in the off season.

Also as you said. the Linfield game coming before the start of the season will pull in £50k+ as no-one will realise just how bad we probably will be come next season.

[dong]

Not trying to wind anybody up, far from it.
Why are the crowds gone so bad for ye now? The team have had a few bad results but hardly enough to drive fans away. You get a great travelling support behind you as well.
It's a bit disappointing for such a great football city.

[dcfcsteve]

Steve, remember Derry do sell upwards of 1,000 season tickets around Christmas time each year and with ten or so players contracts up in November the money raised by that would need to be well over the amount needed to keep the club going in the off season.

Also as you said. the Linfield game coming before the start of the season will pull in £50k+ as no-one will realise just how bad we probably will be come next season.

1) We've already pre-sold (and doubtless spent/committed) some of our seasons tickets for next year though. And I'm sure sales will be down for next year versus this anyway.

2) What if we lose the McGinn case ? That could be a 5 figure sum we have to find from somewhere.

3) One of our biggest fundraisers over the last 4 or so years has been the Dream Draw. However - I fear that has run its course, as the novelty has wonr off and the recession is biting against any £100 tickets. So how do we plug the c. £100k that used to bring in if we don't run it, or raise a lot less from it ?

4) I sense that City fans are getting a bit bored of playing Linfield every year. The hardcore will be there, as will a decent travelling support. But I'm not convinced ther floating voter will be too bothered this tme round.

5) What other financial skeletons are in the cupboard that we don't know about ? That's why we need an open and honest meeting.

On the bright side, we do have a friendly against Celtic's U16 Reserve squad to look forward to....

[dcfcsteve]

Not trying to wind anybody up, far from it.
Why are the crowds gone so bad for ye now? The team have had a few bad results but hardly enough to drive fans away. You get a great travelling support behind you as well.
It's a bit disappointing for such a great football city.

We've a hardcore of about 2,000 fans, and the others ebb and flow depending on weather, results, opposition etc.

Some of the football we've been playing recently has been poor, so it's no wonder we're turning off the floaters and those on the fringes of our hardcore support.

[micls]

2) What if we lose the McGinn case ? That could be a 5 figure sum we have to find from somewhere.

Is this even an if?

I could be missing some info but it seems fairly cut and dry. You owe them money, you havn't paid...

[pineapple stu]

2) What if we lose the McGinn case ? That could be a 5 figure sum we have to find from somewhere.

Hardly massive money in the LoI sure.

[dcfcsteve]

Hardly massive money in the LoI sure.

Indeed. But as also said - it all counts. Particularly when you've lost your main sponsor, are out of both domestic cups, and your crowds are falling - which are all new developments from when I opined on the money we owed UCD.

How come you haven't answered my questions on the other thread about your opposition to Platinum One etc ?

[dcfcsteve]

Is this even an if?

I could be missing some info but it seems fairly cut and dry. You owe them money, you havn't paid...

I'd hope that we wouldn't be going to the expense of solicitor's costs and court fees if we knew we'd have to hand it over at the end of it all. Particularly as our solicitor is considered to be quite hot (though not in a Hansel from Zoolander stylee).

But then again - in the absence of open and honest info from the Board we just don't know.

[OneRedArmy]

Not trying to wind anybody up, far from it.
Why are the crowds gone so bad for ye now? The team have had a few bad results but hardly enough to drive fans away. You get a great travelling support behind you as well.
It's a bit disappointing for such a great football city.

Our crowds aren't actually that far down on average, at least compared with the last couple of seasons. Another red herring really.

The problem is that we've finally run out of ways to front load season ticket and other revenue, donor fatigue has set in with fans being asked to support countless draws in tough economic times and we can't pull a McGinn, McCourt, Sammon-type transfer out of the hat to keep us going for another few months.

When you run a business on a shoestring in a seat-of-the-pants manner, its inevitable that you'll hit a wall at some stage.

[Candystripe]

Our crowds aren't actually that far down on average, at least compared with the last couple of seasons. Another red herring really.

TBF ORA (Kev) our crowds are seriously down to the levels that we had with Fenlon and Robo if not worse.

I know you've missed the last few home games but it is seriously and noticeably down.

[MMVIII]

I say we ban all Rovers, Bray and UCD folk from here for their clubs current policy of spending less than they are bringing in, down with that sort of thing, let's embrace our hero's Bohs, Derry, Harps, Cork, Fingal, Sligo and co.

That was last season, we've copped on, and we have lived well withing our means since last summer.