Putting It Into Perspective (Nov 08)
February 2, 2010 by admin
Filed under AFCB - News Archive 07-09
- 26th Nov 2008
Today we sent out one of our regular AFCB bulletins to supporters registered on the Buzz site.
It once again focused on the activities of new director Adam Murry at the club – in particular it lets fans know of the official launch of the development plans for the stadium and Kings Park which is taking place this Saturday at Dean Court.
Whilst we were putting it together, we were receiving emails and phone calls about the current perspectives of Cherries fans and there was also a great deal of activity on the football forums. Needless to say, the message from supporters was, once again; ‘we are very worried’.
On reflection, the bulletin may have almost seemed ’soft’. It wasn’t addressing the specific issues that fans were relaying to us. In many ways, this was strangely intentional. Within the email, we stated that we regarded the plans for the stadium as ‘ a chink of light in what appears to be a very dark world’. We have expressed our belief and hope that they attract positive attention to the club and attract the sort of big, corporate money that the club has been lacking.
We stand by that – but the truth is that whilst it is a truly grand and worthy scheme, something for the club, fans and the town to be proud of, it also almost feels like the ‘last chance saloon’
We have been left in no doubt that many fans believe that the club is once again in crisis. We have received requests to help put pressure on the owners for absolute transparency about the club’s position. We have also had suggestions of a ‘rescue plan’ based on bringing together the wealthiest of the club’s supporters to create a consortium of around 50 people.
So where are we?
Paul Baker has never claimed to be a billionaire. His resources enabled him to buy out the club from administration and from previous owner Jeff Mostyn. His Chief Executive, Alastair Saverimutto had a business plan and had a great deal of confidence in his own abilities. At the time of coming out of administration, they were confident enough to reject a serious offer for the club – one with proven funds and a capability to move very quickly – and yes, we were able to verify the availability of the funds. That of course was their right – they had worked hard to get to that point, put money in and believed they could do the job.
In a very short time, a lot has changed. The world’s banks went into meltdown, the economy has plunged and of course, even with a replacement manager, the results on the pitch have not been enough so far to shake off the threat of relegation.
Whilst we do not know the answers to the exact liquidity of the club or the resources available to Paul Baker, or if there are any imminent deals for investments in the club, we do know that virtually all businesses have been affected, that funding is harder to come by and that revenues at the club have been dropping. We also know that the new owners had not factored in the demands of the Football League to pay around £500,000 to previous creditors, or the demands by the stadium landlords to pay a reputed 9 months rent in advance in order for a new lease to be signed – and this of course also creates another pressure point, as the FL have given the club until the end of the season to obtain a new lease. Of course it is not clear what the consequences of failing to do so are yet, but as has been the case in the past, the League can make that ruling based on nothing more than their own opinions.
It is these combined circumstances, that worry supporters. If the owners were to announce a massive cash injection that would guarantee the club’s solvency and assist team strengthening, most supporters would have good reason to celebrate. Only Paul Baker knows if that is possible, but the signals from the club when talking about, for instance, the lease have not indicated to supporters that this is likely to happen.
What they have indicated is that if the situation remains principally the same, the club will need to be heavily subsidised this season. Paul Baker has stated that there is a ‘contingency’ fund available for this, but of course, the degree of funding required would appear to be getting greater all the time, hence the consternation of fans.
Points even more vital than they may seem
Last season, in the end the financial situation of the club resulted in demotion – the last gasp, dramatic improvement and decent points accrued tally were effectively undone by what had happened off the pitch. The further docking of 17 points has put renewed relegation pressure on AFCB. This season, there is an even bigger reason to play our way out of the drop zone. The Conference League has the toughest solvency rules in football. they insist that all debts are paid by the end of the season. If that cannot be achieved, a club will not be granted membership the following season. With the known additional burdens imposed by the League, the lease situation, lack of available bank credit and revenue pressures, that would put a very considerable strain on Paul Baker’s pockets. If he or yet another ‘white knight were not able to pay all the debts, it would seem inevitable that the club would drop through the floor, into the nether regions of non-league football – and it wouldn’t even have taken another administration to have caused it. It would seem just about impossible for the club to survive such a fate. With even the possibility of this situation, it needs to be conveyed to the manager and the players that the absolute survival of the club may depend on what they can achieve.
What to do?
Firstly, picking up on the last point, this team under this manager have played some very good football against some pretty decent teams in this division. What appears to need sorting is motivation and determination, and quite possibly some tactical adjustments. Since the likelihood of ‘magiic new player signings’ seems remote, that previous flair needs to be rekindled.
Secondly, if we are to assume that the sort of cash injection that would provide an instant remedy is not available via the resources of the current owners, then we need to be finding ways of attracting large scale funding now. That is the principal reason we have welcomed the possibility of the stadium development.
The answer lies within. Within the current board and within the support base, Our suggestion is that a steering group be created that would genuinely draw on all the available resources. That means, the people that have suggested the ‘wealthy fans’ initiative, the council that appear keen on the development plans, the connections of Adam Murry, including the fitness and motivational experts he introduced (and no, they weren’t able to speak to the team last night, as we covered in our bulletin), the connections to Harry Redknapp, including tactical nous and loans, the supporters groups, the media and of course, the supporters themselves. Oh – and it should also include the Football League, because being proactive and positive when addressing the issue of struggling clubs should be a damn sight higher on their remit than waiting for the nasty brown stuff to hit the fan )pun only half intended).
This doesn’t seem to be an appropriate time for overinflated egos, for politics or for that matter the doom and gloom and name them and shame them brigades. This seems to be a time for unity, for energy, for commitment and for an assembly of a wider resource.
That’s our opinion anyway – as ever, we would value feedback from fans.
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Up the Cherries!
