Who should control the Players' Fund?
Posted: 30 Apr 2017, 14:31
Well, now the season's over and we await the retained list and a review by management, staff and owners, plus the budget and plans for next season and indeed the long-awaited five-year plan, not to mention the conclusion of the Plainmoor freehold saga and plans for the new stadium, for which a fifty year plan might be more appropriate.
And, of course, we await action by G.I. and Clarke Osborne to assuage the suspicions of supporters as to his trustworthiness and his true intentions. He must surely know by now that supporters are aware of his (and G.I.'s) track record in sport and of the experiences of clubs with 'dodgy' new owners who also happen to be property developers.
To his credit, he obviously knows that simply throwing money at a problem will not necessarily solve it. On the other hand, to starve a project of its essential funding will starve it to death before it gets off the ground. A period of steady growth and progression up through the leagues is called for, concomitant with increasing revenue streams from other sources.
This should suit Osborne/G.I. as I get the impression that their available funds are not as great as the world seems to think. A new stadium for the Gulls will probably take as long to come to fruition as all their other stadia! The focus must therefore be, first and foremost, on achieving a promotion or two, along with increasing revenue streams, which will bring increased attendances and a sustainable financial footing. A new stadium should then follow more easily.
Which brings me to the Players' Fund. We know from Steve Breed that it had a separate bank account and should therefore be ring-fenced. We don't know what funds, if any, remain in the account. We can assume that it is Clarke Osborne, rather than Kevin Nicholson, who controls the Fund. And here's the problem. Is Osborne the right person to be controlling this Fund, given that he has yet to prove his trustworthiness and his true intentions? In the current situation, can anyone believe that the bigger the amount in the Players' Fund pot, the more he will be tempted to cut back on his own investment in the squad and in the club?
It's not difficult to envisage a situation where the more money is donated by supporters, the less will be invested by Osborne/G.I.. This is not quite what was intended when the Fund was set up. We need much greater clarity and communication. And we need the club's new owner to prove his worthiness and integrity.
Any thoughts?
And, of course, we await action by G.I. and Clarke Osborne to assuage the suspicions of supporters as to his trustworthiness and his true intentions. He must surely know by now that supporters are aware of his (and G.I.'s) track record in sport and of the experiences of clubs with 'dodgy' new owners who also happen to be property developers.
To his credit, he obviously knows that simply throwing money at a problem will not necessarily solve it. On the other hand, to starve a project of its essential funding will starve it to death before it gets off the ground. A period of steady growth and progression up through the leagues is called for, concomitant with increasing revenue streams from other sources.
This should suit Osborne/G.I. as I get the impression that their available funds are not as great as the world seems to think. A new stadium for the Gulls will probably take as long to come to fruition as all their other stadia! The focus must therefore be, first and foremost, on achieving a promotion or two, along with increasing revenue streams, which will bring increased attendances and a sustainable financial footing. A new stadium should then follow more easily.
Which brings me to the Players' Fund. We know from Steve Breed that it had a separate bank account and should therefore be ring-fenced. We don't know what funds, if any, remain in the account. We can assume that it is Clarke Osborne, rather than Kevin Nicholson, who controls the Fund. And here's the problem. Is Osborne the right person to be controlling this Fund, given that he has yet to prove his trustworthiness and his true intentions? In the current situation, can anyone believe that the bigger the amount in the Players' Fund pot, the more he will be tempted to cut back on his own investment in the squad and in the club?
It's not difficult to envisage a situation where the more money is donated by supporters, the less will be invested by Osborne/G.I.. This is not quite what was intended when the Fund was set up. We need much greater clarity and communication. And we need the club's new owner to prove his worthiness and integrity.
Any thoughts?