This is exactly what Lex Luger has been saying, that we have untapped commercial potential. 4 lads off to the World Cup could help towards expanding us as a brand, but we clearly have a long way to go on that front.
Bringing in Lex Luger might actually help. I'd buy more club merch if it had pictures of him all over it.
Cheerleaders? Put them in sexy angle costumes and sell jillions of calendars to the lonely young men of hampshire.
Given that it was our first season back, those are solid figures. On commercial income: we're still operating with the (abnormally cheap) deal signed with aap when we were in the lower leagues, which expires after this season. I'd expect that the new shirt sponsor alone will double that. Even with that large chunk of transfer fees allotted in this season, I'd expect that our '13/'14 accounts will come in very close to break-even. The new TV money (and our massive jump in prize money...something like 15m) will offset those.
AUDIO: Gareth Rogers and Hans Hofstetter speak to BBC Radio Solent - https://audioboo.fm/boos/2033417-ex...director-hans-hofstetter-talk-to-bigadamsport
What's with the £20+m transfer debt? If Osvaldo cost us £12m, do we pay that all up front, or is it based on other factors such as number of goals and appearances? If so, considering how few appearances and goals we got from him, did he really cost us £12m? Not to mention that we should be able to sell him on, even if we have to accept a reduced price for him.
I suspect that selling Osvaldo would not reduce the transfer debt. It's probably in structured loans to some bank or other. It's like having a mortgage. Selling your car or getting a raise at work increases income, but it doesn't reduce your mortgage debt. We could use the Osvaldo funds to pay off the loan early, but if the interest rate is favorable then maybe we have better places to invest it. I think we always knew there would be a period of debt accumulation as we built up a Premier League squad. 27 million isn't a big deal, but you can't keep adding to it. I suspect that might have been some of the source of disagreement between NC and KL. KL probably thought it was time to tighten the belt a little bit and perhaps consolidate the structure a bit, whereas NC may have favored continuing to invest big to win big.
This does worry me. If I was a player seeing this statement, it doesn't shout ambition. I can see some players having discussions behind closed doors about whether they should move on. If I was a player like Lallana I'd be thinking if i want to play in Champions League I'm going to have to move on.
Fine, if that's how they feel, then that's up to them. But I'm reassured to hear that key men will stay at the club if Mauricio wants them to stay (which would hint that Mauricio will be here too). If a player wants to leave, you've got to look for the best deal and then let them go. Seems to be the best way in most cases. To me it says we are going to keep building, we are already a top eight side, BUT off-field we need to improve our performance to further empower the club. Lets not run before we can walk, eh. I'm satisfied to hear this and am pleased the new board are being open and honest about it.
I'm sure the players aren't as easily disheartened as some fans are. They are a happy group and not all would get a big move anyway. They will also be in a position to learn more details than us about future plans.
Yep, I'm sure all the players sat down today after training and went through the financial report with a fine tooth comb. I bet Guly was ALL OVER the debtors & creditors section of the balance sheet. He's well known for it. If Lallana wants to play Champions League, he will have to move on, he won't play it with Saints because we won't be at point to be spending £200m+ a season on players wages like the top 4 do (or 6 if you include Man Utd & Spurs).
Another reminder of the graph showing how much the top 6 pay on wages and why they are the top 6. We are punching above our weight even now. We can realistically target 5th to 7th place in the league (if one of the top 6 woefully underachieve) but we simply will not challenge for Champions League. All the "ambition" talk in the world won't change that. please log in to view this image
Some people (not on here) seem to be reacting like kids promised a bike, then crying when they can't have it after their parents lose their jobs. All the whining in the world won't change the facts. Problems have been spotted, plans laid to sort it out and meanwhile we have been told that Katharina is still being supportive and not insisting on sales to repay her. Considering that we were afraid that the club and players would be sold when Nicola left, I'm pretty happy and willing to be patient.
Join the club. I'd sooner be a solid top half club which can be sensible than do a Pompey and have short-term success and then suffer heart-break season after season as the team plummets back down the leagues and nobody is interested.
Keep Mauricio. That appears to be the key to our immediate future. I'd say the indications are positive, and I'm not one of nature's optimists.
True. Tough the likes of Norwich, Aston Villa, Sunderland or Fulham earn twice as much commercial income, so it's clearly an area in which we can improve. Aap3 sponsorship expires this summer, right? Overall, I think we're in a pretty good position financially.
