tell our Chairman, I don't share his financial dreams and rewards of Premier League football. Just to build a team that gives us an occasional high would be nice, and the last time someone brought fun to our club, he sacked him. #MadDog See video in linked story. http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2018-08-03/scally-i-want-to-bring-premier-league-football-to-kent/
I saw a headline about that and was thinking about trying to put a coherent post together about how if he can't think of ANY reason (my capitals) why Gills shouldn't be in the PL then perhaps his lights have actually gone out.
AS much as i don't like the premier league i still would not say no, if a bit of money does one day come in I think us being an established Championship team is possible
Money!! I think it's more likely that someone WILL punch Scally's lights out before that happens (( was Tim offering / threatening ?))
Absolutely not. And that's not just a legal defense of my post! My point was that if he can't think of any reason why we can't be a PL club then he's away with the faries
Tim, You know I wasn't really accusing you of any 'dark art.' I also think that you know I am quite cynical when it comes to Mr.Scally and his Gillingham 'gravy train' - but it's good to see that you, brb, grumpygit and me can be a bit more pragmatic about our chances.
It's interesting to note the Chairman's list of examples in that video! He named, quote: Blackpool!!! Clearly he has not seen the Tangerine petition that was originally spammed across this site, and i had to give the poster some friendly guidance while helping their cause. While we are about it, maybe he will also look at some of our L1 opponents this season, Coventry, Portsmouth, Charlton, do i need to go on. Sorry Mr Chairman, your dream is not my dream and never will be. Let's just try and build a decent L1 side because i don't want our club to be the next Leyton Orient.
Well whilst we are here, I remember it was not long ago there was talk of our Chairman connecting with the fans via the modern age of social media, something the Posh Chairman has done successfully in my honest opinion. Anyway, based on the back of that, in March this year unknown to you all, one of our kind members wrote a letter to the club, asking for a small donation towards our prediction league and to help us build additional interest as this is our 10th year (inc BBC606). We had no reply. So the member wrote a very polite and professionally worded letter to the Chairman instead. I wasn't expecting a response and i wasn't disappointed!
It doesn't have to be like that, though. Not If you build properly and slowly with the right foundations in place. Them clubs you mentioned did not spend within their means and were badly managed. Look at Bournemouth and Swansea. They aren't typical top flight clubs, they deserve to be there though and Swansea have even picked up a league cup along the way. You don't have to be against seeing your team successful, you know I can't understand that, but if your concerns are about how Gillingham would go about doing it, then that concern is more than understandable. Surely if you built properly, you would like to see your team consolidate at a higher level?
I could write you a book Saf on my thoughts. Well when i say a book, more an encyclopedia! It would take many hours and more time than i could ever explain on this forum. I always made an oath, the day we get to the Premier League is the day i stop watching the club i love. But that will never happen while our Chairman owns the club, so im safe for at least another decade lol.
I think playing in the Premier league is well within our capability, it's quite a simple thing really if you go about it with the right mindset. Firstly the current premier set up combines with Spain, France, Germany, Italy to become the European Super League, the championship joins with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be the combined UK league, that all leaves league 1 as the new Premier League, "job done" Remember we are really in league 3! only the name has changed.
I mean of all the teams to choose, Blackpool are probably poor examples for your point @brb. The only reason why they suffered the plight they have, is due to the cancerous ownership/regime they have been under. Practically doing anything they can to publicly humiliate fans and leave the clubs name in the gutter. The fact that a club of Blackpool's calibre managed to get there is a massive feat and that's probably why the chairman mentioned it. Scally is in a can't win scenario with those comments. Only say you're happy with League One football then people would moan he's got no ambition and leading us nowhere. Say he wants premier league football for us and he's deluded, away with the fairies etc. Let's just focus on the football and get behind the boys when it counts and just enjoy the ride?
Did you not watch the video mate?...I never chose Blackpool as an example, Scally did! I was merely responding to his suggestion but I have to give this one to you pegleg, that's for sure, your response to Scally's suggestion was way better than mine about Blackpool...'cancerous ownership/regime.' As for publicly humiliating the fans, they did that to themselves everytime they wore the 'Wonga' logo... please log in to view this image
The trouble with building from the foundations saffy is the number of years of austerity the club would have to endure for it to happen that way. Most supporters would be born and die before it would happen in somebodies lifetime. Getting to the Championship is one feat which can take some clubs half a lifetime to achieve anyway but getting all the way to the top league is another story altogether. Maybe once upon a time it wasn't that hard but with all the money now being thrown about it is almost impossible. If you've been successful in the past that often leads to a way bigger fan base than clubs who haven't. Portsmouth and yourselves are the perfect example of that where gates are way way more than at other grounds. We at Plymouth have been a Championship club so even our gates are up on most but nowhere near the others named. It's only through gate receipts that clubs without the history can claw their way up. However, to get there the clubs have to have that success first to generate the interest locally. To get the success the clubs need the revenue which they cannot invent from nowhere without creating the interest in the first place. Catche 22 isn't it or chicken and egg or whatever other cliche you want to use. Sunderland had years of top flight stuff and their gate receipts would keep several clubs going in league one without any other income. Your chances of getting back to at least the Championship this season are 1000 times better than most of the rest. Whether getting back to the premiership is as easy is another matter. It is a fact of life that for some clubs league one is a pinnacle of achievement. Expecting anything more is something only clubs with a much bigger base can expect. Having said that every supporter in the land wants their club to be promoted every season it kicks off. It's mostly the level of disappointment when it isn't achieved that differs.
I have and I noted that Scally mentioned several clubs, not just Blackpool however you brought them up specifically lol. As I said in my previous post, he probably only mentioned them as at the time they did go up, they were a club that had a similar league position to us for a number of years with also similar attendances to us at the time. It's only since those cowboys took over Blackpool that they went right down hill, and for all his flaws, I definitely wouldn't put Mr Scally in the same bracket as the Oystons.
I kinda understand that, Greeny. However, sometimes you just need the right manager to walk in and things to start clicking into place. Burton are a good recent example of that, they've got very little support and no history. They certainly aren't in the same bracket as Plymouth. I've always been under the impression that gate receipts are insignificant compared to sponsorship and merchandise revenue that clubs bring in. I'll also appreciate, humbly, that could possibly just be the case for clubs who are used to playing in the top leagues. Regardless, I'll always maintain that although more difficult, with good management throughout the club and a bit of luck falling your way, it's not impossible for clubs such as yourself (I think you're one of the bigger clubs in this league) to have considerable success for a period. When that comes your way, it's then up to the club to maintain that and grow the club from there.
In league one for the vast majority gate receipts are by far and away the biggest revenue source. Why would anyone want to sponsor a league one club for several millions a season? The Premier league could do without any supporters on the terraces. The TV money is enough to keep it going pretty much. They have people in to maintain an atmosphere in my opinion and if they didn't need that they would just shut the gates and get on with the TV coverage. Foreign markets rule. The sort of revenue for a normal league one or two club is way below that required even for the Championship and the possibilities of increasing that is limited for a lot. Burton were funded from other than gate receipts by an owner willing to foot a bill. Fleetwood have one of those as another example. If you look at fees they pay in relation to crowds then there is no way they could attract the players they do just from that. Basically they cheat a bit by massaging the books. Selling a player once in a while for a million or even two does not sustain a push for promotion. Apart from that it takes a lot of luck or as well as that. If you do make it all the way of course you then become the slut of the TV companies who dictate when you play. No thought for supporters then. Monday kick off at 7pm when most people have to rush home from work and rush out again if they want to go. Away fans have to get a day off. Sunday 12.30pm when public transport is at it's worst. No choice but to play it then which is what gives rise to my supporters don't matter at the top end theory.
