Badger

Whilst I agree with the main thrust of your point - the club is unlikely to face a serious financial crisis and become unable to meet its liabilities. However, the simple fact that we are paying large amounts of interest means that we have either to spend less on wages/ transfers and/or increase revenue from player sales. We would clearly be much better of without the external debt and the director's loans/ preference shares for which interest is charged. A market-based rate of interest could see most of our gate revenue taken up by interest payments and we are likely to be paying more than our rivals. The debt weakens our competitive position and makes promotion less likely over the next few years.

Agree. The squad assembled last year was the most expensive we have ever assembled.

The biggest problem will be with us for years, I fear - we are nearly £100 million in debt, and depending upon how we refinance the shorter term debt, next year's interest payments could be the same as, or exceed, gate receipts!

No. I don't think £100 million would solve it though - to make it truly competitive you would need salary caps the same for all clubs - which won't happen and which I disagree with anyway. My wish (again naive) is for the super league to come along and the "big clubs" to leave English football.

Not really sure that there is a "clear pattern." Burnley, Palace, Southampton survived for years without spending very much + I don't think Brentford have spent that much - they year they stayed up we went down, we spent more. Fulham yo-yod for years despite huge expenditure + even after £700 million are only one bad season away from relegation. I'm not saying £100 million would be unhelpful but I don't think that it would equalise things that much.

I am reluctant to disagree with you Shef, because your knowledge in this area is certainly far greater than mine, so it's probably something I haven't understood but if I've understood you correctly you are suggesting that the aim was a balanced budget but it built in "ambitious" targets for revenue growth including player sales and spent on the assumption that these would be achieved (which the Webber's failed to achieve)? If I am correct, I would still hold the BOD accountable for the debt - you surely don't spend before you've got it - especially when it includes optimistic plans for revenue growth?

I don't think it would solve the problem. Even with money, most premier league quality players don't want to go to promoted clubs. There is a hierarchy of teams that players top players have in the Premier League, promoted clubs are at the bottom. Essentially, promoted clubs get players that nobody else in the premier league wants.

The budget will have been agreed at board level - the SD could not spend money without BOD approval, so he cannot be blamed for th debt. Obviously the players we bought are his responsibility, but buying players of premier league quality is always a struggle for newly-promoted club. IMO, the biggest fault was deciding upon a strategy of "risking the future, with a gamble on the present."

Agree. IMO it's irresponsible to acquire this much debt. With current interest rates, it's quite possible that we will pay more in interest than we receive in gate receipts.

"“Financial strength and the word sustainable are something Argyle fans will have heard me mention multiple times. Our beliefs will never sway from this principle as it is vitally important the club moves forward in a way that is financially viable." https://www.pafc.co.uk/news/argyle-launch-new-five-year-plan Not sure that this would go down well on here!

I certainly would - it happened to my Grandfather, mum and dad, and, in time, it will happen to me. They are a very different category from the group of "fans" that "love" the club so much that they refuse to go and take every opportunity to attack the club and dismiss those that still go as "stupid sheep." There is much to be unhappy about at the moment as there have been in our past and there will be in the future - it goes with the territory of supporting a club "outside the superleague in waiting" group. Some just don't have the stomach for it and have voted with their feet, as is their right, but when they contribute nothing but bile, we are better off without them, because they will be just as petulant the next time things go wrong.

Agree completely. If you stop going you are irrelevant (except as "experts" pontificating on social media).

I can remember in "the late 60s" going with my grandad and everybody throwing their cushions on the pitch! Things have changed in some respects though - the turnover of managers is much quicker. Very few get the chance to build a team and go through a series of rough patches even in their first year - Farke did, but who did before that?

And what do you do?

For clarity then, are you happy to condemn a situation where: "Once it gets to the stage where people at the club are turned on and fear for their own safety at the ground, it tends to be the breaking point"

Keep raging at the moon and practising your keyboard karate - but just don't come to games!

I think that this is perhaps a sign that you have lost all sense of proportion. Implying that this is what is needed is frankly appalling.

Please don't.

Perhaps he will advocate following player's home again?

I'm sorry Ricardo, but I think this means you are one of Yellowrider's "stupid sheep" as indeed am I. But perhaps we both underestimate the power of graffitied bedsheet?

Excuse me if I decline your advice to self-harm!

I presume you mean City fans that go to matches?

I've heard this several times - I thought the reason for the "in stages" takeover + reviewed in 3 years was at MA's insistence not S and J? Anyone reliable know what the situation is?

Apparently we are moving to a modern ownership model where the owners give us tens of million each year!

It's pretty obvious that we're failing on the pitch but this thread is suggesting that it's all down to McLean. He's been picked consistently by all our managers, our best recent manager tried to buy him twice in the summer, the various Scotland managers have him in the squad - but you have seen through him. You're wasting your talents man - if you are better than all these managers you could make millions in a few seasons. Don't waste your time posting here, create a football legend for yourself.