Ricardo's report The AGM 2015

[Gunthorpe 0]

Just a couple of points for people to consider

 

Our wages will be high as we have expensive signings who NA does not want & we cant shift

Lafferty, Voo & Wolf

 

The reason why Phillips & Fry are on  the Board is solely to ensure that Delia & hubby are never outvoted

Fry gives his Proxy Vote to Delia (never attends any meetings) and Phillips is of course CEO of Delia Ltd (he knows as much about football as we all do)

The inclusion of these 2 on the Board means that Delia retains iron control - they add no value to running the club

The Stowmarket 2 rearly need to move on if we are to go to the next level but, sadly an AGM which talks about sausage rolls highlights what is wrong with our club

[PurpleCanary 5,557]

[quote user="TIL 1010"][quote user="TIL 1010"][quote user="PurpleCanary"]I know you hadn''t slagged off Fry. That was aimed at other posters. [/quote]I think i have been the only poster to mention Stephen Fry and find your expression ''slagged off'' a tad over the top Purple.I made observations regarding his worth to our Board if he is a non attendee more often than not at AGM''s ,Board meetings or matches for that matter unless of course you tell me i am wrong .He certainly has not parted with some of his considerable wealth unless some other high profile shareholders which may just negate my concerns.[/quote]unlike not unless.[/quote]Tilly, you might have been the only one, but you weren''t. That said, I take note that your admirably delicate sensibility (perhaps a life happily sheltered in quiet seclusion from some of human nature worst excesses?) finds "slagged off" a touch harsh. I will try to use less forceful language in future.

[nutty nigel 7,528]

The big deal about Colney is to enable us to sign better players. We are financially disadvantaged compared to the top clubs not only through the means of our owners but also from gate receipts. But McNally pointed out that we aim to provide players with the very best facilities we can. I got the impression they felt this very important for player recruitment. Interestingly the board don''t feel we are disadvantaged by geography but McNally joked that they tell players London is only 20 mins away.

Alex Neil said that the rapid rise of the club in the last few years mewant some areas behind the scenes were still catching up. Scouting and player recruitment as well as Colney such areas. McNally said he couldn''t say the countries that we are now ttargeting but it should become obvious when players are signed.

82m is to be spent on football this year. There is no more and in fact they expect to overspend. It still wasn''t believed or maybe digested throughout the room because one of the last questions was about the board being stingy and withholding money. When i was out later last evening someone asked me what the board had done with the 120m they got for winning the play off final.......

Alex Neil was the best I''ve seen at an agm. For one so young he talked with refreshing honesty and authority. I hope he''s our manager for many years to come.

I''ve noticed that Bowkett always has an issue he''s ''passionate'' about. For a couple of years this was Lambert. But this year it was QPR. it''s obvious that many Football League chairmen want to see them get their ''cumuppance''.

Oh and Foulger did speak Tilly. He said ''thank you'' when he was voted back in to office.

[It's Character Forming 1,160]

[quote user="birchfest"]I''m also enthused by Neil''s alteration to our tactics... And no, not because I want to see a return to our previous top flight tactics, but more it''s yet another example of how we have a fantastic up and coming manager who is still learning and growing into this league. I''d be more concerned if had done a Blackpool of a few years ago, stuck to the reputation we had and thrown players forward regardless of opponent, to then end the season in a wonderfully entertaining relegation! I think this is something Eddie Howe is going to have to get to grips with very quickly or they could find themselves in deep trouble![/quote]

 

I agree with this 100%.  Our problem under Hughton - well, one of our problems - was a lack of a plan B.  AN is showing he''s a quick learner.  This was also true last year but people now look back on last season after he arrived as leading us to success at Wembley, but there were quite a few stumbles en route.  The key was that he learned from the set backs and overcame the problems.  It''s naïve to think that we can control every game and go all-out at this level.  Against the big teams, you need a more conservative approach and that''s exactly what we''ve done recently - if you look at our last four games, we''ve beaten Swansea in a game when they never seriously threatened, lost by a single goal to ManC and Chelsea, and drew (after 120 minutes) at Everton, when they were playing more first team players than we did.  Which is not bad.  Clearly we need to get some results as well as some decent performances in the upcoming games, but at the moment we''re in a reasonable position given the squad we''ve got.

 

Also I''m happy that defensively it looks like Olsson/Basso/Bennett/Wisdom is coming to be our first choice back 4, because I think that''s our strongest lineup.

[It's Character Forming 1,160]

As for Stephen Fry, his role as I see it is purely to raise the club''s profile.  He obviously needs to do that sensibly - if he was banging on about City constantly, people would switch off to it, so you can''t expect him to tweet about us every day, but the guy must be a fan because otherwise why would he bother.  He''s got a full-time career that takes him all over the world, so what do people really expect ? 

[Jacko 0]

Thank you very much for that response Ricardo.

Also very intrigued to here others observations about Colney. I’ve admittedly never had the pleasure of going down there myself but I’ve only heard excellent things about the place. So that’s very surprising (to the uninformed like me) but clearly a necessary step. That is the players’ workplace and where most of the results you see on the pitch are made. Clubs like Swansea and others are investing heavily in these facilities and so must we to keep pace.

I’ll be interested to see how much of a transfer budget we actually have in January. I assume some of that will be accounted for in that figure of £80 odd million? Although I doubt we’ll do much shopping as January isn’t the best time to be buying players (not a criticism of the board, just a reflection of the fact I don’t want us fleeced).

Those figures also show that selling Johnson made excellent business sense. £6 million for a player who wasn’t really going to feature a lot this season is a complete no brainer in the context of those figures and hopefully will contribute significantly towards balancing the books.

[Mario Harpershite 20]

Took my lad up to Colney recently for a trial and it surprised me how tired it looked. It''s not a shambles by any means but you don''t drive in and think "wow, this is state of the art".

There are old protakabin type huts making up part of it and the indoor facility surface is lovely but the building itself isn''t great.

As I say, it''s no horror show but if we are trying to convince players to come to Norwich above other clubs then I can see how it would be a factor.

[ricardo 7,384]

[quote user="Jacko"]Thank you very much for that response Ricardo.

Also very intrigued to here others observations about Colney. I’ve admittedly never had the pleasure of going down there myself but I’ve only heard excellent things about the place. So that’s very surprising (to the uninformed like me) but clearly a necessary step. That is the players’ workplace and where most of the results you see on the pitch are made. Clubs like Swansea and others are investing heavily in these facilities and so must we to keep pace.

I’ll be interested to see how much of a transfer budget we actually have in January. I assume some of that will be accounted for in that figure of £80 odd million? Although I doubt we’ll do much shopping as January isn’t the best time to be buying players (not a criticism of the board, just a reflection of the fact I don’t want us fleeced).

Those figures also show that selling Johnson made excellent business sense. £6 million for a player who wasn’t really going to feature a lot this season is a complete no brainer in the context of those figures and hopefully will contribute significantly towards balancing the books.[/quote]McNally''s comment was that the players only spend a couple of hours a week at CR and the rest of their time at Colney. Updating the facilities there is all part of the drive to attract better players. I also heard recently on the grapevine that they have appointed a player liaison officer who looks after the players on a personal level. I presume this means housing and local info etc etc.

[Lessingham Canary 99]

Great summary Ricardo well done, and thanks for taking the time and effort.

With Colney, my understanding is they are looking to get rid of the "portakabin" buildings that have been growing in number over recent years, these are inefficient to run, not always the offering the best use of space, so the whole main building is being restructured to accommodate it all, which should improve the overall appearance of the place and make it more attractive to future signings (I hope).

They do have a player liaison officer (Phil Middleton, think that''s his last name) who gets involved with everything that new players might need, such as arranging Sky TV in apartments for non English speaking strikers, whoever they might be........

[westcoastcanary 173]

TIL 1010 wrote: " ...... [Stephen Fry] certainly has not parted with some of his considerable wealth [unlike] some other high profile shareholders which may just negate my concerns."

Interesting comment. Is this a general view among fans, i.e. that directors of football clubs are routinely expected to "part with" chunks of their private wealth to finance the club? In other businesses the corollary of a director investing in the business (through the purchase of shares) is that he also takes a return on his investment in the form of a dividend and/or added share value. Is *investing" redefined to mean "parting with" when the business is a football club?

[TIL 1010 4,737]

The player liaison officer is one of our former young players Phil Lythgoe.

[It's Character Forming 1,160]

[quote user="westcoastcanary"]TIL 1010 wrote: " ...... [Stephen Fry] certainly has not parted with some of his considerable wealth [unlike] some other high profile shareholders which may just negate my concerns." Interesting comment. Is this a general view among fans, i.e. that directors of football clubs are routinely expected to "part with" chunks of their private wealth to finance the club? In other businesses the corollary of a director investing in the business (through the purchase of shares) is that he also takes a return on his investment in the form of a dividend and/or added share value. Is *investing" redefined to mean "parting with" when the business is a football club?[/quote]

 

WCC - I think that is the general assumption.  Look at the owners of Man City or Chelsea for example - owning a Prem club is basically a vanity purchase which allows someone to show off their wealth.  There was a discussion recently about the owner of Southampton who has apparently inherited the club from her father and has put in £73m into the club.

 

The fact is that Prem clubs don''t make profits as a rule, so the only way to make money out of owning a Prem club is by selling it on to some other wealthy owner (a more realistic route is to buy a lower league club and build it up, get into the Prem and then flog it - there are several examples of people who''ve bought clubs and are trying to do this but none who''ve been able to cash in yet as far as I know).

 

American owners often struggle with how the Prem works financially, because US sports leagues are normally cartels with wage caps and no relegation to ensure the owners can take out massive profits.  They tend to get a shock when they buy a Prem club and find they are expected to put money in rather than take it out.  Look at the previous owners of Liverpool or the guy who owns Villa for example.  I wonder if Man Utd could be an exception as a brand that could be built up and actually make money for the owners ?  Their problem being that the ManC owners seem happy to pour money in with no end in sight.

 

Coming back to Stephen Fry, I can''t remember if he''s become a shareholder or is just a director, and I can''t see why he''d be expected to start putting money into the club if he''s only a director.

[TIL 1010 4,737]

[quote user="westcoastcanary"]TIL 1010 wrote: " ...... [Stephen Fry] certainly has not parted with some of his considerable wealth [unlike] some other high profile shareholders which may just negate my concerns."

Interesting comment. Is this a general view among fans, i.e. that directors of football clubs are routinely expected to "part with" chunks of their private wealth to finance the club? In other businesses the corollary of a director investing in the business (through the purchase of shares) is that he also takes a return on his investment in the form of a dividend and/or added share value. Is *investing" redefined to mean "parting with" when the business is a football club?[/quote]I could possibly have worded that better westcoast. At some football clubs directors obtain a seat on the board either through buying a ''stake'' in the shareholding or buy gifting a sum of money.Others bring business nous to the table. Stephen Fry has done none of those options and as far as i am aware was trumpeted as a new director primarily because he had a massive Twitter following which the club viewed as a way of promoting the club. He appears to me (and it is my opinion let me just make that clear) that he has a dismal record of attending Board meetings and AGM''s. Now if someone can tell me otherwise i fail to see what he brings to the party as the club embarks on the dream we all have of being a permanent fixture in the Premiership.

[Jacko 0]

Fantastic stuff Ricardo, for us who cannot make it to Norfolk during the week.

That all makes sense to me and without wishing to sound defeatist, if we are relegated at some point at least we''ve also got a clear legacy to show for our efforts in the Premiership, which will be here long after the current playing squad is gone.

Robert Chase got a hell of a lot wrong while he was here but there''s no doubt that the groundwork he laid down at Colney was very impressive and it''s helped to attract a lot of new signings over the years. So this is a vital step if we want any hope of being a fixture at this level for a long time.

The player liaison thing makes an awful lot of sense as well. I am told by a good friend, that Man City basically employed a personal assistant to look after Carlos Tevez on a daily basis, leaving him solely to concentrate on his football. Clearly, we''re not doing anything on that scale but it does make a massive difference helping players settle and leaving them to concentrate on doing the business on the pitch.

As someone else has said, if we genuinely aspire to be a Premier League outfit, then everything we do, on and off the field, has to be of Premier League standard. We''ve got some serious catching up to do, but this is most professionally run the club has ever been.

I must admit I am a tad surprised that the football budget is as high as it is. I wonder whether that football budget £80 million or so includes a transfer budget, which is yet to be spent?

I wouldn''t expect the board to divulge that as otherwise the world and his wife then knows what to ask for price wise. But if so we do as a high wage bill and possibly need to streamline and trim the squad a bit? Again, easier said than done.

[......and Smith must score. 1,341]

Thanks for an excellent AGM report Ricardo. I tend to agree with Tilly as to what Stephen Fry actually brings to the table. He has no obligation to dip into his pocket but he has a contacts book to die for which doesn''t seem to have yielded any visible benefits to date. He is of course a very busy man but his poor attendance record on Club business and actual matches takes something away too. I would rather he was on the Board than not but it would be nice if there was a bit more involvement.Someone on here mentioned that Colney is looking a bit tired. Ten years ago it was certainly up there among the better facilities but it does need updating. I remember the Club wanted to build a full-size into training pitch but I think they were forced to settle for a half-size version due to difficulties with the planners. Hopefully they will be able to do so this time as part of a general upgrade as spending a decent amount on training facilities must be cost effective.

[93vintage 16]

I think the owners and board are beginning to realise that if you don''t invest, and keep investing, then you''re going to struggle to compete in the long run. The same applies for adopting the right strategy and changing tack as required.What''s happened is that we''ve failed to invest, not had the right strategy and failed to change, but I''m glad that McNally seems to be generally steering us in the right direction with his strategic reforms. He and the rest of the board seem to have woken up to the fact that we''re better off making the renewal of crumbling infrastructure more of a priority, as opposed to ''overpending'' on players who might not add as much long term value.I think many fans have been pleased when the club has alleged that it''s run prudently, makes a profit and has first class facilities. But the real story is somewhat different, it shows that a smaller club throwing every last penny at the team and looking to keep its best players come what may isn''t a magic formula for success.The AGM has shown that if we don''t get the basics right then we''ll go nowhere. We''re in a bit of a mess because of what''s happened previously, but are taking steps to get out of it.

[......and Smith must score. 1,341]

[quote user="Lessingham Canary"]

They do have a player liaison officer ..... who gets involved with everything that new players might need, such as arranging Sky TV in apartments for non English speaking strikers, whoever they might be........[/quote]Never mind Sky TV. If Tilly''s right and it''s an ex-player doing the liaisoning he''ll know how to fix the main concern which is where to pick up all the fit birds when they''re out on the pull. [:D]

[Prince of Darkness 0]

We are indeed in a mess the sooner we get new owners and investors the better let us not forget they got us in to the mess in the first place

[Van wink 2,994]

The Colney thing does suprise me a bit, but what made it such a big deal in the past was the indoor 4G (?) pitch and in that respect I''m sure all other prem clubs have equally good if not better indoor facilities.

Presumably players now want their training ground to include hairdressing facilities for Bouffon and other styles, pampering suites, tanning and body hair removal facilities, sushi bar and a fine cellar.

I can understand that.

Presumably the the idea of training outside in the wet rain and the blowey wind is also not an acceptable option.

[Katie Borkins 1]

If you don''t think Stephen Fry can bring money into the club, then leave your credit card lying around and then wait for your next statement.

[TIL 1010 4,737]

[quote user="......and Smith must score."][quote user="Lessingham Canary"]

They do have a player liaison officer ..... who gets involved with everything that new players might need, such as arranging Sky TV in apartments for non English speaking strikers, whoever they might be........[/quote]Never mind Sky TV. If Tilly''s right and it''s an ex-player doing the liaisoning he''ll know how to fix the main concern which is where to pick up all the fit birds when they''re out on the pull. [:D][/quote]http://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/the-canaryWith Almander on the front cover looks like the post has been around for a while.

[ricardo 7,384]

[quote user="Vanwink"]

Presumably the the idea of training outside in the wet rain and the blowey wind is also not an acceptable option.[/quote]If you are 1p5wich Town it''s probably the only option.[;)]

[Van wink 2,994]

I believe even the Scummers have an indoor artificial pitch, wouldn''t surprise me of they had ruined it by cutting and rolling too often!!!

[OldRobert 38]

[quote user="TIL 1010"]With Almander on the front cover looks like the post has been around for a while.[/quote]If Gary Hooper is "reflecting on his long road to the top", that might explain quite a bit as well Til.[;)]

[Lessingham Canary 99]

Til 1010wrote

The player liaison officer is one of our former young players Phil Lythgoe.

Thanks Tilly, i do see him quite often have got to know him over the years, a really nice guy,

[vos 155]

A few points:-

1) The usual slick corporate style presentation whereby the Chairman and CEO were naturally overjoyed in our return to the Premiership. However getting to the nitty gritty it was then revealed that our return this season will leave us with a £5m loss plus a need to borrow about £7.5 m until the advance season ticket monies come in. Even worse, our manager who came over very professional etc, had to admit that he would have to forego his normal attacking instincts and he would have to concentrate on scraping enough points for us to stay up by whatever means it takes. Obviously it is only natural that you wish to play in the Premier League but it makes you wonder !!

2) I do not think I am the only person who thought our "promotion monies" would be a great benefit, only to discover it will all quickly disappear in player costs. Despite the Sky hype you could easily argue that the Club and Supporters have actually gained very little.

3) The sausage story was an absolute classic to bring the Directors back to basics. What is that saying "if you look after the little things .........."

4) Tilly is completely correct re his assessment on Stephen Fry although I believe he found time to attend the Wembley playoff. I would not think he has much impact as regards the average supporter. We can have no complaints as it was only myself and a few others who last year voted against his re-appointment. A supporters representative would make much more sense.

5) Could not believe all the rigmarole the Manager and his support staff carry out to check on the next opponents. There is a need to assess the way set pieces are handled and be aware of the chief playmaker etc but there is a limit to how much a player can keep in his mind during a match. We should concentrate on how we can improve. For instance a complete basic - taking a good corner. I now realise why Redmond when he receives a ball in loads of space does not attack his fullback, but dithers whilst he works out what opposing player to avoid.

I suppose I am an old and grumpy long term supporter, but that''s the way I see it.

[ricardo 7,384]

[quote user="vos"]

I suppose I am an old and grumpy long term supporter, but that''s the way I see it.[/quote]

The game and the top clubs have moved on. We either do the same or die.It was a much simpler game in the way back when but its no good bemoaning the past, its dead and gone.

[Lessingham Canary 99]

Personally i would like to think the real benefit of Stephen Fry is yet to come, if the club ever finds its back really against the wall, it would be the likes of him that would be expected to step up to the plate, or when the day comes that our majority shareholders want out, the celebrity element may just help attract the right sort of future owners ?

Rose tinted specs maybe, but just maybe the real value from mr Fry is yet to come..................

[PurpleCanary 5,557]

[quote user="vos"]A few points:-

1) The usual slick corporate style presentation whereby the Chairman and CEO were naturally overjoyed in our return to the Premiership. However getting to the nitty gritty it was then revealed that our return this season will leave us with a £5m loss plus a need to borrow about £7.5 m until the advance season ticket monies come in. Even worse, our manager who came over very professional etc, had to admit that he would have to forego his normal attacking instincts and he would have to concentrate on scraping enough points for us to stay up by whatever means it takes. Obviously it is only natural that you wish to play in the Premier League but it makes you wonder !!

2) I do not think I am the only person who thought our "promotion monies" would be a great benefit, only to discover it will all quickly disappear in player costs. Despite the Sky hype you could easily argue that the Club and Supporters have actually gained very little.

3)[/quote]The projected loss might have come as a bit of a surprise but there was never a chance we would be expecting either a substantial profit or alternatively be able to greatly increase (from that of two years ago) our playing budget through transfers and/or wages.There was a misapprehension about a £120m promotion windfall but the reality always was that this season''s finances would be similar to those when we were last in the Premier League (when we were scheduled only to break even), because the TV money is essentially the same. Our income is projected to be up a few million but higher wage costs etc will take care of that. A small loss (which will almost certainly disappear if we get relegated) really should not be a shock.

[Herman 9,754]

Maybe we are the big reason why he quit QI. More of a hands on role at City. That''ll please some.