Re: finances

[Mr Whiz 0]

the wages wont be a problem if they play it right, harper should be cheap enough, crouch may prove a problem but if he enjoys it enough you never know and as far as huckerby is concerned if we treat his family well and look after them and they like the area he may consider a drop.

[Away Day Specialist 0]

wasn''t it last season that the club secured a long term loan of £15million? The first of its kind for Norwich.

[Chip20 69]

I think that was largely to consolidate existing debts rather than being freely available to spend. The new South Stand must be costing a bit to build as well.

[Mcsncfcmcs 0]

The 15 million secrutisation financial package was necessary for a number of reasons. Firstly the land near the ground is worth around £6million and that is being used to pay for the majority of the building of the South Stand. However, the land has not been sold yet and therefore around £8million of the £15 million is being used to pay for the stand now with the knowledge that we will be able to sell the land later to pay most of it back. The rest of the money is being used to consolidate all of our other debts and to cover past and immediate trading losses.

So effectively we are now £15 million in debt. But over a third of this will be paid when the land is sold for housing development (and while its not signed and complete, the deal is apparently as good as agreed). The rest will be a debt that we have to pay off over a course of many years (and we will have to run the club financially so that these payments can be met as our first objective). However, the financial deal has been set up so that NCFC will be able to meet this repayment relatively comfortably. But it still means we have heavy financial constraints. Its very easy for us to say the board should "push the boat out" or "be ambitious" and buy Huckerby and/or Crouch etc. But the simple truth is that the board will not put this clubs future in jeopardy just for the chance of promotion (and whether we miss out by ten points or on penalties -again- in the play-off final will make absolutely no difference, if we miss out then that promsed £20million from promotion will not be there). If Man City/Villa and Huckerby/Crouch will only agree to a deal which would be too risky then the board simply cannot buy either player. Its not lacking ambition, its running the club effectively. The boards number one priority is to make sure that the people of Norwich and Norfolk (plus exiled fans) have a club to support.

[Away Day Specialist 0]

I think that most fans do already appreciate that a deal for either Crouch or Huckerby is most unlikely, due to not only the large transfer fee but the huge wage that they would command, even after a drop from their premiership wage.

Also I am sure that most fans do not want to see the club go the such financial hardship that has hit Oldham, York and several other clubs. For it is then the vultures circle and wait to strip any assets, players, coaches etc for bargain prices. The club would be reduced to a minimal playing staff of youngsters and the few who chose to stay. Several years of hard would would be lost.

So whilst financial security is a priority, it is very much appreciated that the club is up front and positively focused. The new signings (albeit for long loans) do seem to have restored some of the fans lost faith in the club and the board over the summer.

[NMTD 0]

Finances are now - and always will be - the controlling factor at our club unless something extraordinary happens.

Untill one of us comes up with 6 balls on the lottery and then places the whole lot on a 100-1 outsider in the Grand National, and wins, we''ll never compete against the new order thats appearing in football.

First and foremost we all want a club to exist so that has to be priority number 1. Period.

The way that the club is being financially managed seems ok to me - budgets are set, and then spent by their respective ''holders'' - if new money comes along from whatever sources i''m sure these budgets would be adjusted/juggled accordingly. Its business.

As to what happens at the end of the current 3 month loan spell - we will have to wait and see, but I assume that there is still something left in the pot.

I think its highly unlikely that Huckerby will be retained, because of the loan rules over players of his age, and the fact that there is no way that we could afford to both buy and pay him.

Crouch has indicated that he might like to stay beyond the 3 months, and with him its only a matter of wages effectively ''saving'' the club a capital expense making him much cheaper to retain than Huckerby.

Harper turned down a 400k move to Watford - this sum could be within our reach so if he does the business for us he could well be on his way permanently.

If we sell come January to raise some serious cash - the only two possibles to achieve this being McVeigh and Drury - it could put a different swing on things.

Its all about being realistic - of course we all want promotion - but there is only so far the club can go to achieve it within its financial boundaries.

I think the best outcome we can hope for is that Crouch will be retained on loan for the season, and we buy Harper. This assumes that they will continue to deliver the goods - if things dry up or Villa want Crouch back - and lets face it, it could happen - we may not want/be able to retain them.

Even if we achieve promotion, we have to be prepared to face the likelyhood that we''d come straight back down. (i''m not saying that it would happen - but it would be likely). What a club like Norwich needs to prepare for is to bounce straight back. By not going crazy and bringing alot of the revenue back down into the 1st division would allow us to buy the best at the level and hopefully go back up stronger than first time.

We now find ourselves looking up at clubs like Charlton and Southampton, who 10 years ago were definately no bigger, if not smaller clubs than us. Div 1 is a hard league to get out of - and achieving that is only stage one of getting back to the stage where we can say that we are again on a par with them.

[Barclay Boy 0]

Believe me, the money is there to pay the wages (please see my post: ''A few simple sums...''). The transfer fees are another matter. And I repeat: the board has not bent over backwards to secure these three loan signings.

[Tumbleweed 106]

Some very eloquent points made in these postings (intrigued as to the apparent Moderator interference in Bomber''s posting).

I don''t know what the rules are I think that we might be able to stretch to Crouch on loan to the end of the season. Harper will probably go back when Rivers returns from injury.

As for Huckerby, I would love it, really love it if Keegan let him come here permanantly but I just can''t see it happening. If we couldn''t afford Connolly, Hulse, Shipperley or Horsfield all of whom I regard as lesser players, then I don''t see how we can afford Huckerby. We have to just take the maximum points before he goes back then hope to cling on with McV in that position when Huck''s gone. Assuming the apparent rift between McV and NW has healed.

If we are to bring anybody in its got to be central defence which is probably the most important area where we lack depth. I am happy that the midfield and forward line have been strengthened to the maximum realistic extent we can expect, but the defence now needs the remaining money.

Unfortunately, seeing Portsmouth win last year and seeing Wigan up there this year it seems that you must have a "benefactor" of huge individual worth willing to pump in some share capital or gift some cash. Delia, bless her, is not in that league. The only locals I can think of who might be there are the Carters of the building company. Branson has been mentioned because he was once seen in Norwich. Herbie Hide might have a few quid left. That new rock band The Darkness are from Lowestoft so they probably support the binners.

[chicken 0]

"If we couldn''t afford Connolly, Hulse, Shipperley or Horsfield all of whom I regard as lesser players, then I don''t see how we can afford Huckerby."

Why do people keep saying this when the evidence is there that suggests otherwise. We were outbid for Hulse, Shipperly joined his old club, and as a result didnt have to move and uproot his family. Connolly aslo moved to a nearby club and to one with a manager he had worked with before. Going on the times I have seen him Horsfield would not fit in here, his attitude at the play-off final was absoloutly horrific and I was very surprised to see he wasnt sent off for swearing at the referee. He also has a very poor disiplinery record.

As for people with money. What about the owner of Proton whom Delia has admitted to be trying to get him come here to see a match.

[Tumbleweed 106]

Problem is, chicken, that NW went public in his interest in some of these players but could not come up with the cash to tempt them here. Geographically we are disadvantaged because a lot of other clubs are very near neighbours to each other and players can do the rounds without having to uproot. Some just seem to go round the London clubs for instance. At the end of the day money talks and we have to offer something special to tempt a player away. There will always be managers they have worked with, family issues etc but simple fact is we could not offer enough to get them to us rather than someone else.

I don''t think Horsfield would have been right, but Wigan paid a chunky fee for him and even had we wanted him we probably could not have competed with Mr JJB''s bank balance.

My point is simply that Huckerby is at a different level and when you look at who he has worked with, his family issues, the myriad of clubs who could out bid us (as in Hulse) lets temper our expectations for the lad.

I''ve no idea who owns Proton but if he has money then lets fly him over for a top game and lets get him hooked.....!

[Mcsncfcmcs 0]

I appreciate your point on getting players of the wage bill Barclay Boy. However, you do have to take into account that a number of the players you mentioned did not leave the club just like that (eg Emblem, Hecky, Izzy). We did have to pay up some of their existing contracts so that they would go.

[chicken 0]

Just as a matter of interest, but should big old Iwan decide to hang up his boots at the end of this season, how much money will that free up? I have heard that he is on as much as £500k a year. If we could put that to one side and perhaps add a little extra, surely that would land us a decent striker?

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,791]

This is great. Have a read.....posted September 2003. Some priceless stuff here. 

[king canary 8,758]

I remember being proper gutted when West Brom beat us to Rob Hulse at the time.

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,791]

Agreed. Signing Hucks. Paying for the South Stand . £15m loans . Selling land . All interesting stuff . 

[Graham Paddons Beard 2,791]

And players on “as much as £500k a year” ! Naismith anyone ? 

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 4,622]

Promotion to the Premier League being worth £20m and that 'new rock band' The Darkness. 

And to think, in all this time, Ipswich have been in the playoffs twice, ended up midtable 13 times and now finally relegated. What a rollercoaster.

[Van wink 2,994]

4 hours ago, Graham Paddons Beard said:

This is great. Have a read.....posted September 2003. Some priceless stuff here. 

How on earth did you dig this up.

Have you got any of those threads where City 1st is constantly trying to bat off accusations about his multiple accounts😀

Edited May 1, 2019 by Van wink

[Drazen Muzinic 1,502]

3 hours ago, Van wink said:

How on earth did you dig this up.

Have you got any of those threads where City 1st is constantly trying to bat off accusations about his multiple accounts😀

Or some Smudger classics where he is slagging off the King of Spain?

Edited May 1, 2019 by Drazen Muzinic