Brent Talks about the Finances! | PASOTI
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Brent Talks about the Finances!

May 30, 2008
715
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Camberley, Surrey
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/f ... ent-602006

Interesting Article sure to provoke many a debate

Some comments that spring to mind:

The ambition of the board this season is to have a squad that competes well in League One.

Hows that working out so far!!

The Championship is a very expensive place to be. It’s an expensive place potentially to get to

Shouldnt we be worrying about staying in league one!!!


Argyle’s playing budget this season, and how competitive it is compared to other League One clubs, has been a topic of much discussion among the Green Army did not want to be drawn into specifics about it, but gave an indication of the club’s approach since promotion was secured last season.

Wonder why?
 

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hoovermelon":da1t20ht said:
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/plymouth-argyle-chairman-james-brent-602006

Interesting Article sure to provoke many a debate

Some comments that spring to mind:

The ambition of the board this season is to have a squad that competes well in League One.

Hows that working out so far!!

If it was already working, it wouldn't be an ambition

The Championship is a very expensive place to be. It’s an expensive place potentially to get to

Shouldnt we be worrying about staying in league one!!!

We are (see comment above), we potentially want to get to the Championship


Argyle’s playing budget this season, and how competitive it is compared to other League One clubs, has been a topic of much discussion among the Green Army did not want to be drawn into specifics about it, but gave an indication of the club’s approach since promotion was secured last season.

Wonder why?

Doesn't need to specify. If you can put more in . step forward!
 
Apr 4, 2010
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Good article and sensible words from JB.

The current ambition is to compete at this level, the money is there and the manager continues to be supported with new additions still coming in. Unfortunately the signings to date haven't worked out, they have seemed panicked and unsuitable but the board seems committed to the manager and is giving him the funds to put those errors right.

Of course the club needs to prioritise staying in L1 presently but it would be foolish to not look at the Championship, it is afterall our ambition to make it back and compete there. To go in completely unaware of the financial implications would leave us no time to prepare for the step up. The board is looking at it as a possibility and as an ambition and is trying to put in the infrastructure now to allow us to compete better rather than wait for a promotion to one day hit us without the income streams in place to make a real go of the Championship.

I think any sensible and switched on Argyle fan will be behind JB and his vision for the club. We don't have the luxury of a billionaire Janner ready to plough money in and our isolated location makes investment from abroad a challenge to attract. What we lack finacially though we gain in time, JB is a patient owner who is willing to dedicate his time to this club over the longer term. He's not throwing all of our eggs in one basket each year. He's looking to grow this club in a sensible and sustainable manner. We aren't reliant on a one-off promotion, we aren't gambling on getting to the Premier League to bail us out of years of overspending, he is building something to be proud of again, it's hard to see at present with results going so against us but I don't think anyone expected our rise up the league to be easy or instant.
 
Aug 17, 2011
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Kings Tamerton
Ever since JB became the owner of Argyle, be it with Fletcher, Sheridan and now Adams as manager every single time there is a problem with results the answer has been to pump more money at the problem. Every time without fail when a manager fails, new players arrive and up until this season it has been by using the loan system that got us out of the poo.

When Adams arrived he did so under the reasoning that he could produce miracles under close scrutiny of the finances and yet he has had the same responses to lacklustre performances as each of the other two managers before him. Why? Why has no manager under JBs ownership has taken responsibility for the failings of his own signings and why whenever there is a problem do they always hold their hand out for more? This year it has been different as there was never going to be the emergency loan signings of previous years and so business should have been conducted quicker and better. Maybe it might have helped if we had stayed in League 2 for this year as DA has been more surprised by the increase in standard needed than any manager out there and less able to have adapted to the rule change.

It is quite obvious that we had a finacial budget less than we could have as according to financial fair play our percentage hasn't been met yet but when a manager misspends what he has it will always make it harder to correct wrongful spending as we are finding out now.

Maybe JBs hold on the purse is a little tighter than it could be but maybe DA is no better manager than Fletcher or Sheridan when it comes to knowing a good player from a poor one and poor choices have been made by all three and the board has paid the price yet again.
 
May 16, 2016
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http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41564471

Worth a read. It's about the Championship but a reminder of being careful in demanding money.

The amount of money lost per week in the chase of Premier League Football is staggering. Bankruptcy is always on the horizon for someone.

Obviously going to be some time before that's us but I'm sure it can be considered relatively across the Leagues.
 
E

Electronic

Guest
There is so much spin in that article, it's untrue. If it was an 'interview' why didn't the Herald ask him some probing questions. It's more like a press release.

Quite simply, if he believes so strongly in improving the infrastructure of the club to drive revenue, why did he put barriers in the way with the planning which will delay and possibly scupper getting the grandstand refurb done? After all, he isn't funding any of it, so what's the skin off his nose anyway?

Talk of the Chamionship is laughable, given our current predicament. It's telling that he won't be drawn on the level of the budget. Smacks of knowing it's the achilles heel in his whole argument.

Adams is working with one hand tied behind his back.
 
Aug 5, 2005
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Electronic":16g1okj2 said:
There is so much spin in that article, it's untrue. If it was an 'interview' why didn't the Herald ask him some probing questions. It's more like a press release.

Quite simply, if he believes so strongly in improving the infrastructure of the club to drive revenue, why did he put barriers in the way with the planning which will delay and possibly scupper getting the grandstand refurb done? After all, he isn't funding any of it, so what's the skin off his nose anyway?

Talk of the Chamionship is laughable, given our current predicament. It's telling that he won't be drawn on the level of the budget. Smacks of knowing it's the achilles heel in his whole argument.

Adams is working with one hand tied behind his back.

Here's a challenge for you. Find me an interview where ANY chairman has specifically said what their budget is.

EDIT - I've found one from Port Vale in 2015. And that's it.
 
Aug 17, 2011
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Kings Tamerton
Electronic":3bk5xst7 said:
There is so much spin in that article, it's untrue. If it was an 'interview' why didn't the Herald ask him some probing questions. It's more like a press release.

Quite simply, if he believes so strongly in improving the infrastructure of the club to drive revenue, why did he put barriers in the way with the planning which will delay and possibly scupper getting the grandstand refurb done? After all, he isn't funding any of it, so what's the skin off his nose anyway?

Talk of the Chamionship is laughable, given our current predicament. It's telling that he won't be drawn on the level of the budget. Smacks of knowing it's the achilles heel in his whole argument.

Adams is working with one hand tied behind his back.


If Adams' has one eye tied behind his back the second one is over his eyes as he can't see what a ricket he's made with the majority of signings this close season.
 
Feb 8, 2005
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Electronic":3suep2vg said:
There is so much spin in that article, it's untrue. If it was an 'interview' why didn't the Herald ask him some probing questions. It's more like a press release.

Quite simply, if he believes so strongly in improving the infrastructure of the club to drive revenue, why did he put barriers in the way with the planning which will delay and possibly scupper getting the grandstand refurb done? After all, he isn't funding any of it, so what's the skin off his nose anyway?

Talk of the Chamionship is laughable, given our current predicament. It's telling that he won't be drawn on the level of the budget. Smacks of knowing it's the achilles heel in his whole argument.

Adams is working with one hand tied behind his back.

Your reply looks very much like an anti-Brent reply. All criticism, no reasoned argument, no alternative.

Are you anti-Brent? Certainly looks like it.
 
Mar 3, 2004
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Cornwall
I don't see anything wrong with trying to be sustainable as surely those spending vast amounts of money they haven't got will come a cropper as they can't all get to the Premier League.

However I do take issue with the following statement:-

“I point people to the Exeter Chiefs, which is a wonderful example.

“I appreciate the shape of the ball is wrong but the principle is absolutely right where they generate, as I understand it, £16.5 million of income, the majority of which comes from Sandy Park, not from RFU distributions or match-day ticket sales."

From Exeter Rugby accounts 2016:- (available on Companies House website)

Rugby Income £15,427,210
Sandy Park Income £1,561,643

Sandy Park income was 9% which is clearly not a majority.

I would hope the Herald have misquoted him here.
 

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Oct 31, 2010
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What we do know about that interview from JB is that the player budget has "increased materially greater than the increase in the central distributions from the EFL"

Compared to League Two the EFL distributions increased by £420,000 for League One, so we do know that the budget for Adams has increased by at least £420,000 or more likely "materially greater", so it's safe to assume Adams has been his budget increased by £500,000, maybe even more.

Has he used the player budget and the half a million pound increase wisely?
 
Aug 17, 2011
8,830
686
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Kings Tamerton
PL2 3DQ":28ewx2lz said:
What we do know about that interview from JB is that the player budget has "increased materially greater than the increase in the central distributions from the EFL"

Compared to League Two the EFL distributions increased by £420,000 for League One, so we do know that the budget for Adams has increased by at least £420,000 or more likely "materially greater", so it's safe to assume Adams has been his budget increased by £500,000, maybe even more.

Has he used the player budget and the half a million pound increase wisely?


Is that clever wording though.

He states an increase in EFL funding so the actual is what? If it was say £250000 last season and an increase of £420000 it makes a budget of £670000 which if including season ticket sales and projected POTD sales must mean a budget of around £1m surely. Even so that would leave some wiggle room according to FFP rules.
 
Jan 27, 2012
3,889
913
Brent chooses his words carefully and the actual figures are of little interest to me.

What I want to know is where Argyle rank (approximately) in terms of League One playing budgets. Near the top, near the middle or near the bottom ?

Is the club still "punching above its weight" ?
 
Sep 28, 2003
1,942
0
London
Electronic":17lflaru said:
There is so much spin in that article, it's untrue. If it was an 'interview' why didn't the Herald ask him some probing questions. It's more like a press release.

Quite simply, if he believes so strongly in improving the infrastructure of the club to drive revenue, why did he put barriers in the way with the planning which will delay and possibly scupper getting the grandstand refurb done? After all, he isn't funding any of it, so what's the skin off his nose anyway?

Talk of the Chamionship is laughable, given our current predicament. It's telling that he won't be drawn on the level of the budget. Smacks of knowing it's the achilles heel in his whole argument.

Adams is working with one hand tied behind his back.

OK, say Brent comes out and says "for purposes of clarity, our playing budget is £2,000,000".

What good does that do you? Do you think the 23 other chairmen in the league will offer up their budgets too for comparison?


We're in a difficult spot, there's no denying that. I think Adams has gotten a lot badly, badly wrong this year and worryingly doesn't seem to be learning anything. If he left tomorrow I wouldn't be disappointed in the slightest, but you can't knock Brent for backing the guy he brought in and has brought some success a matter of months ago. Lots of chairman hire and fire with impunity and it gets them nowhere, Brent does seem to have principles and I think that's to be applauded even with how appalling we've been so far. They wouldn't be principles if you only have them when things are going well.

Like it or not Brent's vision for the club will make us more viable, more solid and a financially stronger club in 10, 15 years. We might have to accept some short term pain for the long term gain of a club that can compete at Championship level without being bankrolled. At the moment our ground and training facilities are not fit for purpose at the level we want to be at, and we're in a position now where we can improve them - or, we could chuck money at players that might keep us up, which would only be a short term sticking plaster and not of much long-term benefit to the club.

If it's a choice between staying up this year, or getting the development plans actually underway - finally - then there's no contest for me, as utterly painful as watching Argyle has been this season.
 
Jan 31, 2010
289
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Worcester
I’m all for building a sustainable model, and I applaud the efforts of the board to date in securing a sound model. However I cannot believe there was no challenge from the Herald on the following:

1. Additional revenue generated by the HHP development will not be received by PAFC
2. Where has the financial windfall of last season gone.
3. Why were the HHP proposals bolted on to the redevelopment of the grandstand which could potentially delay the refurb of the grandstand.
4. Why has DA come out publicly and stated he had one of the worst budgets in L1.
5. Do we have the worst budget in the league given our average attendance is above average

They are only a few headline questions that need to be addressed and quickly. This type of lazy journalism adds fuel to the fire of discourse and divide within the Green Army ranks and does absolutely nothing for the supposed ‘open transparency’ we were once promised.

I doubt these will be addressed and future proposals for he refurb of Home Park stifled through the current desire to make personal gain over the benefit for PAFC.