Accounts, wages, turnover...

[Tezmond]

n short (account till end of March or previous year):

2008 wages £50.4m, turnover £75.5m (66% ratio), loss £700k
2009 wages £70.5m, turnover £84.2m (84% ratio), loss £30.1m

2010:

out: Barry, Knight, Gardner
in: Downing, Delph, Warnock, Dunne, Collins, Beye

reported loss on player sales = £29.4m
increase in salary =
increase in turnover =
wages:turnover ratio = (nearing 100% I'd guess if Beye's rumoured £40k a week is to be believed)

[hollybobble]

it really can not carry on like this can it 

[TonyD]

The problem with wage bill was signing players, then not using them and wasting both the signing fee AND their salaries.    RL was not prepared to see £mmss  wasted on having half a squad left idle whilie the manager bought further players (with only half being used/favs).  Best off sinking £20/25m in one proven/1st teamer rather than 3 £6ms and leaving them in the reservres.

[Chris Smith]

The problem with wage bill was signing players, then not using them and wasting both the signing fee AND their salaries.    RL was not prepared to see £mmss  wasted on having half a squad left idle whilie the manager bought further players (with only half being used/favs).  Best off sinking £20/25m in one proven/1st teamer rather than 3 £6ms and leaving them in the reservres.

Lerner specifically said about 3 months ago that we were not able to spend £20m-£30M on a single player.

[TonyD]

The problem with wage bill was signing players, then not using them and wasting both the signing fee AND their salaries.    RL was not prepared to see £mmss  wasted on having half a squad left idle whilie the manager bought further players (with only half being used/favs).  Best off sinking £20/25m in one proven/1st teamer rather than 3 £6ms and leaving them in the reservres.

Lerner specifically said about 3 months ago that we were not able to spend £20m-£30M on a single player.

By "we" he meant he didnt trust the manager.  RL didnt get where he is today without the abillity to pave the way for people to depart on amicable terms.

[sfx412]

Lerner specifically said about 3 months ago that we were not able to spend £20m-£30M on a single player.

I thought that had been stated policy for most of the 4 past seasons not a recent addition.

I seem to remember Gen k on  Fears site say so years back

[sfx412]

RL didnt get where he is today without the abillity to pave the way for people to depart on amicable terms.

must admit I find it strange so few fans fail to appreciate that point

[Chris Smith]

The problem with wage bill was signing players, then not using them and wasting both the signing fee AND their salaries.    RL was not prepared to see £mmss  wasted on having half a squad left idle whilie the manager bought further players (with only half being used/favs).  Best off sinking £20/25m in one proven/1st teamer rather than 3 £6ms and leaving them in the reservres.

Lerner specifically said about 3 months ago that we were not able to spend £20m-£30M on a single player.

By "we" he meant he didnt trust the manager.  RL didnt get where he is today without the abillity to pave the way for people to depart on amicable terms.

No

Jesus, talk about rewriting history. He will not pay that for players, we cannot afford it and we cannot afford the associated wages those players command. That's fair enough, even though we've added about 4-5k to the crowd in the last 4 years we still don't get anywhere near the revenue of the teams above is in the league. There are probably only 4 clubs in this country that could pay that amount for a single player and we're not one of them.

[Chris Smith]

Lerner specifically said about 3 months ago that we were not able to spend £20m-£30M on a single player.

I thought that had been stated policy for most of the 4 past seasons not a recent addition.

I seem to remember Gen k on  Fears site say so years back

No, your memory is failing you. The General said exactly the opposite, that if the right player was available we would pay it.

[pauliewalnuts]

The problem with wage bill was signing players, then not using them and wasting both the signing fee AND their salaries.    RL was not prepared to see £mmss  wasted on having half a squad left idle whilie the manager bought further players (with only half being used/favs).  Best off sinking £20/25m in one proven/1st teamer rather than 3 £6ms and leaving them in the reservres.

Lerner specifically said about 3 months ago that we were not able to spend £20m-£30M on a single player.

No he didn't

30m, yes. 20-30m, no, despite it sounding a bit more dramatic.

Asked if he would entertain spending extravagant amounts on a player, Lerner said: “I just don’t think we could write a cheque for £30m.

“On principle or on budget? On budget. I think that would be outside of our means.”

[Chris Smith]

The problem with wage bill was signing players, then not using them and wasting both the signing fee AND their salaries.    RL was not prepared to see £mmss  wasted on having half a squad left idle whilie the manager bought further players (with only half being used/favs).  Best off sinking £20/25m in one proven/1st teamer rather than 3 £6ms and leaving them in the reservres.

Lerner specifically said about 3 months ago that we were not able to spend £20m-£30M on a single player.

No he didn't

30m, yes. 20-30m, no, despite it sounding a bit more dramatic.

Asked if he would entertain spending extravagant amounts on a player, Lerner said: “I just don’t think we could write a cheque for £30m.

“On principle or on budget? On budget. I think that would be outside of our means.”

Fair enough, I should have checked but the point stands that we are not in the market currently for players in that price range. I have no issue if that is the way they say we have to run, they know the business better than us its just wrong then to use the fact that we didn't sign £20-£25m players on the ex-manager because the truth is that we can't afford them.

[pauliewalnuts]

Fair enough, I should have checked but the point stands that we are not in the market currently for players in that price range. I have no issue if that is the way they say we have to run, they know the business better than us its just wrong then to use the fact that we didn't sign £20-£25m players on the ex-manager because the truth is that we can't afford them.

I wonder - and it isn't a loaded, finger pointed question, just a general thought - whether, for the money he has spent, Randy wished Martin had bought a 20-30m player (say rather than 3 7-10m ones), in that that would have been a bums on seats player, which would have made his job (filling the stadium, creating excitement) much easier?

[DaveK]

RL didnt get where he is today without the abillity to pave the way for people to depart on amicable terms.

must admit I find it strange so few fans fail to appreciate that point

I find it strange that people think Randy is such a fantastic businessman and has this degree of foresight, yet he apparently didn't notice MON spending the club into oblivion.

You can't have it both ways surely.

[TonyD]

RL didnt get where he is today without the abillity to pave the way for people to depart on amicable terms.

must admit I find it strange so few fans fail to appreciate that point

Exactly.  The situation is shite.   But when the manager does an apeshite and leaves RL was calm about it. No point going moaning about like kids.   History will tell it's own story.   And my famous Aston Villa will live forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TonyD]

Fair enough, I should have checked but the point stands that we are not in the market currently for players in that price range. I have no issue if that is the way they say we have to run, they know the business better than us its just wrong then to use the fact that we didn't sign £20-£25m players on the ex-manager because the truth is that we can't afford them.

I wonder - and it isn't a loaded, finger pointed question, just a general thought - whether, for the money he has spent, Randy wished Martin had bought a 20-30m player (say rather than 3 7-10m ones), in that that would have been a bums on seats player, which would have made his job (filling the stadium, creating excitement) much easier?

The right player yes,   No worries.  But MON didnt.  I still think that RL will give the next manager the option of spending the necessary cash if needed on the right player.