Questions for Mr. Lerner Sir

[Risso]

I know they don't.  I wasn't being entirely serious......

[hawkeye]

MON won the case, no doubt or a technical knock out at least.
he would have been prepared to go public on what happened but he got a pay off instead.
The saying that when a man with experience meets a man with money, the man with money gets an experience, the man with experience gets money

[ROBBO]

The problem is the clubs that do not have to have any fiscal responsibility are setting the transfer market standards. Look at what Liverpool have paid for a bunch of adequate but by no means brilliant players. I agree with the sentiment of most on here, we really need to see the end of the big wages to average players era but it shouldn't be done in a way which totally demoralizes the supporters. If we want to be a big club we need a big supporter base, selling our best players and not replacing them is not the way to do it.

[hawkeye]

Robbo you really think we are a big club?

[Sexual Ealing]

The biggest puzzle for me though is how on earth O'Neill managed to win any sort of tribunal.  All Randy needed to do surely was slap the Beye contract down on the table, and turn on his heels and walk out.

Tribunals don't work like that though. It only needs one process not complied with, and the complainant's dismissal will automatically be judged to be unfair.

Or, y'know, he might have had a case.

[Legion]

Robbo you really think we are a big club?

Yes, we are.

[LeeB]

Robbo you really think we are a big club?

Of course we are, any which way you look at it.

[ROBBO]

Robbo you really think we are a big club?

I said if we want to be a big club, i think supporters of this club believe it's something we should aspire to. We are the biggest club in the midlands by some margin, the only thing stopping us from being classed as a big club is we are not in the major European club tournament and  although i believe we have a huge supporter base only a small minority attend matches, me being one of them.

[Concrete John]

If there is money available for transfer fees, why can't part of this be used to fund players wages?

I think the issue here, and some of our more fiscally minded contributors may correct me, is that a transfer fee is seen as a capital asset - as in still of value to the club after the money has been paid.  If the value of the club includes the playing squad, then by forking out £10m on someone adds £10m to the value of the club and therefore Randy's asset.  Although we've had some bad ones, the likes of Ash, Downing and Milner are all great examples of this.  Whereas with wages, they go out of the club to no return, other than the playing playing for us.

So if spent right the fee is seen as a sound capital investment that can be liquidised if necessary, but the wages cannot. 

[VillaZogmariner]

But in that case bringing in a Free Transfer would be seen as better capital wouldn't it? As in he cost us nothing up front and now has a value to us. Even if it's just £1m or whatever.

[Risso]

Yes John, it all comes back to cash at the end of the day.  You need cash to buy players and pay their wages.

[Concrete John]

But in that case bringing in a Free Transfer would be seen as better capital wouldn't it? As in he cost us nothing up front and now has a value to us. Even if it's just £1m or whatever.

In theory, yes.  But with a significant signing on fee and high wages, it'd be more the minus column than the plus.  And let's not forget that most frees are slightly older, so the resale value would be minimal.   

As it goes, I think taking the hit on someone like Diarra would be worth it, but then it's not my money!

[TimTheVillain]

I'd like Randy to talk out myself, not with the Press necessarily, but what about the fans ?

I can see him selling the club within the next 3 years.

[Dave Cooper please]

Robbo you really think we are a big club?

You don't?

[Risso]

Robbo you really think we are a big club?

You don't?

Ah not this load of semantic bollocks again!

We've got a big ground and a great history.  At the moment though, our ambitions look distinctly mid-table.