Investment In The Squad

[lazio_don]

The incompetent Stewart Milne doesnt really do investment if history is anything to go by. Wish he would leave the club and I have been wishing that since 1998!

[Jonty]

This £42k week needs examined a bit, it will surely only include basic wages.

 

Staff costs in the accounts are just under £7 million, so unless we are spending £5 million on support staff then the amount spent on the first team squad, including all bonuses, is a tad more than £42k a week.

[True_Don]

I doubt much cash will be invested with the new stadia and training complex on the horizon.

 

But it's unlikely a fee of any more than 500k would be spent therefore, who would you buy / could we buy for this amount?

[Big Hat Logan]

Bit of a crossroads for us this summer. Rebuilding job with a few players offski.

 

Question - given that we have a very solid footing in the table now, a proven manager who has not only turned around our performances off the park, but completely overhauled it off the park too. Given that we are in a stable situation financially, is there an argument to suggest that we invest a bit of capital in the squad, particularly with the turnover surely having risen due to cup runs, and league placings?

 

I'm not talking silly money, but enough to allow a few signings and a reasonable wage.

 

If ever there was a time to invest (speculate to accumulate), it's now. We have a perfect opportunity to improve if we just hand McInnes the tools to do it. 42k a week and look what he's achieving. Imagine if we spend say, £800k on signings and increase that wages to £60-70k.

 

Let's not forget who we have as a Chairman and the potential for external investment (be that as part of a shares issue or whatever).

 

To do anything else - to tread water if you will - is as much accepting mediocrity as it has been in the past. We need to keep pushing/driving the club forward. Think how much we squandered on managers with a tenth of the ability of McInnes!

Keeping the club operating at a sustainable level while finishing second to a club with huge financial advantage is hardly "accepting mediocrity".

[slinkyvagabond]

Treading water? Accepting mediocrity? What fuckin planet do some folk live on?

 

Truth be told we are punching above our weight. Do you think we will finish clear in 2nd and get to both cup finals every year? Next season will have a slightly different feel to it with Rangers regrouping and Hibs promoted.

 

The LC final was a huge disappointment but Celtic had to earn their victory at the weekend. At the moment we cant really ask for much more imo.

 

Where is 500k coming from? McInnes would bite Milne's hand off for that to spend.

[King Street Loon]

 

 

Now he's turned down an extension and will be available for free in 6 months.

Where you getting that from?

[dave_min]

Where you getting that from?

 

Canada.

[ebbe]

This £42k week needs examined a bit, it will surely only include basic wages.

 

Staff costs in the accounts are just under £7 million, so unless we are spending £5 million on support staff then the amount spent on the first team squad, including all bonuses, is a tad more than £42k a week.

 

@@Jonty, interesting you were apparently on Ash Taylor's da's bus south. Especially after your views pre referendum. Prick.

[Old Wing Stand]

Too late to the party... If we'd got in earlier, before his stock had risen, we may have got him to sign an extension.

 

Now he's turned down an extension and will be available for free in 6 months.

His stock rose when he started playing well, no way we were going to offer him an extension on his form when he first came ?

When he hit form and got a lot of praise like all good players he knows he can make more money somewhere else

[Guest]

Aberdeen have a lot of followers who either don't go to the games or are only interested in going to the big games (44,000 fans to the LC final in 2014 and we would have sold the 9000 empty seats above the 7000 Caley fans had they been made available).

 

The only way I can see to increase revenue significantly (without getting to the Europa group stages which is still very much against the odds) is to have a scheme similar to what Hearts have where fans contribute a direct debit every month to the club. If all money raised was guaranteed to go to McInnes' playing budget it's something I'd be interested in contributing to provided the scheme was run properly. It would be an ideal way for those fair weather fans who can't attend many games for whatever reason to contribute to the club on a regular basis. If even a quarter of the fans who turned up for that LC final contributed between say £10 to £20 a month that would probably bring in around an additional £2m per year. That sort of money coming in on an annual basis would give the manager the chance to significantly strengthen the squad.

 

It's probably just another pipe dream but I can't see our season ticket sales jumping up massively they never do so it's a more realistic method of raising funds.

 

Was thinking this exact same thing this morning. Crowdfunding. The amount of fans that this City and region has for AFC is huge. You only need look at the buzz going on in and around town in the lead up to the SC Final. And then look at the parade down Union St when we won the League Cup. The vast majority of these fans (not supporters) don't attend games. They don't buy merchandise. But would they be prepared to part with £10, £20, £50 on a one off basis, or even as others say, a DD scheme like Hearts have. You could get loyalty points or some virtual share scheme.... I dunno. But there is definitely scope to tap into the affinity that tens of thousands have for AFC, that don't provide for, like those of us who buy a season ticket, or PATG.

 

An AFC hotel, an AFC restaurant, an AFC cinema.... who knows? But we must surely look at these sorts of ways of increasing revenue.

 

Keeping the club operating at a sustainable level while finishing second to a club with huge financial advantage is hardly "accepting mediocrity".

 

 

Treading water? Accepting mediocrity? What fuckin planet do some folk live on?

 

Truth be told we are punching above our weight. Do you think we will finish clear in 2nd and get to both cup finals every year? Next season will have a slightly different feel to it with Rangers regrouping and Hibs promoted.

 

The LC final was a huge disappointment but Celtic had to earn their victory at the weekend. At the moment we cant really ask for much more imo.

 

Where is 500k coming from? McInnes would bite Milne's hand off for that to spend.

 

I'm talking about the squad - if you don't keep replenishing it by spending money on it, it's maturity will eventually see decay. You can't get by on the relative success of the players we had or were inherited by McInnes, and now more than ever, is the time to spend a bit of money to refresh that squad. We need to (as someone else said), set our own goals. Any business that announces good financial results (or a salesman hitting his targets) will be set higher targets and goals for the coming year. It's called progression. If we don't start to invest some of the money we've been making due to improved cup runs, league placings and the fact we're in the black, then we could well start to regress.

 

Let's remind ourselves that 2nd and runner's up is still NOT GOOD ENOUGH for this club. We are AFC, not St Mirren. Yes, Celtic are hugely out of sight with regard to finances, but we can look to push for Cups and try and get into Europa groups... a tough ask, but it is achievable. We don't need to spend silly money, but could reap the rewards tenfold if we got in.

 

I acknowledge that we are planning on building a stadium and training facilities, but that should not detract from the players and the resources McInnes has at his disposal. We should ring fence money for him to keep building on what's been laid down over the last few years. As above, we have the ingredients, but I fear Milne is the wrong chef to bake the winning cake.

[Dynamo]

Dreading the day we finish 4th one season and folk have a proper melt down.

[Guest]

Dreading the day we finish 4th one season and folk have a proper melt down.

 

If we finish 4th to 3 better performing, higher paid squads than us, then I have no problem with that.

[dj_bollocks]

 

If we finish 4th to 3 better performing, higher paid squads than us, then I have no problem with that.

 

I would. I'd want to know why there was at least one non Arse cheek team spending more than us... Then I'd refer the board and manager to the time when there was one arse cheek spending more than us and we still beat them at everything...

[ericblack4boss]

 

 

Was thinking this exact same thing this morning. Crowdfunding. The amount of fans that this City and region has for AFC is huge. You only need look at the buzz going on in and around town in the lead up to the SC Final. And then look at the parade down Union St when we won the League Cup. The vast majority of these fans (not supporters) don't attend games. They don't buy merchandise. But would they be prepared to part with £10, £20, £50 on a one off basis, or even as others say, a DD scheme like Hearts have. You could get loyalty points or some virtual share scheme.... I dunno. But there is definitely scope to tap into the affinity that tens of thousands have for AFC, that don't provide for, like those of us who buy a season ticket, or PATG.

 

An AFC hotel, an AFC restaurant, an AFC cinema.... who knows? But we must surely look at these sorts of ways of increasing revenue.

 

 

 

 

I'm talking about the squad - if you don't keep replenishing it by spending money on it, it's maturity will eventually see decay. You can't get by on the relative success of the players we had or were inherited by McInnes, and now more than ever, is the time to spend a bit of money to refresh that squad. We need to (as someone else said), set our own goals. Any business that announces good financial results (or a salesman hitting his targets) will be set higher targets and goals for the coming year. It's called progression. If we don't start to invest some of the money we've been making due to improved cup runs, league placings and the fact we're in the black, then we could well start to regress.

 

Let's remind ourselves that 2nd and runner's up is still NOT GOOD ENOUGH for this club. We are AFC, not St Mirren. Yes, Celtic are hugely out of sight with regard to finances, but we can look to push for Cups and try and get into Europa groups... a tough ask, but it is achievable. We don't need to spend silly money, but could reap the rewards tenfold if we got in.

 

I acknowledge that we are planning on building a stadium and training facilities, but that should not detract from the players and the resources McInnes has at his disposal. We should ring fence money for him to keep building on what's been laid down over the last few years. As above, we have the ingredients, but I fear Milne is the wrong chef to bake the winning cake.[/quot

 

Second not good enough?

Ar you smoking crack? Thats the very best we cab achieve. Without a russian oligarch

[GDON21]

I'd have to agree with a lot of the posts on here today. Some sort of crowd funding page that we could set up that we knew the money was going to be purely invested in the squad each season would be great. I only really make away games and the occasional home game for various reasons but I would happily contribute £50 a month minimum. I think you'd find more fans out their willing to contribute more and some less but I think we're a club more than capable of raising good money in using this method.

 

I would love to see us invest this summer in Christie, Maloney, Boyce, a good centre half or 2. The west coast media are all falling over each other to try sell our best players and manager to bring back a gap for the old firm and we must try and fight against it.

[dave_min]

Who the fuck would give the Dons £600 a year for nothing?!

[Dynamo]

I'd have to agree with a lot of the posts on here today. Some sort of crowd funding page that we could set up that we knew the money was going to be purely invested in the squad each season would be great. I only really make away games and the occasional home game for various reasons but I would happily contribute £50 a month minimum. I think you'd find more fans out their willing to contribute more and some less but I think we're a club more than capable of raising good money in using this method.

 

I would love to see us invest this summer in Christie, Maloney, Boyce, a good centre half or 2. The west coast media are all falling over each other to try sell our best players and manager to bring back a gap for the old firm and we must try and fight against it.

 

Buy a season ticket.

It's the best way to increase revenue for the club.

 

Monthly donations etc sound good in principle but it won't work. Not unless the club is about to die like Hearts were. The Foundation of Hearts have only got around 8,000 monthly contributors donating ~£1.2m to their club per annum - sounds a lot but in the grand scheme of things that would work out at under 10% of AFC's turnover.

[Guest]

 

Buy a season ticket.

It's the best way to increase revenue for the club.

 

Monthly donations etc sound good in principle but it won't work. Not unless the club is about to die like Hearts were. The Foundation of Hearts have only got around 8,000 monthly contributors donating ~£1.2m to their club per annum - sounds a lot but in the grand scheme of things that would work out at under 10% of AFC's turnover.

 

What's the point in buying a season ticket though, unless you are going to use it? That's why we have huge gaps when we have more attractive games and 20% of season ticket holders don't turn up. By all means, buy one if you think you'll come to the majority of games and you haven't done so already. But a lot of folk have other commitments and can't attend matches for one reason or another. Doesn't mean they wouldn't be up for contributing to the greater cause.

 

Nah, an initiative to tap into the empathy and love that this region has for their club, is the way to go. Maybe not £50 per month, but even £10 per month... many sign up to charities after getting their arm twisted on their doorstep or on the street. £120 x 10,000 donations is £12m! That'd be an amazing difference to what we could do with the squad would it not. And to think of those that turn up for finals that don't normally attend (I know of 3 alone who went to semi and final that only turn up for those games).

[G31DON]

 

Buy a season ticket.

It's the best way to increase revenue for the club.

 

Monthly donations etc sound good in principle but it won't work. Not unless the club is about to die like Hearts were. The Foundation of Hearts have only got around 8,000 monthly contributors donating ~£1.2m to their club per annum - sounds a lot but in the grand scheme of things that would work out at under 10% of AFC's turnover.

I'm sure Derek would like an extra £1.2 million per year for the squad. The board would love to increase turnover 10%, a bit silly to say is not worth doing for "only" £1.2m.

[Dynamo]

I'm sure Derek would like an extra £1.2 million per year for the squad. The board would love to increase turnover 10%, a bit silly to say is not worth doing for "only" £1.2m.

 

What I mean is that mobilising 8,000 fans to a monthly contribution (a lot), in the grand scheme of things, works out at under 10% of the total turnover for the club (not a lot).

 

I don't think the club should budget for donations either. A couple of poor seasons, 2,000 less subscribers and we're stuck with a player(s) we can't afford.

[Guest]

 

What I mean is that mobilising 8,000 fans to a monthly contribution (a lot), in the grand scheme of things, works out at under 10% of the total turnover for the club (not a lot).

 

I don't think the club should budget for donations either. A couple of poor seasons, 2,000 less subscribers and we're stuck with a player(s) we can't afford.

 

Who's to say we need it on an ongoing basis? If you commit to donating (or crowdfunding) say £10 p/month over 12 months, then it provides £120 per annum obviously. Multiply that by say 10,000 for arguments sake, and that's £12m. That doesn't all have to be used in one hit. It could be bitten into over the course of 2 or 3 seasons as a resource for players wages or fees. I'd happily donate £120 extra if we made a stellar signing and I knew my money was going towards him.... or a promising young international whom we we could get on loan for a season.

[Foster14]

Hearts numbers will dwindle once they start to plateau out in the nothingness of the mid-Premiership and their brush with death goes further in the past.

 

I think you'd find that there is only a small pool of people who believe they don't put enough money in to the club through ticket purchases etc. 10,000 is pie in the sky stuff.

[RUL]

 

What's the point in buying a season ticket though, unless you are going to use it? That's why we have huge gaps when we have more attractive games and 20% of season ticket holders don't turn up. By all means, buy one if you think you'll come to the majority of games and you haven't done so already. But a lot of folk have other commitments and can't attend matches for one reason or another. Doesn't mean they wouldn't be up for contributing to the greater cause.

 

Nah, an initiative to tap into the empathy and love that this region has for their club, is the way to go. Maybe not £50 per month, but even £10 per month... many sign up to charities after getting their arm twisted on their doorstep or on the street. £120 x 10,000 donations is £12m! That'd be an amazing difference to what we could do with the squad would it not. And to think of those that turn up for finals that don't normally attend (I know of 3 alone who went to semi and final that only turn up for those games).

Isn't it £1.2m or am I being thick

[Foster14]

 

Who's to say we need it on an ongoing basis? If you commit to donating (or crowdfunding) say £10 p/month over 12 months, then it provides £120 per annum obviously. Multiply that by say 10,000 for arguments sake, and that's £12m. That doesn't all have to be used in one hit. It could be bitten into over the course of 2 or 3 seasons as a resource for players wages or fees. I'd happily donate £120 extra if we made a stellar signing and I knew my money was going towards him.... or a promising young international whom we we could get on loan for a season.

 

I put your first one down to a typo, but 10,000 folk donating £10 a month is £1.2m a year.

[BWG]

 

Who's to say we need it on an ongoing basis? If you commit to donating (or crowdfunding) say £10 p/month over 12 months, then it provides £120 per annum obviously. Multiply that by say 10,000 for arguments sake, and that's £12m. That doesn't all have to be used in one hit. It could be bitten into over the course of 2 or 3 seasons as a resource for players wages or fees. I'd happily donate £120 extra if we made a stellar signing and I knew my money was going towards him.... or a promising young international whom we we could get on loan for a season.

 

Weren't you the guy complaining about the price of a pie? You'll happily set up a direct debit for £120 a year though?

[Donmacca]

Think any go fund me/crowd funding should be done to raise revenue for the new stadium. Seen on Facebook Glen Wyvis distillery done something similar where if you donated say £25 you got your name engraved on the wall, £50 you also got a bottle of gin, £250 one of the first bottles from the first batch of whisky and so on. Think fans would be more inclined to do this, especially if it freed up other revenue for the playing squad with any extra money raised going that way too. As Dynamo pointed out a bad season and donations could fall where as a one of payment is more likely to attract money from "fair weather fans" especially if they were to get their name/children's names on a supporters wall or something similar.

[Henry]

 

Weren't you the guy complaining about the price of a pie? You'll happily set up a direct debit for £120 a year though?

 

 

 

 

 

Ehm, is that not the whole point in having a singing section - to create noise (thus atmosphere)? Jeez, you're at the football, not the theatre min. Did you not see Logan trying to gee up the crowd before he scored. It was like a pre-season friendly at times. That said, pretty poor effort from those that were advocating a singing section. It's just the same group of mates basically (disbanded legacy of Ultras is it not?).

 

 

Aye, wtf is all that about? £1.60 for a CapriSun or small carton of Ribena!!

 

 

Thought the game itself was quite entertaining/nailbiting. 1st half forgetful, but 2nd was much more like it, especially as Fulla Pesh did their bit with some timewasting and theatrics. Fair woke the crowd up.

Ref was decent enough I thought. Had to rely on his linesman for a couple of dodgy decisions and took balls to overrule him for our 2nd.

 

Jack, as I mentioned coupe of days back, is just not the winning ticket. He may be better with someone else along side to resume responsibility (as Robson did). But he's all at sea and is becoming our very own Barry Ferguson with his sideways passing.

 

 

 

So what's in the 'Pittodrie Pie'? Though Steak was as good as it usually got? Either way, £2.50 for a Steak Pie, which you can pick up from any bakers for a quid, is daylight robbery.

 

 

And all of this after an extensive survey by the club and talk of improvement. If raising prices in a market of dimensioning returns, is supposed to improve matters, then we need to have a serious word with ourselves.

 

 

Which is and has never been, the point. The point is that it's an abuse of the loyalty and endeavours shown by our support. I can almost put up with motorway cafes ripping the arse out of the passing motorist, as we have no affiliation to the likes of Road Chef or whatever they are called. But this is supposed to be our club - our extended family if you will. They give it big licks when trying to get us to buy season tickets and attend games (McInnes asking for us to show loyalty etc) but once in, we get totally humped up the shitter with ridiculous catering prices. Even the price of replica kits is another measure of just how much they take our perceived devotion for granted. In an environment when everyone is trying to tighten then belts, you find you can spend more on a chocolate bar and a drink for your kid, than the bloody entrance fee!! It's a hugely unnecessary business model and flies in the face of any sales and marketing ethos. We need incentives, but we are faced with shocking service and pricing structures, not just in catering mind.

 

 

 

Certainly not me.

 

Do you like getting ripped off? Most don't. Sometimes it's nice to have a coffee or a Bovril when you get to the game. It's part of the ritual isn't it. A bit like the yanks when they go to baseball and have chilli dogs and beer. Or going to the cinema and getting popcorn... or heck, going to the pub to watch the game and having a pint. I take as much displeasure at paying £5 for a pint in some run of the mill bar, as I do paying £2.50 for a pie. Sure, choice is there and no one is holding a gun to your head. But in this instance, the club have the ability to structure prices that are a. affordable to the customer (supporter), b. are pegged at a level that makes them money without ripping us off and c. provide incentives for which to attend games (ie, match day experience). Product on the pitch is what will make profit for AFC - not selling steak pies. In many ways, they should be treating it like a loss leader. Instead, the outsource the contract and let Sodexho rape us all in the process by overcharging for the product and employing the cheapest labour they can in order to maximise profit.

 

 

 

Baseball - yes. Didn't find the prices that bad. Cinemas don't consider brand affiliation. They are out to maximise profit based on the laws of supply and demand. Where else you going to go to watch newly released films. Same applies to motorway cafes - they have a captured audience. And in some ways, this is what AFC have bought into... not like there's a Spar or Co-Op in the Dick Donald atrium that you can go and get a better deal.

 

If you think it's not a problem then fine, pay whatever you want. But many think that football is already over priced. Deal with the reality of that, or don't contribute to the discussion. Just because you don't agree with the sentiment, doesn't make you right.

[Sonoftherock]

[Guest]

 

I put your first one down to a typo, but 10,000 folk donating £10 a month is £1.2m a year.

 

Aye, sorry, £1.2m..... just as well I don't work as an accountant!

 

 

Weren't you the guy complaining about the price of a pie? You'll happily set up a direct debit for £120 a year though?

 

Completely irrelevant. The catering company make the vast majority of the profit on what is a hugely marked up product. Whether I complain about the price of pies, or the price of bovril, that's not money that goes towards players is it. If we could be certain the money we fund is going to the correct area of the club, then I'd happily commit to an extra £10 every month. I'm sure there's thousands out there that would do likewise. Don't let that stop you twisting what's being said though.

 

 

 

 

Your point is Henry? Suck off.

[Guest]

 

lol

 

tinyweebrain outed again

 

How's that mate? The two are not connected in the slightest. Not that you could engage your brain for a second to work that out, you halfwitted, weegie f*ck.