What will Appleton achieve now? | Page 3 | Vital Football

What will Appleton achieve now?

I’m really looking forward to a new season and feel very optimistic, as I always do at this time!
I’m struggling to think of any other time where the Club has been better placed to start a new campaign - in terms of having the foundations and leadership, to keep us moving in the right direction, on and off the pitch - despite all that is happening at the moment. Let’s be positive, and back the excellent team (in a wider sense) that we have. We’re fortunate to have them on board.
 
Oxford's record is extraordinary and is set to continue:

"Football has changed because of coronavirus and there will be a lot of good players out there trying to find a club. We will look at all our options and don’t forget we also have our Academy where a lot of very good young players will be coming through over the next few years. Karl will have a good budget and we will bring in the right players. Potential is a good word for who we want to attract but we have to balance that. You also need older more experienced players around."

Oxford chairman Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth, 22 July 2020
Karl won't have a good budget if the chairman wants his name on a shirt.
Yet another blessing from our chairman :LOL:
 
All them stats, analysis,facts,figures ect re: Oxford were all very interesting but how much can you really read into them. Sometimes you can be blinded by science. At the end of the day what good has it done them.
Dont forget a couple of weeks ago Oxford lost the League 1 playoff final to a bloke who would rather probably be in a rock band and another who wouldn't look out of place in a sumo wrestling ring.
 
With regard to our speculation about of the clubs finances and the possible difficulties the club face right now, and in the knowledge that SAToffeeImp might well read this, may I suggest this as an idea to help ease the immediate issue.

*Offer all of 19-20 season ticket holders the option of not only renewing for 20-21 (some have already of course) but buy S/T for 21-22 season also at the same price. A 2 season ‘season ticket’. I know that wont be to everyone’s taste but I’m guessing some will gladly buy well ahead to guarantee their seat.

*Yes there is also the potential problem of supporters not being admitted for a while when season 20-21 starts but rather that offering refunds, roll the season ticket forward. I mean for example, if you are forced to miss the first 5 games due to Covid, then allow entry for the first 5 games the following season. Sort of keeping credit. Make that a condition of buying a season ticket.

I would ask for constructive comment about these thoughts rather than pure criticism. I’m just ‘thinking aloud‘ to possibly assist our Club, something we call all agree on.

Love the idea of a 2 year season ticket which could be effectively treated as a rolling 46 match ticket.
It could just keep going until that seaon ticket holder had been able to attend 46 games (able as in permitted to, whether option to attend is used or not).
Then once the season ticket finally reaches its end, which might be some time into a third season, then that seat becomes available again for balance of that season (with holder given first choice to renew).
 
Personally I think the pressure will be on MA to keep us in the top ten all season, purely to keep attendances up.

Yes, we are a well run club - but a club, like many others, who have incurred huge losses so far in 2020. We still have some high earners under contract that we are basically stuck with for another year - players who are not really part of MA's plans (Payne and Coker for example). The first few home games will be behind closed doors and it could be December at the very earliest before we are allowed decent attendance levels. Unlike EPL clubs with TV money, a very large percentage of our income comes from gate receipts. So the losses will continue unfortunately.

Once we are allowed full capacity, MA will have to provide winning football, otherwise crowds will decrease. A season of mid to lower table mediocrity would therefore be disastrous for the finances, and would not help either with the strategy of MA developing players who might command a decent transfer fee.

So, while Covid has levelled the playing field as regards competitor's budgets, MA will still have to produce the goods. Clive and Co do not have bottomless pockets, and some of the new directors that came on board the past two years were inevitably attracted by success. If its not forthcoming and we are lower table and back to 4-5k per game, they may well not stay around.
The scenario you describe applies to every other L1 club.

Too many appraisals of how next season might pan out ignore the fact that many clubs throughout the EFL will be under major financial stress, some may not survive.

Partly as a result of good management by the board in reconfiguring the club's financial model, and the serendipitous January window, LCFC are in a stronger position to withstand the financial hit of Covid than most in the division.

This is evidenced by making early signings, suggesting MA is picking up most of his targets, some Jones, now McGrandles - in competition with other clubs.

ScotImp has his finger on this one but I think so far it's only us and Blackpool who has signed more than a couple?

It's not unrealistic to expect some clubs to gamble next season for a promotion they can't afford, the chancers may push the Imps into the lower half of the division but I'm reasonably confident we have a stronger long term future and gates will hold up as most supporters recognise this.
 
As regards directors, the new directors came on board because we were a high profile (for our level) successful club. That was down to our performances on the field and the media friendliness of the Cowleys. If we are not so successful, and if the directors' personal finances change (as will happen to millions following this disastrous year), they might not want to stay around - and equally may not want to inject extra funds to cover what will be a huge loss in this current financial year.

That is what I meant about the pressure MA is under for this new season. Because of Covid, the time he would normally have had to build an attractive side has been seriously shortened sadly.

Clive came on board before the Cowleys were appointed, the new directors are not in the main plastic glory hunters inferred by your comment.

You also seem to be ignoring the impact Covid has on other clubs, as per my response earlier - and more pertinently, Clive's- that while the impact of Covid on LCFC has been and will continue to be severe, other L1 clubs are in a weaker financial position and that will hamper their competitiveness.
 
All them stats, analysis,facts,figures ect re: Oxford were all very interesting but how much can you really read into them. Sometimes you can be blinded by science. At the end of the day what good has it done them.
What good has it done them? How about making millions in the transfer market to pay off former owner Darryl Eales for starters? How about clearing stadium rent deficits, which were dragging the club down? Or clearing all debts, making the club more attractive to investors? Or making the club very attractive to young players seeking to improve and advance? I could go on.
 
With regard to our speculation about of the clubs finances and the possible difficulties the club face right now, and in the knowledge that SAToffeeImp might well read this, may I suggest this as an idea to help ease the immediate issue.

*Offer all of 19-20 season ticket holders the option of not only renewing for 20-21 (some have already of course) but buy S/T for 21-22 season also at the same price. A 2 season ‘season ticket’. I know that wont be to everyone’s taste but I’m guessing some will gladly buy well ahead to guarantee their seat.

*Yes there is also the potential problem of supporters not being admitted for a while when season 20-21 starts but rather that offering refunds, roll the season ticket forward. I mean for example, if you are forced to miss the first 5 games due to Covid, then allow entry for the first 5 games the following season. Sort of keeping credit. Make that a condition of buying a season ticket.

I would ask for constructive comment about these thoughts rather than pure criticism. I’m just ‘thinking aloud‘ to possibly assist our Club, something we call all agree on.

I Like it, all options are worth considering, the majority may be non starters but they’ll be a few that are gems and worth taking forward.

You can’t beat a bit of red sky thinking.
 
What good has it done them? How about making millions in the transfer market to pay off former owner Darryl Eales for starters? How about clearing stadium rent deficits, which were dragging the club down? Or clearing all debts, making the club more attractive to investors? Or making the club very attractive to young players seeking to improve and advance? I could go on.

Yes, well done to them for making that sort of money without it who knows what position they would be in now.
My point was that in spite of all that they will still be playing in the same league next season as they were last season with all that they have done. As we know football is cyclical and teams such as Oxford have been up and down between leagues in recent times and will have now devised a model which they think that will work for them. To date they have made some good money from it but I'm sure their aim is to be at least playing Championship football. They nearly got there this year and time will tell if they can keep their momentum going and gain promotion next season.
 
To cite a few examples, AFC Wimbledon are about to enter a new stadium that they cannot pay for; Burton Albion have just posted a loss of £1.2 million for the 2018-19 financial year, only survived because the chairman put £400,000 of his own money into the club, and have replaced their management team as a desperate economy measure; Wigan are in administration, having spent £19.4 million on wages in 2018-19 against revenue of £11.5 million (168% of revenue); Gillingham have closed their ladies team permanently as an economy measure and have not offered contracts to any player; owner Marcus Evans believes Ipswich will have been hit harder by covid than any other L1 club; Pete Winkelman believes MK Dons - already with significant financial challenges - are operating at 25% of business capacity.

No one knows what position each club will be in by the time revenue streams return, but I would rather be Lincoln City than any of the above.

Are we much better off than Burton? Did we not have shortfalls in our accounts over the past 2 years? Bridged by new investments and selling season tickets the season before? I think the Burton example looks pretty similar to us at the moment.
 
Recent interview by the Uni Journalist students with Michael Appleton, poor sound, though a few interesting bits.
 
I think, quite naturally, it is very difficult to see how we will go once the new season starts. Every club is up in the air to varying degrees. We are better off than many, but still making losses. Nevertheless, I am damn sure we have a great structure from the top down and are probably in a better position than most from that viewpoint. As regards MA and his squad, it will be very interesting to see how it develops. We have a virtually brand new and young squad, so far. Some of the signings look very promising so I am excited at the prospect and can’t wait to see who else is brought in. I do think we need a more experienced CB in the Shackell mould, possibly as captain and on-pitch leader, and maybe a slightly more experienced striker. I would really start getting excited then. UTI.
 
Yes, well done to them for making that sort of money without it who knows what position they would be in now.
My point was that in spite of all that they will still be playing in the same league next season as they were last season with all that they have done. As we know football is cyclical and teams such as Oxford have been up and down between leagues in recent times and will have now devised a model which they think that will work for them. To date they have made some good money from it but I'm sure their aim is to be at least playing Championship football. They nearly got there this year and time will tell if they can keep their momentum going and gain promotion next season.
It's a fair point, and certainly a fine line between raising funds to reinvest and keeping squad consistency and adding/developing it. Initially it will probably have to be a case of raising funds to go again, mind you.

Otherwise you end up like Peterborough who's squad turnover is too high, unsettled and whose Chairman seems to measure success off the pitch by how much he can sell a striker for, although this season it doesn't sound like they'll be doing much business.
 
Are we much better off than Burton? Did we not have shortfalls in our accounts over the past 2 years? Bridged by new investments and selling season tickets the season before? I think the Burton example looks pretty similar to us at the moment.
You have to be joking.
 
Target 1 - Still have a football club in summer 2021.

Target 2 - League One survival.

Target 3 - Some young players look like being sold to teams in the leagues above.

There has never been a season, in my lifetime, with so many unknowns.

In 2020/21, Coronavirus, job losses / economic slump, Brexit, no crowds to begin with, vastly reduced amounts of money coming into the club will all hit in some shape or form.

As the first three hit individual families, then watching football at Sincil Bank will fall down personal priority lists. As a keyworker, my personal priorities have changed so much since March already.

What we do know is that three teams will deal brilliantly well with their own situations next season, and win promotion. This could be by astute judgement or a mighty stroke of luck. Four clubs will have the opposite fate.

I am not a football manager but it is really hard to know, as a supporter, which players will be good and which ones will be shocking. Their welcome videos always make them look like Messi but sadly, they rarely are.

The dutch defender for example could be a shrewd piece of business. Next summer, we could be talking about picking up a great young player from under the noses of PSV or Ajax. Alternatively, we could be saying why did we pick up a player from a struggling dutch league 2 team - what was Lincoln thinking? There was a reason why he wasn't playing in Eredivisie.

This is why we all watch football though. Sometimes the stars align, most of the time they don't. The hope and dreams keep us going. UTI