fcblackpool
Well-known member
The size of it. Likely to be 30m+. That gets recalled and the Club is in the big poop.
A STATEMENT FROM SIMON SADLER........
- Thread starter Simonized
- Start date
BFC_BFC_BFC
Well-known member
They’ve had longer to build their academy status though in a fairly steady league 2 position. As I alluded to above, they have the advantage of location, plus it’s much easier to give young kids an opportunity in the first team at L2 level… The process for us as an ‘aspiring’ Championship Club involves a more convoluted process of loaning players out…
There’s an argument that our academy and development set up would be much easier to build from a solid and steady L1 position than it would as a Club Yo-Yo-ing between L1 and the Championship…
It’s by no means an easy task for Sadler… which is why I am generally prepared to give him a lot of leeway.
On the one hand we have an immediate issue of being the very best we can on the pitch, when we are already punching at the higher end, based on resources….On the other hand we are implementing policies and plans that may take well over a decade to start producing any measurable benefit… And all the while objective 1 is hampering our ability to achieve objective 2
There’s an argument that our academy and development set up would be much easier to build from a solid and steady L1 position than it would as a Club Yo-Yo-ing between L1 and the Championship…
It’s by no means an easy task for Sadler… which is why I am generally prepared to give him a lot of leeway.
On the one hand we have an immediate issue of being the very best we can on the pitch, when we are already punching at the higher end, based on resources….On the other hand we are implementing policies and plans that may take well over a decade to start producing any measurable benefit… And all the while objective 1 is hampering our ability to achieve objective 2
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bollieboy
Well-known member
Anything above a couple of million would be a problem if SS withdrew funding.
Its not something to be concerned over apart from the on-going concern that BFC is not sustainable above L1 level without significant financial input from the owner. The objective is for the club to be self-sustaining through developing and selling of players at profit but we are a way to go for that to be the case and investment in infrastructure (ie fit for purpose training facilities, etc) is a key step to getting there.
poolseasider
Well-known member
.
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BFC_BFC_BFC
Well-known member
You'd expect that investment in infrastructure would add value to the business in any case (or at the very least prevent the business from losing value).
BFC_BFC_BFC
Well-known member
The Club would have been in 'Big Poop' had it not been invested....
fcblackpool
Well-known member
The hope I suppose is that the infrastructure delivers and helps pay off the loans over time, with the risk to BFC diminishing to zero over a period. Which is one reason it should (TG) have a commercial use as well. Poolfoot makes money for Pilley and not FT which shows he had the foresight to use the project as an investment.
It certainly a large investment project. Too large for BFC? You can argue both ways on that.
JJpool
Well-known member
Good point.
BFC_BFC_BFC
Well-known member
I'm not sure it's possible to state with any level of certainty that the TG 'should have a commercial use as well'. That's the road that Pilley chose to go down, but it's by no means the only viable route.
The scale of the investment and it's suitability for BFC and Simon Sadler is really only something that he is in a position (at this time) to determine. I doubt very much that his intention would be to place the club in a dubious financial position, so to that extent, I'm not sure the Club would ever find itself in a situation where it was under pressure to repay loans...
poolseasider
Well-known member
Would Sadler or the Club want to get into the running of a 'Poolfoot'?
Would SS then separate like AP did from the club?
At least Fylde it's connected to the ground not 4miles away like ours will be.
fcblackpool
Well-known member
Purely thinking about paying for it, or at least the running of.
BFC_BFC_BFC
Well-known member
I understand that, but at the same time it potentially detracts from the purpose of the facility and thereby may well reduce revenue and benefit from the primary purpose.
Pilley very likely had no real choice, he's operating a tin-pot Football Club and was trying to develop a facility that is really way beyond anything that Club really needed.
In our situation you'd either have to build a bigger facility that we needed (at extra cost ) or you'd have to share the facilities with the community and that leads to faster degradation and potentially makes the facility far less attractive to potential players and families ... "Are you operating an Academy or trying to be the next David Lloyd Leisure?" etc..
As I see it the ROI should be heavily focused on the output from the project in terms of incoming transfer fee revenue and impact on the First Team performance and cost. Conflating that with some kind of commercial venture as a community facility just muddies the waters (unless it's absolutely necessary)...
fcblackpool
Well-known member
BFC_BFC_BFC
Well-known member
I think the key for me is what is meant by 'Loans' and so I understand where you are coming from 100% as far as that is concerned.
'Repayable on demand, with the risk that the lender might, at some point, find themselves in personal financial difficulty'
Is a very different prospect to
'Repayable on a flexible basis, if and when it's affordable, without negative impact and without any risk of sudden recovery'
I suppose, based on all the talk of custodianship and sustainability etc.. I've assumed that Simon is viewing himself in a benefactor capacity to a certain extent, rather than providing a facility that might put the club in potential 'Financial Jeopardy' if things went tits up.
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straightatthewall
Well-known member
The real issue across this is fans want instant returns - understandably - and owners have to think about today, tomorrow and next year in all their decision making and budget planning - at least the responsible ones do.
Comparing us to Exeter (4 points ahead of us in the current table) is no more relevant or irrelevant than comparing us to Derby (same points) or Charlton (3 points behind). We're probably bigger than Exeter, but smaller than the other 2. None of that matters as we can only control our own strategy and long-term plans.
The simple truth is that SS has come in and is trying to make positive investments around all elements of the football club. Investments designed to improve self-sustaining playing budgets through good buying/selling on and improve off the field financial support through infrastructure investment. At this stage, the guys only had 4 years to work on things and 2 of those years were effectively the worst period of revenue generation the football 'industry' will have ever had to go through in relation to ticket sales.
I'd have no complaints about additional investment coming in from a third party, but in reality that's unlikely to happen and at this stage of his tenure it's unfair to believe SS should seek an investment partner either. The guy at least deserves a proper crack at funding and growing the club as the sole-owner.
To my mind, we've made progress on and off the pitch during his tenure. Last year was a set back and this year remains to be seen. One swallow doesn't make a relationship, but neither does a few rough results mean we're fucked. There were some hysterical messages, comments and theories being thrown around and if they're well off the mark SS was entitled to give a bit back.
Comparing us to Exeter (4 points ahead of us in the current table) is no more relevant or irrelevant than comparing us to Derby (same points) or Charlton (3 points behind). We're probably bigger than Exeter, but smaller than the other 2. None of that matters as we can only control our own strategy and long-term plans.
The simple truth is that SS has come in and is trying to make positive investments around all elements of the football club. Investments designed to improve self-sustaining playing budgets through good buying/selling on and improve off the field financial support through infrastructure investment. At this stage, the guys only had 4 years to work on things and 2 of those years were effectively the worst period of revenue generation the football 'industry' will have ever had to go through in relation to ticket sales.
I'd have no complaints about additional investment coming in from a third party, but in reality that's unlikely to happen and at this stage of his tenure it's unfair to believe SS should seek an investment partner either. The guy at least deserves a proper crack at funding and growing the club as the sole-owner.
To my mind, we've made progress on and off the pitch during his tenure. Last year was a set back and this year remains to be seen. One swallow doesn't make a relationship, but neither does a few rough results mean we're fucked. There were some hysterical messages, comments and theories being thrown around and if they're well off the mark SS was entitled to give a bit back.
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Tbh, that's mind-blowing. He's literally just gifted the club that money out of his own pocket.The group accounts to 30 June 2022 state "...the company and group owed Mr SP Sadler, director of Blackpool Football Club Holdings Ltd, a total of £15,990,035 (2021: £16,001,665). This loan is interest free" (Note 24 on page 30).
It's highly credible that this would have risen to £18m in the 14 months between then and SS's statement earlier this week.
(Accounts filed on 9 March 2023)
BLACKPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB HOLDINGS LTD filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK
BLACKPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB HOLDINGS LTD - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activityfind-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
I posted that I felt a bit let down by SS after the transfer window closed. It turns out I was talking utter bollocks and I'm happy to hold my hands up and admit that.
fcblackpool
Well-known member
Totally agree, but we don't know what the future holds for SS. Will he protect BFC against anything nasty? Don't know.
That's why I'm in favour of getting the TG paid for asap. It's how that is done. No doubt direct profits from the TG ie produce kid and sell on for good money should be skimmed and used to pay. Maybe 10% of all transfer profits go to pay.
One thing is certain for me and that it is it will have to be paid for in full or part.
Perhaps I'm not quite on the same wavelength as others in that I want BFC to be self sufficient and capable of survival in the division higher. Someone throwing Xmill in every year isn't sustainable. Maybe SS thinks that way too.
Mark_GT
Well-known member
I've worked as a consultant to the built environment for 13 years and for four years before that as a reasonably senior employee of one of the UK's construction and development giants. In that time all I've seen is development costs growing. Finance.materials, labour, assets, land- wherever you look the trajectory is the same. I can't see that changing so if, and its a big if, everything was in place including funding without loans, now would be a good time to get going. Stand and Revoe development first, maybe keeping a weather eye on what happens at Poolfoot.
AngelBFC
Well-known member
Tbf you weren’t alone
A lot of bollocks has been posted .
SS has made some mistakes. He admits that.
However imo his financial commitment to the club has been phenomenal in the 4 years he’s been owner.
When you see the figures written down and actually think about it, we should all be on our knees thanking him.
He has made mistakes and will continue to do so, but you know that everything is done with the best intentions and what he thinks is best for the club at the time.
AngelBFC
Well-known member
Mistakes are inevitable .
He’s not been in the game all his life .
He’s just a fan like us.
If I’d have had the wherewithal to buy the club I suspect I’d have made errors unnall . Many errors !
Somerset Seasider
Well-known member
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!
BFC_BFC_BFC
Well-known member
Very philosophical
Mark_GT
Well-known member
I like that. Makes me feel very productive
clappers
Well-known member
Eagles
Eagles may soar but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.
voyeur
Well-known member
A person who only makes mistakes has only ever made piles of crap.I like that. Makes me feel very productive
How do you feel now?
Theoneandonly
Well-known member
oh my goodness. We all make mistakes but we don't make them under the guise of a loan to the club. We own them and pay them out of our own monies. To early to say who Sadler is or who he isn't. His actions will tell you who he is further down the line.
Theoneandonly
Well-known member
Or you could look at it as he bought the club for a low price, he puts the club in debt to him and speculates to accumulate whilst hedging his bets. If he succeeds he wins. If he fails he reduces his losses if he sold the club as loans would be repaid. Time will tell.
Do you think he will recuperate all the money he's put in if he sells the club?