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With all the frustrations on the pitch at the moment it is easy to be downhearted. However it's not all bad.
Going back to when TF came in what he was presented with was a small Premiership club, poor quality playing squad, poor facilities. 18,000 capacity was never going to support a Premiership team. Looking at it objectively we are a Championship side. So how to make us competitive in the Premiership longer term was the ambition.
To achieve that ambition you need some upfront investment to try and keep in the Premiership. You need to get the right people in place. On the footballing side TF has appointed two very respected and experienced Premiership managers in Hughes and Redknapp and fully backed them. I think most would agree that on paper two decent appointments and maybe even punching above our weight. Didn't work. That's life. Sometimes thing don't, even if logically they should.
Off the pitch the club have been very active in trying to secure new training facilities and a site for a new ground. There have been problems with this but these things can take years. That is where our expectations are perhaps unreasonable at times. The owners appear to have a vision of how they can make the club work longer term and make into a sustainable business which would allow us to be a proper Premiership team, as opposed to one that probably really shouldn't be there.
An example I would use, being based down here, is Brighton. Years in the wilderness before they got their new ground. Club probably shouldn't even exist. Now they have their new ground and have gone from 6,000 to 24,000 week on week even in the Championship. Southampton took years to get it right, even after their new ground. Look at us. We are in West London so great location. Get a really good quality mixed use stadium and longer term both the business and football club could do very well. But is long term. Two and a half years is not long term!
A lot of people cite Southampton, quite rightly I'd add, as a blueprint. Great record in recent years in bringing players through one of their strengths, polar opposite to us. That didn't happen overnight. The club is doing all it can to improve facilities and it's youth system.
TF took Air Asia from a small company with big debts into a massively profitable and growing business. He would have gone through some of the same business processes with that as will be needed for this project. All about planning and strategy. As I say not every decision will be the right one but doesn't mean overall we aren't heading in the right direction.
I personally think all this negativity coming from some supporters about our ownership is misplaced. We are lucky having the backers we do and they are all extremely successful and experienced business people. Good traits for owning a football club. We may on paper owe a lot of money but it is mainly to them and I'm sure they know what they are doing with the club going forwards.
I am one of those who wish TF would jettison ole Bagpuss but whether he does or doesn't and whether we stay up or not if TF and Co remain with us I am confident in our long term future.
Going back to when TF came in what he was presented with was a small Premiership club, poor quality playing squad, poor facilities. 18,000 capacity was never going to support a Premiership team. Looking at it objectively we are a Championship side. So how to make us competitive in the Premiership longer term was the ambition.
To achieve that ambition you need some upfront investment to try and keep in the Premiership. You need to get the right people in place. On the footballing side TF has appointed two very respected and experienced Premiership managers in Hughes and Redknapp and fully backed them. I think most would agree that on paper two decent appointments and maybe even punching above our weight. Didn't work. That's life. Sometimes thing don't, even if logically they should.
Off the pitch the club have been very active in trying to secure new training facilities and a site for a new ground. There have been problems with this but these things can take years. That is where our expectations are perhaps unreasonable at times. The owners appear to have a vision of how they can make the club work longer term and make into a sustainable business which would allow us to be a proper Premiership team, as opposed to one that probably really shouldn't be there.
An example I would use, being based down here, is Brighton. Years in the wilderness before they got their new ground. Club probably shouldn't even exist. Now they have their new ground and have gone from 6,000 to 24,000 week on week even in the Championship. Southampton took years to get it right, even after their new ground. Look at us. We are in West London so great location. Get a really good quality mixed use stadium and longer term both the business and football club could do very well. But is long term. Two and a half years is not long term!
A lot of people cite Southampton, quite rightly I'd add, as a blueprint. Great record in recent years in bringing players through one of their strengths, polar opposite to us. That didn't happen overnight. The club is doing all it can to improve facilities and it's youth system.
TF took Air Asia from a small company with big debts into a massively profitable and growing business. He would have gone through some of the same business processes with that as will be needed for this project. All about planning and strategy. As I say not every decision will be the right one but doesn't mean overall we aren't heading in the right direction.
I personally think all this negativity coming from some supporters about our ownership is misplaced. We are lucky having the backers we do and they are all extremely successful and experienced business people. Good traits for owning a football club. We may on paper owe a lot of money but it is mainly to them and I'm sure they know what they are doing with the club going forwards.
I am one of those who wish TF would jettison ole Bagpuss but whether he does or doesn't and whether we stay up or not if TF and Co remain with us I am confident in our long term future.
SIR LESLIE FERDINAND!!
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