What if the club don't want to go up?

[cknu]

Ok. Very conspiracy based but was talking to someone who is "going out" with one of the business people at the club. Apparently the club would be more financially successful sitting at the top of the championship than into the premiership.

The theory is we wouldn't get much more gate receipts whilst still in our current ground but would end up paying more in wages and transfer than the tv money.

At first I dismissed this but with matchday prices already high ( how much more could they raise them by?). We have had several games at near capacity or even capacity with current segregation restrictions.

So with loads of clubs going bankrupt and the current economic condition could the club (say via a transfer panel?) limit our chances in the interest of economic future whilst we organically grow our squad and get a new stadium built?

Has davies actually been dropping hints with his frequent lists given. Young squad, not ready?

 

[Randy Bumgardener]

But surely going up, then even coming down again would be more attractive ? With the TV revenue cash and parachute payments !

 

[winnits]

Given there won't be a new ground for 8 or so years at the earliest this seems spectacularly unlikely.

You cut your cloth accordingly with regard to spending the TV money - see Burnley, Fulham for example.

 

[cknu]

Realistically how many of our players are currently at premiership spec and how many new signings would we need. I think you need to have a sustained stint in the premiership or a man city type wealthy backer.

 

[RedRobbo]

With TV monies, sponsorship, increased gate receipts & sundry other benefits in Premier League worth at least £60m a season more than the championship it is a no brainer! Suggest that 'one of the business people' is so junior as to know nothing of the economics that surround a professional football club? imho

 

[Kier]

Of course Doughty wants us back in the Premiership, as a fan and owner of the club.

Gate receipts would be vastly increased, from the more attractive opposition, bigger away attendences and increased ticket prices. TV money and sponorships mean the club would be far better off financially.

 

[cknu]

Only 11 premiership sides made profits in the previous season.

I'm just saying if I was in doughtys shoes.

Economic business not great at the moment to plow in large sums of money and great expectation to stay up will mean spending those tv revenues on millions of pounds of new players and increased wage bills.

The last thing we want to do is s d**by.

 

[fsor12]

Only 11 premiership sides made profits in the previous season.

I'm just saying if I was in doughtys shoes.

Economic business not great at the moment to plow in large sums of money and great expectation to stay up will mean spending those tv revenues on millions of pounds of new players and increased wage bills.

The last thing we want to do is s d**by.

Even if ND didn't really want the club to get promoted ( which i don't beleive for one second) i bet you the Players do and rightly so.

 

[cknu]

Don't get me wrong. He, like all of us (myself included) would want to get promoted but signing quality players or growing players on championship contracts is cheaper than big money signings in 6 months time.

Was thinking starting a poll on who people think in the squad are good enough for the prem!

 

[winnits]

I always find that a pretty-much impossible call... players can surprise you, especially when they're young.

I'd all but written off Wilson last season, turns out I knew nowt!

 

[B Block Red]

Financially on paper promotion makes sense - windfall of 60m from TV and other rights....

.....but with it come greater wage commitments and expectation that the board will fund additional signings to enable us to compete.

Add to that the potential adverse backlash if you become whipping boys and struggle.

Fickle old business is this.

Doughtys long term saying has been to "attain and retain" Premiership status. I think we would want to go up to achieve that. Can also see the merit in staying down until we are strong enough to go up and stay there.

No idea what NDs finances are like now - daresay a VC has taken a few knocks in the past year. Perhaps now isnt the best time for him to be potentially injecting millions more into a moneypit football club?

 

[earthworm]

Even if ND didn't really want the club to get promoted ( which i don't beleive for one second) i bet you the Players do and rightly so.

Yup, they'll want to play up there for the experience and no doubt the money and profile.

Honestly though, ND is a Forest fan, he'll want us back at the top.

 

[The_City_Is_Ours]

Financially on paper promotion makes sense - windfall of 60m from TV and other rights....

.....but with it come greater wage commitments and expectation that the board will fund additional signings to enable us to compete.

Add to that the potential adverse backlash if you become whipping boys and struggle.

Fickle old business is this.

Doughtys long term saying has been to "attain and retain" Premiership status. I think we would want to go up to achieve that. Can also see the merit in staying down until we are strong enough to go up and stay there.

No idea what NDs finances are like now - daresay a VC has taken a few knocks in the past year. Perhaps now isnt the best time for him to be potentially injecting millions more into a moneypit football club?

Spot on - everybody talks about the £60m tv rights but forgets that the majority of that money would have to go into players and their wages to keep us in the league.

 

[Tutts]

Of course the club & owners want us to go up.

However, this recent blip in form shows how, as a young team with a huge amount of potential, we're not yet ready to do so.

 

[FBS]

Only 11 premiership sides made profits in the previous season.

I'm just saying if I was in doughtys shoes.

Economic business not great at the moment to plow in large sums of money and great expectation to stay up will mean spending those tv revenues on millions of pounds of new players and increased wage bills.

The last thing we want to do is s d**by.

Even if we did "a Derby" and got stuffed each week and came straight back down, at least we wouldn't make the same mistake they did and throw away all the monies from the prem. If we came straight back down, we would be on a much better financial stand point. Look at West Brom

 

[incapable hulk]

If there was any vague truth to this- how long do you think the likes of gunter/camp/blackstock/earnshaw/ando/majewski/cohen would stick around for?
All were drawn to this club for its ambition. If the club was deliberately trying to stay down (which i do not believe for a micro second), all these players would walk.

Do you think mckenna would've left preston for any reason other than the club was gunning for promotion?

 

[the mask of zorro]

I must have heard this one every time we've been near the top of Div 2 in the last 40 years.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

Spot on - everybody talks about the £60m tv rights but forgets that the majority of that money would have to go into players and their wages to keep us in the league.

Which is precisely why this "comment" by a "board member" is about as trust worthy as Rich alone with an intoxicated female.

If we went up and spent zero money on adding to the squad we'd still be in the Championship the season after with the same squad and an extra £60m windfall.
There's absolutely no small print that says Forest must spend £60m when we get promoted, which is what you're suggesting we have to do to stay up - something in itself which is stupid.

If you're going to throw about words like ambition in capital letters on the back of that, surely "not wanting to go up" is even worse.

Absolute trash whoever wrote this.

 

[cknu]

Just to clarify it wasn't a board member. No idea where that came from, but one of the finance guys which basically said it was not wanting to go up THIS year.

As said before, if we did we have a large outlay for new players at Premiership prices, wouldn't get much more in gate receipts, how much more would you pay? We are already nearing £30 a match..
Much more and fans will stay at home and watch Sky.

The theory was sound that if Nigel didn't have a large amount of personal wealth to invest this year (based on investments/markets in recent years) + the number of new players required a delay of a year or two would make more financial success at the club. Then once the building/property investment sector takes off and money starts rolling back in to Doughty..

Buy a few players in on Championship contracts at cheaper fees/wages reducing initial outlay.. etc..

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

What difference does it make if we go up this year, next year or in five years time? You're arguing that we'll spend loads in the the Premiership and might come down and be in a slightly dodgy position, right? Well, news for you, that's going to happen whenever we get there. We won't be able to form a Premiership quality side whilst in the second tier, it doesn't work like that - we have to get there first.

Also, you're suggesting that the club won't know how to correctly invest £60m into our club? I know many people dislike Marthur but honestly, who are we going to sign that combined cost us more than £50m (saving 10 for extremely generous wages). I doubt even we could attract players to make such investment possible.

I'm not digging at you (or at least not trying to) but it's just absolutely bonkers to suggest the club would actively stall promotion for financial improvement. It's along the same lines as saying "I want to stay fit, so rather than go out for a 30 mile jog I'll sit home and eat four cakes whilst watching that fat bird from take me out keep her light on for every single bloke."

There's also no guarantee we'll go up in following seasons, so we'll take our chance now if it comes thankyouverymuch.