Could we prosper in League 1

Like a few other miserabilist souls, I'm slightly relieved we're not going up this year as I'm not sure we would enjoy League 1 very much at the moment. But I'm not so miserablist as to believe that we never could, and I dream of the time when we are an established League 1 club - i.e. we finish in the top half of the table more often than not, we flirt with promotion one year in three and we have decent and exciting runs in both cups.

But the there are opinions like this:

Topsham Boy said:

Well, end of another season..... and having followed City for over 50 years....we’ve gone from being a bang average League 2 team...and at times a poor one.... to a slightly better than average League 2 team. Much improved ground and great academy....but real progress on the pitch remains painfully slow. Same old problem....we have to sell our best players to pay the bills. The rise of the Chiefs... credit to them....hasn't helped either. Without bigger gates and more commercial support we will not make real sustainable progress and be able to reach L1 and be good enough to become established at that higher level.

Click to expand...

..which seem to suggest that mine is an impossible dream.

Which got me thinking - 2010/11 was a brilliant season and then it all went nipples aloft the next year. Were we relegated for the reasons cited above - i.e. was it inevitable that 2010/11 was the exception rather than the rule? What could/should have been done to build on the successes of 10/11? Were there solutions that obviated the need for "bigger gates and more commercial support"? And if bigger gates and more commercial support are essential, what do we need to do to get them?

I fully agree with this, we could very easily be an established L1 club, look at clubs like Rochdale, Stanley and Gillingham all have played L2 football and gone onto become mid table league one clubs.

The reason we arnt is the people who run our club, I fully support fan ownreship but what is the trust and club doing to increase funds? What are they doing to bring new fans in and look after us long term fans? Nothing from what I can see.

Sadly every other club understand money buys you success apart from us, until that changes we won't be going anywhere.

arthur said:

Like a few other miserabilist souls, I'm slightly relieved we're not going up this year as I'm not sure we would enjoy League 1 very much at the moment. But I'm not so miserablist as to believe that we never could, and I dream of the time when we are an established League 1 club - i.e. we finish in the top half of the table more often than not, we flirt with promotion one year in three and we have decent and exciting runs in both cups.

But the there are opinions like this:

..which seem to suggest that mine is an impossible dream.

Which got me thinking - 2010/11 was a brilliant season and then it all went nipples aloft the next year. Were we relegated for the reasons cited above - i.e. was it inevitable that 2010/11 was the exception rather than the rule? What could/should have been done to build on the successes of 10/11? Were there solutions that obviated the need for "bigger gates and more commercial support"? And if bigger gates and more commercial support are essential, what do we need to do to get them?

Click to expand...

At the end of season 2010/2011 we had to choose stick or twist. We chose stick because presumably we did not have the funds to keep Taylor, Cureton and Harley (think it was them if I''m not mistaken.) So not only did we lose three key players but couldn't sign anybody good to replace them, hence relegation the following season.
To be honest we've been over this ground time and time again. As a Trust-run club we have tight restraints on our budget so it is really difficult for us to sign top class Div 1 or 2 players and pay their wages. But if we were privately owned (if anybody was ever interested in buying City) there are inherent risks. Added to this is that our prime income over the last 3-4 years has come from the transfer of young players from our academy. Ironically this success has undoubtedly attracted vultures from other clubs who are quite happy to tempt away our young players and pay relative peanuts in compensation. This state of affairs puts a lot of pressure on our managers and academy staff to improve players that we have gotten on the cheap and to produce young talent to provide our principal income.
I guess the conclusion is that we're kinda stuck.

IndoMike said:

To be honest we've been over this ground time and time again. As a Trust-run club we have tight restraints on our budget so it is really difficult for us to sign top class Div 1 or 2 players and pay their wages. But if we were privately owned (if anybody was ever interested in buying City) there are inherent risks. Added to this is that our prime income over the last 3-4 years has come from the transfer of young players from our academy. Ironically this success has undoubtedly attracted vultures from other clubs who are quite happy to tempt away our young players and pay relative peanuts in compensation. This state of affairs puts a lot of pressure on our managers and academy staff to improve players that we have gotten on the cheap and to produce young talent to provide our principal income.
I guess the conclusion is that we're kinda stuck.

Click to expand...

I think you've got this spot on. It's been particularly frustrating this season that so many of the teams above us in the table are, one or way another, running at a loss but I still have faith that in the long-term our model is the best. I remain naively optimistic that with Bolton's future hanging by a thread and Bury not much better off we might finally be reaching a tipping point. It is interesting that whenever anyone praises Bury's promotion on-line or on social media, almost for the first time, people are quick to point out that they have effectively cheated their way to promotion by signing players they can't afford.

As for our Academy the positive is that we have now reached the point where it has such a good reputation that young players are moving to the area at 16 to join it. Unfortunately the down side of that excellent reputation is that there are more and more rumours of players being snapped up by bigger clubs before they even reach the first team, let alone make the handful of appearances that Ethan and Jordan Storey did.

Our model, While it is lauded by some and has produced some stunning results off field ie Getting the ground developed for next to nothing, Realising our best stream of income is developing talent which has reaped rewards it does have it drawbacks, If we continue to live this mouth to hands existence, On the seasons we get promoted those players that get us there will be snapped up by other clubs, We'll struggle, Get relegated and have to start the whole cycle again, Not a criticism but a fact. So unless we want to change the way the club is run i can't think how it will change

Maybe now we've got past the infrastructure redevelopment which appears to be the reason/excuse for not putting sufficient funds back on the pitch to sustain promotion, the club/Trust will be able to deal with supporting the team financially when, and I mean when not if, we do go up.

grecIAN Harris said:

Maybe now we've got past the infrastructure redevelopment which appears to be the reason/excuse for not putting sufficient funds back on the pitch to sustain promotion, the club/Trust will be able to deal with supporting the team financially when, and I mean when not if, we do go up.

Click to expand...

I hope so Ian, I'd love us to go up and sustain ourselves there, Only thing that concerns me is that with our model we are so reliant on bringing through talent and selling them on we can't keep that talent for long enough to stay in a higher division. Any money we make goes to running the club day to day (Which is probably more expensive than most of us realise) what's left over means we are restricted in how much we can offer any potential signings

On the field we’re not ready for league 1 off if we now are.

With current team: No.

Next thread please...……..

i8cornwall said:

The reason we arnt is the people who run our club, I fully support fan ownreship but what is the trust and club doing to increase funds? What are they doing to bring new fans in and look after us long term fans? Nothing from what I can see.

Sadly every other club understand money buys you success apart from us, until that changes we won't be going anywhere.

Click to expand...

We're getting smarter about generating revenue for sure. Look at the Abba concert at SJP coming up soon, or the big screen for World Cup matches last summer as examples of that (I wonder if we'll do it for the Women's World Cup this year...). Additionally, for the first time ever as I recall, we've secured sponsorship for the away terrace.

As for bringing in new fans, the kids zone thing appears to have been a big success, and gates this season are up a good amount on last season (and continued, despite a mid-season price rise). The Red Legion's displays have been encouraged, with the club allowing access to the ground early to put foils in place against MK Dons.

Money can get you places, but to put it down as a guarantee of success is a little simplistic. Otherwise Newport County wouldn't have made the play-offs and Notts County wouldn't be going down.