How to ruin X'mas by Ebeezer Scrooge Doncaster

This would cheer me up,

Why we should be investing wildly

I wrote in my last column, a fortnight ago, that the previous couple of weeks had been dominated, in football terms, by England's sorry departure from Euro 2008 and our first wins under Glenn Roeder.

Since that time of course, we have won again, at home to both Plymouth and Sheffield United. With four wins from our last five games, it is fair to say that the mood around Carrow Road is totally unrecognisable from the gloom prior to Glenn Roeder's arrival.

We have of course also been joined by Lee Clark and Paul Stephenson, both of whom have added to the positive atmosphere at Colney in their different, but inimitable, ways. It is just a shame that extricating Paul from Hartlepool was such an unnecessarily difficult and convoluted affair.

With the January transfer window shortly due to re-open, it is only natural that an ambitious board would be looking to secure the signatures of our current loan players who have secured immediate success on the pitch. But I am afraid we have failed again.

But below the promised land of the Premier League, talk of ambition' is a concept altogether alien to our current board (me included)

It is therefore sobering to reflect upon the lack of ambition of so many League clubs that appear now to be in real financial trouble due to their short sightedness. Luton Town have already gone into administration (EVEN AFTER SELLING THEIR ALL THEIR BEST PLAYERS THUS GETTING RELEGATED), incurring a ten-point penalty that has put them firmly into the League 1 relegation zone. But the last week or so has seen a number of stories hit the Press which give the clearest indication yet as to the scale of the financial challenges facing selling clubs in the Championship.

Cardiff City, who average home gates of 11’000 six fingered people in the debt ridden land of Wales whose chairman Peter Ridsdale was formerly in charge of the Leeds United, undoubtedly raised a few eyebrows when they still managed to fund the very costly acquisition of Robbie Fowler (6 Goals) and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (5 Goals) last summer

Meanwhile Coventry City who were relegated in 2001 (Payments from Premier ran out in 2003) and have an average gate of 17’000, who have seemingly been in talks over a potential takeover for some months, announced on 3 December that they had filed in court notices of their intent to take the club into administration, with a deadline of 14 December set to complete a deal to save the club. And then, on Tuesday this week, it was reported that Greek billionaire Alki David had withdrawn his interest in buying Coventry, allegedly saying, “After looking through the finances and seeing the numbers, the club is falling apart. The debt does not tally.”. He did make contact with NCFC to see if he could invest but he could not get anywhere near the shares that the majority shareholders own.

Across the land there are some very sensible fans that appear keen to urge their clubs to actually sign some decent players - which is all very well when you look at the bigger picture of possible promotion to the Premier League. The promised land where all our financial worries would end.
And there is always the possibility selling the players for profit if the ‘Premier’ plan fails i.e. Dean Ashton & Robert Earnshaw so the risk is not huge particurlly if the current board members invested in the current team instead of sitting on their hands pleading poverty.

Got to go and lick some pennies now ..............

Posted By: EtuWHO, Dec 13, 13:41:14