Hi Mark Not wanting to sound like I just passed a degree in accounting ... but ! Crowds were obviously up by 100+% of what we have now Shirt and merchandise sales also were worth millions We got lots and lots of Sky tv money at a few million a time Each game we played in the CL would have been 5 million plus Sponsorship brought in a crapload too And finally corporate must have been worth a few coppers too Just needed a bit of guts and belief My old dad told me, life is like a piggy bank - what you don't put in you don't get out Speculate to accumulate Arsenal, Man Yoo, Chelski attract the kind of investment that now maintain stability The formula is the same for any football Club, Business or indeed Charity Don't bother trying unless you are going to explore something to its maximum potential based on Risk assessment, market research and by also adding a sh*t load of common sense, otherwise you are simply wasting everyone's time Sometimes, like Mr Ridsdale, his Risk assessment went out of the window and no contingency plan was in place in the eventuality things went t!ts up, as indeed they did. But I for one wasn't moaning when visiting some of Europe's finest stadiums, as a footballing supporter of Leeds for over 30 years of my 40 years on Earth, I can safely say that the buzz of Europe, home and away is the biggest thing I miss I just wonder how close were were to becoming one of the big players I'm not saying we were by any stretch of the imagination 'lucrative' but what we did have was 'potential' Maybe its heart over head, but who else was nearly in tears when Bowyer was suspended for the CL Semi v Valencia, I was doing my nut in on Radio 5's phone in (or Talk Sport) Right or wrong, I'll remember the European adventures with fondness. I'll remember how myself and fellow Mock Jocks were involved with Betty with the Fans Forum and created a friendship square in Eindhoven, strange stories in Troyes, being attacked by coppers in Malaga and many many more We were all invited to AGM's, infact the last AGM the fans had the chance of owning in Proxy over 10% of the shares and could have done something about it The accounts were in the public domain, and our company policy wasn't questioned until... the horse was a few fields away We all listened to the expert Scotsman (name escapes me) who was telling us of the pitfalls, week in week out on the radio waves and local press As a business, those that had long pockets and half a brain exploited the club for self gain, especially an accountant that was named Judy in his spare time Mr Bates, I'm just thankful he exists because IMHO if he didn't we wouldn't have a ground, a club, or a team to support As Yorkshiremen, we are famous for being Moaners, thick skinned and very opinionated.. I'm proud of where I'm from, proud of my roots and one day I hope to be proud of my club again I feel like its been raped, thrown in the spin dryer and then aired for all the public to have a good laugh at Until someone who is passionate about what Leeds United is in charge of the club, we will remain a laughing stock to the entire footballing world Not to worry Just find us a Scottish manager and captain and we'll be back where we belong in no time ! Regards Steve In a message dated 17/10/2006 10:38:30 GMT Standard Time, Mark Bursa writes:
Don't kid yourself, Steve. If that goal had been given and if we'd qualified for the CL again that season it wouldn't have guaranteed us financial security. Far from it. Ridsdale's "business" plan was predicated upon us qualifying for the CL EVERY season. And guess how he would have tried to ensure that? By buying even more players and paying way above the going rate - so increasing the debt. Brown's own goal being given would simply have delayed the meltdown. The moment we failed to get in the CL, the wheels would have come off the wagon. A PLC business with £80m of debt and wages at 91% of turnover is not, by any stretch of the imagination, lucrative. Mark _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist oh alright then :-)
