The Falkirk FC Thread

[roman_bairn]

Why is it not the real gap? The club has run at an underlying loss since we got relegated in 2010 and filled the holes with cup runs, player sales and in some seasons soft loans.

The situation is clearly more serious this season.

I really think in your role you ought to know better, and if ever I needed an example of board defending you are providing a blueprint…..

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, roman_bairn said:

The situation is clearly more serious this season.

I really think in your role you ought to know better, and if ever I needed an example of board defending you are providing a blueprint…..

My role? I don’t have a role. I am not defending anything. I was as critical of the email wording as anyone. But You get an email that lays out what the issue is (Park the poor wording ) and you say they are being vague. 
Of course the situation is not great we are in L1 for a fourth season. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by Back Post Misses

[roman_bairn]

My role? I don’t have a role. I am not defending anything. I was as critical of the email wording as anyone. But You get an email that lays out what the issue is (Park the poor wording ) and you say they are being vague. 
Of course the situation is not great we are in L1 for a fourth season. 

Absolutely it was vague. And it’s not even the first time we have been discussing vague statements fed to us by the current board either….

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, roman_bairn said:

Absolutely it was vague. And it’s not even the first time we have been discussing vague statements fed to us by the current board either….

What part was vague about the need for finance? Hopefully you understand things more clearly after this podcast 

Edited October 3, 2022 by Back Post Misses

[LatapyBairn.]

Really don’t see what was vague about that most recent statement, I know some took offence to the wording of it but that’s by the by now. For me it was pretty blunt but also very clear as to where the clubs financial position is and the amount of money needed to rectify it, the only part I would have liked more detail on is what would be the consequences if we weren’t able to fill the hole in the finances through the Patrons Group and FSS purchasing more shares as seems to be the preferred option thus keeping us on track to achieve a majority fan ownership. Will it then be a soft loan from one of the major shareholders or will the drive for a fan owned club be ripped up and all available shares sold off to an individual rather than the two supporters groups as has been rumoured?

 

Edited October 3, 2022 by LatapyBairn.

[RC55 FFC]

The YouTube upload of tonight’s podcast is taking ages due to the extended nature of the episode (just under 2hrs in length)

But it is already available to download & listen on Apple, Spotify etc if you aren’t fussed about looking at John or I’s mugs. 

“On the podcast we are joined by club directors Kenny Jamieson and Keith Gourlay for a bumper edition of Falkirk Daft. 
Talking about THAT email, the financial future of the club, the Rawlins, the stadium and much more in an episode that cannot be missed. 
Plus a look back at the McGinn show ie the Clyde game, ahead to Peterhead and Yogi in Rosies!

Expect the Unexpected!”

[RC55 FFC]

9 minutes ago, LatapyBairn. said:

Really don’t see what was vague about that most recent statement, I know some took offence to the wording of it but that’s by the by now. For me it was pretty blunt but also very clear as to where the clubs financial position is and the amount of money needed to rectify it, the only part I would have liked more detail on is what would be the consequences if we weren’t able to fill the hole in the finances through the Patrons Group and FSS purchasing more shares as seems to be the preferred option thus keeping us on track to achieve a majority fan ownership. Will it then be a soft loan from one of the major shareholders or will the drive drive for a fan owned club be ripped up and all available shares sold off to an individual rather than the two supporters groups as has been rumoured. 

Cheers for advertising

[RC55 FFC]

1 hour ago, Andy Dufresne said:

I told him I was a Falkirk fan,he asked me if he should start running.

To which I hope you replied - “Can you out run my motor?”

[Andy Dufresne]

5 minutes ago, RC55 FFC said:

To which I hope you replied - “Can you out run my motor?”

I was in my van,which i think may have upset my employers

[RC55 FFC]

2 minutes ago, Andy Dufresne said:

I was in my van,which i think may have upset my employers

They knew the risks….

[RC55 FFC]

1 hour ago, RC55 FFC said:

The YouTube upload of tonight’s podcast is taking ages due to the extended nature of the episode (just under 2hrs in length)

But it is already available to download & listen on Apple, Spotify etc if you aren’t fussed about looking at John or I’s mugs. 

“On the podcast we are joined by club directors Kenny Jamieson and Keith Gourlay for a bumper edition of Falkirk Daft. 
Talking about THAT email, the financial future of the club, the Rawlins, the stadium and much more in an episode that cannot be missed. 
Plus a look back at the McGinn show ie the Clyde game, ahead to Peterhead and Yogi in Rosies!

Expect the Unexpected!”

Now OUT on all platforms…

 

[AL-FFC]

2 hours ago, Andy Dufresne said:

I told him I was a Falkirk fan,he asked me if he should start running.

Did you ask him if that was a statement or a question ..lol

[Harry Kinnear]

The thing that I don’t get is there are loads of folk on here with agendas and whether they are right or wrong we all want the same thing, success for the Bairns. Why the f**k can we not just all work together and try and support our club. Think how we would all feel if the Bairns went out of existence, it’s absolutely unthinkable. After a bit of deliberation I’ve upped my monthly FSS contribution, I know to some this just can’t happen as they simply cannot afford it but in my eyes this makes them no less of a Bairns fan than me. You give what you can afford and that’s it. Wouldn’t it be great if we all just pulled in the same direction.

[FFC 1876]

22 minutes ago, Harry Kinnear said:

The thing that I don’t get is there are loads of folk on here with agendas and whether they are right or wrong we all want the same thing, success for the Bairns. Why the f**k can we not just all work together and try and support our club. Think how we would all feel if the Bairns went out of existence, it’s absolutely unthinkable. After a bit of deliberation I’ve upped my monthly FSS contribution, I know to some this just can’t happen as they simply cannot afford it but in my eyes this makes them no less of a Bairns fan than me. You give what you can afford and that’s it. Wouldn’t it be great if we all just pulled in the same direction.

I think that's very much the message the new board are trying to get across. Having just listened to the new Falkirk Daft podcast and not really knowing any of the new board at all I thought both Keith and Kenny came across very well, both apologising for the poor wording in the last statement. Since the very first pledgings for a fan ownership, I've had someone completely different in my head as to who I thought was Kenny Jamieson so now I'm trying to rack my brain as to who the hell I've had him mixed up with for all this time.

For years we've moaned about the running/governance of our club and finally we've got the chance to change that by following the fan ownership model.

It's horrific timing given the last two years of covid and the current financial climate but we most likely won't get the opportunity ever again so it's one we really need to grasp with both hands. 

 

[FFC 1876]

@RC55 FFC another excellent and in this weeks case much needed episode to help clarify the goings on at our club. Thought you both handled the questioning perfectly. 

 

[Reggie Perrin]

Just been watching Match Time Revisited on ITV4, one of the matches from Jan 82 was a cup tie between Blackpool and QPR.

Some character called Stainrod just tried to score direct from the kick off.

Obviously a trial run.

[roman_bairn]

Excellent podcast but a very worrisome situation with the possibility of a cash flow crisis without urgent investment:

We typically budget around 1.75M with income of 1.3M projected with the shortfall of 450k covered by revenue from player sales income.

We set the same budget this season but there’s no opportunity for player sales income due to the latency from the closure and reopening of the academy. So we need to close that gap through fans income which  we are struggling to achieve. Indeed this season we further invested another 150k to get the players in we needed so the gap this season is 600k.

The Rawlins appear to have lost interest and are highly unlikely to increase investment. Indeed they are more likely to want to sell up in future.

We will talk to other parties re loans or investment but there’s nothing definitive at this stage to confirm that there is a safety net available.

That’s what I took from the excellent podcast but feel free to correct me.

For me the situation is pretty serious and the talk of scaremongering premature.

I’ll increase my investment too but I’ll not be led down a path of not questioning the board on their approach until such time as there’s financial stability. However I do get the impression that they are trying hard to get the right balance. We have the players on the park now but it’s at a heavy financial cost so we NEED to find a solution to cover that fast or we may not have a club if we are not careful…..

[Guest Caractacus Potts]

Just finished listening. Thought Kenny and Keith came across well. They explained their position clearly and apologised for how the statement came across which is what we all wanted. It certainly made a huge change to the beligerent and contemptible style of Deans and co. 

I still think there’s a lot the club can still do to try and entice fans to spend money without just asking for it. I also think there still should be some accountability on player signings to protect the club from long term deals or high wages on risky players but do understand that it’s not as easy to implement when trying to appease the manager too.

That said, I think they answered well and gave a very good insight to how things are at the club. Was really refreshing to hear and hope that as a result many more sign up to the FSS so that we can ensure things keep ticking over till the end of the season. 

Edited October 4, 2022 by Caractacus Potts

[Shodwall cat]

Quite incredible for a league one club to have posted over a million quid loss last season and end up midtable. Crazy stuff.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, roman_bairn said:

Excellent podcast but a very worrisome situation with the possibility of a cash flow crisis without urgent investment:

We typically budget around 1.75M with income of 1.3M projected with the shortfall of 450k covered by revenue from player sales income.

We set the same budget this season but there’s no opportunity for player sales income due to the latency from the closure and reopening of the academy. So we need to close that gap through fans income which  we are struggling to achieve. Indeed this season we further invested another 150k to get the players in we needed so the gap this season is 600k.

The Rawlins appear to have lost interest and are highly unlikely to increase investment. Indeed they are more likely to want to sell up in future.

We will talk to other parties re loans or investment but there’s nothing definitive at this stage to confirm that there is a safety net available.

That’s what I took from the excellent podcast but feel free to correct me.

For me the situation is pretty serious and the talk of scaremongering premature.

I’ll increase my investment too but I’ll not be led down a path of not questioning the board on their approach until such time as there’s financial stability. However I do get the impression that they are trying hard to get the right balance. We have the players on the park now but it’s at a heavy financial cost so we NEED to find a solution to cover that fast or we may not have a club if we are not careful…..

We don’t typically set any budget at £1.75m, this is the first budget this board have set! Our projected income is not £1.3m this season it in on track to be £1.9m. It is our outgoings that are 400k more than that. 
Our first year down we turned over £2.1m, then COVID hit and turnover dropped to £1.1m. Last season it only jumped back up to £1.3m. 
The Board took the view that they couldn’t get back to £2.1m in one jump so set a budget of £1.75m. However with the quality of the 14 players left over and the first bunch of new players it only gave a squad of 20. They then took the decision to add 150k to the playing budget and upped the income the budget to £1.9m which they are on track to hit currently so the trading loss is not 600k it is 400k. If you wish to check what I have just posted go to around 1hr 25min in. After you posted this I listened to it again to check what I thought I heard first time around. 
On player sales they said they probably had some assets now but do not wish to sell as the squad needs to be strong. 

To me it was a frank and open interview. They explained the rational in the email, admitted the tone of the paragraph didn’t come over well and apologised. It tells everyone where we are and what we need to do if we want fan ownership.
 

I don’t see this really as a begging bowl. It is about creating an ownership model that safeguards the club long term for the supporters. It is up to the fans now. They either want that or too many fans don’t. Sadly it doesn’t come for free and if fans want it they need to join FSS and contribute.