Most liked posts in thread: Ryan Sparks on Twitter

This is twice in a week I've agreed with you, Jon, Full credit to Ryan and the content of his tweet last night. Open and honest and on the nail, well done I say.
Many months ago I said at some stage I may document my dealings in the Rahic time but not now suffice to say that in the four years, almost, that I have known and had dealings with Stefan I have never found him to be anything other than honourable in his ambitions for the Club and his determination to right the massive (and I mean massive) wrongs of his so called partner.
Yes you can criticise the fact that Stefan might have taken a closer interest and he would be the first to admit that but having made the discoveries he did, matters which had been skillfully hidden in my view, he acted, although Rahic had effectively done a runner two or three days before Stefan followed up an earlier meeting with fan John Dewhirst (John tweeted or blogged about that at the time) with a second meeting with another individual fan. Both of these were in Munich, known about by no more than five people and forever to remain confidential in content.
Rahic knew the writing was on the wall and Stefan was badly hurt personally and reputationally at home and here, a situation which he has consistently vowed to rectify and I believe he will. The comments made by Ryan underline that commitment in hard financial terms.
Moving to Dubois comments, the response from Storck is spot on. Almost all lower league clubs work the same as us with one principle funder, start locally and yes non league has lower overheads but outgoings just the same. One funder at BPA, Halifax, Guiseley, Harrogate, York, then Accrington, Rotherham, Scunny, Bolton, Shrews and on and on.
We are no different, as Ryan says we are in for some hard times but there is no reason to doubt Stefan. Equally if the EFL insist on finishing the season behind closed doors (impossible in my personal opinion) then several clubs will go over the edge through incurring costs, travel, matchday overheads and so on with no return. If that happens let's see who survives. My money is on us being one and we all need to put our energy into encouragement rather than whining and carping about things like Season Ticket refunds or the possibility of having to pay for iFollow. My wife and I bought our Season Tickets weeks ago to put money into the Club, that is no longer possible but as soon as it is then lets get behind the Club.

 

Not surprised to see the losses from Rahic's uber-season are as high as that. Genuinely not.

Rahic signed top end League One players on top end wages, he just did an absolutely awful job of signing the right players that would complement each other. He created a strong contender for the worst and most expensive League One side of all time. I'd be interested in seeing what the other contenders might be, but I bet we'd be top right of that particular graph.

The idea Rupp hadn't put any money in or that somehow the books should balance with the McB money has been around since the flyover era, but given we hadn't seen anything on record and that the year end's didn't seem to satisfy competent financial minds, it's been a long slog to get any verification.

That verification might seem flimsy to some, but I'm satisfied that we've been paying silly money for silly players and Rupp is propping us up.

 

That's what I've repeatedly said. Our entire existence depends on Herr Rupp.

 

Stefan’s loan account. Loan.

He’s lending the club money. Don’t go thinking this is some sort of altruism.

 

Directors Loans are quite common Mike. With great respect to you as a long time fan, I didn't see too much criticism of Mark Lawn when Mark loaned £1 million when we were in danger. He got it back from success we would never have been around to have were it not for the loan BUT he could have equally lost it.
On a lot smaller scale when I was on the Board I made a Directors Loan to pay off a player who said he would see off the remaining season of his contract sitting in the stand. Like Mark I got my money back but might not have.
Easy to pick and pike, risky to put your hand in your pocket. Why not give it a try I'm sure Ryan would be delighted to hear from you.

 

I well remember the 70s and 80s we were no more than average old Div 4 side a much much smaller fan base but I can not remember fans saying they were disengaged with the club we had a community spirit and were owned (sometimes not very successfully) by local "football" people who actually supported the club very much grass roots football
Love him or loathe him we have never had an owner with the drive and ambition of Geoffrey Richmond either before or since he was largely responsible for dragging the club into this century and of course nearly dragging it back again
We need someone with vision and enthusiasm to get us out of this malaise and raise the profile of the club maybe I am being a bit unfair but I don't see any of those qualities at VP these days
Coming out of lockdown and rekindling interest plays a vital part in the future of our club

 

I tell you something, this situation shows how dangerous the hand to mouth running of this club is. Not a single asset in a time of crisis where we have zero income for the foreseeable.

 

which is probably the same as a lot of clubs in our league

 

Other than the fact that on his watch we’ve been relegated whilst spending cash like confetti and apparently restored a level of financial risk akin to several years ago? In 2 years, he’s set us back 10.

 

Who also was part of the problem that caused our demise. They basically wasted the Mcburnie money as a result of the pair's approach to running a club.

 

You write it like they were a crack squad bringing down Hitler ffs

 

BA, Virgin and others begging the government for money tells you that many businesses can’t survive six weeks without income.

 

We were on our honeymoon, in the 2 weeks we took in games at Cambridge, Torquay and Bristol, who says romance is dead..

 

If they were playing and we weren't I might. Three clubs to follow, Brechin cos when I was a kid they always lost and I took pity, then we signed their keeper John Ritchie who was quite good.
St Johnstone who I watched on a school trip aged 13, Ally McLoud later Scotland Manager gave us free tickets.
Falkirk whose ground I bought when I was working, saw their last home game after which they were denied SPL football as the new stadium wasn't ready. That day Owen Coyle and John Hughes( Yogi) were joint managers after Ian McCall former loanee at VP had left them.

 

Thanks Roger, to be fair Mark got some stick for what was if I remember rightly was 9% above base rate, happy to be corrected there, and probably far better rate than a commercial lender would have offered at the time. He risked his kids inheritance and got his money back, fair play to him.
I’m not criticising Stefan for charging interest on a directors loan, lower league football was a huge risk before corona. He’s putting his money in and expecting it back, but it’s not a gift.
PS. I’d love to make a loan to City but if I’m investing our savings it’s going on a business I can influence, like the one I’m a director of.

 

It’s not right football clubs cannot survive for longer than 6 weeks without income. It shows the wages are and transfers budgets are to the limit. What happened to the days of banking something? Obsessed with spending money

 

We'll be fine.

We'll just clap really, really hard.

 

I believe a few posters have had a similar problem.

 

Exactly
Still have no assets no players worth more than a chocolate button nothing tangible to either sell or borrow against our hopes for survival rest with a man who has no interest in football bought us an investment (hoping to make money) and was conned by his fellow investor
Pretty rocky ground from where I am stood

 

I can't foresee how he will get any of it back in the next few years.