Big Baz (and t'other stuff from Chesterfield folk)

[morecambe mick]

Side note, are we debt free, as fans we are not in a position to ask that question as it is none of our business, MFC is a business and we are the customers, not co owners

you serious?

fans pay money through turnstiles and without them clubs would not exist so fans are in a very strong position ask question's what dont add up

Didn't people on this board slag off Chester City fans for taking that attitude?

There should be nothing wrong in asking.

I've asked questions and been given answers.
I'm happy with those answers and trust the board.

Some, on the other hand, would rather just ask the questions on an anonymous message board on the internet and expect answers.

[ezz]

Well sorry for not being able to go up to Rod Taylor and ask him personally......
Anyway the question was only asked because people on this messageboard were stating we are debt free AND also claiming it on the Chesterfield forum. So wondering if it was correct or not I thought i'd ask, purely because I was pretty sure we arn't debt free........yet

That make all you grumpy arses happy?

[Dazzer]

I'm not at all sure we can use the 'debt free' label to describe ourselves at all. Are we saying that Sainsbury's paid £12m for the Christie Park land? I'd be amazed.

I trust the board implicitly to prudently manage the financial position of the club but surely there is a level of debt funding the new ground.

I wonder how much that debt is? what is the level of interest on it? and over what period is the debt repayable. I don't expect for one minute the board to announce any of that, but it does'nt stop me wondering.

[Morecambe Player]

I'm not at all sure we can use the 'debt free' label to describe ourselves at all. Are we saying that Sainsbury's paid £12m for the Christie Park land? I'd be amazed.

I trust the board implicitly to prudently manage the financial position of the club but surely there is a level of debt funding the new ground.

I wonder how much that debt is? what is the level of interest on it? and over what period is the debt repayable. I don't expect for one minute the board to announce any of that, but it does'nt stop me wondering.

12 Million quid isn't much to Sainsburys. They would make that in the first 6 months of trading without any danger whatsoever. If anyone on here works for Asda or Morrisons, they will tell you just how much they take per week. Just think about how many customers pass through the doors daily and the average spend, and you realise just how much they pull in each day.

[Dazzer]

That's a fair point MP, but it does'nt mean to say they will pay over the odds for land. Despite their astronmical turnover these organisations manage their costs and margins very very carefully.
I suppose you just have to ask, what is the availabilty, and going rate for land of that size in the area. That would just be blind speculation on my part.

[BHmfc]

I'm not moaning, of course the new ground is a vast improvement on CP, but with minor adjustments to the plans it could have been so much better. The community block in the centre of the open terrace would have made the ground far more pleasing on the eye and would negate the need for one of the floodlight pylons to be placed in front of the away terrace (see the updated photos on Morecambe Stadium). I'ts the small details that can make all the difference. Anyway can't wait until the open day, to be able to have a proper look round.

[scar]

Lets all just wait on a minute and take the time to consider the professional architects and advisors who designed the stadium, then perhaps give them credit for what they have brought us instead of critisising them on minor points.

Community block - put it in the middle of the stand and it splits the stand in half - no access from one side to the other at the front or back. It means you need more turnstyles, more toilets, more catering facilities (one set for each side of the stand thats then split by the community block.

It would also move the changing facilities for the sports pitches further away from them.

Location of the floodlights, again I would have thought that these were discussed with the lighting engineer before being sighted. If you study the plans you'll see they are all outside of the line of sight of the actual playing area.

Debate is always good but before we start suggesting X Y or Z could have been done in a different manner, lets wait until the stadium is open and we've experienced it for ourselves.

[heysham_mfc]

nobody was concered untill the comments were made on Chesterfield's forum and The Football Forum

[morecambe mick]

Well sorry for not being able to go up to Rod Taylor and ask him personally......
Anyway the question was only asked because people on this messageboard were stating we are debt free AND also claiming it on the Chesterfield forum. So wondering if it was correct or not I thought i'd ask, purely because I was pretty sure we arn't debt free........yet

That make all you grumpy arses happy?

My comments weren't aimed at anyone in particular, but if the cap fits.

I'd be amazed if we were debt free myself.

Some may claim we're going to sign Paul Scholes on a year long loan, on here and another message board, doesn't mean it's true though.

[ezz]

I know some people can claim such far fetched stuff, but this seemed a bit more down to Earth that i've heard countless times on here, and then also when i went onto the Chesterfield Forum. Just wanted to know whether it was true or not as I highly doubted we were debt free, but I am confident we are in a good financial position.

[BHmfc]

scar, when i say in the centre of the open terrace i mean in the centre but set back, the same position it is now, eg at the back of the terracing, not cutting everything in half like you suggest. Also, if you look at the updated photos on Morecambe Stadium Website, the floodlight next to the community block is sited in front of the terracing. I think the best course of action is to wait until the open day, lets all have a look around and then open a new post, giving our feelings and thoughts on the new ground, so until then, goodnight.

[Posh]

I know some people can claim such far fetched stuff, but this seemed a bit more down to Earth that i've heard countless times on here, and then also when i went onto the Chesterfield Forum. Just wanted to know whether it was true or not as I highly doubted we were debt free, but I am confident we are in a good financial position.

We are debt free as we received full payment from Sainsburys some time ago. That's obviously being spent at a considerable rate so who knows how long we'll be debt free for. However as it was the chairman, owner, benefactor and underwriter of our previous losses who stated we'd be debt free I tend to believe him.

[taz]

I know some people can claim such far fetched stuff, but this seemed a bit more down to Earth that i've heard countless times on here, and then also when i went onto the Chesterfield Forum. Just wanted to know whether it was true or not as I highly doubted we were debt free, but I am confident we are in a good financial position.

We are debt free as we received full payment from Sainsburys some time ago. That's obviously being spent at a considerable rate so who knows how long we'll be debt free for. However as it was the chairman, owner, benefactor and underwriter of our previous losses who stated we'd be debt free I tend to believe him.

That is correct,the chairman stated this in the press conference which revealed that Sainsburys had bought Christie Park.

[Christies Child]

..and just to confirm what Posh has posted. At the last AGM in February it was stated that we would be debt free. I've no reason to doubt otherwise as I have complete faith in the powers that be.

[morecambe mick]

I know some people can claim such far fetched stuff, but this seemed a bit more down to Earth that i've heard countless times on here, and then also when i went onto the Chesterfield Forum. Just wanted to know whether it was true or not as I highly doubted we were debt free, but I am confident we are in a good financial position.

We are debt free as we received full payment from Sainsburys some time ago. That's obviously being spent at a considerable rate so who knows how long we'll be debt free for. However as it was the chairman, owner, benefactor and underwriter of our previous losses who stated we'd be debt free I tend to believe him.

In that case...... I'm

But

[George Dawes]

financially i think we've got the measure of L2 now ie. wages and size of the squad and the faith MFC have in SM with his pulling power getting players to sign who have been released meaning no transfer fee involved


am not worried at all.

[Posh]

Just to add, and I'm sure all of this will become public, is that the behind the scenes operation is being ramped up as much as that at the physical stadium. If we go back a couple of years there were two sometimes three full-time staff at the club not including the football side. That has changed and will be significantly different come next season. For example the club has a full-time book-keeper/accountant, which means much tighter financial management of the club.

In addition the club are already seeing additional revenues from sponsors boxes, ticket sales and that's before the function suites, bars, meeting rooms and more start to get used. And this in addition to the additional £250,000 promised from the Premier League.

The Chairman is absolutely determined that the Arena and the Football Club operate as a successful business and protects our future for decades to come. At the same they're intent on keeping the excellent community spirit around the club. Bearing in mind PMG's successes in building Reebok, turning Umbro from a business on the edge of bankruptcy to one sold to Nike for over £100 million and now building Americana the owners of brands such as Bench into a worldwide success shows he's no fool when it comes to running a business. And be assured he's the one driving this and very successfully.

[Posh]

Corporate facilities for all those massive PLC's based in Morecambe??? Sounds like a money making plan to me.

Sorry to use your quote but some of the cynicism on this board is incredible at times. The failure to celebrate the town's successes and build on it is apparent in all aspects of local life.

For the record. Morecambe is effectively the HQ of OCS, who employ 65,000 worldwide and are a UK top 100 company; British Energy, a quoted company, employee over 1,000 people at Heysham Nuclear Power Station one of the largest power generation centres in the UK; Lancaster University is the leading North West university and has one of the top 5 MBA courses in the UK; and over and above this there are companies like Alfa Aesar, Northern Tissue (NTG), University of Cumbria, Heysham Port, Seatruck Ferries, BT and subsidiaries, Design Pack, and many more doing amazing work not just across the UK but worldwide and employing over 100 staff each. We've also had the fastest growth of virtually any area of the North West and unemployment is lower in Lancaster and Morecambe than almost any urban area in the North of England.

It's time Morecambe and Lancaster celebrated this success and start building on it rather than chipping away at its foundations by knocking it, blocking its progress and moaning rather than fighting for its future.

[Sammy h]

We aren't debt free.

[scar]

We aren't debt free.

What is it that you know that the Chairman doesn't (or didn't tell us)?

Not having a dig, it's a genuine question as the word from the officials at MFC is that we'd move debt free.

[Christies Child]

We aren't debt free.

What is it that you know that the Chairman doesn't (or didn't tell us)?

Not having a dig, it's a genuine question as the word from the officials at MFC is that we'd move debt free.

Some people have a problem in believing what has been well documented....

[ezz]

See thats all someone had to say after my first question, a direct quote from the chairman was all I wanted to know

But then that would make the discussion so much shorter and easier!!