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Wealthy clubs hold all the aces
Reporter: Matthew Chambers
Date online: 17/12/2009
PARK LIFE: SIMON Corney revealed at the recent supporters' meeting the scale of the mountain a club of Athletic's size has to climb in order to reach the play-offs.
The managing director of Athletic told the assembled crowd at Radclyffe School, who were present to hear about the directors' plans surrounding the proposed move to a new ground at Failsworth, that the top annual wage budgets in League One are much bigger than those of his own club, and are often funded by wealthy backers.
Corney said that from talking to fellow directors, he understands Leeds United's wage bill tops the list at around £8.5million, followed by Charlton (£7.5m), Norwich (£6m-plus), Huddersfield (£5m-plus) and MK Dons (£4.75m).
Perhaps it is no coincidence that those sides, in addition to a Colchester United club funded by wealthy benefactor Robbie Cowling, occupy six of the top seven places in League One at the moment.
Corney also used the meeting to state clearly that the move to Failsworth is a must if Athletic are to progress.
According to Athletic’s directors there is no other suitable site for a new ground, with space for the associated facilities that will help fund the club, in Oldham.
And Corney also reassured fans that if the move does not transpire, Athletic's owners would not walk away.
"We know that Boundary Park is an emotional thing for many people," said Corney, who added that the value of the site had halved to £9m from the £18m it was valued at two years ago as a result of the recession.
"We have fallen for the place. It is where we started. But I genuinely don't see any alternatives.
"There isn't a 'Plan B' and we would have to stay in a dilapidated stadium (if Failsworth doesn't come off).
"It will not be the end of the club, though, and you will not see us put the club into administration.
"There are 10 clubs on the brink of administration in League One, but we are held up by the Football League as a model on how to run a club prudently.
"So many clubs are on the brink. Huddersfield have a very wealthy owner putting in £5m a year and good luck to them.
“But if he was to walk away, they would be in trouble."
Have Your Say
This discussion about Boundary Park baffles me at times, we need two new stands and with them club facilities, hospitality features,hotel, offices etc built into them, surely doing that would itself bring the stadium up to a high class standard, with the RRE and Chaddy stands being fairly new in football life, sell off part of the Car park and restructure the rest !....sounds reasonable to me ? And still a club to be proud of !
Our chairman at Huddersfield will not walk away from the club because he is also a lifelong supporter which does make a big difference.
the fact is BP is a dump it has been for years. the days of dennis irwin andy ritchie and roger palmer are long gone. lets move start a fresh and look to the future not the past. you never know could be warmer than ice station zebra.
moving is good for the club can you seriously find a club that moved and did not benifit??? bolton were attached to a super market now they have one of the best stadiums in the prem.
Here he is again moaning about funding, so there is justice to a degree the land is only valued at 9 million and not 18, what a shame. But a nice big healthy profit when the houses and flats are built sold or rented (he forgot to add). why does he not sell up or shut up!
Oldham Scotland, the 18M was based on 650 flats (minus 10% for social housing) at 30k profit each. Still 9M isn't bad when they only paid 6M for the whole club and land.
Latics Observer. You are looking at this from the point of view of paying for it yourself. A business man gets somebody else to pay. Most new stadia are funded by Tesco or some other retail development. BP requires Clayton to be developed. That won't happen so they will exploit the memorial ground with council and sports grants plus free land. Its all about money not football.
Thanks Old Manucunian for your business expertise !...this was posted simply as a topic to create some discussion on the present subject.
Not my views my friend, never have been since 1962 when the Old Ford stand swallowed my cigarette lighter and I nearly followed it into the depths of despair under the stands.
A new ground and new start is the only answer now.
OLDHAM SCOTLAND!! you are without doubt the most cynical human being i think i have ever met.. Are you depressed because you depress me with you negetive comments every night i read you bleating on and nothing positive even when we do well you waffle on about rubbish..This club does not need fans like you. stand behind the club for goodness sake and stop throwing rocks at it!!
"Still 9M isn't bad when they only paid 6M for the whole club and land." Old_Mancunian clearly math's was not you strong point at school.
So lets do the sums for you.
Ground & land Value £9m
Purchase PRICE £6m (your figures)
Club running cost over 6 years £3m
Profit 0.
I agree with your figures mad4it. So owning the club for five years has cost them a net of zero pounds, since the increased land value has offset their cash injections. However the point I was making to OS was that despite the economic downturn BP is worth 3 M more today. How many other properties have increased by 50%?
so basically if we include transfer fees into the equation around 1.3 million they are still in profit Mad4it, as you say get it right before correcting others. And as i have said all along their input into this club is nothing!, but a knocked down section of the ground.
ruggy - "can you seriously find a club that moved and did not benifit?"
Just one example. Darlington. Moved into new stadium summer 2003. December 2003, went into administration. Jan 2009, went into administration again. Currently lie bottom of League Two.
So Corney is saying clubs who invest more in their team are more successful? Maybe there is a lesson there somewhere. And just who has let BP deteriorate over the last 6 years?
4 - number of sides to BP when the 3 comedians took over.
3 - number of sides to BP now.
Either redevelop BP and everybody will be behind you, or go to Failsworth and divide the fans. Two miles from Failsworth is the richest club in the world who will have some of the best players in the world - you expect the youth of that area to flock to Latics instead?
"So many clubs are on the brink. Huddersfield have a very wealthy owner putting in £5m a year and good luck to them."
Matthew, this is incorrect and you are getting like Bugby !!! He said that Huddersfield are getting £1 m a year for 5 years of the weathly director not 5 million a year !!
By oafc-fan @ 17/12/2009 13:34:19
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