Exeter financial woes

Be interested to get the pirates take on this. Previously Exeter have been held up as A shining example Of football club ownership, yet lose a few games and it all goes fits up

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How ironic!

A Trust owned club is still the way forward but it won't succeed in footballs current climate of capitalism at any cost. The problem is not that of a Trust owned club, the problem is with football, unfortunately it's clubs like Exeter that will suffer footballs consequences.

The answer is, a Trust owned game, but I expect to see man land on the sun before that happens.

If it wasnt for the fact they are taking so much pleasure out of our situation I'd feel sorry for them. Again it's roots are in a similar kind of apathy we see at Argyle, where the club gets stolen from under it noses because nobody really cares about that sort of thing.

GOB wrote:

How ironic!

A Trust owned club is still the way forward but it won't succeed in footballs current climate of capitalism at any cost. The problem is not that of a Trust owned club, the problem is with football, unfortunately it's clubs like Exeter that will suffer footballs consequences.

The answer is, a Trust owned game, but I expect to see man land on the sun before that happens.

Indeed GOB,which is why i've never been in favour of the trust as a model that would enable real progress to be made at Argyle.I'm not being wise after the event,either-it just struck me as inevitable that once on the pitch fortunes start to dwindle,then it would be nigh on impossible for essentially non-monied people to cope.Obviously Argyle are not exactly a shining example of how to succeed doing it the other way but as far as i'm concerned it was lack of courage,combined with atrocious decision making at many different levels that led to our demise and with a competent,ambitious and adequately funded board in place,a trust will not be needed.

Reading the OP it looks like Exeter can't afford to play in League 1 at the moment, unless their crowds increase or they get a lucky cup draw. This seems to be the drawback of Trust owned clubs in that they don't have enough financial backing to compete (unless they had tens of thousands of members). I met an Exeter fan last week who said he hoped they would stay in League One (rather than trying for promotion to the Championship) and he gave the impression that Exeter would struggle both on and off the pitch.

I couldn't be bothered to read all of the Exeter post. The username put me off and I can't be bothered to read any more right wing piffle that is no more than the same old ping pong... oh, how we were told privatising the public power utilities would keep prices down.

Things go up, things go down. The contemporary capitalist way, in fact the eternal capitalist way, is to privatise profits and nationalise losses. At least the Exeter Trust have reaped the benefits of their up times, not some Todd or Gardner. They're a small club and will suffer their cyclical relegations like anyone else. The ownership model will never make a club immune from relegation. That relegation, which I believe will happen this season, will mean the club will have to reduce it's spending. I hope they had the foresight not to commit to long term unaffordable contracts like our gambling profiteering thickos did. With a Trust owned club, it is more likely that a big overspend can be avoided.

While I agree and enjoy most of Freathy's views, I harbour no desire to be taken on a rich man's ego trip dressed in green... it either comes from the community or it doesn't. As a fan, group identity is where it's at for me ... the old Wimbledon are my idea of success, if not the style of their football ... a pokey little club with an attitude and loyalty second to none. When that went, so did the club.
I have never seen the point of Wigan and it's horrendoudsly force fed football club monstrosity... it's a rugby town.
We can't all win the Premiership, we can't all win the table tennis world championship. I would rather win and lose under a community owned entity.

penzancepirate wrote:

While I agree and enjoy most of Freathy's views, I harbour no desire to be taken on a rich man's ego trip dressed in green... it either comes from the community or it doesn't. As a fan, group identity is where it's at for me ... the old Wimbledon are my idea of success, if not the style of their football ... a pokey little club with an attitude and loyalty second to none. When that went, so did the club.
I have never seen the point of Wigan and it's horrendoudsly force fed football club monstrosity... it's a rugby town.
We can't all win the Premiership, we can't all win the table tennis world championship. I would rather win and lose under a community owned entity.

I agree - in a perfect world. But football has gone down the wealthy investor route and we are where we are. I hate rampaging capitalism with a passion and long for the day when it falls. I would love to see all clubs more or less on an equal footing like it was only as recently as the 1980s/early 1990s when a well run club owned by well meaning but skint locals and fans could compete.

I agree with PP but until you see an Exeter fan standing beside an Argyle fan, a Newcastle fan standing beside a Sunderland fan and a Millwall fan standing beside a West Ham fan and all demanding changes, nothing will change. Whilst fans remain as jester hat wearing, happy-clappy, insincere thick one trick pony loyalist, they are wide open to be abused and nothing will change.

Freathy wrote:

penzancepirate wrote:

While I agree and enjoy most of Freathy's views, I harbour no desire to be taken on a rich man's ego trip dressed in green... it either comes from the community or it doesn't. As a fan, group identity is where it's at for me ... the old Wimbledon are my idea of success, if not the style of their football ... a pokey little club with an attitude and loyalty second to none. When that went, so did the club.
I have never seen the point of Wigan and it's horrendoudsly force fed football club monstrosity... it's a rugby town.
We can't all win the Premiership, we can't all win the table tennis world championship. I would rather win and lose under a community owned entity.

I agree - in a perfect world. But football has gone down the wealthy investor route and we are where we are. I hate rampaging capitalism with a passion and long for the day when it falls. I would love to see all clubs more or less on an equal footing like it was only as recently as the 1980s/early 1990s when a well run club owned by well meaning but skint locals and fans could compete.

Having said that,Argyle actually have never been able to compete financially on a consistent basis,even when the playing field was more even.It's no coincidence that Argyle's best spell since WW2 came when Blindell was in charge in the early '60's and was able to fund the purchase of players like Newman,McAnearney,McParland,Jones etc.When Blindell was forced out,the old familiar pattern started again once the locals took over-sale of best players,cheap replacements,relegation,years in the doldrums.Personally,i don't give a tuppenny toss who takes charge [within reason,of course],as long as they can fund Argyle at least to the level of the second tier and beyond.I want to see Argyle in the premiership and fulfilling the role that it should in representing the 13th biggest city in the country and nothing less will do.

It will be interesting to see how the trust model works when the chips are down. I wish Exeter well but I think they are best off in the 4th division.

Frank Bullitt wrote:

It will be interesting to see how the trust model works when the chips are down. I wish Exeter well but I think they are best off in the 4th division.

Frank, you are right. City have and will never have any money. We are or indeed were punching above our weight. For us the Trust model does work and was brought in when the "chips" were well and truly down. In fact the only money we had were chips. I am just happy that City will continue to have a Club it can call its own and it looks like being able to sustain it for many many seasons. that is all I ask or indeed any fan asks. To have a club to support until death. Nobody wants to see their football club die before them. Division 3, Division 4, Southern Premier Division, it makes no difference to me. Be able to watch my team or simply see the scores come through on a Saturday afternoon is all that matters.

Well said Red Star.