Independent article

[Rockford's Love Child]

There was a prominent and well written article about Rovers in the Independent today.

The resurgence of Tranmere Rovers and how opportunities have united a community

On the brink of promotion to League One, the Whites have used their power to provide hope for children and former prisoners

www.independent.co.uk

 

[drwhoman]

As you say RLC. A good article.

 

[aldoes mustache]

yes its great to be getting some papper time . im also happy the club and players are keeping quiet going about there work

 

[Boz]

Firstly it's a good article, which puts the club in a positive light.

Couple of things of note. It seems a ground move may be back on the agenda. I remember Mark Palios rejecting the idea when addressing a Trust Meeting a few years ago, primarily on economic grounds. Wonder what's changed, but I'm not sure transport links and infrastructure are currently in place to support a move to the Docklands area of Birkenhead. I'm also a little wary of future part council ownership of the club as political volatility becomes a factor. Suspect that the current climate means that's unlikely.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Yes, I would not be comfortable with the council actually having a stake in the club. Not for party political reasons, but because of the general calibre of a lot of local councillors and the inevitable politicisation of the club's affairs that would follow.

At meetings with Palios I have attended he has said turning the pitch ninety degrees and making the Kop the main stand would be his preference, although it would be very expensive. I think ground expansion only becomes relevant if we are at the top end of League One or in the Championship and probably is not an immediate priority.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

A excellent article of the quality you would expect from the Independent. Thanks for letting us read it, RLC. Mark has a clear view of what needs to be done and how to get it done. Fortunately, the last few years have shown he's usually right.

I am surprised he is looking at a new stadium, as most are built to expand capacity, which is not the issue and may not be even if we reached the EPL. However, the sale of Prenton Park for housing would raise a lot of cash. Land in the old docks area would be cheap and ripe for development. If the area could be regenerated, there would be a lot of money to be made. However, that would be risky and take at least a decade. There would be infrastructure issues as well as fan resistance. Moving the pitch round or rebuilding the main stand might be cheaper and less controversial.

 

[drwhoman]

Do not disagree BBTC. We will all recall the Liverpool new stadium fiasco and I am not convinced that the Everton move is financially viable. It will need a huge amount of cash - 400m? There is talk of a big loan from the local Council. Is that the best use of public monies I wonder with all the disadvantage in Liverpool? What sort of return can the ratepayers expect? It would need a massive upturn not only in Everton's playing fortunes but also their ability to generate commercial income. There is an interesting article in the Guardian today on Premier League finances. Interestingly, only 18% of Liverpool's income of 455m comes from gate receipts, the rest TV 50% and Commercial activities 32%. The current figures for Everton are far lower.

 

[Cowshed Kid]

I think it was significant that the only mention of a ground move was in the preamble of the article, not in what anything MP said.
Turning the pitch round is an interesting one. I know from my old man who was on the books in late 50s that it was being considered way back then.
Great read. What an articulate man MP is.

 

[Boz]

My recollection of Mark’s comments then was that because of restrictions on the number of houses to be allowed on a PP site, the sale value wouldn’t be enough. Things may have changed in the last few years. Do think a stadium rotation is going to be almost as expensive as a new ground, the best time to have done that was when we went all seater.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

We have lost a few thousand seats from the capacity since the stadium was redeveloped and football has changed a lot since our last stint in the Championship, with generally far bigger crowds at higher levels of the game. If we ever did reach that level again our current capacity of about 13,000 would not be fit for purpose, as clubs like Brentford have found. However, whether we ever could be sustainable at that level under our current ownership model, and whether we would even want the financial risks of competing in that division, are moot points. As a result, I doubt the ground is an immediate concern.

 

[Ian]

It certainly is no concern until we start filling PP. That's a long way off yet.

 

[drwhoman]

As an interesting aside, I see that the Bury players have not been paid for twelve weeks! Not only makes their promotion meritorious, however much the Manager is disliked, but it shows how good our management is. We are very lucky.

 

[Mungy's Hairdresser]

Talk about polar opposites, from the excellent MP interview to the toxic statement by Bury’s chairman today which has been met with 100% condemnation on Twitter! Not sure if it’s appropriate to post another club’s website link here but go & take a look at the crazy ramblings if you’re so inclined!

 

[Chris Johnston]

Talk about polar opposites, from the excellent MP interview to the toxic statement by Bury’s chairman today which has been met with 100% condemnation on Twitter! Not sure if it’s appropriate to post another club’s website link here but go & take a look at the crazy ramblings if you’re so inclined!

Blinking hell, what a read that is!
I can't see it ending well for Bury sadly, and it seems very similar to Bolton.
SO, without being callous, if Bury get wound up and lose their promotion to League 1, then I assume the team that lose on Saturday would take their place?

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Blinking hell, what a read that is!
I can't see it ending well for Bury sadly, and it seems very similar to Bolton.
SO, without being callous, if Bury get wound up and lose their promotion to League 1, then I assume the team that lose on Saturday would take their place?

Or maybe the team finishing fourth. I am not aware of any rule for substitute promotees.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I think it is just as likely that Plymouth would get a reprieve.

 

[Chris Johnston]

Well, won't make any difference as we will spank Newport 3-1!!

 

[Cowshed Kid]

There's been some blaming Bury players for signing big contracts for a club with 3000 gates knowing that club couldn't afford it. Utter bollocks.
The players signed in belief the contracts would be honoured. Fair play to them for keeping their side of the bargain.
Doesnt matter where you work, if you're not getting paid its difficult to be totally committed - can't knock their players in that regard.
They'll all move on and leave Bury as a soon to be also ran league 2 team. Which is their level.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I would still blame a lot of the Bury supporters for what has happened. They were warned years ago that the spending was unsustainable, but were happy to go along for the ride. I can't believe our supporters trust would have feigned ignorance if we were in the same position.

 

[ONIGP]

I would still blame a lot of the Bury supporters for what has happened. They were warned years ago that the spending was unsustainable, but were happy to go along for the ride. I can't believe our supporters trust would have feigned ignorance if we were in the same position.

I think this is very harsh! I know a couple of well educated and knowledgeable Bury fans, one a financial professional, and have challenged them both in the past regarding Stewart Day's commercial model. The complexity of his model and the limitations on what he had to disclose clearly made it very difficult for his machinations to be challenged. Ultimately, he promised that the club was well run and secure via his innovative approach to finance. With hindsight, after failure, it is a lot easier to point at the warning signs. At the time both my friends defended Day on the basis that he had robustly and convincingly defended himself when challenged. Taking this into account and that we all have a natural bias towards our own club - we are supporters at the end of the day - I would not levy any blame at the fans. Bury's financial plight (at least that which is over and above the "normal" economic stuff that is endured by many clubs) is entirely down to stewardship. It doesn't exactly cover the EFL in glory, either, who must have some responsibility to monitor both who is running its clubs and how they are doing so.