Charlesworth, Shaun, Okon public forum at CCL. Friday 27 Jan

[Wombat]

Ask a question that might actually get an answer rather than one loaded with an ad-hominem attack.

e.g. At what point do you expect that we might start spending the full salary cap?

If you plan to develop the stadium, how will this affect potential ongoing investment in football operations?

The COE has been progressing but the football club has struggled in the last three years; how do you plan to re-balance the progress of the COE with the performance of the football club?

There are new bidders looking to come into the A-League; that tells us that there are people willing to invest in A-League clubs and they're not all in big cities - are you seeking further investment to help us put the football club back where it belongs at the top of the league?

In other words, ask serious questions and don't be a dick.

EDIT - and JP has good suggestions for your specific queries.

Thanks for the edit...because I was wondering what England's greatest South African had to do with anything?

 

[dibo]

He will answer that if the club was going the way it was in 2013 there'd be no club. And that'd be the end of the discussion.

It doesn't even matter if it's true - we know that that's what the answer will be.

Aside from some smug self-satisfaction of sticking it to the man, what would be the f**king point? Do you want to convince him that it's not worth the bother and he can go and spend his $1m a year somewhere else?

 

[VicMariner]

What's the point of existing if we are just going to make up the numbers?

We have earned more than that.

 

[dibo]

Who's saying they're happy just making up the numbers?

 

[Wombat]

He will answer that if the club was going the way it was in 2013 there'd be no club. And that'd be the end of the discussion.

It doesn't even matter if it's true - we know that that's what the answer will be.

Aside from some smug self-satisfaction of sticking it to the man, what would be the f**king point? Do you want to convince him that it's not worth the bother and he can go and spend his $1m a year somewhere else?

Yes. I want him to run us like a proper club or f**k right off. We are a valuable asset that plenty of other people will be willing to invest in.
I will put in 100k per year for a 10% return of the revenues streams and obviously my share in the land we own at Tuggerah....(subject to Middy's audit)

 

[Wombat]

Who's saying they're happy just making up the numbers?

Mike, last year.

 

[FFC Mariner]

He got lumbered with a property deal when his partner went broke. Do you honestly think a Leeds supporter who has his business in the UK fell madly in love with CCM?

 

[Forum Phoenix]

There's a pretty big middle ground between MC is a money grubbing absentee land lord and being a koolaide drinking apologist.

And it's typically where the truth resides.

FFC, do you honestly think losing money buying a regional football team in Australia is really where it's at for those with large amounts of capital who want to make money? The fact it may become profitable long term via significant expenditure and focus being put into infrastructure/facilities/property development does not make him an evil materialist - it's a ludicrous argument when reality checked. Surprises me you keep making it.

Happy to ask MC what the plan is for squad spend given our past three seasons (inc this one). But I already know what the answer is.

 

[tim...]

We are a valuable asset that plenty of other people will be willing to invest in.

People keep saying this but who?

Who?

Honestly, list some names. And they need to actually invest, not just say they are willing to.

(for clarity, I'm referring to the second half of the sentence - I totally agree we are a valuable asset)

 

[Wombat]

The people that brought scum for a start.
We are not on the market....if we were, I'm sure many investors would be interested.

 

[Big Al]

The people that brought scum for a start.
We are not on the market....if we were, I'm sure many investors would be interested.

We are on the market but not for pittance.

Mike has put so much in that he wants that back and more I'm sure. he has said he's open for investment but probably still wants control. His valuation for investment is probably high as well. He is better off just keeping what his got vs low ball offers. Why dilute if he isn't getting a profit out of it as he doesn't need the money right now.

He has ridden out the losses so far.

 

[Wombat]

We are on the market but not for pittance.

Mike has put so much in that he wants that back and more I'm sure. he has said he's open for investment but probably still wants control. His valuation for investment is probably high as well. He is better off just keeping what his got vs low ball offers. Why dilute if he isn't getting a profit out of it as he doesn't need the money right now.

He has ridden out the losses so far.

We are a decent tax deduction for him. The tax dept might query his lack of expenditure......thats not how you run a successful club Mike.....oh hold on, your not successful...carry on.

 

[nebakke]

The people that brought scum for a start.

So are you saying that you'd be willing to take anything as long as it isn't MC - even if it means becoming a training grounds for mediocre Chinese players going forward?
Look at the internal turmoil in the club after the takeover - what makes you think it would be any better.
I expect that there are plenty of people who could front up the money and be more successfull than MC - the problem is that none of them seem particularly interested - and i certainly think he's outdone the current low bar set in the A-league by Palmer and Tinkler.
MC has at least had the decency to learn from his mistakes and bring in new blood behind the scenes. It's a start.

 

[Wombat]

Behind the scenes new blood won't win you a Football game.
Who is playing better and who is higher up the table....us or Scum?
And 3 years is a f**king long start!

 

[VicMariner]

Who's saying they're happy just making up the numbers?

??? That's what we have been doing for a while now. Waiting for the new TV deal.

What about the whole "don't care about results, just play attractive football" bullshit?

We have already proved we can match it with anyone given a fair go.....well....give us a fair go now!

 

[VicMariner]

Behind the scenes new blood won't win you a Football game.
Who is playing better and who is higher up the table....us or Scum?
And 3 years is a f**king long start!

Enough is enough. New TV deal, let's start spending.
We belong at the top.

 

[Forum Phoenix]

We're all on the same side here. Everyone knows we need investment, desperately wants it and hates watching us lose year after year after year now. And if there was no end in sight it would make sense to go apeshit. But there is a plan and an end in sight.

New TV deal is the big one. Desperately hoping FFA does the right thing but also that Council decides to work with its best and virtually only stadium client.

 

[tim...]

There seems to be a misguided notion that the TV deal having been done means spending right now? I'm not sure that's how it works.

And regardless on anyone's feelings/thoughts on MC - he's been amongst the loudest voices from increased $$$ for clubs from the TV deal.

 

[FFC Mariner]

There seems to be a misguided notion that the TV deal having been done means spending right now? I'm not sure that's how it works.

And regardless on anyone's feelings/thoughts on MC - he's been amongst the loudest voices from increased $$$ for clubs from the TV deal.

Shock horror club owner in "I want more money" outburst

What he conveniently forgets is that every other club gets the same increase. In relative terms we will be no more competitive than we are now. What he really wants is to have us cost him no money.
Where we are on the ladder doesn't bother him (as he keeps saying)

 

[nebakke]

Shock horror club owner in "I want more money" outburst
What he really wants is to have us cost him no money.

You state that as if that's bad or somehow unreasonable...

I'm not sure what the ideology is supposed to be here... He's bought in and supported our club... Might not like the way he's running it, but it's hard to get around that he's been throwing money (and not entirely insignificant amounts) at it for a while.
That doesn't mean that he gets everything his way, or that people shouldn't complain about how he's spending the money - but it really doesn't hang together with these ridiculous hints that he's really just in this thing for the money... The money that clearly wasn't there to start with...

In case anyone's forgotten, we were bloody bankrupt when Charlesworth took over.. Not "this-might-go-bad-or-it-might-not-teetering-on-the-brink" bankrupt... We were "if-we-don't-get-a-cash-injection-by-midnight-tomorrow-we-go-under" bankrupt... So it seems pretty clear to me that the club has been pushing the debts in front of it for years, while performing, being succesful yet unable to match the crowd numbers of the heyday.

Now, even while performing poorly, we have been setting membership records for the last three seasons... Crowds are lower than they were during the championship season, but not THAT much lower... So I don't see any foundation for the claims that spending on players would fix all of our problems.
On top of that, the club has actually started laying out a vision, essentially since Shaun came on-board - and they've never been quiet about how the pain would probably last throughout this year as well...

For mine, there's a light at the end of the tunnel... No one seem to have noticed, but we've actually managed to get through 12 months now, without payment issues or talk to bankruptcy and dissolution - I think that's the first time in half-a-decade at least...

Again - I'm not saying that we should kiss his feet, but as FP pointed out somewhere, there's a LOT of room between worshipping the ground that Charlesworth walks on, and looking for hitmen on craigslist.