Would you take a mid-table finish this year with our finances back in tact?

[Dan LCFC]

Who says our finances are in a mess? We have millionaire owners. You people are mental, let the club worry about the finances (which i'm sure they are doing) and let us concentrate on getting behind the club to win promotion. Mid-table? Eff off.

People like you are part of the problem. Absolutely deluded beyond words.

You don’t need to outspend everyone to get promoted; you need a well thought out long term plan, with good management, coaching and recruitment!

Reading, Swansea et al didn’t buy their way out of the division.

I know being a big spending club can be exciting as a fan, but raises expectations, which cause unrest amongst players and fans. I don’t want us to be a Portsmouth or Rangers!

I would prefer financial security and a steady progress, spending money wisely on the academy and up and coming players to build to promote in 2 to 3 years’ time.

Plus we can still do it this year! We have good players and realistic manager, judge them at the end of the season not the end of August!

This 100%

Swansea/Reading are sorted for years.

True, I think a lot of the fun has been eroded from the game as far as supporters go, back in the day the results seemed less important I went for a laugh, cheap tickets, standing etc.......now with so much fun taken out of going to games fans only hope of enjoyment comes from promotions or playing the big teams.

One of the best comments ever on FT

People need to enjoy the journey more, including its downs, and stop hanging their only enjoyment on the destination

So true this is, I really do think football in England in-particular is failing itself.

It's become so based around money, so based around the football on the pitch and so little off-it, that people demand a lot there.

I think once you bring in rules and attitudes that are clearly against atmosphere, then you're actually putting a lot of pressure on the players as it's perceived as entertainment, something you're almost being restricted in how involved you can be in it, leaving the football itself to be the entertainment.

Whilst I don't agree with booing, there's a lot more to it than just people being idiots - I think what I've just said is a big reason.

All these polls just go to show that the majority of our fans are actually quite decent and balanced in their views but it is the 10% or so that give us a bad name.

And Radio Leicester and the fact they try and be extremely disproportionate and unfair in the way they try and portray our fans.

please go and look at the league predictions on here , then the vote for midtable happiness ? they dont make sense one bit ? the truth is imo , most lcfc fans deep down know WE ARE a midtable team and thats all we deserve to be and the predictions for the league weren't a prediction but a dream of ours . i think a reality check has been taken by all . we just are not as good as we think we are .

It's not the point, I'm not saying we should be happy to come midtable but I think it's more the point, is a league finish really our priority? Is it really worth a honeymoon of splashing cash? I mean lets be honest, except Blackpool, there's been no cheap transformations in a such a short space of time.

Last year still goes down as one of the worst seasons we've had for me, we threw so much at it and delivered so little, I'm just glad we got Pearson in in time to start the recovery early (I am being serious there as well).

[reynard]

I recall listening to a Radio5 wake up to money programme about football finances and they featured us and other Championship sides on it. The basic premise was that the current financial structure of our sort of club was completely unsustainable.

However, a perfectly workable and profitible business model would emerge from 1 year every four in the premiership. From next season this would be even more the case.

So I'm not entirely sure that the poll question is relevant. Without a spell in the premier league we are basically never going to get our finances back on track (Be virtually debt free) and the same will apply to most sides out of the premier league.

The only way we could do what it suggests is either by massive cuts or massive price increases. Are we prepared to accept the possibility of many years of mid table finishes whilst probably still losing money each season? Does FFP actually mention anything about clubs needing to make a profit or does it merely stipulate that ckubs cannot make a loss of more than so much etc etc?

So I guess I would have to answer no as I don't believe it is possible to achieve what the OP asks unless we radically change the playing structure and spectator costs at the club and I'm pretty sure the majority of fans would no accept this despite what this poll says.

[Col city fan]

Isn't this whole question about risk?

If we get promotion, the clubs financial situation would be largely transformed overnight.

Re. Sky TV Revenue we would presumably be able to do what West Ham have done, if we chose to. Look at the squad they have been able to amass because they gained promotion eg. a year ago, who would have imagined Andy Carroll in a West Ham shirt?

I would guess that's why Blackburn and Bolton (bouyed of course by parachute payments) are choosing to push the boat out in terms of signings and wages. If sensible, they must have looked at their financial situation and chosen to take the risk, pay the money, and aim to get straight back up again.

Dan (above) is quite correct of course..Sven (and the board) tried to do this last season and it all ended in tears. This is why Pearson, I believe, is actually doing pretty well at present. There were an awful lot of pieces to pick up following Sven's departure, because he was left with a squad built for promotion (in financial terms), but nowhere near good enough to achieve it (in playing terms).

Sven's 'quick fix' could have worked. Unfortunately, the knock-on effect of it not working, has been profound and seems to have given Pearson relatively little room for movement in the transfer market vis a vis some of the other clubs.

The answer therefore to the question posed by the OP may well be 'we have to' accept a mid table position and a stabilisation of finances. Anything else that Pearson and his squad achieves may be a big bonus. And if Nige does take this club up this season it would be a massive achievement, given the circumstances.

[Leicester_Numan]

I recall listening to a Radio5 wake up to money programme about football finances and they featured us and other Championship sides on it. The basic premise was that the current financial structure of our sort of club was completely unsustainable.

However, a perfectly workable and profitible business model would emerge from 1 year every four in the premiership. From next season this would be even more the case.

So I'm not entirely sure that the poll question is relevant. Without a spell in the premier league we are basically never going to get our finances back on track (Be virtually debt free) and the same will apply to most sides out of the premier league.

The only way we could do what it suggests is either by massive cuts or massive price increases. Are we prepared to accept the possibility of many years of mid table finishes whilst probably still losing money each season? Does FFP actually mention anything about clubs needing to make a profit or does it merely stipulate that ckubs cannot make a loss of more than so much etc etc?

So I guess I would have to answer no as I don't believe it is possible to achieve what the OP asks unless we radically change the playing structure and spectator costs at the club and I'm pretty sure the majority of fans would no accept this despite what this poll says.

The first 4 seasons of FFP are debts for the season of no more than 6mil, 3mil, 1mil then self sustaining. After that, I know nothing about HAVING to make a profit although that would presumably be the case if you're not making a loss. I don't think current debt comes into it but that would come down when making a profit anyway. With a debt as large as ours it's going to be hard to make a profit though, we definitely need a couple of seasons in the premiership to get rid of it. What needs to change about FFP though is that it needs to come in in the premiership, wage caps need to be introduced and parachute payments need to stop or clubs coming down will have a massively unfair advantage. FFP can save every club but destroy competition between the top 2 divisions if it's not done properly. Can't see premiership clubs voting in anything that gives league clubs a chance though.

[foxesfan1989]

People like you are part of the problem. Absolutely deluded beyond words.

You have made a problem up in your head so you have something to talk about on a forum. I am not part of this problem.

[Guest MattP]

You have made a problem up in your head so you have something to talk about on a forum. I am not part of this problem.

And theirs me thinking that problem is clearly stated on a balance sheet.

[MooseBreath]

Oh **** off.

Our millionaire owners haven't 'given' the club a penny. They have lent the club money through their business, which they will eventually want paid back (at 8% interest, according to rumours).

They don't give a damn about the long-term future of our club. They want to get us promoted into the 'Pwemmer Leeg' so that we will be on television in Asia playing in the King Power Stadium (with signs all around the ground with 'King Power' written on them), playing in shirts that have 'King Power' written on them. Their interest in us is as an advertising vehicle.

They don't even know anything about football, which is why they had to pay a management consultancy company to choose our kit manufacturer for them, and why they think fans want to buy reheated 'curry in a box' for £5 when they go to games.

Wake up.

At best a disturbingly xenophobic post, more likely knuckle dragging racism. Moron.

[ADK]

Just to clarify, there is a difference between financial stability and being completely free of debt.

At best a disturbingly xenophobic post, more likely knuckle dragging racism. Moron.

[Captain...]

There is one caveat to mid table, financial stability, and that is no managerial changes on the back of it.

I would not be upset if we didn't get promoted this season, it is not the be all and end all (unless we are financially fvcked and not getting promoted sees us go into administration, but I am confident that won't happen), as long as we are improving and building for the future a year of playing together in the championship will massively benefit this inexperienced team, and if anything promotion this season could be too early for a lot of them who are not ready for the premiership yet, hence us picking them up.

[MooseBreath]

That's nice, but personally I'm getting a bit sick of this 'slowly build a team' nonsense. We've been doing that for about a decade and got nowhere. How many if our 'promising young players' have turned out to be anything other than total shit?

We have owners willing to back us in the transfer market, it would be criminal to just sit back and let Pearson waste this opportunity on some vague and pretentious idea about slowly building a team. Most managers and players have fairly immediate impacts. Pearson has been here nearly a year, it's time for him to deliver

[Captain...]

That's nice, but personally I'm getting a bit sick of this 'slowly build a team' nonsense. We've been doing that for about a decade and got nowhere. How many if our 'promising young players' have turned out to be anything other than total shit?

We have owners willing to back us in the transfer market, it would be criminal to just sit back and let Pearson waste this opportunity on some vague and pretentious idea about slowly building a team. Most managers and players have fairly immediate impacts. Pearson has been here nearly a year, it's time for him to deliver

Really, when did we try and build a team? Every season since MoN left, even during np's first reign we have chopped and changed personnel, players and managers, loans, short term fixes with players on their way out. How sad is it our longest serving player is Conrad Logan?

Secondly do we have owners willing to back us in the transfer market? We had owners like that, but Sven soon made them see the error of their ways, plus the FFP regulations coming in that mean even if they wanted to throw more good money after bad, they won't be permitted to do so.

[MrSpaM]

Just for the record im not saying a mid table finish would be a complete disaster, ive just got doubts that our owners are going to keep settling for it season after season. They came here with a clear goal, and its not even come close to happening yet.

[ADK]

That's nice, but personally I'm getting a bit sick of this 'slowly build a team' nonsense. We've been doing that for about a decade and got nowhere. How many if our 'promising young players' have turned out to be anything other than total shit?

We have owners willing to back us in the transfer market, it would be criminal to just sit back and let Pearson waste this opportunity on some vague and pretentious idea about slowly building a team. Most managers and players have fairly immediate impacts. Pearson has been here nearly a year, it's time for him to deliver

Sorry but we've not been doing that for a decade, its just not true.

[MooseBreath]

We have. The reason it keeps changing is because it keeps failing. Mickey Adams was the last guy who went for the short term smash and grab approach and that was also the last time we reached the prem. Since then it has been build this and build that over and over again. You might argue that no manager has been given enough time to finish building, but there is no evidence that any of our previous promising young players ever amounted to anything, and there are only very few examples at other clubs where the long term building approach has actually delivered success. It can deliver stability for sure, but not success.

[MooseBreath]

Double post.

Money is fleeting, if you're not going to use it to its full potential while you've got it then you might as well not have it. We need a manager who is prepared swallow his pride and accept some relatively big names at the club. We'll go nowhere picking our players from reserve teams and the conference.

[Mark_w]

Double post.

Money is fleeting, if you're not going to use it to its full potential while you've got it then you might as well not have it. We need a manager who is prepared swallow his pride and accept some relatively big names at the club. We'll go nowhere picking our players from reserve teams and the conference.

Or signing players linked with the French Champions and an English club playing in the Europa League?

How about a CB who a Premier League club rated as their best defender and expected to end up at an even bigger club than them?

No you're right, I'd rather we spent millions of pounds on 'talent' like Matt ****ing Mills.

[Bryn]

That's nice, but personally I'm getting a bit sick of this 'slowly build a team' nonsense. We've been doing that for about a decade and got nowhere.

No we haven't. We've not had a single period of consistent team building since O'Neill left. It was a revolving door of cheap shite under the likes of Levein and Kelly followed by a revolving door of overpriced shite under Sousa and Sven, with Pearson's all too brief reign in between.

[Guest MattP]

We have. The reason it keeps changing is because it keeps failing. Mickey Adams was the last guy who went for the short term smash and grab approach and that was also the last time we reached the prem. Since then it has been build this and build that over and over again. You might argue that no manager has been given enough time to finish building, but there is no evidence that any of our previous promising young players ever amounted to anything, and there are only very few examples at other clubs where the long term building approach has actually delivered success. It can deliver stability for sure, but not success.

Err....Sven?

[ADK]

Truth is alot of managers brought in players for the short term, i don't think Dublin Oakley or Howard were brought in for their youth.

[Dan LCFC]

Err....Sven?

Aye, Mickey Adams actually backed it up with a promotion, Sven, for what he spent, did as badly as any manager I can remember here. The bloke was absolutely appalling, it seriously does amaze me anyone still defends him.

[indierich06]

We have. The reason it keeps changing is because it keeps failing. Mickey Adams was the last guy who went for the short term smash and grab approach and that was also the last time we reached the prem. Since then it has been build this and build that over and over again. You might argue that no manager has been given enough time to finish building, but there is no evidence that any of our previous promising young players ever amounted to anything, and there are only very few examples at other clubs where the long term building approach has actually delivered success. It can deliver stability for sure, but not success.

Are you forgetting a certain Swede who was here last season?

[Ibbyfox]

Aye, Mickey Adams actually backed it up with a promotion, Sven, for what he spent, did as badly as any manager I can remember here. The bloke was absolutely appalling, it seriously does amaze me anyone still defends him.

We were in administration for most of the season Miky Adams got us promoted, and also had a transfer embargo! He didn't sign a shed load of players until we were actually in the prem and then promptly got us relegated again,

[MooseBreath]

Sven's approach wasn't as smash and grab as Mickey Adams. Sven actually brought quite a few young players to the club. He was trying to build a team. The only reason it might look otherwise is because he paid too much for who he brought in. I'm not saying we should throw money around aimlessly, but if we've got some money we should be trying to bring in better players even if they are old and only here for a short while. You don't get out of the championship by selecting a team full of mediocre players, as well we know. We need quality at this club and that means names, and with that comes egos and big personalities and all the things that seem to frighten the life out of our manager. Our current approach will fail, I'd put that on record.

[mannyzlcfc]

I find it hard to give a ****. So demoralised with our club right now...

Fvck off support someone else then!!!!!!!!!

[Captain...]

Sven's approach wasn't as smash and grab as Mickey Adams. Sven actually brought quite a few young players to the club. He was trying to build a team. The only reason it might look otherwise is because he paid too much for who he brought in. I'm not saying we should throw money around aimlessly, but if we've got some money we should be trying to bring in better players even if they are old and only here for a short while. You don't get out of the championship by selecting a team full of mediocre players, as well we know. We need quality at this club and that means names, and with that comes egos and big personalities and all the things that seem to frighten the life out of our manager. Our current approach will fail, I'd put that on record.

Which young players were these? Apart from the loanees, who we stood no chance of signing, even Kasper was 24, so hardly a spring chicken, although young for a keeper, Danns was 28, Beckford, 27, Nugent, 26, Matt Mills was 25, Bamba was 26 then we have the old guard of Konchesky, Vassell, Ball, Ricardo.

Lee Peltier is the closest I would say to be young, he was 24 when he signed.

I may be missing some people, but that is not building a young team, not even getting to the fact Sven couldn't actually make them a team, and they were less than the sum of their parts.

Very few teams have bought their way out of this division, and many have tried, including us, it took QPR "richest club in the world" 4 seasons and 10 managers to buy their way out, and they are hardly setting the world alight,

Whereas Norwich, Southampton, Burnley, Blackpool, Swansea, Wigan, Hull, WBA have all been promoted recently with "mediocre" players, but great team spirit, that is what gets you promoted, not big money signings and crippling debt. We don't have the money you seem to think we have, and even if we did have the richest owners in the world we would not be permitted to spend all their money due to FFP regulations.