Is it time to admit defeat?

[TONofmemories]

I've been a supporter of MCT and, at the time, it served its purpose and was a vehicle for us to be fully independent, but I'm starting to think it's not best for the Club. We need external investment. Up step the Easdales, with firm terms set by MCT over the land at cappielow etc

Discuss!

[DunTon]

Whether or not fan ownership is best for the club is for people far smarter than me to debate.

I will say that the Easdales haven't said anything that would indicate they would even want to own the club, and we've all seen the likes of Hamilton and Inverness almost die.

From my limited understanding, I think our approach of selling off a minority share of the club is far better as it ensures (as much as realistically possible) that we avoid a Rangers demise whilst also allowing us to maybe aspire to be more than championship relegation fight material. Hopefully the Estrella investment works out.

[GiGi]

If there was an offer on the table that didn't include ownership of Cappielow and the land we'd have heard about it. 

We need to see where Estrella's 35% gets us. Skint or not we should have enough about us to field a team capable of beating Stranraer and Linlithgow Rose. That's not the fault of MCT, just the manager and the players he's signed.

[TONofmemories]

18 minutes ago, GiGi said:

If there was an offer on the table that didn't include ownership of Cappielow and the land we'd have heard about it. 

We need to see where Estrella's 35% gets us. Skint or not we should have enough about us to field a team capable of beating Stranraer and Linlithgow Rose. That's not the fault of MCT, just the manager and the players he's signed.

Not so sure about that. Perhaps it hasn't been explored? Or no-one pursued arranged meetings..

[dunning1874]

34 minutes ago, GiGi said:

If there was an offer on the table that didn't include ownership of Cappielow and the land we'd have heard about it. 

We need to see where Estrella's 35% gets us. Skint or not we should have enough about us to field a team capable of beating Stranraer and Linlithgow Rose. That's not the fault of MCT, just the manager and the players he's signed.

Yep, our league positions under fan ownership have on average actually been better than they were while making a six figure loss under private ownership. Obviously the budget doesn't help, but the primary reason we've become relegation favourites this season is Ian Murray being shite at this where his predecessor wasn't.

[TONofmemories]

4 minutes ago, dunning1874 said:

Yep, our league positions under fan ownership have on average actually been better than they were while making a six figure loss under private ownership. Obviously the budget doesn't help, but the primary reason we've become relegation favourites this season is Ian Murray being shite at this where his predecessor wasn't.

No it isn't 

[SpoonTon]

1 hour ago, TONofmemories said:

I've been a supporter of MCT and, at the time, it served its purpose and was a vehicle for us to be fully independent, but I'm starting to think it's not best for the Club. We need external investment. Up step the Easdales, with firm terms set by MCT over the land at cappielow etc

Discuss!

If someone wants to buy the club then they can let that be known. 

[TONofmemories]

Or go out and actively seek?

[dunning1874]

They're actively engaging with someone buying 35% of the club right now.

[SpoonTon]

14 minutes ago, TONofmemories said:

Or go out and actively seek?

They have been. 

Why do people keep mentioning the Easdales as if it's actually an option?

[TopCat]

Never mind that the club has had its longest sustained period of 2nd-tier football and financial solvency since the 90s, or the fact that a well-publicised outside investment deal is already in progress. 

No, what's needed is a sell-out to Greenock's only prominent business family and premier focus of small-town gangster soap opera speculation. Especially after they were so competent with Rangers and our previous 3 private owners were such a fairytale success.

Edited July 14 by TopCat

[dunning1874]

Not to mention that the Easdales already were involved with Morton in the recent past, pulling their sponsorship and ceasing all involvement as soon as they didn't have a family member on the playing staff.

[Hoofballer]

MCT saved GMFC from oblivion as previously a loss making club with increasing debt being carried by a benevolent owner who was at end of the continuing losses. 

Debt removed and additional MCT members monies should allow the club to operate on an even keel without another benefactor throwing their monies at losses in the hope that someone will get it right.

Additional monies from Dalrada and other sponsors over recent seasons should have allowed the Club to kick on but a series of problems, much discussed on here at the club with mismanagement at GMFC have blown all that money with club in current position.

That is a substantial sum of money blown by the club and so many things now wrong as a result, barely surviving in Championship.

The spiral seems to be continuing this year with new lows from the club and it’s abundantly clear change is urgently needed at GMFC.

The club needs help to change and MCT are currently pursuing the Estrella involvement to do that with skills and funds from the sale along with continuing members contributions there to support.

The club needs to sort the problems and operate properly as a football club and a functional business.

 

[vikingTON]

There is ongoing capital investment by MCT available and relatively stable income streams. Though GMFC are falling further and further behind the competition in respect to income however by failing to do anything with Cappielow outside of 3-6PM once a fortnight). 

The main issue that needs to be resolved is binning this vanity nonsense about being a full-time club. We correctly binned the youth setup as a waste of resources under the SFA's current funding system - unless the Estrella Group can provide the contacts and skills to derive greater value from it, then the full time structure should be binned. It evidently confers no advantage in fitness or organisation even to fucking Lowland League teams now - so why shouldn't Longridge, Garrity etc. be told to get a real job in supplement to their Saturday work? 

[TopCat]

I'd also argue that the standard of players in the bottom 6/championship/top half of league 1 has dropped dramatically in the last 10 years or so, partly due to the EPL talent drain. A hybrid model wouldn't be a big departure from where we currently stand.

Racking up £500k+ annual losses under a sugar daddy chairman just to match Raith, Dunfermline, Partick and Ayr for spending isn't going to allow us to pull ahead of them on the park. Dalrada proved this very recently.

The Estrella deal, break-even budgets and gradual stadium improvement is a sensible plan and we should stick to it.

[SpoonTon]

I've long been resistant to the idea of part time football, for the simple reason that not many survive at Championship level and the ones that do seem to pretty much be paying our level of full time wages. But I must admit that this is the first year that I've not been convinced that we have the money to actually put together a competitive full time squad. I still think that part time football for us is probably a pretty quite route to relegation, but I don't think that signing League Two quality players on full time money is any better (and certainly doesn't look like good value). 

[bob_the_builder]

I’d rather be a fan owned, part time, league 2 club supporter than have those guys anywhere near our club.

As Dunning has stated, Ian Murray is the reason we’re all concerned right now.  Imrie didn’t have the Dalrada money in the beginning and made us a mid table side.

[TONofmemories]

1 hour ago, bob_the_builder said:

I’d rather be a fan owned, part time, league 2 club supporter than have those guys anywhere near our club.

As Dunning has stated, Ian Murray is the reason we’re all concerned right now.  Imrie didn’t have the Dalrada money in the beginning and made us a mid table side.

Grow up! 

[SpoonTon]

2 hours ago, bob_the_builder said:

I’d rather be a fan owned, part time, league 2 club supporter than have those guys anywhere near our club.

As Dunning has stated, Ian Murray is the reason we’re all concerned right now.  Imrie didn’t have the Dalrada money in the beginning and made us a mid table side.

It also seems to me that they'd rather us be a fan owned, part time, league 2 club than being anywhere near our club. 

They might throw us bits and pieces when it suits them but they've shown no interest in investing any significant amount of time or money in the club. The chances have been there for then too so so but they've walked away from all of them. 

[Cappiecat 1.2]