Fitness Matt

how exactly do you know this?
has it happened before? NO
does anybody KNOW how it will turn out? NO

there's a thread in the OTF for you </BLOCKQUOTE>


I know this because, unlike the thousands of people who are paying towards the maintenance of a club whose stadium they have never seen, I have some common sense.

I also know that apart from being on a hiding to nothing, these people are being ripped off. 7.50 out of the 35 that everyone pays is creamed off by the guys who came up with the idea for "website maintenance". Considering the detail of the website, which I have seen, I hardly think it warrants taking over 375,000 of the money. This was a great idea for the guys who started it because at the current rate it's going to make them rich.

Unfortunately thanks to my crystal ball, or the amount of time I've spent studying business, and football and sociology I can have a pretty good guess that the ultimate losers in this will be Ebbsfleet. As soon as people realise they aren't having half as much influence (or fun) as they thought they would thats the end for another small town football club. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Especially when they realise that their £35 has bought exactly nothing except a vote. Despite what that BBC news report says, the investors do not own any part of the club and therefore have nothing to sell. All they can do is stop paying their subscription - which is going to concentrate control in the hands of those who keep coughing up.

retired_halfshell69

how exactly do you know this?
has it happened before? NO
does anybody KNOW how it will turn out? NO

there's a thread in the OTF for you </BLOCKQUOTE>


I know this because, unlike the thousands of people who are paying towards the maintenance of a club whose stadium they have never seen, I have some common sense.

I also know that apart from being on a hiding to nothing, these people are being ripped off. 7.50 out of the 35 that everyone pays is creamed off by the guys who came up with the idea for "website maintenance". Considering the detail of the website, which I have seen, I hardly think it warrants taking over 375,000 of the money. This was a great idea for the guys who started it because at the current rate it's going to make them rich.

Unfortunately thanks to my crystal ball, or the amount of time I've spent studying business, and football and sociology I can have a pretty good guess that the ultimate losers in this will be Ebbsfleet. As soon as people realise they aren't having half as much influence (or fun) as they thought they would thats the end for another small town football club. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Especially when they realise that their £35 has bought exactly nothing except a vote. Despite what that BBC news report says, the investors do not own any part of the club and therefore have nothing to sell. All they can do is stop paying their subscription - which is going to concentrate control in the hands of those who keep coughing up. </BLOCKQUOTE>

not sure what point you're trying to make here glyn, i've never claimed otherwise....
i fully acknowledge that all i'm buying is a right to vote, if there are others under some other idea then fair enough, but it is made fairly clear on the MFC site that this is all you get.
Also, as to your point of "which is going to concentrate control in the hands of those who keep coughing up" surely this is a good thing, as those that keep coughing up are going to have more interest and knowledge than those who are just in it for a year long **** around with a football team.

My_Evo

Ebbsfleet already have a Supporters Trust involved in the club, which is the best option for allowing supporters to contribute.

My biggest personal issue, outside of all the practicalities I've already raised, are that few if any of the 20,000 are Ebbsfleet fans.
They've no commitment to the club, and no real investment in the club being a success. The second they get bored, the club could be in real trouble. </BLOCKQUOTE>

fair point, but tbh the same could be said about the glazers, the russian trying to take over arsenal, thaksin the criminal, and any other number of billionaire owners who either have the club as an investment opp or just use it as a plaything, so i'm not sure it will be THAT much worse off than other clubs. </BLOCKQUOTE>

But most of them can make money back from the club. And that provides an incentive for success. The MFC people can't, that's the nature of the agreement. And the huge chasm-like difference fromt he examples you cite. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Fair point again, but i fail to see how the team will be in troube if people DO lose interest and leave, there will always be someone wiling to buy that which is being sold (well probably, i'm sure some smart arse on these forums can give me an example from 1922 when a malaysian club couldn't be sold for a penny....), so all that will happen is that the people will not renew their interest, the founders of MFC will lose their income and sell the club; or at least that is what i THINK will happen (just realised i was talking with the certainty of some of the people i've complained about lol).[/QUOTE]


Okay, let's say, using the MFC money, they sign a couple of players on sizable contracts. Three players at £50k a piece per year, three year contracts. So that's a total investment of £150k a year over the standard operating capital.

Now, MFC members lose interest and stop paying their subs. Where does that £150k come from? So now the club is running up unmanageable debts as a result of the MFC period.
I'm afraid as a lifelong lower league fan, the notion someone will always step in just doesn't hold true.
And there you go, bankruptcy.

retired_halfshell69

Ebbsfleet already have a Supporters Trust involved in the club, which is the best option for allowing supporters to contribute.

My biggest personal issue, outside of all the practicalities I've already raised, are that few if any of the 20,000 are Ebbsfleet fans.
They've no commitment to the club, and no real investment in the club being a success. The second they get bored, the club could be in real trouble. </BLOCKQUOTE>

fair point, but tbh the same could be said about the glazers, the russian trying to take over arsenal, thaksin the criminal, and any other number of billionaire owners who either have the club as an investment opp or just use it as a plaything, so i'm not sure it will be THAT much worse off than other clubs. </BLOCKQUOTE>

But most of them can make money back from the club. And that provides an incentive for success. The MFC people can't, that's the nature of the agreement. And the huge chasm-like difference fromt he examples you cite. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Fair point again, but i fail to see how the team will be in troube if people DO lose interest and leave, there will always be someone wiling to buy that which is being sold (well probably, i'm sure some smart arse on these forums can give me an example from 1922 when a malaysian club couldn't be sold for a penny....), so all that will happen is that the people will not renew their interest, the founders of MFC will lose their income and sell the club; or at least that is what i THINK will happen (just realised i was talking with the certainty of some of the people i've complained about lol). </BLOCKQUOTE>


Okay, let's say, using the MFC money, they sign a couple of players on sizable contracts. Three players at £50k a piece per year, three year contracts. So that's a total investment of £150k a year over the standard operating capital.

Now, MFC members lose interest and stop paying their subs. Where does that £150k come from? So now the club is running up unmanageable debts as a result of the MFC period.
I'm afraid as a lifelong lower league fan, the notion someone will always step in just doesn't hold true.
And there you go, bankruptcy.[/QUOTE]

My understanding is that signings will not be made that are unsustainable by the clubs current means of income, obviously i can't talk about how this will work in practice as it hasn't happened yet, but form what i've read the guy running this doesn't seem to want to get the club into any more debt.

"the notion someone will always step in just doesn't hold true." as to this, i can only comment on what i've seen, so i shall assume your knowledge is more accurate in this area.

i wish whoever started these threads could have put them both in the same thread, it's getting hard remembering what i'm arguing about in the 2 different threads lol

My_Evo

If there isn't a cash injection, how will the membership take it? What are they paying for?
If the money is just for buying the club, why keep subscribing?

Which instead begs the question: "What's the money for then?"
How much is the Ebbsfleet chairman making out of it? All the £700k?