BOROCHAT

Re: Can everybody stop getting shot.

By Pete (PeteH)Today 16:03Today at 16:03:48In response to Re: Can everybody stop getting shot.

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Phil has communicated recently again the financial challenges this season

I was thinking about this in light of Chuds'(?) comment about it being the beginning of the end.

Frustrating as it sounds, maybe it is what it has to be? Phil has consistently spoken out about the financial viability of League One as a whole – not just ourselves. Obviously, we're in a position where we can't afford to spunk millions up the wall because we can't afford to lose it in kind. Not that we aren't already losing money anyway.

The financial realities of football are harsh, yet probably unappreciated by many fans. If we, as a club, have to choose between League One football and having a relatively sustainable operational model, would you not choose the latter? Certainly in a year when we're marking 50 years since Boro' stepped into the void after Athletic went bust.

Our problem is multi-faceted. Our fanbase/ticket revenue is comparatively small, so we can't compete with the likes of Bradford, Luton, Sheff Wed and the like. We don't have a sugar daddy A-list owner. We're probably pulling all the levers we can with diversified revenue streams (anyone for padel?). And we're always competing with other clubs who are not afraid to just throw money in the pursuit of success and to hell with the problems that causes down the line.

This all perpetuates the obscene scenario we're now in. And until a "big" club is allowed to fail, no-one is going to heed warnings or change behaviours. Bury didn't do it. Macclesfield didn't do it. Dozens of non-league clubs didn't do it. So, maybe all we have left is to accept our lot as a club, see how long we can stick it out with the disparity in resources as it is, and accept that perhaps one day soon we'll be sneered at for "going back to where we belong" by fans of clubs who are building castles on sand.

Sorry, what was the question at the start?