Exile 1976 wrote:Pitch looks ok , and even better if you compare it to League 1 Accrington Stanley’s ... makes ours look like a bowls green

Tbh I thought the pitch looked a lot better last night. I sit Bisley side and looked pretty good - is there a bare ish patch, Hazel Side, about 40 yards in front of dugouts ??

Considering Swindon knocked it about well enough.

Kairdiff Exile wrote:

UPTHEPORT wrote: I don't get that we will get more money more TV and bigger crowds so strengthen the squad

We'd get a little more TV money (although not much given how lop-sided the Football League's deal is to clubs in Div 2 rather than those in Divs 3 and 4), and we'd maybe get slightly bigger crowds. But compare us to the other sides in Div 3 where, in recent years, there has been the likes of Wigan, Blackburn, Sunderland, Sheffield United etc and it's pretty clear we'd be one of the smallest sides to have been there (possibly with the exception of Accrington) for a good while. Even if we could add three or four players of that level to the squad, I would question our ability to compete against the strength of even mid-table sides in that league.

Not to say we shouldn't try, of course - but if it takes a bit longer so we can be more sustainable, grow the fanbase, improve the youth setup and all the other things that mean we don't have to bet the house on surviving above a self-sustaining level, I'm fine with that.

Agree we'd probably struggle, but there have been and still are plenty of sides as small as us in that division. Rochdale, Yeovil, Wimbledon, Wycombe, Accrington, Fleetwood, Burton. We might be able to stick around for a few years, you never know.

RNCFC - do you really think all of those are "as small as us"? I'd say only Accrington fit that description - all of the others muster bigger crowds, own their own ground and are potentially profitable / sustainable entities.

Kairdiff Exile wrote:RNCFC - do you really think all of those are "as small as us"? I'd say only Accrington fit that description - all of the others muster bigger crowds, own their own ground and are potentially profitable / sustainable entities.

I definitely think that they are of similar size to us, yes. Accrington, Rochdale, Fleetwood and Burton are averaging similar to us in a league above and with the added bonus of teams like Sunderland, Portsmouth and Luton visiting them. They are patently smaller than us in terms of support.

Owning your own ground isn't indicative of club size. Man City don't own their own ground, are Wycombe Wanderers bigger than them as a result?

I'm not convinced, but there we go. Our crowds seem to have hit a plateau, and our marketing efforts to build on them have also hit a wall. Relying on away teams to bring a good number with them doesn't strike me as a great financial strategy. And the point with owning one's own ground is that for cash-strapped lower league clubs, it allows you to maximise non-matchday revenue; not something that overly troubles the oligarchs at Man City et al, but pretty important for the likes of us!

Happy to accept I'm glass-half-full, but in financial matters I find that's generally a wider approach to have!

Kairdiff Exile wrote:I'm not convinced, but there we go. Our crowds seem to have hit a plateau, and our marketing efforts to build on them have also hit a wall. Relying on away teams to bring a good number with them doesn't strike me as a great financial strategy. And the point with owning one's own ground is that for cash-strapped lower league clubs, it allows you to maximise non-matchday revenue; not something that overly troubles the oligarchs at Man City et al, but pretty important for the likes of us!

Happy to accept I'm glass-half-full, but in financial matters I find that's generally a wider approach to have!

The day that I consider us as being smaller than Fleetwood with their criminal of a chairman and all the cash he has laundered up there, will be the day I throw in the towel.

I'd like for us to own our own ground because of the security it gives us, but without a massively stubborn and strong-willed ownership it will end in tears. The reason is that football as a business is operated at a loss across the board; therefore the time will come when an owner will borrow against the asset to appease impatient supporters.

Any new ground needs to be more than a football stadium, it needs to be earning seven days a week. Otherwise it won't work.

rncfc wrote: Any new ground needs to be more than a football stadium, it needs to be earning seven days a week. Otherwise it won't work.

Couldn't agree more, old thing!

Kairdiff Exile wrote:I'm not convinced, but there we go. Our crowds seem to have hit a plateau, and our marketing efforts to build on them have also hit a wall. Relying on away teams to bring a good number with them doesn't strike me as a great financial strategy. And the point with owning one's own ground is that for cash-strapped lower league clubs, it allows you to maximise non-matchday revenue; not something that overly troubles the oligarchs at Man City et al, but pretty important for the likes of us!

Happy to accept I'm glass-half-full, but in financial matters I find that's generally a wider approach to have!

Kairdiff you make a good point about marketing as it is clearly non existent. Apart from the Argus how would any casual football supporter even beware that there was even a game on last night? Most, if not all, Clubs would as a bare minimum have a notice outside the ground informing of the next home game. I appreciate that the WRU would have a hissy fit at such a proposal, but what would be wrong with outside Baramber?

Taunton Iron Cider wrote:

Kairdiff Exile wrote:I'm not convinced, but there we go. Our crowds seem to have hit a plateau, and our marketing efforts to build on them have also hit a wall. Relying on away teams to bring a good number with them doesn't strike me as a great financial strategy. And the point with owning one's own ground is that for cash-strapped lower league clubs, it allows you to maximise non-matchday revenue; not something that overly troubles the oligarchs at Man City et al, but pretty important for the likes of us!

Happy to accept I'm glass-half-full, but in financial matters I find that's generally a wider approach to have!

Kairdiff you make a good point about marketing as it is clearly non existent. Apart from the Argus how would any casual football supporter even beware that there was even a game on last night? Most, if not all, Clubs would as a bare minimum have a notice outside the ground informing of the next home game. I appreciate that the WRU would have a hissy fit at such a proposal, but what would be wrong with outside Baramber?

Of course, if they’re ‘casual’ football fans there’s always the BBC website, Sky Sports, SS website, Facebook, Twitter etc etc , surely a casual football fan would have access to at least one of those?

Exile 1976 wrote: Of course, if they’re ‘casual’ football fans there’s always the BBC website, Sky Sports, SS website, Facebook, Twitter etc etc , surely a casual football fan would have access to at least one of those?

Quite - but are we using them? Are we doing targeted Facebook advertising to football fans in the Newport area plugging our next game? Easy and cost-effective to set that sort of thing up, and we may already be doing it, but it’ll reach many more people than a sign outside the ground (although do that too if we can!).

Another thread hijacked!!

Back to last night.

Few points

Once labs went off we were clueless.
Thought Swindon were class and very unlucky not to take the 3 points.
Second half dreadful performance.
dreadful turn out.
very happy with the Ref.

2 good games on the trot at RP for him.

Play offs not a chance

Joe 7 some unbelievable saves kept us in the game, would of been 8 but dreadful distribution and scared to come off his line again.
Regan 6 Okay but crossing still poor.
Micky 6 looked totally knackered
O 'Brien 6 dreadful distribution as always, classic playing nice football and Regan passes back to him and he hoofs it over the dressing rooms, unbelieveable park football.
Dan.6 Think thats why Ferguson was down
Labs 8 Immense first half
Sheehan 7 Again solid game
Robbie 6 In and out as normal
Matt 6 chased about
Kennedy 5 Looked totally knackered.
Padraig 5 never got into the game

Azeez 4 Hopeless last night

Crofts 5 not a patch on Labs

Marsh Brown 5 No idea why Flynny put him on really (fresh legs)
Regarding McKirdys attitude, the fella is frustrated and i understand no point in him just sitting on a bench week in week out
Without labs we were very poor.

The last two home games, as soon as the 3rd sub goes on he just disappears to the changing rooms - kids a spoilt little brat (ps we must be struggling if we’ve only got academy kit for him).

Walking away like that is hardly going to improve his chance of getting on the pitch.

Taunton Iron Cider wrote:

Kairdiff Exile wrote:I'm not convinced, but there we go. Our crowds seem to have hit a plateau, and our marketing efforts to build on them have also hit a wall. Relying on away teams to bring a good number with them doesn't strike me as a great financial strategy. And the point with owning one's own ground is that for cash-strapped lower league clubs, it allows you to maximise non-matchday revenue; not something that overly troubles the oligarchs at Man City et al, but pretty important for the likes of us!

Happy to accept I'm glass-half-full, but in financial matters I find that's generally a wider approach to have!

Kairdiff you make a good point about marketing as it is clearly non existent. Apart from the Argus how would any casual football supporter even beware that there was even a game on last night? Most, if not all, Clubs would as a bare minimum have a notice outside the ground informing of the next home game. I appreciate that the WRU would have a hissy fit at such a proposal, but what would be wrong with outside Baramber?

The club has an advertising the next game board on the SDR (By the traffic lights opposite the car auctions) and that hasnt been updated for months

Justanordinaryfan wrote:The last two home games, as soon as the 3rd sub goes on he just disappears to the changing rooms - kids a spoilt little brat (ps we must be struggling if we’ve only got academy kit for him).

Perhaps he had an injury that needed sorted?