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Post by armchairfan on Jul 11, 2023 14:25:22 GMT 1
Let me say at the outset that I have no particular axe to grind, neither am I privy to any great knowledge as to what is happening at STFC, nor do I have an opinion of my own regarding Luke Leahy's value to the club; my opinion is based entirely upon the views expressed here and, more importantly, upon those of the professional media. Having got that disclaimer out of the way, I DO have a view about the current state of the Club, and that view is not favourable: I am beginning to detect an air of decay, depression and resignation. The whole, perhaps unsavoury, saga over the departures of Mr Caldwell and Mr Cotterill, and now, the probable loss of the club captain - who, at worst, can be agreed to have been "influential" in the relative progress last season - have regrettably lead me to this conclusion. If this opinion is even remotely justified (and I accept that it is only the opinion of one looking from the outside, and therefore totally wrong), then it really is time to examine the current leadership of our Club. STFC suffers from all the headwinds which batter the smaller EFL members, as well as others about which the Club can do nothing (the geographical location, for example), but there are other issues which the Club can address, and has addressed, positively, in recent times such as the training facilities. However more ephemeral issues, such as the perceived "lack of ambition",justified or not, seem,to me to have been not to have been considered, leaving the atmosphere around the Club less than positive. It may well be the case that the recent structural changes do signify a change for the better, of course, albeit with the proviso that we will need patience until we can assess the benefits, but to me, Mr Wycherley reminds me of the drowning man thrashing around in the hope of finding dry land; "ambition" is as much a state of mind as anything else, and I am no longer convinced that he has the necessary " drive" to take the Club forward; when, some years ago, I relinquished my chairmanship of my bowling club, it was partly in an acceptance that I could not take it further forward, that fresh blood was needed. Has Mr Wycherley considered this? If not, is it time to do so?
My apologies for posting at such length, but these are weighty, and complex matters, so I hope I will be forgiven.
As ever, COYB!
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Post by martinshrew on Jul 11, 2023 14:43:07 GMT 1
Let me say at the outset that I have no particular axe to grind, neither am I privy to any great knowledge as to what is happening at STFC, nor do I have an opinion of my own regarding Luke Leahy's value to the club; my opinion is based entirely upon the views expressed here and, more importantly, upon those of the professional media. Having got that disclaimer out of the way, I DO have a view about the current state of the Club, and that view is not favourable: I am beginning to detect an air of decay, depression and resignation. The whole, perhaps unsavoury, saga over the departures of Mr Caldwell and Mr Cotterill, and now, the probable loss of the club captain - who, at worst, can be agreed to have been "influential" in the relative progress last season - have regrettably lead me to this conclusion. If this opinion is even remotely justified (and I accept that it is only the opinion of one looking from the outside, and therefore totally wrong), then it really is time to examine the current leadership of our Club. STFC suffers from all the headwinds which batter the smaller EFL members, as well as others about which the Club can do nothing (the geographical location, for example), but there are other issues which the Club can address, and has addressed, positively, in recent times such as the training facilities. However more ephemeral issues, such as the perceived "lack of ambition",justified or not, seem,to me to have been not to have been considered, leaving the atmosphere around the Club less than positive. It may well be the case that the recent structural changes do signify a change for the better, of course, albeit with the proviso that we will need patience until we can assess the benefits, but to me, Mr Wycherley reminds me of the drowning man thrashing around in the hope of finding dry land; "ambition" is as much a state of mind as anything else, and I am no longer convinced that he has the necessary " drive" to take the Club forward; when, some years ago, I relinquished my chairmanship of my bowling club, it was partly in an acceptance that I could not take it further forward, that fresh blood was needed. Has Mr Wycherley considered this? If not, is it time to do so? My apologies for posting at such length, but these are weighty, and complex matters, so I hope I will be forgiven. As ever, COYB! Excellent post. The club is stagnant; an 83 year old in charge of moving the club forward fills me with zero confidence. Fresh ideas have been needed for a long, long time now.
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Post by Pilch on Jul 11, 2023 14:45:38 GMT 1
my car needs a new owner, its for sale at full market price, feel free to have a go at me if no one buys it ;-)
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Post by GrizzlyShrew on Jul 11, 2023 15:28:04 GMT 1
Let me say at the outset that I have no particular axe to grind, neither am I privy to any great knowledge as to what is happening at STFC, nor do I have an opinion of my own regarding Luke Leahy's value to the club; my opinion is based entirely upon the views expressed here and, more importantly, upon those of the professional media. Having got that disclaimer out of the way, I DO have a view about the current state of the Club, and that view is not favourable: I am beginning to detect an air of decay, depression and resignation. The whole, perhaps unsavoury, saga over the departures of Mr Caldwell and Mr Cotterill, and now, the probable loss of the club captain - who, at worst, can be agreed to have been "influential" in the relative progress last season - have regrettably lead me to this conclusion. If this opinion is even remotely justified (and I accept that it is only the opinion of one looking from the outside, and therefore totally wrong), then it really is time to examine the current leadership of our Club. STFC suffers from all the headwinds which batter the smaller EFL members, as well as others about which the Club can do nothing (the geographical location, for example), but there are other issues which the Club can address, and has addressed, positively, in recent times such as the training facilities. However more ephemeral issues, such as the perceived "lack of ambition",justified or not, seem,to me to have been not to have been considered, leaving the atmosphere around the Club less than positive. It may well be the case that the recent structural changes do signify a change for the better, of course, albeit with the proviso that we will need patience until we can assess the benefits, but to me, Mr Wycherley reminds me of the drowning man thrashing around in the hope of finding dry land; "ambition" is as much a state of mind as anything else, and I am no longer convinced that he has the necessary " drive" to take the Club forward; when, some years ago, I relinquished my chairmanship of my bowling club, it was partly in an acceptance that I could not take it further forward, that fresh blood was needed. Has Mr Wycherley considered this? If not, is it time to do so? My apologies for posting at such length, but these are weighty, and complex matters, so I hope I will be forgiven. As ever, COYB! Agreed, there is a time to move on if you are holding an institution back. I was Chairman of my cycling club for 20 years and we moved the club forward hugely in the local cycling scene but eventually it was clear that there was new thinking amongst its members so I decided that I was holding any further forward movement back so stood down but stayed on as a member I would say that the club has since moved forward from my time. Handing it over to the right person helped no end though I have to say.
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Post by DiglisShrew on Jul 11, 2023 15:33:33 GMT 1
my car needs a new owner, its for sale at full market price, feel free to have a go at me if no one buys it ;-) But if you want to sell then don’t press for full market value particularly when the asset values are likely to depreciate. But if you don’t want to attract prospective buyers then carry on 😉
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Post by suttonshrew on Jul 11, 2023 15:51:53 GMT 1
Let me say at the outset that I have no particular axe to grind, neither am I privy to any great knowledge as to what is happening at STFC, nor do I have an opinion of my own regarding Luke Leahy's value to the club; my opinion is based entirely upon the views expressed here and, more importantly, upon those of the professional media. Having got that disclaimer out of the way, I DO have a view about the current state of the Club, and that view is not favourable: I am beginning to detect an air of decay, depression and resignation. The whole, perhaps unsavoury, saga over the departures of Mr Caldwell and Mr Cotterill, and now, the probable loss of the club captain - who, at worst, can be agreed to have been "influential" in the relative progress last season - have regrettably lead me to this conclusion. If this opinion is even remotely justified (and I accept that it is only the opinion of one looking from the outside, and therefore totally wrong), then it really is time to examine the current leadership of our Club. STFC suffers from all the headwinds which batter the smaller EFL members, as well as others about which the Club can do nothing (the geographical location, for example), but there are other issues which the Club can address, and has addressed, positively, in recent times such as the training facilities. However more ephemeral issues, such as the perceived "lack of ambition",justified or not, seem,to me to have been not to have been considered, leaving the atmosphere around the Club less than positive. It may well be the case that the recent structural changes do signify a change for the better, of course, albeit with the proviso that we will need patience until we can assess the benefits, but to me, Mr Wycherley reminds me of the drowning man thrashing around in the hope of finding dry land; "ambition" is as much a state of mind as anything else, and I am no longer convinced that he has the necessary " drive" to take the Club forward; when, some years ago, I relinquished my chairmanship of my bowling club, it was partly in an acceptance that I could not take it further forward, that fresh blood was needed. Has Mr Wycherley considered this? If not, is it time to do so? My apologies for posting at such length, but these are weighty, and complex matters, so I hope I will be forgiven. As ever, COYB! Excellent post. The club is stagnant; an 83 year old in charge of moving the club forward fills me with zero confidence. Fresh ideas have been needed for a long, long time now. i think thats a very fair assessment of where many see the club currently. Covid had a huge impact on the club, the chairman has always based our model on a sustainable, well run business. He has rarely pushed the boat out and when he has its always been in a manageable way. What covid did was it removed that safety net the club had, it removed that mechanism in which every few seasons we could afford to push the boat out and splash a bit of cash. Since then we have struggled in my opinion. This hasn't been helped by the increase in costs and the premier leagues reluctance to open negotiations with the EFL on more money. We dont have a chairman who will wake up one morning and say 'right I'm going to chuck another £2m in lets have a go'. This is what most other clubs have and when you have that you have the risk that, that sugar daddy will get bored and leave, leaving the club basically bankrupt. So in one way I'm pleased the chairman has been around to oversee the clubs position. That said, i believe new blood is needed at board level and that blood needs to be people who are connected and passionate about the club, new ideas are required and must be respected and in my opinion bonds that have been broken over the years need to be repaired. Shrewsbury isnt a big city with endless businesses to tap into, so those businesses in the town who have the money to invest need to be nurtured and looked after, for whatever reason we seem to struggle as a club to do that and again in my opinion always look for the quick solution rather than planning ahead. I hope the introduction of Jamie Edwards improves that, i think he realises the need to reconnect with the fan base but i seriously worry about how that will be done, which is why a stepped away. As SLO i always tried to be open and honest, of course there were times when i couldn't do that but it was always for the good of the club and fans, sometimes thats a real juggling act. Ultimately the time will come when the chairman has to sell or handover control for whatever reason, id just hope that those he is taking council from understand how big a process that will be for both the club the fans and the chairman and in my opinion we should have fans at that top table helping ready the club for that process now.
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Post by Pilch on Jul 11, 2023 15:53:49 GMT 1
my car needs a new owner, its for sale at full market price, feel free to have a go at me if no one buys it ;-) But if you want to sell then don’t press for full market value particularly when the asset values are likely to depreciate. But if you don’t want to attract prospective buyers then carry on 😉 ps im only willing to sell it to someone who is going to spend a lot of money on it and not someone who will run it into the ground ;-) im a fussy old git but I want the best for my car
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Post by armchairfan on Jul 11, 2023 16:02:59 GMT 1
Thank you, Martinshrew, for using one word - stagnant - which sums up by lengthy diatribe perfectly!
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Post by Pilch on Jul 11, 2023 16:03:51 GMT 1
Thank you, Martinshrew, for using one word - stagnant - which sums up by lengthy diatribe perfectly! sums up the whole debate ;-)
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Post by martinshrew on Jul 11, 2023 16:07:16 GMT 1
Thank you, Martinshrew, for using one word - stagnant - which sums up by lengthy diatribe perfectly! Your contribution was well thought out, and I believe your views are shared by a growing majority.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2023 16:18:07 GMT 1
We need a local consortium to take over the club, people with the nous and the collateral to really make a difference going forward. Is the club stagnating? That's a good question.
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Post by armchairfan on Jul 11, 2023 16:38:06 GMT 1
Thank you, Martinshrew, for using one word - stagnant - which sums up by lengthy diatribe perfectly! sums up the whole debate ;-) Insofar as it seems to be the case that Mr Wycherley is not activeley thinking about relinquishing control any time soon (or he may be - who knows ?), I agree that this debate may well be stagnant, or a redundant exercise in futility, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the debate is without value. Why not contribute?
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Post by martinshrew on Jul 11, 2023 16:45:53 GMT 1
We need a local consortium to take over the club, people with the nous and the collateral to really make a difference going forward. Is the club stagnating? That's a good question. We could've had this under Passant and Greenhouse, amongst others, but RW does have a nasty habit of falling out with some of the richest people in and around the town. I wonder why?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2023 16:54:07 GMT 1
We need a local consortium to take over the club, people with the nous and the collateral to really make a difference going forward. Is the club stagnating? That's a good question. We could've had this under Passant and Greenhouse, amongst others, but RW does have a nasty habit of falling out with some of the richest people in and around the town. I wonder why? All we can do is hope that at some point in the not too distant future we will see some positive progress change...
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Post by salop18 on Jul 11, 2023 18:16:03 GMT 1
Luke Leahy to Wycombe apparently.
What a shame to lose him to a smaller club to us in our division. He could have done better than that.
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Post by ProudSalopian on Jul 11, 2023 18:17:18 GMT 1
If you believe the Twitter rumours then Leahy to Wycombe is going to be announced shortly.
In a way I think I would have preferred him going to Wrexham, at least I could understand it with the money & publicly around them. Instead it's a bit depressing that he's put in a transfer request to join Wycombe.
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Post by ssshrew on Jul 11, 2023 18:20:32 GMT 1
Let’s hope we’ve gone for a lot of money from them.
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Post by Salopfan99 on Jul 11, 2023 18:22:02 GMT 1
Let’s hope we’ve gone for a lot of money from them. 100k
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Post by South Stand Salopian on Jul 11, 2023 18:23:10 GMT 1
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Post by vladimir on Jul 11, 2023 18:23:14 GMT 1
Amazing what one season of champ football has done for Wycombe really in terms of status and finance.
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Post by GrizzlyShrew on Jul 11, 2023 18:24:42 GMT 1
Luke Leahy to Wycombe apparently. What a shame to lose him to a smaller club to us in our division. He could have done better than that. I would guess Wycombe will be paying him more than we are tbh. Personally just glad it's not Wrexham, that would be a backward move imo to drop down a division for the coming season at least.
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Post by ProudSalopian on Jul 11, 2023 18:25:09 GMT 1
Let’s hope we’ve gone for a lot of money from them. 100k It's like 1997 all over again.
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Post by BlueAndAmber50 on Jul 11, 2023 18:34:22 GMT 1
Was always going to be about £100k I did laugh at lots of tweets from people expecting £300k
I don’t think it’ll be long till we start receiving concrete offers for Marosi
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Post by chirkshrew on Jul 11, 2023 18:39:10 GMT 1
Can't believe leahy tbh----- sideways step to me that, are they bigger or better than Shrewsbury in anyway, answers on a postage stamp please🤦🤦🤔
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Post by ssshrew on Jul 11, 2023 18:39:13 GMT 1
To be honest if Wycombe is the best he can do then i really don’t give a damn.
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Post by BlueAndAmber50 on Jul 11, 2023 18:41:28 GMT 1
To be honest if Wycombe is the best he can do then i really don’t give a damn. It’ll be down to money. His last big contract if he’s picking up an extra £1k a week or so who can blame him
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Post by thesensationaljt on Jul 11, 2023 19:00:24 GMT 1
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Post by martinshrew on Jul 11, 2023 19:04:32 GMT 1
I've had it confirmed he'll join them tomorrow, upwards of £100k.
Pathetic fee, but points to our poor contract management.
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Post by Pilch on Jul 11, 2023 19:07:13 GMT 1
Was always going to be about £100k I did laugh at lots of tweets from people expecting £300k I don’t think it’ll be long till we start receiving concrete offers for Marosi Milton Keynes have bid 6000 bags of blue circle they had left over
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Post by Feedo Gnasher on Jul 11, 2023 19:50:08 GMT 1
Any fans that think Wycombe are on our level are sadly living in dreamland, they get similar sized crowds but apart from that the differences are stark.
Last season was our second most successful season in however many years and we still finished below them, even after doing the double over them. They’ve been in the Championship recently and since coming back down have been mainstays in the top half. And with us looking at cutting back and them no doubt trying to push on I can’t fault Leahy for thinking it’s a more attractive career option.
It’s sad, but that’s the reality of it.
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