Jon Brady

[GrangeParkCobbler]

Football, specifically supporting the Cobblers, was spoiled to a large degree for me the moment I started learning about how football finances work and how owners fund the club.  Long gone are the days when I can simply ask owners to "show some more ambition" or to "aspire to be more like Lincoln, Mansfield or Wycombe" because I understand why we can't.  When people make these kind of statements I'm not convinced they really understand what they are asking.  Essentially people are asking the owners to spend even more of their own money than they currently do, with no liklehood of ever getting it back so we can achieve a top half finish.  

I find comparisons with other sides such a pointless argument as without fail a small amount of investigation always tells you the full story.  As Melly pointed out Wycombe have new billionaire owners.  Lincoln have been making £2m-£3m losses for the last few years.  Mansfield are funded significantly through the owners various business interests and the complexities of various sponsorship deals.  It would be a massive loss making club without the owner and his various funding methods.

Regarding financial regulation at league one and league two level, unless its changed, it's SCMP.  Super complex to understand the full ins and outs but in summary last time I read up about it, each club in league one can spend max 60% of the clubs TURNOVER on players wages.  Turnover essentially being match day income, corporate (sponsorships) and TV/EFL payments.  Owners however can also include in turnover any amount of gifted funds or equity based investment i.e. buying shares.  Directors Loans can't be included.  Clubs can spend whatever they like on transfer fees and there is no limit on losses at this and league two level.

So in reality there are many simple ways to stay within the rules and put in whatever amount an owner is willing to lose.  That doesn't though take away from the fact that nearly all the clubs at league one level are making significant losses every year, some massively more than others.  It really is a case of how much loss is palatable to each owner.

Of course there is a football element to all of this i.e. Brady outperforming his budget but ultimately the gaps are getting wider, the challenge harder and the financial losses greater.  We know this season the budget had to go up significantly once again just to stand a chance of standing still!

As a football fan I of course wish we were more competitive higher up the table but I really am a realist and understand completely what would be needed to achieve that and why 18th would be a success (albeit a very boring one).

Unless the new regulation really does have an impact, which I don't believe it will to any great level, then our only hope is we get lucky and get one of the GOOD billionaires to take the club over who is willing to pumps tens of millions into the club.

I get that you cant really compare one to another but you can aspire to be like others surely? Lincoln are indeed putting in money through share offers/options (£9.4 million since the start of 2022) yet we go down the director loan route. One counts the other doesn't when it comes to SCMP. Why one does it one way and the other does it the other way who knows!
Where is Mr Le Quesne and where did his "significant investment" go? Did he purely buy already issued shares off the Bowers? Not forgetting that those shares are not actually in the football club (as is the case with Lincoln) but in the holding company.
That's the bit I don't understand...the whole NTFC....Ventures.....BdJ bit rather than it just being about NTFC. Throw CDNL into the mix and it gets even more confusing.

I guess with our current owners its too much to wish for anything over and above the level they are comfortable with investing/loaning/losing and despite these players being what we would call rich, they will not blow their fortunes on the football club!

Other bits like I wonder why we never went down the stadium naming rights route again after the demise of PTS..... the majority of clubs in our league have sponsored stadia.... again that's income which means turnover which means higher wage budget allowance.

Anyway..... all of this....its probably for another thread of its own! I still believe with the players we have and the quality/experience we are still able to put out on the field our performances and results should be better than they have been. This season has been a chore apart from the odd game or half of a game. I still don't know what our "style of play" is, I still don't see any variation to things like throw in's (how many of Pinnocks long throws have led to goals?) or corners.... I just feel we (and again the buck stops with JB) could be doing better despite all the constraints both on and off the pitch.

[everbrite]

I think Evers has an agenda.

  .........I'll tell Manny especially as you shadow the great man!

[Melbourne Cobbler]

As discussed there are a myriad of factors but for me managerial failure is a top six budget with a bottom six league position. A comparative minimal amount of injuries affecting squad, but most of all a manager going through the motions because he can’t be arsed. People are using Gareth Ainsworth as an example of a great coach in this conversation. Well if he is so great why did he fail at QPR? The answer is obvious, he is a great coach, he was just an unfortunate victim of circumstance that affected performance. Anyone want to take a guess on how the decision to remove him has worked out? FFS think about it.

[Clarity]

I get that you cant really compare one to another but you can aspire to be like others surely? Lincoln are indeed putting in money through share offers/options (£9.4 million since the start of 2022) yet we go down the director loan route. One counts the other doesn't when it comes to SCMP. Why one does it one way and the other does it the other way who knows!
Where is Mr Le Quesne and where did his "significant investment" go? Did he purely buy already issued shares off the Bowers? Not forgetting that those shares are not actually in the football club (as is the case with Lincoln) but in the holding company.
That's the bit I don't understand...the whole NTFC....Ventures.....BdJ bit rather than it just being about NTFC. Throw CDNL into the mix and it gets even more confusing.

I guess with our current owners its too much to wish for anything over and above the level they are comfortable with investing/loaning/losing and despite these players being what we would call rich, they will not blow their fortunes on the football club!

Other bits like I wonder why we never went down the stadium naming rights route again after the demise of PTS..... the majority of clubs in our league have sponsored stadia.... again that's income which means turnover which means higher wage budget allowance.

Anyway..... all of this....its probably for another thread of its own! I still believe with the players we have and the quality/experience we are still able to put out on the field our performances and results should be better than they have been. This season has been a chore apart from the odd game or half of a game. I still don't know what our "style of play" is, I still don't see any variation to things like throw in's (how many of Pinnocks long throws have led to goals?) or corners.... I just feel we (and again the buck stops with JB) could be doing better despite all the constraints both on and off the pitch.

Totally agree, it’s been a chore to watch.  We are dull and too obsessed with possession in our own half which more often than not comes to nothing. Well done for the job he’s done here, but mainly it’s so boring!
He wanted bums off seats, well he might achieve that, off to do something else!

[Melbourne Cobbler]

Totally agree, it’s been a chore to watch.  We are dull and too obsessed with possession in our own half which more often than not comes to nothing. Well done for the job he’s done here, but mainly it’s so boring!
He wanted bums off seats, well he might achieve that, off to do something else!

Look out, our marauding full back has spoken. Keep your oar out Roberto.

[everbrite]

Your response is your opinion too. Your last paragraph is though, as other have said, a bit OTT!

I like to consider myself as more of a realist.... we are 18th in the table, three points above the drop zone having played a game more than most around us. We have won four of seventeen games this season in the league. We have won one of our last eight games in all competitions, we have won away from home in the league three times this calendar year.

Most accepted it would be a hard season because of all the hype about Birmingham spending this, Wrexham and their owners doing that.....happy with a bottom six/eight finish. Why cant we aspire to be more like Lincoln, Mansfield or Wycombe...all in the top 10 now. Even Reading with their issues/embargo now sitting 7th.
That is really my disappointment...the acceptance that this (18th) is us!

So you are a disappointed fan? What I am trying to say is that a similar situation may have occured in Curle's day where you expressed not too dissimilar views except it was more a protest at Curles style of play. As you are a long term Cobblers supporter you will be aware of the up and down fortunes of the Club! Your comments are fine and well meant but with potential relegation hovering over us like the sword of Damocles we need to offer support to the team and Club Management. I see little point in lamenting about our current league postion when compared with other perhaps more fortunate Clubs. After all we are not in the bottom four so for me it is more preferable to encourage people and take a positive attitude. It all helps!

[WasRambo]

What people appear to claim is that you cant compare (judge) Brady with any other Cobblers manager under any circumstances.

You can be bloody sure though that if the Stats were in Brady's favour they would be shouting them from the rooftops.

One thing is for certain. Curle left us in a better position than he found us. I wonder if when Brady goes we'll be able to say the same?

My opinion. I'm no great fan of Curle, but he was a Cobblers manager and as such deserves credit where its due.

Years from now when personal experience fades, Brady will be judged on the results he achieves. Nobody will be talking about budget or injuries or even how entertaining the football was.

My point is, unless every manager competed at the same level pure stats alone are only a mild indicator at best and never definitive. Even with comparisons within a single division, there is still subjectivity. I doubt any previous managers who have competed at third tier level have had to contend with the spending power that currently exists.

So when I see these stats, I just think that is (or isn't) interesting.

My judgements on managers are more based on what they achieve, rather than points per game (though I'm not blind to the correlation). So in the case of Brady v Curle, even if we get relegated this season and Brady gets sacked, he's still a mile better than Curle... IMHO

[Clarity]

Look out, our marauding full back has spoken. Keep your oar out Roberto.

I was very grumpy last night and fed up with everything! Roberto 😂 That was early days, I ended up much further forward

[Melbourne Cobbler]

I was very grumpy last night and fed up with everything! Roberto 😂 That was early days, I ended up much further forward

was that because your legs went mate and you couldn’t get back.

[everbrite]

Evers has a problem. He cannot cope with criticism towards him, or anything that he associates himself with. Especially towards those who were not present at the time of the event.
Personally, I branch out in the opposite direction, and couldnt give a toss what anybody thinks about me. 

As long as I have the right of reply! I seem to attract comments, as per above from you! Has anybody told you that you are often touchy as hell , often without apparent reason. Personally I think you missed out on 6th Form Intelligentsia! Happens to us all . Or just having an off day!

[Tabasco Kid]

As long as I have the right of reply! I seem to attract comments, as per above from you! Has anybody told you that you are often touchy as hell , often without apparent reason. Personally I think you missed out on 6th Form Intelligentsia! Happens to us all . Or just having an off day!

People have frequently called me all sorts, but as I said, its just water off a ducks back to me.

[Bingers]

People have frequently called me all sorts, but as I said, its just water off a ducks back to me.

Don't worry Tabby, I still love you, even if Evers doesn't. We can put other differences to the side and still get on.

[MCHammer]

I get that you cant really compare one to another but you can aspire to be like others surely? Lincoln are indeed putting in money through share offers/options (£9.4 million since the start of 2022) yet we go down the director loan route. One counts the other doesn't when it comes to SCMP. Why one does it one way and the other does it the other way who knows!
Where is Mr Le Quesne and where did his "significant investment" go? Did he purely buy already issued shares off the Bowers? Not forgetting that those shares are not actually in the football club (as is the case with Lincoln) but in the holding company.
That's the bit I don't understand...the whole NTFC....Ventures.....BdJ bit rather than it just being about NTFC. Throw CDNL into the mix and it gets even more confusing.

I guess with our current owners its too much to wish for anything over and above the level they are comfortable with investing/loaning/losing and despite these players being what we would call rich, they will not blow their fortunes on the football club!

Other bits like I wonder why we never went down the stadium naming rights route again after the demise of PTS..... the majority of clubs in our league have sponsored stadia.... again that's income which means turnover which means higher wage budget allowance.

Anyway..... all of this....its probably for another thread of its own! I still believe with the players we have and the quality/experience we are still able to put out on the field our performances and results should be better than they have been. This season has been a chore apart from the odd game or half of a game. I still don't know what our "style of play" is, I still don't see any variation to things like throw in's (how many of Pinnocks long throws have led to goals?) or corners.... I just feel we (and again the buck stops with JB) could be doing better despite all the constraints both on and off the pitch.

Nothing wrong with aspiring to be better.  As long as it's met with a bit of reality around the environment in which we operate and a bit of honesty around what it would take to meet those aspirations.  Not really aimed at you specifically but most of the comparisons I've seen people make with other clubs have nothing to do with aspiration and without fail take no account whatsoever of how that club achieved what they have.

If the underlying aspiration is to have owners, with deeper and perhaps more generous pockets, that are willing to run the club in an even more unsustainable way than we currently do then let's have an honest discussion about that. 

As for the Mr Le Quesne investment I guess we will find out in time.  Surely though you can appreciate the playing budget has been increased significantly, we have a squad size at the maximum allowed, we've just bought land for £2m (£1m more than planned) and are developing the East Stand at significant cost.

As for the club ownership structure and comparing it to Lincoln.  Have a look at this...https://www.weareimps.com/news/update-lincoln-city-holdings#:~:text=Lincoln%20City%20Holdings%20Ltd%20owns,Lincoln%20City%20Holdings%20Ltd%20respectively.

As for your comments regarding Brady I agree with pretty much everything you have said.  I think he's been backed financially better than he could have expected all things considered.  Even with the injuries we have for the most part put out sides that are capable of more than we have achieved at times.  I don't think the injuries and lack of ability to make changes can be ignored but I agree our style of play has been poor at times particuarly in attack.  As I said previously I'd like to see Roberts and Fosu being played correctly in positions that suit their game as they could be real difference makers.  I also agree that I've never understaood why we don't try and become a much better side from set pieces as that surely is something we could be much more effective from.