On the other hand because you’ve were brought up eating white bread it doesn’t mean you always have to eat the stuff. I was one of those who saw our season at the highest level and was also at Shrewsbury and then at Chesterfield on a grim day when we finished in a relegation place but were only saved from the Conference by Kidderminster’s ground not being up to EFL standard requirements.
You and ST Ed seem to be white bread people. I am not. I want and expect better. However, I realise that to achieve that the ground and the club’s infrastructure and wider relationship with the people of Northampton has to be much better. As we have seen, what the club has now whether it is its bricks and mortar, ownership and management is not good enough to either mount a serious promotion challenge or, if we get promoted, maintain a place in the league above for more than a season or two. That is where we are.
My own take is that the conventional private ltd company ownership vehicle is broken for many clubs in the lower divisions, including NTFC. The sad demise of Bury illustrates the point. Others will follow. I know that many disagree with fans ownership and always hope the next owner will be a wealthy benefactor rather than an opportunist with land development profits the real agenda. I very much doubt that these hopes will ever be realised and so things needs to fundamentally change. Think of the German 50+1 ownership model and the long term sustainability and growth of the club before coming back and saying “ twas always thus” at NTFC. It needn’t be.
The truth is VC that it goes beyond infrastructure and type of ownership. The fundamental financial structure outside of the championship is flawed. I am afraid much of what goes on is unsustainable, including at Sixfields. Our current owners are 5 million in apparently and have achieved nothing. Everything you need to know is right there. Bolton with the Reebok nearly went to the wall, whilst people will put up the all too predictable excuses for this, the evidence is damning. For every success story there is a failure and anybody with real money will proceed with caution. Even then they could do a Max Griggs and walk with all too predictable results. I am afraid the dispassionate answer is semi professional for division 1 & 2. As a supporter there is nothing I would hate more, the financial reality tells another story. Bury is the start and more will follow, as you say. Dreams are fine but it comes with a risk attached. If every club was semi professional and spending was capped at say 70% of turnover it would be a level playing field and clubs would be no longer at risk from some of the incompetence that goes on. I am fully aware that this is going to go down like a bag of sick and I hate the idea myself, I am just calling it as I see it. Perhaps when a few more clubs with a proud history implode the powers that be will act? Let’s just hope we are still around when and if it happens.