Brilliant New Burnley Podcast

[Ightenhill_Claret]

How often? The podcast? It’s going to be fortnightly during the summer and then weekly once the season gets underway.

[DanH90]

We’ve finally got a BFC podcast that provides intelligent discussion. The others I’ve listened to are clearly done by well-intentioned fans, but lack professionalism and real journalistic credibility. This one does not, makes a huge difference having journalists talk about the club.
If they can sort the poor quality sound (from one of the team) for the next podcast then even better.

[Ightenhill_Claret]

Yeah sorry Dan - I was the one who sounded like he was using a potato to record! Next episode should have that sorted!

[Inchy]

I listened to it in full today.

Thought it was very good. Strange that a Burnley podcast is being done by people who don’t have season tickets (apart from greavsy?) but I suppose it doesn’t really matter as you can watch the games online.

I didn’t think they were overly negative about Pace. Similar opinion to me. Done a good job but the way the club was bought doesn’t necessarily sit right, and if we had made the wrong appointment and struggled this year I’d be a lot more concerned about the state of the club. Also pace is sickeningly nice. That’s not a bad thing and I’ve met other Americans who are similar. I find it gringe but I also admire it because I’m not that nice. British people are generally not that nice

A bit cynical about JJW but I didn’t mind it I’m very cynical. I think his involvement is very positive but it looks a bit like we are copying Wrexham with a lesser star

[Duffer_]

I listened to it last night and enjoyed it.

The podcast coupled with the thread on Clarets from outside Burnley got me thinking about the generation of fans that grew up in the 80s and 90s. I think it's fair to say the host and guests are of that vintage, as am I.

The external perception of Burnley is as positive as I can remember and is wider than just football.

* Bank of Dave feel good film
* Jordan North and his Happy Place
* media coverage of Hughie and Freddie's exploits
* Princes Trust regeneration
* VK's fashionable style (it's way more than that tbf)
* JJ Watt and Kealia as pseudo-brand ambassadors
* the coverage of our victory parade
* heck, a dude from 5ive thought Burnley was a city (on Pointless "Celebrities" last night)

Why the positivity? I like to think the post-Orient generation have a part to play in that. The renaissance we saw in the early 90s was a reaction to nearly losing the club and created a generation of fans that fell in love with Burnley in a way that it had been challenging to do for a while.

A lot of that generation have now had families, successfully reproducing/regenerating Clarets, and are at the peak of their economic and social powers. With more geographical movement than in previous generations, the 'indoctrination' of their families has been important, given the size of the town, in maintaining an enviable fanbase.

I know it is a dangerous vanity to think we are special as a group of fans, and even more dangerous to cite one particular generation as playing an important role, particularly as generations do not exist without their forebears, but if not special, we are definitely unique. Our history and experiences, in part defined by our relationships with local rivals, ensure that. Let's just hope that our incredible story resonates with a more global audience and unbreakable bonds are forged between new fans and our club.

Romanticised, caricatured nonsense? Probably but do you think there is more positivity around Burnley and, if so, why?

[martin_p]

I listened to it last night and enjoyed it.

The podcast coupled with the thread on Clarets from outside Burnley got me thinking about the generation of fans that grew up in the 80s and 90s. I think it's fair to say the host and guests are of that vintage, as am I.

The external perception of Burnley is as positive as I can remember and is wider than just football.

* Bank of Dave feel good film
* Jordan North and his Happy Place
* media coverage of Hughie and Freddie's exploits
* Princes Trust regeneration
* VK's fashionable style (it's way more than that tbf)
* JJ Watt and Kealia as pseudo-brand ambassadors
* the coverage of our victory parade
* heck, a dude from 5ive thought Burnley was a city (on Pointless "Celebrities" last night)

Why the positivity? I like to think the post-Orient generation have a part to play in that. The renaissance we saw in the early 90s was a reaction to nearly losing the club and created a generation of fans that fell in love with Burnley in a way that it had been challenging to do for a while.

A lot of that generation have now had families, successfully reproducing/regenerating Clarets, and are at the peak of their economic and social powers. With more geographical movement than in previous generations, the 'indoctrination' of their families has been important, given the size of the town, in maintaining an enviable fanbase.

I know it is a dangerous vanity to think we are special as a group of fans, and even more dangerous to cite one particular generation as playing an important role, particularly as generations do not exist without their forebears, but if not special, we are definitely unique. Our history and experiences, in part defined by our relationships with local rivals, ensure that. Let's just hope that our incredible story resonates with a more global audience and unbreakable bonds are forged between new fans and our club.

Romanticised, caricatured nonsense? Probably but do you think there is more positivity around Burnley and, if so, why?

I think it’s the generation that got their children interested in going on the Turf in the late 80s (so the parents of the generation you mention) that deserve credit. Being a Burnley supporter in those days was tough, persuading somebody to become one must have been even tougher!

[ClaretTony]

I think it’s the generation that got their children interested in going on the Turf in the late 80s (so the parents of the generation you mention) that deserve credit. Being a Burnley supporter in those days was tough, persuading somebody to become one must have been even tougher!

You went out of loyalty at times. Horrendous time to be a Burnley fan.

[Vegas Claret]

You went out of loyalty at times. Horrendous time to be a Burnley fan.

it's when I started going as a young kid, I didn't know any different so I still had the "excitement" of going to the football, it was approaching 86-87 that I realised we were crap !

[ClaretTony]

it's when I started going as a young kid, I didn't know any different so I still had the "excitement" of going to the football, it was approaching 86-87 that I realised we were crap !

I can understand it if that’s when you started but I’d come down the big slide from the 1960s.

[Vegas Claret]

I can understand it if that’s when you started but I’d come down the big slide from the 1960s.

massively, when I was learning about the club (my family had no interest so it was more during junior clarets and the Sunday events they had at the Turf) I couldn't believe that we had been Champions etc, must have been heartbreaking for those around in that era to witness the decline. Taken a long time but we've crawled our way back and hopefully we will never fall to those depths again.

[ClaretTony]

massively, when I was learning about the club (my family had no interest so it was more during junior clarets and the Sunday events they had at the Turf) I couldn't believe that we had been Champions etc, must have been heartbreaking for those around in that era to witness the decline. Taken a long time but we've crawled our way back and hopefully we will never fall to those depths again.

I used to help out with the Junior Clarets in the 1980s. Two good friends of mine Margaret & Maureen were involved.

[DCWat]

You went out of loyalty at times. Horrendous time to be a Burnley fan.

I’m not sure what is worse - seeing us at that level knowing where we had been or starting out as a football fan seeing such poor football. It could have turned a lot of would be fans away from Burnley.

I started going as the rot started to set in - 82/83. My memories from then are vague, I think I blotted most of it out, but ones that stick in the memory are.

The 7-0 with a Kevin Hird hat trick against Rotherham

Losing at Valley Parade, two or three weeks before the fire - I think Bobby Campbell going up the other end to win it just when we’d got back into the game.

Being frozen to death at a home game (possibly Exeter) with hardly anyone there.

The Orient game.

It was bleak being a Burnley fan. I remember thinking that this is what it would always be like as I’d never seen anything but relegation, dwindling crowds and poor football.

Losing at Wembley in 88 didn’t feel bad, it was just amazing to be there with my team. I was amazed at how many fans we actually had.

As a young lad from Yorkshire, I used to take a lot of ribbing for being a Burnley fan. It certainly didn’t help that we were so poor and that Bradford City were having a rare foray up the leagues.

My hatred for Bradford City was sown at a young age and I savour every day that we sit so far above them.

Hopefully we never see those dark days again but if we do, it’s having loyal fans in good numbers, who stick with us, that’ll see us rise up again.

[Vegas Claret]

I used to help out with the Junior Clarets in the 1980s. Two good friends of mine Margaret & Maureen were involved.

Yeah I remember Maureen, she was great with us all

[roperclaret]

I used to help out with the Junior Clarets in the 1980s. Two good friends of mine Margaret & Maureen were involved.

Wow, Margaret and Maureen. They were like Aunties to me during my 5 or 6 years as a ball boy.

[ClaretTony]

Wow, Margaret and Maureen. They were like Aunties to me during my 5 or 6 years as a ball boy.

Both still doing well I can report.

[Pearcey]

Listened at work yesterday and enjoyed it. Will look out for the next episode.

[gandhisflipflop]

Listened to it. Will post my thoughts below


Positives

Good structured podcast, nice to hear opinions from other fans and good debate.

Negatives

The cynicism about JJ Watt
The negativity towards the owners suggesting they got lucky, and to ask if they know what they are doing after this season to me is just incredible. I would be interested to hear if they think the previous board got lucky with their appointments

[ClaretPete001]

In my time watching Burnley (since 1993) we have only had 2 properly bad managers. Waddle and Laws. And i felt Laws was always on to a loser but it was a poor appointment

Thats not bad though in 30 years to have had only 2 bad managers!

There is a massive degree of luck but i also think the Kilby board were very good at selecting managers

Perhaps because you were lucky enough to miss the previous 9 seasons in Division 3 and 4 so it's not always been a bed of roses.

[ClaretPete001]

I think the decline was precisely because the club became arrogant and we had a terribly arrogant Chairman who had long since stopped listening to anyone and spent his time fighting the fundamentals of the modern game.

Even managers who were successful like Jimmy Adamson got treated poorly.

In the end, once you start believing your own BS you will eventually become a cropper.

I sense the same attitude after 9 years in the PL tbh.

[Herts Clarets]

Losing at Valley Parade, two or three weeks before the fire - I think Bobby Campbell going up the other end to win it just when we’d got back into the game.

I was there. Grewcock and Biggins pulled it back to 2-2 in front of us and then Bradford scored with a long range shot that seemed to go through the hapless Roger Hansbury at the far end.

[Inchy]

Perhaps because you were lucky enough to miss the previous 9 seasons in Division 3 and 4 so it's not always been a bed of roses.

What a strange reply

[Nori1958]

Listened to it. Will post my thoughts below


Positives

Good structured podcast, nice to hear opinions from other fans and good debate.

Negatives

The cynicism about JJ Watt
The negativity towards the owners suggesting they got lucky, and to ask if they know what they are doing after this season to me is just incredible. I would be interested to hear if they think the previous board got lucky with their appointments

There is too much of "they got lucky with Kompany, what if it hadn't worked out?"....you can say that about any decision in life if you want to look on the bad side. The bottom line is it did work out. Certain people, inside and outside of the media don't have the same access to the club as they used to have, and they don't like it.

Previous appointments of mangers were poor....Brian Laws anyone?
Some were fortunate, Coyle was a last resort when the boards favourite turned up for the formality of an interview having forgotten to have a shave or clean his teeth and they had no option to look elsewhere.
I

[ClaretTony]

There is too much of "they got lucky with Kompany, what if it hadn't worked out?"....you can say that about any decision in life if you want to look on the bad side. The bottom line is it did work out. Certain people, inside and outside of the media don't have the same access to the club as they used to have, and they don't like it.

Previous appointments of mangers were poor....Brian Laws anyone?
Some were fortunate, Coyle was a last resort when the boards favourite turned up for the formality of an interview having forgotten to have a shave or clean his teeth and they had no option to look elsewhere.
I

Not having it that Coyle was a last resort - I was told that Coyle was the likely new manager within 24 hours of Cotterill's departure. It was always between him and Laws but Sheffield Wednesday wouldn't give us permission to speak to Laws. Yes, we interviewed others, but Coyle was anything but a last resort.

We have got lucky with Kompany, just as we got lucky with Dyche, just as we were lucky and unlucky with other appointments. That's not suggesting either were a sticking a pin in appointments but with every appointment you never know whether it will work out or not. There is always an element of luck.

[RVclaret]

Not having it that Coyle was a last resort - I was told that Coyle was the likely new manager within 24 hours of Cotterill's departure. It was always between him and Laws but Sheffield Wednesday wouldn't give us permission to speak to Laws. Yes, we interviewed others, but Coyle was anything but a last resort.

We have got lucky with Kompany, just as we got lucky with Dyche, just as we were lucky and unlucky with other appointments. That's not suggesting either were a sticking a pin in appointments but with every appointment you never know whether it will work out or not. There is always an element of luck.

There’s an element of luck but putting it all down to luck is massively incorrect. Having a clear plan and strategy where the club is entirely aligned is quite rare in football clubs these days. Attracting Kompany to Burnley over other overseas opportunities like Gladbach is not luck. Appointing him after the media would have you believe he didn’t do a great job (also incorrect) at Anderlecht isn’t luck.

I was reading an Athletic article the other day which interviewed Les Reed and he commented how clubs these days have recruitment teams (data analysts) for coaches. There is some science that plays part in the process. Perhaps the luck you refer to is the ‘not knowing how it’ll work out’. but again you can reduce the unknown factor quite significantly by simply making the ‘right’ appointment. It’s like the amount of players we signed and calling it lucky that they all fit in… or you can credit the recruitment team for extensive background checks on their characters etc.

It was an absolute masterstroke by Pace and co.

[ClaretTony]

There’s an element of luck but putting it all down to luck is massively incorrect. Having a clear plan and strategy where the club is entirely aligned is quite rare in football clubs these days. Attracting Kompany to Burnley over other overseas opportunities like Gladbach is not luck. Appointing him after the media would have you believe he didn’t do a great job (also incorrect) at Anderlecht isn’t luck.

I was reading an Athletic article the other day which interviewed Les Reed and he commented how clubs these days have recruitment teams (data analysts) for coaches. There is some science that plays part in the process. Perhaps the luck you refer to is the ‘not knowing how it’ll work out’. but again you can reduce the unknown factor quite significantly by simply making the ‘right’ appointment. It’s like the amount of players we signed and calling it lucky that they all fit in… or you can credit the recruitment team for extensive background checks on their characters etc.

It was an absolute masterstroke by Pace and co.

The luck is never quite knowing how it will work out. Sometimes a manager, or a player for that matter, won't settle at a club and it doesn't work out. Sometimes he will find it too difficult working for his new bosses.

I know when Dyche was appointed, we went through the most exhaustive of processes before offering him the job. The club thought they'd got the right man at the time, and they had, but there are so many factors that might have not worked. That's what I was suggesting with luck, and there will always be good or bad luck with any appointment no matter how much work went into it.

[Nori1958]

Not having it that Coyle was a last resort - I was told that Coyle was the likely new manager within 24 hours of Cotterill's departure. It was always between him and Laws but Sheffield Wednesday wouldn't give us permission to speak to Laws. Yes, we interviewed others, but Coyle was anything but a last resort.

We have got lucky with Kompany, just as we got lucky with Dyche, just as we were lucky and unlucky with other appointments. That's not suggesting either were a sticking a pin in appointments but with every appointment you never know whether it will work out or not. There is always an element of luck.

One of our then directors must have been lying then

The only lucky thing with Kompany is that we managed to lure him here, plenty of background work, and previous experience prior to appointment negates much luck being involved

[jedi_master]

Not listened to said podcast yet but will do so.

On the subject of the appointment of Vinny, maybe I have it wrong but was he signed up to come in regardless of how the fight against relegation turned out? I just recall Vinny saying something in pre-season along the lines of:

“We knew we’d be working with Popey if we’d stayed up, but that we’d sell him if we went down”

Paraphrasing, but something like that anyway. I think that speaks volumes for the confidence Pace et al had in the decision around his appointment. Weird though as I’m guessing he was still at Anderlecht at that time?

[ClaretTony]

One of our then directors must have been lying then

The only lucky thing with Kompany is that we managed to lure him here, plenty of background work, and previous experience prior to appointment negates much luck being involved

I've not accused anyone of lying. I'm just reporting what I know. Cotterill went on the Thursday and I was given the name Coyle on the Friday and from the most reliable of sources.

Having lured him here, there is always the possibility that it doesn't work, however good a manager he is. That's where the luck comes in.

[Nori1958]

I've not accused anyone of lying. I'm just reporting what I know. Cotterill went on the Thursday and I was given the name Coyle on the Friday and from the most reliable of sources.

Having lured him here, there is always the possibility that it doesn't work, however good a manager he is. That's where the luck comes in.

I didn't say you had accused him, iam just saying that for your version to be true, the version that went to print ( and has never been challenged) must be false and therefore the author was lying.

[ClaretTony]

As I said, I knew about Coyle on the day after Cotterill left and the source was such that I would never have any reason to doubt it.

[Inchy]

Kompany was a gamble. He had done a decent job in Belgium but he hadn’t pulled up any trees. He certainly hadn’t shown enough to suggest just how good he is. Now I suspect he interviews well so the board would have been impressed by him, but I also suspect Coyle interviews well, and he keeps on failing.

He was a gamble that’s paid off. Part good ownership, part good luck.

All people are suggesting is if it all went tits up then the club could have been in a right state. I think it’s healthy to contemplate what would happen if gambles don’t pay off, it guides the amount of risk you’re willing to take.

[wilks_bfc]

“Do I go to work via route A or route B?”

“Do I make a brew with the milk that went out of date yesterday?”

Every decision you make is a gamble, just with varying degrees of risk

Had we beaten Man City in the QF a lot of fans thst could only afford one trip to Wembley, would have taken a gamble on whether to go to a guaranteed game there for the semi final or risk it on getting to the final

[martin_p]

Kompany was a gamble. He had done a decent job in Belgium but he hadn’t pulled up any trees. He certainly hadn’t shown enough to suggest just how good he is. Now I suspect he interviews well so the board would have been impressed by him, but I also suspect Coyle interviews well, and he keeps on failing.

He was a gamble that’s paid off. Part good ownership, part good luck.

All people are suggesting is if it all went tits up then the club could have been in a right state. I think it’s healthy to contemplate what would happen if gambles don’t pay off, it guides the amount of risk you’re willing to take.

Everything has risk, but the more diligence you put into making a decision the less risky it becomes (albeit never zero). I think the board deserve some credit here and the way it was put in the podcast gave them little.

That said I did enjoy the podcast and I’m sure one thing it will want to do is provoke (healthy) debate.

[TheFamilyCat]

Everything has risk, but the more diligence you put into making a decision the less risky it becomes (albeit never zero). I think the board deserve some credit here and the way it was put in the podcast gave them little.

That said I did enjoy the podcast and I’m sure one thing it will want to do is provoke (healthy) debate.

"The more I practiced, the luckier I got".

There's definitely a parallel here.

[ClaretPete001]

15 managers got sacked in the Championship last year - did none of those owners do due diligence?

The podcast was good and I think their comments on the owners and the appointment of VK was fair.

From the vantage point of journalists they spoke to the Belgian media who considered Kompany to be somewhat of a left-field appointment. he had done ok at Anderlecht but nothing more albeit from the benefit of hindsight that might be harsh.

I didn't like the reference to Dyche ball much it seemed a bit disrespectful to a manager who achieved what he did and to Brexit Burnley. I mean it's a bit rich talking about JJ Watt on the bus and then using a podcast including US based journos to use the term Brexit Burnley - kettle and copper and all that...!

Overall, we all have our subjective view and it is the right of others to get on our t*ts as long as there is some reasonable justification for it.

[claretonthecoast1882]

Everything has risk, but the more diligence you put into making a decision the less risky it becomes (albeit never zero). I think the board deserve some credit here and the way it was put in the podcast gave them little.

That said I did enjoy the podcast and I’m sure one thing it will want to do is provoke (healthy) debate.

Just have to accept that for some giving the owners any credit is never going to happen

[martin_p]

15 managers got sacked in the Championship last year - did none of those owners do due diligence?

Guess you need to look at how many managers appointed at the start of the season (or after) didn’t make it to the end for a fairer number. But in answer to your question, some will some won’t. Given the turnaround of managers at Watford I’d be very surprised if they were putting enough effort into understanding whether a manager shared your vision for the club. In fact i’’l be shocked if they’re asking anything more than ‘can you start Monday?’

[martin_p]

Just have to accept that for some giving the owners any credit is never going to happen

I certainly accept that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

[ClaretPete001]

I certainly accept that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Exactly the point.

To get away from the politics of the thread. I thought it was a good listen - it was certainly interesting to hear the thoughts of Chris Boden and the other journalists talk about some of the contacts they have with the club.

I just hope they continue to give an honest opinion and create some debate.

[Inchy]

I credit the owners for the VK appointment.

I like a lot of what these owners have done. Pace seems to be dragging various departments into the modern age, and a lot of people have moved on proving people don’t like change, but no one we have lost seem a great loss.

I’m still and never will be happy with the club being bought using its own profit. Technically I could buy the club if I knew enough rich people to loan me the money, and no one wants that because I’d completely cock it up. Just doesn’t sit right and never will until that debt has been paid.

That being said we had to get rid of garlick to progress and we were not awash with suitable suitors.

[Ightenhill_Claret]

Thanks Pete. I can guarantee that we'll stay true and honest to our opinions - we've nothing to gain from slagging people off, nothing to gain from feeding listeners a line or anything like that.

We're not going to be controversial for the sake of it, we're all just massive Clarets at the end of the day and there's nothing we've loved seeing more this season than the success we've had.

Maybe people thought we were a bit harsh on Pace and Co, some of the lads were - for me - a little hard on JJ Watt (who I personally think is exactly what we're looking for) and all of us will have different opinions on the different phases of football under Sean Dyche (who, I think it's fair to say, we do all love to bits!). But that's the way it should be - we're hoping to replicate the different views you might hear down the Royal Dyche, The Bridge Bier Huis, The Loom, The Circ or The Miners and pick them apart.

And we're hoping to get some guests on to talk about their time playing for and/or managing Burnley as well just for good measure!

[aggi]

I'd say it's still reasonable to accept the great season we've had whilst still questioning things.

I think the complex structure does help obfuscate things. If Pace and co had paid upfront for the club and then said "we'll be taking salaries of £30m for the next 4 years, and we'll be taking out a bank loan to fund them" I suspect there would have been outrage.

The last season has been great and it is starting to look like there is a plan but financially we are still a fair way behind when the takeover happened. We'll probably need to give it a few more years to see how that pans out.

[123EasyasBFC]

Themed episodes during the summer could be a shout

All time starting 11s
Top 5 matches hosts have seen live
Best signings
Favourite goals scored

[gandhisflipflop]

There is too much of "they got lucky with Kompany, what if it hadn't worked out?"....you can say that about any decision in life if you want to look on the bad side. The bottom line is it did work out. Certain people, inside and outside of the media don't have the same access to the club as they used to have, and they don't like it.

Previous appointments of mangers were poor....Brian Laws anyone?
Some were fortunate, Coyle was a last resort when the boards favourite turned up for the formality of an interview having forgotten to have a shave or clean his teeth and they had no option to look elsewhere.
I

You’ve summed up my feelings far better there

[Lancasterclaret]

We've had some very good managers over the past decade and a half, and that is why we are where we are

Lets hope we keep being that, er, lucky

[ClaretPete001]

Two points really: Cherry picking years doesn't help much and I suppose it is an age thing but from 1975/76 we went on a decline for the best part of 20 years and at one point ended up one match away from oblivion.

Secondly in the last 15 years we have had good managers.

Steve Cotterill England June 2004 November 2007 170 55 49 66 32.35
Steve Davis* England November 2007 November 2007 1 1 0 0 100.00
Owen Coyle Ireland November 2007 January 2010 116 49 29 38 42.24 Championship play–off winners: 2008–09
Brian Laws England January 2010 December 2010 44 13 9 22 29.55
Stuart Gray* England December 2010 January 2011 4 2 1 1 50.00
Eddie Howe England January 2011 October 2012 87 34 19 34 39.08
Terry Pashley* England October 2012 October 2012 3 2 0 1 66.67
Sean Dyche England October 2012 April 2022 425 149 118 158 35.06 Championship promotion: 2013–14, Championship title: 2015–16 Mike Jackson* England April 2022 May 2022 8 3 2 3 37.50
Vincent Kompany Belgium June 2022 54 34 15 5 62.96

Steve Cotterill managed a win rate of 32% while probably the most coveted English manager in PL at the moment managed 39 per cent and often seemed a stranger to tactics and the concept of a defence.

Owen Coyle took a team of Championship/League 1 journeymen to a respectable position in the PL before he left to pursue a career of incredible mediocrity.

Interestingly, in his brief stint as manager Mike Jackson managed the same win rate as Sean Dyche over 9 seasons. Of course, that's if you believe the stats.

[CrosspoolClarets]

I'd say it's still reasonable to accept the great season we've had whilst still questioning things.

I think the complex structure does help obfuscate things. If Pace and co had paid upfront for the club and then said "we'll be taking salaries of £30m for the next 4 years, and we'll be taking out a bank loan to fund them" I suspect there would have been outrage.

The last season has been great and it is starting to look like there is a plan but financially we are still a fair way behind when the takeover happened. We'll probably need to give it a few more years to see how that pans out.

A reasonable view but I would question who “we” is because the club may not have invested that money in a way that us fans notice, and indeed for a long time before the takeover they spent less than naff all. For all we know the Plan B of the former owners may have been to pay that huge dividend or salaries to extract value that way. Not saying it was, just that it may have been.

That is why I think the criticism of the new owners both on here and in podcasts is misinformed, I know some good financial journalists have also had some concerns. Fine. But the local ones are good people but wouldn’t know one end of a cash flow statement from another so I would treat those opinions with a pinch of salt. What gets unfortunate is when that lack of knowledge or preferred way of doing things then translates into an opinion as to personality and motivation etc but that isn’t journalism its speculation.

As fans we can only judge what we see in front of us on the pitch, the investment under ALK on the pitch has far exceeded predecessors, and they seem very keen to give us the ride of our lives and extract value that way. I’d like to see investment in facilities as well, but for now, a cautious well done, and I’ll respectfully disagree with any podcast suggesting otherwise (but I’ll listen next time too, because they are good guys doing it).

[aggi]

A reasonable view but I would question who “we” is because the club may not have invested that money in a way that us fans notice, and indeed for a long time before the takeover they spent less than naff all. For all we know the Plan B of the former owners may have been to pay that huge dividend or salaries to extract value that way. Not saying it was, just that it may have been.

That is why I think the criticism of the new owners both on here and in podcasts is misinformed, I know some good financial journalists have also had some concerns. Fine. But the local ones are good people but wouldn’t know one end of a cash flow statement from another so I would treat those opinions with a pinch of salt. What gets unfortunate is when that lack of knowledge or preferred way of doing things then translates into an opinion as to personality and motivation etc but that isn’t journalism its speculation.

As fans we can only judge what we see in front of us on the pitch, the investment under ALK on the pitch has far exceeded predecessors, and they seem very keen to give us the ride of our lives and extract value that way. I’d like to see investment in facilities as well, but for now, a cautious well done, and I’ll respectfully disagree with any podcast suggesting otherwise (but I’ll listen next time too, because they are good guys doing it).

This isn't really the case. All of the transfer activity has been financed (and then some) by player sales. Although I think many would agree that this is probably an area where we did need to be more savvy.

[aggi]

On the podcast itself, I'm part of the way through and it seems fairly entertaining although, as others have said, it's a bit hard work with the sound (the different levels for the different people make it difficult to listen to without someone being too quiet or loud).

[CrosspoolClarets]

This isn't really the case. All of the transfer activity has been financed (and then some) by player sales. Although I think many would agree that this is probably an area where we did need to be more savvy.

I’d accept that in a net spend way overall but we should factor in circumstance and league position. Far easier to spend money in the Premier League and selling on exit and buying in the Championship will always generate a surplus.

I wrote about what we fans experience on the pitch and I was thinking in terms of the amount and value of incomings per season, under ALK the club has spent about 100m in a short space of time which is a much bigger investment per year. We can only speculate about what the old board would have done on relegation after selling a few players but I bet the signings and loans wouldn’t have been so ambitious.

Giving the new owners some credit and allowing them to bask in our promotion without the criticism (at this moment of euphoria) is really all I am saying.