Gordyola
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Covered in the media thread a lot of complaints have gone in to the BBC
Also pointed out that Exeter is a city not a town which the local Radio Devon reporter should surely know?
FA Cup - 3rd Round Draw - Exeter H - (KO TBC)
- Thread starter simmo
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Also pointed out that Exeter is a city not a town which the local Radio Devon reporter should surely know?
Eaststander1
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I just had a quick glance on the 'net' that's all, before I posted that last post ..... have just had another look and apparently its owned and run by the Exeter Port Authority, and they still class it as an 'historic port,' probably for local Tourism Board use, and to appeal more to the likes of people who visit Exeter for whatever reasons etc .... apparently Exeter STILL holds legal 'port status' according to certain acts that were passed, dating back to the 1840s ..... however the area is used for leisure and tourism purposes mainly these days , boat trips etc, rather than for the commercial shipping that appears to have once used the area .... but whatever it is nowadays, it lacks the operational naval base that Plymouth has.
I can see what you're saying about the River Exe and the Quayside though, the article I've just read mentions them both.
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BillCarlisle
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Believe me, mate, somewhere in the media they would soon turn it into negative PR. Something like "gate receipts merely pocket money to Sheikh Mansour. City could have done so much more. Blah blah blah....."
chesterbells
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Any 3pm Saturday ties won’t be on tnt at all, streaming or a channel. Outside that kick off time, all ties on tnt except 2 allocated to bbc.
Past evidence is 2/3 of games in 3rd round KO outside 3pm Sat so that’s a lot of games being shown live.
grecianmax
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Not really, the costs and excesses of other clubs have pushed the average wage up for L1 enormously - thanks to big spenders like Birmingham and Wrexham and the arms race that followed
We have no benefactor and rely solely on fans subs and selling players
The model will have to change and is going to next year. We are going to be selling a % to an investor to help bridge the gap. That's the plan anyway - have to find one first. This is tricky if we are to keep our majority stake in the club. As you can imagine after 21 years of fans ownership this is a critical juncture and there will no doubt be some high stakes debates and infighting. Some fans are absolute in their view around supporter ownership - others more flexible.
It costs about £2m in player wages to run and EFL club as the lowest baseline, and from ECFC accounts the turnover was £6.5m so they can afford close to £4m on wages. Clubs have stayed in League 1 on less, and some have gone down spending a lot more. It won't mean you compete with league 1 big boys but a shrewd club and manager would make it work.
2 years previous there was a £4.5m turnover and a loss of a bit over two hundred grand. 2 years later turnover is up £2m but a loss of £3m.
8 directors terminated in 2025, may be nothing to do with it, but seems the club has just overspent and is in turmoil due to bad management.
Sounds like you were on the board with that statement :)
EIghtyNineNinety
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Would they though? Doesn't seem like much of a reason not to do it, especially if it's only 'pocket money' to your owners. Here's hoping we get a chance to find out.
Good to support / sustain the pyramid both our clubs are a part of (before the Premier League is turned into a completely closed shop).
grecianmax
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£2m in wages? Where have you got that from haha, it's much more. We're in L1 remember.
Separately, the club's previous board did overspend yes - the structure at City is two boards, one trust of which then 3 sit on the main club board with "professionals"
We're still awaiting a proper review but a failure of governance has almost certainly happened
Regardless of that we have the second lowest budget in the league, we cannot compete with the likes of Stevenage and Burton who pull in much less than us because they have benefactors to cover the losses
Exeter I believe are the only club in the EFL without any debt (other than the loans from ecfc trust itself)
The model needs adapting, otherwise we are destined for the National League
grecianmax
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Another thing that holds us back in the ground itself
It's great for character and has had some nice work done to it but we sit in the middle of town, next to a railway (which partly cuts off a corner hence "the gap") with no room now to expand. Corporate stuff is relatively limited because of space.
4,000 of our capacity is true standing (not the safe standing stuff) in the Big Bank
Means that half our gate is on a lower ticket price, whereas other clubs have more of a blanket price for seating
We probably need a move to a new ground but don't have - and are unlikely to - ever have that sort of capital
A change in the ownership model might eventually present that as more of an opportunity
Do love SJP though, proper football ground
It's great for character and has had some nice work done to it but we sit in the middle of town, next to a railway (which partly cuts off a corner hence "the gap") with no room now to expand. Corporate stuff is relatively limited because of space.
4,000 of our capacity is true standing (not the safe standing stuff) in the Big Bank
Means that half our gate is on a lower ticket price, whereas other clubs have more of a blanket price for seating
We probably need a move to a new ground but don't have - and are unlikely to - ever have that sort of capital
A change in the ownership model might eventually present that as more of an opportunity
Do love SJP though, proper football ground
Attachments
A recently relegated club to League 2 has just under £2m wages, and they were able to survive a few years in league 1 on that.
I said it was the baseline for an EFL club, but what ECFC have done is overspend once they got in League 1, maybe not compared to other clubs, but when considering their budget constraints. Clubs do that and rely on the football fortune of a good cup draw or selling a player for good money, but a couple of years with neither and it falls apart.
Even ones with rich owners soon come unstuck when they realise it is a money pit, and then can't sell as it is overvalued due to their loans to the club. Then the owner who has spent the majority of their personal wealth on the club becomes a hate figure.
They say clubs are businesses, but the majority would not be considered going concerns in the real world.
A lovely pub called Mill on The Exe - great setting, food & drinks are fantastic! Always go in when I’m down that way!
BillCarlisle
Well-Known Member
Judging by your reference to the term 'owners' (plural) I suspect you may have fallen into the trap of believing the propaganda that we are state owned. We are not. Sheikh Mansour is our ultimate owner and we are part of one of his business ventures, CFG. I agree that the pyramid should be protected though. Unfortunately it's easier said than done. I've actively supported City (Manchester) for over 60 years and seen the change in football that we are now faced with. It's not something that I like, but it is what it is. My local club up here (Carlisle United) were in League One when they were bought by a rich American family business concern. As it happens, they are really good owners and have invested heavily in the infrastructure. Despite this the Club now finds itself in the National League.
Exeter City's problems may therefore seem to run far deeper than a hand-out might solve.
I wish them well though and hope that the fans have a good day out at the Etihad.