Bill, this is for you, especially. ;-)
Finally been posted. It's a long read so I've provided a link rather than take up space on here.
I hope that it's okay for me to link to a Spurs website?
https://www.spurs-web.com/tottenham...purs-furlough-low-defending-the-indefensible/
I've made it most of the way through but then my driver pulled up at work so had to leave the last couple of paragraphs. I think it's very well structured and your writing style is to be commended.
Just a few points on the content though;
You state that there are so many unknowns at present and you're absolutely correct. The effects of these unknowns will all reveal themselves over time, not the same calendar month that they played their last game surely? They didn't really give things any time before they went straight in with the furlough option. No time to talk to the players about the possibility of them contributing towards non-playing staff salaries. No hesitation to see what the Premier League, UEFA, SKY would do to try to help clubs. Just straight to furlough. Why not try to see it out as far as possible and try to bravely get through this period of uncertainty without affecting the livelihoods of your loyal employees? To dare is to do.
On the point of you stating that last year's financial year is ancient history - that's just not true is it? There isn't a reset button. I'm spending less at the moment because I'm not using my car, not taking the missus out, not paying anything on the holiday we booked and not going to any football matches. Last month, I was £210 up on where I normally am. I paid £100 more on my credit card than I usually would so that there's less to pay on it this month. I also bought an Amazon Firestick for £50 and used the other £60 to get a mate to put a special app on it that'll mean when my current Sky contract runs out, I'll be able to tell them to fuck themselves and save myself more money. My £210 didn't disappear on the new payday. Now if something unexpected occurred - (my lad works at our place and gives me a lift hence me not using my car at all at present) - such as a punctured tyre on his car, I may decide to pay £50 less on the credit card and get the £60 app put on the Firestick next month. I can then pay for my lad's new tyre from last month's saving. Spurs' profits from last year's accounts didn't evaporate - they'll have been able to put some of it away for a new Firestick or to pay some of the cost of the stadium off from their Barclaycard.
You quite correctly (I hope) point out that none of us nor yourself have ever taken on £637 million of debt. Nor do we have Sky, BT or BBC throwing money at us to watch us carry out our day jobs. There's certainly nothing like 60,000 people crammed into my office this morning watching me type this instead of cracking on with what I should be doing.
I don't really get the oxygen mask analogy. It might be me. You may need to explain it clearer to me. Are you suggesting that Spurs (the parent) are putting their own oxygen mask (furloughing staff) on so that they are in a position to assist more vulnerable people such as their children (smaller businesses?) more effectively? Have they been helping out local businesses? Good on them. My eyes really have seen the glory.
Taking into account that you do like an analogy though - where you compare Spurs to Greggs, Costa coffee and Pret a Manger - let's take your analogy a bit further. I'd imagine that if Greggs furlough their staff now, only to invest in a new £30 million pound cream depositor upon reopening, their staff will be howling their derision. The simple reason that these companies haven't been subjected to the public outcry is maybe because not only do Sky not pay to air live footage of the Eccles branch every Saturday, but the staff on the counter aren't being paid a quarter of a million pounds per week. Not even the NPD person who comes up with new ideas for pasty fillings earns that.
See I did read it and I did so with an open mind. The only person in all of this shameful episode who didn't have an open mind seems to be Daniel Levy.
