Jordan Houghton only a possible

[ravenrover]

I see he now has a photo of himself wearing a Rovers shirt as his Twitter Avatar, could this be a sign.

Think thats been the same avatar since he signed last year

[selby]

Could this mean that McCollough is nearer fitness than was first thought.
   He was sat with Marquis and Lawler in his track suit at Chesterfield.

[Herbert Anchovy]

The board have said the goal is to have a sustainable Championship club within 5 years.
I'm failing to see any evidence of this ambition.

Has last seasons promotion bypassed you Frosty? I'll give you some credit, whatever the factual evidence, you're determined to really have an intense dislike and distrust of the Rovers aren't you.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Some of you seem to be missing that  Houghton is not yet match fit. Had he have concluded last season without the unfortunate injury, there's a good chance he would already be a Rovers player.

Clearly signing a player permanently whilst injured is out of the question. Had the old loan rules still be in place then we could take him as soon as he is declared fit.

Signing him this window on loan is still a risk in the hope that he recovers his fitness however if he was to have a setback, it's a waste.

If DF's priorities have changed towards signing a centre half and he thinks we have sufficient cover in midfield, then you should be able to understand why he may not take an unnecessary risk on Houghton this window.

That's just my take on it however I have no doubt Houghton remains a highly desired acquisition.

[MrFrost]

The board have said the goal is to have a sustainable Championship club within 5 years.
I'm failing to see any evidence of this ambition.

Has last seasons promotion bypassed you Frosty? I'll give you some credit, whatever the factual evidence, you're determined to really have an intense dislike and distrust of the Rovers aren't you.

We shouldn't have ever been in a position to have to be promoted last season.

[roversdude]

 

[Metalmicky]

TOTAL LACK OF AMBITION  IN MY BOOK

Would that be the Ladybird book of ambition?

The bible...

[drfchound]

The board have said the goal is to have a sustainable Championship club within 5 years.
I'm failing to see any evidence of this ambition.

Has last seasons promotion bypassed you Frosty? I'll give you some credit, whatever the factual evidence, you're determined to really have an intense dislike and distrust of the Rovers aren't you.

We shouldn't have ever been in a position to have to be promoted last season.

Amen to that last sentence.
Whatever anyone thinks, that is true.

[Bessie Red]

Could this mean that McCollough is nearer fitness than was first thought.
   He was sat with Marquis and Lawler in his track suit at Chesterfield.

I really do rate Luke and he can do a job as a defensive midfielder but Houghton is on a different level to Luke. It will be a massive mistake if we dont get Houghton because sure as eggs are eggs some club will gladly have him.

[Herbert Anchovy]

The board have said the goal is to have a sustainable Championship club within 5 years.
I'm failing to see any evidence of this ambition.

Has last seasons promotion bypassed you Frosty? I'll give you some credit, whatever the factual evidence, you're determined to really have an intense dislike and distrust of the Rovers aren't you.

We shouldn't have ever been in a position to have to be promoted last season.

Amen to that last sentence.
Whatever anyone thinks, that is true.

It's irrelevant to the here and now. How far back do you go to justify moaning about the manager? I'm still pissed off that we were relegated in the 82/83 season but there you go.

[Move DRFC]

Average gate in Championship is around 15k.

Rovers did not get near that average when in the league. Promotion means higher wage bills for the period in that division, and the following season.

Playing better teams with higher income means more defeats in most seasons. Fans want to see their team winning, so seasons of struggle see gates taper off.

Those who think Rovers are Championship ready are also saying that they would be happy with a lower half season at best.

Reality, I'm afraid.
So is it better to be a L1 challenger, or a Championship struggler?

The Championship is one of the best leagues in world football, better gates, bigger stadiums, more TV money, better quality of football, ability to attract better players. Of course it is where we should be aiming to be and anyone who'd rather be in league one must be daft as a brush.

[Susan Abbott]

There they go with their 5year plan . It's the club that being held back as the board can't afford to get promotion until the supporters either pay more ore fill more seats . They will never put investment where it's just needed and that's the playing staff . They dropped the second team last season at a time when it made mire sense to bring in young players to help when we get promoted . Now that it's happened we have to go looking to borrow or wait to see who's left in the bottom of the barrel . Some things will never change , fans ambition and directors loans . Why doesn't the club sell shares to the fans and use the funds to build our playing staff.

[silent majority]

There they go with their 5year plan . It's the club that being held back as the board can't afford to get promotion until the supporters either pay more ore fill more seats . They will never put investment where it's just needed and that's the playing staff . They dropped the second team last season at a time when it made mire sense to bring in young players to help when we get promoted . Now that it's happened we have to go looking to borrow or wait to see who's left in the bottom of the barrel . Some things will never change , fans ambition and directors loans . Why doesn't the club sell shares to the fans and use the funds to build our playing staff.

C'mon Susan, tell me what directors loans are these?

[Susan Abbott]

Do you think the club is solvent ! I'd say we put in less than half its running costs the Directors put in £1-1/2 m per year or more , in loans that are written into the accounts. RDo the maths 5000 season tickets will not cover wage bill for 26 or so pros .

[drfc1951]

How many years are we into with the 5 year plan?

[silent majority]

Do you think the club is solvent ! I'd say we put in less than half its running costs the Directors put in £1-1/2 m per year or more , in loans that are written into the accounts. RDo the maths 5000 season tickets will not cover wage bill for 26 or so pros .

I was referring to your comment about loans. And what does loans written into the accounts mean?

I don't mind anybody discussing the financial aspect of our club but to be honest if you intend to comment the least you could do is check your facts before commenting so negatively. The simple answer is that all loans have been converted to shares and nobody is getting their money back. No loans currently exist, none, nada, zilch.

[selby]

I would not be surprised if he was the second signing with Ben Khemis tomorrow.

[albie]

The point I was making was does the increase in income from being in the Championship more than cover the additional expense of being there?

If your answer is yes, then fine, but will fans still turn out in numbers for a relegation scrap?

Last time Rovers were there, attendances started to decline yearly because folk got fed up with poor results. What's to say it won't happen again?

[silent majority]

What everybody seems to be forgetting is that he's a Chelsea player. They get to have a big say in what happens next.

[silent majority]

The point I was making was does the increase in income from being in the Championship more than cover the additional expense of being there?

If your answer is yes, then fine, but will fans still turn out in numbers for a relegation scrap?

Last time Rovers were there, attendances started to decline yearly because folk got fed up with poor results. What's to say it won't happen again?

The club stand a far better chance of breaking even and being sustainable in the Championship than they do in League 1. It doesn't answer your question directly but you are on the right road.

[roversdude]

Remember how fickle 'fans' are - first sign of trouble and off supporting teams such as Hull

[Susan Abbott]

I would have thought  that a plan should include premiership ambitions , with parachute payments beyond the clubs earning potential it would have thought that's a plan worth going for .

[selby]

The second  signing tomorrow is not Jordan Houghton.

[RobTheRover]

I'm sure thats one of the thiings the board have considered, Susan.  The balancing act is risk v reward.  There is a long road littered with clubs who tried that and came unstuck, and it seems to take around 10 years to recover from.

[MrFrost]

The point I was making was does the increase in income from being in the Championship more than cover the additional expense of being there?

If your answer is yes, then fine, but will fans still turn out in numbers for a relegation scrap?

Last time Rovers were there, attendances started to decline yearly because folk got fed up with poor results. What's to say it won't happen again?

The club stand a far better chance of breaking even and being sustainable in the Championship than they do in League 1. It doesn't answer your question directly but you are on the right road.

And I guess it's a fine balancing act and deciding how much is a reasonable amount to shell out to sustain yourself in the Championship.

[Alan Southstand]

There is a long road littered with clubs who tried that and came unstuck, and it seems to take around 10 years to recover from.

The ones that do make it work have not looked back though, Rob. Swansea and Bournemouth to name the more recent.
The rules have changed since Barnsley and even more recently Portsmouth were there. The parachute payments now mean that any club coming down have got more than a reasonable chance of getting back up. Of course, it depends on the individual clubs management of funds.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Do you think the club is solvent ! I'd say we put in less than half its running costs the Directors put in £1-1/2 m per year or more , in loans that are written into the accounts. RDo the maths 5000 season tickets will not cover wage bill for 26 or so pros .

Just to correct you the loans have gone now.

[Chris Black come back]

There are probably three elements to the financial sustainability that the owners are looking for.

First, making more money commercially ourselves. Ground, Club Doncaster, Thai shirt deal, DNA Card, all of that stuff.

Second, producing our own players, with the very best probably sold.

Third, getting more people to come to games at home.

I can see what appears to be progress on the first one, but not really much on the other two.

[DonnyOsmond]

I think the new pricing structure is a brilliant way to build up the long term support base.

[DearneValleyRover]

Agreed DO also the fact we are signing young players in the hope they improve and move on for big fees