I’ll be the first to nominate matty_f for the role of Ron Gordon special adviser!Quote:
I think I'm far more comfortable with a considered and thorough approach to taking us forward than a rash 'rip it up and start again' approach.
He's had a good look at the club, from the due diligence ahead of purchasing it to understanding how it works and what he's got to work with. It's not an exciting approach but it is a necessary one, and what you hope to see is exciting plans and possibilities arising from it.
Things I'd expect/hope to see:
- improved retail set-up (think pop-up shops in each of the stand concourses on match days) and it will be easier to buy from the club
- change to the existing season ticket model to give more flexibility/options to supporters, possibly even a Netflix style membership option that lets you pay monthly permanently until such a time that you choose not to, so you're automatically renewed each season. More 'value' to be built into the season ticket offering (think things like discounts, Hibs TV subscription included etc)
- training centre upgraded and other 'long term' projects started. If I was Ron Gordon, I'd be insisting on a coach development program, designed in house to make sure that there's a consistency of performance and improvement from the coaching staff (at all levels)
- stadium refresh. General housekeeping and maintenance stuff, plus a few nice to haves (big screens, updated scoreboard) etc.
- Increase spend per seat: If I was Ron Gordon, I'd be looking at ways of getting people into Easter Road earlier, and making it easy for them to spend money while they were there. Would set a 'spend per seat' target for the marketing/finance guys and let them get creative with it. For example, I have a season ticket but I don't generally spend any money at the ground - the food's too expensive for poor quality, I don't always pass a program seller and, depending on where I park, I often won't even see the Shop. I doubt I'm unique in that respect, so finding a way to get supporters like me motivated to spend more time and money at Easter Road on a match day opens up a lot of potential income.
- Change the model for how transfer budget is allocated (assuming it's not done like this already). Allocate a budget to each position based on priority and then task the manager and recruitment team with the job of trading up over a period of time for each position. For example: we identify a striker as a priority, and we give that position a budget of £1m (for argument's sake, I'm not saying we'll have a million to spend on a striker). We spend it and give the new signing a 3-4 year deal. If the manager can develop that striker to the point where we sell him on for a profit, then the manager gets the million pounds plus the profit to replace the striker with.
Given we have most of the squad on longish contracts at the moment, this would allow the manager to target 2 or 3 key positions and add to it over time.
- improved sponsorship/corporate income. Expect this to be a priority and for us to have a 'best ever' deal with our next shirt sponsor next season
- some link with other teams, not necessarily in the US but would expect Hibs to become part of a network of teams that have a mutually beneficial arrangement.
- a nod towards a fairly hefty lift in the player budget short term, to underpin the other work and give the support confidence in the new owner.
The carefully considered long term approach is the way forward. Better having £10 million spent over 5-10 years than all at once.