Quote Originally Posted by matty_f View Post
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I know what you mean!

I've always maintained that the theory behind the board's strategy has been sound, and I think the big decisions they've made (stand/training centre) will reap rewards long term. Where I think they've been found wanting is in managing the change at the club with the numerous managers coming and going.

They've clearly been well intentioned with trying to get funds in to the various managers to bring players in but we've been on a steady downward trajectory for some time now. I think the board need to make it known that it's not enough for us just to survive, there has to be genuine ambition and if they want Fenlon to make us a top 4 side then they have to fund the spend on bringing top 4 level players in. They dBid it with Yogi (Stokes, Miller) and we finished 4th almost despite Yogi it seems.

If there's not enough money at the club just now to fund that level of spend then the board have a duty to all of us and Fenlon, to work night and day to find a way to source those funds either through manageable borrowing or going after 'investment' (ok, it's not investment because nobody's making money, but there are folk with capital that would put money into the club at a reasonable level).

IMHO, the wrong choices this summer will cripple the club for years. We were staring into the abyss of first division football this season, as we were for a good part of the previous season. We were a result or two away from being a non-SPL club. That would be almost fatal for a club of our size. The margins are too narrow to take chances with, Fenlon needs enough money to practically guarantee top 6 football (and I know the arguments about money not being able to guarantee anything, but teams that spend more consistently do better than those that don't).
I'm sorry getting horsed twice in a matter of 6 years in a semi final and final of the biggest cup competition in Scottish football by your greatest rivals does not equal a sound board strategy. We are a football club first and foremost not a business. Rod Petrie wants his legacy to be the groud and training centre but for me he will always be one of the main reasons we have been embarrassed by our closest rivals.

This didn't need to happen we had plenty of money come in to build the team yet we chose not to. I can take your point about the training centre but I also firmly believe the level of coaching and a huge bit of luck are more important than a top end facility. However, I will never understand the decision to build that stand explain to me why we did it except for cosmetic reasons? We will NEVER get 20k fans coming to the majority of our games in a good season we will get 15k max which the old stand catered for not to mention the atmosphere and character it gave the stadium. Let's bear in mind the stand brings in no extra income via conferencing facilities etc. Rod put his own legacy before the club, the team and the fans