The Press Conference - Video

[Rodley]

Great question from Andy Giddings to Steve Bettis….

AG - “will Paul be backed financially during the JTW”

SB - “that’s the wrong way of looking at it”

Amazing stuff

 

[ekke287]

Great question from Andy Giddings to Steve Bettis….

AG - “will Paul be backed financially during the JTW”

SB - “that’s the wrong way of looking at it”

Reminds me of that scene in Aliens when the marines get all their guns taken away, one turns around and says “what the hell are we supposed to use, harsh language?”

Maybe they’re backing him emotionally rather than financially. He get a hug when he can’t bring anyone new in.

 

[Champagneblade]

I did feel slightly better having watched it myself having seen the reaction of others even with all the nonsense about leveraging synergies across the United world group. If we get a new training ground within the next two years and the facilities are indeed improved then great but I do take major issue with this idea of a £430 million investment.

Firstly it isn't an "investment" of £430 million if £234 million is TV revenue even if you say "that is how we see it". Secondly I imagine much of the £200 million on "first team" will be contract commitments that have been made and will be paid across coming seasons not a cash injection. I would also assume much of this "investment" has been across the United World group. If £50 million has already been invested in Sheffield United facilities with little to show, christ know how much will be needed to implement this "long term strategy".

Does leave them little to say if they sack Hecky in 18 months

I don't think the finance guy really helped the situation.

Picking out one revenue stream and then contrasting it to the total of multiple expenditure avenues is very misleading.

He's basically taken all wages, all fee spend, all infrastructure spend short and long term and said look here's 430m over an arbitrary 4 years. He's then said look, we only received 230m in tv revenue. It's easy for someone just skimming to think we've seen an injection of 200m.

For starters, if you are talking spend, then it would quite possibly appear to discount the fees received for players, your Brooks, your Ramsdale, your Harry Maguire sell on, your Kyle Walker sell on etc which would account for around 60m. The wording suggests we ignore the money taken in through turnstiles and merchandising etc. It seemingly also ignores that the investment in assets is backed by a mortgage, not some benevolent donation and the fact we have parachute money incoming which as a collective probably squares off your 430m not to mention the players you bought could still be sold for a few, albeit lower than we paid.

I don't think throwing big numbers out as soundbites is all that clever.

Don't give the impression you are trying to pull the wool over Yorkshire people's eyes. We'd much rather have a bitter pill to swallow than be told everything is rosy when it isn't.

The more I see of Bettis, the less impressed I am about him. I thought Mark Fotheringham was a much more impressive guy. Bettis seldom comes out unless he has to, unlike the guy formerly of Barnsley, now at Forest, Dane Murphy. So if he's in charge of comms then my confidence isn't high. He makes no commitment with any conviction. If there is a plan, then share some dates, goals and milestones with your customers, make yourself accountable. If there isn't a plan then frankly, he should leave.

 

[Bladesman]

BTW I’d love to hear Jokanovic’s side of this.

"I thought I had money to spend. I didn't. I will kill them."

 

[Need4speed]

I agree I think I will send a question on this to the price of football

 

[BobblesBlade]

I don’t get some people’s response to this press conference.

McCabe sold the club to what he believed was a wealthy man who could take the club to new heights. Financially we were backed but when I say that I mean we didn’t need to sell players anymore.
Wilder did his wonder stuff and got us to the prem. the first season was magic until bloody f in Covid. In that time we bought Berge ( who hasnt produced), then when the season ended we splashed the cash on Rammers and Brewster and made some other signings to bolster the team for a new season. Unfortunately the new season was a disaster. wilder walked away leaving a confidence shot team and relegation was done.
This season they tried an approach of getting Slav in but it just hasn’t worked. The only way to get it to work would be to spend lots of money which we can’t do.
Slav goes and a new direction of giving the job to someone who needs to manage all aspects of the football team from top to bottom and like Hecky said the need to change the players mindset in bring the confidence and motivation back.
Now it’s up to the players!

 

[Barney]

Firstly I hope Heckingbottom storms us up the league and I'm proven very wrong. However that press conference was a shit-show.

The 'chairman' said a strategic plan was in development in the summer and they didn't have the full facts or a full plan in the summer, yet they hired Jokanovic on a large contract. This doesn't make any sense. Now apparently the strategic plan is fully developed and ready to implement by Heckingbottom, a guy who in the summer didnt want the job. Bizarre but i guess big contracts talk

More likely, the reality is they simply believed the squad was good enough for promotion and Jokanovic could achieve this without spending any money. I believe they then promised Slav with spending money to entice him in to accepting the role, money which they clearly did not provide or probably have any intention tk provide. Slav got increasingly annoyed and ended up leaving/sacked. They then appoint Heckingbottom under the banner of embracing youth players and some crap about a strategic plan that was only thought up the day before, as a result of the probable argument with Slav regarding the no funds for the January transfer window.

The whole conference was a poor attempt at a rebranding of the truth, which is that the prince is not rich enough to run the club, never mind juggle multiple clubs on the cheap without actively getting involved in any of them

An important part was when he was asked about any investment and the answer seemed negative and not encouraging at all, at one point all but completely dismissing an outright sale of the club. I don't blame the board for not being rich enough but I do blame them for that attitude and seemingly not being bothered about seeking further investment or selling the club entirely when it's so evident to them and us that it is necessary

 

[blade67]

Interesting to see who Hecky is refering to with his "demotivated players may need to be moved on" quote

Players not in the 18 tomorrow may be the first clue