The problem is it seems the owners are putting less money in, if they are putting more in then they really need to look who us now scouting for them as they look to have made some poor recruitment options this year. I did hear that Aspin had lost his main scout hence the reason for the drop in standards over the last few seasons. Hopefully they will hang in there as another 5 years in this division would not be the end of the world.

I see your point Bubba but as opposed to the mortgage Town also need to pay their staff(players). Halifax John may also need to pay for his staff to ensure Halifax John Towers are kept in a good state while he puts his feet up and utilises his keyboard.

When you pay your mortgage you then have your surplus funds. You can either shop at Waitrose or shop at Aldi. A playing budget is not a fixed cost!

Going back to the Club's announcement, I note that it is said that MBI will become the "home shirt" sponsor for next season.

Does this mean that Reactiv will remain the away shirt sponsor or someone else will come in to sponsor that shirt?

It seems strange to have home shirts sponsored by one party and away shirts by another party.

Judging by the results this year Town are already shopping at Aldi, it could soon be the soup kitchen.
A playing budget is not fixed but to say it is the largest for some time suggests very bad management of signings, and can only be reduced by the dross you already have.
Suggesting the club is sustainable on crowds of 800 I would respectfully suggest can not be the case, are you suggesting better players will want to go to Town on inferior wages to what the players are on now.?
Incidentally mortgage is the wrong comparison, Town are council house tenants.

Very bad management which is why Aspin was sacked...and now Darren Kelly.

And why isnt the club sustainable on crowds of 800? Any business is sustainable as long as its outgoings dont exceed the income (unless there is a sugar daddy involved of course).

In some ways I feel sorry for Darren Kelly and in other ways i dont. The Town chairman as a business man has obviously been a little bit gulible in thinking that town had a chance of a top half finish, something that Kelly must have convinced him about, when obvious to anyone else they are in a relegation dogfight and anything better than relegation this season should be seen as a success at this point. On the other hand Kelly was left with the hand that Aspin had dealt him and probably the worst squad of players in that league so in that respect he had little chance of doing anything other than what he has done but the talk of a top half finish wouldnt have helped him.

In some ways this is the key debate about sport in a town like Halifax.

The Rugby team in recent years have achieved a solid foundation on the field, a sense of heading in the right direction from the outside and the look that they are now run in a "proper" way. But this has only been achieved because of the generosity of Tony and the other directors who have put considerable funds and time into the club. They will be helped going forward by an improvement in the funds distributed to them, but this does place them in an "arms race" so they need to recognise this and plan for the long term, which will see ups and downs.

From the outside the football club also looks like it has been well run, on field success has been matched by prudent public pronouncements and a feel of progression. They are now experiencing a difficult time on the field and in many ways this will be the first significant test of the Board. You learn more about yourself in times of stress than any other.

In reality the town needs both teams to do well. In the present economic and political climate the stadium requires two successful clubs both paying their way. We have to be mindful of what the clubs realistic ambitions are but equally we should be pushing for both of them to achieve success on the field....even if you only support one team.

One of my biggest concerns is that there is no long term plan for the Shay, other than stopping it fall down. I am not sure if this requires it to be privately or council owned, ( I can see merit in both arguemeets) but what it does need is a new open debate, with each club involved and a coherent Plan devised, otherwise we will be going around the same loop for years. Someone like MBI are ideally placed to co-ordinate this type of open debate.

Spot on Howard. Well said.

Excellent post by HP

Agree with everything Howard. Sport gives town's an identity; how many times do you go on holiday and get chatting to random people and when you mention that youre from Halifax they mention the Shay or even Thrum Hall? Its rare that the Piece Hall ever gets a mention. It is also no doubt a benefit to Halifax (Calderdale) to have two successfully run clubs, owned and managed by decent and honourable people, ingrained in the DNA of its people. Social and educational benefits, a sense of belonging, etc plus of course the economical benefits of having two strong clubs.

The Shay will always be an issue. Supporters of both clubs have been united in the past and at each others throats in the more recent past. I always had faith when Councillor Baines was Council Leader that they had a vision for the future. I am a little less confident under Councillor Swift's guidance whether CMBC has a plan for the future. You are right that both clubs need to be involved in an open debate over the Shay's future but so does the wider community of Calderdale. Owners of both clubs will come and go, but the Shay is an asset for the community - a community which will always exist. It isnt a village Post Office or town centre nightclub. It is a 'church' for many people which can change your mood, put you on a high, depress the hell out of you...there are huge emotional ties attached.

Everyone should move on from the Reactiv bid, learn lessons and move together into the future with the common goal of having a sustainable stadium and two strong clubs as stakeholders. But obviously there needs to be a desire for this to happen.

well said.

Well said Bubba, we all say what the stadium can be like when it was full for the World Cup match, we need to attract more games like that as well as other money spinning events and to do that the stadium needs to be properly managed. Council run is probably best at this time as hopefully money will be put back in but if a private investor could set it up and run it properly, with the caveat that it remains a sports stadium going forward then so be it.

It's Christmas ,time to laugh,or you will be Lonely This Christmas.Cheeky Vimtos ,3.0000000%Mmmmmmmmm.