I wonder how much Newmarket delays have been a factor.

My theory behind the season ticket discounts was that it was a way of building a real groundswell going into Newmarket, at which time the prices can go up, the overheads go down, and you have a sustainable business model. Income equals expenditure. Are we a year behind on Newmarket, thus making the idea unsustainable as it stands?

Cheap season tickets are always a loss-leader in the short term, as selling 4,000 at half-price is worse than selling 2,000 at full price, as you lose the extra "on the day" money the other 2,000 would have brought. Has the problem arisen because the short-term loss-leader become a mid-term and maybe longer-term one?

Now if they can just find these mystical investors waiting in the wings that keep on getting talked about and maybe things will work out. The last two years, however, we have probably been operating on an income that was based upon a gate of 5,000 or less because of the discounts, not the 8,000 average we've actually been getting.

This.
Make some redundancies from the non playing staff starting with Elston, Fozzard and others. Recruit volunteers to help with the running of the ground to cut back on costs.

What has Fozzard brought into the club in terms of finances? Elston has almost sunk the ship twice at the helm and he needs to walk the plank surely? Didn't he buy Mellars? That alone is enough.
We should get rid of the word Wildcat in the teams name and return to the nickname of the dreadnoughts we sink financially that often.

Why will volunteers be better qualified than an ex player?

Volunteers cost nowt.

They won't in most cases but they are cheaper.

It is possible if you ask for help that better qualified people will step in.

Jeez, my daughter was lucky to get a biscuit and a can of pop after dancing, and that was in winter

Sigh....

Almost ... Word for word like I heard when Skerrett was sold... And Nigel Wright... And Danny Brough...

Personally
I don't rate Smith in the category of these other players, but the principle is the same.

Poor stuff from Carter, and even poorer stuff from Glover, who clearly ran away from the hard decisions.

Yes indeed.

I think it's great from carter tbh on the flip side. He clearly has set out his stall and has made the hard decision you say others shirked.

Good on him. Make a hard decision now and try and stabilise the club properly.

What's the alternative? Wait it out and come a few months in pre season be forced to sell 2/3 players at a low rate in desperation to clear the same bills to stave off for 2014.

Great decision. Obviously in playing terms as fans not the best but as far as management decisions go. It's a positive move for the club.

Why so?

Like you said you've heard it before but doesn't that show what a extremely hard job it is to run a club with no multi-millionaire owners and no 12K+ crowds. Fans want a decent team on the field, so we can at least contest for the top 8 but a lot also want to pay naff all for their season tickets.

I've got nothing but admiration for these guys who basically give their hard earned cash to the club for basically nothing, I won't do it with mine.

As for selling Smith, I like him and what he does but it's hard to knock an offer back like that considering the situation.

Has any figure been put on the deal??

£150k I'm told we turned down for DK but nobody is disclosing the figure for Smith?

Easy for you to say in cash rich Aussie- there just aint the money over here for all the clubs.

First off i agree Trojan, he had no choice but to sell him and imo he did the right thing.

Lets not be blaming him for sorting out the mess he got left with, AG and JE are the reason this mess needs sorting and it needed sorting on friday not next week or the week after.

We now have a small chance with MC running the show to survive, cos beleive me we had no chance at all before.