FC United season tickets- Just pay what you can afford

Originally Posted by elephantstone

stop showing off I knew you would come back with that

All without asking the clever accountant how the hell will we pay the wages.

Originally Posted by Withers

Let's say there is 60000 season tickets.

Lets average that at £800 each.

60000 x £800 = £48 million.

How much did the debt cost the club last year? Between £60-70 million.

Take season ticket money and debt out of the clubs finances next season and you can have a better team, not just the one we have now.

This doesn't make any sense

Originally Posted by Ether

This doesn't make any sense

It did to headstoney, are you calling him thick?

Isn't Withers just talking about the cost of servicing our debt?

Obviously without those interest payments, the club would have a lot more money available to either spend on players/ keep ST prices at a reasonable level/ not introduce the £#%&!ing auto cup scheme etc.

Originally Posted by Withers

It did to headstoney, are you calling him thick?

I think he's just scared of you and agreeing for the sake of it.

Originally Posted by My Name is Keith

Isn't Withers just talking about the cost of servicing our debt?

Obviously without those interest payments, the club would have a lot more money available to either spend on players/ keep ST prices at a reasonable level/ not introduce the £#%&!ing auto cup scheme etc.

Pay shareholders emourmous dividends

Originally Posted by Ether

I think he's just scared of you and agreeing for the sake of it.

I think you are scared of him and aren't prepared to call him thick.

Originally Posted by gedthemull

Pay shareholders emourmous dividends

pay shareholders what dividends?

Originally Posted by gedthemull

Pay shareholders emourmous dividends

I am not comparing the cost of the debt to the cost of the plc.

Originally Posted by My Name is Keith

pay shareholders what dividends?

Sorry Keith. It's like the what if game. if we didn't have the debt, if we had the previous owners, it's the same old same old, doesn't matter who's in charge we still get screwed, I think I know what I mean, but probably don't Hth

Originally Posted by My Name is Keith

Isn't Withers just talking about the cost of servicing our debt?

Obviously without those interest payments, the club would have a lot more money available to either spend on players/ keep ST prices at a reasonable level/ not introduce the £#%&!ing auto cup scheme etc.

Yeah, I see that, but he's saying that if we took away the debt payments, we could afford to give away all season tickets for free and still have enough left over to buy better players.

I dont think he's right.

Originally Posted by Ether

Yeah, I see that, but he's saying that if we took away the debt payments, we could afford to give away all season tickets for free and still have enough left over to buy better players.

I dont think he's right.

He said we would have a shit team. I said you could have the same team.

I then said if season ticket money was £48 million but the cost of the debt was £60-70 million, if neither were there then the club would be better off.

Edit- I'm not sure if you are getting at the fact that not all the debt is met by payments but that some rolls up against the value of the club to repaid later.

I know but it's just a theoretical argument isn't it? Clearly, if we were debt free, the club would have some nice choices to make. I’m pretty sure we wouldn't have seen the ticket inflation that we’ve had or the auto cup scheme and we would have had more available for transfers.

I guess.

Originally Posted by Withers

He said we would have a shit team. I said you could have the same team.

I then said if season ticket money was £48 million but the cost of the debt was £60-70 million, if neither were there then the club would be better off.

Edit- I'm not sure if you are getting at the fact that not all the debt is met by payments but that some rolls up against the value of the club to repaid later.

Ok, I see what you mean. Though I think you've underestimated the season ticket money a bit. Our total matchday revenue is over £100m. Season tickets definitely bring in quite a bit more than half that.

But it wouldn't be quite as simple as that in practice. If you were giving away 60,000 free season tickets, people wouldn't pay £30+ a pop for the other 12,000 tickets etc.

withers and his 'economics'

'united could afford to let everyone in for free'

Originally Posted by Ether

Ok, I see what you mean. Though I think you've underestimated the season ticket money a bit. Our total matchday revenue is over £100m. Season tickets definitely bring in quite a bit more than half that.

But it wouldn't be quite as simple as that in practice. If you were giving away 60,000 free season tickets, people wouldn't pay £30+ a pop for the other 12,000 tickets etc.

That £100 million will include 9/10 cup games approximately though?

So say 2/3rd of £100 million in £67 million, then exclude non season ticket revenue it will still be less than the cost of the debt.

Either way the figures will be close to each other, bonkers when you think about it.

Not denying any of that. The plc structure was beholden to share holders and some aggressive ones at that. Edwards, before that, was beholden to his own ego. But under Edwards, United did have one of the, (if not the) lowest ticket prices in the old 1st division for many years.

The point is that the Glazers borrowed an enormous amount to buy the club and the club is now servicing that debt with money it could arguably be using elsewhere.

Anyway, it's old news. We are where we are and we're doing quite well. My issue is that the make up of our support has changed beyond recognition and that for me, is a very bad thing.

Originally Posted by marlo

withers and his 'economics'

'united could afford to let everyone in for free'

I've never met a man who will argue black is white more than you.

I never said that.

Anyway why are you getting involved in a discussion about the cost of season tickets?

It would be a bit like me barging into your hip hop thread.

Originally Posted by Withers

That £100 million will include 9/10 cup games approximately though?

So say 2/3rd of £100 million in £67 million, then exclude non season ticket revenue it will still be less than the cost of the debt.

Either way the figures will be close to each other, bonkers when you think about it.

ok so what happens if the shareholders arent happy with this and demand a larger dividend or they will sell to erm......'someone who sees united as a cash cow and wants to make money'

Originally Posted by Withers

I've never met a man who will argue black is white more than you.

It would be a bit like me barging into your hip hop thread.