: Sun Nov 22, 2009 8:16 pm  

The Lucky Black Cat wrote:

Try looking on your forum then! Also the way your Chairman acts and shouts his mouth of hardly helps does it? As regards to Crappy Craven Park it is amazing Des finds money to buy any available player but fails to spend much on the ground. He moans about having to pay 26,000 for lights when Barrow are on TV bragging about losing more money betting etc. Perhaps if Des spent some money modernizing the Crap hole at Craven Park, Barrow would not need to hire lights when on TV. Widnes, Fax, Batley, Doncaster etc have managed to do it why not Barrow?

I`m sure the pain of winning sweet FA this season gone (despite being the best by a country mile) will wear off eventually.

: Sun Nov 22, 2009 8:30 pm  

I am a fan of the game more than just being a Fax fan. Fax did not win anything this year. poop happens and it does not really bother me that much as I am glad what is happening at Fax off the field as well as on it. Still we are able to submit an application for SL just like Barrow who won the League & Grand Final.

: Mon Nov 23, 2009 9:32 am  

The Lucky Black Cat wrote:

Widnes, Fax, Batley, Doncaster etc have managed to do it why not Barrow?

Hardly the best examples...

Widnes (bust in 2007)
Fax (bust in 2005?)
Donny (bust in 2009 and 2007?)

Barrow have never gone bust (despite some dreadful times - all creditors were paid in full) and own land valued at £4M - £5M. If all RL clubs' assets were liquidated, we'd be one of the richest clubs in the sport.

If we aren't ready for 2012 - so be it. We will still own our ground which will be redeveloped whatever.

I know which position I'd rather be in. Far too many clubs foundations are built on sand.

: Mon Nov 23, 2009 3:53 pm  

SRC wrote:

Hardly the best examples...

Widnes (bust in 2007)
Fax (bust in 2005?)
Donny (bust in 2009 and 2007?)

Barrow have never gone bust (despite some dreadful times - all creditors were paid in full) and own land valued at £4M - £5M. If all RL clubs' assets were liquidated, we'd be one of the richest clubs in the sport.

If we aren't ready for 2012 - so be it. We will still own our ground which will be redeveloped whatever.

I know which position I'd rather be in. Far too many clubs foundations are built on sand.

We (fax) didn't go bust in 2005, thanks to ours fans, fans of other clubs and our ex chairman coming back to stump up the remainder.

When is Craven Park getting devloped? or is it just a dream at the min. (Genuine question- as a fax fan can't really take the michael out of other teams stadia! )

: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:11 pm  

Blueboy wrote:

When is Craven Park getting devloped? or is it just a dream at the min. (Genuine question- as a fax fan can't really take the michael out of other teams stadia! )

I think the club has a committee appointed to look into what is necessary to meet the very subjective SL requirements, what can be realistically done within time frame and the financial investment required.

At present there has been no announcement on any date for works starting, which given that its nearly 2010 and the scale of works required makes a successful 2012 SL franchise a bit remote

But we knew that anyway.

Widnes will no doubt get a franchise and personally I look forward to seeing how the first "promotion" from the Championship works out without being the subject of it. Good luck to Widnes and I hope they make a real success of it and pave the way for other clubs.

In response to the very hostile TLBC. It is no secret that the Barrow club has been in dire financial straits in the recent past. They had a to service a massive IR bill during the 90's which swallowed up funds which would have paid for a competitive squad and ground developments. The lack of success on the field meant that attendances dwindled, revenue dropped and the situation worsened. The board made the decision not to sell the ground but tough it out and the recent past has vindicated that decision as we are now in a far better situation with capital assets and increasing gates.

The accounts are public domain and have been discussed on your forum which show that DJ's investment in nowhere near what was speculated and that the club is financially viable, particularly with its current increase in revenue other than that from our chairman. So we will have to see what the future brings with regards to ground development.