The owners - what went wrong for them

[WestYorksRoyal]

They have made unpleasant choices (redundancies, Mr Vegas) when needed, but got the one most of us really wanted (Cat 1 academy) right

Has that been confirmed?

As good as. He said it's not sustainable in L1, but essential if we want to fulfil his ambition of being a sustainable Championship club so he's going to keep paying for it.

[RoyalBlue]

Who are these?

Tim was the chief revenue officer

And Luke bishop head of player logistics. I’m sure you’ll recognise him

Are these posts common in L1 clubs? What is the salary expectations? How big is the “Player Logistics” team?

Redundancies are often a necessary part of any business decision.

It’s sad for those affected, but business is business, not sentiment

Regardless of what the job title is, Tim Kilpatrick did a tremendous amount to keep the club alive financially and also generally during the darkest days of Dai.

Sponsorship deals, particularly SCL, kit designs & launches, Purple Turtle & Purple Turtle Stage, plus numerous other commercial deals. At times, that can't have been very easy, as the club was potentially a very toxic brand. He also helped sort out the mess that was Fanatics. As staff were let go he also took responsibility for other roles in addition to his own.

Just as importantly, when everyone else at the club went into radio silence, Tim reached out and proactively engaged with supporters and was also a guest on some of the podcasts. He was as open, honest and communicative as was possible in the circumstances and was a true friend of the fans.

Was his post (and talent) necessary in a League One club that is desperately trying to increase revenue? I would've thought so and I think the owners have made another big mistake in letting him go, I suspect he will be replaced by some pound shop version that has previous form with RC and will become another 'Yes Mr Couhig, whatever you say sir' person at the club.

[Extended-Phenotype]

It’s difficult to pass judgment on redundancies. If we fall apart without the staff we have let go, then bad decisions were made. If not, for a business that needs to cut costs to survive, letting go of people they don’t need would appear a difficult yet smart thing to do.

I can take big talk with a pinch of salt. That’s just what CEOs do. You can’t be too open about things. But not following through on little things is a bit frustrating. I get that bids on players can fall through, and performances can fail to live up to the hype, but getting the toilets to work is surely a target one can meet.

[Uke]

It’s difficult to pass judgment on redundancies. If we fall apart without the staff we have let go, then bad decisions were made. If not, for a business that needs to cut costs to survive, letting go of people they don’t need would appear a difficult yet smart thing to do.

I can take big talk with a pinch of salt. That’s just what CEOs do. You can’t be too open about things. But not following through on little things is a bit frustrating. I get that bids on players can fall through, and performances can fail to live up to the hype, but getting the toilets to work is surely a target one can meet.

It's better to make a bad decision than no decision. That may be the case here (or not), but change was deemed necessary.

It whether you then accept and then fix it that matters.

[Webster750]

IIRC, Joe Jacobson mentioned on one of the podcasts during pre-season (I believe Elm Park Royals?) that he was covering a lot of what I would assume were previously Tim’s roles, including meeting prospective sponsors and the like. Looks like they’re continuing to downsize the operation and redistribute those responsibilities among the people kept on.

[MartinRdg]

I know people like to have a go at RC but there were other options for owners of our club such as Paul Taylor from Blue Horizons https://businesscloud.co.uk/news/forger ... or-banned/
In our desperation to get away from DY, we could have ended up with a worse owner.

[Webster750]

Also, I’d like to know where the head of AI comes into all of this. It was only two months ago he said their “Centre of Excellence” would mean “freeing up club staff” and “doing more for less”.

What is he actually doing? I’d assume the redundancies go hand-in-hand. Overworked minimal workforce with probable AI intervention looming.

[MartinRdg]

Also, I’d like to know where the head of AI comes into all of this. It was only two months ago he said their “Centre of Excellence” would mean “freeing up club staff” and “doing more for less”.

What is he actually doing? I’d assume the redundancies go hand-in-hand. Overworked minimal workforce with probable AI intervention looming.

And I doubt AI could replace a head of player logistics!

[Brogue]

I suppose there are are always worse people to own our football club

[southcote89]

I suppose there are are always worse people to own our football club

Darragh losing it in real time

[Pepe the Horseman]

I suppose there are are always worse people to own our football club

Ironically Dmac is/was often used as the go-to for "why can't we have an owner like him".