Soctty

We made a profit. This came about due to an exceptional item in the accounts. We also had a similar exceptional item the previous year, and will have one next year. We had one in the 2015 accounts and the 2016 accounts as well, so that's 4 years in a row I believe. How often does it need to happen until we realise selling our best players is a fact of life and something all sensible smaller clubs do to balance the books? There is far more to accounts than numbers.

To be fair to bazil, the way operating profit is disclosed has changed from last year's accounts to this year's. Changes in accounting standards and policies in recent years have changed the formats, disclosure and wording.

Try not saying anything. Ever.

Ignore the thick troll...

To compare ourselves with the likes of Hamilton - a club we should be looking to compete with - they have a similar number of coaching/support staff than we do. They have two sports scientists, two physios and a strikers coach to name a few of their extravagances. Livingston also have a similar number. In fact most clubs have managers, assistants, and then first team coach and or goalkeeping coach. A good number have strikers coaches. Clubs employ whatever they think they need. We are nothing out of the ordinary in my opinion. I'd actually be pretty disappointed if we were to scrimp on the support the manager gets by getting rid of staff he relies on. Appreciate you think differently, but I'm happy we're giving ourselves a chance, in terms of coaching at least.

Lovely assumptions. Wrong, of course. We got into our last financial mess for a variety of reasons. Overspending in transfer fees for players who weren't very good, in an attempt to reach the next level. Added to that were stupid wages to guys like Archibald and Victor, which were among the highest wages paid in the league. In addition, we were forced to convert our stadium into an all seater stadium due to ridiculous regulations set out by those in charge of our game. If you can show us spending 3 or 4 hundred grand on a number of players, paying 3 or 4 grand a week in wages to players, or spending hundreds of thousands on the stadium when it really shouldn't have been needed, I'll see the reason for the panic in all your posts. As it is we spent £75k on one player, and I'd be very surprised if any of our players - 30 years later - are on 3 or 4 grand a week. In short, I believe you're wetting your pants and jerking your knees simultaneously with little reason, over a set of accounts which show our turnover having risen markedly, and leaving us still with a small profit, which is surely the aim for any football club?

The season we don't sell someone, we have less to spend. Result - we spend less money. Simple. I'd understand your panic if we were in huge debt, or had players on 5 year contracts without any get out clauses, but since that's not the case I'm not concerned.

So the big issue that some are having a moan about now, in this set of accounts where we turned over £2.8 million, made an increased profit despite investing heavily in the playing squad, and have just banked the best part of a million quid via a sell on fee, is that we are paying a director/directors £35k per annum?

I'm not concerned by these figures. We spent money that came in, to achieve an aim of promotion. Would we rather we had all the cash in the bank but were in a lower division? From a normal business perspective it might be a more prudent approach, but it would've almost certainly led to us still being in the Championship, which would likely have led to that cash surplus being either swallowed up by attempts to put a title challenge together the following season with stronger competition, or frittered away as we scrimped and tried to fluke our way to success without backing the manager properly, with championship level income coming in. The vast majority of players we have are on 1 or 2 year contracts. I'd be very surprised if most of these don't have relegation clauses stipulating a reduction in salary in the event of a worst case scenario - it would be negligible for a club in our position not to put those kinds of safeguards in there. Fast forward to this year, and we have the McGinn money, around a million quid. For all the pay off of Stubbs and Jackson, these shouldn't have made any real dent in that money. Players out since the change of manager have been loans being sent back, so again little effect. I'd imagine we will dig into that fund in January to give us a fighting chance of staying up, but when you add the increased prize money and gate money we'll get this season, we shouldn't be in any bother financially. It's lack of points due to poor recruitment which has us in trouble. Regarding the number of staff at the club, these accounts show a staff total of 77, up from 62. By comparison - and for no particular reason other than that there most recent accounts are available - Dunfermline had a total staff of 82 last season, down from 87 the year before. These are just numbers, without knowing the number of full time/part time staff included, in admin staff especially. I'd be surprised if our playing staff continues to rise as it did from 2017 to 2018. Going forward, we have to face facts. Magennis will be the next saleable asset if we don't stay up, with Erhahon looking like the next on the conveyor belt. This is how it is for a club of our size. If we consolidate, we can keep our best players for another year, if we go down they will be off - at least Kyle is under a decent length contract and we're not hoping for a compensation amount this time. Sometimes fans get too bogged down in the figures, terrified of financial disaster. I can't see any real danger on the horizon. We have no bank debt, and working capital of over £300k as opposed to a net liability which we had the season before - and that's before the McGinn money is taken account of or the increased TV and commercial revenue of this season. Life's too short to worry unduly. As long as we're managed properly from the top, we'll be absolutely fine. I've every confidence in those at the top.

I back every manager we appoint, regardless of my reservations. Never wanted Stubbs but backed him while he was manager, and am now backing Kearney. I am more confident in OK than I ever was in Stubbs, and am very comfortable with the bottom of him being given a prolonged period in charge, even if we're relegated as I think he has a record which shows he can improve a club's fortunes given time. Those with agendas will do what they always do. I'll back the manager m

The important thing is that there is competition for the place. If Rogers comes in and struggles badly, then Lyness will eventually get a chance. He is, as you say, only here til January so will be keen to impress. Rogers has been a highly rated young keeper, but is now at the stage of his career where he has to stake a claim to be a player at Premier League level, so there is plenty of motivation for him as well. Not an ideal situation, but we have to back the manager - and the goalkeeping coach - who must be confident of us having enough quality to take us to January at the very least.

The key for any keeper is confidence, and continuity. Rogers has had one game in the early stages of the league cup, plus a half in a game we were destroyed in by Sunderland. He'll now presumably get the chance of a run in the team to build confidence and have that continuity. He will have enough games between now and January to persuade the manager that we don't need to sign another keeper.

Agreed on McGowan's status as a legend.

I would think there is scope for the club he left taking legal action for compensation in that instance. Might see some sort of compensation being agreed once the transfer window opens, as any transfer couldn't happen right now. Similar to when we signed Danny Mullen on an emergency loan which then became a permanent transfer after the window opened.

I think the stats will be a lot more detailed than that. Stats will no doubt be available on passes forward, passes in the final third, passes identified as key passes, among others. Also on pressing stats, distance covered, aerial duels won - the list is long of the stats that will be used to assess players, with different stats important for different positions, and for different styles of play. The other thing to note is that these stats won't be used to sign players, only to identify them - they will be monitored and watched in addition to this.

Disappointed to see Samson leave like this, but can understand it. Great opportunity, and a sizable pay rise. As has been stated earlier, the job might not be there in January so it was a case of now or never. We have Rogers to step in and take his chance until January, when I'd expect us to look for another experienced keeper. All the best Sammy - always a legend.

Not all instances of players going down in the box are penalties, and not all instances where a penalty is not given in these circumstances are dives. Players are barged or pulled, or pushed or held - technically fouls, but not always given. If the player goes down, they are more often given. The only thing that bothers me is where a player goes down with no contact whatsoever, like Edwards against Motherwell. Jackson's booking was harsh on Saturday, as he seemed to slip but get straight back up. In short, I have no huge problem with our players actions.

Perfect summary.

Looked it to me.

Not sure that has any relevance to my post, but thanks...

He's got a squad that isn't good enough or balanced enough. Everything else is a consequence of that.

Spot on re lack of confidence. Far too easy to blame the manager for a team and squad which is almost entirely not of his making. All managers need time. Do we want to go back to giving them 4 or 5 months at a time before getting rid? The manager should and must get time to do the job. My feeling now is the same as when he was appointed - give him time to do the job and get his own players in.

Shull thinks we should be paying less than £2.50 for a ticket...

Kenyans are great runners so we don't need sports science in Scottish football. Outstanding.

I'd be an idiot if I did that. I've read enough of your utter nonsense on the subject to know you're being your usual self - commenting on stuff you have absolutely no clue about with all the arrogance of an expert in the field. It's amusing.