Howlin' Wilf

Here’s the nitty gritty part of the Reporter article.

The Herald has this piece this morning. The Reporter had more detail yesterday. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15616389.Dumbarton___s_offshore_owners_admit_greenbelt_ground_move_unlikely/?ref=fbshr On Brabco saying that it's unlikely they would appeal, to quote Mandy Rice Davies, they would say that wouldn't they? It may be true that this is the case, but even if it weren't they would still say that it was in advance of the decision, in order to concentrate minds.

There's much written here that is reminiscent of several people commenting on a game of football with each having their own version. The planning application looks like a pretty big hurdle. To grant housing permission for such a swathe of green belt land looks a tall order. This was pretty much admitted last night and there was talk of an appeal to the Scottish Government. That could be costly but I don't get the impression that Brabco would be unduly discouraged by that. Legal opinion is split on the Golden Share. From my personal knowledge I do actually think that it would prevent the sale of the land so long as the club remains in operation. This however, is the crucial point. If Brabco fail with this application, I fear what the next step for DFC would be. All the markers were put down last night. An unmanageable overdraft, Oustanding repairs in the region of £250,000*, several directors' loans due for repayment, safety certificates issued on the condition that the club is moving to a new stadium. The phrase was used that there was 'no white knight in the wings'. *The 'ball park' figure mentioned last night for repairs to the wall, the 'dip', the infrastructure of the stand and upgrading of floodlighting. There are several scenarios that could arise at the point of planning consent for Dalmoak and it's enabling development being rejected. Unfortunately, none of them is that we can continue at the Rock and it's back to as you were. An insolvent company cannot continue to trade.

There is some truth in what you say but on the other hand, a skim read through almost every other club's threads will find widespread discontent with whichever club's directors. I know that we're not particularly comparing like for like as we have the Brabco situation as well and hopefully we'll get a conclusion to that which at least doesn't harm the club. I'd like to play devil's advocate here though and say that if a team constantly punching above its weight for about seven years doesn't attract more support, I really wonder what kind of 'selling itself in the community' would work. Despite that though, there seem to be regular initiatives. For example on 20th September The website carried an article advertising community tickets. Alan F is quoted as saying that there was a 100% take up on applications for this scheme last season which offers 30 free tickets for each home game to youth groups and schools. On 25th September the website carried a poster advertising up and coming games which I along with many others have advertised on Facebook and Twitter. So, in the last 8 days there's two community initiatives advertised on the club's main interface with supporters. No doubt folk will say that this is due to Sonstrust influence and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it is. If that is so then it's a double success - 1) Getting a rep on the board and 2) That representation making a difference. The public face of the club is actually pretty good with excellent web presence via the website by Alan F (one of the best in the SPFL I'd suggest). Jack Crawford does a sterling job on Twitter and has a following of more than 8000, the Facebook page is good and David Jenkinson does a fantastic job on Sons TV. There's even a fan app. So much the better that these things are being organised and operated for the club by supporters, thus saving on running costs. If there is a better way of promoting the club in a cost effective way in the community to young people then I'd like to know what it is. I've heard of the recent mishandling of situations by stewards in hospitality. I'm aware of some of the alleged shortcomings of the board in a PR capacity. These things obviously shouldn't happen - I've been fortunate, I haven't encountered anything negative personally. We are a club run by volunteers and pretty much in spite of Brabco.

Pretty much dead on. In my calculations, I referred to, but didn't include, other overheads. Offering players contracts is like any competitive tendering process, if you don't offer within the ballpark figure, you are nowhere and you don't get what you are offering for. The slight advantage that Sons will have over other part-time clubs is that there's the carrot of playing in a higher league. That however, is a marginal advantage. Of course it is difficult for those fans dealing with tight budgets and I don't know how you deal with that. Reducing prices is a very difficult thing to fund. Let's say that the average admission price (after adjustment for season tickets and concessions) is £15. A 500 crowd then nets £7500 as you say. To reduce the average charge to £12 would mean having to attract an extra 125 fans to generate the same income. To reduce it to £10 then would rely on attracting a 50% increase in the crowd to 750, an additional 250 punters. If you drop to £10 and only attract an extra 150 people the club has lost £1000 to do that.

The problem is that the running costs of clubs is high and that admission prices are the main income that clubs have. If a DFC player is getting say £300 pw, without any other costs being taken into consideration, that's thirty people through the gate at full price, just for that one wage (based on a home game once a fortnight). We had 590 v Inverness, the vast majority of whom weren't paying near full price. A home game at that attendance, doesn't even come near to covering the wages.

Lifting the mood slightly.

Yes agreed. Although when I checked earlier, Stevie's name hadn't been mentioned on the Falkirk thread. Hopkin, Hartley, Presley and Hughes all have been mentioned. Stevie might do well to remember Ian Murray's move to St Mirren. I don't think I get carried away. I just don't get too disappointed with poor league cup runs and savour better days when they come along. It's a microcosm of how I live and it's worked so far!

That may be true but as others have pointed out we generally have a better second half of the season. Players like Stanton and Vaughan don't grow on trees and pulling similar rabbits from the hat is going to be a challenge with 50k off the budget. Mind you, Froxylias seems a decent find and Morrison might yet do a Robert Thomson. Is it 17 players we've brought in? They've had roughly 40 hours training together and 16 games, several of which were experiments. Even though Stevie hammers the point in every interview, we are a part time side and are at a disadvantage in that respect with 8 of the other 9 teams in the league. Aitken and Durrant are working a minor miracle here and others will be watching that.

Looks like seven games is a decent gauge of where things are headed for one team. Here's hoping they appoint Hughes or Pressley and leave Stevie to complete his task of taking us to the Premiership play -offs Who's next for the chop? Has to be John Robertson doesn't it?

That's one of the best arguments with the facts ever! The Pars game is the exception this season surely? They have also handed Brechin, ICT and St Mirren their posteriors, they're top of the league and they have scored 21 goals in the process. I don't see how an away game at Livi is a better gauge of form than the preceding 7 games either!

Ok, so I'm a glass half full guy (but only if the bottle is on the other side of the room). However, Here's a comparison between our first seven games this season and the first seven last season. We have played four at home this season and last season it was four away. Of course stats can only provide information for analysis and there's little room for nuance or interpretation. However, by application of Occam's razor I think these stats may challenge the thought that we are in any way close to pre-Bonnyrig territory. They might question the notion that Scott Gallacher is quite as much of a bomb scare as some would believe. They might provide some evidence that our home form has improved. They could reasonably be used to show that we have learned how to achieve a victory even when having gone behind in a match. They may lend weight to the theory that we have a better side than last season. It's possible that none of the above is true, however that is highly unlikely. If anyone would like to challenge any of these postulations, gie's yer proof.

Don't be silly Div. I'm delighted that you're using it. Nae bother.

I'm fairly certain it's not Crawley. He I think was more stocky.

The last big thing I remember them supporting was the expansion of St James's Retail Park. They believed a pile of shit that the developer told them about a PC World, a Next and a Primark coming in. There was more chance of shit from a rocking horse than any of those three companies locating in Dumbarton. However, these generally ill informed talking shops do hold some sway with the council.

It looks like Blair to me. Ashwood and he similar age, vintage etc and not to dissimilar looks. OKI 3 will know.

I see that P&B are using my photo of the Stade, taken on the occasion of Craig Brittain's testimonial match, as the background on this page.

John Bourke, Alan Kay and Raymond Blair I think. Alan Kay playing for Thistle.

It seems that the club has answered Dods' criticisms satisfactorily. As for catering prices, as I've said here before, you have to remember that the operator has to pay DFC a rental, pay what? 12 or so staff and has to recoup that in a 20 minute or so period before the game and 15 minutes at half time. Nobody is getting rich on that.

As I said, a TAD inaccurate

One feels that this Record piece is a tad inaccurate.

Another game v Raith with a decent crowd in 1992/93. Some familiar faces here. Paul Martin being sent off for a foul on Gordon Dalziel. Another Raith victory with a lot at stake.

Sometimes we complain about the standard of football we watch. Have a swatch at this from 1958 when Boghead held 18,201 for the visit of Raith Rovers in the cup. Scott Gallacher can take comfort surely!

Looks like messages speculating about the club's culpability on signing Danny Handling, beat the pleasure at taking a point at Tannadice about 6-1