Homer Sandoval

Whilst your sentiment is correct, the reality is that it's not going to happen. Scottish football is tied into the Rangers/Celtic axis and it's never going to change.

Sadly the Glasgow axis is seen by all the important people as being pivotal to the league structure in Scotland. The evidence of 2012 firmly nails this to the wall. TV income which trickles down to the the other 40 clubs is wholly dependent on at least 4 x league matches between Celtic/Rangers. There's no box to put them back in.

Very few people will voluntarily walk away from being paid wages, including footballers. It's a desperate situation and clubs will struggle to wriggle out of paying wages. Unless of course SSP comes into play.

Laudable, but flawed. Many supporters too will be hit in the pocket with the current situation. Would a football club monthly donation be a priority?

This will be worrying times for club officials and subsequently their supporters. The SPFL should be helping clubs. No question in my opinion. Asking fans to step up is OK on a certain level but they too will be suffering as the world goes into economic shutdown. For my own part, my work will undoubtedly be closed by Friday given the demographic of our staff. Getting £94 a week, if it actually hits bank accounts, is not going to cut it for me. Very few Scottish clubs will have funds to cover for income being hit. As well as matches being off many have extra activities as a venue and that will now be a route that's cut off. There's no quick fix. Or any fix!

The figure of 500 was one quoted by Sturgeon this morning in the Scottish Parliament. Sensible precaution unless the COVID-19 British strain is different which seems to be the suggestion from the loony fringe. It's not a heavy cold

You and I must work for the same company. My boss has just said almost the same thing.

It would appear that closed door matches may be inevitable. Surely the right call in the circumstances but devastating to clubs for loss of income. What then for the wee outfits who live hand to mouth?

These type of comparisons are worthless and can't really be amortised to suit. Are admission prices too expensive is the real question. The quick answer without any thought will always be yes. People hate paying for stuff and when they do pay want to pay less without thinking why. Supporters want title challenging teams every season but never have the worry about that can be financed. Club officials will always look at revenue streams and admission prices will be quite a high priority.

The financing model for football is wrong. That said, what can be done about it? The disparity between the clubs is staggering to the point that I'm perplexed how clubs are still in business. The people coming through the gates at league one/two level are vital sources of income and in that respect it is unlikely there will be reductions any time soon. There is a bigger question here of course. Is league football sustainable for some clubs?

Picked the wrong day last Saturday to watch the Sons in action on many fronts. Went along with my diehard DFC supporting colleague and being honest I have had better Saturdays. My pal was distraught at his team's performance and whilst I was not quite at the level he was at, Dumbarton were poor against a decent Montrose team. There appeared to be a lack of a plan from the Sons and they were reacting rather than creating.

For Sons fans in the know, what's the current update on the mystery men of Brabco. Is the bloke who was banned from being a director for defrauding folk with his gambling exploits still involved?

It is unlikely that he would openly criticise his employers with claims of no money. There is no doubt that Dumbarton has a squad that looks like short on talent but Duffy has managed them well and given the current league position the Sons are probably doing as well as can be expected. Clearly frustration is high amongst fans and that too is understandable.

Has anyone considered that Duffy has his hands tied by lack of money? Perhaps his targets are difficult to get signed up as funds are limited.

Some good reasoning there but all of what has been said does not mitigate the present situation the Sons find themselves in. New owners with cash and a vision. What club wouldn't like that?

On the point of growing the club in terms of infrastructure that ship sailed when the proposal for a new stadium was opposed and rejected.

Is this not the scenario that was always going to happen if Brabco did not get their plans for a new stadium passed? The current stadium is more than fit for purpose for the Sons though surely?

Interested to read your comments. Why do you think that the present home for the Sons ‘cannot continue’? Also you mention that ‘investment is compromised’. How so?

The objection to the castle/rock lighting planning application was made nearly one year ago, why is this suddenly news? In the spirit of come and go, it makes sense for DFC to accommodate the council where they can as long as the club itself does not incur costs either now or in the future. The WDC website portal for planning shows who exactly constructed the objection on behalf of the club and to be fair, the objection as outlined seems reasonable and is open to discussion. The newspaper article is online click bait with the casual observer ignoring the substance and just taking in a catchy title for the story. The mock outrage from the self-styled paragons of the community is sad and funny at the same time. The Young's Farm stadium proposal, in my opinion, was always doomed to failure for all sorts of reasons. I can see comparisons in the current Sons situation with that of Clydebank. The club though does have something that at the time of the Bankies demise did not. A home. A leaking home by all accounts but bricks and mortar (plus steel) all the same. Brabco clearly sees the land on which the current stadium is built as some sort of cash opportunity. They don't care about the football club - never have in my opinion. Is there not a bloke involved with them that has been struck off for dodgy business dealings?

So based on that, if DFC had a £200 season ticket for 18-19 season, you would have bought one, but not at full price?

£200 - great price indeed. Looking at the DFC website, the price you paid was for the discounted scheme they released in March 2017, I think? Not really comparing eggs with eggs there.

Fair viewpoint to have. Can't fault your logic. In general, though, I'm not sure fans think on the basis of saving lots of money when they buy a season ticket. Certainly, there has to be a benefit and it's a fine line for clubs who try to balance books. Do you think that, in Dumbarton's case, that if the season ticket price was cheaper for this season and the walk-up price dearer, more tickets would have been sold?

Your point here interests me, for a variety of reasons. What doe any club do here then, in your opinion? Lower the season ticket price and raise the walk-in tariff? Do you think Dumbarton would get 100 or so extra people buying a ticket if it was cheaper? That figure is random to illustrate a point about volume. I would imagine that for Dumbarton as it is for others, season ticket income is vital to setting budgets and income targets.

You've just asked the question that every lower league chairman asks himself. Years of relative success are forgotten in an instant. 99 things right out of 100 attempts and heaven help if you get one thing wrong, even if that perceived failure is outwith logical control. It's the modern world.

This state of affairs is not exclusive to the Sons, but you make an excellent point. It's a vicious and never-ending circle that lower league part-time clubs have to contend with. Dumbarton's success in being in the Championship for so long was clearly masking a deeper set of problems which are manifesting itself now. That said, the horrendous personnel problems with the current squad would render any club dysfunctional. I really feel for all concerned and I have friends who are close the action, so to speak. It's difficult too for fans who want instant and continued success. A poor team reflects in attendances and more often than not the serial complainers don't go along anyway, save for the odd game which vindicates their bile. There is too an ironic expectation too from supporters to expect club officials to dig into their pockets (why?) and at the same time don't do likewise by going along to a game. Someone else can always do better, it appears.