The Rovers Return

I’ve stopped posting stuff from the newspapers really because, let’s face it, you’re more likely to read them than this. So you probably already know.

However, a couple of articles this week have got my juices flowing.

Article one appeared in the Daily Mail, listing the owners of all the Premier League clubs and how much money they have. I’ve stolen their graphic to post below, but technically I’m an employee anyway so I hope they don’t mind…

It shows our gracious benefactors, with Uncle Jack’s money, very high up in football’s rich list, with £590-million to their names. That’s £160-million more than Walkersteel sold for back in 1992.

Now, I know they’re trying to sell up, but until the sale they’re stuck with us. When Jack died he left that money in a trust, with some instructions in place, I’m no financial expert but I believe we get the interest or a percentage thereof, from the money as it sits in the trust. Read more »

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I’ve always liked John Williams, and everyone else on the Rovers board.

Give us the board of most other football clubs in the Premier League and I’m pretty sure we’d be a struggling lower league side with huge debts to pay off.

Luckily, we’ve got Mr Williams, who makes us one of the best run clubs Premier League.

This slightly worrying, but fantastically frank, interview with the Lancashire Telegraph’s Andy Cryer demonstrates this to the full.

How many other top flight chairmen would come out and tell the fans what’s going on quite as clearly as this?

ANDY CRYER: John, I’d like to talk to you about how you feel Rovers have fared on and off the pitch during the summer.

Let’s start with off the pitch. The club has for some time been at the forefront of affordable football. You reduced season ticket prices again this year. Has it worked?

JOHN WILLIAMS: In a word, yes. Our strategy is clearly based on price/volume.

Season tickets are up from 14,000 to 18,500 (19,000 like for like if you factor in likely half-season ticket sales).

So, we’re talking upwards of 30 per cent. A great result during difficult economic times.

Income will be like for like very similar but in terms of taking back Ewood and the improved atmosphere we’ve got a result.

Now it’s about finding the right balance between home/away match day support using price promotion where appropriate to top up. I think average gates of 25,000 are on the cards. Read more »

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