Paul Barber's letter to The Argus

[Goldstone1976]

I do agree that there is very little that is new in PB's letter if you're a person who reads NSC and the club's website. Surely the point is that there are some (many?) people who do neither and rely on the local/national press to give them their Albion fix? PB's letter was addressed to that part of the fanbase.

Turning to the letter itself: it is clear, concise, addresses the issues raised and is completely consistent with all other communications that have emanated from him in all communications, whether public or private. I don't know what more anyone can expect.

TB hired a good'un. Long may he stay.

 

[TonyW]

I do agree that there is very little that is new in PB's letter if you're a person who reads NSC and the club's website. Surely the point is that there are some (many?) people who do neither and rely on the local/national press to give them their Albion fix? PB's letter was addressed to that part of the fanbase.

Turning to the letter itself: it is clear, concise, addresses the issues raised and is completely consistent with all other communications that have emanated from him in all communications, whether public or private. I don't know what more anyone can expect.

TB hired a good'un. Long may he stay.

Well said.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Or maybe put £3 in a biscuit tin over a year.
People know the increase is coming after all.

Really? So, becoming 18 didn't just creep up on him un-noticed?

 

[Marshy]

It's not a great mystery - I've all but said how much the Bridcutt sale was on here several times.

Can you all but say once more for those of us that missed it ;-)

 

[El Presidente]

I've had to do interviews analysing the accounts of two clubs in the last week.

In respect of the Albion, I emailed Paul Barber and he arranged a 30 minute meeting with the club's finance director, who was as open and transparent as I could expect. No questions were ducked, and PB himself has been superb in the past at dealing with similar issues. All this was for (with due respect) was to allow me to talk on the Albion Roar with a little more kudos and confidence.

In relation to Manchester United, I was given a two page press release, no access to anyone to explain movements or trends in numbers and then had to talk to Radio 5 Live and the BBC World Service whilst bricking myself that I may have said something inaccurate or inappropriate.

PB is worth every penny of his salary because he's very good at his job, and Tony Bloom knows that.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

I think the issue of a lower price for under 21s is important.

 

[chucky1973]

Great Letter from Paul and I for one am very happy with the way the club is going about its business and am looking forward to a long and successful future. Good Work Paul.

 

[severnside gull]

PB's letter states: "We brought in Dale Stephens, Jon Obika and David Rodriguez" all in the same breath.
I think we've bought [own] Stephens and Span-rod, but I though Obika was only a loan,
Can someone confirm please.

Other than that, good effort at putting the cards on the table [to continue the poker theme]

Brought.

Bought.


Two quite different things as you rightly note......both you and PB are correct

 

[fosters headband]

I think the issue of a lower price for under 21s is important.

Agreed. There is no point trying to bring in kids at low prices only to lose them when they reach 18.

 

[Grombleton]

Certainly feels a lot more positive,.... I did feel last year when we started hearing about huge losses, price increases, supporters must spend more, travel subsidies,..... etc etc,.... that the news was all doom and gloom, and it was all our fault because we never had it so good...... that we should dig deeper,.... at the moment, I get the vibe that things are moving in the right direction, I say amen to that.

I think any doom and gloom was inevitable - the fans haven't really experienced any forced price rises at this level before, but it's a downside to becoming a bigger club - to compete the fans have to pay larger amounts to help subsidise the club. I'm glad that the prices at the moment are still what I would call 'affordable' and we're not having to remortgage just to get a matchday ticket.

 

[Bwian]

What an industry this is - having to take time to respond to crettins, morons and the ill-informed.

Cretins.

 

[B.W.]

Such a contrast to Ken Brown. Did he ever write/reply to the fans/general public in a way that PB has done so?

I wrote one email to Ken and it took him a few weeks to reply and didn't even begin to address the issue I raised. We must have had a rum bunch of applicants when Brown snaffled the post.

I met the 'lovely' Ken. He wasn't very fan-focussed IMHO. In fact I would go as far as to say he was dismissive of fans; a really bad attitude in that respect. Paul seems to be the opposite of that.

 

[B.W.]

"And, very significantly, despite the losses reported last week, our strong actions are working and we will meet our Financial Fair Play deficit target of £8 million this year. "

With the point that our last reports included some exceptional items, that they wanted out of the way, it looks like that £15m loss was not all that it seemed.

That is the key point from the whole letter for me. We WILL hit the FFP target.

 

[Guinness Boy]

It's just an excellent and encouraging letter. Quit moaning and worrying

 

[B.W.]

Anyone who thinks the academy/training ground isn't worth the money, or that our recent business has been 'abysmal', is quite frankly an idiot. Barber is not paid to be popular, he's paid to make unpopular decisions, without the emotional baggage you or I have with BHAFC, but with the club's interests at heart. It says a great deal about the man that despite being in a job and making decisions that see him branded a wrong'un (according to the misers), he is so open and honest, and generally very well respected and well trusted by the fans. There were many who feared the club's connection with its supporters would diminish as we moved into the era of corporate mega-money football brands, in a shiny behemoth of a stadium - but actually Barber is proving to be a likeable and forthcoming link between the club and the fanbase, and he should be applauded. Precious few CEOs would be so hands-on.

Well said.

 

[Springal]

I met the 'lovely' Ken. He wasn't very fan-focussed IMHO. In fact I would go as far as to say he was dismissive of fans; a really bad attitude in that respect. Paul seems to be the opposite of that.

I had the 'pleasure' of spending a day with him too, in the chairmans lounge for a game in our first season at the Amex, and would certainly go along with this.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

I don't care what anyone says, i like that man and really do think he has the best interests of the club at heart. We're in good hands.

This.

 

[Machiavelli]

- Massive sponsorship deals
- On target to meet FFP rules
- Forward thinking
- Excellent communication
- Still feels like OUR club

Paul Barber. You are the man

Agree with this, but I do think the posts from Spanish Flair are justified. The young have been crapped on from multiple angles, and this is just one more example.

 

[keaton]

When I became 16 my ticket DOUBLED in price (£3-£6)!

 

[Guinness Boy]

Agree with this, but I do think the posts from Spanish Flair are justified. The young have been crapped on from multiple angles, and this is just one more example.

Blame modern ticketing systems. When I was 17 I had the twin pleasures of drinking under age before the game then bunking in as a kid. You just needed a fake id and lots of chewing gum