Furloughing players

[boyliegladbach]

Anyone who thinks it’s a good idea be completely honest and let us know how you would react if say Southend did this rather than us?

The lower-league clubs who did not claim furlough for staff in the final weeks of 2020 were Portsmouth, Fleetwood Town, Burton Albion, AFC Wimbledon, Bolton Wanderers, Harrogate Town and Salford City. Barrow completed the set but have since changed their approach.

Appears Southend have.

Different circumstances

[HenneysKnee]

Anyone who thinks it’s a good idea be completely honest and let us know how you would react if say Southend did this rather than us?

The lower-league clubs who did not claim furlough for staff in the final weeks of 2020 were Portsmouth, Fleetwood Town, Burton Albion, AFC Wimbledon, Bolton Wanderers, Harrogate Town and Salford City. Barrow completed the set but have since changed their approach.

Appears Southend have.

Staff

I’m talking if Southend had signed 9 new players on higher wages, paid transfer/loan fees etc then just placed other players on furlough who will never play for the club again. Southend was just an example of a club to see if those who are positive about the idea would be honest about their feelings if another club had done what we did

[Bingo]

It is not a good look at all, I hope it doesn't but things like this can really spoil that connection between fans and club that the club have worked hard to achieve seems astonishing that they would want to put that at risk

[Bombadel]

Owners pump in 2 million of their own cash, but when it comes to fans paying 0.001% (or however miniscule it is) of tax towards furlough there’s people moaning, unreal how many victor meldrow’s are about.

[boyliegladbach]

Owners pump in 2 million of their own cash, but when it comes to fans paying 0.001% (or however miniscule it is) of tax towards furlough there’s people moaning, unreal how many victor meldrow’s are about.

Fans are part owners

Apparently

[Tommylad]

Terrible terrible decision. Completely morally wrong. This is not what the Furlough scheme is intended for.
This is a complete bending of the rules.
There are plenty of Companies and individuals out there that have fallen through all the Government funding schemes, grants & loans through now fault of their own and then on the other hand there are businesses like our football club milking the system instead. Wrong on so many levels and a complete disgrace for me.

As opposed to the completely morally correct nation wide lockdown imposed on us by the Government. Grow up a bit the scheme is there to be used doing nothing wrong.

[Suffolk Blue]

Owners pump in 2 million of their own cash, but when it comes to fans paying 0.001% (or however miniscule it is) of tax towards furlough there’s people moaning, unreal how many victor meldrow’s are about.

You make a valid point Bombadel and given where we are and the fact that the Chairman is a pretty renowned accountant you would expect him to take whatever decisions are the most financially prudent. I dont go with the Tax payers money thing. The decision to furlough is legal and probably the right financial decision - and it may have enabled some additional spending to have been made.

I think the disappointment being expressed is more to do with the culture of the club and is the supporters reaction to something that does not sit well with their previous experience of the clubs values. It demonstrates how different the commercial and political drivers are in the EFL and how it influences behaviour. The NL resembles a collection of enthusiastic amateurs by comparison.

I suppose it all comes down to EFL survival. All this is a means to an end. Like a gambler that starts out with reasonable intentions we have now reached the point where we are putting all our remaining stake in the roulette table of football on the survival number. It indicates determination - which is good - but also smacks of obsession and desperation. But its all about avoiding the drop. And its whether we achieve that objective that will ultimately determine our take on what is currently being done.

[blue nige]

It is not a good look at all, I hope it doesn't but things like this can really spoil that connection between fans and club that the club have worked hard to achieve seems astonishing that they would want to put that at risk

no it won't these are difficult times and sometimes you have to make decisions for the best for the players and the club let's not forget we're a business, people on here wanted more signings etc this comes at a cost is it ideal no but let's keep this in prospective and if people don't agree and slag off the club then do what you have to do it's your choice!

[Matty]

Owners pump in 2 million of their own cash, but when it comes to fans paying 0.001% (or however miniscule it is) of tax towards furlough there’s people moaning, unreal how many victor meldrow’s are about.

The furlough scheme (or Job Retention Scheme) is designed to help out people who currently cannot work as it not possible for their employers to operate as normal in the current climate and therefore can't fulfil their wage packet without help from the government.

It is certainly not designed for sidelining current employees to bring in a crop of others to do exactly the same job.

I'd rather we'd taken stock in January and said that we can't afford to bring in new players, and made best of what we had available to us, rather than abuse a system and leave ourselves wide open to criticism. You can absolutely guarantee that if we avoid relegation there'll be comments saying that we only achieved it because we furloughed players and spent money that we did not have, and it would leave a sour taste in the mouth of those that do go down if they'd worked within what they had available and did everything morally proper.

If there are others in the EFL doing the same, it certainly doesn't excuse us from having done it, and nor can we say any backlash from outside the club and its fans is undeserved.

And that's before getting onto how some of the members of last year's historic squad have seemingly been treated.

[Fartvs Antiqvvs]

It is certainly not designed for sidelining current employees to bring in a crop of others to do exactly the same job.

A precise observation there, Matty.

[blue nige]

Shankly once famously said "there's no room for sentiment in football " thousands lost their jobs in this town and the rest of the country couldn't have cared less it's life you take the good and the bad!

[blue nige]

It is certainly not designed for sidelining current employees to bring in a crop of others to do exactly the same job.

A precise observation there, Matty.

what about all the firms that furloughed staff and then made them redundant? lifes not fair people need to get in the real world and see what's going on around them instead of taking the moral high ground.

[Jeeby]

Makes you wonder if anybody complaining were ever or are contractors, paying themselves a minimum wage, employing their wives as secretaries, and their granny as their cleaner, all perfectly legal and to avoid paying as little tax as possible and why not, legal is legal, it's the way a good accountant works, may not be morally acceptable, but lifes not all fluffy bunnies.

[Steeley]

Don't agree with the argument that we wanted more signings, I don't think anyone was clamouring for the amount we did sign to be fair.

And so far they don't seem to be much of an improvement on the ones that are apparently surplus to requirements.

[liverpoolann]

Too many people on here adopting a high moral tone and choking on their halos.Whilst i have reservations about Brown and Hird being dispensed with the most important thing is the club and it’s survival hopefully in the efl.I expect the chairman and board which includes me as a trust member/part owner to do whatever it takes legally to secure this if possible.Whatever people think about where their taxes are going you cannot cherry pick what you finance.There are lots of benefits paid and allowances I don’t agree with but the law dictates it so I accept it.There will be other clubs not knee deep in wealth who will take advantage of this legal option and we would be at a disadvantage if we did not do the same and it is bad enough being in our position at the bottom as it is.
I have not heard anybody on hear talking about all the people who are being paid to work from home who I see regularly in normal office hours shopping taking dog to vets or out with children etc etc and in some cases those furloughed are treating it like a paid holiday from the conversations I have overheard from them in my travels.To me this is also not morally right but a lot of brrovians see nothing wrong with it so I think the critics protest too much.
you may want to be nice barrow afc back in national league with a whimper leaving to wait several more decades to get back but I certainly don’t.
I applaud the chairman’s financial acumen in putting preservation of the club and its ambitions first and he no doubt wrestled with this deciding knowing some people would not be comfortable with it.
Before you start demanding a trust statement is put out condemning this situation bear in mind not all trust members will agree with you and no doubt our reprentative on the board was fully consulted before decision taken.
At the end of the day like it or not we are a business and in order to survive and hopefully employ people in future some times your head must rule your heart.If people don’t support the raffle etc it is sad but those that do support the club will.