ThunderCelt Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 Ten years or so in, I've taken on Donegal Celtic in the Northern Ireland third tier. When I was appointed manager I looked at the finances closely and the club was just about breaking even. However, there were no staff members (actually that might not be right, there may have been a coach but definitely no scouts, physios or assistant managers or managers/coaches for the junior teams). Anyway, the board recommendation was for physio and scouting teams of three, an assistant manager and a couple of coaches for the senior team and a manager and coach for the reserves and both youth squads. Appointing the staff the board allows would have pushed this not very big club into debt quickly, with the extra £3,000 a month in wages. What would other FMers do? Take the support staff and send the club into debt and say the budget is the board's responsibility, not mine, or would you take the responsible approach and keep appointments to a minimum? As an ambitious manager I wanted quick success so hired everyone I could and after six months of the season my finances have gone from okay to insecure, and news items are describing the club as financially stricken or similar. I am clear at the top of the league, though and comparisons show me as having among the best coaches, scouts and physios in the league. How would others have played this? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carninho Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 i'd have done the same. Maybe just the one scout to save some money, but sit tight and wait for a takeover. I had a similar save in the Italian lower leagues and as long as you are preforming on the pitch your job is safe and the money will be found from investments etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baodan Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 1 hour ago, ThunderCelt said: the budget is the board's responsibility, not mine Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPompey Posted September 10, 2019 Share Posted September 10, 2019 You can do the scouting yourself - money saved. perhaps one scout Would you rather spend the money on staff or better players Loan Signings may improved playing staff an no cost Schedule friendlies with top clubs You will need to be a selling club so developing young players will be key In terms of your plan the gamble on investment in staff etc may pay dividends if you get promoted. Many clubs in say English Championship attempt this and fail and club gets saddled with debts and eventual relegation or worse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThunderCelt Posted September 11, 2019 Author Share Posted September 11, 2019 Thanks all for your thoughts. My aim is for the Europa League within five years and looking at the projections even the relatively small prize money simply for qualifying should wipe out the debt I accrue over the next few years so I'll continue as I am, despite feeling a bit bad about it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sporadicsmiles Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 On 10/09/2019 at 10:00, ThunderCelt said: Anyway, the board recommendation was for physio and scouting teams of three, an assistant manager and a couple of coaches for the senior team and a manager and coach for the reserves and both youth squads. I'd employ a physio, a scout and the assistant manager for sure. These are quite critical areas to have covered I would say. I'd shop around for a scout on the lowest possible wages. Especially if you are happy relying on your own judgement for players, then you do not even care about his opinion, just uncovering the attributes. I would only bother with youth coaches if I had an academy good enough that selling on my youngsters would pay for itself. Senior coaches also coach the youth team (I think). Again, you should check which staff members are available for the lowest wages possible. Make your decision based on wages vs attributes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AytchMan Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 I regularly start out in the armpit that is the bottom division of Northern ireland. I simply don't worry about finances (within reason). The Board almost never seems to care and the owners always seem to come up with additional funds when the situation starts to become critical. With regard to takeovers, just keep an eye on that owner commitment note. As long as the owner "loves the club" or "won't ever leave", you'll be fine. When it drops below that, a takeover may be on the horizon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted September 30, 2019 Share Posted September 30, 2019 As long as I keep to my budgets, I let the board worry about the money. I'm doing my job by sticking to the budgets they give me. If that sends the club way in to debt, that's there fault for miscalculating the budget. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbrahimAliMaher Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 I have spare spots in my staff allowance for extra physios, sports scientists etc but as a LLM on a budget I don't hire them for the simple reason that I don't need them. I have a head of youth development but no other dedicated junior coaches. Are you able to either request additional wage budget from the board, or offload some high earning players to free up staff you do need? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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