Jump to content

Financial Responsibility


Recommended Posts

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • 3 weeks later...

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

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...