Don’t disagree with your comments. Just making the point that posters on here mocked the Couhigs for making outrageous statements about being a Championship side and knowing nothing about football. The new owners are talking about Premiership!!! Strap in and enjoy the ride.
I agree, and to be fair Dan was asked about long term plans and ambitions and although he mentioned the PL he did admit it would take many years before that could even be considered as anything but a dream.
I’m right here. I’d have said it meant the ability to attract which would make sense in the context, for example, of improving attendance levels or in terms of attracting the right kind of player but until I’ve listened to the interview I’m just guessing. The dictionary defines attractability as being ‘capable of being attracted’ which of course is not the same thing.
While I’m here could I indulge one of my longstanding beefs? The EPL is the Premier League. Premierships are reserved for rugby and top flight Scottish football.
Think he came off as upfront and bold at the same time in terms of what he wants the club to achieve in the short and long term. I don't think its ridiculous for us to get promoted to the Championship soon by any stretch of the imagination. Appreciate what Rob did for the club, but tbh could only reach certain levels in terms of his financial position. Now with Lomtadze at the helm, anything is possible.
He has tons more money than the majority of the owners in the EFL(Asides from ones at top of the Prem obviously) and I don't foresee him buying us just to languish in the third division for years on end. What would be getting out of that? Absolutely nothing.
Sit back and enjoy the ride I say.
New training facilities hopefully soon, some players perhaps we wouldn't normally get, and hopefully Adams Park gets a bit fuller also due to fan excitement.
My wife has also expressed a sudden interest in attending games, which is strange, especially after 40 years of her "glad to be rid of you on a Saturday" attitude.
Encouraging email from the trust this morning. Just in case anyone does not get it...
I am delighted to let you know that yesterday, representatives from the Supporters' Trust Board had a positive and extremely promising introductory meeting with Dan Rice, the Club's newly appointed Chief Football Officer and Interim Chairman, along with Eduard Vyshnyakov, a key member of the Club’s Board of Directors. Attending on behalf of the Trust were Director and former Chair, Nigel Kingston, and myself.
The ambition and vision that Dan and Eduard have for Wycombe Wanderers is clear and inspiring. They emphasized the integral role of the Trust in the club's future, underscoring their commitment to collaboration and shared goals. One of the central topics of our discussion was the establishment of an academy, which both Dan and Eduard regard as essential for achieving on-field success and ensuring the long-term growth of the club.
Both Dan and Eduard highlighted the importance of maintaining open communication with fans, recognizing the pivotal role that the Trust plays in this area. They expressed their support for the ongoing efforts of our dedicated volunteers and affirmed their commitment to maintaining our current approach. They clearly have a solid understanding of the Trust’s objectives and strategies, even to the extent of reviewing the minutes of recent Trust meetings and watching ‘Trust In The Blues’, our student-produced YouTube show, to stay informed.
Furthermore, Dan and Eduard conveyed their eagerness to meet the Trust membership and this is something we will arrange in the coming weeks.
For more insights into Dan's vision and strategy for Wycombe Wanderers, I encourage you to watch his interview available on the Club's website, where he outlines the ambitious plans for the Wanderers.
Meanwhile, I am delighted to announce that Trevor Stroud has been re-elected as one of the Trust's two nominated Directors on the Club Board, alongside Tony Hector. Trevor, a former Club and Trust Chair, will serve a two-year term.
Do you reckon Dan & Eduard look at this forum? For the last few days / weeks, we've had several members of the trust comment about their annoyance over the lack of communication, availability of information and worry over the direction of the club.
However, it now looks like the 3rd wall has been broken. A keen interest to engage with all of the trust members, a clear short, medium & long term goals for the way forward and clear evidence that these guys are doing their homework.
While I had a lot of questions when the interview dropped, I'm becoming more and more confident that this could be an amazing stroke of luck for the club and Rob has a massive part to play. The new owners, while being from Georgia & Ukraine, have aligned themselves with someone who lives and breaths English Football and will give them a realistic process of what needs to happen and how to go about it
No, I don't think they read the Gassroom and said "oh, lets do an interview". At least I hope not.
As much as I have said I thought they should have even done a basic interview on completion of the take over, I think they were waiting for the first big announcement before doing so.
Who knows, maybe the plan was this was completed a couple of weeks ago and it dragged on a bit. But ultimately its easier/better/gives a good message if your first interview comes with some positive news to highlight that they come here and able to put things into practise.
That was a very impressive interview with Dan Rice. Dan seems a very level headed and knowledgeable guy, who wants to build the club from the ground up.
The focus on the academy is very exciting and the new training facilities look to be a massive improvement on Marlow Road.
It will be very interesting to see what now happens for season 24/25 regarding the first team squad. The Harlington facility will be seen as a facility that will allow us to attract not only new permanent signings but loan players from Premiership clubs, especially our London neighbours.
Things look very good and I believe Dan and Eduard are serious about building the structure and using technology (as per Brentford), to ensure we have differentiators within our first team and academy levels.
I wonder if we’ll continue to use the loan market, given the focus on youth and development. In their first few seasons, they may value the development of our own players more than the development of other clubs’ players.
I joked earlier that maybe the lack of any information / communication from the club was because they weren't just cleaning the offices but moving them to Kazakhstan (might even have got a thumbs down too).
Maybe I wasn't so far wrong after all except that they were moving to Harlington rather than Astana.
Another excellent post, @Blue_since_1990 but disappointed to see you refer (in your third paragraph) to a non-existent league, especially as I stayed up late last night, not only to have a stab at defining attractability but also throwing in the bonus of repeating my longstanding gripe about the frequent misnaming of the Premier League.
Never mind, long after I’m dead and buried, everyone will be getting it right because we will be playing in it week in week out. That’s if we aren’t in the European Super League.
I agree with you. The only difference with all the mentioned clubs are fan base. It is imperative that we draw a bigger fan base.
Reading for example, at a low category home game in League 1, probably average around 12/13k. If they went up to the Championship they can draw 20k. Same with Brighton, Burnley, Sheffield United, Brentford, Ipswich, Southampton, Norwich, Middlesbrough, Manchester City, the only exception maybe being Bournemouth - but I suspect even they could.
We can't. Yet. I would have loved to know how many fans would have turned up during our Championship season.
Rob was probably correct to push for a tv/audio fan base without geographic constraint as the key revenue stream
that said, if our Championship season had been accessible we probably would have sold the ground out most games (perhaps with more than the away end given over to visitors)
We could be trailing a new approach with bringing in loanee Rugby Union players to scare the opposition…**
*This only works as a ‘joke’ if there are any London Premiership clubs left
**A few years after stopping playing rugby I did briefly play the occasional game of football in a London midweek-type league and did once wear a pair of rugby boots as left back. It genuinely terrified their right sided attacker who spent all game as far away from my side of the pitch
We have punched above our weight now for 5 years. Historically we are a non league club and our recent average home gates would tally up with non league, however since we joined the League 30 years ago we have spent more time in League One and above than League Two.
To gain bigger crowds we would need a sustained run in the Championship and in the Top 10 to build on our past successes or dare I say it a new or improved ground with better access, parking and the opportunity to expand.
While most teams are seeing increased gates, we are not due to excessive matchday costs, terrible access issues and huge delays getting away if you park within 400 yards of the stadium, though for me the biggest reason is our style of football.
The biggest issue Wycombe has, is transport and catchment area.
Parking is a joke anywhere near the ground, has been for decades. As a 4 year old I remember having to walk from next to the Verco factory on Chapel Lane to the ground which as an adult I can do in like 25 minutes but as a 4 year old it felt like forever. Getting away from the ground is also a nightmare due to the road network around the ground and regardless of what we do at the ground will always negatively affect the matchday experience. Hour long queues up towards handy cross whilst listening to 5 live are a firm memory growing up. I now live 4 hours away, and whilst I love the m4 dash to get to games I don't do it as frequently as I once did.
A huge portion of the kids who grew up during the O'Neill heyday have left the local area. I know of a handful of the families who I used to regularly go to games with 25 years ago who attend as frequently now.
We need to rebuild the fanbase within wycombe and the local villages and towns, link in with local schools and clubs and see if their youngsters want to do summer tournaments with the wwfc youth teams. Easy way of scouting a load of school kids for the men's & women's youth system and also getting youngsters enthusiastic about attending matches.
Comments
Don’t disagree with your comments. Just making the point that posters on here mocked the Couhigs for making outrageous statements about being a Championship side and knowing nothing about football. The new owners are talking about Premiership!!! Strap in and enjoy the ride.
I agree, and to be fair Dan was asked about long term plans and ambitions and although he mentioned the PL he did admit it would take many years before that could even be considered as anything but a dream.
I’m right here. I’d have said it meant the ability to attract which would make sense in the context, for example, of improving attendance levels or in terms of attracting the right kind of player but until I’ve listened to the interview I’m just guessing. The dictionary defines attractability as being ‘capable of being attracted’ which of course is not the same thing.
While I’m here could I indulge one of my longstanding beefs? The EPL is the Premier League. Premierships are reserved for rugby and top flight Scottish football.
Many thanks, Micra. Do listen to the interview. He comes across well.
Think he came off as upfront and bold at the same time in terms of what he wants the club to achieve in the short and long term. I don't think its ridiculous for us to get promoted to the Championship soon by any stretch of the imagination. Appreciate what Rob did for the club, but tbh could only reach certain levels in terms of his financial position. Now with Lomtadze at the helm, anything is possible.
He has tons more money than the majority of the owners in the EFL(Asides from ones at top of the Prem obviously) and I don't foresee him buying us just to languish in the third division for years on end. What would be getting out of that? Absolutely nothing.
Sit back and enjoy the ride I say.
New training facilities hopefully soon, some players perhaps we wouldn't normally get, and hopefully Adams Park gets a bit fuller also due to fan excitement.
Where in the U.S. are you, mate? (Fair warning: if you say Louisiana I am calling you Pete).
And Shinty
My wife has also expressed a sudden interest in attending games, which is strange, especially after 40 years of her "glad to be rid of you on a Saturday" attitude.
By way of an antidote, I'll still be worrying about getting to 50 points.
At least until we announce Nigel and Dale returning as permanent signings.
I don't think anyone on here mocked the Couhigs for having Championship ambitions.
Encouraging email from the trust this morning. Just in case anyone does not get it...
I am delighted to let you know that yesterday, representatives from the Supporters' Trust Board had a positive and extremely promising introductory meeting with Dan Rice, the Club's newly appointed Chief Football Officer and Interim Chairman, along with Eduard Vyshnyakov, a key member of the Club’s Board of Directors. Attending on behalf of the Trust were Director and former Chair, Nigel Kingston, and myself.
The ambition and vision that Dan and Eduard have for Wycombe Wanderers is clear and inspiring. They emphasized the integral role of the Trust in the club's future, underscoring their commitment to collaboration and shared goals. One of the central topics of our discussion was the establishment of an academy, which both Dan and Eduard regard as essential for achieving on-field success and ensuring the long-term growth of the club.
Both Dan and Eduard highlighted the importance of maintaining open communication with fans, recognizing the pivotal role that the Trust plays in this area. They expressed their support for the ongoing efforts of our dedicated volunteers and affirmed their commitment to maintaining our current approach. They clearly have a solid understanding of the Trust’s objectives and strategies, even to the extent of reviewing the minutes of recent Trust meetings and watching ‘Trust In The Blues’, our student-produced YouTube show, to stay informed.
Furthermore, Dan and Eduard conveyed their eagerness to meet the Trust membership and this is something we will arrange in the coming weeks.
For more insights into Dan's vision and strategy for Wycombe Wanderers, I encourage you to watch his interview available on the Club's website, where he outlines the ambitious plans for the Wanderers.
Meanwhile, I am delighted to announce that Trevor Stroud has been re-elected as one of the Trust's two nominated Directors on the Club Board, alongside Tony Hector. Trevor, a former Club and Trust Chair, will serve a two-year term.
All positive stuff!
Kind regards,
Bob
What was mocked was his belief we’d STILL get to the Champ when it was almost mathematically impossible. That was his problem, sounded out of touch
Do you reckon Dan & Eduard look at this forum? For the last few days / weeks, we've had several members of the trust comment about their annoyance over the lack of communication, availability of information and worry over the direction of the club.
However, it now looks like the 3rd wall has been broken. A keen interest to engage with all of the trust members, a clear short, medium & long term goals for the way forward and clear evidence that these guys are doing their homework.
While I had a lot of questions when the interview dropped, I'm becoming more and more confident that this could be an amazing stroke of luck for the club and Rob has a massive part to play. The new owners, while being from Georgia & Ukraine, have aligned themselves with someone who lives and breaths English Football and will give them a realistic process of what needs to happen and how to go about it
No, I don't think they read the Gassroom and said "oh, lets do an interview". At least I hope not.
As much as I have said I thought they should have even done a basic interview on completion of the take over, I think they were waiting for the first big announcement before doing so.
Who knows, maybe the plan was this was completed a couple of weeks ago and it dragged on a bit. But ultimately its easier/better/gives a good message if your first interview comes with some positive news to highlight that they come here and able to put things into practise.
That was a very impressive interview with Dan Rice. Dan seems a very level headed and knowledgeable guy, who wants to build the club from the ground up.
The focus on the academy is very exciting and the new training facilities look to be a massive improvement on Marlow Road.
It will be very interesting to see what now happens for season 24/25 regarding the first team squad. The Harlington facility will be seen as a facility that will allow us to attract not only new permanent signings but loan players from Premiership clubs, especially our London neighbours.
Things look very good and I believe Dan and Eduard are serious about building the structure and using technology (as per Brentford), to ensure we have differentiators within our first team and academy levels.
Exciting times indeed. Come on you blues!!!!
I wonder if we’ll continue to use the loan market, given the focus on youth and development. In their first few seasons, they may value the development of our own players more than the development of other clubs’ players.
I joked earlier that maybe the lack of any information / communication from the club was because they weren't just cleaning the offices but moving them to Kazakhstan (might even have got a thumbs down too).
Maybe I wasn't so far wrong after all except that they were moving to Harlington rather than Astana.
I don’t think you’ve look very hard.There was plenty of comments about the Couhigs unrealistic ambitions .
Careful @davecz. @drcongo sees, reads and inwardly digests every word on this forum.
Of course. How the devil did I forget that.
Another excellent post, @Blue_since_1990 but disappointed to see you refer (in your third paragraph) to a non-existent league, especially as I stayed up late last night, not only to have a stab at defining attractability but also throwing in the bonus of repeating my longstanding gripe about the frequent misnaming of the Premier League.
Never mind, long after I’m dead and buried, everyone will be getting it right because we will be playing in it week in week out. That’s if we aren’t in the European Super League.
You are right @micra . 👍
I agree with you. The only difference with all the mentioned clubs are fan base. It is imperative that we draw a bigger fan base.
Reading for example, at a low category home game in League 1, probably average around 12/13k. If they went up to the Championship they can draw 20k. Same with Brighton, Burnley, Sheffield United, Brentford, Ipswich, Southampton, Norwich, Middlesbrough, Manchester City, the only exception maybe being Bournemouth - but I suspect even they could.
We can't. Yet. I would have loved to know how many fans would have turned up during our Championship season.
No reason to think that @Blue_since_1990 has got it wrong!*
We could be trailing a new approach with bringing in loanee Rugby Union players to scare the opposition…**
*This only works as a ‘joke’ if there are any London Premiership clubs left
**A few years after stopping playing rugby I did briefly play the occasional game of football in a London midweek-type league and did once wear a pair of rugby boots as left back. It genuinely terrified their right sided attacker who spent all game as far away from my side of the pitch
Very good @bookertease
I’m intrigued as to how you did that @TheAndyGrahamFanClub. Surely you didn’t type it out yourself?
We have punched above our weight now for 5 years. Historically we are a non league club and our recent average home gates would tally up with non league, however since we joined the League 30 years ago we have spent more time in League One and above than League Two.
To gain bigger crowds we would need a sustained run in the Championship and in the Top 10 to build on our past successes or dare I say it a new or improved ground with better access, parking and the opportunity to expand.
While most teams are seeing increased gates, we are not due to excessive matchday costs, terrible access issues and huge delays getting away if you park within 400 yards of the stadium, though for me the biggest reason is our style of football.
The biggest issue Wycombe has, is transport and catchment area.
Parking is a joke anywhere near the ground, has been for decades. As a 4 year old I remember having to walk from next to the Verco factory on Chapel Lane to the ground which as an adult I can do in like 25 minutes but as a 4 year old it felt like forever. Getting away from the ground is also a nightmare due to the road network around the ground and regardless of what we do at the ground will always negatively affect the matchday experience. Hour long queues up towards handy cross whilst listening to 5 live are a firm memory growing up. I now live 4 hours away, and whilst I love the m4 dash to get to games I don't do it as frequently as I once did.
A huge portion of the kids who grew up during the O'Neill heyday have left the local area. I know of a handful of the families who I used to regularly go to games with 25 years ago who attend as frequently now.
We need to rebuild the fanbase within wycombe and the local villages and towns, link in with local schools and clubs and see if their youngsters want to do summer tournaments with the wwfc youth teams. Easy way of scouting a load of school kids for the men's & women's youth system and also getting youngsters enthusiastic about attending matches.
Tut tut @micra .. Northern Ireland has a Premiership in football too.