PNE showing how simple, but effective basic communication can be

[phantom]

As our fans will appreciate these are unprecedented uncertain times and yet despite the fact that there’s little visibility with regard to the timing when things might revert back to normal, we thought it would be useful to do our best to update our supporters on a number of key issues.

Everybody knows that since the 2019/20 season was suspended last March the club, like all other EFL football clubs, has had to operate with no income and until we have more visibility on when supporters will be allowed back into stadiums there will be little or no improvement on this situation.

We have publicly stated that the club has not been in a position to offer refunds on last season’s season tickets and we are pleased that the vast majority of our season ticket holders have understood and appreciated the difficulty of this situation. Many have voiced their appreciation and acknowledged the fact that season tickets give discounts of up to six home games free versus match by match prices and the fact that we offered free iFollow PNE to all season ticket holders for the nine games that took place both home and away after lockdown. We believe that in the circumstances our fans have understood and supported our endeavours to compensate them in this way.

 

We are in the process of formulating a season ticket sales policy for the season 2020/21 season which we hope will be announced in the next couple of weeks. Based on current Government guidelines it looks as if season tickets will initially be rationed with numbers of around 25 to 30 per cent of normal capacity being an indicative maximum. We will be giving priority to Ambassadors and we hope that some supporters will be allowed back into stadiums from as close to the beginning of October as possible. This is still subject to Government confirmation. Social distancing requirements will substantially reduce our initial capacity although social bubbles will help add numbers.

The finances of a significant number of EFL clubs are extremely fragile with many having implemented player and staff wage cuts or deferrals and many have taken Inland Revenue payment holidays but are now being faced with substantial repayments. Many of our competitors cannot afford such repayments in the short term. Recent years have seen a number of clubs get into financial difficulty including entering administration and it is likely that there could be more to follow.

Our approach to running the club properly based on the continued support of our owner, has meant that we have paid our players and staff throughout the pandemic and have paid all of our creditors, including the Inland Revenue. We are sure that this approach will give our supporters the reassurance that they are supporting one of the healthiest clubs financially in the EFL.

There has been a lot of concern on social media regarding the number of players entering the last year of their contracts and also speculation with regard to investment in squad rebuilding. We are acutely aware of the contract situation with all of our players and are in constant discussions with the representatives of the relevant players. We will update our fans as and when there is specific player news. We will also continue with our policy of trying to strengthen the squad as and when the right players become available. One thing that we will not apologise for is our wage strategy and recruitment policy which will remain in line with the need to continue to ensure the long term health of the football club.

Our players will return to train in the next few days and the new season is a matter of weeks away. Having come through one of the most challenging times in recent history we enter the new season with continued optimism and safe in the knowledge that we are financially as well placed as any of our competitors.

Thank you for your continued support.

Peter Ridsdale
Owner's Representative

[Numero Uno]

The people who bang the “club don’t owe you anything” drum should read and digest the above. An example of an owner who has asked his representative to keep fans, not customers, informed. Doesn’t tell the reader too much but it does give the impression that they give a ****.

[Walsheys step over]

Well done Preston keep fans in the loop and I’m sure genuine fans will understand and just shows how the owner and his CEO at our club are treating the fans with contempt 

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

Excellent communication indeed. And to sum up a la @BigTone

1)We are not giving refunds and you are happy about this

2)The stadium will only be 1/3 full and many of you can't get an ST anyway.

3)We're broke but not as broke as others who will probably go bust

4) We can't afford to buy new players and we're not sorry however much you kick off on the forum(s)

[cidercity1987]

The reaction on here if City didn't offer refunds 

No one would congratulation the club on simple and effective communication

[phantom]

2 minutes ago, cidercity1987 said:

The reaction on here if City didn't offer refunds 

No one would congratulation the club on simple and effective communication

True, but that isn't the emphasis here

More remarkably I never thought I'd see the day I congratulated Peter Ridsdale for anything 

[RedHienz]

 

Anyone with an iota of sense can work out that we are in a very different place compared to last year due to the financial implications from the pandemic. 

If you need to be told that in an email thats on you, that said basic communication at bcfc could improve even if like the above its says absolutely nothing and would likely be used as ammunition against club staff.

 

 

[GrahamC]

Have we even got a head of communication?

Presumably it is the person who oversees the truly cringey social media content that we pump out?

Light years away from Preston, on the evidence of this.

[Jerseybean]

As fans we know very little about what actually happens within our club. The last five weeks have certainly reinforced this. 

If the Club attempted to engage and inform fans during an ongoing recruitment process it would IMO be a nonsense and although I’m eager to hear the outcome and background one day now is not the appropriate time for that. 

In the absence of official communication here is a very basic attempt to clarify what - regarding the appointment of a head coach -  we know as fact and what it might suggest. It isn’t an attempt to repeat the million and one things we don’t know, as there are thousands of posts already covering that. Neither is it intended to analyse what it tells us, as again many posters have provided ample coverage of this.

We know

1 We have a vacancy for a head coach

2 This critical role has been available for 38 days, since LJ was sacked

3 BCFC do not have a great history or tradition when it comes to appointing managers / head coaches

4 A recruitment process has yet to conclude

This seems to suggest

1 None of the candidates, who have been approached / interviewed, are ideally suited, or an agreement was not possible (for whatever reasons) with the most suitable candidate(s)

Think in essence, at the moment, that is what we know and what it suggests. Pretty much everything else is speculation, more may become clearer and be communicated to fans one day. 

 

 

 

[Packman]

So were congratulating a club who didn't offer fans a refund, basically told them to get f****d. Even if they lost their jobs and were desperate for money, sorry get stuffed is what PNE came up with. But because they worded it nicely we should offer them praise. 

[tin]

Good clear, communicative move by PNE for which they should be applauded. 

All that shows to me is how dire our communication is. The board is happy to bask in any glory that comes our way, radio silence at all other times. 

[Taz]

9 minutes ago, Packman said:

So were congratulating a club who didn't offer fans a refund, basically told them to get f****d. Even if they lost their jobs and were desperate for money, sorry get stuffed is what PNE came up with. But because they worded it nicely we should offer them praise. 

It's about communication from official channels. Not some watered down "speculation" printed/posted in the local news.

[RedHienz]

10 minutes ago, Packman said:

So were congratulating a club who didn't offer fans a refund, basically told them to get f****d. Even if they lost their jobs and were desperate for money, sorry get stuffed is what PNE came up with. But because they worded it nicely we should offer them praise. 

You nailed it.

Not that anyone wants to hear it.

[Packman]

3 minutes ago, Taz said:

It's about communication from official channels. Not some watered down "speculation" printed/posted in the local news.

What do you want the club to say? We're currently in the process of trying to find a new manager, unfortunately nobody wants the job so we're gonna have to give Holden a go? 

There would be a meltdown on here either way, the club can't win. I mean people literally lost their minds when they were told they had to write an email to get a refund on season tickets. 

[Richard Head]

I am fairly certain that the delay in appointing a head coach is because of the uncertainties surrounding the budget for the next season due to a lack of ticket sales - I mean because of government restrictions rather than ST holders choosing not to renew because they are unhappy with the choice (predicted or actual) of a new person in charge.

SL is someone who understands investment. What he is unlikely to be is a betting man. The potential rewards of promotion are huge but the odds of City achieving it are poor, and in the current uncertainty he will have assessed these. The club is likely to be making further cuts in staffing and I would be surprised if SL was prepared to appoint a new head coach and any new assistants on big salaries at present. Reading the tealeaves, I suspect that DH has been offered a short term contract until the future is clearer, if he is taking the weekend to consider it. Of course, I may be barking up the wrong tree, to use another metaphor.

Where the club has failed is in communicating what is happening. In my experience good organisations depend on good communication to all stakeholders, and in the case of a football club the key stakeholders are its supporters. We are being fed titbits by Gregor in the Post and presumably someone is leaking these, officially or otherwise. PNE have communicated well to its fans, surprisingly given Peter Ridsdale’s previous life at Leeds. City have a lot to improve on in this aspect of its management.

 

[Bar BS3]

It's pretty easy to communicate, when you've got nothing waiting to be heard. 

We have things that people are waiting to know and are waiting until they are confirmed before telling people what they want to know (whether they like what they're going to hear, or not) 

[Taz]

34 minutes ago, Packman said:

What do you want the club to say? We're currently in the process of trying to find a new manager, unfortunately nobody wants the job so we're gonna have to give Holden a go? 

There would be a meltdown on here either way, the club can't win. I mean people literally lost their minds when they were told they had to write an email to get a refund on season tickets. 

I'm not stupid enough to expect a daily update on the "mess" of appointing Johnsons replacement .

McAlister was supposedly sacked yesterday. Nothing from the club. No confirmation, no denial.

Nothing of any note about season tickets.

No new kit launch.

 

The Preston release is an open and honest assessment, and coming from Ridsdale that's saying something! 

[phantom]

1 hour ago, Packman said:

So were congratulating a club who didn't offer fans a refund, basically told them to get f****d. Even if they lost their jobs and were desperate for money, sorry get stuffed is what PNE came up with. But because they worded it nicely we should offer them praise. 

You've missed the point 

It's not about the content but rather the fact they are openly communicating with their fanbase 

Interesting though that out of all the content you single out the one negative 

[phantom]

14 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

Funny how a really good thread this morning where the OP kind of supports Holden mod decides to merge into the 'somethings not right with city' thread.

But then a mod has something negative to say about Ashton/lansdown when there's already 2 threads this post could have been in, they decide it needs its own thread!

Have you been in the sun this morning? 

How is this thread about Ashton or Lansdown? 

It is highlighting the point of how communication should be done 

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

10 minutes ago, phantom said:

Have you been in the sun this morning? 

How is this thread about Ashton or Lansdown? 

It is highlighting the point of how communication should be done 

I thought it was a thread highlighting the perceived communication incompetence coming out of our club.

Perception is a funny old thing.

And , imho, were BCFC to release a similar missive- I'd put my signed Nicky Maynard shirt on the fact that this forum would melt down on the issue of transfer funds alone. " All the money's going to Rugby/ Tax dodger needs to spend/no bloody ambition" etc.

[Alan Dicks' Barmy Army]

37 minutes ago, JonDolman said:

Funny how a really good thread this morning where the OP kind of supports Holden mod decides to merge into the 'somethings not right with city' thread.

But then a mod has something negative to say about Ashton/lansdown when there's already 2 threads this post could have been in, they decide it needs its own thread!

This forum really does have some real belters posting on here 

Stop acting like a spoilt child.

[Davefevs]

Read it yesterday.  Spot on.

[Roe]

No doubt about it the club's communication over the last month has been an absolute shambles.  We've had what one tiny interview with Ashton on Robins TV that they didn't bother to post anywhere else, and one quick interview with Steve Lansdown on Talk Sport?  And nothing at all since the end of the season.  No "thanks for your support in difficult times", or any indication of what they wanted to do.

They made a mess of the "options" for season ticket holders from last season, including sending customers to the wrong email address if they wished to claim a refund on tickets they could not use.

Is it really that difficult to get a 5 minute chat for one of the 3 people leading the club to talk about the overall direction or plan even just short term?

They've shown no interest at all in making fans feel a part of the club.

[havanatopia]

4 hours ago, Marina's Rolls Royce said:

Excellent communication indeed. And to sum up a la @BigTone

1)We are not giving refunds and you are happy about this

2)The stadium will only be 1/3 full and many of you can't get an ST anyway.

3)We're broke but not as broke as others who will probably go bust

4) We can't afford to buy new players and we're not sorry however much you kick off on the forum(s)

No you got that all wrong. Knowing Big Tone as I do with his summary of my match days this is more like how it goes..

1. No cash but smiles.

2. A few fans only.

3. Tight ship not a sinking one.

4. Neil is happy with his squad.

Jon?

[grifty]

3 hours ago, Taz said:

I'm not stupid enough to expect a daily update on the "mess" of appointing Johnsons replacement .

McAlister was supposedly sacked yesterday. Nothing from the club. No confirmation, no denial.

Nothing of any note about season tickets.

No new kit launch.

 

The Preston release is an open and honest assessment, and coming from Ridsdale that's saying something! 

There’s no point the club releasing any information on anything other than the new manager/head coach at the moment.

Every comment on every twitter post by the official profile For the last month has been “announce Hughton” in some form. There was something about charity work and helping food banks, too comment was “don’t care, announce Hughton”.

imagine if they’ve been speaking to Hughton who has said, I’ll be manager, but I want my own coaching team, but I know Holden so he can stay. JL, SL and MA have been working on this by getting rid of Jamie Mac. Maybe they are getting everything in place to announce Hughton, follow up with new kit and then season ticket info.

[pnefcok]

5 hours ago, Numero Uno said:

The people who bang the “club don’t owe you anything” drum should read and digest the above. An example of an owner who has asked his representative to keep fans, not customers, informed. Doesn’t tell the reader too much but it does give the impression that they give a ****.

Just for some context, our owner has not communicated directly with us since we won promotion back to the Championship in 2015. He also doesn't do interviews on football (horse racing is his true passion) and his son who is 'Chairman' does not attend the fans' forums.

This is the first such communication we have seen from the club in a very long time. Part of that is because Peter Risdale has essentially operated as Chairman or CEO since he arrived in 2012 and is in charge of the footballing side of the club, but he had a directorship ban and his title was "advisor to the owner" so I don't think he was allowed to say much. That ban has now expired so I expect him to be a bit more public in his role.

They have said they will try to communicate like this more often which is ideal because the lack of communcation is recent years has been shocking.

I think they had no choice to release a statement because we have 17 players out of contract next year and the situation needs clarity, but it's a start at least in keeping us better informed.

The only part of the statement that has annoyed some people is that our recruitment policy will not be changing. Sadly we have struggled in the market for 2-3 years now but we never try anything different.

[Marina's Rolls Royce]

5 hours ago, havanatopia said:

No you got that all wrong. Knowing Big Tone as I do with his summary of my match days this is more like how it goes..

1. No cash but smiles.

2. A few fans only.

3. Tight ship not a sinking one.

4. Neil is happy with his squad.

Jon?

Yes- no doubt that is how a BCFC fan may read a PNE release. If the same was from BCFC then it is for certain that our Club wouldn't be applauded by this forum. Just about everything at the moment is a stick with which the Club can be beaten with.

[cidered abroad]

9 hours ago, pnefcok said:

Just for some context, our owner has not communicated directly with us since we won promotion back to the Championship in 2015. He also doesn't do interviews on football (horse racing is his true passion) and his son who is 'Chairman' does not attend the fans' forums.

This is the first such communication we have seen from the club in a very long time. Part of that is because Peter Risdale has essentially operated as Chairman or CEO since he arrived in 2012 and is in charge of the footballing side of the club, but he had a directorship ban and his title was "advisor to the owner" so I don't think he was allowed to say much. That ban has now expired so I expect him to be a bit more public in his role.

They have said they will try to communicate like this more often which is ideal because the lack of communcation is recent years has been shocking.

I think they had no choice to release a statement because we have 17 players out of contract next year and the situation needs clarity, but it's a start at least in keeping us better informed.

The only part of the statement that has annoyed some people is that our recruitment policy will not be changing. Sadly we have struggled in the market for 2-3 years now but we never try anything different.

All this "humble pie" from Risdale who is so full of bull xxxx just like our CEO.

Risdale, who almost single handedly, wrecked Leeds about twenty years ago.