Official Club Statement on finances/Signings.

[El Padre™]

Dons Managing Director Duncan Fraser and Director of Football Willie Miller have confirmed the Club will do everything possible to ensure Mark McGhee has as strong a squad as possible at his disposal this season.

 

"Of course we will support Mark as much as we possibly can, that's a given." confirmed Duncan, "However, I do think it's important to perhaps spell out where Scottish football is at present. Prior to the collapse of Setanta, we were sitting with a television deal in place and a budget that we could operate within and one that allowed us to plan for the next three seasons.

 

"We then appointed Mark and almost immediately, we moved to a situation of no broadcast deal, then a restricted deal and then the Sky/ESPN arrangement that is now in place.

 

"Bear in mind that Setanta's failure to pay the final tranche of last season's payments meant we had to wipe more than a quarter of a million pounds off the bottom line for season 2008/09. Now we are in a situation where we have to operate with an annual budget of £600,000 less than originally budgeted for next year that has the potential to rise to over £1 million over the coming couple of years. To put that into context, to plug the gap we require either four thousand extra fans at every home SPL fixture or we need to the reach the group stages of the Europa Cup every year and hope to get a couple of lucrative ties in the group. That would simply allow us to reach the original figures we were looking at with no upside. Make no mistake, every SPL club is suffering right now and I do mean every club."

 

Willie Miller added, "We tried to bring a couple of lads in on loan from a mid table Championship side but, given these guys were on £3,500 and £5,000 per week respectively, we simply cannot compete and equally, while we will do everything we can to support Mark, we have to ensure Aberdeen Football Club is still around in the future and, let's be frank, there are top clubs whose long term future is by no means a certainty.

 

"Much has been made of the players we've lost and while the absence of Scott Severin is a blow, injury meant that Jamie Smith hardly played last season while Lee Mair was not a regular starter. But, that said, we must remain positive. We have a new management team in place, the return of European football and a new season just around the corner and these are exciting times. However, it is, I believe, only right that the supporters have some idea as to the conditions we are having to operate within right now.

 

"There is money available to strengthen the squad and we will support Mark as much as we can to bring new players in that has started with the signing of Stuart Nelson.

 

We also have to be prepared to give youth its head as we have seen at Motherwell it can be very productive and the group of youngsters at present at Pittodrie are exciting and showing great promise.

 

"It is now the challenge for them in the coming season and beyond to prove that they are good enough to be part of the manager's first team plans.

 

"It is a challenging time for Scottish football but i can assure the fans that their club The Directors with myself and Duncan Fraser working closely with Mark are up for that challenge!"

 

*In the summer of 2008, the Dons, along with Rangers and Celtic argued the case for going the Sky deal that was on the table at that time but were outvoted 9-3 in favour of Setanta.

[Harcus]

A none-too-veiled reference to Der Hun there?

[manc_don]

Nice of the club to keep us informed. Clearly they are aware that the fans are starting to get a bit fidgety with regards to the lack of positive movement at Pittodrie. Nothing we didn't really know has been said, but nice touch nonetheless.

[manc_don]

A none-too-veiled reference to Der Hun there?

 

Was thinking the same thing. Swallow Swallow must be in meltdown with the lack of activity snake mountain way!

[baggy89]

Whats Dyon Camero doing these days?

[BrownyBrown]

I'm glad the club are being open about the situation on the transfer dealings front, but I'm sure everyone is well aware of the situation that SPL clubs are in this season. The recession and its impact on Setanta television deal is fairly common knowledge as it was probably headline news on the BBC for about a week or so. I'm hoping though that this isn't a case of getting excuses in early. I'd be more than slightly concerned if this same soundbite was being used as the transfer window closes and we still are no further with any activity.

 

It fair enough to state that its the whole of Scottish football that finds itself in this situation, but its also the case that other SPL sides are still able to sign players. http://www.donstalk.co.uk/messageboard/index.php/topic,9302.0.html

 

The 'state of Scottish football' line will be scant consolation and look rather silly if there are no movements before the transfer deadline.

 

If the operating conditions at the club right now are as impoverished as is being claimed then it makes the decision to sack JC, JN & SC with the resulting payoffs all the more difficult to understand from a business perspective.

 

 

[El Padre™]

I'm glad the club are being open about the situation on the transfer dealings front, but I'm sure everyone is well aware of the situation that SPL clubs are in this season. The recession and its impact on Setanta television deal is fairly common knowledge as it was probably headline news on the BBC for about a week or so. I'm hoping though that this isn't a case of getting excuses in early. I'd be more than slightly concerned if this same soundbite was being used as the transfer window closes and we still are no further with any activity.

 

It fair enough to state that its the whole of Scottish football that finds itself in this situation, but its also the case that other SPL sides are still able to sign players. http://www.donstalk.co.uk/messageboard/index.php/topic,9302.0.html

 

The 'state of Scottish football' line will be scant consolation and look rather silly if there are no movements before the transfer deadline.

 

If the operating conditions at the club right now are as impoverished as is being claimed then it makes the decision to sack JC, JN & SC with the resulting payoffs all the more difficult to understand from a business perspective.

 

 

 

That's always been my main concern regarding that whole episode.

[BrownyBrown]

That's always been my main concern regarding that whole episode.

 

Yes. Now, obviously success on the park translates into business success (or at least it should) so in terms of quality of football, results and financial success it may have been the correct long term decision...only time will tell and I'm willing to give Duncan, Willie and Mark the benefit of the doubt to go out and achieve that.

 

However, to state that the contractual payoffs of three coaching staff does not have an impact on the transfer and wages budget available when finances at the club are so tight is bordering on the ludicrous. 

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

That was the main concern of the so called JIG mob but the majority of the JMG mob were too thick to understand it.

 

Is the right answer.

[baggy89]

oN it wisna its cuz the JIGGAS is pooves and goted bumd by jimy!!! LOLZ!!!

[Ajja]

I see the BBC are now running this story.

[mizer]

I see the BBC are now running this story.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aberdeen/8173211.stm

 

Dons blame TV for missed targets

Aberdeen have blamed reduced television revenue for missing out on transfer targets Reda Johnson, Steven MacLean and Jim Paterson.

 

Johnson is poised to sign for Plymouth, the club from which the Dons failed to take Paterson and MacLean on loan.

 

Director Duncan Fraser said: "We are in a situation where we have to operate with an annual budget of £600,000 less than originally budgeted for next year.

 

"That has the potential to rise to over £1m over the coming couple of years."

 

With the collapse of broadcaster Setanta, the Scottish Premier League has agreed a new contract with ESPN-Sky worth half of what the clubs would have been expecting in the next five years.

 

And Aberdeen's managing director pointed out that, to plug that gap, they would need 4,000 extra fans at every Scottish Premier League game, or reach the Europa League group stages with a couple of lucrative ties.

 

Dons manager Mark McGhee had expected to sign Johnson, but Plymouth entered the equation while the Dons were negotiating a fee with the defender's present club, Amiens.

[BrownyBrown]

Surely that's still less that the amount of folk I've read on messageboards in the past couple of years saying they'd return to Pittodrie once Calderwood was sacked? 

 

Easily.

 

At least Stoney will be able to return now that Calderwood is gone...

 

Oh, whats that you say? He's already returned? Oh well, nevermind then....

[dave_min]

Surely that's still less that the amount of folk I've read on messageboards in the past couple of years saying they'd return to Pittodrie once Calderwood was sacked? 

 

Doubt that there'll be enough space for all those JMGers who're coming back until the 90,000 seater Cove Arena is build

[Jute]

Duncan Fraser needs to speak to our Director of Football then as only two weeks ago he was in the press saying that collapse of the tv deal would not effect the budget given to MM.