The Glazers borrowed to buy Utd, then transfered the debt to the club, Utd as a business makes a profit, it has to, to pay the interest on the borrowing

We"ve got the most interesting and exciting season for years coming up.We"ve got a good side playing attractive rugby.The fan base is increasing.we"ve got an owner/majority shareholder who with the help of other board members have put their money into our great club.Who knows what the future holds,lets enjoy the ride and support our team

Do you want to provide something that shows these people/companies did actually put money in, rather than them actually making money out of the deal?

Typical Anyone But United fan !

Steve, let's be clear here :-

The discussion is around sustainable clubs.

In an ideal world Leigh Centurions would be a world brand and sustainable lets be honest without Derek's investment.

The likelihood of us ever achieving this is slim to zero IMO.

You say Man Utd are an example of a sustainable sports club.

Yes over a decade in a different sporting sphere they have been making profits. I ask how does that look over a 30 year period , you know the answer. Will certainly be interesting over the next 5 years to!!

I'm absolutely delighted that one guy is the majority shareholder, as stated elsewhere we will go places we've not been in over 30 years!

If you want a happy local community club who are self sustainable turn left off the M62 and follow the signs for Spotland.

Whilst your there ask any Hornets fans would they want our ground, our team, our coach and our owner??

And as for what can happen if owners walk away get yourself down to Fratton Park and ask any Pompey fan would they like to be sustainable or would they like to win the FA cup and go belly up for a decade???

Last time I checked we aren't running a business it's a sports club and the 2 don't and never will go hand in hand in 99% of sports clubs!!

So thats a no then

Steve lets be clear here

The discussion is about sustainable clubs

While difficult to achieve, it should always be a priority, quite simply because it will increase income

Actually the original discussion was centred on your assertion we are a shoe in for promotion, and that somehow we were shafted by the RFL back in 2008/9/10

Your opinion as you are entitled to, just as others disagree

I'm just glad the clubs doing what I suggested 10 years ago

I guess we almost agree,

Sustainability should be an aim not a priority!

What I said is we are entering an era that will be better than anyhing we've had in 30 years. To be honest you can arguably say last year was better than anyhing we've had in 30 years so in my opinion we are already in that era!!

The fact promotion next season is available can only enhance this era!!

Happy for people to disagree that's what this forum should all be about. It is interesting the same half glass posters now are the same ones who told me our coach was a bad apple and. Would never be a coach..... Mmmm. I wonder what happened to those realists... Oh wait there's a few on this thread!!

This thread typifies everything thats good and bad about this forum,some good positive support,some alternative views and domination by 2 or 3 who really would be better off sitting together over a drink and having a face to face chat like we did in the good old days.
Also a sprinkling of football references which have no relevance at all especially if its points raised by Man Utd fans who usually are deluded,but being a "bitter blue" (LOL) I would say that.

Aren't you a Bolton fan they're in big debt and have been for ages !

Indeed and the debt is to the owner not the bank but yes id agree we are in debt... but im not saying my football club is sustainable either...

Anyway I think the new structure will work out ok
Knowing all these people they are all good business men and we have to run as a business not a charity

Agreed the structure will work for sure DJ.

We have never been a charity, in fact what Derek is doing/giving is ensuring we wont be a charity e.g; Swinton, Rochdale etc....

My last opinion on this is anyone who has a bee in their bonnet about a single owner/investor and that somehow we should be self sustaining like 3 or 4 clubs out of millions of sporting clubs worldwide are absolutely on another planet.

yes we should all strive for perfection but in reality a self sustainable succesful Leigh Centurions in SL is almost impossible vs. a majority shareholder Leigh Centurions being succesful in SL is a very realistic possibility in the next 5/10 years.

Whether you love or hate Derek for what ever reasons can people not just be grateful and happy for everything he has ever done for the club never mind the last 2/3 years.

I used to do a lot of work with a company called Bazaarvoice who run key word summaries for online businesses based off customer review, id love to give them £500 to analyse not just this thread but this forum and some of the key words they would pick out are staggering.

Enjoy your club, enjoy your team we wont always have the structures and people we do now in charge for ever!!

Bang on mate. It gets to you eventually I was going to post a thread about wether folk would rather watch Leigh or Star Trek but thought better of it.

Anyways I am well chuffed with the current set up at the club we support although last season I bought our current Director of Rugby a pint b4 a game and never have had one back.

What's: a castrated male goat got to do 'with the price of fish' Frank - 'Grammar School indeed' - Manchester Road English teaching was far superior

Did they not issue question marks at Manc Road?

It was a statement not a question.

Never heard of a school issuing question marks before - would they have been boxed

Answer a question, get a mark.

Roman Officer does not understand anything rhetorical.

No sporting organisation is truly sustainable, simply because they are a relatively small number of bad decisions away from sporting failure which is usually accompanied by falling revenues and attendances.

Manchester United are making money because they climbed to the top of the tree and were there when TV contracts brought an explosion of money in to Football. The financial momentum of football over the last quarter century has meant that by being good at the right time and keeping stable structures for the duration, Manchester United have ridden the wave very effectively.

But compare Manchester United, one of the sport world's financial success stories, to a trusted and profitable company in an established non-sport industry. That business is likely to be an order of magnitude more stable than Manchester United.

Sport is an unpredictable zero sum game. At the end of the season there has to be a team at the top of the league and one at the bottom. It's never about how good your team is or how good your staff are, it's simply about how good your team is in comparison to your competitors.

Should the financial bubble ever burst in Football - and economics suggest that it must at some point - then the clubs with the largest financial commitments are likely to be the ones that struggle the most to adjust.

We do not need to be run sustainably in the traditional sense, but we should be run prudently. We do need to be in a position where we aren't in immediate jeopardy if we have unexpected shortfalls, lose investors, fail on the field, etc. There should always be a plan B and C that can see us work our way out of the problems.

But having any plan B puts us in front of most sports clubs.

Proffesional sport is an anomaly, you can be hugely successful and a financial disaster, Chelsea and Man City spring to mind

We need to try to be self sustainable, it is in our own interest to do so

Simple as

I could make us self sustainable tomorrow but the harsh facts are we would not be anywhere remotely close to Super League as all the players would be paid only £150 a win.

Then we actually become less sustainable as we go on as the quality of the player on the pitch provided by that structure ensures many defeats for the club will be incurred. Over a short time, the club spirals down the league / divisions and with the subsequent drop in crowds and gate revenue due to a poor product then suddenly we can not even pay the £100 win bonus or cover any of its liabilities and the club appeals once more for help from supporters to raise funds

Lets keep the current structure for now and lets ride on the crest of the wave in 2015. For those who's working week is over, I raise a glass of fine scotch and say Happy Friday every one !

Scotch.....ugh !
Happy Friday though