Tom English - Need For Transparency

[andy steel 0]

Since we're micro-examining the bold Tom, I'd say he's fallen victim to the need fore constant comment on all things Rangers, added to the lack of clear detail coming out the club.

 

In Scotland today, there's a version of Dr Moreau's law: 'Two legs good! Four legs bad!' which runs 'Rangers bad! Anyone else good!' and Tom fell into that trap, I think, over re-construction, when he lambasted Longmuir for not delivering a meek SFL into the hands of the SPL, and decided (without a scrap of evidence) that it was Rangers which was at fault, either itself or because Longmuir was a great big closet Hun.

 

Hopefully the worst of the knee-jerk rubbish has passed and some sanity may return (excepting the intellectually challenged, like Spence) and English can get back to poking a cynical stick at the game, which it sorely needs. I mean, compare him with the 'Um ur a man of the street' Keith Jackson and his God-awful, strident pontificating: I doubt if he even knows he disappeared up his own arsehole years ago. At least we can still see Tom's head and shoulders, poking out the regulation journalistic rectum: we should held haul him out, rather than shove him further up.

[calscot 0]

I would suspect that players get a bit of a lie in on the day of a game. What's the point in getting up at 7:30 to get ready for a game at 3pm? I would say they need to be well rested and unstressed. That doesn't necessarily mean that I agree they need an overnight stay for Stranraer but these guys are the pros and have some considerable experience and I would expect them to have some sort of notional formula or reasoning about why and when a stay is needed.

 

Maybe we need an expert view. We are all generally professional at something and know the naivety that know-it-all Joe Public has about our business.

 

As said previously, a notional calculation of the money spent on this over a season seems well in proportion to the wage bill. You don't buy a very expensive car whose performance and aesthetics your business relies on and then don't service it properly or keep it out on the street. You spend the money on high prices services and keep it in a nice garage.

 

As also said previously, that was Bill Stuth's philosophy which became immensely successful. If a stay is required, you don't want very highly paid employees throwing the toys out of the pram about the accommodation. Compared to your average punter, it might seem extravagant but any 200 grand executive would be the same. It seems to be human nature.

[calscot 0]

Tom English not anti-Rangers? Has anyone read the OP? Maybe he's just angry at Rangers for slagging his paper off and by association himself, but it's not exactly persuasive to attempt to show a lack of antipathy by being incredibly disparaging and insulting... He couldn't have defended himself and his employer with much less dignity or hostility in my opinion.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

You don't buy a very expensive car whose performance and aesthetics your business relies on and then don't service it properly or keep it out on the street. You spend the money on high prices services and keep it in a nice garage.

 

That's very true, although I don't think the garage has to be "nice"; it just has to be wind and waterproof!

 

So they could have sent them down in a nice Mercedes bus with all mod cons and I'm sure that fit pros as they are , they would have managed. I'm not saying that we need to bring in austerity measures, but a sense of proportion and realism from time to time might help.

 

What's the point in getting up at 7:30 to get ready for a game at 3pm?

.

 

That's a fair point as well, I certainly don't want our lads stressed out worrying about missing the bus to Stranraer, never mind playing against their part-timers ; but as pros shouldn't they be tucked up in bed by 10.00pm, the night before a game?

 

That said, as someone who used to travel a lot on business I agree that I would much rather get to where I'm meant to be the next day, the night before and stay in a decent hotel and be ready for the off in the morning; but I wouldn't have done it for a 3.00pm meeting in Stranraer, that's my point.

 

In Struth's day did they not tend to go by train, albeit first class? That's just a historical question; not a criticism.

[calscot 0]

Tom English not anti-Rangers? Has anyone read the OP? Maybe he's just angry at Rangers for slagging his paper off and by association himself, but it's not exactly persuasive to attempt to show a lack of antipathy by being incredibly disparaging and insulting... He couldn't have defended himself and his employer with much less dignity or hostility in my opinion.

 

Actually I think I'm getting mixed up with the other thread on Keith Jackson...

 

But Tom English is still anti-Rangers.

[calscot 0]

That's very true, although I don't think the garage has to be "nice"; it just has to be wind and waterproof!

 

It probably needs more than that: it needs to be clean and free of dust and damp and be secure with an expensive security system. It has to be of ample size and have easy access from the road etc. That's the criteria for a nice garage.

 

The criteria for a nice hotel for a modern day, highly paid footballer whose expected to win the league in style - well 5 star probably fits the bill depending on the price.

 

So they could have sent them down in a nice Mercedes bus with all mod cons and I'm sure that fit pros as they are , they would have managed. I'm not saying that we need to bring in austerity measures, but a sense of proportion and realism from time to time might help.

 

I am not averse to what you're saying but my argument is that myself and most forum users are not that knowledgeable or experienced about what is cost effective for good results in the this scenario in a complex business. As Frankie says, it's what successful clubs do and we see ourselves as a successful club. It also appears not to have done any harm to the result and even the entertainment at least in the first half.

 

The idea behind it makes sense; the question being was it required on this occasion. These costs must be factored into the budget and compared to the actual wages of the players it doesn't seem that significant. With the wages so high a lot of things have changed where there are increased costs which now seem insignificant.

 

A simple example is a Sunday league team usually has about 15 strips of one size and you take what you can get on the day. Our players have more recently had several personalised shirts of their size with their name on it. Celtic were slagged off about wanting to charge their players for swapping shirts and it was considered silly considering their 10 grand a week wage.

 

If they were in some kind of palatial 2 grand a night suites then I'd be more inclined to complain but at £280 quid a room it's about double that of a decent b&b in the home counties for Joe Average. And I do expect them to have negotiated a bit of a discount - it's good PR for the hotel and you tend to get things cheaper in bulk.

 

To me it's a bit like complaining about supplying biscuits in a meeting... Is that level of austerity needed?

 

That's a fair point as well, I certainly don't want our lads stressed out worrying about missing the bus to Stranraer, never mind playing against their part-timers ; but as pros shouldn't they be tucked up in bed by 10.00pm, the night before a game?

 

Possibly, but going to bed early doesn't mean you automatically go to sleep early - certainly not for me anyway. I'd expect they'd be getting up about 9:30 hoping for about 8-9 hours sleep. In fact I suspect sleep is an important part of their training regime aiming at more than 8 hours a night - which often takes more than 8 hours in bed to achieve.

 

That said, as someone who used to travel a lot on business I agree that I would much rather get to where I'm meant to be the next day, the night before and stay in a decent hotel and be ready for the off in the morning; but I wouldn't have done it for a 3.00pm meeting in Stranraer, that's my point.

 

But would you be ready to out-run someone for 90 minutes? There's a difference between professional athleticism and sitting round a meeting table - although the latter may need a high level of focused attention, it often doesn't need that relentlessly. It's also not usually so highly pressured where a convincing win for your company is pretty much imperative and will be dissected by at least a million people during and after the fact.

 

I remember having an early and difficult two a half hour drive to a job interview and felt knackered. I didn't perform well.

 

In Struth's day did they not tend to go by train, albeit first class? That's just a historical question; not a criticism.

 

I don't think there was enough money in those days, the players were on a few quid a week I expect. Who knows whether Struth would have done this given the funds, and whether it would have made him even more successful...

 

However, Struth put a lot of his success down to treating players as VIPs and it was ground breaking at the time. The results are certainly there. Who knows what the cause and effect is?

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Interesting dialogue, thanks.

 

It also appears not to have done any harm to the result and even the entertainment at least in the first half.

 

If they HAD stayed in £2,000/ night suites would they have performed in the second half as well; maybe they weren't happy with the £280/night shot?

 

at £280 quid a room it's about double that of a decent b&b in the home counties for Joe Average

 

Not sure about the home counties or why that is a fair comparison but my b&b in Cairnryan on Saturday night after the match was £63 (mind you the towels were a bit thin but I bet you they wouldn't have got a better breakfast).

 

In fact I suspect sleep is an important part of their training regime aiming at more than 8 hours a night - which often takes more than 8 hours in bed to achieve.

quite so

 

But would you be ready to out-run someone for 90 minutes?

 

I was never ready to out-run anyone for 90 minutes even when I was a referee.

 

I don't think there was enough money in those days, the players were on a few quid a week I expect.

 

Thornton got his wages doubled to £2 per week, for turning up with shiny boots when he was just breaking into the team (albeit Struth didn't know that his mother had polished them).