Season Ticket Discussion 2024/25

[Deutsch Wolf]

Football doesn't work like that.

If you're minded to own a football club and have hundreds of millions of pounds to spare then you might look at Wolves while they're a Premier League team (although the situation with Molineux effectively forever being worth £0 as you can't ever sell it off is an issue). If Wolves are not a Premier League team then they aren't worth anything like that and we'd either be stuck with owners who don't really want to be here or they'd have to sell us off at a massive loss.

Fiddling around with at best £2-3m p/a here and there isn't even white noise.

 

[Tredman]

If you look at being sold to an investment company it does work like that. From the outside wolves have a good stadium, decent players and a history of premier league finishes. Couple that with a very efficient operating model and the American idiots will lap it up.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

So why aren't Liverpool, Burnley, Chelsea, Villa, Palace, Leeds and Bournemouth with either part or full US ownership absolutely battering fans with ticket price rises then?

Because it's a fool's errand and makes no material difference at this level is why.

 

[Tredman]

So why aren't Liverpool, Burnley, Chelsea, Villa, Palace, Leeds and Bournemouth with either part or full US ownership absolutely battering fans with ticket price rises then?

Because it's a fool's errand and makes no material difference at this level is why.

No, my point is it looks attractive when you are up for sale. It’s fucking stupid, but a company with low opex always looks better to investors.

 

[Squeak]

Thing about any potential buyer is that they aren't buying it for the reasons we would all want. I don't see any Wolves supporting folks with the wherewithal to make that kind of purchase. And, those that could, probably have more sense than throw money at an endless pit. It's took Fosun a while to realise they can't compete at the top level of the game in England and they have deeper pockets than most. So, they are very much treating this like any other business investment they have. Only issue is, that in their other businesses, they aren't getting pushback from their customers like this one.

Something else to ponder... wonder what impact this is having on the players? When they see this plus all the other things going on, what are they thinking? I can't imagine they are thinking this is a club that is serious about competing at a higher level.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Something else to ponder... wonder what impact this is having on the players? When they see this plus all the other things going on, what are they thinking? I can't imagine they are thinking this is a club that is serious about competing at a higher level.

Neto wants to leave anyway, most of us would happily pack Kilman off wherever ASAP, Gomes and Ait-Nouri are so good that it's an inevitability that they'll go eventually, Lemina/Dawson/Semedo are too old to attract the kind of value we'd want, Sa can do one if we get a daft bid regardless.

Cunha is one that might be a concern in that respect, like you can't see anyone offering us significantly more than we paid and two weeks ago he seemed happy here, but if he started rocking the boat then perhaps you can't keep him (à la Nunes, albeit this time we wouldn't be absolutely robbing someone blind for a player with no position and loads of flaws).

 

[Squeak]

Agreed but the other issue here is how do you attract players that will improve the team / squad if you are seen as a selling club with little to no ambition beyond surviving in the Prem? All I can think is that you pay them enough and they might come but most players are already wealthy and have ambitions within the game.

 

[pagey]

Agreed but the other issue here is how do you attract players that will improve the team / squad if you are seen as a selling club with little to no ambition beyond surviving in the Prem? All I can think is that you pay them enough and they might come but most players are already wealthy and have ambitions within the game.

By being a stepping stone to challenging for trophies, ala Jota, Neves, Nunes. We've gave them all a platform.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Pretty sure their plan (as it always has been to an extent, but now less aided by Mendes who probably doesn't even have these players on his books these days anyway) is to offer young potential superstars a road into the Premier League and if you do well and we get a fair bid from a way bigger team then we won't stand in your way. In the meantime we aren't a bad club to play for as we aren't no hopers, we've been around for a while, you'll play loads personally and we'll even have a go against the big boys now and then. Which as a platform, is a decent one. Joao Gomes will end up getting a far better move from Wolves than he would have done with Lyon because he's excelling in a far superior league which has far more eyes on it.

 

[Tony Towner]

Unless it spills into the stands next season it won't even be on most players radar. They aren't reading the e&s, Wolves Twitter or message boards.

In terms of investment, they already know from January that the owners don't have any interest

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I suppose it would if we sold Neto for say, £50m and it was apparent we wouldn't be re-investing more than about 20% of that. Or if our activity suggested that we'd be running with a similar size squad again, which the players themselves will know isn't sustainable across a season these days (a mark of how football has moved on even since 2018, although our 18/19 and 19/20 squads were still deeper than what we've had this year).

Again to pick him out, Cunha wants to play in the World Cup for Brazil in a couple of years, muddling around with a team that isn't going anywhere won't appeal in that respect.

 

[Tony Towner]

I suppose it would if we sold Neto for say, £50m and it was apparent we wouldn't be re-investing more than about 20% of that. Or if our activity suggested that we'd be running with a similar size squad again, which the players themselves will know isn't sustainable across a season these days (a mark of how football has moved on even since 2018, although our 18/19 and 19/20 squads were still deeper than what we've had this year).

Again to pick him out, Cunha wants to play in the World Cup for Brazil in a couple of years, muddling around with a team that isn't going anywhere won't appeal in that respect.

That's not new though. LL has already reported that behind the scenes the players were pissed off and let down about the lack of January activity

 

[Squeak]

By being a stepping stone to challenging for trophies, ala Jota, Neves, Nunes. We've gave them all a platform.

Yeah but when we signed them, we actually did have a plan to contend in the top half of the Prem and for a European place. Now we seemed to accept mediocrity or even struggling at the wrong end as our norm. Eventually that leads to relegation as per Leicester / Southampton. I get the "You'll have a chance to prove yourself at the highest level in the top league in the world" argument but I think most players are astute enough to know that playing in a struggling team is no fun at all. Going to be an interesting Summer.

 

[SSB]

Unless it spills into the stands next season it won't even be on most players radar. They aren't reading the e&s, Wolves Twitter or message boards.

“Jeffery Shi, get out of our club” will definitely get an airing.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Yeah but when we signed them, we actually did have a plan to contend in the top half of the Prem and for a European place. Now we seemed to accept mediocrity or even struggling at the wrong end as our norm. Eventually that leads to relegation as per Leicester / Southampton. I get the "You'll have a chance to prove yourself at the highest level in the top league in the world" argument but I think most players are astute enough to know that playing in a struggling team is no fun at all. Going to be an interesting Summer.

We were 17th and two points off the bottom when we signed Joao Gomes

 

[Squeak]

That's not new though. LL has already reported that behind the scenes the players were pissed off and let down about the lack of January activity

Indeed and that's what concerns me. If the message was "sure, we understand the issues and will change things in the Summer so be patient" I'd get it but you then have to back it up with action. If you don't, you'll just piss off those players and ultimately they will feel let down, lied to and be looking to move on. Further, they will be telling their mates in the game of their experience and what the club is all about.

 

[Squeak]

We were 17th and two points off the bottom when we signed Joao Gomes

Fair enough argument on him. But I'd say the circumstances around that are a little different to now. We had arguably a better and more proven manager and the fire sale hadn't happened.

 

[PuntsWolf]

You only have to see the rise in the cost of living and inflation to know that prices for goods & services are on the rise. Insurance costs, labour costs and other overheads etc. are bound to have increased so it is understandable that prices have to increase somewhat. However, the price rises we have seen announced this week are out of kilter with the rise in our costs.

Always a bit of a nonsense argument this. If I just walk into the ground, watch a game, and leave there is very little inflationary pressure on the price. And it’s even more stupid when any running costs of allowing me to watch the game is about 0.00001% of outgoings.

As regards "the product", this argument is always spilled out when price increases are announced. This is sport. It isn't like any other "product." Everyone knows the possibility of a poor performance / result before they make the decision to purchase a ticket. The hope is they will see a good performance and result but there are no guarantees.

Perfectly reasonable in normal circumstances. But it’s not the results, they’ve made it clear we aren’t going anywhere. Aiming for 17th every year.

Long story short. There’s no justification for what they are doing. A 5% increase would have been accepted. What they are doing is just taking the piss

 

[Tom Hark]

Wanton?

Wonton?

 

[Tredman]

Wonton?

Deep fried or steamed?