Friday Lunch Time Comment

Last night there was a meet the manager night, a relatively low turn out, but it was interesting to gain some insight into the movers and shakers of the club. The O'Neil saga was cleard up, and despite the 32 year old being offered a two year deal, he opted for Brokeville. Geoff Brown earmarked his move being purely financial, with Falkirk paying outwith their means. Billy Stark commented that he felt he had made the wrong move in terms of football. This led on to the summer signings that were cleverly engineered by the Club. I do not believe that even the most optimistic of fan would have thrown names such as Bernard and Donnelly into a Saints signing discussion. From the comments of Brown, Duff and Stark, they were confident that there has been a power shift in football, with the onus being placed back in the hands of the Clubs after the Bosman and TV Revenue hangovers that have caused great concerns in football.

The days of the Jim McLean "20 year contract" are in the past, and with the majority of Saints players now on one year contracts the signing game has metamorphosised with players now desperate to play wherever they can. Although this may result in a higher turn over of playing staff, perhaps this may not be a negative factor. Brown commented on not being contractually handcuffed, and as a result players who fail to perform will be moved on. Consequentially, the club and the fans will benefit as a result, with the club being more mobile to bring in new playing staff and move on the ill perfomers.

Gordon Bannerman, also commented on the coincidence of players performing best towards the end of their contracts. The contractual market that we witness at the moment from the stands has shifted into favour not only of the clubs but the fans too. Otherwise, we would still be watching overpaid, overated players, but instead the fans are being treated to the delights of Bernard, Donnelly et al.

It would appear that our neighbours down the Tay Firth are set to benefit too with the expected signing of Burley and Ravioli. What was most interesting was Gordon Smith's comments on the potential deal who said that from a marketing perspective it was best for Burley to wait until the deadline had passed, presumably because being a free agent he would be a more valuable commodity when the market place was not flooded with options after the transfer deadline.

Other interesting points were that the Saints lotto turnsover the same annual revenue as season tickets, and that the cost of merely keeping the stadium open costs £3000 per week!