Money is everything

We all know things have changed under Marcus Evans. Our chances of winning promotion are clearly improved, but Darren has found that the excuses when it happens are now fewer. Money is still everything, but for different reasons.

We all want promotion, dont we? We all want the club to be succesful. But we secretly worry that, if we do win promotion, we might become that years Derby, or Sunderland or, for those who still remember 1995, Ipswich.

Up until recently, the fear of a potential failure, and the mocking I would inevitably get from work colleagues, was mitigated by my ready-made excuse. I was all ready. It was like this-

"(Following Ipswich 0 Reading 3)

Mate- Ha, ha, see Ipswich took another beating at the weekend! Youre going down.

Me- Yeah, but it doesnt matter, really.

Mate- Of course it does, youre losing every week and bottom of the league.

Me- Sure, but youve got to look at the bigger picture.

Mate- Sorry? Youre bottom of the league, it doesnt get much worse?

Me- Actually, it does. You can be in administration and heavily in debt.

Mate- But thats all boardroom stuff, its what happens on the pitch that counts!

Me- Well, we have XXX million debt (adjust as necessary), which has been like a millstone round the neck of the club over the last five years or so. Just by being in the premiership, we are going to make so much money that we are going to finally be able to trim that debt significantly. Which means that, for the next five years, even if we are in the championship, we can finally be competitive again. Its something that will affect the whole future of the club. Without this money, we would just drift further and further away from where we want to be and it would be harder and harder to get back. Just being there to get the money is whats important, the results are secondary.

Mate- Oh right. Wish I hadnt asked."

Winning promotion was always important, but even if it went wrong and we went down, we knew that it would stop us from falling further and further adrift financially in the Championship. It would allow us to be competitive, which our attendances should allow.

But now, Marcus Evans has taken over and things have changed completely. How am I to deal with it now?

"(Following Ipswich 0 Reading 3)

Mate- Ha, ha, see Ipswich took another beating at the weekend! Youre going down.

Me- Yeah, but it doesnt matter, really.

Mate- Of course it does, youre losing every week and bottom of the league. Your new owner has made you competitive in the championship, but only on the proviso that you get promoted and that you start making money for him. His only reason for being involved with you is if you are in the premiership. If you get promoted but show that you are far short of the required standard and that there is a lot of work to be done, he might just get bored and leave you behind to try and get back into the premiership on your own. You need to be in the premiership to make sure you earn funds that make it worthwhile for him. Results are everything!

Me- Yeah, you are right, we are rubbish. Stop laughing at me."

Theres no excuse. We cant get promoted, be rubbish and go down, knowing that weve made a huge improvement to our finances. We have already had that, thank goodness for Marcus Evans.

Nope, if we are rubbish, we are just going to have to be thick-skinned and put up with it like every other fan!!