Communication...

[mallyb]

...has been appalling this year.
One of Dean's pledges when he took over was that he would communicate better with the fans and I think he was true to his word until this season.

Dean has apparently been poorly this year. How do we know that? Somebody on an internet forum told us. The same internet forum where people claiming to be in the know told us Kevin Phillips was signing and Nigel Adkins was going to be the new manager so I guess it can be taken with a pinch of salt. Why no announcement from the club? Don't need to see medical records or any details at all other than he has not been well.

There has been no explanation given by the club on why the Jordan money has not been reinvested. If Dean needs to recoup some of the money he has invested, fine.
If the championship is too big a step and we are going to rely more on the academy and bringing players through even if that means we have to go back down for a couple of seasons then fine as long as it is communicated to us.

The lack of communication leaves us to piece together from the information publicly available and fight in lumps about what it means.

It appears the strategy has changed completely. Original plan was to establish (not just get there) Huddersfield Town in the championship. To achieve that goal Dean was happy to run at a loss and invest then reinvest transfer fees generated in squad strengthening. Any table shows us spending less than virtually any other club at this level. Of the clubs spending similar amounts they all have already survived a season at this level with an experienced championship squad.

Our gate receipts are apparently a disappointment to the club yet are about mid table in the championship.
The cost of tickets is mid to high end of the championship.
Revenue generated from the sale of players is higher end of the championship.
Spending is in the bottom 3 on any of the different tables we look at.

Dean has appointed 3 managers with only Mark Robins seeing an improvement in form as a result of the appointment, and that improvement being marginal at best.

Dean apparently doesn't like the January transfer window as prices are inflated which is fair enough but every one of our relegation rivals made signings before the window for loans shut. Many of those players have made an impact at the clubs they have joined. We have the 2nd worst goals scored record and the worst goal difference in the division yet there was nothing better available?? Our rivals managed to find some.

The silence from the club is a worry. The clubs increased income over last season is greater than the increase in the wage bill over last season according to the club(that is not including the Jordan Rhodes money!!!) Why then has there been no extra investment that our rivals have seen to try and stay up? I can only assume Theo was a cheap option, that with the budget that Robins was allowed he couldn't improve the squad, but if so then surely the budget wants looking at.

Fully expect many to disagree with me but next season if we are back in league 1 how many will be pleased to hear that with transfers we made a profit this year?

[stevvy]

Rgearding the poorly thing, I'm sure it was his own son who said Dean was in hospital. I doubt he'd lie about that. Plus didn't Togterrier mention him not being well at a recent-ish game?

[Deleted]

Find it hard not to agree with that to be honest. I have said the same myself, Deano always managed to appease the fans in the past with his statements but this season I can't recall many.

[Deleted]

at the Q&A`s Dean Hoyle seems to answer any question aimed a him very well,with honest and to the point answers,best thing to do would be to go to one

[Chips Longhorn]

Q and A's aplenty.... Oh and who was that on the Football league show the other night?

[mallyb]

Apr 8, 2013 14:07:32 GMT 1 @imaginarymartin said:

at the Q&A`s Dean Hoyle seems to answer any question aimed a him very well,with honest and to the point answers,best thing to do would be to go to one

Which is fine if we are looking to communicate with 200 fans but the club has a few more fans than that. It has been a troubled second half to the season with questions being asked and no answers given.

[mallyb]

Apr 8, 2013 14:10:02 GMT 1 Chips Longhorn said:

Q and A's aplenty.... Oh and who was that on the Football league show the other night?

Can check my post again but don't think I suggested he had been abducted by aliens. Which of the questions did he answer on TV the other night then? We can all communicate when things are going well but they aren't. In the past Dean would step in and explain what was going on and that has stopped, right at the time the whole strategy seems to have changed.

[Deleted]

Apr 8, 2013 14:07:32 GMT 1 @imaginarymartin said:

at the Q&A`s Dean Hoyle seems to answer any question aimed a him very well,with honest and to the point answers,best thing to do would be to go to one

Thing is though given that there are approximately 12000 town fans attending every home game and a handful attending the meetings It may be of interest to the board to talk to the rest of the fans from time to time. Through their website, the papers or whatever.

[supersumit]

Not really Dean's job to communicate stuff through the season...which other club's owners do that (and are praised for doing so?)

We're in a very sticky situation...now is not the time to start talking defeatist about what's gone wrong - let's concentrate on trying to stay up and then the communication can come out in the summer...

With the stick that Dean's had this season, he might just walk away in the summer anyway...then we won't have any answers (or money!)...just think about that for a few minutes

[rocky]

Apr 8, 2013 14:25:40 GMT 1 supersumit said:

Not really Dean's job to communicate stuff through the season...which other club's owners do that (and are praised for doing so?)

We're in a very sticky situation...now is not the time to start talking defeatist about what's gone wrong - let's concentrate on trying to stay up and then the communication can come out in the summer...

With the stick that Dean's had this season, he might just walk away in the summer anyway...then we won't have any answers (or money!)...just think about that for a few minutes

Nobody seriously wants that mate, nor is anyone (as far as I can see) calling for it, but the OP does make some pretty good points.

[Deleted]

when he does the Q&A`s most things the o/p mentions are asked,then they get posted on twitter,the O/S and the unexamined paper are the last way of finding things out nowadays,

[mallyb]

Apr 8, 2013 14:25:40 GMT 1 supersumit said:

Not really Dean's job to communicate stuff through the season...which other club's owners do that (and are praised for doing so?)

We're in a very sticky situation...now is not the time to start talking defeatist about what's gone wrong - let's concentrate on trying to stay up and then the communication can come out in the summer...

With the stick that Dean's had this season, he might just walk away in the summer anyway...then we won't have any answers (or money!)...just think about that for a few minutes

Other clubs may not do it but Dean did, said he would and has done until this season.

I don't think Dean has had much stick and if you qualify my questions as stick then you have a strange definition of stick.

Dean may well walk away this summer, that's what happened last time the owner withdrew funding and sold a striker, he may invest heavily in the summer, he may change the name of the club to Dean's all stars and register them as a polo team. We don't know because the communication has stopped.

[Deleted]

It seems to me that Town are more interested in plugging their 'partnerships' rather than on field activities. It sometimes feels like the clubs name and image is no more than an advertising hoarding for other companies use to advertise their wares.

[Deleted]

Apr 8, 2013 14:59:41 GMT 1 @shaggy said:

It seems to me that Town are more interested in plugging their 'partnerships' rather than on field activities. It sometimes feels like the clubs name and image is no more than an advertising hoarding for other companies use to advertise their wares.

it doesnt matter how shit we are on the pitch,you cant stop plugging and earning money off field,would you expect them to stop all the buisness side of things untill we get better?

[mallyb]

Apr 8, 2013 15:16:51 GMT 1 @imaginarymartin said:

Apr 8, 2013 14:59:41 GMT 1 @shaggy said:

It seems to me that Town are more interested in plugging their 'partnerships' rather than on field activities. It sometimes feels like the clubs name and image is no more than an advertising hoarding for other companies use to advertise their wares.

it doesnt matter how shit we are on the pitch,you cant stop plugging and earning money off field,would you expect them to stop all the buisness side of things untill we get better?

Absolutely not, best time to attract investment when you are promoted. If we go down will they announce weekly the partners that are now pulling out? It seems the only announcement the club makes these days are about new partners when most fans only really care about staying up and why we cant match Peterborough, Millwall and Barnsley for investment when we get bigger crowds, have more partners and sold a player for £8 million more than they did at the start of the season.

[Deleted]

Apr 8, 2013 14:14:36 GMT 1 mallyb said:

Apr 8, 2013 14:07:32 GMT 1 @imaginarymartin said:

at the Q&A`s Dean Hoyle seems to answer any question aimed a him very well,with honest and to the point answers,best thing to do would be to go to one

Which is fine if we are looking to communicate with 200 fans but the club has a few more fans than that. It has been a troubled second half to the season with questions being asked and no answers given.

Mallyb, Dean Hoyle has communicated more with the fans than any other chairman of our club that i can remember. More Q&A sessions that any other chairmen have done that i can remember, if you really are that concerned and not just on a wind up ( i have a feeling that's the case ) you will get yourself down to the next Q&A session and make yourself heard,,,, won't you?

[Deleted]

What is all this... open season for having a pop at Dean Hoyle?

I'd just bugger off and leave us all to it if I were him. Seriously.

[chriseastwood]

Apr 8, 2013 13:59:00 GMT 1 mallyb said:

...has been appalling this year.
One of Dean's pledges when he took over was that he would communicate better with the fans and I think he was true to his word until this season.

Dean has apparently been poorly this year. How do we know that? Somebody on an internet forum told us. The same internet forum where people claiming to be in the know told us Kevin Phillips was signing and Nigel Adkins was going to be the new manager so I guess it can be taken with a pinch of salt. Why no announcement from the club? Don't need to see medical records or any details at all other than he has not been well.}


If you had bought a programme for the Hull City home game you would have read in Dean's column, and I quote:-

"I would like to begin my programme notes by thanking everyone that sent me a get well soon card and their well wishes during my recent short illness; I really appreciate it."

[Deleted]

Apr 8, 2013 13:59:00 GMT 1 mallyb said:

Dean has apparently been poorly this year. How do we know that? Somebody on an internet forum told us. The same internet forum where people claiming to be in the know told us Kevin Phillips was signing and Nigel Adkins was going to be the new manager so I guess it can be taken with a pinch of salt. Why no announcement from the club? Don't need to see medical records or any details at all other than he has not been well.

Seriously...?

[davelearmont]

It's cute you're so concerned about his well being, but it doesn't really affect us on the pitch, which from your original post is what you want answers about. Pretty ridiculous point there.

[chriseastwood]

If you had bought a programme for the Hull City home game you would have read in Dean's column, and I quote:-

"I would like to begin my programme notes by thanking everyone that sent me a get well soon card and their well wishes during my recent short illness; I really appreciate it."

[Deleted]

I'm not having a pop at him in any way. A big old back page examiner war cry like the good old days wouldn't go amiss though!

[Venezuelan Pete]

Apr 8, 2013 16:46:06 GMT 1 @wtd said:

What is all this... open season for having a pop at Dean Hoyle?

I'd just bugger off and leave us all to it if I were him. Seriously.

Do you think he should be immune to criticism just because he has invested lots of money in the club? Some people aren't totally enamored with the way he's run things this season and have the right to express it

[E4b]

Is there 1 person on this message board who can honestly say that they are not a tad disappointed with the investment given to the playing squad following promotion?

[Deleted]

Apr 8, 2013 17:22:11 GMT 1 E4b said:

Is there 1 person on this message board who can honestly say that they are not a tad disappointed with the investment given to the playing squad following promotion?

Doubtful. We have gambled on staying up, touch wood, fingers crossed and all that.

[Deleted]

Apr 8, 2013 17:15:21 GMT 1 Venezuelan Pete said:

Apr 8, 2013 16:46:06 GMT 1 @wtd said:

What is all this... open season for having a pop at Dean Hoyle?

I'd just bugger off and leave us all to it if I were him. Seriously.

Do you think he should be immune to criticism just because he has invested lots of money in the club? Some people aren't totally enamored with the way he's run things this season and have the right to express it

People can say whatever they like (including me)... I have absolutely no problem with that.

Likewise... if you put that amount of money in, you're entitled to run things any way you like, n'all! (IMO, of course )

[seanyd1brit]

These kinds of threads always turn into a slanging match. Let's have some reason eh?

Dean has had some absolutely undeserved, stupid and offensive criticism on this forum in recent weeks.

But, you can think that without also thinking he's immune from criticism, and you can think he's made mistakes without that meaning you're ungrateful. Most people's views are in between those two extremes and that's what this forum is for.

As an expat who relies exclusively on the internet for my information, while they continue to do a good job overall with transparency and talking to the fans, I think the club could have done better on the MASS, proactive communications front this year. It's a mild criticism, that's all. No need to start getting offended or thinking people are having a go.

[Deleted]

Apr 8, 2013 17:22:11 GMT 1 E4b said:

Is there 1 person on this message board who can honestly say that they are not a tad disappointed with the investment given to the playing squad following promotion?

I think it's fair to say i'm a tad disappointed with the playing squad performance wise. Wonder if the same question re investment is being asked on the Blackburn forum?

[mallyb]

Apr 8, 2013 16:38:07 GMT 1 @jameshudd72 said:

Apr 8, 2013 14:14:36 GMT 1 mallyb said:

Which is fine if we are looking to communicate with 200 fans but the club has a few more fans than that. It has been a troubled second half to the season with questions being asked and no answers given.

Mallyb, Dean Hoyle has communicated more with the fans than any other chairman of our club that i can remember. More Q&A sessions that any other chairmen have done that i can remember, if you really are that concerned and not just on a wind up ( i have a feeling that's the case ) you will get yourself down to the next Q&A session and make yourself heard,,,, won't you?

Not a wind up Cod and I live outside Huddersfield (as do many fans) so cant really get to the Q&A. Doesn't address the fact that in the past Dean has come out with rallying calls and explanations about decisions and this time nothing. We know why Rhodes was sold and while I think it was bad business, we don't know why the club has spent so little extra on replacing his goals. We don't know why clubs with lower incomes are able to spend more to stay in this division. We comment on how much bigger the gap is between the championship and league 1 than we expected and than it was last time we were here yet think not investing and being relegated will make it smaller in the future? It's only going to get bigger, there are no parachute payments from the championship so if we go down and Peterborough stay up then next year they will have £5 million of income that we wont get to strengthen further, surely that was worth spending a bit of money on in the loan window. If not why not? Not questions that will be asked by his mates at the Q&A. Here lads have another round on me, now my little sycophants, what was that tricky question you had for me?

I like Dean, may not seem like from these posts but I do. I think he has been one of the greatest Chairman at any club and maybe the health issues are the reason the club has seemed to stumble so much this year. If he needs to cut back or bank the Jordan money then tell us and that's fine by me, it's his money. My only issue is that there seems to be a major change in strategy, the new strategy is not working at the minute and there has been no satisfactory explanation for the apparent change from a man that said from the off communication would improve.

[mallyb]

Apr 8, 2013 17:33:09 GMT 1 @jameshudd72 said:

Apr 8, 2013 17:22:11 GMT 1 E4b said:

Is there 1 person on this message board who can honestly say that they are not a tad disappointed with the investment given to the playing squad following promotion?

I think it's fair to say i'm a tad disappointed with the playing squad performance wise. Wonder if the same question re investment is being asked on the Blackburn forum?

Did we hound out the manager when he had us Top of the League? Have we been campaigning against the owner all season? Are we on our 5th manager of the campaign? Have we spent millions bringing in a striker that is the 3rd highest scorer in the championship despite being in a relegation place? Are senior execs at the club fighting publicly? I cant really see the parallels. Blackburn fans have contributed to their situation and deserve all they get as far as I am concerned. I think your point is that they invested and it hasn't helped, better parallel might be wednesday, posh, millwall, and barnsley who have all benefited from loan signings made before the dealine.