The fans’ forum in the Toyota Suite on Monday January 7th 2013 was the first chance for supporters to see new Derby County President & CEO Sam Rush “live and direct”, defining his own role with Derby County and talking up the bright future he envisages for the club.
Derby supporters certainly took the opportunity to air their views, concerns and ideas directly to the club’s new front man, as the event overran its “90 minutes” by about half an hour, without having enough time to discuss all of the topics he had identified at the outset.
Sam will host several more forums this month in order to meet as many fans as possible whilst he finds his feet as the club’s new figurehead. His message to fans on behalf of DCFC was strongly positive and predictably echoed that given in his recent Radio Derby interview (as detailed earlier on this site).
It was very much a two-way exchange between Mr. Rush and the 150-strong audience, however, as the views, aspirations and reservations expressed by the latter will have given Sam and his board colleagues much to consider and act upon.
2013 is a crucial year for Derby County. The club’s financial scars are healing, and there was general agreement amongst fans with Sam’s declaration that DCFC is relatively stable, with a young, competitive and improving squad of great potential. Many fans (not all) seem to be more optimistic now than at any time since the ill-fated 2006-07 promotion season.
Perhaps Sam’s first task is to convince fans that the owners have the will and wherewithal to realise the club’s considerable potential for sustained success and prosperity. Derby County has the hearts of many thousands of loyal fans, well represented by those in attendance at the forum; however, after five years, GSE still has to win the minds of many supporters.
The team sits within reach of a play-off spot in a wide open Championship campaign; will the Rams’ owners provide funds now to invest further in players that could win promotion this year, or do fans have to accept that GSE’s focus on its Academy and the home-development of players will be the best longer-term bet for sustained success and the club’s prosperity?
After introduction by Rams’ Press Officer Tom Loakes, Sam briefly talked about his former role as Head of Football Operations at the Wasserman Media Group, a global sports and entertainment agency, addressing the perception that he was just a “football agent”.
Previous to his 15 years involvement in football, he was a lawyer. He detailed four elements that his former role involved: brand consultancy, commercial rights and sponsorship (including stadium naming rights), negotiation of TV/broadcasting deals and the representation of 400 professional footballers. It can thus be said that Sam’s professional credentials and experience should make him a ‘good fit’ for his new position.
Six areas of discussion were outlined for the forum:
1: DCFC ownership and their commitment to the club;
2: DCFC player transfer policy
3: DCFC Ticketing policy and the issue of falling PPS attendances
4: Club revenue / income generation
5: Pride Plaza plans
6: Any Other Business
Taking these headings in the above sequence (as presented to fans), Sam tackled issues concerning DCFC’s ownership and their commitment to the club at the outset. He sees the club in a “perfect” position for success. Some fans claimed a direct correlation of investment (or the perceived lack of it) in DCFC and the level (or lack) of success for the club - relative to similarly-sized clubs. Perhaps that’s a simplistic and unreliable theory, but there was fair amount of scepticism and pessimism about the club’s rate of progress, and of the potential for greater footballing advancement with the current level of funding.
One fan recalled Andy Appleby’s early and unwise declaration of intent to make Derby County a “global brand” and said that after five years, we’re not even a national brand. Fans of other clubs were said to believe that “nothing much happens at Derby these days”. Sam Rush replied that within football, DCFC was seen very much as a progressive club and asked fans to reflect that we did now have “box office” players that are coveted by other clubs. However, the effect on DCFC’s own box office cannot yet be said to be very positive.
Briefly, Sam perceives the “stratification” of Championship clubs in four layers; those challenging for promotion and (possibly short-term) success using big money, the relegated clubs usually in some disarray, rebuilding whilst unstable, the smaller clubs and newly-promoted teams trying to hold the status, and well-run, stable clubs which have potential for success at a higher level. Derby County are seen as the prime example of that last category.
In the real world, a concrete timescale for promotion and further success can’t be given, said Sam - it’s “ASAP”, though he sees no great barriers. One fan’s view (shared by others) was that the squad lacks adequate quality and depth; Sam did not agree, reiterating Nigel’s recent statement that he would be happy to go with his present squad for the remainder of the season.
Mr. Rush also expressed strong reservations about bringing “fringe” Premier League players into the club, because Derby & other clubs have wasted money on such deals, but did say that any ongoing opportunities to strengthen the team, as recommended by NC, will be fully considered.
During further discussion of DCFC’s player transfer policy, SR stated firmly that any previous statement that Rams players were “all up for sale” was no longer applicable. He said that it is now the case that players will join and leave the club “on our terms”. The policy is now to realise the full value of any players that are sold, and to make it hard for any key players to leave. Rush has experience of assisting “fringe” or discontented players to move on, but said that there are no unhappy players at Derby.
In terms of transfer spending, Derby were said to be amongst the Championship’s top set last summer with a £3.6m outlay. He also declared that any claim that Derby’s pay structure places them in the bottom three wage-payers and obstructs squad development is false. The issue of Shackell’s “pointless” sale and matching competitors’ wages led on to “transparency” and “honesty” in how transfers have been represented to fans.
One supporter said that the common scenario of “undisclosed fees” alienated fans, although in reality most clubs rarely give hard figures these days, especially where bonus and appearance clauses contribute more significant components in contracts than initial fees. Some fans should check out just how many transfer deals done between clubs get reported with ‘undisclosed’ fees!
Fans’ were preoccupied (or at least worried) about an early cash-in by the club of Will Hughes’ prodigious talent; Sam reminded us all about the folly of broadcasting any transfer kitty sums; broader commercial factors will dictate how any proportion of (for example) a £10m fee will be allocated for team development. Only stupid clubs declare what they want to spend.
It’s most likely that any further squad recruits this season will be loanees, but Sam advised of no imminent signings. Some disgruntlement was expressed at the club’s continual failure to make “marquee signings”. Billy Sharp’s name was mentioned more than once as the type of regular and ruthless goalscorer that was still needed - just that “extra step”, although some disparaging comments heard about Conor Sammon were not generally endorsed.
With regard to DCFC’s ticketing policy and the issue of falling PPS attendances, Sam Rush declared that his priority is to attract the missing fans. Supporters told him that, although it clearly was not initially appreciated by the GSE regime, the key to filling the stadium is what happens on the pitch.
Fans said that the decline in attendances and season ticket sales was primarily due to a lack of entertaining football and a sense that the club is just treading Championship water. There was also applause for a fan who claimed that GSE had taken S/T holders for granted, and had not adequately rewarded their loyalty and patience.
Many fans were in favour of the re-introduction of Cup vouchers in season tickets, and also requested that the merchandise discounts for S/T holders and Rams Club members be re-instated. Giving away a “doorstop” book of discount vouchers was not appreciated; it’s also useless to fans living outside the Derby area. Another fan had spent £200 at Christmas in Shop DCFC and was offered 2 tickets for the Hull game - clearly of no value to the S/T holder.
Sam also acknowledged complaints about the rearranged Friday night games, S/T holders being moved out of their seats for other fans’ convenience at early season games, the fiasco of late season-tickets arrival (I didn’t receive mine on time either) and very cheap seats being offered to non-regular fans, further devaluing the status of fans who pay for the season upfront.
Fans asked why the club allocated prime seats behind the goal to away fans, which dissipates the noise generated by home fans; Sam advised that placing opposing teams’ fans into the “restricted view” areas was under consideration.
As Sam said, the club’s support of the “Safe Standing” campaign is still conditional upon UK stadium legislation, but he acknowledged that the issue of match day atmosphere and providing more lower-priced places for home fans would be benefits of introducing such a scheme. He also felt that a smaller “focus” group of fans might be able to work with the club on such specific issues.
So, fans gave Sam some real food for thought on the issue of attendances, before he launches the annual schedule of S/T renewal. Fans also generally judged the Digonex flexible match-pricing policy to be a failure. One fan asked who was in control of match ticket pricing - DCFC or Digonex - so the perception here may be of the tail wagging the dog, with a negative effect on attendances. Some fans told Sam that the club was losing touch with its traditional core “working class” support.
Mr. Rush will obviously play a vital role in DCFC’s revenue and income generation, so he is very mindful of the need to find ways of raising income. The familiar commitment to connect closely with the local community was reiterated, but at this level, Sam’s ear was bent by one fan that compared the high price of DCFC replica Kappa shirts at the club shop (£45) with an internet offer (from Sport Direct) of £33. Again, the issues of rewarding loyalty and giving value for money were raised; action, rather than words, can be monitored.
Selling “brand DCFC” on a much broader basis is also clearly on his agenda. Given that GSE has a successful Naming Rights and Sponsorship Development division and taking Sam’s experience in this area of revenue generation into account, fans can anticipate some new initiatives.
Generating some significant, longer-term income - estimated by Sam to earn a potential annual six-figure sum - by selling Pride Park Stadium’s naming rights did not appear to represent the heresy to many of those fans present at this forum that it did when reported from a previous meeting during Tom Glick’s tenure.
Fans seemed most concerned about the “how & when” of winning income from stadium naming rights (SNR) rather than “why”; indeed, one fan just shouted “Sell it”! As with player transfer income, the main issue is how any SNR revenue will impact upon squad development. Ethical concerns were expressed; betting shop magnates and multinationals with dubious employment practices or from countries with regimes that disregard human rights should not be considered. Some fans also gave examples of clubs admired for their sponsorship choices.
Sam observed that the spectre of Financial Fair Play that relates to spending and income did not appear to worry many clubs, and that it was presently “invisible”. He feels that any “third party governance” would not affect well-run clubs such as DCFC, who will be ready when FFP impacts. Many Championship clubs might fail an FFP audit, but fans pointed out that the benefits and rewards of promotion might well outweigh any incurred penalties, and that other clubs were ignoring FFP on that basis.
At this point, even in “extra time”, Sam failed to cover much of note within “Any Other Business”. There was no discourse about the Pride Plaza project agenda item - felt generally to be of marginal interest to fans at present. Because Sam did not always manage the proceedings effectively, particularly as time wore on, time ran out with Sam allowing individuals to make (or repeat) statements, rather than asking questions - and the subject drifted between earlier agenda items.
The wireless (roving) microphone was not deployed towards the end, so most were unable to hear whilst other fans still waited their turn in vain. The cost of away match tickets and more concerns as to how the club might compete with richer clubs, including those dropping into the Championship with parachute mega-money, were briefly debated before an honourable draw was declared.
Just a few days into his high-profile job, Sam Rush has put in some solid work to reassure fans about the ambition and commitment of his employers to finally take this great club forward once more into the elite division, with all its overblown glamour, gifted and sometimes arrogant or dishonest characters on and off the field, and its promise of riches and status for players, clubs and supporters.
I hope that he will take on board the main messages from fans - we all love the club and crave success, but not at any price - we know the score by now. Some of us hope to live to see more genuine glory days for DCFC rather than live off our still-vivid memories.
Those who saw the club’s march to near-invincibility guided by Nigel’s father and Peter Taylor, Arthur Cox’s team rising rapidly before Maxwell’s betrayal, or the style of Igor, Eranio, Asanovic, Wanchope et al, still want to believe that GSE have sincere aspirations to bring more great times to Derby County that will live as long in the fans’ collective memory.
Quite simply, we await proof of the pudding.