Ambition

[Tony Elsby]

Personally I have always taken great pride in the achievements of the Tigers (and the County Cricket Club when they win anything) so a link-up with the oval ball is not instantly loathesome.

If this club is going to have ambition this seems a feasible way forward.
We are certainly competing with our hands tied at the moment and it shows.

If this way forward provides the chance of greater sporting independence then it will be a step forward. If it makes our going out of business less likely then it will also be beneficial.

Thirdly, if it will give us a 21st Century platform on which to launch a real challenge for national and European honours then why not?.

I am reminded of the rancour that existed between Hinckley Athletic and Hinckley Town fans before the merger into Hinckley United - a merger I believed in when manager of United back in the 70's.

Whatever reservations existed, the new Hinckley club has gone forward, is preparing to open its new facilities, has gone further in the FA Cup than it realistically might have hoped and is a far more respectable outfit than ever its previous dual entities were in modern times.

All I can see with the existing status quo at City is frustration and a future of diminishing gates due to underperforming on the pitch and little realistic chance of the finiancial picture improving dramatically.

People like Levein are far more likely to follow Martin O'Neil out of the door in frustration at having to shop with an empty wallet than they are likely to spend years developing players which are rapidly snatched up by the truly ambitious (a la Crewe).

I'm not for one minute saying this is a perfect solution or one that doesn't carry risks. Rugby itself is organised like a comedy circus.

Can you imagine what Ferguson would say if two thirds of his team were taken for chunks of the season for international duty without being able to postpone matches.

Championships are supposed to be won by the best team. Not the best team if the others aren't allowed to play their best men.

And, imagine Ferguson again if United won a title only to be told they had to play a one-off round robin against all and sundry to decide the real champions. What a load of nonsense and the reason I find it hard to take the Union set-up seriously.

But this is not the Tigers fault. They're probably more frustrated than most about the status quo because it has probably cost them the most.

In many ways Tigers lead the way forward, professionally, in rugby union so, overall, united development between the clubs seems a realistic way forward and possibly the only way of making a significant mark in football over the next couple of decades.

Change is rarely welcomed wholeheartedly (and often for good reason these days) but even if Levein gets us up in the next two seasons, what then?

Wherever will the money come from to compete at Premiership level that wasn't there for our last adventures into that illustrious territory?.

Like it or not Leicester City and Leicester Tigers represent major advertisements (probably the biggest advertisements) for our City and this will only lift the profile still further.

Let us wear our City badge as well as our club's badge with pride and let's hear it cheered and see it respected all over the world.

To me it's like a pioneering journey into space in search of a new planet. Full of dangers, full of problems to solve but, potentially, a journey to the higher echelons of a sporting world which we have never visited before and where, under the current set up, we are hardly likely to go in the future.

There is less likelihood of serious breakdown under the co-operative set-up than under the current one. So if our club and our prospects will be stronger for it then let's go ahead.

Light the blue touch paper and let's see where the journey takes us.
It sounds more exciting than the alternatives to me.

 

[lanxfox]

Totally agree 100%

 

[Joe_Fox]

An interesting post, one to many metions of Ferguson for me though. I can see your points but I wouldn't call it ambition, I'd call it money grabbing. Surely if LCFC worked hard to rekindle some of their recent footballing success then we could pay off the debts and own the ground. This way looks like the cowards option, get rich quick. This is merely an idea wonderfully pitched by Davies who, beleive it or not, will not live as long as LCFC, and boy does he know it.

 

[homer]

Get rich quick, short term vision.
I'm astonished at some of the posts on here today

Here's to a brave new world, of "We will rock you" for the rest of your natural lives
To new scarves - half in blue and white and half in red white and green
Here's to a 121st anniversary shirt - LCFC on one side - Tigers on the other
Here's to a new stadium banner around the edge with pictures of Underwood and Johnson
Here's to Dusty Hare appearing EVERY half time, and not just as the one-off embarassing nightmare witnessed recently
Here's to some god awful Mace-inspired joint "festival of Leicester sport" to launch the new partnership
Here's to "Rah Rah Foxes" ringing out from round the stadium
Here's to the end of everything that was once football
Here's to the new homogenised, hermaphrodite, generic genetically engineered "sports fan" taking over all areas of your waking life

Stand up and fight for everything that is football, and stop yourself drifting into the hideous brave new world that this deals heralds

Now I'm just off down the cess pit for a pint of sludge with Highland

 

[Steven]

An interesting post, one to many metions of Ferguson for me though. I can see your points but I wouldn't call it ambition, I'd call it money grabbing. Surely if LCFC worked hard to rekindle some of their recent footballing success then we could pay off the debts and own the ground. This way looks like the cowards option, get rich quick. This is merely an idea wonderfully pitched by Davies who, beleive it or not, will not live as long as LCFC, and boy does he know it.

There were too many "metions" for me as well. :roll:

 

[Foxes_Never_Quit]

I am pleased. This is a very brave decision by the club as there is obviously going to be a lot of supporter unrest. They have got my support.

 

[Joe_Fox]

Now I'm just off down the cess pit for a pint of sludge with Highland

Can I join you? I'll get the first round.

 

[Tony Elsby]

An interesting post, one to many metions of Ferguson for me though. I can see your points but I wouldn't call it ambition, I'd call it money grabbing. Surely if LCFC worked hard to rekindle some of their recent footballing success then we could pay off the debts and own the ground. This way looks like the cowards option, get rich quick. This is merely an idea wonderfully pitched by Davies who, beleive it or not, will not live as long as LCFC, and boy does he know it.

I truly sympathise with your scepticism - the more understandable because football seems to be awash with so many mavericks and main chancers who don't give a shit about football these days.

Whether anyone on City's board justifies that sort of slagging off I honestly don't know and sincerely hope not.

But it is equally true that money matters. Top class football costs obscene chunks of the stuff these days and if the gravy train runs dry the football
carriage crashes straight off the lines.

Consequently I can think of no realistic scenario which would rid our sport of speculators and all speculators want a realistic return on any investment (as I would because I cannot afford to be a serious benefactor).

You hope, therefore, that the money or skills men behind your own club (often, though not always, men with drive and imagination who are prepared to take risks) also have the best interests of the sports fans they greatly represent at heart.

Given the combined power (and weight!) of Leicester City and Leicester Tigers' spectator following, I would suggest that only an idiot would ignore their wishes or mischieveously manipulate any actions to the detriment of the football club. Nor would it logically serve their interests unless they are there by deception.

Therefore, if the worst that comes out of this is that a few directors get a reasonable return on their investment I can live with that PROVIDING there is the reward of a healthy, ongoing football club and the prospect of competing with the best for the forseeable future.

The fans job to my mind is to continue making their often under-appreciated financial contribution (and for which they don't ever deserve to be ripped off), to make sure that the focus is kept on reaching the sporting goals which their money is meant to facilitate and to see that the "amount taken out" in reward is accountable and value for the achievements attained.

It's a team effort and, with Tigers alongside, history suggests we'll likely have a stronger team.

Better surely than failing to look ahead and ending up on the sporting scrapheap like so many others.

I hope so, anyway.

 

[step]

It has to be a way forward

 

[1966]

Good thread - I think we are now faced with one of the biggest, yet simplist, decisions we will ever have to face.

Are we ambitious and do we really want to be successful, if we do are we open minded and mature enough to support the difficult decisions that need to made.

I for one see this is a fantastic opportunity to give LCFC, the Tigers and the city of Leicester a real shot in the arm.

 

[Dunc]

Agreed with Tony, I for one have not really ever understood why board members who do put investment into the club aren't allowed to make some profit on said money. However, whatever method they see as fulfilling that profit, can't be against the majority of the fans wishes.

As I've said on another post, if 30,000 Leicester & Tigers fans protest in some form, be it physically or on a petition, neither club will ignore their feelings, its not in their interests.

Which means that it is by no means 'a done deal' as described on other threads.

 

[PFKAKTF FOX]

What we have to realise, especially after administration, that it would take many many years for us to get back on a sound financial footing, and be able to spend decent amounts of money on the playing staff. To carry on as we are currently could see many years of mediocrity and many fustrated managers leaving to pursue there ambitions with other clubs.

Whilst this ground share does throw up concerns, which need to be investigated, it also encourages a vibrant, exciting future, one that may just propel us from a medium sized yo - yo club to a big, forward thinking and financially solvent established Premier club.

It is this type of forward thinking that may well help us keep our decent young managers like MON and CL, its this type of thinking outside the box that could stabilise our club for many many years.

Lets give this a chance, study the information, weigh up the pro and cons and make informed decisions for the good of both clubs and the local community, lets not make our decision based on raw emotion and uninformed speculation. This decision and opportunity is too big and too important to be treated with distain.

 

[step]

What we have to realise, especially after administration, that it would take many many years for us to get back on a sound financial footing, and be able to spend decent amounts of money on the playing staff. To carry on as we are currently could see many years of mediocrity and many fustrated managers leaving to pursue there ambitions with other clubs.

Whilst this ground share does throw up concerns, which need to be investigated, it also encourages a vibrant, exciting future, one that may just propel us from a medium sized yo - yo club to a big, forward thinking and financially solvent established Premier club.

It is this type of forward thinking that may well help us keep our decent young managers like MON and CL, its this type of thinking outside the box that could stabilise our club for many many years.

Lets give this a chance, study the information, weigh up the pro and cons and make informed decisions for the good of both clubs and the local community, lets not make our decision based on raw emotion and uninformed speculation. This decision and opportunity is too big and too important to be treated with distain.

Good stuff.