1. On pitch objectives were/are promotion. This was stated several times by Tiger, Zaki and Robinson at the beginning of the season and reaffirmed since January. Admittedly, the tone has changed from quietly confident to a little more hopeful, but promotion is still a real target (but not s**t or bust).
2. As above, and this Zaki is saying that the playing squad remain focused on this target. Various comments get twisted to suit, but whilst Eastwood sounded a little downbeat, Mous and others have sounded much more optimistic in recent interviews.
3. Financial management is key, and building sustainable success has to be the most important objective. No one has ruled out promotion, and the idea that the club is actively against it is bizarre. However, that doesn't mean that stupid money would be thrown at promotion now. We all know that there is a limit on how far we can go without owning or fully controlling our stadium. Tiger, Zaki and NMW have all indicated that work is taking place to resolve this (all giving different takes on timeframe immediately). The clear vision is a successful and sustainable club, on and off the pitch and at the highest possible playing level. That would indicate that promotion and the stadium issues are very much part of this vision.
4. Reducing costs and increasing income are massive if we are to become sustainable. FFP only allows us to spend what we bring in, so increased attendance, sponsorship dealers and player sales are all we have. That is why we had to consider all options in January to enable us to continue to grow. Investing in the infrastructure, training facilities, youth development etc are just as important as buying players at the top of their game. So whilst we have sold Whyte and Baptiste (Fosu came and went), we have also invested in Gorrin, Moore, Agyei, Forde and Atkinson, whilst looking to develop further those already with us. The fact that we have brought in more cash than what we've spent is testament to a good business model.
5. This is the one area that I'm not sure Tiger and co. have ever really got right. There has been much better communication but words like growth, sustainable, transparency, vision, objectives etc are very different from having a clear business plan. The counter to this is that the club then becomes a slave to timeframes and every word gets analysed and twisted to be used against them. I would hope that whatever happens this season, the club takes the time to put together a very clear vision moving forward. For example, giving a 5 year plan on becoming a stable Championship team. This may include a bounce between the leagues or more gradual organic growth year on year in league 1, but hopefully the end goal would be the same. Equally, 5 years to take fully financial control over our stadium could mean a better leasing agreement, buying the Kassam or moving elsewhere, but again the objective would be the same.
I think there are plenty of positives to take from these tweets and the general engagement of the board this season. But those wanting action rather than words will always get frustrated with comments at this stage, because this will never be a quick fix.
