Iron Bru › Forums › Blast Furnace › David Hilton Interview
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April 3, 2023 at 9:12 am #258706AnonymousInactiveOffline
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Topics: 59Whatever happened to ‘football in the community’? My god. Wake up people for goodness sake.
70 miles & 1 hour 10 minutes from GP to the NMG.
Every home game would be an away game.
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April 3, 2023 at 9:43 am #258709So Swann isn’t giving us GP back then, IIRC he said he would. I think he also said he wouldn’t charge the club rent until they could afford it, he’s surely not gone back on that as well.
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April 3, 2023 at 12:16 pm #258720Well I did say about sticking with the devil you know,Bring back Swann.
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April 3, 2023 at 2:42 pm #258743Yeah bring back Swann and stick him in the stocks, I hear the GP restaurant has plenty of old unsold fruit and veg it wants to throw out, he’d make the perfect target.
April 3, 2023 at 2:52 pm #258746Has it being said the restaurant is closing?
April 3, 2023 at 3:06 pm #258749Wonder if the Iron Bar will survive the cull ? … obviously can be staffed on match days etc but stocking maybe an issue especially re draft beers, make sure the kegs are empty before you leave boys.
Re the restaurant.. is the food any good ? only seen pics but the bangers n mash looked tasty though on one occasion it was commented on YT the place stunk light an old peoples home.GP maintenance , security, grounds staff the pitch ..that fantastic new scoreboard will it all fall into disrepair and become unsustainable so another option can be found ?
Sponsorship deals , advertising surely all this will be effected if mothballing the ground for days weeks months actually happens ..let alone the local fan base dying off..1 user thanked author for this post.
April 3, 2023 at 4:42 pm #258752Lots to ponder there ironfromafar, makes you wonder why the suggestion of mothballing GP was even mentioned in the first place. Oh yes, conspiracy theory that’s why, it’s all very clear and transparent now.
April 3, 2023 at 5:10 pm #258757I’ll give you a conspiracy theory – Hilton can’t afford/doesn’t want to run Scunthorpe above NLN. Buys the club when relegation was probably a foregone conclusion and HMRC etc were circling, he immediately parachutes a non league manager straight in as Nelson was starting to get a tune out of it, sends Whitehead, O’Malley etc out on loan brings players in, then moves them out or they don’t get played again if they appear to be any good. Then once it is finally clear that, barring a mathematical miracle we are actually down, announces everything other than actual match day is being closed or relocated to Ilkeston, which is 70 miles away and where he has already built up a seemingly good football base and also where he presumably lives near.
That’s a conspiracy theory.
What is presented to us is that short term whilst everything is sorted out, facilities built in Scunthorpe, team rebuilt to return to NL and push for FL, GP purchase finalised and surrounding land sold off the academy will close and training and all day to day stuff will move to Ilkeston because it’s better there. And this will be the case for an unspecified length of time.
That isn’t a conspiracy theory.
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April 3, 2023 at 5:28 pm #258759Did nt Dawson come through the Academy and I m sure we got money from Celtic for him ?
April 3, 2023 at 6:08 pm #258763Sounds like some people are getting very angry on here because all their guff isn’t being believed by everybody, how wonderful.
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April 3, 2023 at 6:16 pm #258765Sounds like some people are getting very angry on here because all their guff isn’t being believed by everybody, how wonderful.
Enjoy I’llson
April 3, 2023 at 6:24 pm #258766The idea of fans wanting to become a sustainable club and actually coming one appear to be 2 different entities entirely.
A point of interest: speaking to people without an emotional attachment to the club seem to understand the motives for the decisions been taken.
Perhaps a dose of pragmatism is the medicine the club needs; whether we agree with the decisions taken or not, the club is/ has been a poor state for a long time now.
It cannot carry on operating in its current state.
April 3, 2023 at 6:33 pm #258768Spot on Cliff, didn’t DH say in his interview parts of the club were still being run like it was in the Championship, hence the players wages as a percentage of the entire staff bill being considerably lower. Things have to change big time after such a stupid unsustainable roller coaster ride under the previous owner, yes it’s sad, yes it hurts but it’s the reality of running a club like Scunthorpe United in a more manageable way and not a suicide mission.
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April 3, 2023 at 7:23 pm #258777UTI99 will be along shortly with a “bring back the Swanns” thread.
I’ll bet they’re pissing themselves laughing at some of the comments above.
April 3, 2023 at 8:28 pm #258802I wondered were you have been i must agree with you for once uti
April 3, 2023 at 9:10 pm #258816Already posted further up this page NI.
April 3, 2023 at 9:15 pm #258817So what
April 3, 2023 at 9:31 pm #258819The club couldn’t continue to operate as it was. There is no denying that. That said, I am astonished how well the plans have been received. I have not seen many people in the wider footballing community that think any part of this plan is a good idea.
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April 3, 2023 at 9:50 pm #258821Probably like us it’s hard to take it in that we’re a NLN team now, a drop of realization is needed and get things in perspective.
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April 3, 2023 at 9:54 pm #258822The alternative is
April 3, 2023 at 9:56 pm #258823Very true. Reality – Scunthorpe Utd are to be based in Ilkeston, because that’s a better location.
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April 3, 2023 at 9:58 pm #258824The scenario I suspect has many turns left in what undoubtedly will be a bumpy and twisted road.
I’m not sure what to make of this. My cynical brain suggests that this is the beginning of a new future of sustained lower league football, where investment is minimal as the club adjusts to cutting its cloth to support a NLN team and where cooperation with Ilkeston is deemed to be our saviour. Perhaps they become a feeder club to Scunthorpe and this is where our loanees start their recovery from the humiliation of been dropped from Premier League 2 to NLN or perhaps even Tier 4 of Non-League football. Neither club moves forward to any great degree, perhaps Ilkeston do due to the pulling power of Scunthorpe attracting loanees that Ilkeston cannot. Scunthorpe effectively become a mothballed version of what they once were, attendances dwindle until a merger with Ilkeston becomes the only realistic way forward. Franchise established…
The happy, clappy optimist that lies within sees how we move some facilities to get better opportunities. We mothball costly functions for a season or two until the books balance and the provision is better. Scunthorpe swallow their portion of humble pie, accept their plight but move forward proudly. Hilton invests over time, facilities improve in Scunthorpe and the club eventually rolls forward, with a realistic financial proposition in its own ground with its own academy returning upon our return to EFL football.
The reality…likely to be neither of these.
I just hope we survive, thrive and retain some identity that makes SUFC the proud club we know and love.
Up the Iron.
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April 3, 2023 at 9:58 pm #258826Ok but your entitled to your opinion but your wrong in mine
April 3, 2023 at 10:22 pm #258832I’m sure Hilton said the players wages are only 30% of the total wage bill with the other 70% being spent on staff. How the hell can that be right ?
Many have said on here for years about the sheer amount of staff employed. This season right up until Hilton came in we had 4 staff on the books which we’re doing very particular roles “minor roles” , when in reality we just needed the one staff member to cover the four areas. That’s the problem we had.
To have such little spent on playing staff while shelling out all that on staff members was a joke. Even worse Rodwell in Swann’s tenure was being paid 200-300k wasn’t he ?
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April 3, 2023 at 10:42 pm #258833I get the impression that DH will actually make improvements rather than just talk about it. Look forward to seeing more detailed plans about the proposed development and how the club will benefit.
Donating money rather than loaning it is massive positive.
Interesting that he thinks the training pitch is really poor quality and that was one of the few things swann actually did invest in, it seems not very successfully.
Inevitable that big cost savings have to be made so we can live within our means.
That said, don’t like the relocation to Ilkeston, seems unfair on the scunny, Donny and east Yorkshire based players and staff we have. Surely this change will cost more money if we have to pay for a bus to take people to Ilkeston. Having a pudding of a training pitch at GP would be good practice for winter in NLN.April 3, 2023 at 10:44 pm #258834What, realistically, do we need in order to be competitive on and off the field next year, assuming that relegation happens?
On the field – some new players. I don’t pretend to know the contract situation of the current side, however, given that many of these have either experienced 2 relegations or have arrived as ‘panic’ buy stop gaps, I’m supposing that the team sheet in August looks significantly different to the last on in April/May. Would a squad of around 22 players plus 4-5 loanees be around a realistic mark?
Off the field – Manager, Assistant, 1st Team Coach, GK Coach, Physio. Would we need any more connected to a NLN team? Office based staff and those who manage GP – I’m not sure what is needed there. Many roles, as WG suggested, could likely be merged given the scope and size of a NLN operation. However, I’m supposing that I know what it is going to be like!
Does anyone know who will be staying with us next season, assuming they don’t get released/sold? I’m guessing the likes of Wilson and Foster will be long gone before August.
Up the Iron!
April 3, 2023 at 10:50 pm #258835I get the impression that DH will actually make improvements rather than just talk about it. Look forward to seeing more detailed plans about the proposed development and how the club will benefit.
Donating money rather than loaning it is massive positive.
Interesting that he thinks the training pitch is really poor quality and that was one of the few things swann actually did invest in, it seems not very successfully.
Inevitable that big cost savings have to be made so we can live within our means.
That said, don’t like the relocation to Ilkeston, seems unfair on the scunny, Donny and east Yorkshire based players and staff we have. Surely this change will cost more money if we have to pay for a bus to take people to Ilkeston. Having a pudding of a training pitch at GP would be good practice for winter in NLN.Is this another indictment on our situation – that our location is making it this difficult to get together a team that can compete in the 5th/6th tier?
I take your point about the training ground – how has it become this poor, or was it always so?
I also agree with the point about staff used to calling Scunthorpe their main place of work. I’m assuming that new staff will be recruited with a view to their main place of work being Ilkeston, with Scunthorpe being a secondary place of work. I wonder how attractive that will be, when added to 6th tier football.
April 3, 2023 at 11:06 pm #258836The land down there doesn’t drain very well naturally and I’m also pretty sure they buggered up the drainage when they were laying the training pitch. It isn’t the best but it’s certainly not as bad as has been made out.
I’d be interested to know how many training days are lost on average per season due to the training pitch. I am pretty sure Hilton suggested that we lose three months a season, which is complete nonsense.
Incidentally, Bottesford have nearly finished laying their all weather pitch. I’m not sure if it’s compatible to the world class facilities in Ilkeston but it’s looking smart and it’s available for hire soon. £15k/season would have been reasonable.
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April 3, 2023 at 11:08 pm #258837I’m sure Hilton said the players wages are only 30% of the total wage bill with the other 70% being spent on staff. How the hell can that be right
There’s no way this is the case. I think he meant the player wage bill is 30% of turnover. 70% is being spent on all other costs and not just staff wages. For comparison EFL SCMP rules limit L2 to 50% of turnover and L1 to 60%.
— David Beeby (@David_Beeby) April 2, 2023
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April 3, 2023 at 11:19 pm #258839The new pitch at Botty is looking good, they’re developing a nice little facility there.
It’s ridiculous when you consider the club has lost the best part of £20million over the years and not even got a 4g pitch, when you take the emotional attachment away, it becomes clearer why Hilton has reached the decision he has.
The main positive I take from this is his track record at Ilkeston, everything he has promised there seems to have come to fruition according to their fans. I expect us to be be playing there in a pre season friendly so it will be a good opportunity to go down and have a look; compare that to Swann who left Gainsborough with flames in the rear view mirror.
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