Poppies mid-season crisis brought forward!

Bolstered by the slicker, more professional surroundings of Non Park, the Poppies have risen to the challenge and impressively managed to instigate our annual winter financial meltdown before the end of September.  No need to wait until we are dumped out of both the Trophy and the FA Cup before hitting the panic button, we can now do it pretty much before the overseas touring cricket team have picked up their duty free purchases at Heathrow.

Compared to other online Poppies forums and fanzines, PATGOD has always cut Imraan a reasonable amount of slack.  He has funded us pretty much from his own pocket, and DRC's petty cash for the past half decade.  We have all enjoyed some unprecedented highs together.  Promotion.  A couple of incredible FA Cup runs.  The sight of Nathan Koo Boothe in a Poppies shirt.  All great memories.

I guess others also see the positive in Imraan's tenure, over the less savoury aspects.  It certainly seemed that way during the Wicksteed meeting in the summer when he got his overwhelming mandate to send us into exile in Irthlingborough.  Although most of that meeting has thankfully mellowed into a befuddled past, certain facts and figures remain seared into my memory.

Imraan suggested that the annual figure of running the club (£750,000) was only partly alleviated by all of us going to watch the games (£150,000).  The balance was filled by himself, his family and other sponsors.  One of the proposed benefits of abandoning Rocky Road was the seeming financial bounty to be harvested from Non Park's facilities.  This, presumably would be used to make up part of the shortfall between what we pay, and the cost of running the club.

It was also suggested by Imraan that he would need to look to rebrand the club if attendances slipped below the 1000 mark for a prolonged period.  Some people grumbled a bit, but the majority were content.  We could russle up a thousand people surely, if this kept Imraan happy?  A vote was taken and 107% of the audience gave "Project Inbred" the thumbs-up.

We were marched out of the pavilion thinking all was well in the world.  Sure we were voting to abandon our home ground and indeed hometown in order to squat at the abandoned home of our most fearsome rivals who we hated above all else - but otherwise things were tickety-boo.

Now, what if Imraan had said pretty much all the above, but, dropped into the proceedings the little nugget that in order to prevent a financial meltdown before the start of October we would need a minimum average gate of say 2500 or 3000?  Because it sure seems the numbers we are getting at the moment aren't up to expectation.  Are we all supposed to buy Chinese meals before and after the game, and collect a take-away home too in order to bring the sufficient readies in?

Would we have all voted for the move we were told we needed to double our gates?  Would anyone?  I doubt it as we all know those sorts of numbers are pie in the sky.  Would we now still be playing in Kettering?  Probably.  It wouldn't have sorted a long term future for us, but can we honestly say that our future looks any more secure now?