Sheffield Wednesday chairman Lee Strafford has warned Owls fans they have got to prove the club is worth investing in.
Strafford and Owls chief executive Nick Parker, who appointed New York-based sports-focused investment bank Inner Circle Sports in June to help attract major new investors, insist average home crowds must hit the 25,000-mark in order to create genuine interest.
Strafford told the club's official website: "We've got one of the best sports finance intermediaries in the world working for Sheffield Wednesday. We've got some of the best people that own sports assets in the world thinking about Sheffield Wednesday.
"They're thinking about us right now. They're looking at us and that's the reason I want the crowds up. We need to prove we're worth investing in."
Strafford added: "The worst case scenario is our current business plan and we're already delivering against it. That's what gives me absolute comfort. If we carry on the progress we have done for the last six to nine months the club is going to be fine - it might just take us two or three years longer to get into the Premier League."
Inner Circle Sports advised Tom Hicks and George Gillett on their £470million Liverpool takeover in early 2007 and more recently aided the purchase of a controlling stake in Sunderland by Texan billionaire Ellis Short.
Comment 1 - 5 of 5
After watching that rubbish last night, I will keep my money in my pocket! I pay to be entertained and instead I am texting cos its more intresting that is going down on the pitch. At lease give me value for my money MR Stafford!!!!
Sick to death of Strafford having a go at the fans, no further investment because we didn't sell 16500 season tickets, players to be sold if we don't average 25,000 and now no investment if crowd don't go up.
The football & match day experiance at hillsborough has been poor for years now and by changing the pies it is not going to make every thing ok.
If Strafford can not deliver the investment he keeps talking about then he should come clean and stop blaming the fans. (we still have crowds many clubs can only dream about)
Well Notts County, Portsmouth, QPR, all got major Investment, and they are all in a bigger mess than we are.. Messers Stafford & Parker, are starting to sound like it is all talk and no action.. The fans need a spark on the pitch to bring them back, Bad Boy Terry Curran did it in Jack Charltons day.. he entertained. us.. and gave us hope..
A WINNING TEAM WILL BRING IN THE CROWDS GET THAT RIGHT AND WE WILL COME WHO WANTS TO GO AND SEE THE SAME OLD TIRED BORING @#$% YOU CALL FOOTBALL
perhaps if the chairman started demanding results on the field instead of badgering the fans in the current economic climate and the players and manager pulled their fingers out the club itself might prove its worth investing in!!!maybe im the only one fed up of the same old stories??
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