Club Talk
Clyde vice-chairman Gordon Thomson spoke to the official website today, to give a general club update ahead of the Christmas and New Year period.
Gordon started by commenting on the news that the club, similarly to all League 1 clubs, will receive a £150k government grant, in response to challenges presented to Scottish football by the Covid-19 pandemic:-
“We heard of the news on Friday and undoubtedly it is good news for the club. I’m aware that there has been some debate over the distribution but the reality is that, at a time when people are worried about their jobs and companies are struggling, this reported cash boost is very welcome.
“The Scottish FA Board has agreed to cash flow 50% of the grant awards by using working capital, which the Scottish FA raised earlier in the year. This means that the SFA will fund an initial payment equivalent to 50% of the grant awarded by the Scottish Government, with the remaining 50% being distributed as soon as the Scottish FA receives the full amount of the grant funding from the Scottish Government.
“The Scottish Government has made it a condition of the grant funding that clubs confirm that they will retain the award to meet its outgoings and it will not be used to pay off shareholders or other loans or otherwise be withdrawn from the club. There is some paperwork to be completed and then the club will receive the funding as described. This will provide certainty and enable us to plan in a season that has been rife with unknowns.”
In terms of supporters returning to Broadwood, Gordon understandably had no positive news to report, against a difficult overall picture across the country currently:-
“There is no word yet on the prospect of supporters returning to the games. It is a huge loss. Yes, the grant money will help to address the financial gap but not the difference having supporters makes to the matches and to individuals.
“We have all been through a lot this year and the continued absence of being able to attend matches, meet and travel with friends and family to games and experience the results – good and bad – remains one of the toughest aspects of the lockdown. The club will continue to work with our peers and the relevant bodies to ensure that we keep lobbying for supporters to return to the game.”
With the transfer window set to open on January 1st, Gordon commented on the club’s position with regards to the first team squad:-
“We will do whatever we can to support Danny and the staff and give them the appropriate resources, as we share everyone’s desire to progress and strengthen. What changes are made are, of course, ultimately up to Danny.
“This year has been extremely difficult. It has been said before but I will repeat it; we were always going to review the budget after two consecutive years of losses where risks taken that were not met by an increase in commercial revenues. So there had to be realignment and, as stated before, the player budget was reduced by circa 15%.
“However, Covid threw a curveball in budget planning and that was extremely difficult for a club with no overdraft facility, reserves or main benefactor. The first priority was – and remains – keeping the club safe and to honour our commitments. Income has been incredibly difficult to predict and that is critical to determining the amount we can spend. The ongoing support of our sponsors and also supporters through things like 1877 Rewards, the Bully Wee Fund and our lottery has been, and remains, vital.
“We continue to work to identify new areas of support and more positive news should follow on that front soon.”
To conclude, Gordon confirmed that the club hadn’t yet received confirmation from the SPFL on the two fixtures that were postponed recently:-
“To date, we have not heard anything in regard to our postponed matches and we await an update from the SPFL.”