|
|
Post by interestedridersfan on Dec 6, 2019 23:40:11 GMT
Now that's the kind of post sports forums need!!
I'm sure some of it is true
Keep it coming!!
|
|
|
|
Post by bullets92 on Dec 6, 2019 23:54:42 GMT
I’m confused. If Soko were getting all gate receipts, half of merchandise, and there’s no sponsorship deal in the offing... just how would this arrangement give Lions an injection of cash? Are they counting on the gate levelling off at 2999? I’ve heard Vince is gonna chase number 3000 out with a pitch fork and slam the door behind him. |
|
|
|
Post by LTFan on Dec 7, 2019 0:38:13 GMT
Ok, ok, so maybe there’s some truth to some of the things said in that post/article, but let’s fact check a few things...
Soko won Love Island. WRONG, he came 3rd.
Soko turned down top British sides Surrey Scorchers and Westminster Warriors. WRONG, Surrey Scorchers can’t really be considered a ‘top British side’, and Westminster Warriors certainly can’t.
London Lions are the only professional club in the Capital. WRONG, clearly they haven’t heard of the London City Royals.
I can’t be bothered to go on, but my point is we can’t believe everything said by someone who is getting even their most basic information wrong.
|
|
|
|
Post by saintpat on Dec 7, 2019 7:37:54 GMT
Ok, ok, so maybe there’s some truth to some of the things said in that post/article, but let’s fact check a few things... Soko won Love Island. WRONG, he came 3rd. Soko turned down top British sides Surrey Scorchers and Westminster Warriors. WRONG, Surrey Scorchers can’t really be considered a ‘top British side’, and Westminster Warriors certainly can’t. London Lions are the only professional club in the Capital. WRONG, clearly they haven’t heard of the London City Royals. I can’t be bothered to go on, but my point is we can’t believe everything said by someone who is getting even their most basic information wrong. I think that part of the post was a piss take of a Lions press release! It was just a lead up to the half truths & hatred that followed. |
|
|
|
Post by youngrocks on Dec 7, 2019 7:45:08 GMT
All the above is nothing i hadn't heard before from people within the bbl. Im alwayd amazed that Vince gets a free ride on this forum. Countless amount of £cash owed to players. A cat has 9 not sure how many lifes Vince has left.
Not being able to attract a sponsor in London is mind boggling. Either he hs the wrong yes men around him or acts on his own.
Shame for lions but more so the players officials etc who go unpaid. Hope operation soko works. I have my doubts
|
|
|
|
Post by interestedridersfan on Dec 7, 2019 8:07:17 GMT
It may or may not be relevant that Vince is now the sole director of London Lions
The two others had their appointments terminated in September and November.
The latest accounts filed showed a company that had 53k of assets but 376k of liabilities falling within a year. 210k of the liabilities appear to be monies owed to the directors.
It still leaves the company in a precarious position. But many many companies continue to trade in situations like this. It's not that unusual tbh. Especially sports clubs.
Those figures are upto the end of August 2018. So a lot will have happened since then of course.
The interesting part was that the monies owed figures were 100k worse than the previous year(2017)
It doesn't on paper look like a sustainable business without outside investment
Do Motorpoint still sponsor Lions?
I know that was a big sponsorship deal?
|
|
|
|
Post by interestedridersfan on Dec 7, 2019 8:22:37 GMT
If Ovie Soko brings crowds in of over 3,000 then he deserves every penny he can earn from fans buying tickets over that amount. I would argue it's not actually a good deal for him -should be sharing proft for any fans over 1,500!!
And he certainly deserves 50 per cent of any increase in merchandise profits as well that he can create for the club
That would make sense for all concerned
Maybe the big crowd will turn up once when he debuts? I would be amazed if his pulling power can deliver that ongoing.
He's got fans but they aren't all London based fans of course. And there are plenty of places to see him that don't involve having to pay to watch basketball.
|
|
|
|
Post by interestedridersfan on Dec 7, 2019 8:25:24 GMT
Ps. If his draw and appeal is anywhere near that big then surely that means every BBL arena where he plays at this season will be sold out?
Fans aren't paying to see London Lions they are paying to see Ovie Soko
And his fans are throughout the UK?
Something doesn't add up IMO
|
|
|
|
Post by saintpat on Dec 7, 2019 9:43:29 GMT
Lions still have sponsors, including Motorpoint.
I presumed the 'no sponsors' part related to a naming sponsor, something we've never had in London & I know it's something Vince is unlikely ever to have unless the figure is high.
London is not the field of gold people expect it to be, there's lots of activities all competing for the same pot of money. There's no city identity as such, every town/city in the country has a football club named after their town/city except London. There's a reason for that, it's too generic, there's no affiliation. I don't know how you change that, both London clubs use London to encompass the whole city so as not to alienate anyone, however " West Ham" Lions for example would give an identity but would alienate some.
|
|
|
|
Post by saintpat on Dec 7, 2019 9:54:34 GMT
I'd also suggest that without any firm facts to back up the original story, quoting things like the percentages of the Ovie deal, no sponsors etc. etc, are only highlighting the original posters claims which may be wide of the mark.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2019 10:06:30 GMT
I’m confused. If Soko were getting all gate receipts, half of merchandise, and there’s no sponsorship deal in the offing... just how would this arrangement give Lions an injection of cash? Are they counting on the gate levelling off at 2999? I’ve heard Vince is gonna chase number 3000 out with a pitch fork and slam the door behind him. Obviously averaging 3000 a game would be better than a couple of 5000 crowds before things slip down to 2000. They might get a few people who decide they want to regularly watch basketball, but once the hype dies down I doubt it'll make much difference to Lions' crowds. It may be a nice boost for the rest of the BBL as Ovie will only visit once. This could end up being as good for the rest of the league as it is for Lions.
The rather bitter and oddly written post contains some truths, some half truths and some complete BS. What's clear, though, is that playing 18 games at the Copper Box each season isn't financially viable. They need a second venue to make it work in London. I always thought that it would have been ideal if they'd split the games between the Box and Palace but unless they really are going to merge with Royals that isn't going to happen.
|
|
|
|
Post by interestedridersfan on Dec 7, 2019 10:15:00 GMT
I'm calling all the extra fan hype around Soko as complete BS the more I look into it
I checked his Twitter - he's got 90k followers
It's nothing in terms of mass appeal
I randomly picked a B or C list celebrity - Robbie Savage to compare. He's got 1.7m followers
Ovie retweeted a promotional message about winning tickets to see his debut game v Rocks a few days ago
It got a grand total of 4 yes 4 replies. And 120 likes. In comparison he tweeted an image of him modelling clothes for asos and that got 20 replies and 3,300 likes
I seriously doubt there will be more than 50 girls there at most because he is playing
The hype is totally overplayed IMO and talk of 3,000 to 5,000 fans turning up is just a non starter
He's got nowhere near the pull or fanbase people are suggesting. He was one of the stars of a niche reality TV show. Nothing more.
If I'm wrong I will be first to admit it. He won't be the answer to filling the copper box or even close.
|
|
|
|
Post by interestedridersfan on Dec 7, 2019 10:22:47 GMT
I'm calling all the extra fan hype around Soko as complete BS the more I look into it I checked his Twitter - he's got 90k followers It's nothing in terms of mass appeal I randomly picked a B or C list celebrity - Robbie Savage to compare. He's got 1.7m followers Ovie retweeted a promotional message about winning tickets to see his debut game v Rocks a few days ago It got a grand total of 4 yes 4 replies. And 120 likes. In comparison he tweeted an image of him modelling clothes for asos and that got 20 replies and 3,300 likes I seriously doubt there will be more than 50 girls there at most because he is playing The hype is totally overplayed IMO and talk of 3,000 to 5,000 fans turning up is just a non starter He's got nowhere near the pull or fanbase people are suggesting. He was one of the stars of a niche reality TV show. Nothing more. If I'm wrong I will be first to admit it. He won't be the answer to filling the copper box or even close. And any other games he plays outside of London I'm sure a few girls will turn up and the cheerleaders will ask for his autograph This ain't some global superstar. No disrespect to him at all intended. |
|
|
|
Post by saintpat on Dec 7, 2019 10:27:30 GMT
I'm calling all the hype around Soko as complete BS the more I look into it I checked his Twitter - he's got 90k followers It's nothing in terms of mass appeal I randomly picked a B or C list celebrity - Robbie Savage to compare. He's got 1.7m followers Ovie retweeted a promotional message about winning tickets to see his debut game v Rocks a few days ago It got a grand total of 4 yes 4 replies I seriously doubt there will be more than a couple of hundred girls there at most because he is playing The hype is totally overplayed IMO and talk of 3,000 to 5,000 fans turning up is just a non starter He's got nowhere near the pull or fanbase people are suggesting If I'm wrong I will be first to admit it First and foremost is the fact that Ovie is a damn fine basketball player & that's what we should be focusing on most! The attendance figures are fairly meaningless, signing Ovie is good for Lions & good for the league. It will give a spike to attendance levels but no where near the numbers being bounced around. Looking at Ticketmaster, there was certainly a good increase in numbers sold by early this week in the "premium" areas & that was before the ticket offer came in so I'd imagine this is probably Lions biggest income from a BBL game. I'd suggest, mid December games are generally not the best attended games so Lions have probably sold over twice the amount of premium to let's they normally would but that still doesn't add up to 3-5000!!!!! |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2019 12:40:38 GMT
I'm calling all the extra fan hype around Soko as complete BS the more I look into it I checked his Twitter - he's got 90k followers It's nothing in terms of mass appeal But he does have 2.2m Instagram followers, grandad! Having said that he doesn't appear to have mentioned the Lions on there 🙄🙄 |
|
|
|
Post by celticphoenix on Dec 7, 2019 13:55:35 GMT
I'm calling all the extra fan hype around Soko as complete BS the more I look into it I checked his Twitter - he's got 90k followers It's nothing in terms of mass appeal He's got 2.2 million followers on Instagram, you need to look further than Twitter. |
|
|
|
Post by dabudesu on Dec 7, 2019 14:13:34 GMT
The rambling rant is very entertaining, but unless there is some reference to legit source material, it doesn't hold any weight with me. The comment about sponsorship interested me, I went to the royals game the other day (with the legendary royals fan who created a crowds worth of atmosphere on his own!). They only seemed to have one or 2 sponsors, is this similar to lions?
I'm more interested in Soko's effect on the court. Will his presence cause lions to rip through the opposition like a hot knife through melted butter? I unrealistically expected a massive effect from MBA last season. MBA is an exceptional player in our league, but a man on his own can't win a game. Once he was fed under the basket he was unstoppable, but it needed the team to get him the ball. Will it be the same with Soko, or can he do it all on his own?
|
|
|
|
Post by interestedridersfan on Dec 7, 2019 14:41:50 GMT
I'm calling all the extra fan hype around Soko as complete BS the more I look into it I checked his Twitter - he's got 90k followers It's nothing in terms of mass appeal But he does have 2.2m Instagram followers, grandad! Having said that he doesn't appear to have mentioned the Lions on there 🙄🙄 So he's on half the gate over 3,000 and he's not bothered to promote the game on Instagram? Really? On Twitter it was only a retweet he put out about the game as well. |
|
|
|
Post by saintpat on Dec 7, 2019 15:05:55 GMT
The rambling rant is very entertaining, but unless there is some reference to legit source material, it doesn't hold any weight with me. The comment about sponsorship interested me, I went to the royals game the other day (with the legendary royals fan who created a crowds worth of atmosphere on his own!). They only seemed to have one or 2 sponsors, is this similar to lions? I'm more interested in Soko's effect on the court. Will his presence cause lions to rip through the opposition like a hot knife through melted butter? I unrealistically expected a massive effect from MBA last season. MBA is an exceptional player in our league, but a man on his own can't win a game. Once he was fed under the basket he was unstoppable, but it needed the team to get him the ball. Will it be the same with Soko, or can he do it all on his own? With Justin as the PG, he'll see plenty of the ball in the right areas without having to create himself. As long as he plays as part of the team & doesn't try to win it by himself(MBA last season anyone?) then he'll be incredibly effective. I'm interested to see if we start big with Brandon, Tew, Ovie, Justin & Di'jon or if Tew comes off the bench & one of two guards starts!! |
|
|
|
Post by LTFan on Dec 7, 2019 15:53:20 GMT
But he does have 2.2m Instagram followers, grandad! Having said that he doesn't appear to have mentioned the Lions on there 🙄🙄 So he's on half the gate over 3,000 and he's not bothered to promote the game on Instagram? Really? On Twitter it was only a retweet he put out about the game as well. The original post said he’d get all ticket profits over 3,000. So why he’s not promoting the game to his 2.2 million Instagram followers is strange. Perhaps, as most of us are saying, the original post contains a lot of false information. I do think having the Copper Box as home venue is probably the biggest problem Lions have though. |
|
