{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/648ae58b4abad20011065e56/6984da54e3a23197cb3c3f4d?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"The Price of Promotion","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/648ae58b4abad20011065e56/1770314300390-47e4a278-db7a-4d81-a476-c75c68969612.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p><strong>How much does promotion actually cost?</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Forest Green Rovers&nbsp;have published their numbers and they’re eye-watering.</p><p><br></p><p>£6.5 million a year on wages alone. Championship-level spending.</p><p><br></p><p>And here’s the mad bit…</p><p><br></p><p>Despite all that? They’re right there with us in the same play-off fight.</p><p><br></p><p>So it got us thinking:</p><p>Is throwing money at a league the smart way to get out of it?</p><p>Or is building sustainably, backing good recruitment, culture and togetherness actually the better long-term play?</p><p><br></p><p>We chat through:</p><ul><li>What £6.5m wages really means at this level</li><li>Why budgets don’t always equal success</li><li>The difference between “buying” promotion vs earning it</li><li>Where Southend sit in the picture financially</li><li>And whether patience + sustainability might actually win the race</li></ul><p><br></p><p>A proper reality check on what we’re up against and why maybe we’re doing things the right way.</p><p><br></p><p>Because if money guaranteed promotion… the table would look very different.</p>","author_name":"The Custard Splat "}