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Post by FloreatShrew on Feb 2, 2024 17:10:01 GMT 1
Maybe you don't have an "in" at the club? Some people do. Some people GET information, some people are FED information, there's a Kay difference. I told everyone about Nurses ACL first time round 72 hours before it was announced. I knew about Pyke demanding £2k at Carlisle as I know the person who was at the table. I DM'd people before Wrexham and alluded that the chairman had Hurst lined up ready in the event of Taylor losing against Wrexham, Stevenage & P'Boro. I even alluded to it on a poll thread but couldn't specifically say it at the time. It's not idle gossip, some people do get genuine info from their sources. My point was floreats was two rumours rolled into one and if I did/do I wouldn’t blurt it on here. It’s a bit worrying that there’s a spy in the camp mind. You mentioned before it was someone present at Pyke’s negotiation to go to ? Carlisle when he refused to take a drop in pay so shouldn't take the club too long to work out who’s got a big mouth. I just get told through a friends who's very close to the Delves family. So all their version of events admittedly but I also believe Roland needs to say so long. He's done a good job up till now. But we're not even treading water now.
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Post by darkshrew on Feb 2, 2024 21:27:38 GMT 1
In future , would it be too much to ask for a potential buyer to make a statement of intent to the fans before they start negotiations ? saying nothing just means exactly the same few people start exactly the same rumours If I thought I could afford to buy and tick all the boxes I'd be up front about it , the fans would decide if they want you or not quite quickly If it turns out I couldn't I'd probably sneak off like a mouse and keep quiet , maybe tell my close friends I could afford it really That is one way to upset the owner you are about to negotiate with.
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Post by calimero on Feb 2, 2024 21:38:06 GMT 1
This thread should read opportunity for Martin to talk bulls**t about the chairman again Change the record , they guy couldn't afford to buy He could, and still has. Just sold the Welshpool Tuffins for one. I don't know anything about how much money he has so can't comment on whether he could afford it, but would the sale create much money on the scale needed to buyband then invest in the club?
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Post by Pilch on Feb 2, 2024 22:13:10 GMT 1
In future , would it be too much to ask for a potential buyer to make a statement of intent to the fans before they start negotiations ? saying nothing just means exactly the same few people start exactly the same rumours If I thought I could afford to buy and tick all the boxes I'd be up front about it , the fans would decide if they want you or not quite quickly If it turns out I couldn't I'd probably sneak off like a mouse and keep quiet , maybe tell my close friends I could afford it really That is one way to upset the owner you are about to negotiate with. but that was my point, if a genuine guy comes along, waving a blank cheque and showing fans his 5 year exciting plan then sorry but this puts the owner in a no win situation, as far as I can see no-one has come within a million miles of this so far, I call it "no mouth no action" from what we have seen ( or not as the case is )
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Post by BlueTone on Feb 2, 2024 22:35:15 GMT 1
Pilclh don't you mean "all mouth" no action?
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Post by darkshrew on Feb 2, 2024 22:49:52 GMT 1
That is one way to upset the owner you are about to negotiate with. but that was my point, if a genuine guy comes along, waving a blank cheque and showing fans his 5 year exciting plan then sorry but this puts the owner in a no win situation, as far as I can see no-one has come within a million miles of this so far, I call it "no mouth no action" from what we have seen ( or not as the case is ) That would only work if the fans have any say. The club is privately owned - Roland could (and he would not be the first to choose to) run the club into the ground rather than sell to someone he did not like or had upset him by going public on the bid process to try and force his hand.
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Post by chirkshrew on Feb 2, 2024 22:57:58 GMT 1
With Hurst back......I think Roland will now stop a bit longer tbh
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Post by dibblydobbly on Feb 2, 2024 23:09:43 GMT 1
He could, and still has. Just sold the Welshpool Tuffins for one. I don't know anything about how much money he has so can't comment on whether he could afford it, but would the sale create much money on the scale needed to buyband then invest in the club? Nope - spent it all on warehouse for stock holding and stock to fill it.
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Post by Pilch on Feb 2, 2024 23:26:41 GMT 1
Pilclh don't you mean "all mouth" no action? no, I meant what I said no mouth , no action no one has ever spoken before a deal, during it or after what do they have to hide because they have all hid it so far
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Post by martinshrew on Feb 3, 2024 0:21:47 GMT 1
With Hurst back......I think Roland will now stop a bit longer tbh Please god no.
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Post by ProudSalopian on Feb 3, 2024 7:39:47 GMT 1
Last night I went for a drink with a old friend who I haven't seen for a while. He lives in the town but is not a Shrewsbury fan and has no strong feelings towards the club either way. Anyway, he knows someone with a good understanding of the workings of the club and said he had some interesting stories to tell (of course, it's entirely up to you, whether you believe them).
On the takeover, he said the truth is there was a Swedish consortium who offered a significant sum to Roland and were going to invest in the club (the main area was training ground improvements). The deal fell apart because Roland wanted to remain chairman till he was 85 and would then walk away. The consortium wouldnt agree to that so it collapsed, they are now looking at Burton. He said Rolands actions p**sed off people within the club and that is why some people have walked away
He revealed quite a few things, the overspend by Caldwell was £900k before Roland found out. Roland/Duncan are putting in £100k a month which as he said doesnt make sense when Roland could have walked away with £10million+. The person he spoke to has said he's never come across a culture like at STFC in terms of hiding things, whether its staff hiding things from Roland or Roland hiding things from the public, there is no transparency.
There was quite a few 'interesting' stories, some more personal ones about Roland which certainly dont portray him in a good light but I suspect Id be on dodgy grounds with the mods if I were to post them. All in all, it it was just a reminder that our chairman is a difficult character and what he does isnt always in the best interests of STFC.
Oh and just for a bit of 'balance', he said that Cotterill was the most obnoxious man he's ever come across.
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Post by Valerioch on Feb 3, 2024 8:48:34 GMT 1
Last night I went for a drink with a old friend who I haven't seen for a while. He lives in the town but is not a Shrewsbury fan and has no strong feelings towards the club either way. Anyway, he knows someone with a good understanding of the workings of the club and said he had some interesting stories to tell (of course, it's entirely up to you, whether you believe them). On the takeover, he said the truth is there was a Swedish consortium who offered a significant sum to Roland and were going to invest in the club (the main area was training ground improvements). The deal fell apart because Roland wanted to remain chairman till he was 85 and would then walk away. The consortium wouldnt agree to that so it collapsed, they are now looking at Burton. He said Rolands actions p**sed off people within the club and that is why some people have walked away He revealed quite a few things, the overspend by Caldwell was £900k before Roland found out. Roland/Duncan are putting in £100k a month which as he said doesnt make sense when Roland could have walked away with £10million+. The person he spoke to has said he's never come across a culture like at STFC in terms of hiding things, whether its staff hiding things from Roland or Roland hiding things from the public, there is no transparency. There was quite a few 'interesting' stories, some more personal ones about Roland which certainly dont portray him in a good light but I suspect Id be on dodgy grounds with the mods if I were to post them. All in all, it it was just a reminder that our chairman is a difficult character and what he does isnt always in the best interests of STFC. Oh and just for a bit of 'balance', he said that Cotterill was the most obnoxious man he's ever come across. This is why I say the club needs a complete clear out behind the scenes. Not just Roland… a total clear out of the establishment is needed and a complete culture change that acknowledges the importance of the fans and puts them first
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Feb 3, 2024 9:36:15 GMT 1
Sad to hear.
Yet another well respected local business person departs.
A genuine future owner no longer in the frame.
Roland can't work in a team. That's been proven time and again.
The big problem with the "I want to sell" news is that if it includes the perceived land value of the stadium then the club is worth something like £15 million. The reality is on a good day the club is worth max £2 million plus any cash in the bank.
If Roland really is holding out for a value on the club that includes the stadium then he is realising the value of the old Gay Meadow for personal gain. I don't think that's right.
Put the stadium and surrounds into a charitable trust or something to protect it and sell the football business, which is all he ever bought. A controlling interest in the club.
But that won't happen because are't the stadium company shares now held in an offshore family trust/pension fund?
If at the end of his tenure the value of the stadium goes to his own family I think that would smear his legacy somewhat.
It's explained that they don't want people to come and asset strip the stadium but there are other ways to avoid that like putting legal protections on the stadium and selling to a local person of good character.
Like Paul Delves. Who could buy the football business. But won't pay over £10 million for it because he's not mental.
I don't know the guy but that's me piecing together all the bits of the jigsaw.
The day he didn't sell to Derek Passant was the day he showed his hand that he didn't really want to. I am not sure anything has really changed.
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Post by martinshrew on Feb 3, 2024 10:41:40 GMT 1
Sad to hear. Yet another well respected local business person departs. A genuine future owner no longer in the frame. Roland can't work in a team. That's been proven time and again. The big problem with the "I want to sell" news is that if it includes the perceived land value of the stadium then the club is worth something like £15 million. The reality is on a good day the club is worth max £2 million plus any cash in the bank. If Roland really is holding out for a value on the club that includes the stadium then he is realising the value of the old Gay Meadow for personal gain. I don't think that's right. Put the stadium and surrounds into a charitable trust or something to protect it and sell the football business, which is all he ever bought. A controlling interest in the club. But that won't happen because are't the stadium company shares now held in an offshore family trust/pension fund? If at the end of his tenure the value of the stadium goes to his own family I think that would smear his legacy somewhat. It's explained that they don't want people to come and asset strip the stadium but there are other ways to avoid that like putting legal protections on the stadium and selling to a local person of good character. Like Paul Delves. Who could buy the football business. But won't pay over £10 million for it because he's not mental. I don't know the guy but that's me piecing together all the bits of the jigsaw. The day he didn't sell to Derek Passant was the day he showed his hand that he didn't really want to. I am not sure anything has really changed. All very good points, although I'd add that the sticking point isn't the valuation, it's more the fact the chairman is obsessed with sticking around.
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Post by martinshrew on Feb 3, 2024 10:45:18 GMT 1
Last night I went for a drink with a old friend who I haven't seen for a while. He lives in the town but is not a Shrewsbury fan and has no strong feelings towards the club either way. Anyway, he knows someone with a good understanding of the workings of the club and said he had some interesting stories to tell (of course, it's entirely up to you, whether you believe them). On the takeover, he said the truth is there was a Swedish consortium who offered a significant sum to Roland and were going to invest in the club (the main area was training ground improvements). The deal fell apart because Roland wanted to remain chairman till he was 85 and would then walk away. The consortium wouldnt agree to that so it collapsed, they are now looking at Burton. He said Rolands actions p**sed off people within the club and that is why some people have walked away He revealed quite a few things, the overspend by Caldwell was £900k before Roland found out. Roland/Duncan are putting in £100k a month which as he said doesnt make sense when Roland could have walked away with £10million+. The person he spoke to has said he's never come across a culture like at STFC in terms of hiding things, whether its staff hiding things from Roland or Roland hiding things from the public, there is no transparency. There was quite a few 'interesting' stories, some more personal ones about Roland which certainly dont portray him in a good light but I suspect Id be on dodgy grounds with the mods if I were to post them. All in all, it it was just a reminder that our chairman is a difficult character and what he does isnt always in the best interests of STFC. Oh and just for a bit of 'balance', he said that Cotterill was the most obnoxious man he's ever come across. Nigh on word for word what I was told a few weeks ago by my source who hasn't been wrong on anything so far. I believe everything you've posted to be correct. It's highly frustrating that he won't put the interests of the club over his self obsessed ego and apparent need to be "Mr Shrewsbury Town". Delves would've seen a return on his investment, as would Jamie Hughes plus the club would've moved forward with new ideas and fresh investment. You can understand why they're both so p**sed off.
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Post by tarporleyblue on Feb 3, 2024 10:47:28 GMT 1
At the SP it was mentioned that there are two interested parties looking to invest/buy the club.
Is that just a smokescreen to appease the fans or something that does actually have more foundation?
All said and done, with the departure of Paul Delves I really am beginning to get worried about the long term future of our club.
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Post by martinshrew on Feb 3, 2024 10:50:01 GMT 1
At the SP it was mentioned that there are two interested parties looking to invest/buy the club. Is that just a smokescreen to appease the fans or something that does actually have more foundation? All said and done, with the departure of Paul Delves I really am beginning to get worried about the long term future of our club. I'm petrified to be honest, and have been for some time. If the safe pair of hands can allow up to £1m to go walkies right under his nose, I wonder what an idiot could do?
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Post by ProudSalopian on Feb 3, 2024 10:53:09 GMT 1
At the SP it was mentioned that there are two interested parties looking to invest/buy the club. Is that just a smokescreen to appease the fans or something that does actually have more foundation? All said and done, with the departure of Paul Delves I am beginning to get worried about the long term future of our club. Ditto. At the moment we are reliant on Roland/Duncan investing money in each month, how is that sustainable? And the more worrying thing is the only way that will end is if any new owners agree to Roland still being heavily involved.
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Post by davycrockett on Feb 3, 2024 10:55:28 GMT 1
Sad to hear. Yet another well respected local business person departs. A genuine future owner no longer in the frame. Roland can't work in a team. That's been proven time and again. The big problem with the "I want to sell" news is that if it includes the perceived land value of the stadium then the club is worth a something like £15 million. The reality is on a good day the club is worth max £2 million plus any cash in the bank. If Roland really is holding out for a value on the club that includes the stadium then he is realising the value of the old Gay Meadow for personal gain. I don't think that's right. Put the stadium and surrounds into a charitable trust or something to protect it and sell the football business, which is all he ever bought. A controlling interest in the club. But that won't happen because are't the stadium company shares now held in an offshore family trust/pension fund? If at the end of his tenure the value of the stadium goes to his own family I think that would smear his legacy somewhat. It's explained that they don't want people to come and asset strip the stadium but there are other ways to avoid that like putting legal protections on the stadium and selling to a local person of good character. Like Paul Delves. Who could buy the football business. But won't pay over £10 million for it because he's not mental. I don't know the guy but that's me piecing together all the bits of the jigsaw. The day he didn't sell to Derek Passant was the day he showed his hand that he didn't really want to. I am not sure anything has really changed. Just maybe if Roland’s treating prospective investors the same as your suggesting we treat him, no wonder investors walk away. Looking for someone who doesn’t take out more than they put in, covers any shortfalls but takes no reward or return on their investment of time and money. Regarding shares held in offshore family trust, no misinformation, wonder how much of the Passant rumour you heard is true. Fans think they know something, repeat it and before you know it, it’s fact . Some truths but not all the facts 👍
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Post by Pilch on Feb 3, 2024 10:58:22 GMT 1
Last night I went for a drink with a old friend who I haven't seen for a while. He lives in the town but is not a Shrewsbury fan and has no strong feelings towards the club either way. Anyway, he knows someone with a good understanding of the workings of the club and said he had some interesting stories to tell (of course, it's entirely up to you, whether you believe them). On the takeover, he said the truth is there was a Swedish consortium who offered a significant sum to Roland and were going to invest in the club (the main area was training ground improvements). The deal fell apart because Roland wanted to remain chairman till he was 85 and would then walk away. The consortium wouldnt agree to that so it collapsed, they are now looking at Burton. He said Rolands actions p**sed off people within the club and that is why some people have walked away He revealed quite a few things, the overspend by Caldwell was £900k before Roland found out. Roland/Duncan are putting in £100k a month which as he said doesnt make sense when Roland could have walked away with £10million+. The person he spoke to has said he's never come across a culture like at STFC in terms of hiding things, whether its staff hiding things from Roland or Roland hiding things from the public, there is no transparency. There was quite a few 'interesting' stories, some more personal ones about Roland which certainly dont portray him in a good light but I suspect Id be on dodgy grounds with the mods if I were to post them. All in all, it it was just a reminder that our chairman is a difficult character and what he does isnt always in the best interests of STFC. Oh and just for a bit of 'balance', he said that Cotterill was the most obnoxious man he's ever come across. a post that fits some narratives so they will take it as gospel 😝
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Post by ProudSalopian on Feb 3, 2024 11:11:06 GMT 1
Last night I went for a drink with a old friend who I haven't seen for a while. He lives in the town but is not a Shrewsbury fan and has no strong feelings towards the club either way. Anyway, he knows someone with a good understanding of the workings of the club and said he had some interesting stories to tell (of course, it's entirely up to you, whether you believe them). On the takeover, he said the truth is there was a Swedish consortium who offered a significant sum to Roland and were going to invest in the club (the main area was training ground improvements). The deal fell apart because Roland wanted to remain chairman till he was 85 and would then walk away. The consortium wouldnt agree to that so it collapsed, they are now looking at Burton. He said Rolands actions p**sed off people within the club and that is why some people have walked away He revealed quite a few things, the overspend by Caldwell was £900k before Roland found out. Roland/Duncan are putting in £100k a month which as he said doesnt make sense when Roland could have walked away with £10million+. The person he spoke to has said he's never come across a culture like at STFC in terms of hiding things, whether its staff hiding things from Roland or Roland hiding things from the public, there is no transparency. There was quite a few 'interesting' stories, some more personal ones about Roland which certainly dont portray him in a good light but I suspect Id be on dodgy grounds with the mods if I were to post them. All in all, it it was just a reminder that our chairman is a difficult character and what he does isnt always in the best interests of STFC. Oh and just for a bit of 'balance', he said that Cotterill was the most obnoxious man he's ever come across. a post that fits some narratives so they will take it as gospel 😝 Could the same not be said of you? You've been fed information which fits your narrative that Cotterill & Caldwell are to blame for everything, therefore you believe it and tell the world as if its fact.
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Post by Valerioch on Feb 3, 2024 11:14:17 GMT 1
a post that fits some narratives so they will take it as gospel 😝 Could the same not be said of you? You've been fed information which fits your narrative that Cotterill & Caldwell are to blame for everything, therefore you believe it and tell the world as if its fact. Key differences being a) your source isn’t part of the establishment and b) it’s backed up by what others have heard too Makes it far more credible
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Feb 3, 2024 11:14:59 GMT 1
Sad to hear. Yet another well respected local business person departs. A genuine future owner no longer in the frame. Roland can't work in a team. That's been proven time and again. The big problem with the "I want to sell" news is that if it includes the perceived land value of the stadium then the club is worth a something like £15 million. The reality is on a good day the club is worth max £2 million plus any cash in the bank. If Roland really is holding out for a value on the club that includes the stadium then he is realising the value of the old Gay Meadow for personal gain. I don't think that's right. Put the stadium and surrounds into a charitable trust or something to protect it and sell the football business, which is all he ever bought. A controlling interest in the club. But that won't happen because are't the stadium company shares now held in an offshore family trust/pension fund? If at the end of his tenure the value of the stadium goes to his own family I think that would smear his legacy somewhat. It's explained that they don't want people to come and asset strip the stadium but there are other ways to avoid that like putting legal protections on the stadium and selling to a local person of good character. Like Paul Delves. Who could buy the football business. But won't pay over £10 million for it because he's not mental. I don't know the guy but that's me piecing together all the bits of the jigsaw. The day he didn't sell to Derek Passant was the day he showed his hand that he didn't really want to. I am not sure anything has really changed. Just maybe if Roland’s treating prospective investors the same as your suggesting we treat him, no wonder investors walk away. Looking for someone who doesn’t take out more than they put in, covers any shortfalls but takes no reward or return on their investment of time and money. Regarding shares held in offshore family trust, no misinformation, wonder how much of the Passant rumour you heard is true. Fans think they know something, repeat it and before you know it, it’s fact . Some truths but not all the facts 👍 It's not a rumour about Derek Passant. He was there on the board. He was announced as interested in buying. Then he left the board. I seem to remember on the same day Mr Wellbeloved left. Just like Mr Delves leaves around the same time Mr Hughes left. The only ones who stayed any length of time were Sayfritz and the other chap I can't remember the name of who owned the electrical firm. Burton have 6 directors. We have 2. That tells a story.
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Post by Pilch on Feb 3, 2024 11:20:49 GMT 1
Could the same not be said of you? You've been fed information which fits your narrative that Cotterill & Caldwell are to blame for everything, therefore you believe it and tell the world as if its fact. Key differences being a) your source isn’t part of the establishment and b) it’s backed up by what others have heard too Makes it far more credible it was only a couple of weeks ago that mickey moore was picking the side, formation and making the subs ( this for most of those who will take this as gospel ) Strange coincidence Some people Still think steve cotterill was good for the club ( same ones again ) 😝
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Post by Feedo Gnasher on Feb 3, 2024 11:29:04 GMT 1
Apparantly losing £100k a month and yet Mickey Moore says we’re working within a sustainable budget this season.
If somebody from the club told me the sky is blue I’d still look up myself to check, don’t trust a word coming out of the mouth of anyone involved.
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Post by tarporleyblue on Feb 3, 2024 12:02:12 GMT 1
Apparantly losing £100k a month and yet Mickey Moore says we’re working within a sustainable budget this season. If somebody from the club told me the sky is blue I’d still look up myself to check, don’t trust a word coming out of the mouth of anyone involved. We have a sustainable budget, only because we are cost cutting so now need Town fans to help out with tasks.
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Post by Pilch on Feb 3, 2024 12:02:22 GMT 1
Apparantly losing £100k a month and yet Mickey Moore says we’re working within a sustainable budget this season. If somebody from the club told me the sky is blue I’d still look up myself to check, don’t trust a word coming out of the mouth of anyone involved. that's because you wouldn't want to believe it even though you know it's true , so you'd go and look and convince yourself it's not blue , youd then link to a story from brain cox saying the sky is actually black 😝
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Post by southshropblue on Feb 3, 2024 12:12:48 GMT 1
I think there is a propaganda game being played and because there is so little transparency from the club rumours circulate I dont know which are 100 percent true and which aren',t but I do think the club needs serious investment and to be honest new leadership off the field
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Post by mattmw on Feb 3, 2024 12:15:18 GMT 1
Sad to hear. Yet another well respected local business person departs. A genuine future owner no longer in the frame. Roland can't work in a team. That's been proven time and again. The big problem with the "I want to sell" news is that if it includes the perceived land value of the stadium then the club is worth something like £15 million. The reality is on a good day the club is worth max £2 million plus any cash in the bank. If Roland really is holding out for a value on the club that includes the stadium then he is realising the value of the old Gay Meadow for personal gain. I don't think that's right. Put the stadium and surrounds into a charitable trust or something to protect it and sell the football business, which is all he ever bought. A controlling interest in the club. But that won't happen because are't the stadium company shares now held in an offshore family trust/pension fund? If at the end of his tenure the value of the stadium goes to his own family I think that would smear his legacy somewhat. It's explained that they don't want people to come and asset strip the stadium but there are other ways to avoid that like putting legal protections on the stadium and selling to a local person of good character. Like Paul Delves. Who could buy the football business. But won't pay over £10 million for it because he's not mental. I don't know the guy but that's me piecing together all the bits of the jigsaw. The day he didn't sell to Derek Passant was the day he showed his hand that he didn't really want to. I am not sure anything has really changed. I think you are spot on that the most likely long term outcome is the club moving into a community trust style ownership, but think there maybe some choppy waters ahead before we reach that stage. As you rghtly point out the vast majority of the value of the club as a company is the land and stadium value, which is protected by a legal covernant which preserves it for sports and leisure use. Its effectively the same one that was on the Gay Meadow but transfered to the New Meadow when the ground move happened. The only way it can be changed is if the club moved again and the covernant moved to a new piece of land. So in many ways the ground is protected against speculative developers buying the club and selling the land for commercial development. The knock on affect of this is that its difficult to release the asset value of the ground into cash. So the club is in effect asset rich, revenue poor. This really limits potential buyers of the club as while they could spend £10 - £15 million buying the asset, there isn't much they can do with it due to the legal limitations on the club. On the current model you then proabably need £1 million a year in cash to keep the club running, or more if you really want to progress towards being a championship club We might get some rich foreign investor come in with more money than sense (Hello prespective Hollywood owners) but thats seems unlikley. But any local business person is unlikley to have either deep enough pockets or willingness to lose significant sums each year to spend £10 million buying the club and then have to run it annually. I suspect the club will remain in the Chairmans ownership for the rest of his life, and there will be a tricky period when he's not around, but is most likely to end up in a community ownership model where the ground and stadium land is secured long term as a community asset, and the commercial football side of things is managed through a wider board of much smaller scale investors
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Post by tarporleyblue on Feb 3, 2024 12:20:16 GMT 1
Sad to hear. Yet another well respected local business person departs. A genuine future owner no longer in the frame. Roland can't work in a team. That's been proven time and again. The big problem with the "I want to sell" news is that if it includes the perceived land value of the stadium then the club is worth something like £15 million. The reality is on a good day the club is worth max £2 million plus any cash in the bank. If Roland really is holding out for a value on the club that includes the stadium then he is realising the value of the old Gay Meadow for personal gain. I don't think that's right. Put the stadium and surrounds into a charitable trust or something to protect it and sell the football business, which is all he ever bought. A controlling interest in the club. But that won't happen because are't the stadium company shares now held in an offshore family trust/pension fund? If at the end of his tenure the value of the stadium goes to his own family I think that would smear his legacy somewhat. It's explained that they don't want people to come and asset strip the stadium but there are other ways to avoid that like putting legal protections on the stadium and selling to a local person of good character. Like Paul Delves. Who could buy the football business. But won't pay over £10 million for it because he's not mental. I don't know the guy but that's me piecing together all the bits of the jigsaw. The day he didn't sell to Derek Passant was the day he showed his hand that he didn't really want to. I am not sure anything has really changed. I think you are spot on that the most likely long term outcome is the club moving into a community trust style ownership, but think there maybe some choppy waters ahead before we reach that stage. As you rghtly point out the vast majority of the value of the club as a company is the land and stadium value, which is protected by a legal covernant which preserves it for sports and leisure use. Its effectively the same one that was on the Gay Meadow but transfered to the New Meadow when the ground move happened. The only way it can be changed is if the club moved again and the covernant moved to a new piece of land. So in many ways the ground is protected against speculative developers buying the club and selling the land for commercial development. The knock on affect of this is that its difficult to release the asset value of the ground into cash. So the club is in effect asset rich, revenue poor. This really limits potential buyers of the club as while they could spend £10 - £15 million buying the asset, there isn't much they can do with it due to the legal limitations on the club. On the current model you then proabably need £1 million a year in cash to keep the club running, or more if you really want to progress towards being a championship club We might get some rich foreign investor come in with more money than sense (Hello prespective Hollywood owners) but thats seems unlikley. But any local business person is unlikley to have either deep enough pockets or willingness to lose significant sums each year to spend £10 million buying the club and then have to run it annually. I suspect the club will remain in the Chairmans ownership for the rest of his life, and there will be a tricky period when he's not around, but is most likely to end up in a community ownership model where the ground and stadium land is secured long term as a community asset, and the commercial football side of things is managed through a wider board of much smaller scale investors That's very interesting and informative, thank you. Out of interest, who would instigate such a community ownership model and what would be the potential barriers to such a step?
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