And it begins

[Paolo69]

Fuck me.

There isn't a set figure where the gamble suddenly pays off.

If Black had loaned the club the Ritchie fee instead of selling, on a low interest rate and we got Promoted everyone would be better off.

Fuck me! Is there not?! Other than the £2m plus the Richie fee then?!

Apparently, obviously.

[Ardiles]

It was a laugh when his mates were involved as well.  Wray and Fitton were football people, so Black could take a back sat.  When they started to fall out and Black was left on his own, it all changed.  Not what he envisaged.  I still can't understand why he needed out so quickly, but can understand why he needed out.

[DiV]

So what are you suggesting?

That spending a little bit extra on players to get/keep better players could prove to be a good gamble/investment in the long run.....

....or it might not (for those who are unaware of how gambling works)

[sonicyouth]

It was a laugh when his mates were involved as well.  Wray and Fitton were football people, so Black could take a back sat.  When they started to fall out and Black was left on his own, it all changed.  Not what he envisaged.  I still can't understand why he needed out so quickly, but can understand why he needed out.

If he'd stayed to the end of the season, or beyond, it would have only meant more losses for him to cover. It's clear that Black had no interest in the football club and had grown tired of the slow process of finding a buyer, he saw an opportunity to use a deadline to his advantage and did so.

[Flashheart]

We all know how gambling works DV.

What you seem to be missing is that somebody has to pick up the bill if the gamble fails. If the gambler (board) cannot or will not pick up the bill then the club is right royally fucked.

[Paolo69]

....or it might not (for those who are unaware of how gambling works)

In that case I'd rather Jed and co didn't take a gamble with our club as its highly likely they haven't got a big enough stake to play. Hopefully they've got enough stake to keep playing at a low risk strategy though.

[Batch]

Yes, but he didn't have to commit to another year then welch on it. Arguably sticking it out could have seen a better return, had the gamble come off.

He was clearly so desperate to get out he was all too willing to sell assets, and ultimately the club, to whomever wanted them.

I thank him and want to kick him in the nuts in equal measures.

[sonicyouth]

Yes, but he didn't have to commit to another year then welch on it. Arguably sticking it out could have seen a better return, had the gamble come off.

He was clearly so desperate to get out he was all too willing to sell assets, and ultimately the club, to whomever wanted them.

I thank him and want to kick him in the nuts in equal measures.

This is why I think he really didn't give a fuck about the club and found it a nuisance.

[Paolo69]

I thank him and want to kick him in the nuts in equal measures.

That about sums up how I feel about him too Batch. It's the hope that kills you though.

[Batch]

This is why I think he really didn't give a fuck about the club and found it a nuisance.

Yes I agree, otherwise he couldn't have done what he did. So frustrating.

[RobertT]

Yes I agree, otherwise he couldn't have done what he did. So frustrating.

Black got involved to support a best mates brothers joint bid at being a football club owner and had some money behind him just in-case.  The original business plan however was very similar to the one we are being poorly told about now.  Namely, cut our cloth, find new revenue streams and invest a little in youth players only who may be worth a sell on fee, offer short term deals to the older players who have no resale value.

Unfortunately, our two main men in Fitton and Wray fucked up the business plan.  Firstly while we actually turned a profit one year, we sold too much and ended up getting relegated when the players with no resale value gave up rather than fucking off.  Then Wray convinced everyone the best plan was to release the purse strings, get Di Canio in and back him.  It worked on the pitch, it royally fucked us off it and Black had enough well over a year ago a signalled out (by agreeing to sell in the summer).  It seems Wray couldn't go along with this, closed his eyes and covered his ears and carried on telling Di Canio to go for it.  Black got really annoyed, got rid of his mates brother and forced a sale to get this shit cuntflap waste of money off of his hands before his nesteg began shrinking further.

We all hate such basic common sense as it has no place in our passionate supporting of our football club.

Going up would have meant jack shit to Black - losing another £1m in the process would.  Ritchie was sold by the CLUB, Black sanctioned it as he wasn't giving us anymore money and agreed to give the takeover a few days to complete as grace.

Black took his gamble 5 years ago, it never paid off and began causing problems about2 and a half years ago, so the end game was not sudden.

So, any talk of him speculating is wide of the mark because why should he when he's already spent millions more than he originally thought he was going to?  Going up may raise money, but most clubs seem to give a good example of how financial prudence just doesn't exist in most football club boardrooms in this country.  Black knows that, Wray as someone he trusted showed what happens, Fernandes at QPR being another sensible example who spunked all the cash without thinking.

Instead of going on about it all (not aimed at any one person), maybe we should be concentrating on how we can ever hope to influence making the club work. The new guys, good or bad, are trying the same template Fitton went for but they don't have the big cash sat in reserve for when they lose the plot.  That is what we should prepare for - support their plan, prepare for it going wrong.  It might not be because they want to strip the club, it could work out fine, but it might go wrong again and someone needs to be ready for that, just in case.

Ramble over

[sonicyouth]

Black got involved to support a best mates brothers joint bid at being a football club owner and had some money behind him just in-case.  The original business plan however was very similar to the one we are being poorly told about now.  Namely, cut our cloth, find new revenue streams and invest a little in youth players only who may be worth a sell on fee, offer short term deals to the older players who have no resale value.

Unfortunately, our two main men in Fitton and Wray fucked up the business plan.  Firstly while we actually turned a profit one year, we sold too much and ended up getting relegated when the players with no resale value gave up rather than fucking off.  Then Wray convinced everyone the best plan was to release the purse strings, get Di Canio in and back him.  It worked on the pitch, it royally fucked us off it and Black had enough well over a year ago a signalled out (by agreeing to sell in the summer).  It seems Wray couldn't go along with this, closed his eyes and covered his ears and carried on telling Di Canio to go for it.  Black got really annoyed, got rid of his mates brother and forced a sale to get this shit cuntflap waste of money off of his hands before his nesteg began shrinking further.

We all hate such basic common sense as it has no place in our passionate supporting of our football club.

Going up would have meant jack shit to Black - losing another £1m in the process would.  Ritchie was sold by the CLUB, Black sanctioned it as he wasn't giving us anymore money and agreed to give the takeover a few days to complete as grace.

Black took his gamble 5 years ago, it never paid off and began causing problems about2 and a half years ago, so the end game was not sudden.

So, any talk of speculating is wide of the mark because why should he when he's already spent millions more than he originally thought he was going to?  Going up may raise money, but most clubs seem to give a good example of how financial prudence just doesn't exist in most football club boardrooms in this country.  Black knows that, Wray as some he trusted showed what happens, Fernandes at QPR being another sensible example who spunked all the cash without thinking.

Instead of going about it all (not aimed at any one person), maybe we should be concentrating on how we can ever hope to influence making the club work. The new guys, good or bad, or trying the same template Fitton went for but they don't have the big cash sat in reserve for when they lose the plot.  That is what we should prepare for - support their plan, prepare for it going wrong.  It might not be because they want to strip the club, it could work out fine, but it might go wrong again and someone needs to be ready for that, just in case.

Ramble over

One thing that cannot be underestimated is the choice of Di Canio specifically - Wray's own hero. Of course he wouldn't tell his hero to y'know stop spending so much and be a little bit more sensible with signing players and casting them aside etc.

[joteddyred]

One thing that cannot be underestimated is the choice of Di Canio specifically - Wray's own hero. Of course he wouldn't tell his hero to y'know stop spending so much and be a little bit more sensible with signing players and casting them aside etc.

I do also feel that if Black was a good businessman he'd have been a bit closer to what was going on.  It's all very well people blaming Wray for allowing the spending to get out of control, but why didn't Black ask more questions earlier?

[RobertT]

and it was fine, and I supported it, on the basis everyone was on the same page.  Black wasn't and the evidence shows he never was in reality, so we were sold a bit of PR that the plan was in place.  The November alarm bells should really have rung louder and Wray should have swallowed his pride and risked fucking Di Canio off when he balled about no new signings.  In hindsight, it might have kept Black around long enough to have a proper handover of the club even if Di Canio left a few months earlier.

[RobertT]

I do also feel that if Black was a good businessman he'd have been a bit closer to what was going on.  It's all very well people blaming Wray for allowing the spending to get out of control, but why didn't Black ask more questions earlier?

He did, he told them he was selling up as he didn't want to fund it anymore.  The new owner died during due diligence so he was forced to continue bailing the business out with contracts agreed.   In November he started the process to force the sale as quickly as possible and nearly lost patience entirely with the club by threatening admin.