New beginnings - 25% Truth, 80% Bollocks

[Berniman]

If he doesn't want to sell, he won't sell.  If you think a load of noise from the fans or keyboard warriors on some facebook groups will infuence that then fair enough, but the world has moved on from where we were when taking a coffin to a game makes any difference, the current online world has made this the norm.  Current owners see outrage on a daily basis about every decision they make these days, a little more amplified noise about urging them to sell is not going to do anything bar make it noisy and messy.

If any sale is to go through then it has to be a deal that both parties are happy with.  The only real way the fans can influence expediting it is by starving them out financially, might help make their minds up to cut their losses and realise that they have bled the fanbase about as much as they could - there are significant risks that come with this but the reality is, the only reason the owners need the fans is £ no matter what they say elsewhere.  Take the £ away and things get a little more complicated.

And btw I am not having a go at those buying ST's or attending games, i fully understand that for some it will happen regardless, that doesn't make those fans wrong in buying a new ST.  Everyone has to make their own mind up on how they move forward, the one thing that is not healthy is both sides having a dig at each other because of it.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Surely, the longer he leaves the club spiralling downwards the less it’s worth. If, heaven forbid, we drop out of the EFL he, and we, are totally fucked. If he is to be believed he’ll constantly be having to put money into a depreciating asset.

Maybe whatever money STFC is generating is being siphoned off to keep Axis afloat.

[Berniman]

Surely, the longer he leaves the club spiralling downwards the less it’s worth. If, heaven forbid, we drop out of the EFL he, and we, are totally fucked. If he is to be believed he’ll constantly be having to put money into a depreciating asset.

Maybe whatever money STFC is generating is being siphoned off to keep Axis afloat.

And maybe a significant drop in ST sales (which everyone expects) will be the trigger point.  Realisation that the cash cow that is the fanbase is running dry.  I fully expect the next time that we hear from him will be to state that the budget is reduced next season due to a drop in ST sales.

[Legends-Lounge]

…and this is the problem; if there is a viable alternative out there (and I don’t believe for a second there is) then staying in the shadows is exactly what they shouldn’t be doing. If hypothetical new owners wa t to buy the club the best thing they could do is go public.

They’d get backing from a large percentage of the fan base - hell two mythical guys in suits in the DRS experiencing the ‘real’ match day experience despite being life long fans got support and they don’t even exist!!!

Secondly those that are still pro Clem might get their heads turned if they saw there was actually another option.

The Trust should be doing what they can to bring anyone interested in buying the club to the forefront…

NDA’s.

[Legends-Lounge]

That’s only works if Clem is willing to sell.

If he (and whoever) are digging their heels in or holding out for an unrealistic asking price then letting everything run in the background won’t put any pressure on Clem (and whoever) to sell.

Shit or bust then.

Clem threw a lot of money in legal fees to make sure his £1m+ didn’t disappear into the ether, whether he got that back is another thing. Nothing more, nothing less. And his original investment was on the back of untold riches no matter how that materialised.

So to conclude, he was in it for making money, as has been the case of every owner in recent years.

Look where we are, look at what we’ve got. That is what is driving me from putting anymore money into the club.

Not sure when I will go again as others have I said. I hardly bothered with keeping tabs on Tuesday. I no longer even have the radio one to listen to free commentary.

[4D]

Outshining Jed & Co 

[Power to people]

Would anyone want to take over with the EFL charges still outstanding and seemingly no date for the Power / Standing court case which is what the EFL are waiting for, who knows what punishment they will want to magic up, then there is the chance the FA may jump on the bandwagon depending what comes out.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

If it were me, I’d be speaking to the EFL, showing them my business plan and asking - for a friend - what the likely outcome would be for the club depending on the outcome. Do they give points deductions once a season is finished?

[RobertT]

The only small bit of ITK I was given in relation to a potential new owner was that interested parties were indeed nervous about taking the leap based on the muddy ownership situation and items such as the EFL/FA charges related to that.  That was late last year though.

It makes sense, when buying a football club it probably helps to know that you will own it, fully, when you hand over the money and have a clear idea of what the financial risks are.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Does the outcome of the Power/Standing case have any financial implications for the club - other than any punishment from the EFL or FA?

[RobertT]

Does the outcome of the Power/Standing case have any financial implications for the club - other than any punishment from the EFL or FA?

The answer is - we just can't know.

The only thing we do know is that Standing had the option to block Clem's ownership through the various legal shenanigan's that were going on.  A judge ruled he had to give consent if I remember correctly.  Standing nodded Clem's move through and we know Clem was advised by Zav who was aware of the pre-emption rights.  We also know that a potential buyer was thrust into the equation, in Able, although their existence is not 100% proven.  In one case Power testified he was unaware of their interest, and in another he used them as a reason to try and leverage his position.

The big question in all that was why on earth would Standing let Clem take ownership if he was still contesting he was part owner with Power, and then not come knocking for his half?

None of that period makes sense.  Standing has continued to seek compensation from Power, who has continued to seek to defend the case rather than settle.  Clem has taken a back seat to that case in public, when it actually has huge impacts on the club.  You would think it would be in his interests to push for resolution and push the FA to hurry-up, while siding with Power to ensure his investment is not impacted.

It's all a mess, and all that is public knowledge, imagine what the stuff behind the scenes looks like.

That is what a buyer must assess - and they may not have willing parties to give them the necessary insight if it unravels any back room deals.

On top of all that, once it's concluded, we risk a punishment that could send us down a league (depending on our situation at the time and the number of points, if any).  Not to mention a financial fine to take into account.

[NotHarryAgombar]

I agree with Robert that the potential impact of the legal cases is hindering any sale of the Club.
There is also the issue that apart from a large fan base (compared with many L1 and L2 clubs) the club isn’t really attractive as there are few assets to buy.
We have no proper training facility, a stadium which is part owned by the fans through a JV and which needs a huge investment to bring it up to a modern standard, and a first team squad which is in the process of delivering our lowest ever finish.
Ok the youth team have done really well, but the drop out rate between youth and first team football is enormous.
And the club runs at a significant loss - as do most clubs.
Unless they can somehow make money from stadium redevelopment I can’t see why anyone would buy the club for the sort of money which would pay back CM’s debt, let alone a higher figure.

[tans]

I still dont understand why this court case and charges is taking so long. Its nearly 4 years ffs

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

I agree with Robert that the potential impact of the legal cases is hindering any sale of the Club.
There is also the issue that apart from a large fan base (compared with many L1 and L2 clubs) the club isn’t really attractive as there are few assets to buy.
We have no proper training facility, a stadium which is part owned by the fans through a JV and which needs a huge investment to bring it up to a modern standard, and a first team squad which is in the process of delivering our lowest ever finish.
Ok the youth team have done really well, but the drop out rate between youth and first team football is enormous.
And the club runs at a significant loss - as do most clubs.
Unless they can somehow make money from stadium redevelopment I can’t see why anyone would buy the club for the sort of money which would pay back CM’s debt, let alone a higher figure.

‘Runs at a significant loss’ with Clem running it.

[Batch]

I still dont understand why this court case and charges is taking so long. Its nearly 4 years ffs

court backlogs catching up from COVID?