And it begins

[Batch]

It still grates with me in the way he engineered his exit.  We were on the verge of doing something special and he fucked off. His money, his choice I agree. But I'm not and am never going to like it, and I am not going to apologise for mentioning it from time to time.

As for the new board, I've invested in a new season ticket. I'm not overly excited by the breakup of the squad but its inevitable with the reduced budget. Not sure what else we can all do to support the plan.

[RobertT]

I'd suggest having a fan owned back-up, as was being thought of in the past, but a clear offer to help support the current board by the Trust would be a good start.  Making it clear it is not a threat, just a disaster recovery plan.  Even Diamandis and Wills were offered that to start with, they just had some severe hate issues with the fans!

[RobertT]

Oh, and the whole sorry affair has shown one thing.  Wray can fill the void left by Max Clifford.  The new board could learn a thing or two from him around PR.

Maybe Wray and Fitton should have shared the job one day at a time, as between them it seems it could have worked but it looks like they took a backseat when the other had their time in charge.

[jonny72]

I'd suggest having a fan owned back-up, as was being thought of in the past, but a clear offer to help support the current board by the Trust would be a good start.  Making it clear it is not a threat, just a disaster recovery plan.

If work had been started on fan ownership a couple of years ago, when Black decided to leave it would have been ready and waiting to take over. The time to prepare isn't when the shit hits the fan, it is now.

Though as you say, it needs to be done carefully and to work with rather than against the current owners.

[joteddyred]

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.

Yes, I had forgotten about that to be honest.  Do we know when that sale collapsed?

It still grates with me in the way he engineered his exit.  We were on the verge of doing something special and he fucked off. His money, his choice I agree. But I'm not and am never going to like it, and I am not going to apologise for mentioning it from time to time.

I feel exactly the same Batch and unfortunately I will remember him for that rather than any good he may have done previously.  We're still yet to fully see what the longer term effects could be.

[RobertT]

I think the sale fell through either July or August (I want to plump for the latter).

[RobertT]

This was Black tweeting on the subject, probably suggest August is a better bet:

"Anyway as the (first) sale of the club was going through FL approval Di Canio and Spencer presented us with a new contract with only a few days to accept. I said it wasn’t my concern as I thought I had sold the club. The contract went through and then I ended up owning the club again. It seemed to be a very one sided contract. I had no choice but to accept it. A couple of months later I replaced Jeremy and relations started breaking down very quickly. I hadn’t been happy with what had happened over (Swindon defender Paul) Caddis and I had had a sense of humour failure when the club breached the wage cap and went into embargo. I had repeatedly asked at the board for all player transactions to be communicated and I had had (sic) virtual radio silence. "

[RobertT]

He also mentioned he told everyone he was selling at the start of the 2011/12 season.

[horlock07]

Has anyone ever identified who the now sadly deceased new owner was to be?

Still can't understand why people hate black for walking away,  why should he consider pissing further cash up the wall at a project that had already gone septic and cost him friends?  I love the fan logic (aimed at no one) that he should bung another half a million at it on the off chance that we get promoted but god forbid we will create merry hell if season tickets go up 10% or pies 50p.

[donkey]

Definitely, it could all be a smoke screen for what may follow.  We wait to see.

Tend to  agree.  He was highly unlikely to accept a 1 year deal if he can get longer elsewhere.  Possibly the club were hoping that was the case to get him off the wage bill?

What did the tweet say?

I know this thread went off in another (and interesting direction), but what did our chairman's tweet say?

[RobertT]

Being a Luton fan, you can only imagine.

[horlock07]

I know this thread went off in another (and interesting direction), but what did our chairman's tweet say?

I assume it's been deleted as the only one I can find says something like 'I'd like to say sorry to Watford for their defeat but I can't. .. ha'.

[Batch]

Oh dear, BBC Wilts report the club are in dispute with Adam Rooney over the validity of the contract he signed that kept him with us until 2015. We are claiming it is invalid as it was signed under the previous board.

Obviously more detail to it than has been reported. I assume he had an automatic option as part of the loan agreement.

[Dr Pierre Chang]

A contract's a contract - no matter if it was signed by the previous board.

I would like to hear the clubs stance on this but it seems as though Rooney is on a fair whack which we are not prepared to pay. (inb4 negative remark/we're doomed)

[BruceChatwin]

Oh dear, BBC Wilts report the club are in dispute with Adam Rooney over the validity of the contract he signed that kept him with us until 2015. We are claiming it is invalid as it was signed under the previous board.

Obviously more detail to it than has been reported. I assume he had an automatic option as part of the loan agreement.

I wondered why he was so keen to stay.

It is BBC Wilts though.